One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

Jay mentally shook his head. He’d almost blown his hastily constructed cover. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. But the shocked expression on Tara’s face when she’d thought he owned a boat hadn’t escaped him. She’d been ready to bolt. Clearly, she didn’t want to have anything to do with a rich guy, at least not at the moment. However, after the tender kiss that would have quickly spiraled out of control had he not stopped it, he knew he wasn’t ready to let her go.

She was something very special. A woman who didn’t seem to care whether her dress was ruined because she was more concerned about the safety of a drunk man who would have drowned had she not saved him. She’d been the only one to act while her peers had stood by in silence, more interested in watching a scandal unfold. Tara was different. And he liked that. Admired her for it.

He tightened his arm around her waist and steered her toward the boat dock, which was only a couple of hundred yards farther down the inlet.

“Let’s get you into the warmth.”

And get those wet clothes off you. He didn’t have to say it. It was implied. Oddly enough, right now he wished it were different. He wished she were wearing dry clothes so it wouldn’t be necessary to get her undressed immediately. Because he knew that once he saw her in only her bra and panties, he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of keeping his hands to himself. And while that normally wouldn’t bother him, he didn’t want to start things off on the wrong foot with her. He didn’t want to come across as an opportunist who took advantage of her.

But she propositioned you.

True, but somehow Tara didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who made a habit of picking up strangers.

“How long have you been living on the boat?” she suddenly asked.

“Only since the beginning of the summer.”

“There must be quite a lot of parties in the area where you can work.”

He hadn’t planned on dishing up more lies, but he really had no choice. “Fewer than you think.”

He pointed to the boat dock, where his sixty foot yacht was docked. It was a new prototype, a sleek vessel that ran on an ultra-efficient engine. The boat’s hydrodynamic shape made it glide in the water like a dolphin. This was the fastest yacht he’d ever built. Potential buyers were already lining up to put their orders in.

“That’s not a boat! It’s a ship!” Tara let out, clearly surprised.

“Well, it’s bigger than some of the other boats around here, I guess.”

She tossed him a curious look, easing out of his hold. “No way is the rent of this cheaper than an apartment!”

Jay rubbed a hand over his nape. “Well, I’m not actually renting it.” Crap, how was he going to come up with an explanation Tara would find believable?

“Then what?”

“Uh…”

Her eyebrows snapped together. “You’re squatting?”

Jay couldn’t stop the laugh that now burst from his lips. “Squatting?” he pressed out between fits of laughter. His eyes began to tear.

“What’s so funny?”

“You! Thinking I’m a squatter.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “And you know what? I’ve got the sneaky suspicion that had I said yes, you would still come on board with me.” He pulled her to him. “Am I right?” he whispered and brushed his lips along her cheek. He felt her tremble in his arms and wasn’t sure whether it was from being cold or from his nearness.

“But you’re not squatting?” she asked softly without pulling away from him.

“No, my boss is letting me live on his boat.” Well, technically that was true. Jay was the boss, and he allowed himself to live on it.

“You mean the Gilberts? That’s not their boat.”

Jay drew back his head and met her eyes. Tara was sharp. He would have to be careful with her so he didn’t trip himself up. “No, not the Gilberts. I only do the catering gigs part-time. I work in construction during the day.”

It had just come to him. And it was the perfect cover.

“Construction? Like what?”

“This guy is renovating a huge old house on the outskirts of Montauk. Actually, it’s almost in Amagansett. I’m working there as a contractor for the summer.” Not exactly true. But he did have to go to the house he’d bought a short while ago and occasionally check up on the progress of the renovation work.

Jay motioned to the removable plastic steps that stood on the dock. “You wanna come in?”

“My mama taught me never to accept an invitation from a handsome man I don’t know,” Tara answered, using his own words with a slight, but significant alteration. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“I have the feeling you don’t always do what your mother tells you.”

There was a flicker in her eyes that looked like pain. But it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “Especially not when it concerns handsome men,” she answered in a light tone, as if trying to hide behind her cheerfulness.

Jay noticed it nevertheless. Something was bothering Tara.

“Well, in that case, I think it might be wise to go on board, before somebody discovers you out here with me.”

Without waiting for an answer, he helped her on deck and ushered her inside as soon as he’d unlocked the door. He flipped the light switch, flooding the main cabin with warm light. It served as a living area.