“So, are you still with the same bodyguards-to-the-rich-and-famous agency?”
It was impossible to hold a normal conversation while his hands rubbed sunscreen on her back. He managed a short, “Uh-huh.”
Ellie suddenly leaned back, filling his palms with more of that soft skin. “Mmmm, that feels good. You should give up life as a bodyguard for a career as a masseur.”
Josh’s sister. Josh’s sister.
The mantra grew louder in his head, desperate, as he fought back a barrage of sensual thoughts.
You think this feels good? Well, come to bed with me. You’ll feel even better.
He swiftly dropped his hands from her back and wiped the excess sunscreen on his own chest. Okay, this was bad. Normally he exercised a hefty dose of restraint, yet in the past few seconds, he’d lost every bit of control he’d ever managed to maintain around Ellie.
“Okay, all done.” His voice sounded too high to his ears, and he cleared his throat. “Let’s go for that swim.”
Cold water. That’s what he needed. Being submerged in cold water would shoot some sense into him.
Ellie stood up and flashed him another endearing smile. “Thanks for doing my back. Let me just get my legs before we go in.”
She wiggled out of her denim cut-offs, revealing a pair of green bikini bottoms. He almost sighed with relief. High-cut, but modest. He could handle these bottoms, no problem.
He watched as she slathered sunscreen on her bare legs, and then tossed the tube on the sand.
“I’ll race you,” she said with a grin.
He was about to accept the challenge and start dashing down the sand, but the second she took a step forward, all the breath sucked out of his lungs with one swift whoosh.
She was wearing a thong.
“Are you coming?” She broke into a slow jog, smiling at him over her shoulder.
All he could do was stand there, stare at her ass and will away his erection.
This was really bad.
He swallowed, unable to tear his gaze from her butt, and it wasn’t until he saw her diving cleanly into the waves that he snapped out of his lust-filled stupor.
Okay, no big deal. Just a thong. Lots of women wear thongs. Some don’t wear anything at all. You can overcome this.
With a breath, he jogged down the sand toward the water’s edge. Ellie was already a few yards out, languidly floating on her back.
“Slowpoke!” she teased.
He dove into the water, grateful for the cold rush that filled his body. As he swam toward Ellie, his desire slowly dissolved, much to his relief. By the time he reached her, he’d almost forgotten all about the dental-floss string nestled between her ass cheeks.
“Finally,” she said as he approached her with slow strokes. “You’ve lost your edge, Russell.”
He sent a small splash of seawater in her direction. “You cheated.”
“How did I cheat?”
“You didn’t count us off. You can’t have a race without a count.” He neglected to mention the real reason for his less than speedy entrance.
Luke watched as she did a leisurely backstroke, her shapely legs kicking through the water. He realized this was the first time he’d ever been alone with Ellie. It was incredible to think it, that he’d known her for fifteen years, and they’d never spent more than a few moments alone. He wondered why that was, but got his answer quickly as Ellie smiled at him again and her face lit up.
Being alone with her was dangerous, which was why he’d always made sure someone else was around whenever he was with Ellie. He could trace it back to her eighteenth birthday, when he’d first realized that Elenore Dawson had become a woman. A beautiful, alluring, sexy woman.
A woman who was totally off-limits.
His dating track record was impressive. He’d been with many women, and his past encounters all had one commonality—they were brief. He wasn’t ashamed of his love ’em and leave ’em past. In his line of work, settling down wasn’t really an option, as he constantly traveled the country, moving from assignment to assignment. When he
was
home he tried to spend as much time as possible with his father, who’d been a mess ever since Luke’s mom died ten years ago.
Making a commitment to one woman was nearly impossible considering his conflicting loyalties. He’d learned that the hard way with Robin. While her betrayal still infuriated him, he found himself unable to let her shoulder all the blame for their break-up. Robin had wanted him to devote every second of the day to her, she’d wanted full and total control of his heart, and that’s the one thing he hadn’t been able to give her.
