Luck of the Draw (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 1) (13 page)

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” she lied.

Just then, Grace yelled from the dock. “On your mark. Get set...
Go!
”

Jim rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips, like an athlete about to race, and in the next heartbeat, he looked up.

“I like your bikini,” he said, his voice a virtual caress.

Kate swallowed. Her hands felt sweaty, and her bee sting itched on the hard plastic. “Th-thanks.” She adjusted her left foot and tried to loosen her hips some more, waiting for Jim to start rocking the boat.

Instead, he just smiled, albeit a sensual, lazy, bedroom-eyed smile that had her bent knees buckling for one brief moment.

“I, ah, like your suit, too,” she said.

“The color sets off your eyes,” he continued, as if she’d never said a thing. “Makes your skin glow.”

“Thanks. I almost wore my navy tankini.”

“I definitely like this one.” He winked. “It goes with your toes.”

For some reason, having Jim stare at her toes again made her flush all the way to her hair line. If he kept it up, she’d be completely flustered.

Unless...
Wait a minute.

“Are you trying to throw me off balance?”

His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. “Is it working?”

“Maybe.” Her lips tilted, little shivers of excitement rippling through her. Okay, who was she kidding? It was definitely working.
With a wickedly boyish grin on his face and nervous butterflies fluttering in her belly, chicken raft just got a whole lot more interesting.
Besides,
she thought, as an uncharacteristic boldness blew in on the cool breeze, she knew something Jim Pearson didn’t.

Kate had a competitive streak.

“You have a nice tan for so early in the season,” she said.

“I work outdoors a lot.”

“Bare-chested?” she asked with wide-eyed innocence.

“Sometimes. It’s cooler.”

“I’ve thought about gardening bare-chested for that same reason. Do you think I should?”

The raft jerked in response. “You catch on quickly,” he said.

“Thanks.”

Kate could hear Carter urging Jim not to go easy on her just because she was a girl. Grace yelled, wondering if either of them was going to make a move.

“They want us to make a move,” Kate said.

“Go ahead,” Jim said. “Make a move.”

Her body swayed easily with the raft now, the motion more familiar and natural. An electric tingle raced through her. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out as her eyes traveled down his torso.
Make a move.
“Okay. I really do like your swim trunks, they… um… suit you.”

“I like your bikini,” he replied, his gaze sliding over her skin in a way that had her insides melting. He looked up again. “But I like topless beaches more.”

Kate swallowed the rush of awareness that flooded her mouth. Her pulse quickened. “I might… um… go topless. Under the right circumstances.”

“Really?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“Really,” she said, wishing for all the world she seemed more the topless sort. Just once. She took a breath and assumed her most self-confident air. “You might not think this about me, but not only might I go topless, say on the French Riviera, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to swim...
in the nude
.”

His harsh intake of breath was all Kate needed to know she’d hit the mark. “Have you now?”

“Yes.” Was that
her
throaty voice? Just go with it! “Ever since I saw someone skinny-dipping one night, I’ve thought about it… with him. NO. Not— I mean, skinny dipping!” Kate’s cheeks burned. Oh, dear Lord! She hadn’t meant to say it like that! Hadn’t meant to imply anything other than
swimming
, but her subconscious clearly had other plans.

“Have you now?” Jim whispered, clearly having caught her double entendre.

Their eyes locked, the raft going unnaturally calm. Kate could hear his breathing, quick and shallow, not unlike her own. If she weren’t forbidden to touch him, if his family wasn’t standing—
watching
—she’d probably push him off the raft, throw herself at him bodily and happily let him perform mouth-to-mouth. As it was, she had a competition to win.

“Yes,” she whispered, not sure where she found the nerve to speak, but in for a penny in for a pound. She’d be darned if she’d lose this game
now
. “I have. And if your family weren’t watching, I… um… might untie my bikini top and dive in right now.”

“You would?” Jim’s voice was barely recognizable, his gaze riveted to her chest as she slid a single finger beneath the thin strap at her shoulder just to be sure it was still in place; although, his look said he was perhaps hoping something else.

Oh Lord! She was enjoying this game way too much—enjoyed being this bold, sensual woman who could flirt with a virtual stranger. Maybe it was because she felt a million miles from reality out here on the water with this man, but she couldn’t seem to stop the words from tumbling out now. “I might even take my bikini off completely... but only if I weren’t alone.”

She smiled at the answering whoosh of air Jim expelled.

“You wouldn’t have to be alone.”

Kate met his eyes, a nervous tremor running through her. His eyes had gone dark, his body still and tense. Serious. “Are we still playing a game?”

Jim blinked and shook his head as if to clear it, an uneasy smile flashing across his face. “No.
Yes!
” The smile was full and genuine now. “And you’re definitely winning.”

Kate bit her lip. Maybe she’d gone too far. “Maybe we should go back to swimsuits.”

“I’m pretty sure getting naked would be more fun,” he murmured.

It was Kate’s turn to gasp, a soft excited intake of breath that had them giggling and reaching to steady each other as the raft tipped again.

She caught and held his gaze.

He was aroused.

She was aroused.

And the game was far from over.

“Like you were the other night?” she asked.

In an instant, Jim’s smile disappeared, replaced by an intense, feral look that had her purple-tipped toes curling. She hadn’t meant to say anything, had never intended to confirm that she’d been there that night. But now... she was acutely aware of the sound of the water lapping on the shore, the cool breeze on her bare skin, his heated gaze on her body and suddenly she felt all the power and possibility of being a woman.

