Declan

4

THEY MADE THEIR ESCAPE without incident, leaving Rachel’s car in the underground garage and heading out of town in Dec’s BMW. Just to be sure they weren’t followed, Declan took a circuitous route out to the interstate. By the time they were headed north, Rachel felt her fears abate.

They passed most of the four-hour drive chatting about inconsequential things-music, books, movies-each of them learning the basics that most couples might cover on the first few dates. In truth, Rachel was glad for the time to know more about Declan-or Dec as he preferred to be called. It only confirmed what she already knew-that he was exactly the kind of man she’d always wanted to meet.

But though the tensions seemed to ease as they got farther away from Providence, Rachel began to wonder whether it was the best idea to spend two nights completely alone in a cabin with a man she found so sexually arousing.

She’d made a decision to take things slowly with Dec, to proceed in a very deliberate manner and not rush headlong into physical gratification. But that plan would probably go out the window once they were stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but think about sex, sex and more sex.

“My parents used to bring me to Maine when I was a kid,” Rachel said, staring out the window toward the rocky coastline. “They rented a cottage up near Penobscot. My sisters and I used to love those vacations.”

“Are your folks still alive?”

Rachel nodded. “My father is a therapist in Manhattan and my mother teaches at Columbia. She’s a professor of sociology. I have an older sister who is an orthopedic surgeon in California and another sister who works as an engineer in the aerospace industry. I’m kind of the black sheep in the family.”

“You’re a professor,” he said.

“But not tenured,” she said. “And my parents have never really approved of my field of study. They don’t consider it very serious or important. I think they hoped I might find a cure for the common cold or discover a new source of energy.”

“Why did you choose sex?” Declan asked.

“Human relationships fascinate me,” she said. “Especially the battle between intellect and instinct. I started studying animals, but then gradually, I realized that humans were much more interesting.”

“So I suppose you hear some pretty crazy things?” Dec asked.

Rachel shook her head. “Some people just look at sex in a different way. Outside the norm. Which doesn’t mean they’re abnormal, just different.”

“You can’t tell me a guy obsessed with women’s feet is normal.”

Rachel shrugged. “You like breasts, he likes feet. What’s the difference?”

“Breasts are…breasts,” Dec said. “They’re sexy and fun to touch.”

Rachel slipped her foot out of her sandal, then twisted in her seat, resting her ankle across his thigh. “Go ahead,” she teased.

He took her foot in one hand and gently began to massage it. His thumbs worked at the muscles in the ball of her foot, then rubbed at each of her toes. Rachel moaned softly and tipped her head back. “That’s very nice,” she whispered as she set her other foot on his lap. “Oh, yeah, that feels good. Do the other.”

Dec chuckled. “Is this arousing you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she teased, tipping her head back again and moaning softly. “Is it arousing you?”

He paused and Rachel opened her eyes, watching him with a playful look. “Yeah, a little,” he admitted.

She let her left foot rest between his legs, gently rubbing against his crotch. “How about now?”

He growled softly. “I think you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Feet can be very sexual,” she said. “The next time you look at my foot, you’re going to remember what I did. It will be imprinted on your brain and because it was pleasurable, you’ll want me to do it again. And you’ll look at women’s feet in a whole different way.”

He picked her right foot up and pressed a kiss to her instep. “If this is how our little vacation is going to go, maybe we ought to go home right now.”

“I think maybe I need to open up your mind a bit more,” Rachel said. “Not every paraphilia is strange or dangerous. Some are fun to explore.”

“You learn something new every day.” Dec smiled, then turned his attention back to the road. Once they reached Wiscasset, they drove over the bridge and turned south, toward Boothbay. Rachel watched for the road marked on the map that would lead to the cabin.

“Whose place is this?” she asked.

“A client’s,” Dec said. “I installed the security system for him. He lives over in Europe for most of the year, but he said I could come out and use the place whenever I want.”

Rachel hadn’t had a vacation for years, beyond attending professional symposiums and conferences in the major capitals of the world. She hadn’t seen the point of traveling without anyone to share the experience with. Last summer she’d spent her time in Paris sitting alone at cafés, drinking coffee and reading rather than seeing the sights and enjoying the romantic atmosphere.

“So what is there to do around here?” she asked.

“I’m sure we can fish. Jack says there’s a small boat we can use. We can swim, though I’m not sure how warm the water will be. The cabin is built on a saltwater inlet. The shore is slab rock, but there’s a pier. And it’s pretty secluded. We can hike, too.”

