One long Embrace Read online

  “It was very nice of you to pull him out,” he commented.

  She rolled her eyes. “Better that than having to listen to my mother’s complaints any longer.”

  Jay smiled at her and noticed how she shivered. He took off his tuxedo jacket. “Ah, yes, mothers have a way of annoying their children.” He tossed a knowing look at Mrs. Gilbert, who now stood face to face with her son, exchanging words with Paul with a clenched jaw. Jay took his jacket and put it around the young woman’s shoulders. “Here.”

  “Thank you.”

  She took another sip and ran her eyes over him. Slowly. The way she licked her lips at the same time gave him a little, not at all unpleasant, jolt. Suddenly he was the one shivering.

  “What are you doing after your shift?”

  “My shift?”

  She sighed. “Yes, when you’re done working here. I can’t wait to get away from all these arrogant rich people.”

  At her words, his mind instantly went into overdrive. She wanted to get away from these arrogant rich people? Wasn’t she part of the same society? He looked at her. Everything about her suggested that she belonged here. So why did she want to leave an event where she was among her peers? Could it mean that money meant nothing to her? That in fact she’d rather go out on a date with a waiter than any of the rich bachelors at this party? Interesting.

  He let his eyes wander over her body, taking in her curves without haste. Strong shoulders and arms. Small, but pert breasts. Slender, but strong thighs. And the most gorgeous toes he’d ever seen. She was young, maybe even eight to ten years younger than he. Maybe even too young for him. But at this moment he didn’t care. Neither did his cock, which started stirring beneath his tuxedo pants.

  She was positively delectable. But that wasn’t even the best of it. She was willing to go out with a poor waiter. Well, actually somebody she thought was a poor waiter. And what was the harm in pretending to be poor? It would be worse if he did the opposite. This could be a golden opportunity—to get to know a woman without her being blinded by his money.

  “No plans. But I’m open to suggestions.” Jay lifted his gaze to her eyes and added, “Or if you prefer, I could come up with some suggestions.” He had plenty of those. And judging by the look she gave him now, she would be game for all of them.

  “That works too.” She set the empty glass back on the tray, her cheeks rosy now. “I’m Tara.”

  “I’m Jay.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice, knowing that his southern accent was more pronounced now. It always was when he was flirting—or aroused. And right now he was both.

  “And I’ll be your server tonight.”

  2

  The southern drawl did something to her. As did his warm breath that now ghosted over her face. Tara inhaled his scent, allowing it to ignite something primal in her. She’d never been one to proposition a man so blatantly, but tonight she’d just about had it with polite society and was ready to escape its clutches.

  Polite? Yeah, right! Was it polite for a married man, like Paul’s brother-in-law Quentin, to make a pass at her, while his pregnant wife was taking care of their three-year-old boy? Tara didn’t think so. And that wasn’t the only thing that had happened today. Shortly after extricating herself as swiftly as possible from Quentin’s advances, her parents had cornered her and read her the riot act.

  Why hadn’t she done more to win Paul’s affection? Her parents hadn’t liked her answer. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Paul, in fact he’d turned out to be a really nice guy, but first of all he was totally smitten with Holly, and secondly, Tara had no romantic feelings for him.

  “But he’s the perfect man!” her mother had protested.

  “I don’t care if he’s the only man! I don’t love Paul and he doesn’t love me!”

  “That’s immaterial!” her mother had shouted. “You need to marry the right kind of man.”

  “The right kind? Didn’t you mean to say rich?” She’d pivoted, ready to leave. But her father had snatched her elbow and jerked her back.

  “You, young lady, will listen to your mother and me! You’ve annoyed us long enough with your ideas of a career and independence. No more!” He raised a finger. “If you don’t find a suitable man within the next six months, I’ll find one for you. Do we understand each other?”

  Tara was still reeling from her parents’ medieval expectations. She would present them with a suitable man. One she found suitable. And right now, as she swept her gaze over the handsome waiter, she found him more than suitable. He was positively perfect: handsome, flirty, and working class. And most likely lots of fun in bed.

  At that thought she shivered again, and this time not because of her soaked dress. She wasn’t exactly the most experienced young woman. Despite the fact that she was turning twenty-five soon, she’d only had three lovers in her life. Somehow she knew Jay had a lot more experience, and not only because he was a few years older than her—in his early to mid-thirties, she guessed. Maybe he could teach her a few things and help her be more exciting and experienced in bed. And even if she couldn’t learn anything from him—even if her secret fear was true and she just had no talent when it came to sex—what did it matter?

  All that mattered was that by dating him, she would royally piss off her parents, and that was all she cared about right now. To stick it to them! To stand her ground and not cave into their demands like her older sister had.

  No, she wouldn’t make the same mistake. If she ever got married—and that was a big if—then it would be to a man she truly loved, and not somebody her parents considered good husband material and with whom she could produce pretty babies.

  Involuntarily, she ran her eyes over Jay again. Short dark hair, strong brows, and a square chin, complemented by full lips, a straight nose, and chocolate brown eyes flecked with gold. Her parents would definitely find him unsuitable as a husband—purely based on his bank account, of course—but, oh boy, would they make beautiful babies.

