She stood up, looking at the controls uncertainly. ‘I’m not sure …’
‘Relax, honey. I’ll be standing right behind you.’
She sat down on the chair he had vacated for her, shivering slightly as his arms came either side of her from behind to place her hands on the controls. His warm breath gently moved her hair against her cheek and she kept her head held rigid, conscious of just how close he was. She had only to turn her head slightly to the right and his mouth would be against her cheek.
But she wasn’t going to turn her head! She had to be careful with this dangerous man, simply because he was dangerous. He ate up and spat out little girls like her almost every day of his life.
‘Perhaps that’s what I’m afraid of,’ she said huskily.
‘You needn’t be,’ Jake murmured close against her ear. ‘I won’t ever do anything to you that you don’t want me to.’
‘Then I wish you’d move away from me.’ She gulped. ‘I don’t like it,’ she lied.
The arms about her were instantly removed and he moved to stand beside her. He started unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, pulling it out of the waistband of his trousers. ‘Is that really true?’ he asked soft
ly.
She was aware of his bare torso as his hands lowered to the fastening of his trousers. She turned hurriedly away. ‘Yes,’ she snapped.
He threw his clothes down into the cabin and Stacy was tempted to turn and look at him. He was dressed only in navy-blue swimming trunks that moulded to his lean hips. His body was tanned a deep brown all over, at least as far as she could see, a dark mat of hair covering his chest and finishing at his navel. His body was firm and muscular, and he was in much better condition physically than a lot of men half his age. He was just a damned attractive man—and each moment Stacy found herself becoming more and more attracted to him.
He took over the steering of the boat. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to take off those things?’
‘Very sure.’ She studiously ignored him, as she rubbed oil into her bare arms.
‘I’ll see you when we get to the beach,’ he taunted. ‘I take it you are going to swim today?’
‘I am.’
‘Then I’ll just have to wait until then,’ he sighed.
‘Shame!’ she teased, forgetting to be distant with him. ‘I can assure you that I don’t have anything any other woman doesn’t have. In fact, I’m a bit on the skinny side.’
‘Maybe I like my women skinny. The anticipation is certainly killing me.’
‘It’s good for you,’ she grinned.
He snorted his disbelief. ‘You have to be kidding. How about that cove over there?’
Her eyes followed the direction he was pointing, seeing a sheltered beach completely cut off except by access from the sea, sheer rock face on either side of it. ‘It looks perfect,’ she admitted. And very secluded!
‘Good.’ He swung the boat in the direction of the cove, slowing it down to gently manoeuvre it as far up the beach as he could. He managed to get it about six feet from the actual sand before the front of the boat hit bottom. ‘Well, this is as far as it goes.’ He turned to face her, hands on his hips. ‘I think you’ll have to take off your trousers now, or you’ll get them wet when we wade ashore.’
‘Okay.’ Her cheeks coloured delicately. ‘You get the picnic basket and I’ll get undressed.’
‘Can’t I stay and watch?’
‘No,’ she laughed.
‘No?’ He quirked an eyebrow.
‘No,’ she laughed again.
‘You can’t hide from me for ever, you know. Okay, okay, I’m going.’ He went down into the galley to get the food and wine.
Stacy took advantage of his absence to slip off her trousers and top, her light golden skin shown to advantage in the emerald-coloured bikini. It was the briefest of bikinis, its only fastenings a knot between her breasts and one at each of her hips. She hadn’t realised when she had chosen to wear it that they were to be alone like this, or she might not have been so daring in her choice.
Jake had removed his sunglasses by the time he came back up on deck, his deep blue eyes slowly roving over her from head to toe. There could be no doubt that he found pleasure just in looking at her, and Stacy blushed as he made no effort to hide his arousal.