Worth the Challenge (13 page)

“Yours should be as well. This can’t be a flop. I refuse for this project to fail. We need a winner.” Alex’s voice firmed. “There’s a lot riding on this, Rhett. Everyone in the industry is watching us. Just waiting for us to deliver a big stinking mess. No offense, little brother, but with you at the helm of this project, they’re already predicting it a failure.”

Rhett remained silent, fury doing a slow burn through his system. “Let’s prove them wrong.”

He swore he could hear Alex’s smile. “Exactly the answer I was looking for.”

Ella came through the sliding glass door just as Rhett hung up. Her skin was already pink from the sun, her cheeks were shiny and a big smile curved her lush lips. “I’d like to take a ride.”

Hmm, that statement brought up all sorts of interesting images, none of them she was referring to. “Where to?” He slipped his phone into his front pocket.

“I was talking to someone, a man who’s on vacation and staying at one of the villas nearby. Anyway, he said there’s a fabulous beach a few miles from here with lots of beautiful native trees and bushes that are very close to the beach. I’d like to check it out.”

A flare of jealousy sparked, but he ignored it. She probably talked to some balding, paunchy tourist on vacation with his young girlfriend. “Sounds good. Just let me change and we can go.”

“You’ll go with me? To the beach?” She looked hopeful.

“Absolutely. We’re working on this together, right?” He peered at her, wishing he could read her mind.

She nodded once, contemplating him. “Right, of course. I should probably put on my swimsuit. I want to go into the ocean.”

“You like to swim?” He could break out into a cold sweat just thinking about her in a swimsuit.

“Oh, I’m not going into the ocean to swim. It’s an experiment.” When he frowned, she continued. “I want to see what the ocean water smells like on my skin when it’s wet and then when it’s dry. I’ll need your input as well.”

Rhett swallowed hard. Jesus. She really was trying to kill him. “My input?”

“Well, I’ll need you to smell my skin too.” Her cheeks colored. “I want to make this just right, you know. Capture as many scents as I can until we find the exact one you’re looking for. Well, what Worth Luxury is looking for.”

“Sure. Yeah.” He nodded, his tongue thick. This entire trip was going to be a study in never-ending torture. “I appreciate your dedication.”

“I want to prove myself.” Her cheeks turned a deeper red and she looked away from him. “You took a big risk, hiring me. I don’t want you to regret it.”

He didn’t think he could regret anything she might do.

Regret letting her slip out of his fingers, though? Yeah, he’d probably end up doing that.

Big time.

Chapter Nine

It was a small beach, not far from the resort, as the man Ella met had promised. But it wasn’t full of any lush vegetation, which was a minor disappointment. The strip of sand shimmered like gold and stretched on for what seemed like miles, black rocks jutting, palm trees swaying. It was a beautiful spot.

Considering it was later in the afternoon, surprisingly the area was mostly deserted, with the exception of a couple walking along the shore in the near distance and a family of four sitting on their large, colorful towels, basking in the sun. Rhett led her away from the family, his eyes shielded by sleek, expensive sunglasses, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. He wore a white T-shirt that emphasized his already tan skin and Hawaiian-print board shorts.

He fit in so seamlessly, he looked like a local. Whereas she felt the fool with her already sunburned skin, her pink nose and her windblown, unruly hair. And self-conscious, what with the two-piece swimsuit she wore beneath her dress. How Tessa had convinced her to deviate from her usual modest one-piece to two little scraps of fabric that exposed way too much flesh, she wasn’t sure.

“Aren’t you hot?” He unfolded the beach towel he’d carried under his arm from the car and set it on the ground, plopping himself on top of it with ease.

She was dying. Her skin literally felt scorched. “Sort of.” Pulling the beach towel the hotel had provided from her oversized bag, she settled it next to Rhett’s and sat. His close proximity tantalized her senses and she watched in silent fascination as he reached for the beach bag and rifled through it, pulling out a bottle of sunscreen she’d found in the bathroom at the villa.

