Rafe had accused her on more than one occasion of being a mermaid, more suited for living underneath the sea than on dry land. Yes, she liked the sea, and she’d never had a problem before, so she would allow herself to indulge in her mermaid fantasies now.
Just as she was feeling the first stirrings of discomfort in her lungs, and she changed direction to begin her ascent, she suddenly felt thick arms wrap around her waist and torpedo her body to the surface of the water.
Her surprised gasp allowed water to enter her lungs, making her begin to choke as they reached air. The person gripping her didn’t let go, but swam strong and sure toward the beach.
Too shocked to think about screaming or trying to fight the man, Rachel was stuck being pulled to shore. As soon as they reached dry land, he gently laid her on the sun-warmed sand, and then his head was descending.
She had about one second to choose whether to allow him to attempt CPR on her when she clearly didn’t need it. Just as his mouth reached hers, she began laughing. Yes, she could see why he’d thought she’d been drowning. If he’d seen her go in, he would think she was hurt, since a normal person couldn’t last so long beneath the ocean waves.
“I’m fine, really,” she managed to gasp as the man pulled back.
That was when she got her first good glimpse of her rescuer. Damn! Her breath was knocked out of her again as she gazed into his nearly black eyes. Looking at his soaked black hair, and tanned olive complexion, chiseled cheekbones, and full mouth had her body instantly responding.
“You were under too long…”
Oh, his voice matched his features to perfection. Deep baritone with a slight accent. Rachel was in instant lust.
“Yeah, I’ve been swimming since before I could walk. Thanks for the rescue, though,” she said, giving him her most flirtatious smile. “Now, about that CPR…” she added, then giggled when his eyes widened.
She could see that he was trying to figure out whether to be incredulous or laugh with her. Finally, his eyes crinkled at the corners, and a beautiful, deep-throated chuckle emerged. Yes, she was definitely in lust!
“I guess I reacted too hastily,” he admitted as he placed his strong hand beneath her shoulders and helped her up.
Dang! She’d been hoping for some lip action first. She shouldn’t have stopped him from his attempted resuscitation.
“Nah. I’ve always wanted Prince Charming to rescue me from certain death. Isn’t that the fantasy of most girls?”
For just the briefest of moments, he tensed while looking around. “What is your name?”
“Rachel.”
“Do you have a last name?”
She almost answered his commanding voice before she stopped herself.
“Nope. Just Rachel for now.” She felt bold and daring, and decided she needed a vacation, and she could certainly see herself having a great time with Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Never before had she even thought of having a fling with a stranger, but as she looked into his intense gaze, it was all she could think about. She wanted to be lying beneath this man in the worst possible way. Or the best possible way…
“Well, Just Rachel, my name is...Ian.”
“And do you have a last name?” she asked, hoping his answer would be the same as hers.
He gazed at her for several heart-stopping moments before his full lips turned up. “No. Not today.”
This was good, so very good. It seemed he wanted to play just as much as she did. “How long are you here for, Ian?” Please don’t say you’re leaving today, she added silently.
“Only a week. Then I must return home.” He didn’t seem happy about that.
“And where is home?”
“It doesn’t matter. I want to forget about duty for the moment. Since I did ‘rescue’ you, may I escort you to dinner?”
“Yes.” Rachel didn’t even pretend to hesitate. She was on vacation in Florida, renting a perfect little beach house, and if she was lucky, having a weeklong affair. She needed this badly, because next week she began employment back home in Italy.
It was time for her to grow up, and to do that, she needed to work. She now had a great internship at the American embassy in Rome. It was boring, but she didn’t want to work for her big brother. She was too much under his thumb as it was. She had to prove that she was capable of making it on her own — though she had doubts that she could actually do it.
Being the baby of the family, she knew she was spoiled and had never before thought that was a bad thing. But Lia was now working for Rafe and Shane and was out of the country for a while. Rachel’s parents were on a six-month cruise around the world, and even Ari was teaching at a community college.
Rachel felt like a spoiled brat for the first time ever, and she’d decided that it was time she proved herself. However, she didn’t see anything wrong with having a smoking-hot affair before she became distressingly responsible. This man seemed the perfect person to devour for an entire week.
“Good. May I escort you home to change?”
Whoa! She didn’t think that was a great idea. An affair was one thing, but she didn’t need to lead this guy to her place, where she was staying all by herself. Hot men could certainly be killers, too.
“No. You name the place and I’ll meet you there,” she suggested.
Assessing her for a minute, he turned up the corners of his mouth as he leaned back, pulling that delectable body farther from her gasp. She barely held in her groan of disapproval. Too many years with her siblings had taught her to be cautious, but she didn’t want to be cautious right now. Still, she had her mother’s voice in her head telling her to tread carefully.
Rachel didn’t get any “serial killer” vibes off the man, but still…
“You are a smart woman, Rachel, but I assure you I mean no harm.”
“I’m sure that’s what all the nice womanizing murderers say before they cut their victims’ hearts out and boil them up,” she said with a grin. When he burst out laughing, she felt her thighs quiver. To hell with her last vestiges of caution. She wanted this man.
“Ah, then. I guess you will never know if I’m a hunter or a lover…”
Oh, my goodness, his accent was melting her. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t join you for dinner. I simply said I don’t want to bring you to my place,” she replied as she leaned toward him and ran her short fingernail down his arm.