“I probably should tell you that I’m not very outdoorsy,” she said.

“Indoorsy can be good,” he said, glancing over at her. Dec steered the car down a narrow dirt drive and slowly, the woods opened up to reveal a rustic log cabin. It had obviously been built recently, but everything had been done to make it look as if it had been a part of the landscape for years.

Rachel gasped. “Wow, this is nice.”

He pulled the car to a stop, then jumped out and circled around to open her door. She expected him to pull her along to the cabin, but the first thing he did was yank her into his arms and kiss her. He pressed her back against the car and took his time, exploring her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tasting until Rachel’s heart was pounding in her chest.

When he finally drew away, she was breathless and dizzy. “How long have you been waiting to do that?” she asked.

“It was a long drive,” Dec said, dropping a kiss at the base of her neck. He grabbed her bag from the backseat, then took her hand and walked along the path to the front porch.

As they climbed the steps, Rachel felt her nerves begin to flutter. There was no going back now. Whatever was going to happen between them, would probably happen here. Now that they were away from her stalker, he didn’t have to focus on protecting her. What else was there to do but let their attraction run its natural course? But was she ready to indulge in an affair with this man? She’d known him less than twenty-four hours and all she could think about was seducing him.

He punched a code into the keypad and the door clicked, then Declan swung it open in front of her. Rachel stepped inside and groaned softly as she scanned the interior. It was perfectly quaint and romantic, rustic yet modern, exactly the kind of place she’d picture for a romantic weekend getaway with a handsome man.

“I think we’ll be comfortable here,” he said.

She wandered around the cabin, then followed a short hallway down to a luxurious bathroom and two large bedrooms. The first bedroom contained a pair of bunk beds and the second had a king-size bed.

Dec rested his head on her shoulder as she stared at the huge bed. “I’ll take one of the bunks,” he murmured.

“Thanks,” she replied, her voice wavering slightly. If they slept together, it would have to be her choice. Dec was a gentleman, that much was clear. But when Rachel was around him, she didn’t feel much like being a lady.

He set her bag down at the foot of the bed, then walked back to the large main room. Rachel followed and joined him in the kitchen. “We should run into town and get groceries,” he said. “There’s a decent grocery store in Boothbay Harbor.”

“I think I’d like to take a shower,” Rachel replied. She hadn’t realized it until now, but she really hadn’t had a full night’s sleep for a few weeks. And this morning, she’d been up before dawn. “Would you mind if I stayed here?”

“I think you’re safe here alone,” he said. “Just don’t wander off into the woods and get eaten by a bear.”

“Would you save me if I did?”

He chuckled. “That’s my job, ma’am.”

They put together a grocery list, Rachel requesting good coffee, fresh fruit and chocolate. Dec made sure to add beer and wine to the list as well as ice cream. When he was ready to go, he gave her a quick kiss, then headed for the door.

Rachel followed him outside, the screen door slamming behind her, then waved as he drove back toward the main road. When the car had disappeared through the trees, she sighed softly.

The sun was beginning to set over the water and she watched until it dipped below the horizon, then walked back into the cabin. She turned on the lamps on her way to the bedroom, then stripped off her clothes before slipping into her silk robe. Grabbing a pillow, Rachel curled up on the bed and closed her eyes.

If she allowed herself to indulge, this could be a wonderfully satisfying stay. Taking that next step with Declan seemed like the most natural thing in the world. An image of him swirled in her mind, Declan naked, standing behind the glass door of the shower, his body visible but the details blurred. That body had been haunting her thoughts all day long and she couldn’t help but lose herself in detailed fantasies. What would it be like to have the chance to touch him, to explore every muscled limb and masculine angle?

Rachel smiled as she let the fantasy take hold, imagining the feel of his mouth on her skin, the soft sounds he made when he kissed her and the delicious strength of his embrace. She’d never completely surrendered to a man, afraid that by doing so, she’d somehow diminish her own identity. But Rachel wanted, just once her life, to feel that complete capitulation, when she let go of all her inhibitions and allowed instinct to take over.

Sex was a powerful thing between a man and a woman, an intimacy that left both partners completely vulnerable. Rachel wanted to see that vulnerability in Dec, to look into his eyes as he buried himself inside her, to watch his face as he climaxed, and then to curl up in his arms and sleep until they were ready to do it again.

