Page 91 of Designs on You

She reached for his arms so the waves wouldn’t knock her over. “Will you write ‘kick-ass awesome’ in your review of my design services?”

“You bet.” He leaned in and kissed her, his lips coasting over hers, teasing and tasting.

She was aware they were in public and that explained his gentle kiss. But she wanted so much more. What was it about Eugene that made her crave such deep passion? It wasn’t like she’d never experienced hot sex before. Though maybe not the kind she’d had with Eugene. Or maybe it was just her reaction to this particular man. He brought out so many feelings in her, and she had to admit, there were feelings she’d never had. Excitement, overwhelming passion, and a sense of fun she’d never experienced before.

So much for this being just a temporary hookup. She was fooling herself if she didn’t recognize it for what it was. She was starting to have feelings.

Ugh. Feelings. So complicated.

That needed to stop.

When the water covered them up to her chest, he grabbed her butt cheeks and hauled her up. She wrapped her legs around him and rode the waves. Rode him.

Oh, but she didn’t want it to stop. She pushed against him and he slipped his hand between them. Their gazes met and it didn’t matter to her where they were, only what she wanted.

The sounds of laughter close by jolted her. She dropped her legs, and Eugene let go of her. In an attempt to cool her heated libido, she swam away from him, letting the water and the distance cool her down.

She walked out of the surf and turned to look for Eugene. He followed a minute or two later, and just looking at him walking out of the water like some kind of wet merman god ignited that spark of desire all over again. She swallowed and lifted her chin, determined not to be affected.

“How about something cold to drink?” he asked.

She cleared her throat. “Yes. Cold. That would be great.”

They rinsed the salt water off at the entrance to their hotel property, then made their way to their cabana. This time Natalie ordered a sparkling water and Eugene did the same. Once they dried off and reapplied sunscreen, they sat and sipped their drinks.

Eugene’s phone pinged. He picked it up, frowned, then set it down.

“Do you need to check emails or make a call or something?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. It can wait.”

“Eugene. If it’s important you should deal with it.”

He looked over at her and smiled. “You’re important, and I know how to prioritize my time.”

“Just know I’m fine if you have work to do.”

“I do have work to do. Just not today. Or tomorrow. I cleared my schedule and my staff is handling everything that needs to be handled. They send me updates on things I need to know about. That’s what that message was. There’s nothing urgent, okay?”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“Do you think I’m slacking or something?”

She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…”

She looked out over the water. “This is so different from my life with Sean. Everything with him was work first, family second. He thought his job was the most important thing in the world. He attended conferences and dinners, constantly working to make contacts that would build his business. In the beginning, I understood that it was necessary to build his practice. But after he was established, it continued. It was almost as if…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence because that thought had lingered in her mind for years.

“Almost as if what?”

Turning to look at him, she said, “Almost as if he was more interested in his work than he was in the kids, or in me.”

“And was that true?”

This time, she didn’t hesitate. “Yes. It was one of the main reasons I divorced him.”

“You and your kids shouldn’t come in second to anything or anyone.”

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