Chapter 279


    As soon as she was close enough, heced her tiny hand in his and tugged her with him. So many


    times, he had told himself to stop with the touching and hand holding he had started, but he couldn’t. It


    was essential, like breathing and came so naturally with her now that it would be futile. He had started


    it to get her used to him, long ago when he had first taken her to meet Hunter, he hadn’t liked the flinch


    at his touch, or the fear in those big baby blues. He had made a conscious decision to get her used to


    his touch if only to rx her and somehow it just grew to this. Holding hands was something he did


    constantly, pulling her along, hell, even taking her to business meetings. So many times had he caught


    strange looks from other receptionists that he was pulling his PA along and he would re back at


    them. He knew it wasn’t normal, but Emma just assumed he was this way with everyone. Margo


    maybe, not so much hands-on but definitely not everyone. Just people he cared about and always her.


    Holding her hand now felt right, a perfect fit in the palm of his hand, the familiar soft touch that made


    him want more from her.


    “Here, Emma.” He could see her shielding her eyes as the noon sun lifted higher in the sky, so he


    handed his shades back to her, with her eye color she needed them more than him. He practically


    spent half his life in the sun and had never really felt any effects from sun re. Letting her go, he


    moved along to pick up some pebbles, the sun warming his already brown skin.


    “Thanks.” She smiled his way as he bent down and expertly skimmed his pebbles across the soft,


    lapping waves. Looking her way for a moment to gaze on how much more rxed she seemed away


    from the others on the boat. Once again, he wished they hade here alone. He wanted nothing


    more right now.


    “What is it?” She tilted her head questioningly at him.


    “You seem a bit more rxed now we’re over here.” He could definitely see it.


    “I feel more rxed.” She sighed and began looking around her feet, pushing the sand with her tiny


    toes, and looking a bit too squeezable. He took a slow breath and continued skimming stones to


    distract himself.


    “You look it.” He skimmed another stone like an expert and was unable to stop the goofy smile hitting


    his face at watching her.


    “I’m d you made mee.” She was watching him more closely now, giving nothing away in that


    face. Like always.


    “I’m d I didn’t have to force you.” He grinned, knowing that forcing Emma was never that easy, she


    had a stubborn streak and was one of the few women he had ever met who stood up to him defiantly.


    Even when he was being an arsey dickhead. He loved that about her.


    “Technically, you gave me no choice.” She pouted sassily at him, that tiny little spark that was always


    beneath the surface. He would love to see her fully let go of it and just turn into a tornado like Le


    could. He got the sense she was more than capable but her reserved nature kept it locked down. He


    wanted to see her release that passion a little. Okay, maybe not to Le’s extent but some of it,


    anyway. He often wondered if she did it deliberately, kept herself calm and even so she would never


    lose control.


    “You always have a choice with me, Emma, you know that.” He looked her way once more, feeling


    rxed too, wanting to memorize her standing that way, hands on hips and a body to die for. He shook


    that mental thought away, knowing that if he stuck with it, his mind would find the shortest route to the


    gutter again. Being around her minus a whole lot of clothing was trying to say the least, and his libido


    was starting to fight back.


    “We should be getting back; the others will think we don’t like them.” He tensed and flexed his body,


    catching a quick nce of her eyes as he did so, and it immediately caught his attention. Definitely no


    fear that time or any sense of difort. That had most definitely been an eye wander of the


    appreciative female variety—maybe she wasn’t as immune as he thought? He would love to explore


    that possibility. About time his assets were winning her over, he knew he was built and had enough sex


    appeal. Hell, he knew he was a good-looking bastard, women had made that obvious his whole life.


    “Sure, I’m kinda hungry too.” She pulled off the shades seemingly shaking it off and handed them back


    to him, he tried to do the same but that tiny flicker of hope in his chest wouldn’t recede back to where it


    came from. He felt like a girl with all the mushy crap going on inside of him right then and had to


    chastise himself.


    He led the way back into the sea, staying close and making sure the swim back wasn’t an ordeal for


    her. He would have carried her the full way had she seemed tired, but she handled it well. No hint of


    fatigue, just long, graceful strokes that matched his, and he felt proud of her. She never ceased to


    impress him.


    * * *


    They spent lunch on deck with the rest of the party, eating chicken Caesar sd and drinking wine,


    lounging on the padded double loungers on the main deck. Jake was making sure he stayed by her


    side and warned his friends off visually. He wouldn’t put it past any one of them to make a y for her if


    he left her alone. Such was the nature of their trips. Each guy always brought dates and some


    unspoken agreement that all was fair game, and no one would get prissy about it after. The girls they


    normally brought were bed hoppers, no loyalty and definitely never anyone serious. Le was the


    exception normally, she wasn’t much for it, and even though he could see she wasn’t really that into her


    date, he knew she wouldn’t sleep with any of the others. Emma waspletely off limits to any of


    them, and he would damn well break the neck of any who tried.


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    Jake was leaning toward Daniel’s bed, Emma at his back and in conversation with Le. Daniel was


    arguing about sports, one of his passions and Jake just loved to goad him on the matter anytime it


    came up. He was more into manual stuff, extreme sports he could do himself, but he wasn’t against


    watching the odd football or baseball game. Daniel was just too easy to wind up. He was only half


    listening though as he could most definitely hear the words “hair” “cut” and “short” going on behind him


    and he didn’t like it one bit.


    Looking back at Emma, he caught Le picking up a strand of that soft honey-blonde hair with the look


    of someone contemting cutting it all off. He could feel the frown taking over his face and minor


    irritation as Le said, “pixie cut” and he could only assume that was something very short like hers.


    Emma wouldn’t suit Le’s hair, she needed soft and sweet around her face, not edgy and choppy like


    hers.


    “I think you would suit maybe shoulder length.” Le’s sweet, little voice was all too sultry, and he could


    tell she was trying to talk Emma into doing it. That persuasive eye fluttering she had suckered him with


    many a time in the past twenty years.


    “Maybe.” Emma picked up a strand too and wound it around her finger, Jake was no longer listening to


    Daniel at all, he was fully integrated into defending Emma’s hair.


    “What’s wrong with how it is?” He frowned, keeping his hands down and quelling the urge to run his


    fingers over the strand she was holding. She suited her wavy halo of soft hair, it was feminine and her.


    He didn’t like the idea of no longer having it hanging down her back and blowing gently in the breeze.


    “Jake? Men have no clue. Women like a drastic change every so often.” Le quipped at him with that


    sassy raised brow and he just wanted to sit on her right about now.


    “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it.” He bit back, he was used to these little head to heads with this short


    fiery devil. He would be damned if she was going to push his Emma around.


    “Maybe it’s not broken but can definitely be revamped. Women do like to shake it up every so often. Try


    on a new look.” Le was putting on her sarcastic tone, raising that brow and challenging him, yet


    again. This girl never ceased to push his buttons and sometimes he wondered why the hell he hadn’t


    just drowned her in the past.


    “It’s my hair!” Emma cut in, raising hands between the two in a bid to distract them but she wasn’t


    swaying these two. This was amon thing, Le and Jake head-on in subtle ways, always finding


    something to challenge one another over. It was just how they were.