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  “I was going to miss it if I waited out the damned shark. So I maneuvered onto my stomach and started paddling.”

  “Holy shit,” Hunt muttered, and Ty’s eyebrows were raised.

  “And the shark was interested, because he followed me for a while, closer once I caught the swell. I was halfway between checking that he didn’t get under my board and watching to make sure I caught the swell at the sweet spot.”

  “Don’t stop now, surfer girl,” Ty urged.

  She’d forgotten how a good shark story could liven up a room, especially when being told to a group of non-surfers. “The shark was moving faster, and I wasn’t sure if it was the current or if it was trying to keep up with me, like it was trying to play a game.” She paused. “One of the best rides of my life. I rode out the tube like nobody’s business.”

  “And the shark?” Ty asked.

  “He followed me in the tube for a while, like he’d caught the perfect ride, too. I concentrated on not wiping out. And by the time I got to the end, no more fin.” She smiled. “I got the tattoo that night, in it’s honor. If it wasn’t for the shark, I’m not sure the ride would’ve been half the high it was, trophy or no trophy.”

  Ty laughed and Hunt nodded, as if he understood the term adrenaline rush all too well.

  “You’re not telling that shark story again, are you?” Sam asked from over her shoulder. Carly quickly introduced Ty to her best friend. “You can call me Sam, everyone does.”

  “I’m not everyone,” Ty said to her, and Carly looked back and saw the blush rise on Sam’s face. “And I think it’s time for a shot in that shark’s honor.”

  “I think it’s time for Carly to come dance with me,” Hunt spoke up, and looked pointedly at his brother. “Can I trust you here with Sam?”

  She heard her friend sigh quietly from behind her and murmur something about feeling circled herself, and Ty merely smiled.

  10

  “WAS THAT STORY TRUE?” Hunt already had his arms around Carly, swaying her to the low beat coursing through the sound system. He fought the urge to stop talking and start kissing, even though that’s all he’d wanted to do from the second he’d seen her walk into the bar. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes had that slightly glazed look, the look of someone who was having fun and wasn’t thinking too hard or too much.

  It looked good on her. Really good.“Are you accusing me of telling a fish tale?” She’d deflected his question with the ease of a trained professional, which he could appreciate.

  “Not at all,” he replied, and figured that it must’ve been some wave that rolled her if she could handle a tiger shark without losing it.

  “I might have forgotten to mention that that particular shark was kind of a regular out in that surfing spot. Kind of a hanger-on,” she admitted.

  “I can see how that would take away some of the story’s impact. Still, a damned good one.”

  “I’m sure you’ve got some tales of your own,” she said.

  Speaking of tales, he caught a glimpse of Cash heading toward the back exit with the redheaded woman in tow. That his teammate ditched their CO was somewhat surprising. Though Hunt hadn’t been sure which man to lay his bet on.

  Hunt also knew, from previous experience, that that particular door Cash exited led out to a private stretch of beach, and that Cash wasn’t going out there to talk. And since his friend’s track record of always picking a woman who was already spoken for was well known, Hunt had a feeling the night was going to be wilder than he’d intended.

  “I’ve got a few stories,” he admitted. “Half the time I’m lucky to come out with my ass, and the rest of me, intact. But so far it’s all worked out.”

  “That’s good to know,” she said.

  He felt a touch on his back, and turned to find one of the women he’d been talking to earlier smiling up at him as she passed by. He grinned and looked back at Carly. “Hey, I wasn’t sure you were going to show,” he said.

  “So you were preparing back-up?”

  “I was passing the time, not looking to get invited to any more weddings. I’m friendly.”

  “I noticed. And I wasn’t sure I was going to show up, either,” she said, a small smile curving her mouth.

  If he had his way, which he planned on, she’d be doing a lot more than smiling tonight.

  “But I figured we needed to get to know each other.”

  “That’s what I’m doing.” He pressed harder against her, trying to memorize every curve of her body with his own, noticing how well she fit next to him. He let his lips brush the lobe of her ear, felt her shiver despite the steam coming from the busy dance floor.

  “I meant for the party and the rehearsal dinner. And the wedding. The whole reason for this, remember? As in, get our stories straight so no one suspects.”

  “What’s there to suspect?”

  “That we’re not together,” she murmured, as he made sure they remained very much together for the time being, his arm around her waist, his other hand moving her hips against his in a way that was driving him crazy.

  “Let’s start by you telling me the end of the fantasy. That’s what I really need to know,” he said.

  “Nice try, but you made the deal, remember?”

  “I remember. Doesn’t matter. You’re going to spill all your intel soon, anyway.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “I’ll have to seduce it out of you. And trust me, I’m very well-versed in that art.” His thigh slipped between hers, giving a certain amount of pressure. He watched the flush rise on her cheeks.

  “Hunt, we’re in a public place.”

  “I know. How do you feel about that? Part of that secret fantasy?”

  It was beyond obvious how he felt about it, was lucky that brain damage didn’t result from his walking around with a hard-on for so long.

  “You’re impossible,” she whispered.

  “Figured you’d like that quality,” he said.

