The Accidental Engagement (10 page)

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Chest heaving, she stared at the man before her, mesmerized. He had no shirt on and a towel dangled from his hand. Despite the frigid water, Ivy felt heat stirring inside her at the sight of his magnificent physique. How did a man who traveled constantly stay as fit as an athlete? It just wasn’t fair.

“The pool is closed for the evening, I didn’t expect anyone else to be out here,” he said. He gestured to a sign that was strung up near the entrance to the pool that said "Chiuso" in Italian and below it, in smaller letter, the English ‘closed.’ Oops.

Daniel was looking around the pool deck as though waiting for a crowd of people to pop out from behind the credenzas.

“I—uh, I was just finishing up,” Ivy said. Good Lord, was that her voice? She sounded like she’d swallowed sandpaper.
She cleared her throat and tried again. “What are you doing out here?”

He glanced down at the towel in his hand and his swim trunks. Ivy’s gaze followed his and she forgot how to breathe at the sight of those trunks. She’d never had this kind of reaction to a man before—so visceral and illogical and…annoying. Why had her body decided that now was the time to go through a second puberty?

“I go for a swim every night before dinner.” He walked a few steps toward the pool and eased himself in beside her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, which was currently cloudy with lust, she noted the fact that he didn’t even flinch at the cold temperature.

They were close to one another—so very close. Ivy could smell the heady, masculine scent of his skin, even through the chlorine-filled air. There was something so intimate about being alone in a pool together. With no strangers around and only a few scraps of fabric between them. His gaze raked over her barely-clothed body. Her nipples hardened against the fabric and heat pooled between her thighs as his eyes moved slowly, openly admiring her curves. The only sound was the water gently lapping against the edge of the pool and their breathing. Her breath sounded loud to her own ears and her heart was racing with nervous excitement.

He was watching her, waiting for something. Was she supposed to speak? Her mind was agonizingly blank. Every coherent thought had been replaced by pure, unadulterated desire.

Despite the cool water, her skin was hot. There was an electricity between them that held her captive. It was drawing her in, begging her to move closer. His eyes locked with hers and she couldn’t look away from the intensity of his stare. Ivy was reminded of a predator stalking its prey. The thought made her knees weak and she clung to the edge of the pool. She was going to drown gazing into those dark, stormy eyes, literally and figuratively.

The air grew tense as they watched each other in silence. Her body was throbbing with an aching need that refused to be ignored. She couldn’t take it any longer. Without thinking, without even knowing she was going to do it, she gave into temptation and reached out a hand to touch that maddeningly perfect chest.

Daniel’s reaction was swift and fierce. He pulled her into his arms with a deep groan and claimed her mouth with his tongue. Ivy gave herself up to the kiss and abandoned any attempt at reason. Her hands explored his muscular chest and the flat, hard abdomen beneath. She felt his muscles contract as her fingers skimmed over him and felt a surge of womanly confidence.

Before she could explore any further, he pulled her roughly against him so her hands were trapped between them as his mouth moved from her lips to her neck, causing her to moan aloud at the delicious torture.

And then his hands, which had been holding her firmly against him, began their exploration. First one hand moved up her side to cup her breast. Ivy’s head fell back as she gasped for air. Through the thin, wet fabric of her swimsuit, he teased her hard nipples. His other hand moved over her back, pressing her against him so her breasts were pressed against his hard chest. She wriggled against him, trying to get closer. He growled in her ear and reached a hand around to grab her bottom. When he pulled her tight against him so he was firmly situated between her thighs, her eyes shot open. He was so hard.

And she was so ready. She moved against him and he sucked in air. His hands stilled and she found herself following suit. But it was difficult. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own. He pulled away slightly, his head lowered as he struggled for breath. Ivy wanted to weep at the separation. At that moment, she would have done just about anything to ease the excruciating ache between her thighs.

“Someone could see us.” His voice was so low she thought perhaps she’d heard him wrong.

“What? Who?” She turned to scan the empty poolside, dark in the early evening light. “No one is here.”

