The only thing at stake was a little time and the possibility of some righteously awesome sex.
SITTING AT THE HOTEL’S dining patio basking in the sunshine the next morning, Dru sipped her coffee. The rich aroma filled her senses. Dark, robust and strong. The perfect accompaniment to her decadent breakfast—stuffed French toast, chorizo and spicy fried potatoes.
All favorites, all bad for her. Exactly what she needed to start this vacation right, she thought with a sigh as she set her coffee cup down. Especially after waking from the most incredibly hot, orgasmic dream she’d ever experienced.
Vivid pImages** of her and the gorgeous man from the beach doing it in wicked abandon on his surfboard filled her mind. She shifted in her wicker chair and wished the waiter would come over and refill her ice water. She definitely needed to cool off.
She hadn’t been able to get the sexy surf god out of her mind, and obviously her subconscious had put his image and all Nikki’s talk about vacation flings together and served her up a montage of sensual impressions. Since the dream-induced orgasm had rocked, she wasn’t going to knock it.
A chorus of greetings, in both English and Spanish, rang out along the edge of the dining patio. Dru pulled her attention away from the ocean to glance at the commotion.
As if her musings had conjured him, the sexy surf god of her dreams sauntered up the tile steps and greeted both guests and hotel staff.
Dru’s breath tripped, her pulse racing. He was even better in sunlight. She’d spent half the night telling herself it was the romance of the surf and moonlight that had made him look like a Greek god. That, and the mostly naked expanse of delicious male flesh she’d been mesmerized by.
But no, even with that gorgeous chest covered by a pristine white T-shirt, he was still the tastiest-looking thing she’d seen all morning. She took a sip of her water, needing to wet her lips and afraid to add any more caffeine to her already racing heart rate.
He seemed familiar with everyone. Obviously he’d been telling the truth when he’d said he worked for the hotel. She shifted in her chair, trying to ease the building pressure between her suddenly damp thighs.
As if she were sitting at the table, Nikki’s voice chimed in Drucilla’s head: Go for it. He’s hot, he’s sexy. He’s perfect vacation-fling material.
Just like the night before, she didn’t know if she should listen to the voice—and her body’s urgings—or run like hell.
Then his eyes met hers. He murmured something to the people circling him. Then, a wide, wicked grin on his face, he crossed the patio. A tilt of his chin toward the waiter had him a cup of coffee before he reached her table.
“May I join you?” he asked,
Nerves, from both sexual awareness and her ever-present shyness, flooded her system. Despite the little voice urging her to run, she waved her hand toward the empty seat across from her in invitation.
“I didn’t introduce myself last night. I’m Alex,” he said, sliding into the chair and helping himself to one of the blueberry muffins in the basket on her table.
“Drucilla,” she said, automatically offering her hand to shake.
Mistake, she realized as he took her fingers in his. Warmth, with its hypnotically sexy pull, poured from his palm into hers. Her body tried to melt, right there into his hand. A puddle of lust over the breakfast table.
No, not going there, she scolded herself as she tugged her hand away. Needing to cool off at the thought, she reached for her ice water.
“Did you sleep well, Drucilla?”
Had he peeked into her mind to know she’d tossed and turned in sweaty homage to the dream orgasm he’d given her? She almost choked on her water. Calling herself silly, Dru brushed the thought aside and gave him a little shrug and a smile.
“I rarely sleep easily my first night after traveling,” she excused.
“You should have let me help,” he told her, popping the second half of the muffin into his mouth.
“Somehow I think your help would have done more to keep me up than make me sleep,” she said with a nervous laugh. He was actually flirting with her. Excitement spun through her system, its rapid trajectory hindered by the terror flying along with it.
“Oh, no, intense physical exertion is excellent for bringing on deep sleep. Didn’t you know that?”
His grin was a dare. She knew it. Even though she didn’t have a chance in hell of handling the dare, she still couldn’t resist.
“I’d heard the rumor. But from what I understand,” she said, leaning forward, both hands clenched—in both nerves and excitement—in her lap, “the exertion has to actually be good. Mediocre is just a lesson in frustration, isn’t it?”
“Mediocre isn’t even worth doing,” he agreed. His eyes had dropped, just for a second, to her breasts. Hotter than the overhead sun, they warmed her. Filled her with sexual power like she’d never experienced. It felt…incredible.
“My point exactly,” she said.
“Well, there you go,” he returned with a wicked grin. “You should have let me help.”
“And how do I know you’re good?” she challenged, unsure where the nerve to flirt was coming from. But since she seemed to be doing it right, she wasn’t about to question the gift.
“References, of course.”
Dru couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. She knew he wanted her to think he was talking about sex. And she figured on one level, they were. What would he do if she called his bluff? Not sure she was ready to find out, she played it safe instead.
“Of course,” she said as if his response was perfectly reasonable.
“You can always take me up on it tonight,” he offered. The look on his face was pure sexual challenge. Dru knew damn well he could rise to the challenge, too. In every sense. This was a guy who didn’t need the likes of Albert Einstein to get his groove on.
“I’m not sure yet that I’m interested in learning to surf,” she told him, ending the double-entendre exchange with an apologetic little shrug.
His quick frown said he hadn’t been ready for it to end, though.
“Is this a game?” he asked, his expression pleasant. But she still heard the hint of irritation in his tone.
“I don’t play games.”
Alex laughed, his amusement lightly tinged with disbelief.
She leaned back in her chair, resting one elbow on the arm, and arched an inquiring brow. The look she gave him demanded an explanation.
After all, he was the one who’d plopped himself down at her table and helped himself to her muffin.
His laughter trailed off. He gave her a long stare, his dark eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little confused. I’m not used to such unclear signals from a woman. I’m obviously interested in you. I’d
