Page 15 of Making Waves

Should she take this farther? There’d been a time when she would have acted on the impulse to strip down for him at that kind of provocation, but she was trying to behave. Be reasonable.

Not get tangled up with him all over again.

Sinking deeper in the water, she aligned another jet with the middle of her shoulder blades. The massaging throb against her skin would have been stimulating all in its own, but with the knowledge that Jack stretched out on the deck behind her, watching her… That propelled the feeling into straight-up erotic territory.

Her back arched with the spray, her breasts breaking the surface and the tops of her shoulders meeting the rim of the tub where his one hand rested. With her eyes closed, the touch was accidental, but she could hardly regret the contact when two of his fingers trailed over her slick skin. He traced the curve of her neck. Skimmed lower to her collarbone where his touch slipped under the spaghetti strap of her top.

Nudging the fabric to the edge of her shoulder, he pushed it over. Off. Her top remained in place, but it still felt like a major unveiling. Her breath hitched in her throat as pleasure slid through her veins in a thick, heated rush.

“I know you’re not ready for more yet, so I’m going to give you some privacy while I take a shower.”

He was leaving?

She blinked, unsure if that’s what she wanted or not. Of course, she’d made up those damn rules with him…

Nodding, she swallowed hard and told herself it was just as well that he left now. Because heaven knew, if he stayed much longer she didn’t have a chance of staying away from him.

“I just have one request before I go.” He still spoke softly, but there was a rough quality to his voice now.

She recognized it for what it was – the hunger of holding back. Knowing that it wasn’t easy for him to turn away soothed her just a little.

“Mmm?” Imagining what he might ask of her right now, she couldn’t envision many requests she wouldn’t fill.

But then, that’s how she ended up naked in the rain with him last time, her legs around his waist as he took her against a tree and made the forest encounter one of the most sensual moments of her life. She’d never had any restraint when it came to Jack.

Behind her, she heard him get to his feet and she couldn’t resist turning to look at him. But he didn’t appear to be stripping down to join her. He stood over her, his powerful body obviously ready for her even in the rain and shadows.

“I hope you think of me when you undress.”

Pivoting to walk away, Jack headed for the stairs to the cabin below deck. Leaving her more turned on than she’d ever been and nothing but a hot tub jet to take the edge off. Frustrated, she stifled a sigh of longing as she watched him go. He wanted to tease her into having more sexy fantasies about him?

Two could play that game.

ChapterFour

Jack figured if he died now, he’d be eligible for sainthood for sure. Walking away from Alicia while she lounged in bubbling water, breathless and ready for his touch, was a feat ranked close to pushing water uphill. It just went against nature. But he knew she wasn’t ready to renew their relationship yet. He’d seen the hesitation in her eyes even if the rest of her was more than willing.

Now, as he stood underneath a hot shower in the small cabin bathroom, he thunked his head against the tile wall. Maybe a cracked skull would help dissipate the visions of Alicia’s head thrown back, her body arched toward his touch. He didn’t want to be the one to make the next move. It didn’t seem right to push her when he’d been the one to walk away four years ago. She had to come to him.

Maybe if he’d just stayed on deck a little longer, she would have reached up and dragged him into the tub with her. She could have had her way with him like a ravenous, old-school sea nymph, the kind that sang men to their deaths- hopefully right after sexing him up to a blissed out place where he forgot his own name.

But no.

He’d had to go all Joe Noble, leaving her to make a well thought-out decision on whether or not to move forward with this brief relationship reprise. The chances of her deciding in his favor would have been about twenty times greater if he’d stayed within touching distance, damn it. Sometimes, he was too freaking upstanding to believe.

Speaking of upstanding… the hard-on straining between his thighs had a snowball’s chance in hell of finding any real relief tonight without her. He didn’t want any part of easing an erection that had her name stamped all over it.

Saint or colossal dumb ass? He’d have to rethink what category he fell into.

“Jack?” A feminine voice floated through his consciousness, making him pause in the middle of the next round of head-pounding.

Remaining still, he listened, pretty sure he’d just imagined her voice the same way he was dreaming about her hands all over him. He heard the whoosh of his own breathing and the force of the shower stream hitting the tile.

“Jack?” Her voice returned, accompanied by a knock on the door.

He killed the hot water and scrambled for a towel. Tied that sucker around his hips with a vengeance, at least until he found out what she wanted.

“Yeah?” Opening the door, a rush of cool air blasted his skin as the steam escaped.

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