What a Girl Wants (5 page)

Chapter Five

“Lead me not into temptation
¾
I can find the way myself.”

—Rita Mae Brown

Later that evening, Alex gaped in disbelief at the scanty black silk dress draped over Maddie as she sashayed up the stairs to the front door of the Mad Monkey Bar. “What are you wearing?”

“A dress.” She twirled around slowly. “You like?”

“Who calls that scarf a dress?”

“Dolce and Gabbana.” She laughed. “Come on, Tim’s waving at us.”

They walked toward Tim, seated by the stage. Alex put his hand on the small of her back to guide her, as he so often had in the past, but now the gesture sent electrical shock waves up his arm.

Potted ginger plants and orange blossoms permeated the air with their fragrance. They didn’t overpower Maddie’s sweet, feminine scent as she strolled close to him.

The servers, dressed in black shorts and orange Mad Monkey T-shirts, carried trays of chi chis
¾
vodka and pineapple concoctions served in coconut shells. Two karaoke enthusiasts were already on the stage, performing a Bon Jovi number.

Alex sat next to Maddie, nursed his rum and Coke and listened to her tease Tim without mercy about his romantic conquests. She deserved the gold medal in the rattling-Tim’s-chain category. Glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of
that
conversation, he leaned back and enjoyed the view.

“Why are you still single?” Maddie asked Tim.

“I escape before slipping into the brunch-with-the-parents vortex.”

“Wouldn’t you like to go home to a nice home-cooked meal?”

“Hey, I never get
that
hungry.” Tim picked up the menu, scanned it with ostentatious indifference and gave Alex a quick sideways glance.

Alex shrugged his shoulders.

“By the way, do you like Reece’s comic strip?” she asked.

“Oh no, you don’t, Saunders.” Tim turned to Alex. “Help me out here.”

Alex shrugged again. “I got nothing.”

“Hang up your matchmaker hat,” Tim said. “Okay, her comic strip is funny, especially when she takes the piss out of Donovan. She’s nice. Okay, she’s hot, but she definitely has looking-for-a-serious-relationship written all over her.” He sighed. “Hey, what’s with the eye rolling? I answered your questions.” He leaned over and retrieved his beer, which Maddie had taken.

As Maddie continued to badger Tim, Alex examined her features. Was it the relaxed atmosphere, or did she look exceptionally radiant tonight?

In her typical style, she wore minimal makeup. Not much was needed to improve her oval face. Her ivory cheeks had turned pinkish beige, probably a result of her day in the sun. Alex found the heightened color and even the freckles splashed across her upturned nose a turn on. The heat in his gut intensified as he watched her pucker her full lips to sip her mandarin cosmopolitan.

He shifted in his seat, took a long swig of his drink and studied the way her short dress
¾
Mother of God, that dress was short
¾
exposed her shapely thighs. If his stare emitted heat, her dress would have melted right off of her by now.

He had always considered himself a breast man, but since arriving on the island, his taste now veered south of the border.

Damn, she had great legs.

He wondered if the bartender had added more rum than necessary to his drink, or maybe it was what she’d hit him with the day before in the restaurant, because in neck-snapping speed he’d gone from seeing Maddie as a platonic friend to imagining her as his lover.

A startling picture of Maddie, naked on top of him with her breasts pressed against his chest and her sleek legs straddling him, flashed through his mind.
Man, oh fuckin’, man.
He so wanted to explore her with all his senses. Taste her. Smell her. Feel her come apart in his arms.

Shit.

How could he be thinking of Maddie this way?

Obviously, his testosterone had taken its toll on his common sense. He gave himself a mental shot in the head and drained his drink.

Maddie’s chair scraped. She stood, leaned over toward him and tugged his ear. “Wait here. I have a surprise for you two.”

He turned to Tim and said with resignation, “She’s probably setting us up to do the karaoke thing. I already have my eye on the back door.”

Tim pointed to the stage. “There’s our girl.”

Alex and Tim stood to get a better view and listened as the twenty-something DJ raised his mike and announced, “Before we open our dance floor, we have one last gig.” He wrapped his arm around Maddie’s bare shoulder. “Let’s give it up for Maddie from the Big Apple.”

