Immersion (Magnetic Desires) Read online

  "Huh?"

  My feet shuffled forward of their own accord. "Do you know how sexy you are, looking at me like that?"

  "Oh." By the sly grin and the way she batted her eyelashes, it appeared she knew exactly what she was doing. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Did you think you owned all the moves, big boy?"

  I gawked at her. Every day with her made the connection between us that much more. For the first time, I had doubts about my ability to win this bet that was anything but a game to me. Yes, it was clear her affection for me was growing, but would it be enough? "Come along, my sweet fiancé, we have a fun day ahead of us, and I’d hate to waste a minute."

  She slapped my arm as she strutted past me, putting a little extra swing in her hips. "It’s never going to happen, Leo."

  Sure it was. She couldn’t hide the way she responded to me, or that her annoyance had swung to a more affectionate manner. It was time to take the game up a notch.

  Lola

  I poured myself onto a stool at the bar and waited for Leo. We'd filled the entire day with snorkeling and swimming in Half Moon’s perfect blue waters. Fish in vibrant colors had swum in the clear waters, and Leo had pointed things out as we swam hand in hand. A loggerhead sea turtle had passed beneath us, and I’d reached out to touch its hard shell. It had been an amazing experience, but the sun and hours of being in the water had left me mellow and a little tired.

  I grinned at Norah as she came over to me. "Can I get a drink?"

  "Sure honey, what would you like?" She flipped the cloth she’d been using to clean with onto her shoulder.

  "I don’t know. Something tropical like this vacation. Surprise me."

  Norah put ingredients into a blender and poured the creamy liquid into a glass. "Pina Colada for you." She placed it in front of me and filled up a pint with a dark amber beer. "And for Leo."

  "This is... are you trying to get me drunk?" One sip and I pointed at the glass, giving her my best flirty wink. "I may have fallen in love with you."

  "Now, now," Norah said. "You’ll upset Leo."

  "I will anyway." The glass left wet marks on the polished wood as I pushed it around in a circle.

  "I take it you’re not falling for his charm."

  "I…" I gulped. Honestly, I couldn’t help but fall for him. "I can’t give him what he wants."

  She leaned on the bar. "That’s a real shame. He deserves a girl who can keep him out of trouble."

  "That’s not me." I hid my thoughts in the pineapple and coconut taste of the Pina Colada. Trouble followed me, and this con deal, which was supposed to be my ticket to freedom, wasn’t working out as I’d expected either. "What kind of trouble?"

  "The day I met Leo, I knew he was running from ghosts." Another drink landed in front of me. "He got involved with the wrong woman. Someone else's woman because he couldn't say no to her. She… shit! I don't know how much I should be telling you."

  "Go on. I'm not going to say anything."

  "I'm telling you this only because I think you're good for the boy." She took to scrubbing the paneling with gusto. "He wanted her to leave... the other guy” —an odd look crossed her face—“but she was pregnant and certain it wasn't Leo's. The day she died they fought, she bolted onto the road, and got taken out by a car. It took me the entire time he worked on this ship to get him to let go of the guilt."

  My heart ached a little. It wouldn’t have been easy to come back from. Knowing he’d hurt for years made the guilt rise up inside me. This game, as fun as it was, had to end. Leo had fallen for me at that first meeting. He’d made it abundantly clear, and every minute we spent together had to be making it worse. My gaze blurred, and I wiped my finger under my eye to gather the moisture there. If the thought of walking away was already ripping at my emotions, then how much worse would it be for him when it was over?

  Sipping at my fresh drink, I focused back on my conversation with Norah. There was one thing I couldn’t discern from what she had told me. "Isn’t it weird he turned into the man everyone says yes to?

  "I guess it was one way for him to make sure he didn’t find himself in that situation again. But you know what I think is funny?"

  I raised an eyebrow and tapped my fingers on the stem of the glass. "Not a mind reader."

  "He went from saying yes, to having everyone say yes to him, to the only one he wants is the one saying no."

  "I’m not sure I get it." I put my drink down and fell off the stool.