  Tara bit her lip. Crap, she shouldn’t even be thinking something like this. All this was about was getting even with her parents.

  “Having second thoughts?” Jay’s voice suddenly pierced her thoughts.

  She lowered her lids by a fraction. “I’ll go upstairs and get changed into something dry. I’m a houseguest, you know. Anyway.”

  She didn’t know why she even mentioned that fact. Her parents had tricked her into accepting an invitation to spend a few days here; an invitation that had presumably come from Paul. They’d hoped that it would bring her and Paul closer. She’d grudgingly accepted, because the alternative had been even worse: spending a week with the Willamotts, whose son was creepy to say the least. The thought alone made her shudder.

  Taking a calming breath, she smiled at Jay. “Where do you want me to wait for you once the party is over?”

  He looked away and motioned to the crowd. “It appears the party is breaking up right now.”

  He was right: family members and members of the catering staff were now ushering people toward the exits. Clearly, after the embarrassing incident, the Gilberts had no intention of continuing to entertain the guests. And Tara couldn’t blame them. Whether there was any truth to what the drunk had spouted about Paul’s girlfriend didn’t even matter now. There would be vicious gossip.

  Jay pointed to the pool house. “I’ll be waiting for you over there when you’re ready.”

  “I’ll be quick.”

  Tara rose from the lounge chair and turned toward the house. But she only got two steps before she spotted her parents standing on the terrace, searching the crowd herding up the steps and into the house. For a second she froze.

  “Crap!” she cursed and swiveled.

  Jay still stood where she’d left him and arched a brow. “Forgot something?”

  “My parents. I can’t go in there now. They’ll catch me. We’ll have to leave now.”

  “But your clothes are wet,” Jay pointed out.

  “I don’t c
are. If I run into them now, this night will be a bust, and they’ll drag me home with them.” And probably right to the Willamotts to switch gears now that a match with Paul was out of the question. “And then I might just have to kill somebody.” Because having to listen to another word her mother said on the subject of marriageable men could result in Tara finally snapping.

  Jay put an arm around her back and pulled her to him. “Well, we can’t have that.” His voice was calm and soothing, just what she needed right now. Despite her wet clothes, heat pooled in her belly and spread to her extremities.

  He tilted his head toward the beach area. “Let’s go out that way. I’m staying not far from here. It’s just a short walk.”

  “Are you sure you can leave already? What about your shift?”

  Jay shook his head. “With all the chaos nobody is going to notice that I’m gone, so don’t worry about it.”

  He steered her toward a path that led past the pool house. Behind the bushes, it opened up to the beach. It was darker here; only a little light from the houses lining this stretch of sand filtered through, reflecting on the water.

  Instinctively, she hesitated. She knew nothing about this man, and now she was walking along a dark shoreline with him. What if he was a psycho? Her shoulders pulled up, and she shivered.

  “You must be freezing,” he suddenly said, and pulled her into his arms.

  She found herself pressed against his warm body, his jacket still slung over her shoulders, hands rubbing her back, his masculine scent filling her nostrils.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the house and put something dry on?” Jay asked softly.

  Tara raised her head and looked up at him. He sounded so full of concern for her, so intent on making sure she was comfortable that she instantly dismissed her earlier thoughts. Instead, she raised herself on her toes, realizing only now that she’d left her shoes at the pool, and brought her face close to his.

  “That wouldn’t by chance be an invitation to kiss you, would it?” he murmured and lowered his lips to within less than an inch of hers.

  “What if it is?”

  “My mama taught me never to decline an invitation made by a beautiful woman.”

  His lips were warm and soft. Tender. Caressing, instead of demanding. Gentle and coaxing. He didn’t just take. He made her want to give. He was patient and sweet, almost hesitant. Only when she parted her lips and licked her tongue over the seam of his mouth, did he intensify his kiss. When his tongue finally lapped against hers, a bolt of electricity charged through her, and her fingers curled into his shirt.

  A moment later, his mouth was gone, and the cool sea breeze blew against her heated lips. As if it had all been a dream.

  But it hadn’t, because she noticed how Jay let out a ragged breath. “Easy, Tara, or we’re not even going to make it to my boat.”

  She stiffened. “Your boat?” He had a boat? What waiter owned a boat?

  “I mean, it’s not mine, really. I’m just living on it for the summer… uh, while I’m working in the Hamptons. It’s cheaper than renting an apartment.” He sounded embarrassed about it, apologetic even.

  Relieved, Tara smiled at him. For a second she’d thought he actually owned a boat, which would have totally disqualified him as a suitable man for her purposes. “That’s cool. I like boats.”

  3

  That had been close!

  Jay mentally shook his head. He’d almost blown his hastily constructed cover. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. But the shocked expression on Tara’s face when she’d thought he owned a boat hadn’t escaped him. She’d been ready to bolt. Clearly, she didn’t want to have anything to do with a rich guy, at least not at the moment. However, after the tender kiss that would have quickly spiraled out of control had he not stopped it, he knew he wasn’t ready to let her go.