He’d never felt guilty about the casual affairs he engaged in, but he knew that, with Ellie, casual wouldn’t cut it. Josh would kill him if he got involved with Ellie, if he kept things with her light and deprived her of a real future, a family, his heart. So he’d never let himself act on his attraction to her. Hell, he hadn’t even been sure there was an attraction.
Until now.
“The water feels wonderful, doesn’t it?”
She swam over to him again, brushing damp strands off her forehead as the water bobbed over her tanned shoulders.
“Yeah. I rarely have time for swimming anymore.”
Treading water, she suddenly grinned. “Weren’t you on your high school swim team?”
He suppressed a groan as he remembered the designated Speedo he’d had to wear back then. “Don’t remind me. It was my dad’s idea, not mine.”
“I think Josh might have taken me to one of your meets.” She splashed him. “Didn’t you have to wear a g-string or something?”
He saw the playful twinkle in her blue eyes and glared at her. “No, it wasn’t a g-string, Elenore.”
A wave of laughter bubbled out of her throat. “Do you still have your g-string? Do you model it for your girlfriends?”
“Oh, that’s it.” With one swift move, he reached out and dunked her under the water, enjoying the shriek of surprise she let out before she went under.
She shot up to the surface, water sputtering from her mouth. “You’re really going to get it, Russell!”
She launched herself at him, pressing her hands against his shoulders and trying to push him under. He fought against her attempts, until they were both laughing and spitting water from their mouths.
“Okay, okay, game over!” she cried out as he cupped his hands and shot a spray of salty water into her face. “I need to catch my breath.”
As he watched her push her hair out of her eyes, he realized he was actually having a good time. So good a time that he’d forgotten all about his goal. What was he doing? He was supposed to bring her home, not frolic in the ocean with her.
“Let’s go in,” he suggested.
She looked disappointed, but she nodded. “Okay.”
They swam toward the shore, and it wasn’t until he saw her step onto the sand that he remembered.
The thong.
Don’t look at her.
He diverted his gaze to his feet, and when she said, “Here’s a towel,” he finally looked up.
She’d wrapped a fluffy pink towel around her waist, thankfully shielding her barely-there bikini. As he dried off, he tried to regroup. All right, so she’d distracted him during that swim. And yeah, that sexy thong had made him reconsider telling his college friends that he was a boob man and made him realize he was most definitely an
ass
man.
But he was focused now. And ready to start pressuring her to go back. People always caved under pressure. You just needed the right amount, and they always caved. Ellie would be no exception.
“So, do you have a show tonight?” he asked, tossing the towel on the lounge chair.
She shook her head. “It’s my night off.”
Perfect. “So, you want to have dinner tonight?”
He saw the reluctance in her eyes. No matter how confident she’d been a few minutes ago, he knew she didn’t want to have dinner with him again. Because she’d give in. They both knew she would.
“I can’t,” she said, running her fingers through her wet hair.
“Come on,” he coaxed.
This would be easy. One more dinner, a few more guilt-trips about how much her brother missed her, and Ellie would be sitting next to him on a plane back to San Francisco.
“No, I really can’t.”
“Why not?”
She’s getting desperate. She knows you’ll win this little game.
And then she threw him for a loop. “Because I have a date.”
Chapter Four
I have a date.
Why,
why
had she said that?
Ellie collapsed on the plush white sofa in the center of the living room and let out the sigh she’d been holding. Luke had left only five minutes ago, but those five minutes, saying good-bye, walking him to his SUV, had been the longest of her life. Especially when he’d thrown in a few innocent questions about her
date
, questions she had no answers for.
As she’d watched him speed off, all her confidence had sped away with him.
No way could she beat Luke in a battle of wits. He could be sly, ruthless when he wanted, and he just oozed confidence. Sure, she’d had the upper hand for most of the afternoon—the string bikini had worked to her advantage—but she’d had to blow it by coming up with a ridiculous lie.