An inexplicable twinge of jealousy surged through Alex’s veins as he stared at the young man touching her skin, then at the guys in the audience hollering and whistling. He mentally chastised himself for the irrational emotion.

An upbeat, jazzy tune resonated from the speakers. Maddie raised the mike to her lips and belted out the lyrics.
“Here in the night, passion’s in the air
,” she sang in a smooth tone.
“Hormones raging, and baby, you look amazing.”

Swaying her hips in time to the music, she crooned,
“I’m feeling a little naughty. I want to unwind with you, baby. Ohhhh, yeah, I want to get it on all night.”

The audience clapped and sang the chorus,
“I want to get it on all night.”

Alex caught Maddie’s eye and she winked at him. He reciprocated with a thumbs-up sign and mouthed, “You rock.”

Good thing the table was positioned in front of him and able to hide an entirely different kind of up
signal.

“If you want me
¾
”
she paused, threw her head back and looked at Alex
“
¾
come get me, baby.”

The music faded and the crowd cheered. She bowed, jumped off the stage and headed for their table.

“Sweet.” Tim kissed her hand. “You’re what an American Idol should look like.”

Alex put his arm around her waist and looked down at her flushed face. “I’d vote for you.” Joy bubbled in her laugh. With some reluctance, he released her and willed himself to tamp down his mounting desire for her.

Tim surveyed the room. “I see a couple of honeys with my name on their lips. I’ll catch you two later. Like tomorrow afternoon.”

“Don’t you want to join him?” Maddie asked Alex. “You two make an impressive tag team.”

“I’m not getting suckered into
that
discussion.” He reached out and laced his fingers in hers. “Let’s dance.”

“Hmmm.” She gave him a playful pinch on his arm. “I’ve heard dancing is the equivalent to other horizontal activities.”

“Empty your one-track mind and let me lead.”

He guided her to the wooden dance floor on the open terrace, overlooking the starlit ocean, and for the next hour, they twisted and glided to the various tunes the DJ supplied, ranging from sixties to modern music.

The DJ slowed the music and played a ballad about a man wanting to be his lover’s hero. Alex gathered Maddie into his arms and held her close to his chest. She wound her hands around his neck.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in her soft hair. How did women do that? Did they pour aphrodisiac oils into their shampoo? The smell of his own shampoo never turned him on.

He had inhaled her scent many times before and had been able to rein himself in, but he found it difficult now, while her soft fingers caressed his neck.

The dance was a slow one, but his heart was doing hip-hop. Her nearness intoxicated him more than the rum he had drunk and his zipper was now uncomfortably tight.

He hesitated for a beat then brushed his lips on her neck. Her soft moan sent an electric jolt up his spine while they swayed to the music.

Man.
If Maddie weren’t a friend, a coworker, or George’s niece, they’d be in his suite burning up the sheets.

And what the hell was wrong with having sex with her? Tonight. They could get it out of their systems and get on with their assignment. Maybe they wouldn’t be compatible in bed. They’d laugh it off and continue with their friendship.

Who the hell was he trying to kid?

If the touch of her fingers against his neck scorched his skin, then their naked bodies twined together would cause a five-alarm fire.

Damn it.

He couldn’t follow through, and he knew it. Not only would he feel like a jerk tomorrow in the cold light of day, but he would also run the risk of losing the only platonic relationship he had ever been able to have with a woman.

His ear tickled when she whispered, “You’re a good dancer for an uptight reporter.”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “Does my salsa rate higher than a chocolate sundae?” He chuckled. “Say…with a cherry on top?”

She tugged at the hair on his neckline. Her eyes sparkled when she met his gaze. “Revenge is sweet, and I don’t mind going into sugar shock.”

“I figured it was my turn to get a rise out of you.”

The music ended and she flashed him a saucy grin. “Don’t look now, but I think
I’m
the one who got a rise out of
you
.”

Christ
,
she’s right.

He was stiffer than his nine iron.

