A Touch of Temptation(28)

He pushed at the water dripping from his forehead with his hand. His frown grew. “From where, then?”

“Didn’t Anna tell you? I moved in when you went to... Well, wherever it is that you went.”

Luckily he didn’t seem to have noticed the curiosity in her words.

With an agility that was a beauty to watch he pulled himself up in a single movement. And of course he was naked.

She gasped and closed her eyes. But the sight of his chest and midriff, velvet skin rippling over toned muscles, was etched into her mind. A twang shot through to her sex. She squeezed her thighs—which didn’t help at all.

The man was knock-your-knees-out-from-under-you sexy. Was it any wonder he’d always been able to scramble her senses as easily as he did?

“You can open your eyes now.”

She did.

A white towel was wrapped low on his hips. He walked around the pool, reaching the bar on her right in silence. The muscles in his back moved sinuously as he poured himself a drink and quickly guzzled it down.

A faint hum began thrumming over her skin. Even the thin silk of her robe felt oppressive.

The tattoo on his back, right under his shoulderblades, glimmered under the low lights. A memory rose to the surface, heating her already warm skin. She had traced that ink with her fingers first and then with her tongue, fascinated by the ripple and play of his muscles at her actions.

Six years on she shivered as sensations from that long-forgotten night touched her just as powerfully.

She moved without realizing it to where he stood, and ran a finger over the wing of the eagle.

He jerked, the muscles in his back bunching tight. As if she had touched him with a hot poker. He faced her before she could blink, his scowl fierce.

She jerked her hand back. “That tattoo...” She licked her lips, her cheeks tightening, “That eagle shape... The teenager I just met—he has—”

Suddenly he was so close that she could smell the scent of him, see the evening stubble on his jaw, feel the warmth of his body. His scowl deepened. “Miguel?” He looked back inside. “Did you run into him? Did he say anything wrong to you?”

“Not really,” she said, hurrying to reassure him. “I just didn’t spot him until he stepped out of the dark. I didn’t know anyone else was here, or that you were back.”

His frown grew. He moved away from her, his movements edgy. “Anything more?”

She shook her head belatedly.

Heat unfurled in the pit of her stomach as he turned to the side, dropped his towel casually and pulled up a pair of black sweatpants. She caught a glimpse of tight butt and rock-hard thighs.

Her heart raced. The stretchy fabric of her swimsuit was chafing everywhere it touched. She needed that swim even more than before.

He turned around to face her, his expression serious. With his glorious rippling chest close enough to touch, it was hard to focus on his face.

“I’ll arrange something else for him. He’s already upset Anna in the few hours he’s been here. Probably why she forgot to mention you were here. He won’t harm you, but I know how nervous you get around people from that background.”

Hurt splintered through her, knocking the breath out of her. Maybe it was because she hadn’t been prepared to see him tonight. Maybe it was her hormones again. She glared at him, finding it hard to speak. “Did I say that?” Her words rang in the silence. “I wouldn’t even have mentioned him if you weren’t flashing that tattoo. I knew this was a bad idea. You might have the best intentions, but you’ll never—”

“Wait.” His long fingers clasped her wrist and pulled her to him.

She fell into him with a soft thump that made her sigh. Her fingers landed on his chest. The thump-thump of his heart was as loud as her own. He was hard and hot and all she wanted to do was curl into him. Even when he flayed her with his words.

She closed her eyes, lacking the strength not to care about his opinion.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pulled her chin up and she opened her eyes. His hands on her waist were a languid weight, searing her. “This is our home and I want you to feel safe and be happy here.”

Something warm and gooey bloomed inside her chest. She took a deep breath as if she could capture it there. A tingling warmth spread through her—something she remembered from the cruise. For the first time in her life she had felt cherished.

His fingers lingered on her cheek. “The last time our marriage fell apart it was just us.” Just as easily he took the warmth away. “This time we have someone else to think of... Do you understand?”

She nodded, swallowing her disappointment. She strove to sound just as casual as he did. “It doesn’t bother me. This place is so huge anyway I don’t have to even see you if I don’t want to, right?” His expression didn’t relax. “And...thanks for thinking of me.”