“Yeah. But I told myself it was only temporary, until Gina got here. Then, I would quit, no matter how good the money was. And . . . no matter how much I loved the attention.”
Her use of the word “temporary” stood out to him. It was what she’d said about living here with him. Was she here for the same reason? She loved the attention?
While he mulled that over, she ran her fingers over his chest where it met the edge of the water. The hair was growing back from the last time he’d shaved it. “Is it scratchy?” he asked.
“No.” She scraped him lightly with her nails, sending shivers of sensation across his skin. “So, you’re not . . . upset? Or, like, jealous?”
At that, he laughed. “Have you forgotten about our arrangement for the last three years?”
When she stiffened, he pulled her closer.
“So, you’re not.” The wariness was back in her eyes, in the set of her shoulders. He recognized it easily. It was how she’d always been around him, until recently.
He leaned in close and nipped her chin. “Do you want me to be?”
“No.”
Her tone was defensive. She was lying. And he wasthrilled.Over-the-moon thrilled that he’d finally gotten to know her well enough to know when she was lying or defensive. He’d finally gotten to see the real Natasha, and now he knew when she was holding back. Grinning, he pressed a kiss to her ear.
“You’re lying,” he whispered.
“I’m not.” She tried to move off his lap, but he held on to her waist.
“Are you jealous? Of me with the other women?”
He stared into her eyes, waiting for an answer. Watching the emotions play over her face was a real treat, especially when she finally slapped his chest with both hands and burst out, “Sí,carajo,I’m jealous!”
He couldn’t have wiped the grin off his face if his life depended on it. “Good.”
She leaned back, eyes wide and worried. “Wait, is that why you always went off and fucked other women? To make me jealous?”
“No.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I did that because I didn’t think you cared.”
“I . . .” She closed her mouth. “Really?”
“Of course.”
She frowned. “I wanted you to think I didn’t care.”
“Aha.” He gave her a smacking kiss, full on the mouth. “That means youdocare.”
She crossed her arms, pushing up her sweet, naked breasts in the process, and turned her face away. “You’ll never know.”
But she was fighting back a smile.
He leaned in to kiss her deeply when his phone rang.
Natasha lifted her head. “That sounds like an old rotary phone.”
“It’s the restaurant. We’re having a new vent system installed, and they’re all terrified of doing something wrong.”
“You mean they’re terrified of whatyou’lldo if they do something wrong.”
He inclined his head. “Correct.”
His hands flexed on her hips, and she smiled. “Go to work,Macho.”
“You’ll be okay here alone?”
