Reality hit her like a slap in the face. The girls had said his Ari. That means he’d said something about her. She started putting the pieces together and realized them finding her on the beach must not have been a coincidence. Why did she have to be so naïve? Of course she wasn’t just going to meet great people who wanted to whisk her away for a moonlit dinner on a great boat.
“You can release me anytime,” Ari said as she tugged again, ignoring the searing pain of his touch, too irritated by the turn of events to keep her tone light.
“I don’t think so. I saw the look on your face at the railing. I think you may be stupid enough to actually jump overboard just to avoid me.”
Ari knew they were way too far from shore now for her to swim back. She wasn’t suicidal – just desperate to get away from Rafe. She really hoped his meddling sisters had extra clothes onboard the boat.
“I won’t deny how the thought crossed my mind once I realized this was your boat. However, I realize we’re too far out now for me to do that now. The gentlemanly thing for you to do would be to turn the boat around and drop me off back at the dock,” she said in her haughtiest voice.
Rafe stopped and backed her against the wall, his chest pressing against her tender br**sts as his eyes devoured her face.
“Since when have I ever claimed to be a gentleman, Ari?” he asked with a seductive smile.
“I refuse to play games with you, Mr. Palazzo.” She paused as a new thought occurred. What if it hadn’t been his sisters meddling, but he’d actually sent them. “Did you send your sisters out to bring me here?”
“No. I would rather keep you far away from my family. However, I can’t say I’m disappointed to see you. I’ve been thinking about our night together. I would love a repeat performance. By the quickening of your breath, and the way your ni**les are hardening against my chest, I’d say you wouldn’t mind another opportunity, yourself,” he said with utmost confidence.
Ari hated how right he was. She’d been dreaming about Rafe for months, and the dreams had only become more erotic since she’d actually been with him. She’d like nothing more than for him to sink deep inside her again. She just wasn’t prepared to deal with the self-loathing when he treated her like a whore afterward.
“Just because my body responds to you, doesn’t mean I want you. I’d rather sleep with a stranger from the beach than have your hands on me again,” she bluffed.
“Liar,” he whispered as his head descended and he ran his tongue along the soft skin of her neck. Ari barely managed to hold the sigh in. If only he wasn’t so appealing.
“I’m cold, Mr. Palazzo. Could you please allow me to use a guest room to shower and change? I don’t have anything with me and I would greatly appreciate it if there were some clothes I could borrow,” she said through gritted teeth. It was taking all her concentration to control her breathing as his tongue circled her skin.
“Mmm, you taste salty. I’d be glad to help you clean up,” he offered as he moved back and started walking through the halls of the boat again.
“I can clean up just fine on my own,” she said as he led her up a set of stairs. His laughter was her only answer.
Soon, he was pushing open a large door and leading her inside a spacious room. She looked around at the couch and two chairs circled around a beautiful cherry table. Original paintings adorned the walls with special lighting to bring out the colors and textures of the artwork. It was remarkably decorated with a mixture of dark and light, visually appealing.
“Go through that door on the right. I’ll have some clothes brought in – unless you want to change your mind on my offer to help you.”
“I’m good,” Ari said as she raced away from him and went through the door. She was in a decent sized room with a couch and mirrors and a couple side tables. Another door was to her right and she walked through, happy to find a full size walk-in shower.
A large tub sat in the corner, but she didn’t dare take a bath. She was going to clean off as quickly as possible and pray there were clothes waiting for her in the sitting area when she was finished.
When the strong spray hit her skin, Ari jumped back. Yes, she was definitely burned, and the water wasn’t helping in the least. She turned the pressure down low, and adjusted the temperature to barely above warm. Even that felt like a scalding hot shower, but any cooler and she’d freeze up her muscles.
She suffered through the shower, carefully washing her body as best she could, feeling some relief to at least get the sand and salt water off of her skin. Finishing, she stepped out and grabbed a soft towel, wrapping it around her body before cracking the door open and peeking into the sitting room.
Relief filled her when she saw a set of clothes sitting on the counter, and no sign of Rafe. If he really tried seducing her again she was sure she’d cave in record time. Her body was humming with need from their brief hallway encounter, and knowing he wasn’t far away was like placing a match close to a flame.
When she picked up the silky blue dress lying on the counter and the incredibly skimpy black lacy thong, she felt her face heat. The dress would barely cover more than her swim suit had. He was intentionally torturing her. When she discovered no bra present, she glared at the closed door, wishing thoughts could kill. If they could, Rafe would be drowning in the ocean at that moment.
She walked back in the bathroom and rinsed out her bikini top, then went back to the sitting area and found a hair dryer and dried it before slipping back into the uncomfortable thing. With a gasp of disbelief, she slipped on the panties, no more than a scrap of material barely covering her parts before slipping the sundress over her head.
The soft fabric barely reached mid-thigh, but the dress was surprisingly comfortable, the cool material felt great against her heated skin. The longer she was out of the sun, the more she was feeling the burn covering most of her body. She really was going to feel pretty achy over the next few days.
She actually smiled when she found a bottle of pricey lotion with aloe in it. The cool cream felt heavenly as she spread it across her arms and neck and then her legs. She couldn’t reach all of her back, but she managed to cover enough of her skin to send relief coursing through her.
She’d at least make it through the uncomfortable dinner that she was sure Rafe would insist she attend. He wouldn’t miss an opportunity to make her squirm. She’d try not to give him the satisfaction of acting like she felt out of place.