  "Falling for me already?" Leo who had appeared while I’d been busy talking to Norah raised an eyebrow and scooped me up off the floor. "Norah, are you trying to get her drunk?"

  "I’m not drunk." My head against his shoulder, I breathed in the spicy currant and chocolate cologne he wore. "Tired, maybe a little tipsy, but not drunk." I ran a finger over the line of his jaw and down his throat before nibbling at the spot where both met.

  A growl reverberated through his chest and he stifled it as I slid my fingers between the buttons on his shirt and plucked at the hairs on his pecs.

  "If you want to go to dinner you better stop," he groaned.

  "Big boy, I don’t want dinner. I want you." The buttons on his shirt were a temptation I couldn't resist plucking at.

  Catching his quick glance at Norah, I followed his gaze and watched her flip her palms up with a small smirk before moving to the other end of the bar. One button surrendered to my fingers. "It looks like she's deserted you to your fate, lover."

  "How many drinks did you have?" The caress of his lips to my ear tickled and added to my impatience.

  "Only two." I held up two fingers. "I’m not drunk. The alcohol hit me, that’s all."

  He pressed me up against the bar, trapping me with his hands. "You’re tempting me, sweetheart. I want to take you to my cabin and strip you bare, but I’m not sure that’s what you really want."

  "What do I have to do to convince you?" I slid my hand between us and cupped his cock, squeezing the already hard length.

  It jerked in my hand and he hissed through his teeth, "Damn, Lola. If you want to do this, then I’m happy to oblige."

  Taking my hand in his, he hustled me into the elevator. "You’re this close to falling in love with me. You know that, right?" He squeezed his fingers together in front of my face.

  "Don’t be ridiculous. I want your body. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten laid."

  "You keep telling yourself that, but I see you. You want more."

  The wall was at my back and he leaned into me. Callused fingers trailed their way from my knee up. "I don’t want to hurt you when I leave you at the end of this, Leo. You’re a good man, but it can’t be any more than it is. Can we just have tonight without making it into something it’s not?"

  He froze with his hand inches from where I wanted it. I could feel the heat of his palm on my thigh and the tickle of his breath on my neck. The intensity of my need to be taken against the wall of the damn elevator bubbled up in a frustrated scream that stuck in my throat. My fingers itched to run along the creases in his brow, to smooth out the lines my words created. All belief I wouldn’t hurt him too much in the end vanished as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. A sinking feeling filled my chest as he snatched his hand away. His face a complex mask, he turned his back on me, pressed a button, and leaned against the opposite wall.

  "What are we doing?"

  He adjusted the bulge in his pants and shoved his hand through his hair. "I’m taking you back to your cabin."

  "Are you," a weight settled in my gut, "coming in?"

  "No, Lola, I’m not," he said, his voice filled with resignation.

  The doors slid open and I stepped into the corridor. He didn’t follow.

  I turned back. "Will I see you tomorrow?" My chest seemed to hollow out, and I clamped down on my lip to keep the feeling at bay.

  The door banged repeatedly against his hand. "I have to work."

  "So, the day after then?"

 
"I don’t know." He took his hand off the door, and they slid shut in my face.

  Chapter Seven

  Leo

  I knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. Keeping my distance from her was excruciating, but I’d wanted to give her the chance to miss how we were together. Two days wasn’t long, but in this game, it was all I could afford. Besides, I was going damn near crazy with the way I couldn’t get her out of my thoughts, and I’d smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. Staying away from her wasn’t helping my efforts to quit.

  The door swung open and she stood on the other side in a men’s business shirt and nothing else. A growl tore through my chest and filled the silence between us, as I pushed into her room expecting to find she’d found someone else.

  "Leo?"

  I turned back to her. "Damn, sweetheart. Where’d you get that shirt?"

  "This?" She fidgeted with the collar. "I bought it. It’s comfortable."

  "It’s sexy as hell." I grabbed her hips and pulled her into my arms. The shirt rode up her thighs when she reached up on tiptoe. Bare flesh beneath the hem filled my hands and made me wonder if she was wearing panties. "Do you answer the door like that often?"