She had two days and two nights to make the fantasy a reality. Rachel knew exactly how to seduce him, how to make him want her unconditionally. Every trick that a woman had ever plied in pursuit of a man had been researched and defined and quantified. An expert like her could draw a road map to a night in bed together.

But using her knowledge to make Dec want her seemed a bit manipulative. He ought to desire her for his own reasons, not for the reasons she put into his head. Rachel groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She was playing with fire and every moment she spent with Declan, she came closer and closer to the heat.

But the heat felt good and the danger made things even more exciting. Rachel wanted to burn, to let their desire burst into flames and consume them both. And if it left her a little scorched, that was all right. A night with Declan would be worth it.

DEC BENT FORWARD TO scan the contents of the refrigerator. Though he’d come home with bags of groceries, nothing he bought really appealed to him. He’d been lying awake in his bottom bunk for nearly three hours, thinking about the woman sleeping in the bedroom across the hall and wondering what she’d do if he crawled into bed beside her.

Since the moment they’d met, they’d played at romance, kissing and touching, knowing the moment would come when they’d both finally forget their reservations and do what their libidos wanted them to. But Declan couldn’t entirely put aside the job he’d been charged to do. Starting a relationship with the woman he was supposed to protect was not the smartest move in the world. They’d have to go back to Providence in a few days and then, he’d return to his role as protector. In truth, becoming Rachel’s lover headed his list of really dumb ideas.

But a woman like Rachel just didn’t walk into his life every day. Hell, he was even willing to give up the celibacy pact with his brothers for a chance to be with her, and Dec couldn’t recall ever deliberately losing a challenge to Ian and Marcus. He’d concede this one though, gladly.

He swung the refrigerator door shut then grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer and a spoon from the drawer. He’d returned from his shopping trip ready to prepare a late dinner and enjoy a bottle of wine with Rachel. But he’d found her sound asleep on the bed, curled up like a kitten, a pillow clutched to her body.

The past few weeks had taken their toll on her and for the first time, she could put her worries aside and completely relax. Even if that was all that happened during their stay, it would be worth the trip. So he’d closed the bedroom door and let her sleep.

As he walked out onto the porch, the cool night air hit his skin and he sighed. Though her comfort was important to him, his primary focus was still on catching her stalker. But for the next few days, he’d left that to some of his very qualified investigators. If they did their jobs well and caught the creep, Rachel would be able to return to her everyday life when they returned to Providence.

Strangely enough, he hoped that she’d need his protection for a bit longer. He certainly never expected to enjoy living with her-but he did. He’d never thought he’d be interested in spending all of his time with just one woman-but he did. And though he’d had a few serious relationships in the past, none of them had worked quite like his relationship with Rachel did.

From the moment they’d met, he’d felt completely at ease with her, as if he had nothing to hide. So often, he’d jumped head-first into a relationship, spending the passion and desire quickly before growing bored with what was left over. But now, he was almost afraid to experience further intimacies with Rachel, afraid that there was actually something between them worth exploring.

But what was it? Why did he find her so undeniably alluring? In the past, he’d always felt as if there were someone better out there, just waiting for him. But he couldn’t really imagine anyone more beautiful, more interesting, more intelligent than Rachel. And the way she had of cutting right through all the silly bullshit and ridiculous games, of getting to the heart of their attraction, was refreshing. Rachel didn’t try to manipulate his emotions and Declan liked that about her.

“You’re awake.”

He turned to find her standing behind the screen door, her hair tousled by sleep, her silk robe shifted off one shoulder. “I couldn’t sleep,” Dec said.

“Me, neither,” she said. “I had a bad dream. What time is it?”

“Three, maybe four in the morning. The sun will be up before too long.”

She smiled as she pushed the door open. “I guess I did sleep. I’m sorry.”

“You were lying there so peacefully when I got back, I didn’t want to wake you.”

She nodded, then crossed the porch to lean up against the railing beside him. She had no right to look so damn beautiful, so incredibly kissable. But she did and there was no way he could deny the desire racing through him.

He turned his attention to the ice cream, uneasy with the need that bubbled up inside of him every time she was near. He scooped out a spoonful and held it out to her. Rachel took the spoon in her mouth and smiled. “Ummm.”

A shiver shot through him as her tongue flicked at the corner of her mouth. Dec took a little more ice cream himself, letting it melt in his mouth before swallowing it. He was right to want her, yet at the same time, he knew he shouldn’t act on his feelings. Unless Rachel gave him an open invitation, he wouldn’t make the first move.

