KISSING Molly Hunter was like the perfect symphony. Every touch, every moment, hit the exact note, as if she’d been made just for him. Her satiny lips skated across his, and her body curved against him, molding exactly into his frame. Wanting more of her, no, wanting all of her, Linc wrapped his arm tighter around Molly’s waist, then tangled the other hand in the silky lengths of her hair, and deepened their kiss.
God, he had missed her. Missed the taste of her, a mixture of sweet and spicy, like apples and coffee. Missed the soft sounds that escaped her when his tongue dipped in to tease hers. Missed the feel of her hourglass figure against his body.
But most of all, missed the way she could, with one kiss, make him forget everything in his life and open that window of hope, if only for a moment, that he could have it all.
She drew back, her face flushed, and smiled at him. Her dark green gaze seemed to go on forever, and he wondered if it was possible for a man to lose himself in those emerald depths. “That was…incredible.”
He returned the smile. “I agree.”
“And…a complication.” The smile faltered, and she slipped out of his grasp to put some distance between them. A whisper of cool air worked its way into the vacated space. “We’re working together, Linc. That’s all.”
He reached out, trailed a finger along her jaw, wanting to kiss her again more than anything. His better sense told him she had done the right thing, but right now, he wasn’t in any mood to listen. “Really? Because it doesn’t seem like we’ve done anything resembling work all day.”
A beat passed. “So what are we doing?”
He cupped her jaw, his thumb teasing along her lower lip, touching what his mouth couldn’t. “What if it wasn’t just about work?”
What was he doing? He had no time, nor room for a relationship. He was, in fact, the last man on earth who should try to have a relationship with a woman like her.
Yet, ever since he’d met Molly, he’d danced around the thought of having her in his life. At first for a night—
Now for longer.
Impossible. He couldn’t. Not now. Not ever. And especially not with a woman who clearly wanted the whole package—a husband, a family, a picket fence.
With any other man, she could have that. But not with Lincoln Curtis.
“Take care of your brother, Linc. Watch out for him. He’s fragile, and he needs someone to take care of him.”
And then, when Marcus was dying—
“Take care of my family. They’re depending on you now.”
“Are you saying you want us to…date?” Molly asked.
He should say no. Everything inside him geared up to vocalize that word, but then he took in her heart-shaped face, the question in her green eyes, the faint flush of fresh desire in her face, and opened his mouth instead to say—
“Well, here’s your bait,” the captain said, thrusting a small white container toward them. Holes had been poked in the top, and a dusting of dirt coated the rim. “Worms. Big, fat, juicy ones, too.”
“Great,” Linc said. Gee, if anything could kill the mood, those five words could.
“Fish love ’em,” the captain went on, oblivious to what he had interrupted. “Now, if you’re a little on the squeamish side, I can put them on the hook for you.” His grin revealed a couple of missing teeth. “All part of the service.”
Molly’s face, however, had turned positively green. She backed up, grabbed her fishing pole and handed it to the captain, staying as far from the bait as possible.
Any remaining sexual tension that had been hovering in the air disappeared. The moment was over. Molly couldn’t have been any clearer about that if she’d hung up a billboard.
Linc refused to call the sinking feeling in his gut disappointment.
“Fishing’s all about patience,” the captain said as he worked the wriggling worm onto the curve of the hook. Molly averted her gaze until the deed was done, and the captain had given her back her pole. “But a good catch is always worth it in the end. Young people always expect the fish to just jump on out of the lake and right into their hands.” The captain let out a laugh. “Life ain’t like that, and neither is fishing.”
Linc baited his own hook while the captain went on with his homilies and fishing analogies, filling the dead air between Linc and Molly. Probably a good thing.
What would Linc have said just then to the dating question? He would have said yes, even if it was the wrong answer. He wanted to date Molly. He wanted to explore this relationship. See where it led. He wanted to expand the narrow channel of his life to include her, too.
But what he wanted and what he should do were two completely different things. Molly was, as the captain would say, a good catch, but one Linc shouldn’t be fishing for, no matter how tempting the thought.
As he slipped into place beside Molly and lowered his line into the water while trying to block out the captain’s endless chatter, he thought back to the night in the aquarium. To how easily Molly had connected with that little girl. She’d made it seem so effortless, almost…
Magical.
He’d seen the joy on the little girl’s face as they shared a giggle over the burrfish, and felt an odd sense of longing. All around them, there’d been families—husbands, wives, mothers and fathers and children who had managed to create a complete circle.
Once, he had thought he could have that. Then Marcus had died—
And Linc had decided his efforts were better spent behind a desk than standing at an altar making a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep.
