One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

Jay narrowed his eyes. “And how are you gonna do that?”


“By using all my irresistible charm. Let’s see whom she likes better: a poor waiter and construction worker or an utterly handsome rich business mogul.” A smug look spread over Zach’s face, and Jay was in the mood to wipe it off him with one well-placed punch. And if they weren’t such good friends, he would definitely act upon that urge.

“Good luck! But I can tell you now that she won’t bite.”

As much as Jay hated the idea of Zach flirting with Tara, he couldn’t deny that this would be an interesting first test to see whether the things she’d told him earlier were really true. If given the choice, would she really stick with the working class guy or divert her attention to the rich—and admittedly handsome—Zach, who supposedly owned this boat?





10


Tara stepped onto the sun deck just behind the flybridge, where Jay and Zach were hovering over the wheel and the controls. The yacht was already in motion, gliding smoothly through the waves less than a mile out to sea.

She’d taken her time to get dressed and get rid of any visible traces of her and Jay’s lovemaking. Not a small feat. She still felt flushed, and her knees might as well have been made of jelly. Her heart was racing, and her mind was working overtime. What would she say to Zach? She’d never been in a situation like this: being caught in bed with a man. A man most people in her circles wouldn’t approve of. But that wasn’t what bothered her. She wasn’t ashamed of being with Jay.

She was afraid that Zach would mention to her parents where she was. He knew them, if only casually. And once they found out where she was, the gig would be up and they’d drag her back to New York.

Jay suddenly looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. “There you are.”

Just his smile made her all giddy. “Hey.”

Zach turned as well, grinning. “Morning again, Tara.”

“Morning, Zach.” As casual as she could, she walked up to both of them, feigning interest in the various instruments on the bridge. “Nice boat.”

Zach rubbed his hand over the mahogany-lined dashboard. “Yeah, not bad, huh? I know the builder.” He glanced at Jay. “Do you wanna take the helm for a while, Jay, while I entertain our guest?”

Jay stared at him for a moment, before replying, “Sure, why not?”

Zach motioned to the comfortable benches at the stern. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Good, thanks for asking.”

Even though she would have preferred to stand next to Jay as he operated the boat, she had no choice but to follow Zach’s invitation and take a seat on the white cushions that lined the built-in bench. She sat down in the corner and stretched her legs out on the bench that ran alongside the port side of the yacht, trying to appear relaxed.

“And you? Enjoying the summer?” she asked as Zach sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Zach smirked. “Clearly not as much as you are.”

He cast a knowing look in Jay’s direction, as if that was necessary. She knew exactly what Zach meant by his words.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong,” Zach added quickly. “He’s a nice guy. I wouldn’t let him use my boat if he weren’t. I just never thought he’d be your type.”

“And why is that, Zach?” she challenged, feeling combative all of a sudden.

He instantly lifted his hands in a show of surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it as an insult. I guess I was just a little surprised to find you here with him. He never mentioned a girlfriend.”

Ashamed at her outburst, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get him in trouble.”

“In trouble?” Zach appeared surprised.

“You know, if it’s not okay with you that I spent the night, I’ll just leave. I don’t want you to blame Jay for it. I was the one who came on to him. He really had no choice.”

Zach pinned her with an inquisitive stare. “You surprise me, Tara. I always thought you were the withdrawn type. Guess I was wrong, and I’m not wrong very often.”

She shrugged. “It’s not easy living under the scrutiny of a society that expects certain behavior. It makes us pretend one thing when we want to do something entirely different.”

“We all live under certain constraints, no matter how much money we have. Or don’t have.” He glanced at Jay whose back was turned while he expertly maneuvered the yacht through the swells as if he’d done so his entire life. “Personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the opinion of so-called society. Apparently you don’t either. It’s refreshing to meet somebody like that. Shame that it appears I’m too late to make a play for it. Or am I not?”