скачать книгу бесплатно
“I’m glad I made it, too, and with two minutes to spare.” She was looking at the countdown on the monitor.
He took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. He couldn’t help smiling. When they got near the center of the floor, he didn’t let her hand go. Knowing that she wasn’t afraid to get what she wanted, he held her hand within his, playing his fingers over hers. It was sensual and erotic touching the fingers of a masked stranger.
They just looked at each other for several moments, and then the crowd around them started counting down the seconds. That was when he knew he would kiss her.
When the count got to ten everyone joined in, and the chant rose around them. They simply stared at each other through peacock-feathered masks, waiting. Suddenly, the Happy New Year call went up and the ball dropped, accompanied by an explosion of silver confetti and streams of colored balloons.
Jeremy stepped to Safire, put his arms around her and brought his lips to hers. For a moment, they lingered that way, lips poised, close to each other. Then he touched his lips to hers, possessing her and drawing her body against his.
At first she was still, not willing to give in to the moment. But as he continued to move his lips over hers, they softened underneath his, and her hands came up to his shoulders, pressing lightly against him.
He gripped her hips harder and pulled her flush against him, parting her lips. Her mouth opened for him, and he slid his tongue into the sweet wetness of her. Her grip on his shoulders tightened, and her mouth widened, letting him in. She stirred in his embrace, and her arms came up to surround his shoulders and then his neck. Her fingers at his nape sent a quiver through his body and heat into his loins.
Their tongues began to explore, and he was seared by the heat of her body. Her chest heaved against his with each breath, and he wrapped his arms more fully around her.
He had no idea how long they remained locked together, but when he opened his eyes, they were calf-deep in balloons, and the silver confetti in her hair made her look like an angel.
As he looked at her, her cheeks flushed. She took a breath and stepped back from him, straightening her body and dusting the confetti from her shoulders. She looked around them nervously.
“I don’t know what got into me,” she said.
He could see the embarrassment written over her as she continued to pick the confetti from her clothing. It made him smile.
“Happy New Year,” he said.
She smiled and stopped fussing over the confetti.
“Happy New Year to you, too.”
“It’s time for champagne.”
“Oh, none for me. I hadn’t planned to stay, really. I just wanted to come welcome in the New Year and say hello.”
“You can’t leave so soon. You just got here. Give me the first dance of the New Year.”
“I’m sorry. I really should go. I have some work I’d planned to get done tonight.”
Jeremy couldn’t help the disappointment he was starting to feel.
“How about tomorrow? Can we meet for lunch?”
“That would be—” She stopped. “I’m on a tour tomorrow when we stop at Nassau.”
“Have you ever been to the Bahamas?”
“No, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“Then you have to go see Nassau,” he said. “My friends and I planned to disembark as well, but just to do some shopping and hit the beach. You enjoy the tour.”
She smiled and turned to go, but he wasn’t giving up that quickly.
“Wait. What about dinner?”
She turned back to him. “That sounds good. Will other singles be there?”
Jeremy hadn’t planned on a group for dinner, but he sensed it would make her more comfortable.
“Yes, we can meet at one of the singles buffets and go from there. I still have your number. I’ll call and leave a message when we figure out which one.”
“That’ll be fine. I’m sorry I have to run.”
Jeremy wanted to take hold of her and kiss her again, even if it was a kiss good-night. But something told him not to go that quickly. He simply smiled at her, and she smiled back before turning toward the door.
After the fire of the kiss, Jeremy had hoped that they would end up in each other’s arms tonight. Instead, he nodded toward Myron on the dance floor and decided to make his way back to the sports bar to find Alistair and Rudy.
He couldn’t wait to see Safire again, to feel her in his arms again. If she wasn’t afraid to get what she wanted, he had to find a way to let her know that he was it. But that would have to wait until tomorrow night.
Chapter 3
Angelina was getting dressed in one of her sister’s cocktail gowns, just as she had the night before. She hadn’t planned to go to a New Year’s Eve party, but when the owner of those warm brown eyes called her, as surprised as she was, she couldn’t resist the possibility of seeing him again, this time up close.
She’d spent most of yesterday on her balcony, reading, leaving only for meals and to wander briefly around one of the decks. That had made it even more exciting to have an invitation to get out that night.
Still, what was she getting herself into? Did she want to get herself into anything, or did she want to stick with the plan to lay low? Plus, after she had given him her best Safire-like smile, she didn’t know what he might expect. She had put her foot in her mouth, so to speak.
Last night, she had gotten all dressed up, putting one of her cover-ups over one of her sister’s short dresses. It had made her feel sexy, but maybe it’d looked too sexy. She couldn’t decide. She hadn’t even been sure she should go; in fact, she’d dawdled until it was almost too late. Finally, she had decided that it couldn’t hurt to go for a little while—just to meet him.
She couldn’t have known she would end up in the most sensual kiss of her life. And with a stranger, no less. It seemed that some of her sister was getting into her after all, and she’d decided to leave before something else happened, something she wasn’t prepared for.
Today, she’d spent the sunlight hours in Nassau and would forever be enchanted with the Bahamas. The tour had started with a driving visit to the forts and a stop at the Pirate Museum. Then they’d gone to Predator Lagoon to see sharks and barracuda. They’d also had a walking visit of the Ardastra Gardens with its “marching” flamingoes. Lunch had been in the shopping district, and those who didn’t want to get wet stayed to shop. Angelina went for the water. She’d brought a change of clothes and had just worn her shorts over Safire’s bikini.
At the next stop, she’d petted and fed the dolphins, and at the stop after that, followed the snorkeling trail to the Rainbow Reef, where the sand was white and warm, and the water was so crystal clear she could see down to the bottom of the ocean floor. After the snorkeling, she’d swum and then relaxed on the beach in the sun. If she got nothing else from the whole trip, that day had made it worthwhile.