A date.
Ellie groaned. Where on earth would she find a date? If she knew Luke—and really, she could read him like a book—he’d undoubtedly show up at the club tonight, the location of her so-called rendezvous. No way would he stay away.
Okay, I can do this.
She rose from the couch and began pacing the hardwood floor. The living room was spacious and airy, the perfect place to think. Too bad her brain was mush. Had been that way the second Luke had shown up at her house today.
How she’d managed to get through the afternoon was beyond her. When Luke had taken off his shirt earlier, revealing his broad, golden chest, her knees had grown wobbly and her heart thudded in her chest. Why did he have to be so good-looking? Why did sex appeal pour out of him like lava from a volcano?
She cursed her brother for sending Luke here. Josh had tons of friends, why hadn’t he sent Martin Hodges, his stuttering poker buddy? If Martin had been in that ocean with her today instead of Luke, she might have been able to focus.
Instead, she’d fought back wave after wave of desire until the ache had become unbearable. She thought about the way they’d played around in the water, the oddly gentle firmness of his touch when he’d grabbed her shoulders and dunked her in the waves. So many times she’d had to bite her lip to stop herself from begging him to kiss her.
Kiss him! When she should want him gone.
Her plan had seemed so simple, so easy to orchestrate. At least it seemed that way yesterday. Today she was a bundle of nerves, uneasy with the realization that scaring Luke off wouldn’t be as simple as she’d thought. Doing it required control, and whenever Luke was around, all her self-control flew out the window.
Which provoked her to do stupid things. Like conjure up pretend dates. But really, how could she have survived another dinner with Luke? After the way her entire body throbbed at his mere proximity, seeing him again tonight hadn’t been an option.
“Viv,” she muttered, suddenly making a beeline for the telephone.
Of course. If anyone could find her a man in less than three hours, it was Vivian.
Ellie dialed her boss’s number and waited for Vivian’s cheerful, “Hello?”
“Viv, it’s me. I need your help.” Her voice came out in a hurried rush.
“Ellie, I’m afraid I’m a little busy right now. The pool guy’s here, trying to fix the filter. We think something’s jamming it.”
She paused. “The pool guy? How old is he?”
“I don’t know. Twenty-seven, twenty-eight. Why?”
She took a breath. “Do you think he’ll go out with me tonight?”
There was silence on the other end. Ellie could picture Vivian’s perplexed expression, and if she weren’t so desperate right now she might have laughed out loud. Trying to arrange a date with Viv’s pool boy was probably the most absurd thing she’d ever done.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Vivian finally asked. “What did you—”
Before Vivian could finish, the entire story spilled out of Ellie’s mouth, starting with her swim with Luke and ending with the childish lie she’d told him.
“All right, honey.” Vivian gave an audible sigh. “Let me talk to Miguel. Hold on.”
Holding the phone to her ear, Ellie paced the room.
“Okay, I have good news and bad news. Pick your order,” Vivian said a few moments later.
“Good news first.”
“Miguel agreed to take you out tonight.”
Relief flooded her chest. “And the bad news?”
“He’s gay.”
Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat but she swallowed it back. Great, the only available bachelor she had, and he didn’t like women. How would this ever work?
“But,” Vivian added quickly, “he’s very good at pretending he’s straight. He should be a convincing date.”
“Knowing Luke, he’ll be at the next table, watching over us like a hawk. Miguel had better be convincing.” Oh, God, she was in way over her head.
“Is this a bad time to reaffirm my notion that you’re playing with fire?”
Ellie groaned. “Is there ever a good time to make me feel like an idiot?”
Vivian was laughing when she hung up the phone. If she had to pick one thing she loved about having Ellie living here in town—and there were many—it was that she made life exciting again. Not that Vivian was a believer of any of those silly sayings—
Life ends when you hit forty
being one, and her favorite,
Have a kid and kiss your life goodbye
.
