He simply grinned. “So what about that circumstance?”
“I never trip, so I think we’ll be fine.”
He elevated one muscular shoulder and she wished she dare tell him to put his shirt back on so she wouldn’t be so tempted to ogle his perfect body, but that would reveal exactly how drawn she was to him.
“Hmm. But what if …” His grin was so tempting, and she wanted so badly to kiss that dimple like she’d told Priest last night. “What if we’re on a late-night stroll on the front part of Deck Thirteen and it’s quiet and we’re alone, and what if you can’t stand it anymore and you grab me, wrap your arms tight around my back—”
“Stop,” Jade begged, so hot she was sweating. It had to be the tropical sun. But they were in the shade. The humidity, then.
“And you simply can’t resist going onto tiptoes and kissing me.”
Jade glared at him. “That … will … not … happen.” But she could imagine it happening. Oh, how she could imagine it. And she let her eyes rove over his delectable-looking lips before meeting his gaze again. “Never,” she reiterated in a weak voice that she hated.
Joshua’s smile said he knew exactly how affected she was by him, and he was going to capitalize on it.
Jade got ticked off. She jumped to her feet. “This isn’t going to work. You’ve obviously got an agenda where I’m concerned and I don’t need you to be coming up with stupid scenarios where I’m going to kiss you.” She gasped. “I mean … you think I’m going to kiss you.”
Joshua stood, slowly, purposefully. He was so tough and the muscles in his legs flexed as he stood and his shoulders, arms, chest, and abs looked glorious all tan and muscled. She couldn’t even remember Jesse at the moment. Yet she was all confused and sometimes still thought that Joshua had to be Jesse.
He eased right up close to her until she had to look up, or focus on his beautiful pecs. She almost smiled thinking of teasing with Priest about Joshua’s pecs last night, but this was no time for smiling. Joshua’s look was hot, imploring, incredible. His voice was low and sweet, “I’m sorry, Jade. I’ll stop with the scenarios. Please forgive me for teasing you?”
Jade didn’t need any more reasons to be upset with him, there was definitely enough between them with the embezzling nightmare and the trust issues that they both fully understood. No, she didn’t want to be upset and she generally took teasing pretty well. It was the way she’d reacted to him that she was upset about.
“It wasn’t you,” she said. “It’s me.” She looked down at the sand and admitted, “I’m drawn to you as well but it makes me feel guilty about Jesse, and mad because you don’t trust me.” But she wasn’t certain she trusted him either. What if he was only hitting on her to talk her out of pressing charges for harassment when they found the real thief?
There was a long pause. There were a couple of children giggling nearby and the waves were softly rolling and she could hear Joshua breathing. Every instinct was to reach up and touch him. Maybe his face, maybe his chest, even just his arm. She kept her head down and her hands to herself, like she’d asked him to do.
Joshua tilted her chin up with just the tips of his fingers. The warmth of his touch made her tingle, and made her want more from him, a lot more. He looked deeply at her and said, “Thank you for admitting that. I understand about Jesse and I understand about the trust issues. All I’m asking for is some time. Please give me a chance to be around you, to get to know each other, and let’s just see where it leads. If after the cruise you don’t want to see me again …” He paused and clenched his jaw so hard a muscle worked in it. “I’ll understand and respect that.”
Jade couldn’t imagine a world where she would be able to write off this incredible man, but she was going to give Jesse time next week. She knew she and Jesse had no solid commitment, they barely knew each other, but she’d been far too invested in him too quickly to write him off, even for the likes of Joshua Jewel.
“Thank you,” she said. “We’ll try friends.”
“Friends,” he agreed, but then he ran the tips of his fingers across her arm.
She predictably filled up with heat and wanted more. “None of that,” she said in exasperation.
Joshua lifted his eyebrows. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Okay, I’m not.”
“You can’t be trying to get away with touching me all week.” She folded her arms across her chest to create some distance and unfortunately her arm brushed his chest and more tingly feelings appealed.
“Like you just touched me?”
“That was incidental, an accident.”
He smiled slightly. “I’ll try not to have too many ‘accidents.’”
“See that you don’t. And absolutely no kissing.”
Joshua’s eyes deepened again along with his voice. Dang, he was good. “I won’t kiss you, but I’ll bet that you’ll kiss me before the end of the week.”
Jade gasped and glared at him. “I’ll take that bet. I’m not kissing you.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Great. How much are we betting?”