When I walked from the hotel to the pool, I held my head high and pulled my shoulders back. I added a little extra sway in my hips and I could see heads turning as I passed. The sky-high stiletto sandals I wore were held to my feet by a thin strap of leather that snaked between my newly painted toes and then inched up to circle my ankles. I had on oversized mirrored sunglasses and my hair was left in expensively tousled waves down my back. But it was the bikini that seemed to seal the deal.
At least losing my day job had left me time to lay out some this summer, so my tanned skin contrasted nicely against the white bikini. The top was a demi-cup bra that pushed my rather ample assets up and together for the best possible display. Two ties kept it in place around my neck and back. The string bikini bottom was tiny and I was glad now for the Japanese lady’s insistence on waxing. I carried a beach bag that held the matching white lace cover-up, a sleeveless dress that came to mid-thigh. I’d had the salon girl smear makeup over my bruises, so they were invisible against my skin.
I spotted Kade from some distance away—it was a big pool—and stiffened. He was sitting on a daybed under an umbrella, which was fine.
It was the topless woman sitting next to him that set my teeth on edge.
Kade didn’t appear to be paying her much attention, which mollified me somewhat as I made my way toward him, my heels click-clacking on the concrete. He lazily sipped the drink in his hand as the woman talked to him, her hand moving to rest on his thigh. My grip tightened on my beach bag.
I moved closer and could tell when Kade spotted me. His body went still for a moment. He slid his glasses down his nose to peer over the tops. Even from a distance, it seemed I could feel the touch of his gaze as it raked me from head to toe. His lips moved as he said something to the woman and he didn’t even glance her way as she abruptly got to her feet and whirled, marching away in an obvious huff.
She spied me and made right for me. I stopped when she blocked my path.
“I guess you are zee something better,” she sneered. Her accent was thick.
“Pardon me?”
“Ee say to ‘beat it,’ ” she huffed. “Zat something better had come along.”
My smile was thin lipped, the green monster digging its claws in deep. “He’s right.”
She cursed fast and fluently in another language. I assumed it was cursing, anyway. I’d heard plenty of cursing in English and thought I could tell when it was being done in another language, especially when I was the target.
I’d had enough by now and interrupted her tirade. “Move along,” I said. “We’re done here.” The steel in my voice shut her up and I stepped around her, dismissing her entirely as I approached Kade.
“This spot taken?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“It is now.”
I hid a satisfied smile as I arranged myself on the daybed. Kade watched me unabashedly as I reclined with a sigh. A beat passed.
“You’re staring,” I said. “Am I not helping to enhance your image?”
“Well, you’ve certainly drawn attention,” he said dryly.
I tipped my head so I could see him. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, but how the fuck am I supposed to concentrate with you wearing that?”
His obvious irritation made me laugh outright. “Just trying to do my job, boss,” I teased. I was rewarded with a half smile, the corner of his lips tipping upward. I took the chance now that my eyes were hidden behind sunglasses to take him in. He’d obviously been in the pool, as his hair was still damp. Kade wore dark blue swim trunks and had thrown on a thin, white linen shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned, with the cuffs rolled up.
Kade raised a hand and signaled a waiter, who hurried over. “What do you want to drink, princess?” he asked.
“Just water,” I said.
The waiter turned to go, but Kade halted him with a word before turning back to me.
“Water? Are you kidding me?”
I hesitated. “I’ve been… trying to watch my carbs.”
Kade made a disgusted noise. “Bring the lady a mai tai,” he said. After the waiter had departed, Kade said, “Spill it. What’s going on?”
I resolutely refused to look at him when I replied. “I’ve just been drinking a lot lately, that’s all. Trying to cut back.” Blane’s condemnations rang in my ears.
A moment passed. “Well, one mai tai isn’t going to knock you on your ass, so I think you’re safe. Now on to more important things.” He grabbed a brown plastic bottle from the nearby table and handed it to me. “I need sunscreen.” His grin was wicked and I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
“Fine,” I said, rearranging so I sat back on my knees. “Turn around and take your shirt off.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Kade’s teasing bothered me. After last night, I didn’t really want to be reminded of the attraction between us, especially when it seemed nothing was going to come of it. I’d been fighting the draw I felt for Kade for months now and the one moment I’d tentatively made a move, he’d shut me down.
My mood worsened as I spread the sunscreen on his back. His nicely muscled, broad-shouldered, naked back. Even the scars from the abuse he’d endured as a child appealed to me. It had been months since I’d had sex and my libido was throwing a cranky fit.
I finished my task and snapped the lid back on the bottle. “Done,” I said curtly, flinging myself back on my side and taking a long gulp of the mai tai the waiter had left for me.
“Your turn,” Kade said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
I smiled sweetly. “I can do it myself, thanks anyway.” My tone was pure bitch, but I didn’t care.
Kade’s eyebrow lifted, but he made no comment, simply lying back in the bed and folding his arms behind his head. I couldn’t tell whether his eyes were open or closed behind the sunglasses.
I took my sweet time applying the sunscreen, some not-so-nice part of me wanting to get back at Kade for his unrelenting sexual teasing. And perhaps I achieved my goal because after a good five minutes or so, Kade snapped, “Are you done yet?”
“Don’t want to get burned,” I said breezily, swinging my hair to the side so I could apply the lotion to one shoulder. “The sun here is more potent than back home, you know.”
Kade muttered a curse and abruptly got up, tossed aside his sunglasses, walked to the pool, and dove in.
I smiled.
The sun was hot, even in the shade of the umbrella, and I was glad for my cold drink. I sighed, perfectly content and relaxed, and feeling better than I had in weeks. I didn’t think about Blane. I didn’t think about the bills waiting for me. I didn’t think about Gage wanting to kill me. I didn’t think about anything, and it was wonderful.
“Hi there. May I sit down?”
I opened my eyes to see a very nice-looking man standing next to me. He was holding another mai tai and he offered it to me.
“I thought I might buy you a drink,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling back as I took the drink from him. He sat down next to me.
“I’m Trace,” he said. “And you are?”
“Kathleen.”
Trace was tall, with a nice build, sandy-brown hair, and deep-chocolate eyes. And he was looking at me as though he’d like to eat me up with a spoon, which I decided wasn’t a bad thing. He was also easy to talk to and I found out he was in town on business, that he was from LA but currently lived in Seattle. He was just getting around to asking me to dinner when Kade reappeared.
Trace and I both glanced up at Kade and I sucked in a breath. His face was cold and hard, which I knew signaled dangerous territory on Kade.