John closed his eyes. Would the Tiki bartender’s shouts of ecstasy be taped tonight?
Chapter 4
Mary scratched the top of her right foot with her left big toe. The bright red nail polish matched her bikini perfectly. She’d considered adding a toe ring, but not wanting a tan line on one of her toes, declined. The Wave Pool was empty except for a couple of children with their mother. Large sunglasses hid the woman’s eyes, but she acted tired, like she needed a vacation from her vacation. Although designed around adults, children were on the cruise. It was a chance for families to relax together and reconnect, she supposed.
“Do you have photographs of your sister?” Mary gazed at First Mate Matthew Taylor. He fit all of her categories perfectly. All she needed to do was see one of his relatives for a DNA scan of sorts. Matthew’s knee rubbed against her oil-slick thigh as he perched on the edge of the lounge chair next to hers. His dirty blond hair and longish nose didn’t bother her in the least. He was athletic and the way his white uniform fit proved he hadn’t exaggerated when he’d described his workout routine.
“I wish I did,” he said. “Up for a run in a couple hours? It’s two miles around the decks, and I’ll show you the bridge.” He winked, grinning. His eyes were an amber color, not brown, not yellowish, but more of a dark muted orange. Good-looking and husky voiced, he drew her gaze every time he opened his mouth.
One of the wayward children screamed a long, piercing wail, drawing their attention to the trio again. A boy had fallen and held his knee in his shaking hands. Even from a distance his little lips could be seen quivering.
“I’ll be back.” Matthew took off running, rounding the curve of the pool deck like a seasoned sailor. As he gently administered care to the youngster, the mother hovered and the little girl clung to her mother’s black and white striped sarong.
Mary’s stomach tingled in excitement. He was perfect, and obviously loved kids, as evidenced by his relaxed body motions and soothing tones that carried in the wind. She withdrew her notebook and added the details before she forgot. Matthew Taylor, DNA: perfect in structure, no odd body growths. A sister going into an art program. Organs were in good shape, tight runner’s muscles and rarely, if ever, drank alcohol. Never smoked. Nice, easy going and especially thoughtful, as he told her he’d be right back. Outstanding looks, ’nough said. Was he resourceful? Intelligence would be important in offspring.
Covering a yawn, she glanced at Matthew. He was wrapping a white cruise towel around the child’s knee, then cradled the boy and carried him to the elevator. Matthew turned and nodded to her. He’d be back. Yes, he was resourceful and honorable. The wind blew the page over, so she continued writing accolades for her number one pick.
“Donor. What does that mean?” John slipped onto the lounge next to her.
“It’s my list to help me narrow the search for a prospective suitor.”
He didn’t look wrung-out, so he must have gotten some sleep.
Mary hadn’t gone directly to bed because of the surprise she’d found in one of her fashionable, trendy high heels. A bag of uncut diamonds wedged in the toe. She’d spent most of the night sewing stolen diamonds onto her evening bag. The process to remove the agate stones and place the diamonds in the clasp had been long and intense. Her tiny nail kit and borrowed silverware made the task cumbersome and time consuming. Conrad must have intended to go on the cruise, and if the luggage hadn’t made it through the scanner, she would have gone to jail.
At five bells, she’d crawled into bed and slept like an innocent. She should turn in the jewels at the next port. But, what if…
“You know this pool is at the bow, on top level, and will be very rocky if we hit waves.” John lay against the stretchy fabric of the seat and closed his eyes.
“Yep. I’ve found I don’t get motion sickness, which is odd because I sit all day at work, so I don’t have a resistance built up or anything.” Notes finished, she glanced at the entry. Damn, she hadn’t taken a photo. Matt would come back, and she’d take one then. She set her phone on the table as a reminder. “Did you have a good time last night?”
“Yes. Very interesting.” His reply didn’t satisfy her curiosity. “What do you do? Your profession?”
“I’m a jewelry designer. Did you meet some fascinating babes at Forever?” Why was she so curious?
“Um hum, danced under the stars. Beautiful and enjoyable. You should have been there.” The binding on the chair creaked as he leaned forward. In a flash, his shirt came off and he tossed it on the table with her phone.
Her breath caught in her throat. Last night she’d touched his hard muscles covered in smooth skin, and today she got to see them. He was spread eagled against the chair, and his sculpted, hairless chest drew her attention. A six-pack wasn’t evident, and he did have a couple of tiny egg rolls on the sides, but all in all, John Wang was sexy adorable.
“Why are you up here? I thought you wanted to search for the perfect partner.” His shoulders lifted and lowered on the lounge as he settled. He kicked off his sandals. Even his toes were hairless.
“Because of the waves, they provide a nice little foreplay.” She threw out the bait, knowing it would catch any single guy’s attention, as she withdrew a novel from the bag. Excitement skittered through her stomach, but she resisted smiling and pointed her focus on John’s face.
“Okay, I’ll bite.” He lifted his sunglasses, his brown-eyed glance probing.
“This pool is one of the most popular because of the motion. As you’re swimming laps, a jarring will occur and you’ll literally float over the person next to you.” She winked. “The stronger the wave, the greater the friction. I imagine more than sun tan oil is lubricating this pool.”
“I doubt that. Probability is–”
“Only one way to find out.” One sandal hit the deck and she tried to toe off the other one.
“Anything to get you out of that overly large garment,” he muttered.
She slid the crimson and white orchid-printed robe from her shoulders. The tiny little bikini she’d just been able to wiggle into flashed in the early sun. Blood red and held together by thin gold snaps on each hip and between the breasts, she’d purchased the scrap of nothing with sex on her mind. Albeit she’d intended to only have intercourse with her lover of the past year, but life was ever changing and she’d roll with the waves.
“Put it back on.” John held the cover-up in front of her.
“Silly, we can’t swim if I’m weighted down.” She looked for the stairs. “Come on, it’s early enough we won’t have a lot of strangers getting on our stuff.”
She took a couple of steps forward and dived, shoved off the bottom and quickly came to the surface. Cold. Cold water. She flung hair away from her face and looked around. Where was John? Like a seal in the Atlantic, he swam beside her, dragging his hands along her legs.
His arms held steady at the sides of her breasts. The narrow string was hardly a barrier.
Mary’s hands went beneath his cold-pimpled nipples and together they paddled, staying afloat. “I can tell you’re a good swimmer.”
“Maybe I’m just good at holding my breath?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t hear a splash and you glided through the water.”
He had rhythm and a part of her wanted to be into him, because she imagined he was also very good at the baby-making thing.
“Are you asking me to race?”