No sooner had she made it five feet than he growled and swept her up, hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Jackson Maris, you put me down right this instant!”
She watched the beach get farther and farther away as he plodded through the foaming waves, carrying her into deeper water yet again. “Are you listening to me?” Frustrated that he didn’t have the decency to answer her, she did the first thing that came to mind…she slapped his ass as hard as she could.
He stilled, his muscles tensing underneath her, making her instantly regret her action. “Did you just spank me?”
“Umm…”
With an effortless heft, he rearranged her in one fluid motion until he was cradling her in his arms so he could look her in the face. She kept her arms around his neck, since the chance of him suddenly dropping her was pretty high.
“That’s the first time anyone’s dared try that,” he said, sounding amused.
She didn’t doubt it. The image of this big, strong man getting spanked in any capacity was ludicrous enough to make her laugh, but she bit the inside of one cheek to hold it in. “Then you could probably use a little discipline.”
“You think so, huh?” She nodded. He looked up at the clear sky as though giving it some thought, then shook his head. “I disagree. However…” Bending his head close to hers, he leveled her with a look that warmed her in places it shouldn’t. And when he spoke, his words were coated in carnal promises. “I can give you spankings that’ll have you begging for more.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she lost herself to the picture in her mind. Tingling started from deep in her belly and spread to her extremities. He leaned in, so close they shared the same air. Oh, God, he was going to kiss her, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why it was a bad idea. Her fingers clenched behind his neck in anticipation.
The moment before their lips touched, he paused and said, “I’d be happy to show you what I mean later. But you’ll have to ask me nicely.”
Jackson couldn’t have shocked her any less if he’d slapped her in the face.
He drew back with that shit-eating grin he wore so well. He’d known exactly what he was doing. She’d bet he never even intended on kissing her. The heat of desire previously curling through her body now burned in her veins, boiling her blood in preparation for battle.
“Oh, you are so—”
Apparently he didn’t care because he tossed her back over his shoulder. She squealed from the momentary weightless feeling, followed by an oof when her stomach landed on his shoulder. “Before you get all pompous on me again, princess, you should think about my offer.” He ran a finger over the outline of her bikini, making her aware for the first time just how close her backside was to his face. She felt his warm breath against her skin.
“I promise you’ll like it, V.”
If she hadn’t heard the smartass smile behind his offer she would’ve already plotted the demise of his family jewels. But he didn’t have to know they were safe. “You can spank me if I get to shave your balls with a straight razor.” Then she added in a mocking tone, “I promise I won’t slip, Jax.”
His laugh rumbled in his chest. A moment later she found herself flying through the air yet again just before landing butt-first into the sea. This time, though, she’d been prepared and had taken a big breath. Once fully submerged, she turned over and swam underwater away from him until her lungs burned and she had to come up for air.
Spinning around to see how far she’d gone was pointless. Jackson had swum after her. “Okay, I concede,” she said, holding her hands up in resignation. “You win. Now will you please stop tossing me on my ass?”
“As long as you concede, yes, I’ll stop.”
“Good, because I have to go.”
“What are you talking about? We were just starting to have fun.”
She looked over at him and had to remind herself to keep breathing. The sun hitting the water trailing over his muscles made it look like diamonds dripped from his body. His cargo shorts, heavy with retained water, hung deliciously low on his hips, showing off that incredible V. He really was something to behold.
She gave herself a mental shake and continued walking back to their things at the bar. “Success comes from ninety percent work and ten percent play, and that,” she said, pointing to where he’d recently tossed her, “was my ten percent for the day.” Adjusting the back of her bottoms to ensure they weren’t skewed into a compromising position, she trudged toward the beach.
Aaaaaand Jackson followed. Naturally, she thought. This guy didn’t know the meaning of “quit while you’re ahead.”
“Is that one of your seven rules?”
Her feet glued themselves to where the sand met the sea and her head whipped around. “Excuse me?”
“You know, your rules that you follow or whatever.”