“We can’t take any chances.” He pushed her away even further and pulled himself out of the pool. He reached down a hand to help her out but she pulled herself out on her own in one quick motion. She wasn’t sure what had just happened but she had to fight a feeling of shame. He was rejecting her. She had been swept away by new sensations that completely shifted the world on its axis, and Daniel? Apparently, he had been worried about business. She had made a fool of herself…again.

She grabbed her towel and her few belongings and headed toward the door. “I better get inside before they turn the pool lights on.”

“Ivy, wait.”

Chest aching with unshed tears, she hurried through the glass door leading to the elevators, pretending as though she hadn’t heard.

* * * *

Damn.
That had not gone according to plan. Daniel poured himself a strong drink back in his hotel room and dried off from a cold shower. He’d needed water even colder than the pool to put out the flames from his encounter with Ivy. He refused to let himself even think about her or her perfect curves—he needed to purge her from his mind unless he wanted yet another cold shower.

He sat at the desk and tried to focus on the file his assistant had sent him. It was crucial feedback from his partners back in the U.S. yet he was unable to concentrate on the words on the screen.

He was preoccupied by Ivy’s expression just before she’d walked away from him. She’d looked hurt. Rejected. He took another large swig from his glass. The fiery liquid did little to assuage his guilt but it did slow his thoughts long enough that he could allow himself to relax.

He needed this trip to end quickly. Between the sexual tension he felt every time Ivy was in the same room as him and the nagging worry that he would run into a family member or someone he knew from his past…Daniel couldn’t take much more of Italy.

He shoved the chair back from the desk and paced the room while sipping his drink. It was no use trying to focus on anything but the problem at hand.

He needed to get out of this country and away from temptation. But he wasn’t going anywhere until this deal was finished, which meant he needed to get the Ivy situation under control. Leaning against the window, he watched the cars pass below him, then took another sip and did what he did best. He came up with a strategy.

* * * *

The dining room was dimly lit and filled with dining couples when he strode in a little while later to meet Jack and Ivy, as planned. Daniel had banished the guilt that had threatened to consume him earlier and now was confident in his next move. He’d resolve the situation in the same manner he handled unexpected snags in the business world. Ivy was a sweet kid she wouldn’t hold a grudge. He would apologize, charm her a bit, make sure her feelings weren’t hurt—and then explain why a tryst between them would be a terrible idea. She was smart and practical—she’d proven that several times over—she would understand. He just had to broach the subject in the right way.

His plan would go into effect at dinner.

Jack was eating some of the bread on the table when Daniel approached. He looked around the empty table pointedly. “Where is she?”

“Ivy?”

“Of course Ivy. Who else were you expecting to meet for dinner?” The question wasn’t hypothetical. Despite all of Jack’s promises, experience had taught Daniel that Jack could find girls anywhere and at any time—and finding a new ‘love of the moment’ made him do foolish things.

Jack ignored his question and continued to dig into the breadbasket. Daniel was tempted to tell him not to ruin his appetite but caught himself in time. Jack would once again tease him about being a drill sergeant.

“She’s late.” Daniel took a seat next to Jack and grabbed a slice of bread before Jack could wolf it down.

“She’s not coming,” Jack said through a full mouth.

Daniel paused, a water glass halfway to his mouth. Surprise warred with concern. “What do you mean she’s not coming? I gave her an order.”

Jack tried unsuccessfully to hide his grin.

Okay, so maybe he did sound like a general sometimes but that’s what it took to get things done.

“What are you going to do? Ground her? Send her to her room? Because she’s already there.”

Daniel toyed with his glass and tried to shove aside the nagging guilt. She was hurt. He had hurt her. “Did she say why she wasn’t coming to dinner?”

Jack shrugged. “She didn’t say. Maybe she’s not feeling good. Maybe she’s got jet lag. What’s the big deal? Brunelli’s not meeting up with us tonight, right?”

At Daniel’s nod he continued, “Then give the poor girl a night off of girlfriend duty.” He tossed Daniel the dinner menu. “Now hurry up and pick what you want already. I’m starving.”

About an hour later he left Jack to finish off his dessert, making an excuse about having to be back in his room for a conference call. Truth be told, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ivy or their rendezvous at the pool and he knew he wouldn’t be able to think about anything else until he dealt with it. And Lord knew he had plenty on his plate that needed his attention.

