Take Me If You Dare by Candace Havens Page B

her towel down on the large two-person lounger, she sat down on the right side of it and brushed the sand from her feet. “I think my eyes were way bigger than my stomach. I shouldn’t have eaten that fifth pancake. I’m going to finish drying off and start on my tan.” She laughed.
    Jackson followed her actions and stretched out beside her. After a few seconds he sat up, and reached over and kissed her long and hard.
    “Mmm,” she said against his lips. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
    Jackson stretched out again. “Me, too.” He meant it. Though he still worried that spending time together wasn’t the best idea for either of them, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
    Besides, the pirate wench had captured his heart, and he wasn’t quite ready to leave it with her yet.

10
     
    M ARISKA SAT STRAIGHT up in bed, panicked in the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a few seconds to remember she was in the villa at the resort. Only a tiny bit of light filtered through the filmy curtains. The room was dark otherwise.
    Jackson wasn’t in the bed with her, and uneasiness skittered across her skin. “Jackson?” He didn’t answer. She listened for the running water, but he wasn’t in the shower. She fumbled on the side table until she found a lamp. Blinking a few times, her eyes eventually focused. She glanced down to see she was still in her bikini.
    Sliding her feet off the side, she went in search of the man. There was a small desk in the corner where she found a note.
Checking out the grounds and amenities. Will be back in time for dinner. I made reservations at the restaurant for nine to give you time to rest. There’s also a snack for you inside the fridge.
     
    “I love that he always thinks of everything.” Mariska smiled and stretched. Her skin was tight and smelledlike the ocean. She must have passed out on the lounger and Jackson put her to bed. The jet lag and their adventures the last twenty-four hours had finally caught up with her.
    “Idiot. You wasted a whole afternoon sleeping.” She chided herself. Recalling their time in the water, her body shivered with pleasure. There were so many things she wanted to do with him, and to him.
    Remembering how his hand had slipped over her nipple, her body tingled. She gave a happy sigh. She’d never come so fast in her life as she did in that ocean. Knowing she could bring him to orgasm equally as fast made her feel powerful.
    At the time she thought it funny that they could be so passionate and then be friendly sitting on the beach eating breakfast. In some ways he seemed so dark and mysterious, and in others he was accessible and kind.
    As good as she was at reading people, she never could quite get a fix on him. The man was restless, and she could tell he never stayed in one place too long, which meant the most she could expect out of him was a couple of days. Something told her that he’d been more worried about those men being after him than her. That meant he might be in some kind of trouble.
    They might part ways soon but that made her even more determined to make the hours, and if she was lucky, days, she had with him memorable.
    A small grumble in her stomach sent her to the fridge where she found a tiny bottle of champagne and some chocolate-covered strawberries. The man absolutely nailed the way to her heart. Popping the cork on thechampagne, she filled one of the glasses he left on the counter. Biting down on the strawberry, she savored the mix of chocolate sweetness and the tart juice as they slid across her tongue.
    Finding her watch in her bag, she saw that it was nearing seven. That gave her plenty of time to get ready.
    Jackson’s bag was under the counter near the fridge and she was tempted to snoop. Her nosy disposition was the one thing she had inherited from her mother. As she was about to reach down, she made herself stop; whatever she found wouldn’t change how she felt about him. And how much did she really need to know