“Do you think I’m not capable of purchasing something specifically for you?”
“You don’t know my size, do you?”
“You’re a size-six pants and dress, a size-eight shoe.” He leaned down and spoke near her mouth. “Bra size: thirty-four C.”
“How did you know that?” she demanded, heat flooding her cheeks because he’d cradled the weight of her left breast lightly in his hand as he spoke and was caressing her softly.
“By looking at you,” he said as he straightened.
She gave him a look that told him she wasn’t buying it. He laughed and ran his thumb over her peaking nipple through the towel. She shivered in pleasure. She felt his cock swell against her.
“Okay, I’ll admit I checked your shoe size,” he conceded. “I’m not much of a foot expert.”
“Hmm. But you are a breast one.” He merely looked down at her, that small, enigmatic smile lingering. She bit her lip and studied him through lowered lashes, fighting an unwelcome feeling of shyness. “Have you been in lots of relationships?” she ventured, attempting a light, casual tone.
“There have been a lot of women,” he said simply. “Few relationships.”
“Why so few?”
His shrug brought her attention to his broad shoulders. She caressed the dense muscle there. He smelled like soap and man. The weight of his erection behind their towels was a mind-blowing tease.
“I tend to be kind of single-minded when it comes to Durand. Work consumes me. I’m not attentive enough to women’s needs.”
“Except the sexual variety?” she mused knowingly. She was sure Dylan had more than fulfilled his lover’s sexual needs.
“You might say I’m selfish.”
She peered up at him. “That’s funny. You never seem overly focused on Durand when we’re together.”
“That’s because I’m with you.”
Pleasure flooded her at his matter-of-fact reply.
“I am single-minded a good portion of the time, though. My focus has been called an obsession by a lot of people.”
“Why? Why are you so obsessed with Durand?”
“Presently? Mostly because the pride of knowing I’ve worked so hard for it, the pride of ownership.”
“And in the past?”
His smile turned grim. “In the past, I felt like I owed it to the Durands.”
“The original owners?”
He nodded. “Making Durand Enterprises one of the most successful companies in the world was my form of payback. Making it up to Alan and Lynn Durand.”
Her forehead bunched in consternation. “Why would you have to make something up to them?”
He didn’t reply for a moment, making Alice suspect he wouldn’t answer the personal question at all.
“I owed them a lot, for their kindness to me. And I made a mistake once. I lost something of theirs.”
“Did they forgive you?” Alice whispered. Something sharp pulled in her chest when she saw the shadow of anguish on his face freeze into impassivity.
“I’d like to think so.”
Her mouth quivered as she looked up at him. There was so much about him she didn’t understand.