Why did I want you so much? Why did I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my life? And how was it that I was able to stop?”
“You wanted me because of a combination of factors,” Rachel replied. “It started with the ice cream.”
“How is that?”
“You fed me and I accepted. In the animal world, that’s a cue that I’m willing to accept your advances.”
“I didn’t know that,” Dec said.
“You wouldn’t. It’s hardwired into your brain. Passed down from cavemen. It’s instinct at work. You just did it because it felt right.”
“So, if I meet a woman on the street and feed her ice cream, she’d want to sleep with me?”
“Not if there isn’t desire there in the first place. For us, the timing was right. You probably haven’t had a woman for a while and there was a physical need. And I haven’t been with a man for a long time, so I reciprocated. Then, there are things standing between us-your job, my job, our pasts, and the fact that we don’t really know each other well. Because of that, the need is more acute because it’s improper. There’s some mystery, which adds to the attraction and makes the chase more interesting. We do share some things in common and we’re comfortable with each other, so that adds to it. Finally, we each met the other’s profile for a potential lover. When all that adds up, you get desire.”
“So, if it’s all so cut-and-dried, then how come people make such a mess of it?”
Rachel smiled. “Because desire is blind. We don’t always pay attention to the signs. We feel and act before we think.”
“Isn’t that love? Isn’t love blind?”
“That, too,” Rachel said. A tiny sliver of guilt shot through her. She wasn’t being completely honest with him. In truth, everything he was feeling was based in basic human desire. But what he wasn’t aware of was that his feelings could also be the beginnings of love.
“Last night, we felt with our bodies, but we also thought about what we were doing. That’s why we stopped before we went all the way.”
She was playing a dangerous game. But just because she knew the rules, that didn’t mean that she had to give up her chance at something wonderful. In the past, she’d always let love take its own course and look where it had gotten her. Now, she’d found a man who was handsome and interesting and trustworthy, a man who made her head spin and her heart pound. Why not do what she could to make him fall in love with her? How could it possibly hurt either one of them?
Some of her colleagues might consider it manipulative, but Rachel was doing nothing more than any other woman experienced in the art of desire. In truth, there were women out there who were much better at snagging a man than she could ever be. So there was no reason for guilt.
Dec shook his head. “I don’t know if I can do that again.”
“Maybe you won’t have to,” Rachel replied.
A long silence grew between them as they looked at each other, their gazes locked. Then Dec slowly nodded and Rachel smiled. “So, what are we going to do with ourselves today?” she asked.
He straightened, then slipped his hands around her waist. “We could go into town and get some breakfast and walk around a little. We could spend the day sunning ourselves out on the pier. We could go for a boat ride or go fishing.”
“That all sounds good,” she said.
“And we could start by taking a shower together,” he suggested.
Rachel pushed up on her toes and kissed him. “All right.”
“I was kidding,” Dec said. “If we take a shower together, we’re going to spend the rest of the day in bed.”
“Then we can take a shower later,” she suggested. With that, Rachel turned and walked toward the bedroom, leaving Dec with a confused look on his face.
She grinned. At least she wouldn’t have to guess what was going through his mind for the rest of the day.
5
DECLAN TURNED HIS face up to the sun, the mid-afternoon heat warming his skin and relaxing his body. He and Rachel had gone into town for breakfast, then spent the morning wandering along the streets and visiting some of the small shops in Boothbay Harbor.
He’d always hated shopping with women, but shopping with Rachel was actually interesting. She kept him entertained with her droll comments and quirky opinions. And she had a keen knack for knowing when he was becoming bored with the shopping experience, leading him out of the store just before he’d had enough. A waterfront restaurant was the perfect spot for lunch before heading back to the cabin for a lazy afternoon.
The sun was high in the sky when they’d returned to the cabin. They’d headed down to the pier and now lay side by side in a pair of plastic chaises.
“You have a really nice body.”
Dec squinted against the sun and looked over to find Rachel watching him. She still wore the skirt she’d worn into town, but now, the skirt was pulled up around her hips. She’d discarded the camisole and was left in just her bra.
“What?”
She sat up and crossed her legs in front of her. “You have a nice body,” she repeated. “The thing I really like about it is that it isn’t all pumped up. I don’t like men who look…artificial.”
“So you think I’m skinny?” he asked.
“No, you’re just right. You look like a man is supposed to look. Or at least how I imagine a man is supposed to look. That’s all that’s really important.”
“Hmmm.” Dec grinned, then closed his eyes and laid back. “I like your body, too.” He paused. “A lot.”
“What part do you like the best?” she asked.
“You mean, am I boob man or a butt man?” He sent her another glance, this time letting his eyes wander from her face to her feet. “Stand up.”
“No!” she cried.
“How am I supposed to give you an informed answer?”
Reluctantly, she did as he asked. Dec sat up and shaded his eyes with his hand, taking in her slender figure. She held her skirt up and he let his gaze linger on her legs. “It’s hard to say,” he murmured.
“There’s nothing about my body that you like?”
“No, I like everything about it,” he replied. “I can’t pick just one thing. I like your knees and your shoulders. And the small of your back. And your hair. I like everything about your face, but especially your mouth and your eyes. I’m a big fan of your breasts. And I’ve grown to appreciate your feet. And your legs are just killer.”
She flopped down in her chair. “You’re entirely too charming for your own good,” she muttered.
“And you’re too beautiful for yours,” he replied.
A tiny smile twitched at the corners of her mouth and Declan was amazed at how important that smile had become to him in such a short time. Though he took his professional responsibilities very seriously, he’d gone above and beyond his duties by watching after Rachel’s happiness as well as her safety.
It was a new and unfamiliar feeling to be so invested in the emotions of another person, especially a woman. Women had always seemed so complicated to him, but not Rachel. When she was upset, it showed, and it didn’t take much coaxing for her to reveal why. And when she was happy, his day was perfect.
“I could stay here forever,” she murmured.
“So could I.” Even a statement like that would have been too much in the past, alluding to promises that he’d never keep. But the truth was the truth. He could imagine staying in this place with Rachel, maybe not forever, but for a very long time.
“I don’t have to be back in town until Thursday,” she said. “We could stay an extra night. If that’s all right with you.”
He rolled over on his side, reaching out to run a finger along her arm. “I’d like that.”
“You don’t need to work?”