But the tour hadn’t been over. After she’d changed into her extra set of clothes, they were dropped off for an hour-long glass-bottom boat tour before the safari took them back to the ship.
She’d been kept busy all day, but she hadn’t forgotten about that night. The phone was blinking when she got in, and when she checked the message, she found out that Jeremy Bell’s group would be meeting at seven o’clock to have dinner at the Starlight, an open-air restaurant. She barely had time to wash and dry her hair and get dressed.
She was wearing Safire’s turquoise dress this time. It was a thin, knit material of some kind and was as revealing as the other one—as they all were—but she had a short, silver eyelet bolero jacket to put over it. The jacket was made of a satiny material that could go with most evening pieces, which was why she’d brought it. It might be too warm, but it was worth it to have a little coverage on top.
She didn’t have a lot of time to blow-dry her hair, so she pulled it back in a ponytail and added a silver bow. Her skin was still warm from the sun, but she added a little makeup and finished off with her strappy silver two-inch sandals.
She was going to a fair amount of trouble just for dinner, but she couldn’t deny her excitement. Of course, she hadn’t gotten any work done that day, which was a problem. She would make up for it tonight and tomorrow.
At six-forty, her phone rang. It could only be Jeremy Bell.
“I was just about to head out the door,” she said.
“I thought I might walk you to the restaurant.”
“Making sure I don’t ditch out, huh?”
They both chuckled.
“No,” he answered, “but definitely wanting to see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure I’d make it on time, but I’m actually ready. Hey, since I was heading out anyway, why don’t I just meet you at an elevator or in front of the restaurant? Where is it?”
Jeremy laughed for a moment. “See, I’ve actually figured that out. That’s why I thought I would meet you, so you wouldn’t have to. And I’m about five doors down from you at this point.”
Angelina poked her head out of the door and found Jeremy’s tall, broad-shouldered figure striding toward her down the hall. He had a cell phone to his ear.
They both laughed.
Angelina smiled and waved. Something had gotten into her mood tonight. She was smiling and being a bit silly, but she liked it.
When he got to her door, she took the phone from her ear and greeted him.
“Hello. Let me just put the phone down and get my pocketbook.”
He stood just inside the doorway and waited, a crooked smile on his face and a glint in his eye, watching her all the while.
When she came back to the door, ready, he held his arm out for her.
She gave him a skeptical look. “So chivalry isn’t dead, after all.” She chuckled and took his arm, unable to conquer her giddiness. They headed past the nearby elevators to the far ones.
“These are closer to the Starlight,” Jeremy said.
“Where is your stateroom? Are you on this floor?”
“No, I’m two floors up. I’ll show you sometime.”
He smiled at her. She couldn’t tell whether or not he was being saucy, but just in case, she said, “Don’t they all look the same, anyway?”
“More or less.”
“I actually did think I would be late. I should have gotten your number, just in case.”
With his free hand, he fished in this pocket. “Here, take one of my cards. This one has my cell phone number on it, and that’s the phone I carry.”
“Thank you.”
By the time they got to the eleventh floor, only one other couple was on the elevator. Jeremy took her chin and brought her lips to his, kissing her lightly.
“Hello again.”
His gesture was so sweet and so gentle that it stopped Angelina in her tracks. She couldn’t help smiling back.
“Hi.”
She waited for him to do something else, but he just smiled at her.
“You’re in a strange mood tonight, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Only because I’m with you again.”
“I’m in a strange mood, too. I don’t know if it was kissing a dolphin—”
“You kissed a dolphin?”
“Yes, the tour let us play with them, feed them. I got my picture taken kissing one. I snorkeled. I swam. It was all wonderful.”
“You look like you’re glowing. You look beautiful, Safire.”
“Thank you, Jeremy.”
He slipped his hand into hers as they exited the elevator on the fourteenth floor. The familiarity between them made it seem as though they had been seeing each other for a while, but the actual newness of his hand in hers sent a thrill through Angelina’s body.
In the atrium of the Starlight, she was introduced to Jeremy’s friend Myron and Verniece, Myron’s date. The four of them would be dining together at a table of eight, so they would be meeting four new people. These turned out to be a newlywed couple from Idaho and an older couple from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Over drinks, they met one another and talked about the New Year’s Eve events they’d attended. Angelina blushed when she remembered her kiss with Jeremy and was even more embarrassed when he noticed this. He put a consoling arm over the back of her chair and rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. It sent a shiver through her body that she tried to hide.
They also talked about what they had seen of the Bahamas that day.
“We went out with the dolphins, did the powerboat ride and spent the afternoon on the beach,” Drake, the newlywed, said.
“Did you kiss a dolphin?” Jeremy asked Drake’s wife. Angelina saw the humor in his eyes and swatted him playfully.
“I sure did,” Rosalie answered. “It was better than kissing a frog.”
“Or a man,” Angelina added, and the two women laughed.
Jeremy looked at her with surprise and with a challenge in his eyes that said he would be proving her wrong very soon.
“I went on the daylong tour, and it was glorious,” Angelina said. “I think we did everything there was to do in Nassau. I was gone all day. I loved it.”
Angelina stopped when she realized she was gushing. She really did need to get out more. She laughed at herself, and Jeremy turned to her.
She waved away the inquiry and went on chatting.
“What did you guys do, Verniece?”
The woman was hanging on Myron’s shoulder and looked at him. Angelina could tell that she shouldn’t have asked.
“No, no. You don’t have to tell us if it’s too scandalous,” Angelina said.
The table laughed.
“We did get to the pool for a while,” Verniece offered. “And we had lunch in the Coco Lounge. But other than that, we stayed in.”
