One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…” She sighed. “My previous boyfriends thought I was boring in bed. I don’t want you to feel obligated to cont—”

Jay put a finger across her lips. “Boring?” He cursed. “I want you to listen to me now. And I’ll say this only once, and then this subject will be closed: you’re the most exciting woman I’ve ever had in my bed. Those guys were obviously Philistines and had no taste whatsoever.” How could any man who’d had the pleasure of having Tara in his bed ever claim she was boring?

He kissed her forehead. “And if you give me about twenty minutes to recover, I’m going to demonstrate exactly how exciting I find you.”

She beamed at him. “Twenty minutes?”

“Give or take. How about we pass the time with kissing?”

Tara laced her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to her. “I’d like that. A lot.”

“That’s another thing we have in common…” He brushed his lips to hers, when he suddenly heard footsteps from above. He reared up. “Oh crap!”

The person was already coming down the stairs. Jay had just enough time to pull the sheet over Tara when a male voice called out, “Jay? You there?”

“A minute,” he replied, but the door was already swinging inward.





9


Frozen in horror, Tara watched the door to the stateroom open. For once in her life she’d done something reckless, and boom! She got caught. And just at the point where everything had been perfect. Perfect for the first time.

Her entire body was still humming with pleasure, and the aftermath had been even better: Jay had told her she was exciting in bed. No man had ever said that of her. Unfortunately she had no time to enjoy her bliss.

Frantically she pulled the sheet Jay had managed to cover her with up to her chin when a man dressed in shorts and a T-shirt stepped into the sleeping cabin.

“Wait!” Jay tried to stop him.

“Jay, I—” The man froze. His eyes darted from Jay to her, then back. He did a double take, pinning her with a stunned look. “Tara? What the—?”

“Zach?” she croaked, recognizing him.

Oh crap!

“You know each other?” Jay asked, half shielding her with his body, the sheet down to his midsection.

“Of course we know each other,” Zach confirmed.

Jay stared at her, and she felt compelled to nod. She’d met Zach at another party in the Hamptons the previous Christmas. At the Gilberts’ anniversary party she’d only seen him in passing, but hadn’t spoken to him. It was downright annoying that he recognized her. If he told her parents where she was, they’d destroy her little idyllic love nest. And she wasn’t ready for that, not by a long shot.

“What are you doing here?” she managed to ask.

He motioned to Jay. “I’m testing the boat out with Jay today.”

She tossed Jay a questioning look. “What? How do you know Zach?” How on earth would a waiter know a man like Zach Ivers, who was on the top of her mother’s list of potential husbands for Tara?

“Uh… I told you about my construction job last night.” Jay seemed nervous for the first time since she’d met him and pointed to Zach. “It’s Zach’s renovation I’m working on. And this is his boat. He’s letting me live on it for free for the summer.” The two exchanged a look, and finally Zach nodded.

“Yeah.” He hesitated then motioned to the hallway behind him. “Why don’t I wait upstairs and let you guys get dressed?”

Jay nodded. “Appreciate it, Zach.”

He turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.

“You work for Zach Ivers?” Tara asked.

“How come he knows you?” he answered her question with a question of his own.

“I met him at a Christmas party last year. Are you gonna be in trouble now?”

Jay’s forehead furrowed. “Why would I be in trouble?”

“Well, he looked kind of shocked when he saw me here, and not too pleased either. Are you not supposed to have girls on his boat?”

“His boat? Oh, uh, actually, the question never came up.”

Tara scooted off the bed and reached for her panties. “I can talk to him and tell him it’s all my fault.” She shrugged. “It is anyway. I just don’t want you to get fired because you’re having a wild orgy on his boat.”

Jay chuckled unexpectedly. “Wild orgy? Last time I checked the requirements for an orgy, it took more than two people to have one.”

He rose from the bed and walked around it, pulling her against his naked body just as she’d slipped on her panties. He pressed a kiss to her lips, still smiling. “And it’s very sweet of you to want to smooth things over with Zach, but I’m gonna handle it. Just give me a few minutes alone with him and I’ll explain the situation. He’s a reasonable man. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

He released her and pulled on his shorts, then slipped his T-shirt over his head. All the while, she couldn’t tear her eyes off him. She loved the way his muscles flexed as he got dressed. It made her entire body hum with awareness.