Exposed (Tropical Nights) (10 page)

As he
danced in the tropical breeze with the last golden rays of the setting sun sinking below the ocean, the only thing he
did
know for sure was this: now that he had Rachel in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.

Rachel dug her
bare toes into the beach and watched as the ocean waves lapped at her ankles. The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, its warm light replaced by the cool silver glow of a full moon. The temperature had dropped with the sun and the air coming off the ocean was almost cold, but Rachel still had the warmth of several mai tais heating her skin and she felt no discomfort.

She
stopped walking and stood still, filling her senses. She wanted to just take it all in: the feel of the immense power of the rolling ocean, the sight of shimmering moonlight bouncing off the waves, the sounds of laughter and the faint strains of calypso music drifting down from the hotel. It all gave her a feeling of calm and contentment she hadn’t known in years. Rachel had discovered the secret of the tropics: how the warmth and sun and sparkling turquoise water was like a magic balm that soothed everyday stresses and worries.

She looked up from the water to see Leo standing a few feet down the
beach, watching her, and her face heated under his gaze. He was wearing a loose-fitting white cotton shirt with the sleeves pushed up and the first several buttons undone, showing an enticing bit of his hard chest. His linen pants were rolled up so he could wade in the water without soaking them and his feet were bare. Rachel normally saw Leo in business suits, all serious and formal and buttoned-up, and while he filled the suits out very,
very
nicely, the casual look was unbelievably sexy on him. He was fit and toned, and Rachel could see his muscles flex and ripple underneath the lightweight fabric of his clothes. He was strong and hard everywhere; she had felt it when they danced and she kept catching herself running her hands along his arm or down his back.

Rachel smiled at him
and he returned it with a look that made her heart pound. He looked at her like he was staking a claim, like he wanted to stalk over to her, throw her over his shoulder, and take her back to his cave. It sent a thrilled shiver of desire through her.

“Do you surf at all?” Rachel asked as she walked over t
o Leo. It was a random question and she’d asked it mostly to distract her from staring at Leo before she embarrassed herself.

“Yeah. I don’t have as much time for it now, but I’ve surfed the big waves in Hawaii and Australia. Have you ever
done it?”

“No, I’ve never surfed, but I think it would be cool to learn. Maybe you can teach me.”

Leo laughed. “I would, but I’m kind of afraid you’d kill me in the process.”

“Oh, come on
, I’d be good at it!”

“I don’t know,” he said with exaggerated skepticism. “
For someone who moves like you do on the dance floor, you sure have a klutzy streak.” Rachel gasped in mock outrage and stalked toward him. Leo laughed and backed up a few steps into the water, out of her reach. “Besides, every beginning surfer falls a lot, and we both know you don’t go down easy. I’m not sure I want to be near enough that you can drag me down too.”

“I’ll show you going down easy,” Rachel
muttered with a laugh.

She
lunged at Leo and gave him a gentle shove. She’d meant it only as a playful gesture but her ankle twisted in the sand and she fell into Leo with more force than she intended. Leo reached out to steady her but a wave crashed against their legs just then and knocked them further off balance. Suddenly, Leo was on his back in the wet sand, waves pooling around his legs, and Rachel was on top of him.

“See?” Leo
asked teasingly. “You can’t even stand on the beach without almost drowning someone.”

Rachel dipped her fingers in the water and cupped her hand, splashing Leo with the cool, salty water.

“Siren,” Leo growled. He captured her arms and rolled over, pinning Rachel beneath him. He had both her hands in one of his and he raised her arms above her head, holding them gently but firmly into the sand. He held some of his weight off her with his other arm, so she was trapped but not crushed. “Dangerous woman,” he said huskily as his gaze locked on hers. He spoke in a teasing tone but Rachel heard the note of seriousness in his words, like he was admitting a reluctant truth.

Rachel’s heart pounded
harder. She felt frozen in place, pinned down not just by his body but also the desire burning in his stare. Even if Leo were to get up, she wasn’t sure she would be able to rise from the sand. “Dangerous, eh?” she said, trying to make it a casual challenge. “And what are you going to do about it?”

Leo stared at her, his eyes cloudy, like he was trying to figure out that very thing.
“This,” he said. He bent his head to hers and kissed her, his lips an explosion of fiery heat on her chilled skin. Rachel strained against him and he released her arms, moving his hand to her neck. He brushed his fingertips along her cheek and curled them around her nape, pulling her head closer to his.

Rac
hel put her hands on Leo’s back and felt his skin, hot beneath the wet fabric of his clinging shirt. His lips on hers flooded her with a hungry heat that pulsed through her limbs. Everywhere his skin touched hers, she felt branded with a crackling electricity and she wondered if she would ignite. His body on hers was hard and heavy, and she pulled at him, wanting it even closer.

Leo broke off the kiss and looked at her. “You are so beautiful,” he said
, his breathing heavy.

Rachel bit her lip, embarrassed at his words, and her g
esture seemed to inflame him. His eyes flashed with naked wanting and then he leaned into her again, kissing her hard. Rachel put a hand on the back of Leo’s head and grabbed at his hair, not wanting him to slow down or pull away from her. Her other hand was at his waist, pressing his hips into hers. She felt his hardness push against her and she knew he was as hungry for her as she was for him.

Leo’s lips moved to her neck and he nipped at the sensitive skin just below her
ear. Rachel was dimly aware of a strange sound and it took her a moment to realize it was her, panting and whispering Leo’s name. Her powers of organized thought returned just long enough for her to notice how freely she was responding to Leo. She felt completely safe in his arms, infused with a desire so strong that it overrode any of her normal doubts, pushed out her usual concerns and fears. She couldn’t usually turn off the part of her brain that calculated her every action and worried over every consequence, the part that ticked through every possible effect on herself or her family or her career. Here, now, lying on the tropical, moonlit beach with Leo, his hands roaming over her wet skin, the ocean’s waves licking at their entwined legs, his lips searing a trail along her neck—her brain had finally gone quiet while her body screamed with need.