A load of bull, of course. Some of her best memories were from recent years, and she certainly didn’t regret having Tanya. Her daughter was the most important person in her life and always would be. Yet, since Tanya had moved off on her own, Vivian was having trouble adjusting. She’d been a mother for so long, now that her baby didn’t need her anymore she didn’t know what to do with herself. She’d worked as a medical receptionist in San Francisco, not because she had an all-consuming love for the job, but to put food on the table and pay for Tanya’s college tuition. With Tanya out of the house and on her own, Vivian had quit the job and decided to really think about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
Moving to San Valdez hadn’t even occurred to her until she ran into an old friend who happened to be the owner of the Dancehall. The man was eager to sell the club and the need to do something new prompted her to buy it from him. The move had also allowed her to get away from the newest complication in her life. Maybe it was taking the coward’s way out, but hell, she deserved at least one act of cowardice in her life. She could’ve copped out years ago, when her parents had urged her to have an abortion once they found out she was pregnant. Instead, she’d ignored their advice, became a twenty-year-old single mother and worked her ass off to make ends meet. She hadn’t taken the coward route then, but she sure as hell was entitled now.
“All fixed.” Miguel’s cheerful voice broke through her thoughts and brought on another chuckle.
Ellie would have a blast with him. Miguel had been working as her pool boy for two years and something about his slightly feminine Spanish accent and mischievous brown eyes sparked a deep fondness in Vivian. He really was a decent boy. She just hoped Luke Russell wouldn’t eat him alive.
“Thanks, Miguel. I’ll have a check for you next time you come by.” She rose from the pool chaise she’d been lounging on and walked Miguel to the back gate. “Take care of my girl tonight, will you?”
He shot her a big smile. “I’ll do my best. You know, this is the first date I’ve had in ten years.”
She raised a brow, not quite believing him. “Really?”
His smile widened. “With a woman, of course.”
Opening the door for him, she fought back another wave of laughter. Damn, maybe she ought to go into work tonight, if only to see the fireworks sure to explode.
After Miguel left, Vivian crossed the yard and climbed up the large cedar deck. She collected the sarong and magazine she’d left on the table, and then headed inside the house. Since her entire body was covered with tanning oil, she decided to take a shower before she settled down on the couch with a good book. She allowed herself one day a week to unwind and relax, and no matter how tempted she was to go to the club and take a front row seat to Ellie’s date, she concluded it wasn’t worth giving up her downtime.
“Poor Luke,” she muttered to herself. The guy was barking orders at the wrong girl.
She reached for the strings holding her bikini top together and tugged on them. The top slid off, causing her breasts to drop a little, which in turn caused her to stifle a sigh. Ah, she longed for the days when her breasts had been so firm and perky she didn’t even need to wear a bra. Or when those irritating stretch marks that had plagued her skin since giving birth had yet to exist. Oh well, she knew she still looked good. Slim waist, firm ass, wrinkle-free face. Sure, there were minor imperfections like the sagging breasts and stretch marks, but she could overlook those. With her non-existent sex life, it was doubtful anyone would see them anyway.
She took two steps toward the washroom when a loud knock rapped against the front door.
Now who the hell was that?
She paused for a moment, and then realized it was probably Ellie. No doubt a basket case over her date tonight.
Grinning to herself, Vivian walked to the door, having no qualms about covering her chest with one hand and throwing open the door with the other.
She regretted it instantly.
“Hi, Viv.” His voice was deeper than she remembered. But still sexy.
He
was still sexy.
“Josh,” she squeaked. She cringed. “What are you doing here?”
She lifted her other hand to her chest, feeling exposed and vulnerable as she stood there. Topless. A rush of heat coursed through her when his blue-eyed gaze swept over her upper body. A muscle twitched in his jaw but he remained expressionless save for the quick spark of suspicion in his eyes. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked coolly.
