“Um, so…” She cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Now what?”
“Now,” he said, shucking the heavy backpack from his shoulders and setting down the small cooler he’d carried, “we set up camp and go for a swim.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Give me the pack,” she said, holding out her hands. “I’m an excellent camp setter-upper.”
“You are, huh?”
“Yep. It was my minor in college. I’ll have us in the water in no time.”
“I have a better idea.” He dropped the pack behind him and stepped in front of her, grabbing her hips. Her hands gravitated to his pecs like magnets, the solid muscles fitting the curve of her palms as his full lips distracted her. “Why don’t you hop in the water and cool off. I’ll get stuff situated out here and join you in a minute.”
She bit the corner of her lip and glanced over at the cool, clear pool beckoning her, then back up at Jackson. “You sure?”
A huge smile split that glorious mouth right before he bestowed her with a searing kiss. “I’m sure.”
She couldn’t bring herself to argue any more. The humidity of the jungle they’d trudged through had definitely taken its toll on her during their hike. Sweat and grit covered her skin, and she felt truly disgusting. Allowing Jax to be so close to her while feeling so grimy shot way past her comfort level, but for some reason when it came to him, she found herself acting out of character a lot.
Vanessa wasted no time in stripping off her shorts, T-shirt, tennies, and socks until all that remained was her cerulean string bikini. It was her personal favorite. The suit was basically a collection of triangles: two that barely covered more than her nipples, leaving cleavage and side swells exposed, and two skimpy inverted ones to form the bottoms, which were joined only by strings tied in bows on her hips and showed plenty of ass. It left pretty much nada to the imagination.
“What in God’s name is that?”
“What is what?” Fearing he saw some sort of dangerous jungle animal, her heart leapt into her throat as she spun to see what he’d found. But he was staring at her. Air whooshed out of her lungs, and she took a few steadying breaths. “Don’t do that! You scared the crap out of me.”
“That is not a swimsuit.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it is.”
“No,” he said, his gaze trapped between her shoulders and her thighs. “That’s a torture device. Do you wear that thing in public?”
She actually didn’t. It was reserved for pool parties with her friends or sunbathing on her balcony. “Why, Jackson?” Sauntering over to him, she ran a finger down the center of his chest and looked up through her eyelashes. “Would it make you jealous if other men saw me wearing it?”
“Try murderous,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’re damn near naked.”
She gave him a wicked grin and filed that information away for future reference. “Well, if seeing me in this barely anything bikini is actually torturing you…” She brought her hands up to the strings hanging at her hips, ready to release the bows. “I should probably just get rid of it.”
…
Jackson grabbed her wrists, holding them captive. “Don’t even think about it, V. It’s rare I see anyone up here, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. And no one but me gets to look at what’s mine.”
Shit. Way to give her your back, Maris. He hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud. Putting any kind of claim on Vanessa would spook her. He might as well have just pushed her away with his hands. Today was supposed to be his day to show her how he felt about her—that he wanted more than just the three days he’d agreed to. But if he couldn’t keep his inner Neanderthal locked down, he wouldn’t have much of a chance.
She canted her head slightly and studied him. He could almost see her wheels spinning, but which way took her remained to be seen. At last she smiled and said, “Since you put it that way…”
Rising up on tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his. Just when he planned to take it to the next level and to hell with setting anything up, she pulled back, gave him a brilliant smile, and walked away with a little extra swing in her hips. When she reached the edge of the water, she tossed him a look over her shoulder just before diving into the clear, cool water.
Why hadn’t she closed down or reminded him he only had claim on her for another few hours?Was it possible she felt something more for him than just someone to fool around with on vacation? She broke the surface several yards away, laughing and treading water.
“Now this is heaven,” she said, turning around to study the surrounding area, then diving back under.