Overnight Sensation (6 page)

She followed the tiled pathway through the central courtyard and around the side of the hacienda to the pool area. The patio lights had been turned off, but the lights in the pool were on, softly illuminating the water.

Ivy let her robe drop to the ground, then stood at the edge of the deep end and dove cleanly into the water. She stroked underwater to the shallow end and came up with a satisfied gasp—only to find herself staring at a pair of masculine legs.

Naked masculine legs.

Swiping water out of her eyes, she followed their length upward and saw with shock that they were attached to a very naked Eric Terrell. He held a drink in one hand and swayed as he leered down at her.

Where had he come from? Glancing around the pool area, she spotted a robe draped over a chaise partially concealed behind a cluster of potted palms. Damn. Why hadn’t she looked more closely?

“Ivy James,” he said, his voice slurred, “so nice to see you again.”

Ivy quickly averted her gaze, although she’d gotten enough of an eyeful to realize he was probably too inebriated to do much more than leer.

“Eric,” she replied in a strangled voice. She pushed herself back into the water and glided to another wall of the pool. “I wasn’t expecting anyone out here at this time of night. Um, where are your clothes?”

He laughed as if delighted she’d noticed. “Well, I guess I wasn’t expectin’to see anyone out here, either.” He strolled over to where she clung to the side of the pool. “But now that you’re here…be a shame to let this go to waste.” He waggled his hips suggestively, as if unaware that his body wasn’t quite up to the task he envisioned it for.

Ivy laughed uncertainly. Inwardly, she cursed. How had she managed to get herself into such an awkward situation? The guy had no business coming on to her in such a crude way, but, damn it, he was Eric-Freaking-Terrell. She couldn’t just tell him where to stick it. Not if she expected to keep her job.

“Ah, thanks, but I’ll have to pass.”

When it seemed he might actually lean down and offer her a hand, Ivy pushed herself back into the water and swam to the far side of the pool. Unfortunately, the only way back to the hacienda was past him. Once again she realized that in his intoxicated state, he wasn’t actually a threat, but neither did she want to play games. She couldn’t imagine anything more undignified than being chased around a swimming pool by a naked, drunken Eric Terrell.

He took a hefty swig of his drink as he considered her. “Well, then,” he finally said, moving with the studied precision of somebody who’d consumed way too much alcohol. “I’m just going to have to come in there and change your mind.”

A masculine voice cleared itself behind Eric, startling him so that he staggered and sloshed the contents of his glass over his hand. “Goddamn it, Stokes, don’t you know better ’n to sneak up behind someone like that?”

Garrett Stokes materialized from the shadows, his eyes going straight to Ivy. Even from this distance, she could read the question there. You okay? She gave a barely perceptible nod.

He carried a towel in one hand, and now he thrust it at Eric. “Hey, man, cover up. There’s a lady present.”

“I can see that,” Eric said, scowling at Garrett. “You’re interruptin’my efforts to get to know her better.”

“Say good-night, champ. Ivy’s here to meet me, so you’ll have to find yourself another girl.” He pressed the towel into Eric’s chest until the other man had no choice but to take it.

Eric stared first at Garrett, then at Ivy. “That right? You’re together?”

“That’s right.”

“Shit.”

Garrett walked around the pool to Ivy, reached down and offered her a hand. She gasped as he hauled her effortlessly out of the water, but she wasn’t prepared when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side, heedless that she was dripping water all over him. “C’mon, babe, let’s get you out of that wet suit.”

He shot her a meaningful look, and Ivy’s acting skills kicked into gear. “The sooner, the better,” she said in a sultry tone, and stood on tiptoe to plant a moist kiss against his jaw. She felt him stiffen, but he recovered swiftly.

“I already ran you a bath,” he replied, and drew her along with him as he circled the pool. “Eric, have a good night.”

Eric had wrapped the towel around his hips, and now he raised his glass in a mock salute. “G’night, kids. Be good,” he said, the words slurred. “And if you can’t be good, be careful.”

Ivy and Garrett made their way back toward the hacienda, but he didn’t withdraw his arm from around her shoulders.

“Cold?” he asked.

She shook her head, too dismayed by this turn of events to answer. He was too close. Too completely irresistible. Her heightened senses absorbed everything. The warmth from his body seeped through the wet fabric of her bathing suit as his thumb soothed a circular pattern on her bare shoulder. He probably wasn’t even aware he was doing it. He smelled incredible, of clean soap and citrus.

They entered the dim interior of the hacienda, and at the foot of the winding stairs, she pulled him to a stop. “I’ll be okay from here.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d just as soon walk you to your door.”

There’d be no arguing with him—she could see that from the implacable expression in his eyes. She nodded and tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear. “Sure. Okay.”

He released her, and they slowly climbed the stairs.

“Thanks for—for intervening the way you did,” she said when they reached the top. “Did you know we were out there, or was it just luck?”

One black eyebrow arched upward, and Ivy realized that nothing this guy did was a result of luck.

“I saw you walk out to the pool,” he said, confirming her suspicion. “Somebody should have warned you that Eric’s a night owl. If we were in a city, he’d be at a club, surrounded by women happy to give him all the attention he wanted. Even here, there’re usually a few girls hanging around the pool in the hope he’ll make a late-night appearance.”

They’d arrived at her room, and she faced him, uncertain what to do. Would he expect her to invite him in? Or would he simply say goodbye? He was so close that one small step would bring her smack up against the hard planes of his muscled chest. Every nerve in her body tingled with awareness, and she forgot to breathe as their eyes locked.