Leo ran his fingertips along
her leg. She brought it up and hooked it over his back, her skirt riding up around her waist. Leo’s hand went higher on her thigh, until his fingers brushed against the bikini bottom she wore under skirt. Rachel groaned as heat pooled between her legs. She brought her fingers to the buttons of Leo’s shirt, but he covered her hands with his as he suddenly went still.

“What
—”

“We’re not alone.
” Leo moved off her and sat up, pulling her up from the sand.

It took a moment for Rachel’s head to clear and her senses
to return, and then she heard soft laughter a few yards away and saw the silhouette of a couple walking towards them.

“God, you’re freezing,” Leo
said, putting an arm around her to warm her up.

Now that Leo’s lips and hands weren’t sending heat coursing through her body, Rachel realized she
was
cold. Her hair and clothes were wet, her skin was covered in goosebumps, and she was shivering uncontrollably.

Leo rose and helped Rachel to her feet. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

Leo grabbed their shoes and Rachel’s bag from where they had dumped them on the sand, and then took her hand to lead her from the beach. Rachel was grateful for his guidance. She still felt dazed, like her brain hadn’t fully re-engaged and she was operating solely from primal instinct. She thought it entirely possible she would have wondered into the ocean without him pointing her in the right direction.

They walked silently until they reached
Rachel’s suite. She dug in her purse for her key card, but she paused before opening the door and they stood awkwardly next to each other in the hall. Leo turned to look at her and Rachel saw with satisfaction that his face was slightly flushed and his eyes were heavy-lidded, like the haze hadn’t completely cleared for him, either. She was glad to know she hadn’t been the only one so deeply affected by their kiss on the beach.

Leo drew in his breath like he was about to say something to her, but then he blew it out and ran a hand through his hair.
He shook his head and clenched his fist before trying again. “God, Rachel…I want you.” He stared at the door as he spoke, as if looking her in the eye was too much at the moment.

“I want you too,” Rachel was
surprised at her own forthrightness, that she would just admit her desire so plainly.

“It’s just
…
” Leo shook his head again and knocked his knuckles against the door in a frustrated gesture. Rachel knew she witnesses something rare—that Leo Hanlon was almost never indecisive or tongue-tied; that even if he did ever struggle with a decision, he wouldn’t let people see it. Was she really affecting him this much? “I’m in a bad place right now, with the company’s image issues and the difficult deals I’m currently working…so a relationship…not that you’re asking for one, of course, I just don’t want to lead you on…”

“
I get it,” Rachel said. “I’ve got my brother and father to worry about right now, too.” She heard the echoes of Allison’s words her head, telling her that she shouldn’t sacrifice so much for her family. It couldn’t be helped right now, though. She really didn’t have the time or leftover emotional energy to put into a relationship. And she was OK with that, right? So why did she feel such a sharp pang of regret at the thought of walking into her suite alone and shutting the door on Leo?

“I should go to my suite,” Leo said reluctantly. He looked at her searchingly for a moment before taking a step back.

Rachel put a hand to his chest, stopping his retreat. She’d done it without thinking, and that seemed to be happening more and more frequently around Leo. She usually held herself tightly in check, never acting wildly, never doing anything without thinking through every detail. But looking at Leo made her want to forget about carefully deciding every last action and instead let her impulses come out and play completely unfettered. “Stay,” she said. “We don’t have to make this so complicated.”

“But it
is
complicated,” Leo said. “It isn’t normally. I can keep everything compartmentalized and not get too involved and still focus on my work. But with you, I…I just…damn.” The last word was more breath than sound, an oath of frustrated struggle. Then Leo took a step toward her, closing the gap between them. He put a hand on either side of her face and backed her against the door of her suite, kissing her greedily.

Rachel kissed him back hard, not giving an inch, not giving him a chance to change his mind. She wanted this, wanted Leo in her room and in her bed, and she would worry about what it all meant later.

Leo pressed his forehead against hers and groaned, still holding her face like a drowning man clinging to a life raft. “God, Rachel, I can’t…I can’t fight it any more.”

“Then don’
t.” Rachel reached down behind her and put her key card in the slot, never taking her eyes off Leo. She turned the knob and pushed the door open, pulling Leo with her into the room.

Leo kissed her
like he couldn’t get enough of the taste of her. His hand was at her waist, and then it moved lower. He cupped her bottom and pulled her up until she was on her tiptoes. “You’re still so cold,” he whispered against her ear.

“I don’t mind.”

“Let’s get you warmed up.” Leo lifted her into his arms and Rachel wrapped her legs around him. He walked into the bathroom, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth, his fingers digging into the flesh of her curves. He walked over to the giant, marble-tiled shower and turned it on while he set her gently on her feet.

“You’ll need to take this off.” Leo traced along the neckline of her shirt and then hooked a finger around the top button. He pulled it open and then pressed his lips to the newly exposed area of skin. He moved slowly down her shirt,
planting kisses along each inch of skin he bared. He pushed her shirt off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. “So beautiful,” he murmured as he reached for the strings of her bikini top.

Rachel
stopped him. “My turn,” she said. Leo’s eyes flashed in that hungry way that made her shiver. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off him, thrilling at the sight of his hard body. The hours that he spent practicing martial arts had clearly paid off. He had the perfect lean muscle of a male model, like he should be spending his every waking moment in a beer commercial, frolicking on the beach with other beautiful people. It was a shame to keep such a body hidden under business suits all the time.