“You should put this on immediately.” He handed her the bottle.

“Thanks.” Popping the cap, she squirted sunscreen into the palm of her hand and slathered first one arm, then the other, making sure to rub it on her already-tender shoulders. She smoothed some on her face, opening her eyes to find Rhett watching her.

“You going to take the dress off?” The low, velvety tone of his voice was like pure seduction and a shiver went through her.

Deciding to get it over with, she stood and tugged the dress up and over her head, folding it neatly before she sat back down and stuffed the dress into the bag by her feet. She kicked off her flip-flops and grabbed the sunscreen, pouring it directly onto her legs and smoothing it on.

Her skin prickled with awareness, but she kept her attention trained on her sunscreen-soaked legs. He was watching her. She could feel his gaze on her, making her hotter than the intense sun above them. Finally, he spoke and the question he asked sent a fluttering of desire low in her belly.

“Want me to put some on your back?”

Afraid her voice would squeak when she spoke, she nodded her answer, handing him the sunscreen. He scooted closer, his knee brushing against her backside, and she closed her eyes when he settled his big, warm hands on her shoulders, resting them there for the briefest moment before he started to massage the sunscreen in.

Ella bit back the moan that wanted to escape. His hands felt so good on her skin. They skimmed the length of her back, tripping over the strings of her bikini top that rested at the center. Stopping just above the top of her swimsuit bottoms so close to her backside, she nearly whimpered.

“There. You should be protected.” He removed his hands from her body and she felt the loss keenly. Protected from the sun, most certainly, but protected from the effects of his touch?

Not even close.

“I’m going in.” She stood again, her arms hanging awkwardly at her sides. She was tempted to shield herself but knew she’d look like an idiot. And he still watched her, which was making her nervous to the point she had to ask. “Is this suit okay? Or is it too revealing? Tessa said I looked fine, but I don’t know.” The bikini was black, the top a simple halter style and the bottoms not too skimpy, but she still felt incredibly exposed.

He smiled and removed his sunglasses, such a wicked glint in his eyes her heart stuttered. “Tessa has impeccable taste,” he drawled, his gaze wandering lazily down the length of her, lingering on her breasts, her hips, her…everything. “Besides, I’ve seen worse.”

Her heart threatened to lurch straight out of her chest. “Oh.” She didn’t know how to respond to a remark like that.

“Shit,” he muttered and stood, towering over her, his glasses still clutched in his hand. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. It’s just that, I’ve seen women wear nothing but little triangles on their chest that barely covered their nipples and the bottoms consisted of nothing but butt floss. You look great. Really.”

Huh. She was sure he had plenty of experience dealing with butt floss and tiny triangles that could hardly contain nipples. Not that she wanted to think about that, oh, no.

“Thanks.” She offered him a polite smile. She probably looked downright puritan compared to the floozies he was used to hanging out on the beach with. “I’m going in. I don’t know if you want to join me, but you’re welcome to.”

“I probably should. I need to cool off.” His heated gaze made her think he wasn’t necessarily referring to the temperature.

Ella offered him an inviting smile. “Then let’s go. I should probably smell your skin when you come out of the ocean too.”

The look on his face was nothing short of pained. “If you say so,” he answered weakly.

Her smile growing, she started for the water, sensed him falling in right behind her. Despite her sudden worry that she might not be pretty enough or skanky enough, she knew he was affected by her just as much as she was by him. Like the cheesecake incident, the moment in the car, last night, all of it was foreplay. Teasing each other, ratcheting up the heat, the chemistry that had been simmering between them from the moment they met.

She shouldn’t do this. She shouldn’t consider fooling around with Rhett Worth, let alone actually do it. He was a total player. He looked at her and probably saw nothing else but the words “easy conquest” stamped across her forehead. It would be meaningless, what they could end up sharing. It would mess with her head, potentially ruin her career, ruin everything.

