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“Maybe next time they’ll be a bit smarter about whose advice they choose to follow. ”
“I hope so. ” Zoe slid down his body and into the water. “Don’t you want to hang out with your friends?”
He searched for Wade and found him in a lounger in front of their cabana while Brennen chatted up a woman with light brown skin and hot pink hair. “No. ” Zoe brushed against him as she walked up the tiled incline. “You’re shorter than I thought,” he said. The top of her head came to the base of his neck.
“I’ve been wearing heels. ”
“The ones from the airport are my favorite. Wear them for me again?”
“Haven’t I done enough for you?”A beach ball whizzed by, smacking her on the side of the face. “Arg!”
What the hell? He turned around as fast as the water would let him, only to see Brennen smiling innocently at them.
“Anonymous drive-by throwing meant for you,” Brennen said.
“You. ” Christian pointed at him. “Wait until I get my hands around your neck. ”
Brennen shook his head. “Do you really think telling me what you’re going to do if I wait will make me stick around?”
Christian swam for him, but Brennen managed to get past him. He had almost made it out of the pool when a volleyball from out of nowhere smashed him in the side of the head.
Brennen fell back, sinking to the bottom of the pool. Christian looked around to see who had knocked the prankster flat.
Zoe smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.
“You did that?” He really shouldn’t be surprised. The woman had stabbed him at dinner.
Brennen surfaced behind him, laughing and coughing.
“I know how to fight dirty when I need to,” Zoe said before thanking some bloke standing by the pool. She turned back to Christian. “Or employ others as my minions. ” Her hands twisted together in parody of an evil villain.
“I get the distinct feeling there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to you. ”
“Transformers. ”.
“Would you please stop movie dialogue checking me?”
“Only when you stop using them as a pick-up device. ”
“Tell me about your family. How’s that for a pick-up line?”
“Come sit with me and I will. ” She swam away from him. Or rather she treaded water and kicked her legs. The woman wasn’t remotely athletic and he found that he didn’t care.
“Can I come, too?” Brennen asked, rubbing the back of his head.
Christian shoved him under the water again, then followed Zoe to the shallow end and sat down on the ledge next to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his security team encouraging paparazzi to stay away. He directed his attention back to the woman sitting beside him.
She swung her legs back and forth in the water.
“What are you doing?”
“Exercising. ”
“While seated?”
Wrinkling her nose, she stuck her pink tongue out at him. “Leave my vacation workout alone. ”
“I give up. There’s no understanding the female of the species. ” He flicked water on her arm. “Start talking about your family, sweetheart. ”
“Let’s see, I’m next to the oldest of six. Four brothers and a sister. My parents are still married and don’t have lovers. ” She gave him a sidelong glance.
“Are you the mother of the group?” He imagined Zoe straightening ties, combing hair and fixing bows, all while her own hair was mussed and completely sexy.
“I used to be, but since Carter, he’s the oldest, married my best friend, she’s taken over the duties. They have a little girl with another on the way. Luke and Logan are the twins. Don’t get me started on their personal lives. Heath’s a baseball player involved in a love triangle while Evangeline has her music and Reece. They’re all extremely talented and know what they want out of life. ”
Her voice softened as she talked about the family she loved and obviously loved her, too. He envied her, her family, but he didn’t begrudge it. Life worked out that way. It was best to deal with the hand you were dealt. Or so he tried to convince himself.
“Cannonball!” Brennen yelled as he made a run for the pool, interrupting their conversation.
Christian moved to shield Zoe, taking the brunt of it. He spit out some water and shook his hair out of his eyes. Oh yeah, the ladies always loved it when a man spit. “You okay?”
“Yes. ” She wiped the water off of her face, then laughed as Brennen did a handstand in the pool, his legs waving in the air. “Your friend is such a clown. He’s the like the old court jester. Seeing everything, but distracting all with his antics so they won’t notice. ”
“Anyway, what about you?” Christian wanted to know about her not Brennen. The man was a bloody open book. Whatever he thought, he said. No filter. No three second delay. Five second delays had been instituted because of Brennen McGowan’s lack of brain to mouth filter.
Green eyes regarded him warily. “What about me?”
“Everyone in your family has someone and a career. ”
“And?” A smile wobbled on her face.
“Your career is writing. So, who is your someone? Is there a man back home waiting for you? A secret lover that will be video messaging you on Skype?”
“I wouldn’t have kissed you last night if there were. ”
He stroked the soft skin inside her elbow, pleased to see goose bumps appear. “It wouldn’t have made you a horrible person if you were involved with someone else. Things happen. ”
“Things don’t just happen,” she said, sliding her arm away. “Besides, I don’t need a man to be happy. ”
This conversation was quickly going downhill, even with the confirmation that she was entirely single. “Neither do I. In fact men get on my nerves. They’re sloppy. They belch, fart and scratch their balls in public. Then there’s the leaving up of the toilet seat issue. Honestly, the list could go on and on. ”
Zoe laughed so hard that she slipped off the ledge and went under. He sighed and shook his head. She had to be the most accident prone woman in existence. After helping her back up, he grabbed one of the towels to wipe the water off of her face. “Zoe, love, have you considered that the outside world is too dangerous for you?”
“Not everyone is meant to have gravity work for them all of the time. I’m convinced it means I would be a superior astronaut. ” Her eyes danced. “If it weren’t for one or two pesky problems. ”
“Lack of rocket science degree?” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Or is it the suits aren’t flattering on anyone?”
“How ever did you know?” she asked, scooting closer to him. “Your turn. I already know about your parents, but what about the rest?”