His shimmered, hot and bright, and an answering heat unfurled low in her center. It spread outward until every cell in her body urged her to step forward and press herself wantonly against him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such an immediate, raw reaction to a man.

“Well, I’m confident I could have handled him if he’d gotten frisky,” she responded, forcing herself to think rationally, “but I’m glad I didn’t have to. It would have made working with him so awkward.”

“He probably won’t even recall it in the morning,” Garrett assured her. His eyes lingered on her face, then dropped slowly to her breasts. His voice roughened. “You’re cold. You should go in.”

Following his gaze, Ivy saw her nipples were hard nubs beneath the thin material of her bathing suit. But only she knew it had nothing to do with the damp fabric and everything to do with his proximity. Just the fact that his eyes were on her was enough for her body to tighten, and her nipples ripened even more.

“I forgot,” she said in a husky voice, “that my room key is in the pocket of my robe.”

Which she’d left at the pool.

Garrett reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and flipped it open, but before she could see what he intended to do, he turned away from her, shielding the wallet from her view. What might she have seen? A photo? A condom, maybe? Be Prepared. Wasn’t that the army motto? Or was it the Boy Scout motto? She couldn’t think clearly.

When he turned back to her, he held the closed wallet in one hand and a credit card in the other. “Don’t let housekeeping know I did this,” he said, and edged the card into the doorjamb beside the keyhole. All it took was several deft movements and the door clicked open.

“Wow,” she murmured approvingly. “A man of many talents.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed silkily, his voice rich with meaning. “And you don’t know the half of it.”

His words caused her imagination to flame, and she had an almost overwhelming urge to drag him into her room so he could demonstrate just how talented he might be.

He braced on arm against the wall as she leaned back against the door with one hand on the knob and stared up at him. A bar of light slanted through the partially open door and cast intriguing shadows over his face and body. Ivy’s gaze drifted down his body to where his T-shirt clung damply to his chest.

“You’re wet,” she observed softly.

“So are you.” His voice was languid, his smile lazy.

You don’t know the half of it.

“You’re different than I expected,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know. More easygoing. I thought all you military types were total hard-asses.”

Garrett smiled, and it completely transformed his face. “I guess it all depends on the situation.”

Mesmerized by his smile and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, Ivy needed a full second to collect herself.

“I should probably get some sleep.” But she didn’t move, just continued to stare at him.

He wasn’t smiling now. He swallowed hard, and his gaze fell to her mouth.

Stepping forward, Ivy placed her hands lightly against his chest and brushed her lips sweetly over his. “Thank you,” she whispered.

The kiss was meant to be a nice one, a closed-mouth one that conveyed her thanks and appreciation. But the moment their lips met, heat flared. With a groan of surrender, Garrett captured her face between his big hands and slanted his mouth boldly across hers. She didn’t resist when she felt his tongue against hers, and then there was only fierce need that made her nipples ache and her center throb.

The kiss was everything she wanted, and more. Ivy wound her arms around his neck, speared her fingers through his hair and reveled in the hard, solid feel of him flush against her from chest to knees. He slid a hand to the base of her spine and pressed her forward so that she could feel his growing erection beneath his jeans.

When he dragged his mouth from hers, she actually whimpered in disappointment. He lowered his lips to her neck and gently bit the tender flesh, causing shivers of sensation.

At that moment, a door opened farther along the corridor and the sound of female voices drifted toward them. They came closer, and Ivy closed her eyes, aware that she and Garrett were still plastered together in her doorway, with her wearing next to nothing. Two women sauntered past, wineglasses in their hands and knowing smiles on their faces. They spoke in hushed tones, but Ivy heard them just the same.

“…Ivy James, the new girl…sleeps with all her leading men…she’s sure not wasting any time…”

When the women were gone, Ivy stepped away from Garrett. Without looking at him, she smoothed the front of his T-shirt with her hands, feeling the thump of his heart beneath her fingers.

“I—I should go in,” she murmured.

“Ivy—”

“Good night, Garrett.”

“Wait.”

His voice was low, but insistent. Reluctantly, Ivy gazed at him, and her chest tightened at the understanding reflected in his eyes.

“Don’t say anything,” she pleaded softly. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” he said grimly. “I’m the one who put you in a compromising position.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m just sorry you had to hear that.”

Ivy gave him a lopsided smile. “Why? It’s not entirely untrue.”

“That’s irrelevant. Your personal life is your own business. If you want, I can speak to them.”

Ivy swallowed hard against the unexpected lump in her throat. He wasn’t judging her. If anything, he seemed ready to go to battle for her.

“No, but thanks. It’s not necessary.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I, um, should really go in. Good night.”

Without giving him an opportunity to dissuade her, and before she could do something completely rash, like drag him with her through the doorway, she slipped into her room and closed the door firmly behind her.

She leaned back against it for a moment, until she heard Garrett move away. Only then did she throw the dead bolt and slide the chain into place, before stripping out of her soggy swimsuit. The air-conditioning had done its job, and the air was chilly against her naked flesh.

She wouldn’t let the bitchy remarks she’d overheard get to her. She hadn’t slept with all her leading men, and technically speaking, Garrett Stokes didn’t even fall into that category.

But despite his assurances that her personal life was her own business, she didn’t want him thinking less of her. It was important to her that he understood she wasn’t a woman who went casually into relationships. She’d been in love with each of the men she’d become involved with during the filming of her previous films. At least, at the time, she’d believed herself to be in love with them. That had to count for something, right?

Shivering, she snatched a towel from the bathroom and vigorously toweled her wet hair until it began to dry in springy curls around her face. It would look like hell tomorrow, but she didn’t care.