  “So, I was thinking,” she began in an attempt to regain control, but he wasn’t about to give away the upper hand that soon.

  “Thinking too much is something I try not to do when I’m on leave. Or dancing.”

  “Partial leave,” she reminded him. “I think you’ll like this, though. It’s about our deal.”

  “You pulling out?” he asked as he made sure his knee most decidedly did not pull out from its spot between her thighs. And she didn’t seem to be complaining.

  “Sweetening the pot,” she said.

  “Now that’s more like it.”

  “How about I give you the fantasy instead of the surf lessons?” she asked.

  Her voice held just the right amount of huskiness, the seductive hint of promise he’d been waiting for.

  Damn, that was an offer he’d be an idiot to refuse, and that was what she’d been banking on. Which was why he had to refuse and hope it didn’t backfire in his face, or else all he’d get out of this was a few boring parties and a surfboard. And really, he did want the sex. Needed the sex. Lots of it, and all of it with Carly. He and Carly on the surfboard.

  Pull it together and think. “You know, I’d love nothing better, but I made a bet with Cash that I could learn to surf faster than he could, and I’m not losing face on this one. I’ve got a pro on my side. You’re my ace in the hole.” He nuzzled her neck and prayed she bought it.

  “So that’s why Cash was trying to woo me away from you,” she said.

  “Among other reasons. But I’m going to win both anyway.” He paused. “Now, about that fantasy…”

  “Why don’t you tell me one of your fantasies instead?”

  “Carly, I have a lot of fantasies. And I wouldn’t mind playing all of them out with you, so say the word.” And yeah, he wanted her to say it right now, because she looked so good, smelled so good and she was so close—he wasn’t going to be able to control himself much longer.

  “WHY DO I HAVE A FEELING one of your fantasies is sex in a public place?” Carly
asked finally, before her imagination carried her too far away.

  His hand lingered on her waist, then caressed her lower back in small circles while his knee continued its slow grind. “Part of the thrill is wondering if you’re going to get caught. And I know you like thrills, or you wouldn’t have surfed for a living.”“I’m sure you’ve had your share of thrills. On and off the job,” she said, and he nodded slowly, let a grin tug at his mouth and pulled her in even closer.

  “You know as well as I do that the best part of the thrill begins here.” He pointed to her forehead. And he was right.

  “Besides, my job’s dangerous,” he said. “I try not to think about that aspect of it—I just do it. Same as you, probably. And I’d rather not talk about the job now, unless it’s the job I’m going to do for you,” he said.

  “Part of your job as my boyfriend of six months, your words, not mine, is to share your deepest, darkest secrets with me. So tell me one of your best stories.”

  “Most of them are classified,” he admitted. “And the ones that aren’t, you probably wouldn’t want to hear about.”

  “Try me.”

  “Ever parachuted?”

  “I’ve parasailed.”

  He shook his head, like it wasn’t the same thing at all. “Maybe I’ll take you for a nice jump out of a plane and tell you about the time I jumped and my chute didn’t open.”

  “What happened?”

  “I had to freefall until my CO caught up with me. We landed. The helo picked us back up and I made the jump again. Right back on the horse, like the saying goes.”

  “I think I’ll stick to water,” she said, blatantly ignoring his life’s lesson before realizing the irony in her own words. A quick glance toward the rolling ocean over his shoulder in the distance and she brought her gaze to his face. Because tonight, she didn’t want to think about surfing. She needed to get him to focus, and fast. “Hunt, we really do have work to do.”

  “In my experience, you’re better off giving as little information as possible. Less talk. Too much talking gets you into trouble. More action is the way to go.”

  “I know what kind of action you’re talking about,” she said. His hand threatened to travel lower and she didn’t have the desire to stop it.

  “I’m saying that if we continue acting like we’re together, it’ll be more effective than talking about it,” he said. “For instance, I’d much rather you show me that you can’t get enough of me in bed than talk about it.”

  “Yeah, like I’m going to say that to friends and family.”

  “You don’t have to—that part will come from me.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  His eyebrows raised. “I think we both know how well I take dares.”

  She did know. That and several other things about Hunt, like the fact that she’d met him less than forty-eight hours ago and had already come close to revealing things she hadn’t told anyone except her very best friend. She felt extremely comfortable, even content, in his arms.

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to admit that to herself. “I’ll come up with the cover story—we can work it out on the drive to the party next week.”

  “Okay with me,” he said.

  He was smiling again. His eyes were heavy-lidded and made her want to take off his shirt in the middle of the dance floor and explore every inch of his chest. And then she’d work on his jeans…. “You’re really good-looking, you know. I chose my stand-in well,” she said.

  “You didn’t choose me. I saved you. And now I find out that you only like me for my looks.”

  “Who said anything about needing to be saved? Or liking you?”

  “You liked me enough last night,” he murmured against her cheek. “If your moans were any indication, I bet you get louder during sex, don’t you? You don’t seem like you’d hold anything back in bed.”

  Carly couldn’t help but reach out and touch his cheek, then run her fingers along the strong line of his jaw. His lips curved in a grin and she didn’t want to think about surfing, or the water, or anything else anymore except the way his lips felt on hers. “Your house isn’t soundproofed, is it?”

