But hell, who could blame him? After all, Lessa was half-naked in that bikini. Every ounce of her firm and toned body was exposed. It was all he could do to keep from staring at her large, upturned breasts, at her slender, perfect hips.
“She’s ready,” Sabrina said, telling the driver to go. The boat jolted to a start and Rick watched with dismay as Lessa flew out of the water and onto her head.
“Cut the engine,” he yelled and jumped in, prepared to retrieve an unconscious woman from the water.
But she poked her head up. “I almost had it,” she yelled out cheerfully.
“That’s enough,” he said sternly, swimming toward her. “Let’s go in.”
“I’m not about to quit now,” Lessa said, grabbing a ski and slipping it back on.
“Lessa,” he began.
“Go back up on the boat,” she said, reaching for the other ski. “Please. I can do this.”
He glanced back at the boat. Sabrina was leaning over the side, watching them. He could not argue with her here.
He hesitantly handed her the other ski and swam back to the boat. “She’s determined,” he said, pulling himself out of the water.
But he was about to learn just how tenacious she was. Time after time, Lessa went back down. Yet she showed no indication of being tired nor wishing to call it a day. She was hell-bent to succeed.
As Lessa took yet another tumble, Sabrina sighed and said, “How long will she keep his up?”
“Until she skis.” He had no doubt that, if necessary, they would be at this all night.
“So, Rick,” Sabrina said, leaning back against the boat and stretching seductively, “you never did explain why you broke things off.”
This was one conversation he had been hoping to avoid. “I thought we had an understanding,” he said. “I wasn’t ready for any commitment.”
“And now you are?”
“I-” He hesitated, glancing in Lessa’s direction. Her hair was a tangled mess but she didn’t seem to care. She wiped her nose with the back of her arm and once again flashed the thumbs-up sign. He had to admit, there was something endearing in her refusal to give up. “I didn’t plan on this happening with Lessa,” he said quietly. “It was just one of those things.”
He found himself encouraging Lessa silently from the sidelines. Her face set in grim determination, she slowly rose to her feet. Caught up in the moment, he jumped up and applauded. Lessa let out a whoop of joy.
Sabrina motioned to the driver to spin around. Rick knew that this would push Lessa outside of the wake, something which he thought was too dangerous. “No!” he shouted to Sabrina, but it was too late. Lessa sped outside the wake and in a split second, her slight form was lost in a spray of water.
He dove out of the boat, certain that no one could escape a fall like that unscathed. But once again, she surprised him.
“Did you see me?” she asked, bobbing in the water and grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt,” he said gruffly, grabbing the skis.
“Lessa, I’m so sorry,” Sabrina said, as they climbed back onboard. “We were getting too far out, so I turned the boat…”
“You should’ve told her to drop the rope,” Rick said angrily. No matter what Sabrina said, he knew better. It was intentional, and she was damn lucky that Lessa wasn’t hurt. As it was, he thought, glancing at the big pink mark on Lessa’s leg, she was going to have a hell of a bruise. “Do you have an ice pack?” he asked Sabrina.
“It’s not necessary,” Lessa said.
But Rick didn’t listen. He helped her to sit down before holding the ice pack against her leg. “We’ve had enough. Let’s head back.”
Sabrina shrugged innocently and they drove back in silence. Rick’s initial joy over Lessa’s achievement faded into anger. What had she been trying to prove? It was stubbornness mixed with a sense of competition. She should’ve known when to throw in the towel, known when to say enough was enough. And as a result, she got hurt.
When they got back to shore, Rick made a point of keeping his arm around Lessa, helping her off the boat and down the dock.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Sabrina said with a cheerful wave.
When they were out of earshot, Rick said, “What the hell were you doing back there-trying to kill yourself?”
“What are you talking about? I was waterskiing.”
“You know very well what I’m talking about. You were trying to prove something. And your competitive nature almost got you seriously injured.”
“I guess I should be touched that you’re so concerned.”
Why was he so annoyed? Maybe because the whole scenario reminded him of what she had done at work. She had refused to give up, and as a result, she was about to get hurt. “You didn’t have to prove anything, Lessa,” he told her.
“I know that,” she said, before shrugging off his arm. As she did so, her bathing-suit strap fell down over her pale, white shoulder. The wind gently blew the strands of her still-wet hair. Her eyes sparkled and her pale cheeks flushed with anger. He felt a sudden urge to kiss her.
“So how do you think it went with Sabrina?” she asked.
He forced himself to look away. The sight of her bare, slender body was enough to confuse even the most resolute intentions. “Hard to say.”
“I think Sabrina is still interested in you.”
“I told you that’s over.”
“Yeah, well, she had to look high and low to find a suit that skimpy.”
“That’s just how she dresses.”
“And the way she kept touching you. Pretending to fall against you and putting on a show with the lotion.”
“Jealous?” he teased.
“Me?” she asked. “Hardly. But I think Sabrina is.”
But he knew better. Sabrina’s flirtation was merely a test to see if he bit. He had no doubt that her line about her advisers reviewing the contract was just an excuse to stall for time. He and Lessa still had a lot of work to do if they were going to convince Sabrina. They needed to prove that their love was tempestuous and passionate. A love capable of desperate breakups and tearful reunions. “At dinner I’m going to ask Sabrina to dance. I want you to act like a jealous lover. I want you to storm out.”
“Storm out? In other words, you want me to act like an idiot.”
“No. I want you to act like a woman who believes her lover is flirting with another. I want you to act like a woman who cannot bear the thought of the man you love touching another woman.”
“The man I love…” Her voice drifted off as the implication sank in. “Not all women behave so immaturely.”
“True, but we are selling the whole firing as an act of passion. She needs proof. And she certainly didn’t get it on the boat.”
“Did it ever occur to you that the firing could’ve been your fault? Perhaps you quit because you saw me flirting with another man. And you couldn’t stand the thought of me touching another.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, but Sabrina knows me, remember?” he said, touching her cheek. His eyes hardened and he took her hand. “I’m not the jealous type.”
Five
“So I’m not only immature enough to fire you over a love squabble, but I’m also jealous. What exactly do you see in me?”
What Rick saw was a woman with beautiful green eyes and exotic cheekbones. A woman with one of the most seductive bodies he had ever seen. A woman so stubborn and determined, she would suffer bruises and sprains without the slightest complaint until she learned how to water-ski. Instead, he said, “Perhaps you excel in other areas. Perhaps you’re skilled-”
“In the bedroom? Is that what you were going to say?” She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away.
“Actually, no. I was shooting for a good listener or cook, but I’d be more than happy with bedroom skills.”
They walked back into the bungalow and shut the door. The air-conditioning was off and the room felt like an oven. She turned on the air conditioner and said, “This is going to be one long evening.”