“You saw me,” he said. It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes.”

Then they were silent, the raft virtually still, their eyes locked in a look so smoldering Kate was surprised they didn’t spontaneously ignite. Every nerve ending pulsed with anticipation. Awareness.
Need.

Then Jim’s eyes creased with humor, his lips tilting in that easy lopsided grin she was finding all too dangerously attractive.

“You win,” he said. Then he dove into the dark waters of the lake leaving Kate rocking uncertainly in his wake.

CHAPTER TEN
____________________

J
IM SWAM AWAY, THE SOUNDS of his family hollering from the dock ringing in his ears. There was no way he’d return to shore now, not until the bulge in his swim trunks receded.

He
treaded water, a perverse stab of jealousy heating his gut, as Carter reeled in the raft and helped Kate onto the dock. Happy laughter floated over the water to him as she stooped to grab her towel and wrap it around herself. She needn’t cover up on his account. The image of her in that bikini had permanently etched itself onto his corneas.

Then she turned, bit her lip almost shyly, and waved.

Jim nodded and returned with a mock salute. Then his relatives swept her toward the house as they fled the cooling air and fading light.

He was tempted to join them but then slid onto his back and stared at the sky. Perhaps floating in the cold water would help him return to reality.

Hot young widow.
Good Lord, it didn’t even come close to describing how he’d seen her, standing on the raft in front of him, all luscious curves in that candy-store bikini. He’d never in his life felt such an intense, immediate attraction to a woman. Not even Justine, with her confidence and striking beauty, could compare.

Kate was different. There was something deeply appealing about her bold words and shy looks, as if she were testing the feel of them on her tongue for the first time. He’d wanted to grab her and taste them right along with her.

And she’d looked like she’d wanted the same.

God! He was an idiot for thinking about her this way. Kate in no way resembled the single, carefree woman he should be dating. She was a widow. And a mother.

What had just happened was only a game.

The thought tasted sour on his tongue, but it was there nonetheless. What did he really know about this Kate, anyway? She was the shy, blushing widow one moment, but she’d turned into a sultry seductress in the blink of an eye.

Shit.

Fact was he didn’t know if he was coming or going when she was around, which meant she was way more complicated than he had any business getting involved with.

With considerably less enthusiasm, Jim headed for shore.

Carter met him on the beach. “You
dove
in?”

Jim grabbed his towel off a rock. “She won.”

“No. You threw the match. Now Grace is carrying on about how women are superior and crap like that. So what gives? The hot young widow get the best of you?”

“Would you stop calling her that?”

“In that bikini, what would you call her? My God, if that isn’t hot, I don’t know what is.”

What could he say? It was true.

Carter dogged him up the steps toward the house. “So?”

“So, what?”

“Are you kidding me? This is the first woman you’ve looked at since Justine dumped you. Why aren’t you up there right now asking her out?”

“Justine didn’t dump me. I left her.”

“Right.” They both glanced at the deck, gaily lit with citronella torches and landscape lights. Kate was holding Liam now, saying her thank-yous and goodbyes. “Women like that don’t drop into Sugar Falls every day.”

“I don’t even know her.” And what he’d learned out on the lake wasn’t anything he’d tell Carter.

“What’s to know? She’s pretty, single, living next door and, most importantly, she likes you.”

“She said that?”

Carter cuffed Jim on the side of the head. “Idiot. It’s written all over her face every time she looks at you. It’s embarrassing. Go on. Ask her out. You can’t tell me you’re not interested. You get a woody every time she walks in the room.”

“Shut up.”

Carter chuckled, unperturbed. “Idiot.”

Jim walked toward his truck. “Runs in the family.”

June 15
Vacation: To get away and leave your old life behind. I could get used to this. The locals are friendly. The views are stunning. I’m eating way too much pizza and reading way too many novels. If only this life bore any resemblance to reality. *Sigh*

CHAPTER
ELEVEN
____________________

“W
OULD YOU STOP FROWNING? It’s not attractive.”

Jim frowned at his cousin. “The sun’s in my eyes.”

Grace let out a long-suffering sigh and let the camera sling around her neck as she walked over and repositioned his arm. “You’re not making an effort,” she chided.

“We’ve been at this for nearly an hour. I’d call that an effort.”

“
Jim
, you’ve got to relax. You’re too tense and stern. This isn’t going to sell calendars.” She put the camera up to her eye again. “Okay. Let’s try it again. Look at me and think sexy thoughts.”

Jim pulled his foot off the sawhorse they’d been using as a prop and unclasped his
toolbelt. “Forget it. This is not working. I can’t look at my cousin
and
think sexy thoughts. It’s physically impossible.”

“Oh, come on! That last one would have been good if you hadn’t kept frowning at me.”

“I was
squinting
.”

“Frowning,” Grace insisted.

“What ya doin’?”

Jim turned and nodded at little Liam as he pushed through the lilacs. His shirt was streaked with dirt, his hands and the toy car he held covered in more dirt. He couldn’t have looked happier.

“Wasting time,” Jim said, swiping the sweat off his brow. Stupid calendar. How the hell did he get himself roped into these things?

“Can I watch?” Liam wanted to know.

Jim laughed despite his frustration and sat on the sawhorse. “Be my guest, but there’s nothing to see. Grace is leaving soon. And I’ve got a job to get to.”