“Older brother, Sebastian, and he’s a pain in my arse,” he said, making her laugh again. “What’s so funny?”
“You said arse and it made me giggle a little. ”
“You say y’all and that makes me want to shag you a little. ” Actually, he wanted to shag her a lot.
“Do you know I can’t get any regular tea out here? It’s peach or raspberry or some other god-awful flavor. ” A delicate shudder ran through her body. “Y’all don’t know what you’re missing. ”
He knew exactly what he was missing. So did his cock. His board shorts grew tight and he leaned forward slightly. “What made you write your first novel?”
“I had these two characters in my head that appeared out of nowhere one day. They had a story and chose me to write it. ” Her eyes got a faraway look to them. “Katrina and Dimitri are destined to be together. No matter the odds or what side of the spy world they’re on. ”
He kind of liked that, but wasn’t Dimitri the villain? “I have a confession: I read your book…and liked it. ”
“Then why do you look like you’ve eaten something vile?”
“It’s a g
irl book. ”
“That’s being made into a movie you want to be in,” Zoe reminded him.
“As the villain. ” He frowned. Why was she so insistent on him playing that particular role?
“He’s my favorite character to write,” she sighed.
“Really?” He rolled his head to one side, then the other.
She stretched her arms above her head, her breasts treading the flashing line of her silver top. If she stretched just a little bit more, he’d be able to see her nipples. “You’re doing really well by the way. ”
He jerked his eyes back to her face. “Er, thank you. ”
“You have no clue what I’m talking about, do you?”
“Not in the slightest. ”
The corners of her mouth pushed up. “We’ve been having an honest-to-goodness conversation for a while now and you only hit on me once. ”
“I aim to please, ma’am,” he said in his best Wild West accent and she burst out laughing again. God, he could listen to her laugh for days on end. He would make it his mission to keep her exactly as she was at this moment: Sitting in the sun smiling, with wisps of dark hair curling around her face as she treated him like a man, not a movie star.
“Saw you staring, by the way. ”
Heat pricked at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry?”
“I might have liked it. ”
“Really?” Good God, could he come up with better replies than this? His so-called smooth lines were rougher than a cold reading of a script.
She held out her finger and thumb, bringing them together until they almost touched. “A little. ”
“Shall I do it again?”
“I think you’ve exceeded your ogling limit. ” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a tiny purple flip flop decorating the lobe. “What time is it?”
He glanced at his watch. “Almost five,” he replied. “Why? Big date?”
Her cheeks, reddened by the sun, turned pinker. “Actually, yes. I met this guy in the lobby and he wanted to apologize for tripping me in the airport. He texted me while you were otherwise occupied in the pool earlier. ”
That wasn’t in the realm of acceptable answers to his question. “You’re going out with that lawyer? And he has your number? I don’t have your number. ” She’d just met the guy. He could be some homicidal maniac or, more importantly, interested in having sex with her. Besides, Christian had been interested in having sex with her first.
Holy mother of God, when had he ever thought such blatantly possessive and juvenile things about a woman?
“You didn’t ask. ”
She had a point, but logic be damned. “Give me your number and I’ll take you out instead of Mr. Brooks Brothers Suit. We’ll go to one of the clubs, then hit up a bar that has fantastic VIP rooms. ”
Green eyes narrowed. “Taylor Harper and I have reservations at Gigi’s in two hours. That’s what grown people do. Go out on real dates, at real places and eat real food. ”
“But Gigi’s is where you take a woman when you want to do things with her,” Christian said, trying to ignore the darts of jealousy hitting him in the chest. “Of the sexual kind,” he growled.
“Does that mean you have a frequent diner card with them? Or a table always on reserve?”
She was so close to the truth that it galled him. “Cancel your date. ”
Instead of answering him, she got out of the pool and walked toward the private cabana. Vanessa texted on her phone while Wade snored.
Christian trailed after the small, wet footprints on the tile.
After wrapping a towel around her body, she collected her belongings. “Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you. ”
“That’s it—after what happened in the elevator and today?”
Sighing, she picked up her bag and hefted it on her shoulder. “It was a mistake I enjoyed making at the time while today was…the two of us playing it up to the public. ”
“Not buying it. You don’t operate that way. ”
“But it’s how you operate. ” She moved to the entrance of the cabana, pausing at the opening. “I can admit I’m attracted to you, Christian, but I’m not attracted to your lifestyle, your ideas of dating or temporarily changing your ways to get your way. ”
His jaw tightened, the pressure giving way to pain. “I’m not doing this to get my way. ”
“Then own the mistake of the pictures before they go viral. ”
“It’s not that simple. ”
Disappointment colored her features. Her shoulders drooped a little. “You can keep my book. Consider it a gift, and I truly hope you get the part of Dimitri. ” Once again, she walked away from him and what he offered. She stopped, turned back and gazed at him.
“Yes?” Had she changed her mind? Doubtful, but hope sparked inside of him anyway.
“Everyone deserves the chance to redeem themself. ” She shifted from one foot to the other. “So if you’d still like my help tomorrow, I’m available. Emphasis on the word help. Nothing more. ”
Relief eased the pain in his jaw. “More than I deserve. ”
“See you later. ”
“Count on it. ”
He kept an eye on her as she made her way through the maze of chairs, tables and people. Ideas zoomed around in his head as he plotted. There was no way in hell Taylor Harper would be on any date with Zoe, not tonight or for the rest of his stay. No matter how Cro-Magnon it sounded, Christian had already staked his claim on her.