“Well, I’ll need you to smell my skin too.” Her cheeks colored. “I want to make this just right, you know. Capture as many scents as I can until we find the exact one you’re looking for. Well, what Worth Luxury is looking for.”
“Sure. Yeah.” He nodded, his tongue thick. This entire trip was going to be a study in never-ending torture. “I appreciate your dedication.”
“I want to prove myself.” Her cheeks turned a deeper red and she looked away from him. “You took a big risk, hiring me. I don’t want you to regret it.”
He didn’t think he could regret anything she might do.
Regret letting her slip out of his fingers, though? Yeah, he’d probably end up doing that.
Big time.
Chapter Nine
It was a small beach, not far from the resort, as the man Ella met had promised. But it wasn’t full of any lush vegetation, which was a minor disappointment. The strip of sand shimmered like gold and stretched on for what seemed like miles, black rocks jutting, palm trees swaying. It was a beautiful spot.
Considering it was later in the afternoon, surprisingly the area was mostly deserted, with the exception of a couple walking along the shore in the near distance and a family of four sitting on their large, colorful towels, basking in the sun. Rhett led her away from the family, his eyes shielded by sleek, expensive sunglasses, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. He wore a white T-shirt that emphasized his already tan skin and Hawaiian-print board shorts.
He fit in so seamlessly, he looked like a local. Whereas she felt the fool with her already sunburned skin, her pink nose and her windblown, unruly hair. And self-conscious, what with the two-piece swimsuit she wore beneath her dress. How Tessa had convinced her to deviate from her usual modest one-piece to two little scraps of fabric that exposed way too much flesh, she wasn’t sure.
“Aren’t you hot?” He unfolded the beach towel he’d carried under his arm from the car and set it on the ground, plopping himself on top of it with ease.
She was dying. Her skin literally felt scorched. “Sort of.” Pulling the beach towel the hotel had provided from her oversized bag, she settled it next to Rhett’s and sat. His close proximity tantalized her senses and she watched in silent fascination as he reached for the beach bag and rifled through it, pulling out a bottle of sunscreen she’d found in the bathroom at the villa.
“You should put this on immediately.” He handed her the bottle.
“Thanks.” Popping the cap, she squirted sunscreen into the palm of her hand and slathered first one arm, then the other, making sure to rub it on her already-tender shoulders. She smoothed some on her face, opening her eyes to find Rhett watching her.
“You going to take the dress off?” The low, velvety tone of his voice was like pure seduction and a shiver went through her.
Deciding to get it over with, she stood and tugged the dress up and over her head, folding it neatly before she sat back down and stuffed the dress into the bag by her feet. She kicked off her flip-flops and grabbed the sunscreen, pouring it directly onto her legs and smoothing it on.
Her skin prickled with awareness, but she kept her attention trained on her sunscreen-soaked legs. He was watching her. She could feel his gaze on her, making her hotter than the intense sun above them. Finally, he spoke and the question he asked sent a fluttering of desire low in her belly.
“Want me to put some on your back?”
Afraid her voice would squeak when she spoke, she nodded her answer, handing him the sunscreen. He scooted closer, his knee brushing against her backside, and she closed her eyes when he settled his big, warm hands on her shoulders, resting them there for the briefest moment before he started to massage the sunscreen in.
Ella bit back the moan that wanted to escape. His hands felt so good on her skin. They skimmed the length of her back, tripping over the strings of her bikini top that rested at the center. Stopping just above the top of her swimsuit bottoms so close to her backside, she nearly whimpered.
“There. You should be protected.” He removed his hands from her body and she felt the loss keenly. Protected from the sun, most certainly, but protected from the effects of his touch?
Not even close.
“I’m going in.” She stood again, her arms hanging awkwardly at her sides. She was tempted to shield herself but knew she’d look like an idiot. And he still watched her, which was making her nervous to the point she had to ask. “Is this suit okay? Or is it too revealing? Tessa said I looked fine, but I don’t know.” The bikini was black, the top a simple halter style and the bottoms not too skimpy, but she still felt incredibly exposed.
He smiled and removed his sunglasses, such a wicked glint in his eyes her heart stuttered. “Tessa has impeccable taste,” he drawled, his gaze wandering lazily down the length of her, lingering on her breasts, her hips, her…everything. “Besides, I’ve seen worse.”
Her heart threatened to lurch straight out of her chest. “Oh.” She didn’t know how to respond to a remark like that.
“Shit,” he muttered and stood, towering over her, his glasses still clutched in his hand. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. It’s just that, I’ve seen women wear nothing but little triangles on their chest that barely covered their nipples and the bottoms consisted of nothing but butt floss. You look great. Really.”
Huh. She was sure he had plenty of experience dealing with butt floss and tiny triangles that could hardly contain nipples. Not that she wanted to think about that, oh, no.
“Thanks.” She offered him a polite smile. She probably looked downright puritan compared to the floozies he was used to hanging out on the beach with. “I’m going in. I don’t know if you want to join me, but you’re welcome to.”
“I probably should. I need to cool off.” His heated gaze made her think he wasn’t necessarily referring to the temperature.
Ella offered him an inviting smile. “Then let’s go. I should probably smell your skin when you come out of the ocean too.”