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“What are you doing?” she squealed as he held her just above the water. The heat from his slick body burned through her clothing, an impossible juxtaposition of hot and cold. “Put me down!” she demanded.
He lifted an eyebrow, nodded his head toward the bubbly water. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“No!” In a turnaround, she grasped him tightly, only because she didn’t want to fall into the water, of course. It had nothing to do with that magnificent body of his. “Is this your way of getting back at me?”
His grin was wide, wicked and far too tempting. Almost as much as the man. Yet she wouldn’t let him steal control. “Your schemes aren’t going to work. Take me to the side now.”
“You don’t seem to be struggling too much,” he pointed out as she clung to him even tighter. “You seem to be rather comfortable.”
Far more than she would ever admit. “Of course not! Do you think I want to fall in the pool?”
“So that’s the only reason?”
“Obviously,” she sniffed.
With a big grin, he deposited her on the rickety bench. The wet wood was hard under her thighs, but not nearly as hard as the man whose arms remained around her waist. As heat sizzled, Dara fought the urge to jump in with him. “That was–”
She never got to finish the sentence. Because at that moment a ball came sailing through the air, hitting the target.
The bench under her disappeared.
Dara screamed as she splashed into the water. She shot up, sputtering and flapping and flailing her arms. “Let me help you,” a deep voice rumbled above her, and suddenly she was captured against a muscular body she knew all too well. Fire blazed in his eyes, and all feelings save one disappeared:
Pure desire.
If it had been difficult to hide her attraction from a distance, it was impossible with near-transparent clothing clinging to every curve and angle. She wanted to push into him, to kiss him, to touch him, to do so much more than that. It wasn’t just about physical desire, although there was enough to power the sun, but so much more. This had been retaliation, but not in the way he’d imagined.
“Are you all right? I never meant for you to actually fall in.” He looked back to where a gaggle of young kids were giggling. One of them had thrown a ball at the target, where it landed perfectly. “Of course, they say all’s fair in…”
“Baseball,” she quickly broke in, interrupting the traditional ending to the quote. She couldn’t go there, not with him, not now, not ever. She took a breath, fought to keep her desire in check. “I’m fine.”
Under her, corded muscles tightened, and his eyes burned with unmistakable desire. Why was it so difficult to keep away from him? She shivered as he reached around her waist and lifted her onto the platform.
With an audience of hundreds, she didn’t have time to contemplate her actions. She plastered a smile on her face and waved to the crowds as she stepped forward and carefully descended the stairs. Behind her, Jason’s large presence loomed, but she didn’t dare look back. She might push him back into the water and jump in with him.
Someone handed her a towel, and she wrapped it around herself, as the all-encompassing urge to escape fired. Why shouldn’t she leave? She couldn’t go to the dance with soaking wet clothing, and she didn’t have a spare outfit. Thus she kept on walking past the crowd, keeping her eyes straight and her expression neutral.
“Good job everyone!” Jason’s voice sounded behind her. “We’ll see you at the dance.” Seconds later, a large presence came behind her. Then, a hand on her wrist, gently but firmly stopping her. “You’re not trying to escape, are you?”
Dara pivoted. “I have to go. I’ll call for a ride.”
“You’re actually leaving?” He frowned. “What about the dance?”
She wanted nothing more than to dance with the handsome ballplayer under the stars, contemplating a relationship that could never be. It made it even more vital that she leave. “I’m soaked, and I don’t have any extra clothing.”
“You do now.” He handed her a small brown package wrapped with sunshine yellow ribbon and scented with lilies. “I saw this at a vendor booth and asked one of the assistants to grab it for me. Of course, I didn’t intend for you to get soaked, but I thought you might get splashed.”
So that’s what he’d texted when he found out about the dunk tank. “Jason, I can’t accept this.” She lifted her chin. She had to remain strong. “This isn’t a good idea. Things are getting complicated.”
“You can’t miss the dance.” He glanced to the sides, then reached out and caressed her cheek. “Complicated doesn’t have to be bad,” he murmured.
She should care that they were in public, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to back away. She closed her eyes, opened them to a gaze with endless meaning. She fought raw emotion. “I’ll stay because it’s my job. But just because we’re pretending to be dating doesn’t mean we are.”
He ducked his head, but satisfaction burned. “I’ll see you at the dance.”
Dara nodded, then turned and walked away. The words still drifted in the air, not only what he said, but what he didn’t say.
How long could she safeguard her heart?
