Revenge of the Second Son

He turned his attention to her and arched an eyebrow. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “I suspect in a few areas, we’re too much alike. So far, you seem accustomed to getting your way and determined to continue to do so.”

“So I guess we’re locked in a contest of wills.”

“This should be the most delicious, hottest challenge I’ve ever faced.”

“Don’t make me a challenge,” she cautioned. Aware of his smoldering gaze on her, she moved around the galley, lightly touching the gleaming cherrywood cabinets. “This is a beautiful yacht.”

“I like beautiful things, particularly beautiful women,” he said in a low voice.

“Well, now that doesn’t surprise me one degree.” She turned to study him, sensing the sparks flying between them. “I hope this weekend thing was a good idea,” she said quietly, her pulse quickening as he stepped closer. When he brushed a tendril of hair away from her face, his fingers skimmed her cheek lightly.

“This weekend is going to be sweet. The wise choice is always to get to know each other and to garner a clear understanding of what your opponent wants.”

“We don’t have to be opponents, Nick.”

“No, we don’t,” he replied, his voice thick and husky.

“That was not a come-on. Don’t mistake it for one,” she stated and wished her voice held more force. “If we can just work it out where you don’t hurt Granddad,” she said, trying to get back to the purpose of her being on Nick’s yacht, “I’ll try to see that you get business concessions in return that satisfy you completely.”

“You want to satisfy me completely?” he said huskily, sending her temperature soaring. Fire danced in the depths of his eyes, and her pulse pounded. He looked at her as if he were about to kiss her.

“Did you even hear the word business? I still feel as if I’m swimming with a shark that is eyeing me for dinner,” she stated breathlessly.

“There is nothing like a shark about what I want. ‘Satisfy me completely’…that opens visions of possibilities.”

“You know what I meant! I’m not talking about in bed,” she said bluntly. “I meant absolutely no reference to anything personal.”

“Too bad. If you had, I might be more easily persuaded.” His hand rested on her shoulder and his thumb lightly rubbed her throat, then paused. “It isn’t problems with work that has your pulse racing,” he drawled, and her heart thumped. Nick saw too much, understood too clearly, guessed too accurately about her. She was held immobile by his hungry, steadfast gaze. That first searing attraction when they met was escalating at an alarming rate.

“We both know that we have some chemistry between us—it doesn’t mean a thing,” she said.

“I beg to differ,” he said softly. “From the moment you ran in front of my car and stopped me, the attraction has been undeniable. My curiosity’s stirred. I want to discover the depth of this fire that’s between us.”

“There is nothing between us except a disagreement we’re trying to solve,” she argued breathlessly.

“You know better than that,” he responded with a wicked arch of one dark eyebrow. “Right now, your pulse races and so does mine.”

“I think I’ll go on instinct here. Beware the circling shark.”

“You’re the one who wanted to get close,” he reminded her.

“Not quite as close as you have in mind. You’re going way too fast. Slow down, Nick. This time two nights ago, we were barely speaking.”

She was hot—her heart thudding, her breathing ragged—but she knew she had to get control of herself as well as cool him down. She couldn’t stop her body from responding to him, but she should maintain distance between them. A degree of aloofness was becoming increasingly more vital to her well-being. She didn’t want to end up two days from now with her heart lost to Nick Ransome. He was everything she didn’t want in her life. Business rival. Ambitious, ruthless and into risks. She knew he had been in Special Forces, knew he had a reputation for doing as many wild things as his mountain-climbing brother, who had recently died in an accident.

With effort, she turned away. “Let’s finish this tour or the sun will set before we can swim. I like to see what I’m swimming in.” When he didn’t answer and silence stretched, she was compelled to glance back at him.

As soon as she turned, she found him watching her intently, that smoldering anger back in his expression. Comparing him to a shark was apt—he looked like a predator, a danger to her heart. She had to put distance between them. She didn’t trust his motives and his smooth talk. Seduction? The thought shook her, but she reminded herself that if she let him seduce her, she would probably regret it forever because her emotions would be entangled in the act while she was certain his would not.