“What?” She caught the implication and found herself stuttering. “No, uh, of course not. I was about to hop in the shower.”
His suspicion gave way to relief. “Oh.” He hesitated. “Can I come in?”
She had no idea what to say. The word
no
bit at her tongue but she also wasn’t thrilled about standing half-naked in front of her open door for the entire town to see. Finally she just nodded, wordlessly gesturing for him to come inside.
She closed the door behind them and turned slowly, looking at him. God, he was gorgeous. His dark hair was shorter now, almost a buzz cut, but it suited him, and the white button-down shirt he wore emphasized his broad chest and trim waist. He’d grown a slight beard too. The last time she’d seen him he’d been smooth and clean-shaven. Now dark stubble dotted his face, making him appear far older than he was.
But she knew better. He was young.
Much
too young. Fourteen years younger than her, to be exact.
“You look amazing, Viv.” His voice jarred her from her scrutiny, but he didn’t seem to mind that she was checking him out. He was doing the same, actually. Sweeping his gaze up and down her body before meeting her eyes.
Her reaction to his appreciative examination unnerved her. Her nipples hardened against the hands covering them and she found herself growing wet as she stood there, looking into the eyes of the man she’d almost slept with.
“Thanks,” she managed before taking a few jerky steps backwards. “I… Let me just put some clothes on.”
Her legs felt shaky as she made for the bedroom, but she forced herself to appear calm. Josh couldn’t know how much his nearness affected her.
In her room, she pulled random items of clothing out of the closet. Threw on a pair of jeans over her bikini bottoms and a black tank top over her bare breasts. Damn it, this was wrong. She shouldn’t be attracted to this man. He was Ellie’s brother. He was more than a decade younger than she was. He was…sinfully sexy.
Somehow during his sister’s engagement party Vivian had wound up in his arms. Afterwards she’d decided it had just been the champagne. Oh, and the fact that she’d been celibate for three years at that point in time. She’d latched onto the first warm-bodied male and it hadn’t mattered who said male happened to be. At least that’s what she’d always told herself.
Now? Well, now she was rethinking her rationalization. One look at Josh Dawson and she was ready to go to bed with him. She wasn’t drunk and she wasn’t all that horny, so that meant…
She didn’t even want to consider what that meant.
It took a few deep meditative breaths before she was ready to leave the room. When she did, she found Josh sitting on her couch, his hands clasped loosely over his lap. He glanced up when she entered, again eyeing her with that intense gaze she suspected was his trademark.
“So what brings you to town?” she asked, trying to sound cheerful. Before he could reply, she answered her own question. “Ellie, of course.”
When he nodded she was troubled by the pang of disappointment that hit her. It shouldn’t bother her that he hadn’t come to see her.
But it did.
“I want her to come home,” Josh said in a firm tone.
Vivian sank into the armchair farthest from the leather sofa, hoping the distance between them would slow her racing pulse. “Isn’t that why you sent Luke Russell?”
“I’m not sure he’ll have any luck.” Josh’s features creased with frustration. “We both know how stubborn my sister can be.”
She found herself grinning. “I would think you would’ve learned your lesson by now. You can’t make Ellie do anything she doesn’t want to do.”
“No kidding.” He looked rueful now as he met her eyes. “I need your help, Viv.”
“Me?” she echoed in surprise. Her surprise quickly transformed into suspicion, which made itself known in the form of a sharp frown. “I’m not getting involved, Josh. No way will I join forces with you to control your sister. I happen to care about Ellie.”
“And I don’t?”
He raked his fingers through his dark hair and Vivian’s fingers tingled in response. She still remembered how silky those short strands had felt between her fingers, when her arms had been twined around his neck and her hands tangled in his hair. She forced the memory away and tried to focus on the topic at hand. A difficult task when he sat just a few feet away from her.
“I love Ellie to death,” he continued, sounding gruff and far too sweet for Vivian’s comfort. “But she doesn’t belong here. We both know that.”