  "I knew it was you." A flash of a smile accompanied the graceful move of her arms around my neck.

  Sucking in a breath, I tried to ignore the effect having her so close had on me. "How?"

  "Who else would it be? I’m on this ship alone, and I’ve spent all my time with you."

  "Except the last two days."

  "I don’t want to talk about that." How quickly her smile dropped, when faced with our time apart.

  "Why?" I ran my hand over her silken hair and around to her jaw, lifting her face to mine. "Would you have to tell me how much you missed me? How you couldn’t stop thinking about me, and how it’s killing you to keep playing this game, when all you want is to give in."

  She gasped. Those expressive eyes gave her away, and I took the opportunity to drive home my point by seeking out her lips, nibbling and nipping at them until she opened to me. Exploring her mouth with sweeping caresses that left her knees trembling, I took what I wanted, feeling the fire of her seep into my every nerve ending. When I hauled her up, she tangled around me, her hands in my hair and her legs encompassing my hips while she dominated me, pushing me past reason. My cock pulsed, and my balls, already aching from every teasing moment before this, felt like they would explode if I didn’t get inside her. The silk thong she wore was no obstacle to what we both wanted. With one yank, it tore free, and I sunk a finger inside her. "You’re so wet. You want me so fucking bad."

  "You want this too." With each kiss and nip she delivered, heat spread under my skin. More fabric ripped in our haste to get naked and a couple of buttons pinged as they bounced off the wall. Pinpricks of sensation from her teeth graced my jaw, throat, and shoulders. The buttons on her shirt gave way to my insistent fingers, and with her thighs locked around me, she dropped what was left of my shirt to the floor.

  "Tell me you want me, sweetheart." Cupping her pert tits with my hands, we crashed against the wall.

  “I want you, okay. I want you. Now shut up and fuck me."

  Her hands were on my belt. I couldn’t even fathom how she was undressing me while still in my arms, but her words were truth. It was in her eyes and in how frantic she was to have me inside her. One hand against the wall to balance us, I cupped her breast with the other. The nipple peaked into a tight hard point under my palm and my mouth watered. I bent to suck it between my teeth as she finally slipped my belt free. Salt and ocean air flavored her skin, and I swept my tongue over her breast, savoring it.

  Undoing my pants, she managed to slide her hand into my boxers and wrap it around my erection. "Damn, Lola, you have moves I’ve never seen."

  "Do you have a condom?" The squeeze and stroke of her palm around my cock had me close to exploding.

  Rifling through my pocket, I produced what she wanted, and she tore at the foil square with her teeth while she pulled my cock free from my boxers.

  "Should I put you down?" I loathed the idea of letting her go.

  She nodded and I let her slide down a little. Feeling her arousal and the heat of her when my cock nudged at her slit, I groaned. "I don’t want to move."

  The tip of my erection sank between her folds and she squirmed to pull me in further. She was so fucking hot, her pussy working to pull me inside. My hips bucked forward of their own accord pushing me into her another inch. A sexy little moan poured from her parted lips while she clung to me, her pelvis rocking as my cock twitched, on the precipice of losing control.

  "Condom, Lola. Damn it, we need the condom."

  I slid out of her and set her on her feet, though it took all my strength to do so. The seconds between being inside her and the moment she got that bit of latex rolled over my shaft were too long. Lifting her up again, I sunk deep inside her and instinct took over. Her back pressed into the wall, our mouths tore at each other, while I thrust into her with a wild urgency, blocking out everything but the tightness of her pussy around me and the bruising desperation of our mouths. Whimpers turned into sobs while her channel gripped my cock, each thrust into her heat making my loins tighten with the need for release. Eyelids half closed in ecstasy, she threw back her head.

  "You feel so damn good. I’m not going to last," I growled between clenched teeth.

  A feral sound escaped her and she shuddered in my arms. Her legs clenched around me. "Now, Leo, now."

