“Where are you? Come and change.”
It sounded more like an order than a request and Melanie frowned. She did not like being bossed around. But then she sighed and headed for the bedroom. She was the one who’d said she wanted to try the beach so she might as well get moving.
When she walked into the bedroom Sloane had already stripped off his shirt and trousers and was wearing shorts and sandals. And his chest was bare.
Melanie could only stare. Talk about sexy. The man was in perfect shape, and not just for a thirty-six year old. Anyone looking at his taut muscles, broad pecs and narrow waist would swear they were looking at the body of a guy in his early twenties, he looked that good.
But if Sloane noticed her staring, he didn’t acknowledge it. He walked toward where she stood in the doorway and as he approached, she stepped aside.
“I’m heading beachside. Join me when you're ready.” And then he was out the door and gone, leaving her standing there, staring after him.
Well, so much for having him watch her while she undressed. He hadn’t shown even a spark of interest. And, although she knew she was being contrary, she was not pleased. So she might not be Kate Moss but wasn’t he even the least bit curious about what she looked like? Melanie gave a soft sigh. She guessed he wasn’t.
In minutes she’d changed into a neon-orange bikini bathing suit with a wrap thrown over it and was on her way down to the beach. There she saw Sloane already in the water, floating on his back as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky. As she crossed the sandy beach he turned his head and when he saw her, he smiled and waved.
“How’s the water?” she called out, encouraged by his smile.
“Awesome,” he yelled back. “Come on, try it.”
And so she did. Sloane hadn’t flown her all the way to Jamaica for her to be a stick in the mud. She was sure he was paying several thousands per night for them to stay at this private villa so it only made sense for her to take advantage of all that the property had to offer.
She stripped off her wrap and dropped it right there on the sand. “I’m coming in,” she yelled and ran through the crystal-clear water at the shore then dived in. She swam out to where Sloane was now treading water while he waited for her.
“It took you long enough,” he said in a playful growl but his eyes twinkled as she surfed up to him and she could tell he was pleased she’d come. Well, that was some consolation after his speedy departure from the bedroom.
“Race you,” he said and took off before she even realized what he was up to.
“Hey, no fair,” she called out, and he circled and came back to her, a grin on his lips. “For a woman who’s got to respond quickly to sudden changes in the market, you’re real slow.” He was laughing as he teased. “I’ll give you a three second head start. First person to swim across to that rock, wins.”
“And what do I get when I win?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you mean ‘if’?”
“No, I mean ‘when’.” She raised her own eyebrows – two could play that game – as she spoke with supreme confidence. “I’m not going to do it till you tell me what my reward will be.”
“Okay,” he said with a shrug. “One billion dollars.”
She almost slapped him. “Will you be serious?”
He laughed. “I am. Because I know there is no way on God’s earth you can beat me, I’ll make you that bet. You owe me nothing if I win, by the way, because there’s no doubt in my mind that I will.”
“You’re on,” she yelled and before he could even turn, she was off.
And then he was after her. She could hear him behind, gaining on her, and within seconds he’d cut the lead she’d had on him and was neck and neck with her. But soon, as he’d predicted, he swept past her and sailed on to touch the craggy black rock that jutted out of the water. It took another four seconds before Melanie caught up to him.
“You cheated.” She was panting as she reached out to grab the rugged surface. “You said you’d give me a three second head start.”
“Yeah, but that was before I had a billion dollars on the line.” He was laughing outright, water still streaming down his face, his dark hair slicked down and dripping.
“Beast,” she grumbled but her displeasure only seemed to amuse him more. “Okay, what do I get if I’m first to climb on top of this rock?”
“Nothing,” he said, “because I won’t let you. See those sharp edges? I’m not going to have you mar your flawless skin with all kinds of cuts and scratches.”
Flawless skin? She could hardly believe her ears. He’d actually noticed something about her?
“I have a better idea,” he said, and suddenly he didn’t seem quite so amused. The laughter was gone from his steel gray eyes and in its place was a look so intense that, despite the warmth from the sun, she shivered.
He reached for her then and his hand slid up to cup the back of her head. “I think it’s high time,” he whispered, “that I gave my bride a proper kiss.”
Then, before she could make a move in protest, he’d pulled her against the solid wall of his chest, dipped his head and was kissing her with a passion that made her world spin. That first moment of contact was a shock but then, with a soft moan, she gave herself over to him, succumbing to the breathtaking ardor of his kiss, melting into him as he wrapped his arms around her.
And then slowly, gently, he lifted his head, releasing her lips, and her world righted itself. “Delicious.” His voice was low but his eyes burned into her. “I can’t wait to taste the rest of you.”
The words sent a frisson of awareness all the way up her spine. Sloane wanted her and if his kiss was anything to go by, he would be a superior lover.
The question was, could she handle it?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Melanie was glowing tonight. As Sloane sat across from her at the secluded table in The Gazebo, the open-air tree house style restaurant, he could not believe this was the same woman who had invaded his office with her crazy baby-making scheme. She’d seemed so straight-laced, uptight and rigid, every bit the CEO. Now that woman seemed far removed from the one who sat across from him, soft and relaxed and smiling. It was quite the transformation and he liked it. Taking her to Jamaica had obviously been a good idea. She’d been coiled tight as a spring but now all that tension was gone and he meant to keep things that way, at least for as long as she was on the island. That was the only way she was ever going to open up to him, let him get to know the real Melanie Parker. Or, as of the last thirty hours, the real Melanie Quest.