  She was something very special. A woman who didn’t seem to care whether her dress was ruined because she was more concerned about the safety of a drunk man who would have drowned had she not saved him. She’d been the only one to act while her peers had stood by in silence, more interested in watching a scandal unfold. Tara was different. And he liked that. Admired her for it.

  He tightened his arm around her waist and steered her toward the boat dock, which was only a couple of hundred yards farther down the inlet.

  “Let’s get you into the warmth.”

  And get those wet clothes off you. He didn’t have to say it. It was implied. Oddly enough, right now he wished it were different. He wished she were wearing dry clothes so it wouldn’t be necessary to get her undressed immediately. Because he knew that once he saw her in only her bra and panties, he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of keeping his hands to himself. And while that normally wouldn’t bother him, he didn’t want to start things off on the wrong foot with her. He didn’t want to come across as an opportunist who took advantage of her.

  But she propositioned you.

  True, but somehow Tara didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who made a habit of picking up strangers.

  “How long have you been living on the boat?” she suddenly asked.

  “Only since the beginning of the summer.”

  “There must be quite a lot of parties in the area where you can work.”

  He hadn’t planned on dishing up more lies, but he really had no choice. “Fewer than you think.”

  He pointed to the boat dock, where his sixty foot yacht was docked. It was a new prototype, a sleek vessel that ran on an ultra-efficient engine. The boat’s hydrodynamic shape made it glide in the water like a dolphin. This was the fastest yacht he’d ever built. Potential buyers were already lining up to put their orders in.

  “That’s not a boat! It’s a ship!” Tara let out, clearly surprised.

  “Well, it’s bigger than some of the other boats around here, I guess.”

  She tossed him a curious look, easing out of his hold. “No way is the rent of this cheaper than an apartment!”

  Jay rubbed a hand over his nape. “Well, I’m not actually renting it.” Crap, how was he going to come up with an explanation Tara would find believable?

  “Then what?”

  “Uh…”

  Her eyebrows snapped together. “You’re squatting?”

  Jay couldn’t stop the laugh that now burst from his lips. “Squatting?” he pressed out between fits of laughter. His eyes began to tear.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You! Thinking I’m a squatter.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “And you know what? I’ve got the sneaky suspicion that had I said yes, you would still come on board with me.” He pulled her to him. “Am I right?” he whispered and brushed his lips along her cheek. He felt her tremble in his arms and wasn’t sure whether it was from being cold or from his nearness.

  “But you’re not squatting?” she asked softly without pulling away from him.

  “No, my boss is letting me live on his boat.” Well, technically that was true. Jay was the boss, and he allowed himself to live on it.

  “You mean the Gilberts? That’s not their boat.”

  Jay drew back his head and met her eyes. Tara was sharp. He would have to be careful with her so he didn’t trip himself up. “No, not the Gilberts. I only do the catering gigs part-time. I work in construction during the day.”

  It had just come to him. And it was the perfect cover.

  “Construction? Like what?”

  “This guy is renovating a huge old house on the outskirts of Montauk. Actually, it’s almost in Amagansett. I’m working there as a contractor for the summer.” Not exactly true. But he did have to go to the house he’d bought a short while ago and occasionally check up on the progress of the renovation work.

  Jay motioned to the removable plastic steps that stood on the dock. “You wanna come in?”

  “My mama taught me never to accept an invitation from a handsome man I don’t know,” Tara answered, using his own words with a sli
ght, but significant alteration. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “I have the feeling you don’t always do what your mother tells you.”

  There was a flicker in her eyes that looked like pain. But it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “Especially not when it concerns handsome men,” she answered in a light tone, as if trying to hide behind her cheerfulness.

  Jay noticed it nevertheless. Something was bothering Tara.

  “Well, in that case, I think it might be wise to go on board, before somebody discovers you out here with me.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he helped her on deck and ushered her inside as soon as he’d unlocked the door. He flipped the light switch, flooding the main cabin with warm light. It served as a living area.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” Tara said, turning on her axis, while she shrugged off his jacket and placed it over the backrest of the large built-in sectional.

  “Yes, absolutely stunning,” Jay replied, his eyes glued to her exquisite body. The dress was still damp, still clinging to her curves. She looked tantalizing in her vulnerability.

  Their eyes met, and she quickly dropped her lids as if embarrassed by his open admiration.

  Slowly, Jay approached her. She didn’t move, only stood there motionless. When he reached her, he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. The blue of her irises was vibrant and intoxicating.

  “I should let you get changed by yourself,” he murmured.

  “Why?” Her voice sounded so innocent. Yes, she was innocent and vulnerable, even if she tried to hide it by pretending to be a seductress. It was written in her open gaze. She was no spoilt rich brat out to slum it with a waiter. She was a woman who needed somebody who would understand her.

  With his thumb he caressed her lower lip, watching her nostrils flare with awareness.

  “I don’t want to behave like a caveman.”

  And right now that was exactly how it would be. His cock was straining against his tuxedo pants, rigid and ready to burst. If he touched her now, he’d be inside her in thirty seconds flat. Another thirty seconds later, it would all be over. Because a few thrusts was all it would take to make him come.