He fed her another spoonful and she looked up at him, her eyes wide, her lips damp and gleaming in the soft light filtering through the cabin windows. “Do you want to touch me?” she asked.

Dec swallowed hard. If that wasn’t a sign, then he didn’t know what was. He set the ice cream down on the railing, then cupped her cheek in his cool palm. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I do.” Rachel opened her mouth, but he put his thumb over her lips. “If you tell me that’s normal, I’m going to carry you down to the water and toss you in.”

Rachel giggled. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Then what were you going to say?”

“Go ahead.”

Dec released a tightly held breath as he stood. Reaching down, he untied her robe with clumsy fingers, then pushed it aside. His lips came down on hers and he covered her mouth in a long, deep kiss, their tongues cold and sweet from the ice cream. She sank against him, running her fingers through his hair and opening herself to his gentle assault.

Skin met skin as Dec’s hands slipped around to her backside and pulled her closer. She was wonderfully soft and smooth and curvy, everything a woman ought to be. Dec reveled in the feel of her body pressed against his, her breasts rubbing against his naked chest.

She surrendered to every movement of his mouth, opening so that he could taste her more deeply, returning each gentle thrust of his tongue. Her lips invited him to take more, to indulge in something that was fast becoming addictive. Though Dec knew there had to be an end to the kiss, he wanted it to go on forever.

He didn’t wait for an invitation to take more. If Rachel didn’t want to proceed, then she’d have to stop him. Waves of desire washed over his body as she shoved his boxers lower on his hips, until he could feel her naked belly against his stiff cock.

Dec circled her waist with his hands and lifted her up on the porch railing, then stepped between her legs. Smoothing his fingertips along her shoulders, he brushed at the silk of her robe until it fell away, revealing the full beauty of her breasts.

Though the light was dim, Dec didn’t need to see details. Without any barriers, he took his time, enjoying the chance to learn more about her body by touch. “Tell me this is what you want,” he murmured.

Her voice trembled as she answered. “Yes. Don’t stop.”

His desire began to spiral out of control and he drew in a ragged breath and tried to focus. They had all the time in the world, the next few days to explore these feelings. It wouldn’t do to rush. He wrapped her legs around his hips and she moved against him, her feet resting on the back of his thighs. He’d need do nothing more than pull her forward and they’d be there, ready to get lost in each others’ bodies.

Rachel seemed caught up in the sensation of his touch, her head tipped back, her eyes closed, her breath coming in soft pants. He kissed her again, running his tongue along her lower lip, leaving it damp.

With any other woman, Dec would have known exactly what to do next. Seduction was seduction. There was a certain order to events and then it was over. But with Rachel, he sensed it wasn’t quite time for them to consummate this need. From the start, they hadn’t done things in the normal fashion and he didn’t want to start now.

“Why do I want you so much?” he asked, his voice raw. Suddenly, he wanted an explanation.

She opened her eyes and smiled. “I fit your profile,” she replied.

He gently bit her lower lip. “I don’t have a profile.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, running a finger from his chest to his waist and back again. Her hand accidentally brushed the tip of his penis and his breath caught in his throat. “From the moment you were born you began to absorb everything around you, holding on to the things you found pleasing, discarding those you didn’t. Sights, smells, sounds. Your mind cataloged them all until it created a perfect mate. And when you find the physical manifestation of those qualities, then you have no choice but to take up the chase.”

“And what about you?”

“If I didn’t find the qualities I wanted in you, then I wouldn’t have let you touch me.”

“So it’s all that simple?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head. “Actually, that part is pretty complicated. It’s the desire that’s simple.”

Dec slid his palm up to cup her breast, teasing at her nipple with his thumb. “Funny, this doesn’t seem simple.”

She sighed and tipped her head back. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. But what’s happening inside our bodies and inside our minds is.”

He dipped his head down and ran his tongue over her nipple. Rachel shuddered and then groaned softly. “So what do we do now?” he asked.

“We could have sex,” she suggested. “Or we could…”

“Or we could what? We could wait?”

“It’s often best to prolong the anticipation,” she said. “Find other things to occupy our bodies and our minds. Then, when it does happen, it will be much more intense and pleasurable.”

Dec nuzzled her breast, inhaling the scent of her skin, sweet and flowery. He straightened, then dropped a kiss on her mouth. “I’d be silly not to trust the expert, right?”

“Right,” she replied. He kissed her neck, sucking gently. “Or maybe not,” she added.