Beside him, Molly suddenly let out a gasp.
“Ooh! I think I have a bite.” She jerked on her pole, and the bright yellow-and-pink bobber disappeared beneath the water’s surface. She started to reel in the line, the rod clicking with the movement of the handle, watching the taut filament as it drew closer and closer to the boat. Then the line suddenly went slack and drooped into the water. “Oh, no. I think I lost him.”
“Sometimes that’s what happens,” the captain said. “Despite your best work, the good ones get away.” He gestured to her to keep on reeling in the line. “We’ll just bait her up again and keep trying.”
Molly let the captain re-bait her hook, and in a moment had her line back in the water. They fished for a while longer, with little results. The breeze that had been just enough to offset the relentless August sun dropped to a whisper, and the temperature rose. Soon, the fishing trip became less about fun and more about trying to stay cool.
“I think I’ve had enough fishing,” Molly said, as she reeled in her line, then rested her pole against the side of the boat. She turned to Linc, that devilish smile back on her face. “Want to go for a dip?”
“Swimming?” He tried to think of the last time he’d done that, and couldn’t. The idea sparked an immediate image of seeing Molly in a bathing suit. “Trying to work in the full lake experience in one day?”
“Oh, yes, I want to try everything.” A twinkle lit her eyes, and for the second time that day, Linc wondered if she was flirting with him. Hell, he didn’t wonder. He knew.
Desire roared through his veins. This was a dangerous game, one he shouldn’t play, but when she flirted with him like that, it rocketed him right back to that night two months ago, and every resolution he’d made melted in the power of her smile.
“Come on, Linc. If you’re going to take a day off, do it right.” She reached forward, took his fishing pole out of his hands, reeled it in and rested it in the holder on the side of the boat. Once again, Molly took charge, surprising him. Enticing him. “You can swim, right? You haven’t left your swimming skills in dry dock, too?”
He laughed. “Not at all. I may be a little rusty, but I won’t drown.”
“Good. Though I do know CPR.” Her grin quirked up higher on one side than the other, and the double entendre charged the air between them, raising the temperature more than the sun ever could.
“Maybe I’ll flounder just a little,” Linc said. “Just so you can practice on me.”
She laughed. “Putting your life in my hands? Very brave indeed.”
“That’s me, always living on the edge.”
Her laughter exploded out of her now, and he found himself joining in, feeling lighter than he had in days. Months. Was this what it could be like? If he opened his life to something permanent? Allowed himself to have what everyone else did?
“I’m going to go change into my swimsuit before I melt in this heat,” Molly said. “Meet you back on the deck?”
“Definitely.”
While Molly changed, the captain climbed into his deck chair, dropped a ball cap over his face, and fell asleep, leaving Linc and Molly, for all intents and purposes, alone. A moment later, Linc heard a sound behind him and turned.
Oh. Boy.
Linc swallowed hard. Told himself to breathe.
Molly stood there in a two-piece dark blue bathing suit that skimmed over her curves and accentuated every part of her that he liked best, while also exposing the sweet expanse of peach skin along her belly. She seemed self-conscious about it, though, and kept a hand splayed across her stomach. The suit wasn’t so revealing that it would end up in the center of one of those sports magazines, which made it all the more perfect. He loved the juxtaposition between sweet and spicy, the temptation to see more than what was covered up.
“You look…incredible,” he said. Managed, really. “Stunning.”
She blushed. “I…well, thank you.” The palm stayed on her belly and she turned slightly away from him. When she did, he noticed she had put on a little weight since the last time he’d seen her. Not much, just a little, most of it showing along her waist. Was that what she was embarrassed about? If so, no need, because she looked beautiful to him.
“Give me thirty seconds to change,” Linc said. He took a second look at her. “Make that ten.” He dashed down below, exchanged his shorts and T for the swimsuit he’d bought in one of the Lake Mead gift shops, then hurried back up to the deck.
Molly laughed. “That was fast.”
“I had incentive.” He wanted to take her in his arms again, wanted to feel her warm skin against his own, but knew that doing so would take things up several notches. Were they ready for that? More, was he ready for that?
Or should he be smart, and keep the brakes on?
Before he could decide, Molly swung her legs over the side of the boat, stepped onto the small platform at the back, and dove into the water, in one smooth, effortless motion. She disappeared in the deep blue depths.
He followed her, the heat of the day evaporating the instant his body met the cool water of the lake. He dove down several feet, then broke through the surface, a little ways from Molly. She treaded water beside him, grinning. Her dark hair hung in a sleek curtain down her back, and water droplets kissed her face, hung in tantalizing teardrops along her lips.