  I let go, possessing her body. My hips smashed into hers as her head banged against the wall until I released. On rubbery legs, I carried her limp, sweat slicked body to the bed and collapsed beside her. She lay beside me, her eyes wide, and ran her hand over my chest and down my abs to clasp my cock. "I can see why other girls can’t say no to you."

  "You still are?"

  Creases formed in the covers from her fingers picking at them. "This isn’t as simple as you make it out to be."

  "It is for me." On my side, I caressed the side of her face until she glanced at me. "I know what I want. I have since the moment I saw you. It’s that simple."

  "Not for me," she snapped, her eyes watering. She rose from the bed and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  Lola

  "Are you still here?" I glanced around my cabin to find it empty. Tucking the towel more firmly around me, I rifled through my suitcase for something to wear. My life was fucked up, and I didn’t know what to do about it. The two days I hadn’t seen him had turned me into a hot mess. A fog had fallen over me and left me wanting to hide in my room, or worse, go to him, because when I was with him I didn’t feel like this. In fact, I didn’t feel normal at all. He brought light into the darkness I’d lived in for so long.

  When he’d shown up at my door, my heart had leapt at knowing he hadn’t given up on me, that he still wanted me. I’d hoped sex would take the edge off, but instead it had only served to make me want him more. Admitting the truth to myself was hard. Despite everything I had on the line, I’d gone ahead and fallen for the man who was my ticket to freedom. Heaven help me if he worked it out.

  Getting dressed, I pondered what to do about it. Leo had the money I needed. Walking away meant I wouldn’t have to tell him about my sordid past or the fact I’d set out to con him, but my heart ached at the thought of leaving him. If I did, I would regret it for the rest of my life. He’d been right about us. We were meant to be together, and the more I fought it the harder it became not to give in. But, if I told him about Brady and the money, he’d hate me. Either way I would hurt him and myself. There was only one thing I could do.

  I stuffed my feet into flats and grabbed my purse. Locking the door behind me, I made my way to Stag to see Norah.

  ***

  "Hey, honey, what are you doing in here?" Norah asked as I slumped into a stool. "Do you want a drink?"

  "Ten would be good. You’re choice."

  She poured vodka into a glass and
topped it with raspberries, lime, and lemonade. "So what happened?"

  "Everything."

  "Leo?"

  "Especially him," I mumbled into the rim of the glass.

  "So you’ve gone and fallen for him."

  I choked on the tart raspberry. "Is it obvious?"

  "To me, yes it is." Norah ran the cloth she carried over the surface of the bar. "To him? No, you’re safe for now."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Because, he was in here before you. Do you plan to keep drinking, or do you want to go find your man and put him out of his misery?"

  "I can’t." The edge of the bar captured my attention and I scratched at it. "I can’t give in to him, and even if I did… he’d hate me afterward."

  "I don’t believe that." Norah took the glass away before I could finish my drink. "He’s mad about you."

  "He doesn’t know me," I whispered.

  She patted my hand. "Try him, you might be surprised."

  I nodded and hopped off the stool, grabbing my purse. "I’ll think about it."

  "Any time you need an ear. I’m here," she called as I walked out of the bar.

  Chapter Eight

  Leo

  "Good morning, gorgeous." As she exited her cabin, I pushed the Starbucks cup into her hand.

  Cupping it between both hands, she raised an eyebrow. "I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you today."

  My hand on the small of her back, I guided her to the elevator. "I don’t give up easily. We still have time."

  "I’ve resisted your charms so far."

  "Keep telling yourself that." I crossed my arms and smirked. "It’s only going to make it that much better when you admit you want more than my sex moves."

  "So, Ocho Rios?"

  "Yeah, I thought we’d check out the market. Soak in some culture."

  "Buy art." She stuck out her tongue.

  "Yes, buy art." I snuggled her into my side. "Though, the most beautiful piece of art is right here. So maybe we should skip it."

  "No, let’s find you a piece of art you can cuddle up to when I’m gone." The elevator doors slid open and she disentangled herself, stepping out before me.