He grabbed her waist and set her back on her feet, then carefully retied her robe. Though it took every ounce of willpower Dec possessed to remove his hands from her body, he knew they’d made the right decision. When he made love to Rachel, it wouldn’t be just good, it would be incredible. And for that, he was willing to wait a little longer.

They walked hand in hand to her bedroom. Dec kissed her softly as they stood beside the bed, his fingers tangling in her hair. It would take so little to move beyond this, he mused. They could simply lie down and let their desire take over. As if she’d heard his thoughts, Rachel took his hand and pulled him down with her onto the bed.

He stretched out on top of her, his erection pressed between their bodies. She hadn’t touched him, at least not as openly as he’d touched her, and for that he was grateful. If she wrapped her fingers around his cock, he knew he’d be lost.

But he could do this, taking everything more slowly, prolonging the chase. It was like sex was brand new again, untarnished by his experiences in the past. He’d never wanted a woman more than he wanted Rachel, but then, he’d never had a better reason to wait.

As they continued to kiss, she pressed her hips against his, gently rubbing until they rocked in a slow, delicious rhythm. He hadn’t enjoyed such basic pleasure since he was a teenager, taking his very first steps into the world of sexual experience.

Reliving that first passion made this seem even more intense-and forbidden. He tried to hold back, unwilling to admit that his control was no better than that of a fourteen-year-old boy. But as she seduced his mouth with her lips and tongue, Dec gradually slipped into that place where he could no longer control what he felt.

And then, the world shifted and he could no longer hold back. His climax overwhelmed him and he came, spilling his pleasure onto the soft fabric of his boxer briefs. A groan slipped from his throat as the spasms continued and her body arched beneath his.

When he was spent, Dec pushed up on his hands and stared down at her. A tiny smile curled her lips. “You’re a very naughty girl,” he said.

Rachel nodded.

Dec let his arms collapse and nuzzled his face in the curve of her neck. Then he bit her gently, just enough so that she’d know what she’d done to him. The damp spot between them began to grow and he rolled off of her. His cock was still stiff but the ache to relieve himself was diminished. “The things you do to me,” he murmured.

“I figured we could take care of it together or you could take care of it on your own. Either way, you weren’t going to get back to sleep until it was taken care of.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.” He stood and walked to the door of her bedroom, then turned and looked at Rachel, now curled up on the bed hugging her pillow. “This better not be some sadistic game you’re playing just to screw with the bodyguard.”

“It’s not,” she said. “Trust me. It will be worth it.” Rachel smiled. “Besides, you always have a choice. You could choose to strip out of those boxers, walk across the room and have your way with me right now. And I wouldn’t stop you.”

“You wouldn’t?”

She shook her head and Dec groaned. This experiment in denial was intriguing, but it was also frustrating as hell. He’d done it all and then some with the women he’d bedded. But he’d never done this. Dec hadn’t even thought he was capable. And who knows where it might lead? If Rachel was right and the result between them was the best he’d ever had, then he was willing to wait.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Rachel said, her gaze dropping to the damp spot on the front of his boxers.

Dec chuckled softly as he walked out into the hall. This was a hell of a thing to happen between them. It wasn’t exactly normal, but it was damn interesting.

He turned and walked to the bathroom. As he cleaned up the remains of his orgasm, Dec caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. He stopped and stared. This was different, he could feel it in his gut. And though he didn’t know where it was leading, Dec sensed that it was going somewhere important. Could he be falling in love with Rachel?

He cursed softly. Hell, twenty-four hours ago, she was dousing him with pepper spray. People didn’t fall in love that quickly. “Jaysus, Declan, this isn’t love,” he muttered. “It’s just a real bad case of lust.”

As he laid down in the narrow bunk, Dec’s mind was filled with images of Rachel, her hair brushing his chest, her mouth teasing at his cock, her naked body sitting astride his. It would all happen, and when it did, his feelings would be sorted out. But until then, he’d have to exist in this state of delicious torture-and annoying confusion-for just a little while longer.

RACHEL HAD BEEN UP FOR two hours by the time Dec wandered out of his bedroom. To her relief, he’d decided to put on jeans, rather than wear his boxers all day long. It was difficult enough being around him without having him always walking around half-dressed and completely aroused. Still, he’d neglected to button them up, or put underwear on beneath them, leaving her a tantalizing view of his belly and the dark shadow of hair beneath.