While she laughed, he managed a quick recovery, twirled her around and dipped her. He brought her up, held her tight and kissed her hard and fast on the lips. He heard her soft moan as their gazes once again locked. The blatant invitation in her smile shot right through to his chest, infiltrating all his defenses. Make that weakened defenses.

Without a word, he cupped her elbow and led her off the dance floor.

Mother of God, I need a dip in the Pacific tonight.

As they returned to their seats, he noticed a man at the bar staring intently at Maddie. He looked familiar. Alex had seen him in the lobby when they had checked in, and he was sure he was the same guy who had lingered near Maddie’s door last night.

Alex caught and held the man’s stare. The stranger stood, almost knocking over the stool, and hurried out of the bar. Alex’s horny mood evaporated. “Thank you for the dances,” he said, and caught her disappointed expression. “Let’s leave. You look tired.”

She paused, shrugged and said, “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”

They walked back to the hotel in silence. Had she noticed the man also? He’d interviewed enough private investigators to recognize them, and the man at the bar was without doubt a PI. Why the hell would a PI follow them? It didn’t make any sense. He still needed to exercise caution. He looked around to make sure they were alone.

Maddie cast him a sideways questioning glance. “You should seek professional help for that paranoia.”

He smiled. Her teasing meant she had perked up.

“I’ll add paranoia to the long list of issues you say I have.” He lightened his tone to alleviate any fears he might have instilled in her.

They were at the hotel now, and he walked her to her suite’s door. She slipped her key card into the slot, turned and looked up at him. “Want to come in?”

He hesitated for a moment, torn between keeping her at arm’s length and giving in to what they had started on the dance floor.

The latter was
definitely
the wrong decision. However, he didn’t want to dump her at the door. He would go in, watch some TV, banter and then go back to his own room.

Simple. Right?

Oh, yeah. Easy as breathing.

He tapped her nose. “Only if you behave yourself.”

She walked in and held the door open. “Do you think you’re that irresistible?” She locked the door and kicked her shoes off.

“That’s what you tell me.”

“I’m only repeating what’s written on the walls in every lady’s room in town.” She laughed as he shook his head. “Gotcha.”

She sank onto the ivory sofa cushions and patted the seat next to her. He dropped beside her and stretched out his legs. He picked up the remote control. “Mind if I check out the hockey scores?”

“Go ahead.”

He turned the TV on and channel-surfed until he found ESPN.

Maddie watched Alex concentrate on the sports news, wondering what had caused him to sound reserved after their last dance and act so guarded as they walked back from the bar. It had to relate to work, she concluded.

Alex was a perfectionist and as serious as a heart attack when it came to his career. Although she teased him about his suspicious nature, she couldn’t blame him. His job required him to get up close and personal to the action in the most conflict-ridden parts of the world. However, this assignment was a safe one. It was a great opportunity for him to relax. And now was the perfect time to start.

She inched her way closer to him, put her hand on his shoulder and drew an invisible pattern on the sleeve of his burgundy button-down shirt.

“Alex, please shut the TV off. I want to talk to you.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, not looking at her.

She waited a few minutes. When he didn’t budge, she reached for the remote and clicked the TV off.

“Rangers won tonight.” He twisted to face her. “Don’t you want to see the highlights?”

There was no way to lead up to this gently. With a surge of assertiveness driven by desire as well as a couple of cosmopolitans, she took both his hands in hers and mustered up her confidence. “I want you to lick me cross-eyed.”

“You want me to
what
?”

“Okay, that sounded better inside my head.” She squeezed his hands. “I want sex. Great sex. Alex, let’s do it.”

His eyes widened a fraction. “I admit, holding you on the dance floor nearly drove me crazy.” He squeezed her hand. “I thought about it and decided I can’t…we can’t
¾
”

She leaned toward him, their lips almost touching. “Let’s discuss this after we kiss.”

“Don’t make this harder than it is.”

I’d like to make it as hard as humanly possible.
She buried her hands in his hair.
“Just one kiss?”

“One kiss, huh?”

“Yeah, you know, get it
¾
and this awkward tension between us
¾
out of the way.”

He stared at her for a few beats, then bent his head and brushed his lips against hers.