As he strode down the hallway toward Ivy’s bedroom, he repeated his talking points—everything that was at stake, not to mention her future happiness. He was only here to clear the air, make sure Ivy was clear on her role in this charade and why nothing could happen between them. He’d have the talk and then walk away and get some actual word done. Simple.

Ivy opened the door after the first knock and all of his talking points flew out the window. She wore a lacy camisole and a pair of silky pajama shorts that did little to cover her toned thighs and rounded bottom. Her curly hair was styled into loose waves that framed her delicate features and tumbled over her shoulders. What he wouldn’t give to spend one night with this woman.

He didn’t know what he had expected. That she had gone back to her room to cry and eat ice cream? There were no tear-stained faces here. No sweatpants or oversized T-shirts. She looked like a supermodel. Well, a pint-sized supermodel.

And she was staring at him like he was from another planet. He had been standing there staring at her like a lovestruck teen for far too long.

He cleared his throat. “I—uh….”

What had he come here to say?

“Yes?” She was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes as she waited for him to continue.

“I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

She looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

Yes, good point
. Apparently he’d misread the situation before—here he’d been imagining that she was crying herself to sleep and instead she was…well he didn’t know what she was up to in there but whatever it was, she looked fine. She looked far better than fine.

“I thought perhaps—that is, when you didn’t show up to dinner, I thought perhaps you weren’t feeling well.”

She waved an oversized brush in front of his face. “I was blowing out my hair to get ready for the big day tomorrow. I’d rather do it tonight than in the morning. Didn’t Jack tell you?” Her nose wriggled in an unbelievably adorable look of confusion. “I told him to tell you.”

Daniel made a mental note to kick Jack in the behind next time he saw him. “No, I guess he forgot.”

“Oh.” She was watching his with an expectant look, clearly waiting for him to leave.

He told himself not to glance down. Do not do it. Do not under any circumstances let your gaze go below her chin.

Damn.
She wasn’t wearing a bra. He was struck speechless with lust and it took every ounce of willpower not to reach out for her. She started to inch back into her room, closing the door as she went. “Okay, well, I’m fine. So I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

He wanted to stop her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and continue where they’d left off. No one was here in the hallway. No one would ever know.

The door shut in his face.

As he walked the few feet to his own door, he was still trying to work out what had happened.

* * * *

Ivy knew she was running late for breakfast the next morning but she didn’t care. In fact, she took pleasure in knowing that it was driving him nuts. He hated to be disobeyed. Too bad, because she hated being controlled like a puppet.

Her sister’s voice was tinny over the hotel phone. “So when are you going to spill? I want all of the gushy details.”

Ivy’s constant feeling of guilt just amplified tenfold. Holly was the closest in age among all of her siblings and they’d always shared everything. Especially when it came to their love lives.

“I can’t believe you’re going to marry Jack Everett. You knew I had a crush on him, right? Oh my God, if I wasn’t so happy for you, I’d be totally jealous.”

“Sorry, sis.” This was news to Ivy, but in her defense, Holly had a number of infatuations and she changed boyfriends like most women changed shoes. It was hard to keep track.

“Are you kidding? Don’t apologize. I think the whole thing sounds like a fairy tale. And you deserve the happily ever after more than anyone I know. Did you know your engagement made the front page of our paper? I thought Mom was going to faint when she saw you.”

Ivy had to smile at that image. Their mother was not exactly a delicate flower.

“But enough about us, tell me about Jack. And Italy! Have I mentioned how jealous I am right now?”

Her sister was talking a mile a minute, which was the only way Holly ever spoke, come to think of it. But today the words were coming out so quickly Ivy didn’t have a chance to respond, a fact for which she was eternally grateful. She just didn’t have it in her to tell boldface lies about her new romance. What she really wanted to do was spill her guts about Daniel. She wanted to tell her sister every gory detail. Between the two of them, she knew they could make sense of the whole situation. But if she told her sister the truth, Holly would be forced to lie as well—not just to the press but also to their parents and siblings. It would be selfish of her to put her sister in that position.