Raising the binoculars, he focused them on the group of women who were gathering on one of the playing fields, watching to see if any of them walked with the confident, distinctive gait of the Princess. He’d dubbed Lucas’s pampered and temperamental sister that the first time he’d seen her. His view was being hampered, not only by the branches of several trees, but also by the fact that the women were wearing what seemed to be the spa uniform—sweatpants and hooded jackets.
Huge gray clouds had settled like a lid over the mountains, and thunder growled overhead. As the hooded figures began to disperse, he shifted his gaze to the individual cabins, most of which were tucked away beneath the trees. The information he’d downloaded from the Serenity Spa website emphasized complete privacy. It promised clients a totally female environment, free from the “intrusion of any male vibrations.”
Tracker couldn’t prevent a grin. In the very near future, he was going to break their promise. He just hadn’t figured out the best way to do it. If he forced his way in, the Princess would be furious. When the lady got all fired up, she reminded him of some warrior goddess about to wreak her vengeance on mere mortals.
She’d been mad as hell when she’d read the file he’d gathered on Bradley Davis. The heat of her anger had been aimed at her brother. And she’d taken him completely by surprise when she’d landed that right cross to her brother’s chin. Just the memory had him grinning. Oh, she’d been quick as lightning. He couldn’t help but admire her for it. And she was strong too. She might look as slender as a wand, but when he’d grabbed her, he’d had to put some effort into subduing her.
The Princess was smart too. No one he’d tailed had ever spotted him before. But she had. He could still recall the cold fury in her eyes when they’d met his in that Georgetown pub. He’d felt it like a blow in his gut.
He’d underestimated her. That had been his mistake—a moment of carelessness that he was paying for now, he thought as he shifted carefully on the branch to ease the sharp impressions the bark was leaving on his backside.
If she hadn’t become aware that she was being tailed, she wouldn’t have pulled that switch yesterday, and he’d know for sure if she was indeed escaping from “male vibrations” in one of those damn cabins.
A bird landed on a nearby branch, gave him a startled look and flew off.
“Good idea,” he muttered as he started to lower himself to the ground. He’d hoped to study the women as they made their way to the main building for lunch, but the steady and insistent slap of rain meant that umbrellas would be out in full force.
After hitting the ground, he ran toward the main road. Time for plan B.
THE MOMENT LUCAS TURNED his attention to uncorking the champagne that had been waiting for them in the suite, Mac drew in a deep breath and slipped out onto the balcony. What she needed was a moment to plan and get back on track. He hadn’t allowed her much time to do that on the boat trip to Key West. Instead, he’d seemed determined to distract her in any way he could.
Not that he’d kissed her again. He’d just taken every opportunity he could to touch her. A hand at her back as they’d walked down the dock, a firm grasp on her fingers as he’d helped her onto and off the boat, the brush of his body against hers as they’d stepped into the same slot of the revolving door that had spun them into the hotel lobby.
Each time he’d come in contact with her, her heart had made what felt like a somersault in her chest, and each and every nerve in her body had responded. So many images had filled her mind when the bellhop had given them a quick tour of the hotel suite. Every time he’d gestured to a different feature—from the oversize hot tub in the bathroom to the grand piano tucked into a corner of the sunken living room—she’d pictured Lucas making love to her in each spot.
Clearly, her ability to create sexual fantasies for herself was growing by leaps and bounds, and they all centered on Lucas Wainright. No other man had ever made love to her that way, with such intensity—as if he couldn’t help himself. And she wanted him to do it again. And he would, just as soon as he followed her out onto the balcony. Just thinking about it was enough to make the muscles in her legs turn to water.
She had to get a grip. It would be so tempting to just give in to the spell that he seemed to weave around her. To enjoy it for however long it lasted.
As soon as he poured the champagne and followed her out here, she’d probably dissolve into a puddle at his feet.
No. If she allowed herself to give in to the temptation of what Lucas was offering, how could she fully field-test her research?
She had to focus on the fantasies. Resolutely, she walked to the railing of the balcony. A glance down at the man-made lagoon twisting like a turquoise snake around the hotel triggered a quick spurt of dizziness. The moment it passed, her gaze fixed on a waterfall tumbling over a small cave at the side of the lagoon. That definitely had possibilities. It would work for both the mermaid and the island-girl fantasies. The cave would also provide the perfect setting for making love in a semipublic place—another very popular male fantasy.
All she had to do was…
When the second wave of dizziness hit, Mac raised her eyes and concentrated on the view of the ocean stretching to the horizon. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled, then drew in another one. Her stomach settled, and her head cleared again.
The solution to keeping her plan on track was to get the jump on Lucas and draw him into a fantasy before he could totally mesmerize her as he had on his grandfather’s island. Simple.
“What’s wrong?”
She started, then turned. He was standing there studying her, and she felt the pull right down to where her toes curled in her sandals.
It was not going to be so simple.
“Tell me,” he said, moving to the railing.
“Nothing. The room—everything—it’s perfect.”
“So perfect that you had to come out here to screw up your courage?” Taking her hand, he waited until she met his eyes.
“There’s nothing wrong. No one has ever done anything like this for me. Sophie said you would be kind. But I didn’t expect you to be sweet too.”
“Sweet?”
The slightly disgruntled, slightly shocked look on his face made her smile. “It’ll be our little secret. I won’t tell a soul.”
“Just tell me. What’s wrong, Doc.”
She shrugged. “I needed to come out here and think.”
“Ah,” he murmured, his forehead clearing. “Getting all your ducks lined up in a row?”
“Fear clears my mind. I know that might sound…” The rest of her sentence trailed off when he lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed the palm of her hand, then the veins at her wrist. For a moment, she couldn’t say a thing. She was too busy absorbing the little waves of fire and ice that radiated up her arm. “You’re trying to seduce me.”
“You got me, Doc. I’m busted.” He began to kiss her fingers one by one as if they were a delicacy he’d been waiting all day to sample. “I want to make up to you for what happened at the cabin.”
She blinked and stared at him. “Why? I mean we both…I enjoyed it, really. It was my fault that I lost control.”
“I lost control too, and I want to make it up to you.”
“Wait.” She pulled her hand away. “It’s not necessary for you to make anything up. I don’t think I’ve explained the essentials of my plan quite clearly enough. It’s my job to seduce you.”
He had her hand again, and she could feel a pull that went beyond the pressure of his fingers on hers.
“I’m not going to be able to create any fantasies if you keep distracting me,” she continued weakly.
“What if I told you that I don’t have any fantasies?” His eyes never left hers as he drew her fingers to his mouth. “I gave them up when I was a kid because I thought they were a waste of time. I much prefer reality. What I really want to do is to keep you in this suite and make love with you nonstop for the next three days.”
The images that his statement conjured up nearly melted her knees again. And it didn’t help one bit that he was touching her again, drawing one finger along her jawline, then down her neck to the hollow of her throat. She had to clear it to speak. “Sophie was right on the button when she bragged about your negotiating skills. You’re trying to make me an offer I can’t refuse.”
His laugh erupted then, quick and infectious. The sound of it only added to the ribbons of heat spreading downward and upward from her center.
“I can never predict what you’re going to say next. Maybe that’s why you fascinate me, Doc.”
She fascinated him? She’d never fascinated anyone in her life. It had to be the proposal she’d made him. Either that or he’d liked the island-girl fantasy. “I have some fantasies in mind that may fascinate you even more.”
“I’d much rather spend some time with you, Doc. I’ve been wanting to touch you, really touch you, since you got off that plane yesterday morning. I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”
She felt her heart stutter.
“Why don’t you come inside and let me show you?”