It was odd how they’d managed to be intimate, yet had done it in little fits and starts. She’d seen him naked, but only through the door of the bathroom. He’d seen her naked, but only in the faint light on the porch. She’d touched him intimately, but only with her foot. He’d come, with her help, but they’d both been dressed.

Rachel felt a warm flush color her cheeks at the thought of his hands on her body. He had a way of finding just the right spots on her skin, where the nerves seemed to tingle with anticipation. And when his lips followed his hands, Rachel forgot how to breathe.

“Morning,” she murmured, handing him a mug of coffee.

He set the coffee down and stretched his arms above his head, working the kinks out of his back. Her gaze dropped to his belly and then lower, and she wondered if he’d slept in the nude last night. An image of him, lying in bed, sated from his orgasm, the sheets twisted around his limbs, flashed in her mind. She grabbed her coffee and took a quick swallow.

Dec sighed as he leaned over the counter, bracing his arms on the butcher block top. “Did you sleep well last night?”

She nodded. “How about you?”

“Like the dead,” he said, a crooked grin playing on his lips. “What exactly happened between us last night? I mean, I know what happened in my boxers, but what happened before that?”

“Desire,” Rachel replied.

“I assume you know how that works?”

She nodded and boosted herself up on the counter to sit beside him. “It’s pretty straightforward.”

He reached over and ran a finger down the outside of her bare leg, then up the inside of her thigh. “Tell me. Why did I want you so much? Why did I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my life? And how was it that I was able to stop?”

“You wanted me because of a combination of factors,” Rachel replied. “It started with the ice cream.”

“How is that?”

“You fed me and I accepted. In the animal world, that’s a cue that I’m willing to accept your advances.”

“I didn’t know that,” Dec said.

“You wouldn’t. It’s hardwired into your brain. Passed down from cavemen. It’s instinct at work. You just did it because it felt right.”

“So, if I meet a woman on the street and feed her ice cream, she’d want to sleep with me?”

“Not if there isn’t desire there in the first place. For us, the timing was right. You probably haven’t had a woman for a while and there was a physical need. And I haven’t been with a man for a long time, so I reciprocated. Then, there are things standing between us-your job, my job, our pasts, and the fact that we don’t really know each other well. Because of that, the need is more acute because it’s improper. There’s some mystery, which adds to the attraction and makes the chase more interesting. We do share some things in common and we’re comfortable with each other, so that adds to it. Finally, we each met the other’s profile for a potential lover. When all that adds up, you get desire.”

“So, if it’s all so cut-and-dried, then how come people make such a mess of it?”

Rachel smiled. “Because desire is blind. We don’t always pay attention to the signs. We feel and act before we think.”

“Isn’t that love? Isn’t love blind?”

“That, too,” Rachel said. A tiny sliver of guilt shot through her. She wasn’t being completely honest with him. In truth, everything he was feeling was based in basic human desire. But what he wasn’t aware of was that his feelings could also be the beginnings of love.

“Last night, we felt with our bodies, but we also thought about what we were doing. That’s why we stopped before we went all the way.”

She was playing a dangerous game. But just because she knew the rules, that didn’t mean that she had to give up her chance at something wonderful. In the past, she’d always let love take its own course and look where it had gotten her. Now, she’d found a man who was handsome and interesting and trustworthy, a man who made her head spin and her heart pound. Why not do what she could to make him fall in love with her? How could it possibly hurt either one of them?

Some of her colleagues might consider it manipulative, but Rachel was doing nothing more than any other woman experienced in the art of desire. In truth, there were women out there who were much better at snagging a man than she could ever be. So there was no reason for guilt.

Dec shook his head. “I don’t know if I can do that again.”

“Maybe you won’t have to,” Rachel replied.

A long silence grew between them as they looked at each other, their gazes locked. Then Dec slowly nodded and Rachel smiled. “So, what are we going to do with ourselves today?” she asked.

He straightened, then slipped his hands around her waist. “We could go into town and get some breakfast and walk around a little. We could spend the day sunning ourselves out on the pier. We could go for a boat ride or go fishing.”

“That all sounds good,” she said.

“And we could start by taking a shower together,” he suggested.

Rachel pushed up on her toes and kissed him. “All right.”

“I was kidding,” Dec said. “If we take a shower together, we’re going to spend the rest of the day in bed.”

“Then we can take a shower later,” she suggested. With that, Rachel turned and walked toward the bedroom, leaving Dec with a confused look on his face.

She grinned. At least she wouldn’t have to guess what was going through his mind for the rest of the day.