she thought.
“Last one in is a rotten egg,” she said. She kicked off her sandals while tossing her shirt on the deck.
Hayden was a competitor who liked to win so he stripped out of his clothing as fast as he could. Watching Shelby’s curvy body emerge from under her clothing slowed him down, however. He knew the moment she realized that he was watching her.
She tipped her head to the side and ran her hands over her breasts and down the center of her stomach. Her fingers toyed with the button at her waistband. “Are you giving me a head start?”
Her voice was deeper than normal, husky almost, brushing over his aroused senses like the whisper of a win in a gambler’s ear. The lure was totally irresistible and all he could do was helplessly watch her long legs.
Winking at him, she pivoted away from him and bent at the waist to push her pants off. The thin strip of her black thong pulled tight against the crease in her backside. He clenched his hands at his sides as she straightened.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and pulled her hair free. Shaking her head, she let her hair fall in a cascade down her back. He saw red. A haze came over him and he stepped toward her, but his pants caught at his knees and he almost stumbled.
“I’m going to win,” she said, taunting him as she daintily folded each bit of clothing she’d removed. Then she took a leap off the edge of the boat.
Hayden’s pants caught on his feet and he kicked them off just before he tumbled over the side, splashing down a scant second before she did. As the water closed over his head, he heard the sound of her laughter filling the air.
Lazily he pushed to the surface, coming up behind her. Reaching for her, he skimmed his hand down her spine. She trembled under his touch.
“I won,” he said.
She glanced back at him. “Don’t get all arrogant about your victory.”
“Why not?” he asked, pulling her closer while he treaded water to keep them both above the surface. The action forced his legs between hers.
“Because there was no skill involved,” she said, undulating against him so that her entire body caressed his.
“Then you know that resistance is futile,” he murmured against her skin.
She pulled away from him. “Did you say ‘resistance is futile’? Isn’t that from Star Trek?”
“I thought you said you didn’t watch TV.”
“Star Trek is more than TV. But it doesn’t seem your cup of tea.”
“I went to that exhibit over at the Hilton a few years ago, to see about doing something similar at the Chimera.”
“Did the hotel benefit from that trip? Because apparently your legendary charm didn’t.”
“I beat you once, Shel. Don’t make me do it again.”
“You can try,” she said, and dived. He followed her easily, making out the shape of her white legs under the water.
He caught her ankle and pulled her to him, using a powerful scissor kick to bring them both to the surface.
His skin was too tight and he felt as if he was going to explode if he didn’t get inside her soon. But he loved the sensual way she moved. He snaked one arm around her waist and fondled her belly button before cupping her breast in his hand.
“I don’t need skill. I have raw talent.”
“You’ve got raw something all right, but I don’t think it’s talent.”
“I’ll prove it,” he said. It had been too long. Still, he knew he had to take this slow, because despite her teasing, Shelby was still feeling her way in this new relationship with him. And the last time, sex had clouded everything else.
She pushed away from him and dived under the water once more.
Shelby still hadn’t surfaced when he felt her hand on his knee, skimming up the inside of his thigh. She cupped him in her hands.
He forgot to tread water and started to go under. Shelby surfaced a few inches from him. “Still going to prove something to me?”
He laughed. This was what had been missing from his life. This element of sexy teasing had been absent in all of his relationships until now. He stroked over to her, capturing her from behind.
She turned in his arms and kissed the base of his neck, nibbling at him and then soothing the ache with her tongue. He tightened his hands on her soft body. He wanted to toss her up on the deck of the boat and bury himself hilt deep inside her. He wanted to bind them so close to each other that they’d never really be separate again.
She lifted her head, her eyes sparkling up at him. “Don’t try to tempt me with that smooth voice. I remember it well.”
He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Shelby, letting the feel of her in his arms totally overwhelm him. He needed her like the air that he breathed and he followed that desire the way he’d always allowed all his cravings to rule his life.
Her wet hair snaked over her shoulders, falling onto his. He liked that feeling, and pulled her closer. He wanted them so deeply intertwined, she’d forget everything except being with him.
Grasping her waist, he lifted her slightly and lowered his mouth to her breast. He traced her nipple with his tongue, lapping at it gently until her nails dug into his shoulders. Carefully he scraped his teeth over her and heard her cry his name. They both sank beneath the water and he realized they needed to get out of the lake right now.
He needed more. He needed it now. And so did she. Holding her carefully with one arm, he swam them both back to the boat and lifted her up onto the platform at the back.
When she would have stood, he stopped her with a hand on her thigh. “Not yet.”
Six
Hayden pushed himself out of the water using only his arms. His erection was large and fierce looking.
He scooped her up and stepped over the railing onto the deck of the boat. The remains of their dinner and their clothing still lay where they’d been left.
Shelby was a little embarrassed at her abandon, but there was a sense of rightness about being in his arms that made her realize that they belonged together. A kind of confirmation that she’d made the right decision to come to Vegas to resolve the past and cement the future. She and Hayden weren’t finished. Their story was still continuing and she was glad about that.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders as he strode across the deck of his yacht. His heart beat strongly under her cheek and she closed her eyes, pretending that it beat just for her.
He set her on her feet next to the king-size bed in the stateroom. She was dripping on the carpet but she knew that Hayden didn’t mind. He watched her with eyes that seemed to be on fire for her.
“Don’t move.”
He liked to give orders and she wasn’t about to fall into the trap that had plagued their first whirlwind relationship. She followed him into the bathroom area. He bent over to retrieve two thick navy blue towels.
Shelby pinched his backside, then ran her fingers down to cup him.
He glanced up at her. “I thought I told you to stay put.”
“I don’t take orders well,” she said. But she realized that she needed this to be about something more than power. She needed to not get swept away in Hayden but to have both of them get swept away in each other.
“We’ll see about that,” he said, pushing to his feet.
“Yes, we will see.”
She took one of the towels from him. “Stand up and I’ll dry you off.”
He