She moved the strap of her dress down, exposing a red patch. The place where he’d bitten and sucked on her earlier. Damn.
Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that.”
“You sure you’re sorry?” Her smile was warm, and she didn’t look upset at all.
Max relaxed a little. “Only if it hurt. But it’s a good look for you.”
She looked so different right now in the fading sun. There was something new in her gaze as they stood, facing each other, something softer. The island was working its magic—or maybe it was the orgasms he gave her earlier. Goddamn, he could stand here for hours, just looking at her.
His Blackmore Inc. brothers would love this. Derek would have some bullshit psychology explanation about his mother’s depression and his need to keep women happy. Cameron would call it payback for mocking both him and Simon as they fell hard for the women they couldn’t stay away from.
He shook himself out of that thought. This wasn’t at all like what Cameron and Simon had gone through. He wasn’t fallingin lovewith Natasha after a day of sex. They were just having a hell of a lot of fun together.
“Are you on the clock tonight?” Natasha asked.
He shook his head. “Barring any unexpected action, like incoming boats or planes, I’m officially off duty.”
She smiled. It was a sexy little smile, and he was almost sure dirty thoughts were forming. He hoped like hell they were for him.
“You lookin’ for a good time tonight, ma’am?” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “We can sneak off into the bushes.”
Before she could answer, Alya walked out of their suite. Natasha took a step back and straightened up. Interesting. She definitely hadn’t told Alya about their little arrangement.
Max slipped his hands into his pockets. “You ladies ready for some dinner?”
Alya nodded, but she looked distracted. Max frowned. Was he missing something here? Was it about her ex?
“Anything wrong?” he asked gently.
She shook her head. “It’s my current boyfriend, not Nick. Though I might be turning Stewart into a crazy ex, too.”
Alya’s tone was wry, but Natasha’s attention snapped to her sister, as if she had heard the same warning bells in that statement as Max had.
Natasha took a couple of quick steps to her sister’s side. “You didn’t turn anyone crazy. Nick did that all on his own, sweetheart.”
Max nodded. “What happened?”
Alya sighed and leaned her head on Natasha’s shoulder. “Nothing scary. Stewart’s not the kidnapping type.”
Natasha snorted. “Is there a kidnapping type?”
“I hope not. Because I’m starting to question my taste in men.” Alya met Max’s gaze, and her eyes widened. “Sorry, Max. I won’t make kidnapping jokes. I’m not in any danger. Just the regular kind of relationship drama.”
Max nodded, softening his stance.
Natasha gave her sister one last squeeze and tugged her toward the boardwalk. “What happened?”
Max let out a long breath and locked the cabin door. The danger level on this job was very low, but he was still ready for anything. Max walked far enough behind the two sisters to give them a little privacy.
They walked along the boardwalk that wound through the lush forest and turned off toward the island’s only real restaurant. The evening sky glowed through the leaves of the tall palm trees, and birds called from deeper in the forest. They rounded a bend and the restaurant came into sight, lit with candles and little strings of lights.
The place was open, with just a roof over a patio, filled with square tables neatly set with glasses, linen napkins and white tablecloths. A swimming pool lay on one side of the patio, now glassy smooth, the deep blue water sparkling in the moonlight. On the far side, a generous buffet was set up along the wall of the building.
A good portion of the magazine staff was already at the restaurant, some perusing the buffet, others talking in small groups. As they entered into the glow of tiny lights, a man—definitely not a model—called Alya over to join his conversation.
Alya glanced at Natasha, then Max. “Will you two be fine on your own this evening? My agent told me I’m supposed to be networking.”
“Go mingle,” said Natasha, waving her sister off. “We’ll be fine.”