  “That loud?”

  “I like to show my appreciation.”

  “I’d like to show mine, too. I’m hoping you’ll let me tonight,” he said.

  “You’re so sure I’ll spill my fantasy sooner than later, aren’t you?”

  “I have to be sure. There are only so many cold showers a man should be forced to take in a twenty-four-hour period.”

  “And how many have you taken?”

  “Let’s just say, I’ve reached my limit.” He kissed her then, hard enough to make her forget where they were or anything to do with weddings. She twined her hands in his hair as his tongue played against the roof of her mouth and then with hers. He deepened the kiss as she brought her arms around his shoulders. His thigh pushed between hers again, and when he grabbed her hips, she prayed that no one interrupted them anytime soon.

  11

  SAM SHIFTED IN HER seat at the bar, cursing the fact that she’d worn the low-cut tank top. Mostly, she was wishing she was home, tucked into bed. Safe and sound. Because there was nothing either safe or sound about Ty. Though Hunt’s brother was handsome, she wasn’t ready for this—not the bar, the loud music, and least of all, the conversation. She wasn’t ready for the newest chase, and Ty certainly made her feel like a conquest.

  She didn’t need another broken heart. Parting with Joe hadn’t come close to devastating her, but this man, with his bad boy swagger and promise of good times and seduction could slay her easily.When she’d wished for a wild man in her dreams the other night, she’d never expected one to come crashing into her life in vivid, tattooed color.

  Surely there were plenty of other women Ty could hit on. She’d let him off the hook and tell him, at the soonest opportunity, that he didn’t have to babysit her. And then she’d catch a cab home. Carly would understand.

  “So, Samantha, what do you do?” Ty leaned an elbow on the crowded bar, cordoning off an area for her where she wouldn’t be bumped. He’d moved her away from the guy she’d been speaking to earlier, gently but firmly, as if he already owned her. His focus was all raw energy and on her alone.

  “For a living?” she asked.

  “We could start there.”

  “I’m a teacher.” She took a long swig from her beer bottle, and her heart beat a tiny bit faster. She might have imagined it, but she could have sworn he’d moved closer to her.

  “Hot for teacher,” he said, caressing her forearm.

  “Like I’ve never heard that one before.”

  “Never from anyone like me. Want to take a ride on my bike?”

  “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.”

  Ty winked. “That’s good. I like virgins.”

  “Are you always this forward?”

  “Yes. Always. I go after what I want.”

  They all did, and she didn’t do one-night stands. It was the main reason she’d always gone with the more predictable relationships rather than the take-your-breath-away kind. She’d grown up watching her mother having her breath, and her heart, taken away at the same time. Sam firmly planned on traveling the opposite route.

  Boring, yes, but safe. And safe was good. “I’m sure you’ll find plenty of women around this place who want you.” She made a move to walk away, but he blocked her.

  “But I don’t want other women.”

  “Tonight you do.”

  “Hey, Samantha, wait.”

  “Cut the crap. I’ve dealt with bigger and badder than you. I’m having fun, but I’m not into your type, okay?”

  “What type is that?”

  “The love-’em-and-leave-’em type. The, I-want-you-so-bad-right-now-but-tomorrow-I-won’t-remember-your name type. So let’s forget this conversation and have a good time for Carly’s sake.”

  “I was trying to have a good time, sugar,” Ty pressed on, studying her face a
s if he was trying to get a deeper read on her. “You’re a tough one, aren’t you?”

  “Just because I didn’t fall for your lines doesn’t make me all that tough.” Especially as she’d been ready to succumb to his more-than-impressive charms.

  Idiot.

  She turned her back on him and threaded her way through the crowd, stopping to politely tell a man named Tiny, who had to be well over three hundred pounds, that she didn’t need another drink and, no, she didn’t want to dance.

  Ty caught up to her when she was almost out the door. “Where are you going?”

  “Just tell Carly I had to leave, okay? Make sure Hunt gets her home.”

  “You didn’t want to dance with Tiny?” he asked.

  “Not especially.”

  “He thinks you’re awfully cute.” He looked at her with those not-so-innocent eyes, and there was half an apology in his tone when he spoke next. “And so do I.”

  “I already told you—”

  “That you’re not into bad boys,” he finished. “But Samantha, I can be very good.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  “And it took you a whole ten minutes to catch on to that? I’m definitely losing my touch.”

  “I’m out of here before this goes any further.” Still, she couldn’t bring herself to take another step out the door. Despite his blatant come-ons, there was something appealing about his confidence. The way the come-on might’ve actually been more tongue in cheek than anything else. A way to get her to react, perhaps? It appealed to her wild, erotic fantasy-writing side.

  “Look, if you stay, I’ll try and behave,” he said.

  She knew full-well he had no intention of behaving. By the look he gave her, he knew she knew it, too. She offered him a small smile and let him lead her to one of the tables along the far wall.

  “We’ll start over,” Ty suggested. “And I won’t flirt with you. Much.” He motioned to the waitress, and within a few minutes of casual small talk about the weather, they had more beers.