“You were right. This is much better than fishing,” he said.
“Much,” she agreed. “And better than working?”
He chuckled. “Yes. Definitely.”
He thought of all the days he’d spent in his office. Not just weekdays, but Saturdays, Sundays. Late nights, early mornings. While his employees took off for lake vacations, cruises, beach trips with their families. Entire days went by where Linc didn’t notice the sun rise or set, because he’d arrived too early and left too late, starting and ending his day in darkness.
Was this what he’d been missing? This…sense of freedom?
He’d had good reasons for doing so, but still, a feeling of loss dropped in his gut. He thought of what Harry had said, and wondered—
Would he look back on those years later in his life with satisfaction, because he had done what was expected of him? Or regret, because he had put aside the very things everyone else had?
Today, he’d had a taste of that. It wasn’t just the water, but the way the entire day had unfolded, with no schedule, no rules. Molly had suggested something and they’d done it, for as long as they’d wanted, then moved on to something else. He hadn’t even realized until now that he hadn’t missed his cell phone—
Because he’d left it in the car with Saul.
Accidentally, he’d thought at the time. Perhaps more on purpose than he’d realized.
“You should try playing hooky more than once in your life, Mr. Straight and Narrow,” Molly said, sending a splash of water his way. “Who knows? Taking a day off every once in a while might be good for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He returned the splash, but she ducked out of the way, and swam a foot to his right. “How so?”
“It’s called recharging your batteries, Mr. Curtis. It’s all the rage.” She grinned.
Yes, she was definitely flirting with him.
And more, he was flirting back. And enjoying it. Immensely.
When was the last time he’d flirted with a woman? Really flirted like this?
The answer came swiftly. Two months ago. With this very same woman. Before that…he couldn’t remember. That alone was a clear sign he was spending too much time behind his desk. He might not be interested in a long-term committed relationship, but being alone—
Not exactly good for him, either.
He tossed Molly a grin. “Then I’ll be sure to add free time into my schedule.”
She laughed. “You can’t do that, silly. It’s not fun then. You have to just—” she swam up to him, lifting her chin toward his, the sun sparkling like gold dust in her eyes “—do it.”
Do it. Oh, he wanted to. And do a hell of a lot more than just take a day off.
The temptation to kiss her again roared through him, and he leaned forward to do that, but she darted away, teasing him. “Then who will run the company?”
“You have people. Let them do their jobs.”
“Can’t. If some of my people are playing hooky with me.” He splashed her lightly again, and kicked twice, bringing his body right beside hers.
She considered that, putting a finger to her lips, as if deep in thought, and Linc thought he had never enjoyed a playful expression on a woman’s face as much as he did hers. “True. Then maybe you should take advantage of the opportunities closer to home. Like that amazing pool at Hamilton Towers. I haven’t had time to try it out yet, but it looks fabulous. I bet you love it.”
“There’s a pool at Hamilton Towers?” He tried to think if he’d ever journeyed to the courtyard, or for that matter anywhere past the lobby of the building and his apartment. He’d simply moved in—or rather had the movers handle the move—because he’d been, surprise, surprise, at work. What other amenities had he missed in the building?
She laughed. “You haven’t noticed the pool? It’s amazing. All set in this grove of palm trees and boulders, like a cozy lagoon hideaway.” She tossed him another teasing smile. “Very decadent.”
Right now, the word decadent was swirling around something other than the pool in Linc’s mind. His gaze focused on her smile, then the tease in her eyes, and the desire he’d tried so hard to ignore charged through his veins, undeniable, unstoppable.
He gave up trying to resist the insistent urges pounding inside him and captured Molly’s waist in his hands, pulling her against him. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened in a little O of surprise. Their legs swished together under the water in a sensuous, slippery dance that brought back every memory of the night they’d spent together.
Want roared through his veins, hammered in his head. His grip tightened around her waist. He wanted more than what they could do in the water—he wanted to be back in the Bellagio, with nothing but hours ahead and Molly lying beside him, smiling that incredible smile.
“I think this is pretty decadent,” Linc said. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, the word escaping her on a breath.
“And something we probably shouldn’t do.”
“Yes. It could lead to…complications.”
“Exactly.” But right now, he didn’t care about the complications. They seemed a million miles away. His hands slid along her waist, and then up her back, along silky, soft skin, drawing her even closer to him. “Let’s complicate things, Molly,” he said, then he stopped worrying about what he shouldn’t do, and did what he wanted to do.
