As soon as she was close enough, he laced her tiny hand in his and tugged her with him. So many
times, he had told himself to stop with the touching and hand holding he had started, but he couldn’t. It
was essential, like breathing and came so naturally with her now that it would be futile. He had started
it to get her used to him, long ago when he had first taken her to meet Hunter, he hadn’t liked the flinch
at his touch, or the fear in those big baby blues. He had made a conscious decision to get her used to
his touch if only to relax her and somehow it just grew to this. Holding hands was something he did
constantly, pulling her along, hell, even taking her to business meetings. So many times had he caught
strange looks from other receptionists that he was pulling his PA along and he would glare back at
them. He knew it wasn’t normal, but Emma just assumed he was this way with everyone. Margo
maybe, not so much hands-on but definitely not everyone. Just people he cared about and always her.
Holding her hand now felt right, a perfect fit in the palm of his hand, the familiar soft touch that made
him want more from her.
“Here, Emma.” He could see her shielding her eyes as the noon sun lifted higher in the sky, so he
handed his shades back to her, with her eye color she needed them more than him. He practically
spent half his life in the sun and had never really felt any effects from sun glare. Letting her go, he
moved along to pick up some pebbles, the sun warming his already brown skin.
“Thanks.” She smiled his way as he bent down and expertly skimmed his pebbles across the soft,
lapping waves. Looking her way for a moment to gaze on how much more relaxed she seemed away
from the others on the boat. Once again, he wished they had come here alone. He wanted nothing
more right now.
“What is it?” She tilted her head questioningly at him.
“You seem a bit more relaxed now we’re over here.” He could definitely see it.
“I feel more relaxed.” She sighed and began looking around her feet, pushing the sand with her tiny
toes, and looking a bit too squeezable. He took a slow breath and continued skimming stones to
distract himself.
“You look it.” He skimmed another stone like an expert and was unable to stop the goofy smile hitting
his face at watching her.
“I’m glad you made me come.” She was watching him more closely now, giving nothing away in that
face. Like always.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to force you.” He grinned, knowing that forcing Emma was never that easy, she
had a stubborn streak and was one of the few women he had ever met who stood up to him defiantly.
Even when he was being an arsey dickhead. He loved that about her.
“Technically, you gave me no choice.” She pouted sassily at him, that tiny little spark that was always
beneath the surface. He would love to see her fully let go of it and just turn into a tornado like Leila
could. He got the sense she was more than capable but her reserved nature kept it locked down. He
wanted to see her release that passion a little. Okay, maybe not to Leila’s extent but some of it,
anyway. He often wondered if she did it deliberately, kept herself calm and even so she would never
lose control.
“You always have a choice with me, Emma, you know that.” He looked her way once more, feeling
relaxed too, wanting to memorize her standing that way, hands on hips and a body to die for. He shook
that mental thought away, knowing that if he stuck with it, his mind would find the shortest route to the
gutter again. Being around her minus a whole lot of clothing was trying to say the least, and his libido
was starting to fight back.
“We should be getting back; the others will think we don’t like them.” He tensed and flexed his body,
catching a quick glance of her eyes as he did so, and it immediately caught his attention. Definitely no
fear that time or any sense of discomfort. That had most definitely been an eye wander of the
appreciative female variety—maybe she wasn’t as immune as he thought? He would love to explore
that possibility. About time his assets were winning her over, he knew he was built and had enough sex
appeal. Hell, he knew he was a good-looking bastard, women had made that obvious his whole life.
“Sure, I’m kinda hungry too.” She pulled off the shades seemingly shaking it off and handed them back
to him, he tried to do the same but that tiny flicker of hope in his chest wouldn’t recede back to where it
came from. He felt like a girl with all the mushy crap going on inside of him right then and had to
chastise himself.
He led the way back into the sea, staying close and making sure the swim back wasn’t an ordeal for
her. He would have carried her the full way had she seemed tired, but she handled it well. No hint of
fatigue, just long, graceful strokes that matched his, and he felt proud of her. She never ceased to
impress him.
* * *
They spent lunch on deck with the rest of the party, eating chicken Caesar salad and drinking wine,
lounging on the padded double loungers on the main deck. Jake was making sure he stayed by her
side and warned his friends off visually. He wouldn’t put it past any one of them to make a play for her if
he left her alone. Such was the nature of their trips. Each guy always brought dates and some
unspoken agreement that all was fair game, and no one would get prissy about it after. The girls they
normally brought were bed hoppers, no loyalty and definitely never anyone serious. Leila was the
exception normally, she wasn’t much for it, and even though he could see she wasn’t really that into her
date, he knew she wouldn’t sleep with any of the others. Emma was completely off limits to any of
them, and he would damn well break the neck of any who tried.
Jake was leaning toward Daniel’s bed, Emma at his back and in conversation with Leila. Daniel was
arguing about sports, one of his passions and Jake just loved to goad him on the matter anytime it
came up. He was more into manual stuff, extreme sports he could do himself, but he wasn’t against
watching the odd football or baseball game. Daniel was just too easy to wind up. He was only half
listening though as he could most definitely hear the words “hair” “cut” and “short” going on behind him
and he didn’t like it one bit.
Looking back at Emma, he caught Leila picking up a strand of that soft honey-blonde hair with the look
of someone contemplating cutting it all off. He could feel the frown taking over his face and minor
irritation as Leila said, “pixie cut” and he could only assume that was something very short like hers.
Emma wouldn’t suit Leila’s hair, she needed soft and sweet around her face, not edgy and choppy like
hers.
“I think you would suit maybe shoulder length.” Leila’s sweet, little voice was all too sultry, and he could
tell she was trying to talk Emma into doing it. That persuasive eye fluttering she had suckered him with
many a time in the past twenty years.
“Maybe.” Emma picked up a strand too and wound it around her finger, Jake was no longer listening to
Daniel at all, he was fully integrated into defending Emma’s hair.
“What’s wrong with how it is?” He frowned, keeping his hands down and quelling the urge to run his
fingers over the strand she was holding. She suited her wavy halo of soft hair, it was feminine and her.
He didn’t like the idea of no longer having it hanging down her back and blowing gently in the breeze.
“Jake? Men have no clue. Women like a drastic change every so often.” Leila quipped at him with that
sassy raised brow and he just wanted to sit on her right about now.
“If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it.” He bit back, he was used to these little head to heads with this short
fiery devil. He would be damned if she was going to push his Emma around.
“Maybe it’s not broken but can definitely be revamped. Women do like to shake it up every so often. Try
on a new look.” Leila was putting on her sarcastic tone, raising that brow and challenging him, yet
again. This girl never ceased to push his buttons and sometimes he wondered why the hell he hadn’t
just drowned her in the past.
“It’s my hair!” Emma cut in, raising hands between the two in a bid to distract them but she wasn’t
swaying these two. This was a common thing, Leila and Jake head-on in subtle ways, always finding
something to challenge one another over. It was just how they were.
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