around them while he undressed her, and she reveled in the contrast between the cool water and her heated flesh, in the lazy contact of his hands, in the look on his dark face as he uncovered and savored every soft inch of her, his eyes lingering on her full breasts.
“God, what a beauty you are,” he whispered. “I ought to strangle you for doing this to me.”
“I’d like to point out that you’re undressing me, not vice versa,” she choked.
“You’ve seen me without my clothes,” he said softly, searching her eyes.
“Yes.” Her lips parted as she looked at him. “I wish we were alone. Totally alone.”
“Stop tempting me,” he whispered. After a minute, he reluctantly fastened the dress again and, with a heavy sigh, picked her up. His arms were strong and comforting against the night breezes. She snuggled closer, feeling unutterably cared for, and he bent to kiss her gently as he carried her up the beach. “You need to change and get some sleep. And in case you want to know, I’m leaving you at the door.”
“Why?” she moaned against his lips.
“Sex makes babies,” he whispered back. “I don’t have anything to protect you.”
She moaned again. “I don’t care,” she wailed.
“You would in the morning.” He carried her to the door and set her slowly on her feet, taking a minute to run his hands over her and make her tremble with wanting.
“Sexy,” he murmured. “Sexy and sweet, and I want to bury myself in you. Now you’d better get inside and try to sleep.”
“Don’t go,” she whispered. “You’re soaking wet, too.”
“I can’t very well walk home without my clothes.” He chuckled. “Go to bed.”
She shivered. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“My house key is in my pocketbook. Inside,” she added with a faint flush. “Well, I forgot when I locked the door...”
He looked heavenward. “Women!” He searched until he found the spare key she hid under the hibiscus bush. “Here. I remembered, even if you didn’t.”
She looked up at him, her heart shaking her. He was so much man. So big and capable and strong, and just for once she liked being dependent, letting him take care of her. She thought about how it would be, having him beside her in the darkness, holding him through the night. Just holding him would be enough, she realized suddenly. What she felt was overpowering but not entirely physical. It was so tender, so sweet and new. If only he could feel it for her.
He unlocked the door and opened it, glancing down at her expression curiously. “What’s wrong?” he asked, pressing the key into her palm.
“Nothing, really.”
He reached in and switched on the light, then looked at her, drinking in the contours of her body now clearly visible through the dress plastered wetly to her skin. He shook his head. “You’ll be the death of me one day. I’ll have a heart attack trying to be noble.”
“I won’t take the blame,” she said pertly.
“I won’t take you,” he whispered, bending to brush a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Now go to bed, siren. We’ve got an early flight.”
“All right.”
He handed her a shawl from the hat rack, watching her wrap herself in it. “Why do you want me all of a sudden?” he asked gently. “You’ve spent two years keeping me at arm’s length. What’s changed?”
“I never knew how devastating it could be,” she said shyly.
“It shocks me a little, too,” he said honestly. “You’re not exactly my usual kind of woman.”
“Maybe that’s why you want me,” she essayed.
He sighed. “I don’t know. All I know is that for the past twenty-four hours, you’re all I’ve thought about. But I can’t afford to lose my head. Your conscience would torment you to death.”
“But I don’t want to lose you. You’re my friend.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears at the thought.
“Don’t cry,” he ground out. “I can’t stand it.”
She lifted her face. “Sorry. I was looking ahead. One of us will eventually marry, I guess,” she added, thinking that it would probably be King. “And that will be the end of us, anyway.”
He studied her, scowling. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might ever have to lose her. But she was right: she would probably marry eventually, and her husband might not take kindly to their unusual friendship. There would be no more long walks along a Jamaican beach, no more phone calls at two in the morning just because he needed someone to talk to, no more laughing Elissa