“Are we going to continue the tour?”

“Sure,” he said and led the way below to his forward stateroom. In his stateroom, she stepped away from him while she gazed at the king-size berth, navy and white decor and mirrors on the bulkhead. Too clearly, she could imagine him sprawled out in that bed. The image of his broad, bare chest, lean length, hard muscles, flashed hotly, making her grit her teeth.

Drawing a deep breath, she turned to see two large hanging lockers, plush chairs and a desk.

“As you already know, your stateroom is luxurious and beautiful,” she said, glancing at him.

He stood with one shoulder braced against a bulkhead while he watched her. He shrugged lightly. “I don’t spend a lot of time in here. C’mon. I’ll show you the rest.”

She drew a quick breath. The yacht that had appeared so large and accommodating was shrinking with each passing hour. She suspected she and Nick would be together nearly every waking minute and the thought of spending the entire weekend near each other fueled her burning desire.

More aware of Nick than her surroundings, she followed him while he showed her the salon where sunlight streamed in through portholes. He had a game room with a pool table and a plasma television.

When they finished the tour, she returned to her cabin to change to her swimsuit, a black two-piece cut inches below her waist, high over each thigh. It was no more revealing than what many other women wore, but now she longed for a one piece that covered as much of her as possible. The expanses of bare flesh she was presenting would be a come on to Nick.

Why had this weekend seemed such a good idea when she had been alone at home? At that time, she hadn’t factored in the scalding response she had to Nick, a reaction that heightened steadily.

“He’s just another man and one you don’t like very much anyway,” she whispered to herself, yet she knew that wasn’t true. But he wasn’t just another man, and while he angered her, he also appealed to her.

Plaiting her hair into one thick braid, she studied herself in a mirror, turning first one way and then another, knowing she was locked in a contest of wills with him. The outcome of their battle would probably be determined this weekend, no matter what transpired between their lawyers. This was one struggle she intended to win, and the unwanted steamy attraction between her and Nick wasn’t going to get in her way or defeat her.

He was a sexy male with a strong liking for women, so he was approachable. She intended to win him over without selling her soul—or her body—to do it.

“You’re playing with dynamite,” she whispered to herself.

She could resist him because their families had feuded for generations. Her granddad despised Nick, his brother, his father and his grandfather when he had been alive. With that history, she could withstand Nick Ransome’s charm. She just hoped he couldn’t resist cooperating with her.

She wondered what the evening would bring as she went to join him, feeling as if she were diving into water that held a shark.

Her conscience told her that Nick would never resort to a shark’s tactics. He would never attack and devour. There was never need to. Nick’s appeal was the most dangerous kind of all to resist—pure seduction.

Three

As Julia emerged onto the deck, Nick’s dark gaze drifted over her like a caress, a slow perusal that sent tingles dancing in its wake. His approval was obvious.

At the same time, she was mesmerized, unable to keep from returning his study, letting her gaze lower across his bare, muscled chest with a mat of brown curly hair. Sunlight splashed over his tanned body, with golden highlights on the swell of hard muscles. His broad chest tapered to a tiny waist and slim hips and a black strip of swimsuit that bulged with his masculinity. His long, muscular legs were covered lightly in short brown hairs. She imagined what it would feel like to be in his arms, pressed against his strong, warm length.

“You’re beautiful, Julia,” he said quietly. “Definitely an unfair advantage in this battle between us.” Moving closer, he reached out to tug lightly on her braid and his knuckles brushed her bare shoulder.

“We’re not in a battle today,” she said.

“Liar,” he accused lightly. “You’re taking unfair advantage here.”

She stepped closer, looking up at him, only inches of space between them. “No more unfair advantage than you do when you flirt,” she said in a sultry voice.

Desire smoldered in his dark eyes. He dropped his towel before placing his hands on her waist. “I have that effect on you?” he asked.

“You know you do. Don’t act surprised,” she chided, more aware of his hands on her than of what she was saying.