UP In Flames: Body Heat / Caught in the Act

“Go ahead and make me comfortable. That was your original intent, right? I await your efforts.”

He said it like a dare, and her temper pricked. She would not let him, or any other man, intimidate her ever again. So what that he was more muscled now, that maturity made him even more masculine, more sexy? His blond hair was streaked from hours in the sun; his eyes were dark gold. He looked incredible, while she knew she looked a wreck.

It was bad enough that he’d spotted her in the casual outfit she’d chosen for the boat. Her halter and loose, lingerie-style shorts were made of the same silky material, and covered by the long, thin skirts, but she’d still felt too physically exposed to face him. The cabin had been too crowded to hide in, and then she’d realized she didn’t want to hide from him. Not ever again. But she thought he’d be too involved with the women swarming him to notice her.

She’d obviously been wrong.

Now, after her ordeal, she looked wretched. She could feel her eye makeup smeared on her cheeks, knew her short hair stuck out at all angles. She’d lost even more weight over the years; while he was thick with muscle, she was lacking the lush curves men seemed to admire, and in her outfit, there was no way to disguise her figure.

But she couldn’t change any of that, so she’d simply have to make the best of an awkward, unimaginable situation.

Mustering her courage, she again reached for his bag. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be unlatched at the handle; it had to be undone at his belt. The front of his belt. Without looking, she could sense Adam’s smirk. He didn’t think she’d do it; she intended to prove him wrong.

To distract herself from his body, she said, “It’s finally stopped raining.” She slid her fingers under his belt and tried to work the latch.

“It’s going to get hot as hell, you know.”

She felt the heat already. Adam’s stomach was solid rock against the backs of her fingers. And warm. Very warm in comparison to his clammy clothes.

“Humid, too,” he added more softly, his voice a rough growl. “Downright steamy.”

“Will you stop that!”

He gave her an innocent, surprised look. “Stop what?”

“Stop...talking like that. All sexy and low.”

He quirked a brow.

“Oh, forget it. You probably don’t even know when you do it.” The latch came free, and she pulled the strap away, then immediately started on his tie, giving it a good jerk first, making his head bounce in the sand. Before he could reprimand her, she said, “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve done that. You’re nothing more than walking testosterone, and while some women might like it, I do not.”

She gave the tie another vicious jerk, loosening the knot, and he grabbed her hands. “Will you stop before you strangle me! Damn, woman, I was discussing the weather, and somehow you got on the topic of my hormones!”

Melanie jerked away and came awkwardly to her feet. She shoved her tangled hair out of her face and tried again to untwist her long, wet skirts. After a moment of futile effort, she gave up. Propping her hands on her hips, she said, “I brought it up because that’s all you are! Male hormones waiting to burst.” She threw her arms wide in apt description.

Adam slowly sat up and had his elbows resting on his bent knees, his head cocked to stare directly at her. “Is that right? Well, I’d say that puts you in something of a predicament then, doesn’t it.”

Warily, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I hate to break it to you. No, actually I’m glad to break it to you. This little island appears to be deserted. We’re all alone—just you, me, and my bursting hormones.” He grinned wickedly. “For who knows how long?”

Frozen for three heartbeats, Melanie stared at him. Then she scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“It’s true.” Adam stood, brushed off his muscled backside and looked around. “You weren’t paying any attention, but when I first spotted the island we were still pretty far out. I could damn near see it from end to end, and not once did I see any sign of life. Not a kid, not a dog, not a single soul.”

“You’re just trying to scare me.”

“Nope. The last thing I want is a hysterical woman on my hands.” He peeled off his suit coat and shook it out, then tossed it onto a clump of dry, prickly-looking grass. He did the same with his shoes and socks. “I’m only hoping we’ll be able to find some kind of food and water.”

“Adam, stop it.” She glared at him from under lowered brows. Her heart raced; her stomach felt queasy. “There are no deserted islands in Florida anymore. It’s a tourist mecca. This is just your way of being mean again.”

He took two quick steps to her and caught her chin in his hand. “I’m a grown man, damn it. I don’t run around trying to frighten women or be mean. Do you honestly think anyone on that boat will notice us missing? Do you think they’ll even know where to look for us? How long do you think it’ll be before we’re missed?”

The second he touched her, her tongue became useless. She couldn’t muster up a single word or protest. Her heartbeat slowed; her breath caught.

Damn, she felt vulnerable! She’d so wanted to make an impression on him after she saw him on the boat. She’d been planning and plotting on when she’d introduce herself, what she’d say, how she’d say it to let him know without a single doubt that she would no longer be bothered by him, that she was a woman now, totally immune to him.

But then she’d gone overboard, and he’d done the unexpected and dove in after her. She thought of how she’d acted in the water and wanted to dig a hole in the sand to hide. Now here she was, insulting him, baiting him, reacting to him.

She jerked her chin away. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I... No one will notice me missing. I came alone and I wasn’t exactly friendly to anyone on the boat.”

“You came alone?”

Oh, why did he have to focus on that one small tidbit? She hadn’t even meant to admit that much. She put her chin in the air and said, “Yes. Alone.”

He looked her over slowly from head to toe, made a grunting sound, then turned away and started unbuttoning his shirt. “I figured you’d be married to some young yuppie executive type by now.”

If all had gone as planned, she would have been. Thank God she’d called it off in time.

When Adam shrugged out of his shirt, at first all she could do was stare at his chest. Hard, lean, covered with a light dusting of hair a shade or two darker than his golden head, it was the type of chest female fantasies were made of. When his hands went to the buttons on his slacks, her mouth fell open, then snapped shut. In a croak, she asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Without looking at her, he said, “You don’t expect me to go exploring our little island in suit pants, do you?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. The pants were shoved down, and she whirled around so fast her head swam. But she hadn’t been quite quick enough. She saw snug cotton boxer briefs—wet briefs—molded closely to his lower body. The man was a total fiend.

“Adam,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone calm and reasonable, “put your pants back on.”

“No way. If you had any sense, you’d lose that skirt.”

She clutched her skirts protectively to her body. “I will do no such thing!”

“Suit yourself. But I don’t think it’ll hold up long if you don’t wash the salt water out of it and let it air dry.”

He had a point, not that she intended to disrobe in front of him. It didn’t matter that she wore matching shorts beneath the skirt and underwear under that. Her ex-fiancé had told her numerous times that she needed to put on weight, to gain some curves. And toward the end, she’d finally realized he didn’t find her attractive at all. Oh, he put up a good front, and he tried. Jerry was always pleasant, mannerly, proper. That was one of the reasons she’d broken things off with him; he seemed more emotionless every day, like he had no depth, at least not where she was concerned.

She’d come here to rest, to get control of her emotions after the painful breakup. Ha! Controlling her emotions around Adam had always been impossible.

It was imperative she carry her own weight, that she prove to him her little display in the water was an aberration. She could and would fend for herself.

She was still figuring ways to do that when his warm breath touched the back of her neck. She hadn’t even noticed him approaching!

“One thing hasn’t changed, I see.”

Melanie froze, not daring to move in case his mouth actually touched her skin—in which case she knew she’d likely faint. Her every nerve ending felt stretched tight with him so close. Even her fingertips tingled. “What?”