he’d be a jerk about it once it was over.
Could she do it? Could she have a fling just for fun?
Jake Baldwin had practically dared her. As Nikki gazed out the window, she made a decision.
She was going to call his bluff.
God help them both.
Chapter Eight
She saw him as soon as she stepped out of the hotel room and ran across the sand. Jake had spread the checkered cloth on the beach and was, as promised, sitting by himself. When she approached, he rose and gave her a surprised smile.
“I was just trying to decide whether to hang out for a while or pack up my picnic and go home.” His appreciative gaze fell lower, and he smoothed the collar of the white shirt she wore tied over her red bikini. “Kinda glad I didn’t.”
“I’m here.” He saw a spark of mischief in her eyes. “So what are you going to do with me?”
He started to reach for her, but to his utter surprise, she beat him to it. Nikki threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth.
Jake groaned, and pulled her up against his hard-muscled body.
Damn,
but she tasted good, hot and sweet, with a touch of salt from the ocean.
He wanted this girl. Wanted her with an intensity that he hadn’t imagined until now. It seemed every cell in his body cried out for him to make her his own. Feverishly, he kissed her neck and her throat, hearing her moan as she clutched his shirt and tore at the buttons as if she couldn’t get it off him quickly enough. Eagerly, he shrugged it off his shoulders and let it drop to the sand.
Her blouse had come loose and he saw that her hot red swimsuit barely covered the essentials. A spike of male testosterone shot through him and urged him to strip those tiny pieces of fabric from her until she lay naked and writhing beneath him in the sand. Blood pounded through his body and his erection was rock hard. He couldn’t wait to get inside her, to feel her warm wetness close around him as her body rose up against him…
But something was wrong. Through a haze of red heat, he realized she was kissing him too hard, too fast, her hands clutching at his pants as if trying to lose herself in oblivion.
“Come on, hotshot. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Frantically, she tore at his belt buckle, almost ordering him out of his trousers.
“Whoa,” he said, stepping back. It was as if she had thrown a bucket of ice water over his head. The frantic urge to take her faded as he became aware that her eyes were tightly closed, and reality intruded as he realized the meaning of that:
She was fantasizing.
He could be anyone.
Male outrage overwhelmed him. She was using him just to satisfy a sexual need, as if he were a hired escort! To Nikki, he was nothing more than a warm body. Her hand was traveling dangerously lower, and he caught her wrist before she could get any farther. He was already on the verge of totally losing control.
“What’s wrong?” Her eyes blinked and she appeared totally baffled.
“You tell me.” His voice was harsh even in his own ears.
“I don’t know what you mean.” She gazed at him in confusion.
“I’m not some piece of ass that you can just use for the night,” Jake said, surprised at his own outrage.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” The sexual haze that had been surrounding her seemed to dissipate quickly. She stared at him in disbelief, her head cocked to one side, her eyebrows arched.
“No, I’m not. Get dressed,” Jake ordered abruptly. He grabbed his shirt and shrugged it on, grateful for something to do in order to gain a modicum of control. “Here.” He handed her the blouse, careful not to look too closely at her and change his mind.
Her gaze switched to his and she frowned even as she put on the top. “Okay, so what is it really? You’re not…attracted to me?”
“God no. I mean yes. I mean…
damn,
” Jake gritted. “I
am
attracted.
Too
attracted.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. When his gaze shifted back to her, to his relief, she
Could she do it? Could she have a fling just for fun?
Jake Baldwin had practically dared her. As Nikki gazed out the window, she made a decision.
She was going to call his bluff.
God help them both.
Chapter Eight
She saw him as soon as she stepped out of the hotel room and ran across the sand. Jake had spread the checkered cloth on the beach and was, as promised, sitting by himself. When she approached, he rose and gave her a surprised smile.
“I was just trying to decide whether to hang out for a while or pack up my picnic and go home.” His appreciative gaze fell lower, and he smoothed the collar of the white shirt she wore tied over her red bikini. “Kinda glad I didn’t.”
“I’m here.” He saw a spark of mischief in her eyes. “So what are you going to do with me?”
He started to reach for her, but to his utter surprise, she beat him to it. Nikki threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth.
Jake groaned, and pulled her up against his hard-muscled body.
Damn,
but she tasted good, hot and sweet, with a touch of salt from the ocean.
He wanted this girl. Wanted her with an intensity that he hadn’t imagined until now. It seemed every cell in his body cried out for him to make her his own. Feverishly, he kissed her neck and her throat, hearing her moan as she clutched his shirt and tore at the buttons as if she couldn’t get it off him quickly enough. Eagerly, he shrugged it off his shoulders and let it drop to the sand.
Her blouse had come loose and he saw that her hot red swimsuit barely covered the essentials. A spike of male testosterone shot through him and urged him to strip those tiny pieces of fabric from her until she lay naked and writhing beneath him in the sand. Blood pounded through his body and his erection was rock hard. He couldn’t wait to get inside her, to feel her warm wetness close around him as her body rose up against him…
But something was wrong. Through a haze of red heat, he realized she was kissing him too hard, too fast, her hands clutching at his pants as if trying to lose herself in oblivion.
“Come on, hotshot. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Frantically, she tore at his belt buckle, almost ordering him out of his trousers.
“Whoa,” he said, stepping back. It was as if she had thrown a bucket of ice water over his head. The frantic urge to take her faded as he became aware that her eyes were tightly closed, and reality intruded as he realized the meaning of that:
She was fantasizing.
He could be anyone.
Male outrage overwhelmed him. She was using him just to satisfy a sexual need, as if he were a hired escort! To Nikki, he was nothing more than a warm body. Her hand was traveling dangerously lower, and he caught her wrist before she could get any farther. He was already on the verge of totally losing control.
“What’s wrong?” Her eyes blinked and she appeared totally baffled.
“You tell me.” His voice was harsh even in his own ears.
“I don’t know what you mean.” She gazed at him in confusion.
“I’m not some piece of ass that you can just use for the night,” Jake said, surprised at his own outrage.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” The sexual haze that had been surrounding her seemed to dissipate quickly. She stared at him in disbelief, her head cocked to one side, her eyebrows arched.
“No, I’m not. Get dressed,” Jake ordered abruptly. He grabbed his shirt and shrugged it on, grateful for something to do in order to gain a modicum of control. “Here.” He handed her the blouse, careful not to look too closely at her and change his mind.
Her gaze switched to his and she frowned even as she put on the top. “Okay, so what is it really? You’re not…attracted to me?”
“God no. I mean yes. I mean…
damn,
” Jake gritted. “I
am
attracted.
Too
attracted.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. When his gaze shifted back to her, to his relief, she
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