Dragging her attention back to the present, Sean rolled to the middle of the bed, disheveling the sheets beneath him, and she took that moment to pull herself together.
“So, what’s to hate?” she asked again, offering him a polite smile.
Stilling, he stretched his legs out and his eyes moved over her face when he said, “The rocking.”
Her smile dissolved as the provocative mental image of Sean rocking a bed played out in her mind’s eye. A wave of heat rushed over her body, and as her blood surged through her veins, it reminded her that she was a woman, a woman who hadn’t had her bed rocked in…well…ever, considering the fact that the men she’d dated in the past had cared more about their needs than hers.
Sean fingered the silk sheets beneath him and the gleam in his eyes turned wicked when he said, “It’s not that I have anything against rocking, mind you. It’s just that when my bed moves, I want to be the one moving it.”
On that note, Madison straightened her shoulders, crossed the room and handed Sean the cold cloth. He draped it over his forehead and shifted, as if he was making a spot for her to climb in next to him.
Unsure of his intent—and not about to get too close to him—she continued to stand and returned to professional mode. Schooling her features into courteous interest, she widened her legs, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked him over, noting that his color had returned to normal. “Are you feeling better?”
Sean stared at her long and hard, and a look she couldn’t identify crossed his handsome face. Then a split second later she thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“Madison,” he began slowly, his voice a little rusty, unsure.
“Yes.”
His brows collided and he seemed to be struggling with his words. “Why do you ha—”
Before he could finish the sentence, the boat hit the side of the dock. The collision ripped her sea legs out from underneath her, and sent her spilling onto the bed with an undignified oomph.
She landed with a thud on top of his hard body, and when his hands slid over the small of her back to balance her, and he aligned his hips with hers, she quickly rolled to the other side before she gave in to baser instincts and did something she might regret, something so completely and utterly unprofessional that would only end up embarrassing her.
As much as she liked the way his half-naked body felt beneath her, and as much as she’d like to act on her carnal desires, she certainly wasn’t about to seduce him. She knew he didn’t want her, and since they had to spend the next month in close proximity, the last thing she wanted to do was put a strain on their working relationship, or make things awkward between them.
A quick glance out the small, round window to the left of the bed told her they’d finished docking. She was just about to rocket out of the bed, but when a low moan sounded deep in Sean’s throat she turned to him, wondering if she’d knocked the wind out of him with her hard fall.
Madison pulled a face. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not you. You’re a lightweight.”
She sat up, but when she caught the way he was staring at the ceiling, she drew her brows together and questioned, “What?”
He gestured with a nod, and when she glanced upward and spotted the enormous mirror showcasing the two of them on the bed, her eyes widened and she tried not to sound rattled when she said, “Oh.”
Sean nudged her playfully and burrowed close—too close. “What do you think that’s for?”
Oh, she knew exactly what it was for. So did he.
She swallowed the lump pushing into her throat and gifted herself with a moment to imagine what it would be like to make love to Sean beneath that mirror, his muscular body on top of hers, pinning her to the bed while he moved up and down, in and out—while he rocked her world.
Stifling a groan, she lied, “I wouldn’t know.”
She made a move to climb back over him, but Sean splayed his hands over the small of her back and held her to him. As her hard nipples pressed into his chest, a smile reached his eyes. His glance settled on her mouth, and for a split second she thought she spotted desire in his eyes. But she had to be wrong. Sean never noticed her. Not like this. And why would he begin to now, when he had a bevy of perfect, flawless babes above just waiting their turn in his capable arms.
As heat rushed to her face, she dipped her head forward. Taking her by surprise, Sean reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. A tortured look moved over his face as he exposed her ugly scar. In an instinctive move, Madison shook her hair free and inched back. She tried to clear his body and climb to her feet, but Sean grabbed her arm and stilled her.
“Madison.”
“What?”
Before he had the chance to answer, the door to the cabin flung open and a myriad of voices drifted downward. Madison let loose a relieved breath, thankful for the interruption because she’d seen the torment in his eyes when his glance moved over her scarred face, and the last thing she wanted from him was sympathy.
Madison quickly extricated herself from his arms and jumped to her feet. Drawing a fuelling breath, she smoothed her windbreaker over her body and made a move to go, but the strange hitch in Sean’s voice stopped her.
“If you’re not busy later, want to join me for a drink?”
Madison’s heart clenched