And kissed her again.
Somewhere, Molly had lost track of her good intentions. She’d thought she knew what she was doing when she’d asked Linc to take the day off. Thought she had a good plan when she’d dragged him to Lake Mead with a day of outdoor adventures planned.
Instead, she found the one taking the adventure was her heart.
Oh, this was so not the plan.
But as Linc kissed her again, she couldn’t seem to find the wherewithal to get back to the plan.
Or, for that matter, remember what it was.
Coupled with the whisper of the water against their skin, the entire experience only heightened her desire for him, raised the attraction she’d felt that first night to a whole new level. Her hands gripped his back, clutching at the muscles bunching beneath his skin as he moved to hold her tighter, pull her even further into his embrace. Her breasts crushed into his chest, but she wanted more, wanted him to touch every inch of her, to take them back to that night they’d spent together.
God, she wanted him. She’d always wanted him.
His tongue slid into her mouth, dancing with hers, stoking an already burning fire. One of his hands danced up her side, setting every nerve on fire, then came around to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her swimsuit. She arched against him, wanting more, wanting nothing more right now than for Linc to tug off the skimpy top and end this constant need for him. His fingers snaked beneath the fabric and captured her breast, roaming across the sensitive nipple. She moaned, pressing her pelvis to his, to the unmistakable erection that told her he was just as affected as she was. Rational thought disappeared. Their legs tangled in and out as they trod water, bobbed up and down. Every beat of her heart, every breath she took, began and ended with Linc’s touch, his kiss.
Then he pulled back just long enough to murmur her name against her mouth in a ragged breath, and she thought she would come completely undone. She was falling for him—oh, God, she was falling for him in a huge, huge way.
“God, Molly, what are we doing?” he said, his voice hoarse, his body hard and tense. Everything within her wanted to touch him, to take them back to where they had been two months ago.
Because she had never forgotten how amazing that night had been. How Linc had made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, just by the way he’d taken the time to kiss her body, lingering with his touch, his mouth, over every inch, before finally bringing her complete satisfaction.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, dipping her head into the curve of his neck, trying to quell the fire in her veins, the furious beating of her heart. Trying like heck to find some sort of a coherent thought.
What was she doing? This wasn’t where she wanted to go. What she had intended to do.
But, oh…for just a moment, she wanted this and more.
She’d come to Vegas, fully intending to return to San Diego alone. And yet every minute she spent with Lincoln Curtis she got more and more wrapped up in him, even though she knew—
The minute she told him she was carrying his baby—that he was about to become a father—he would turn his back on her as surely as her ex-husband had. Hadn’t he already made that clear, over and over again?
Linc did not want children of his own. And he surely wasn’t going to want this one.
The baby. The baby comes first.
The reality slapped her out of the muddled fog of desire. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I…I can’t do this.” Molly slipped out of Linc’s arms and drifted away from him, heading for the boat. She hoisted herself onto the platform, then stood, letting the sun warm her skin as the water dripped off. In a second, Linc was behind her.
“What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
“No. I just…I remembered I have someplace to be.” She wasn’t any better at lying than she was at sticking to her original intentions. She turned away so he wouldn’t see the deception written all over her face, and climbed back into the boat.
Linc followed, picking up a towel to mop at his face and arms. “Someplace you have to be? Now?”
She nodded, keeping her face averted by using her towel to dry her hair, and making sure to keep the long beach towel hanging over the front of her as she did so. She should have thought before she bought a two-piece swimsuit that the style would expose her stomach to his gaze.
She’d noticed him staring at her. Had he seen that she’d put on some weight? Noticed the slight bulge in her belly? If he had, he hadn’t asked. “I have a couple of friends in Vegas and I completely forgot I agreed to meet one of them for an early dinner. I’m sorry, but we need to cut this short.”
He considered her for a long moment, as if trying to decide whether to confront her on her story, then finally let it go. She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his features. “I suppose that’s just as well,” he said, his voice colder than the water had been. Whatever might have happened between them was over now. She’d accomplished her goal—alienating Linc. She drew no satisfaction from winning that battle.
“I really should get back to the office,” he continued. “They’ve probably sent out a search party for me by now.”
“Back to reality, huh?”
“Always. I might be able to escape for a minute, but in the end…” Linc paused to look out over the calm waters of Lake Mead for a moment before returning his gaze to her. “I’m still the boss and that means my priority is always the business first—”
“And a personal life second,” she finished, recalling what he’d said to Harry in the aquarium.
A lesson she’d do well to remember.
For her sake, and the baby’s.