Pushing the worrisome thoughts from her mind, she ventured into the water, the gentle waves lapping over her feet, swirling around her ankles as the surf surged in. It was shockingly cold compared to the hot air and she gasped in surprise.

“The Pacific is notoriously colder, even in Hawaii,” Rhett said from behind.

She turned to find he’d slipped his sunglasses back on but shed the T-shirt. Her eyes widened as they took a little trip across Rhett’s broad shoulders, his wide chest sprinkled with dark hair, his abdomen that appeared to be carved from stone. She’d known he was finely muscled just from the way he filled out his clothing—especially a suit—but seeing him like this…

He was absolutely mouthwatering.

“It’s really cold,” she said lamely, unable to come up with anything better.

He came closer, wearing a lopsided, closed-mouth smile. His board shorts rode treacherously low on his lean hips, giving her a view of the flat plane of his stomach below his navel, the narrow trail of dark hair that sloped down beneath the waistband. She jerked her gaze up, caught sight of the tribal tattoo that wound around his right bicep and she parted her lips, her mouth going dry.

There was such a wickedly dangerous air to him. It was enticing, it called to her inner bad girl which just itched to make an appearance.

He looked like a bad boy. She knew for a fact he used to be one, too. Yet he behaved like a proper gentleman. The conflicting combination was beyond arousing.

“Ah, my tattoo.” He realized she noticed it, considering her gaze was still locked on his muscular bicep, and he quickly glanced down with a shake of his head. “It was a mistake from my misspent youth.”

“Uh, lots of people have tattoos,” she said once she untangled her tongue. She shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“My brothers hate it, especially Alex. He thinks it makes me look like a hood. I was in my early twenties when I got it and he still lectured me like I was a naughty little kid. Sometimes he acts like an old man.” He stopped just beside her, the water frothing about their knees, sending her swaying, the pull of the ocean’s tide so strong. At least she was slowly growing used to the temperature. Her skin wasn’t so chilled, though she still had goose bumps dotting her arms. “You’re still cold?” He skimmed his fingers down the length of her upper arm.

“I’m fine.” The goose bumps were his fault and there he went, touching her again, giving her a new set. “Didn’t your older brother practically raise you?” She’d read enough articles about the Worths to know of their story. “I’m sure it’s more of a protective, fatherly sort of attitude, you know? Parents have to complain about tattoos and stuff like that.”

“You’re right. He’s pretty protective of me, which I can admit to you I appreciate. Not that I’d ever tell him.” He kicked at the water and it splashed the both of them, his gaze locked on the horizon. “I love the ocean.”

“It’s beautiful here.”

“Wait until the sun goes down. There’s nothing better than a Maui sunset.” He drew his index finger along the top of her shoulder. “You’re a little sunburned.”

“I know.” She trembled at his touch. “Hence my slathering on the sunscreen, which I should say thank you for your help, by the way.”

“You’re welcome. It certainly wasn’t a hardship.” He remained silent for so long, she finally turned her head to find him contemplating her.

“What?” She both feared and yearned to hear what he had to say.

“I can’t deny I’m attracted to you any longer.” He sounded serious, looked it, too. “So I thought you should know.”

“Oh.” She swallowed hard, unsure how to answer. She turned away from him, kept her gaze trained on the sea instead. “It’s probably not a good idea. Us. Together.”

“You already said something like that. Last night,” he reminded her. “I’m starting to believe it’s an inevitable idea. You and me. Together.”

You and me. Together.
As foolish as it was, she liked the sound of that.

A lot.

“But I’m not going to push you. Or push myself on you. If you’re interested, you can let me know. Give me a sign.” He touched her again, a gentle squeeze on her shoulder that made her grimace despite enjoying his hands on her. It was her sunburned skin’s fault.

“O—okay.” He’d given her all the power. Let her know the decision was purely on her and she appreciated that.

Yet it scared her too.