He stopped tickling but kept his hands on her waist. Just sitting next to Natasha was weakening his resolve to make this afternoon about more than sex.
And then he knew exactly what else they should be doing this afternoon.
“Before we get started playing out your scenario, I thought we could do a little reef exploring,” he said.
Her eyes widened, as if that were the last thing she’d been expecting out of his mouth. A little crease formed between her eyebrows.
“You want to do that?” She grinned. “You don’t have to go snorkeling to get me naked. I thought we already established that.”
He chuckled. “I know.”
But she still didn’t look like she was convinced.
“I’m serious, Nat,” he said. “I want to see some of that fish sex you’ve been talking about.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Fish sex instead of real sex?”
“We have four hours before the magazine shoot ends,” he said. “While I’m flattered by your confidence in my stamina, I’m pretty sure four hours would push even my limits.”
Natasha snorted, shaking her head.
“We have time for both. So let’s go out.”
He moved his hands lower, onto her hips, and smiled.
“Come on,” he whispered. “There’s tons of sexy stuff going on out there in the ocean, and we’re missing it.”
Her shoulders shook in a quiet laugh, but when she met his gaze, her eyes were warm and a little shy.
“How about we look for epaulette sharks?” she asked.
Um...sharks? Max frowned. “I thought people generally tried to avoid sharks when they went in the water.”
Natasha just smiled. “Come on, Max. It’ll be fun. You just need a pair of sturdy shoes.”
Was she joking?
“I thought those things were called flippers,” he said narrowing his eyes. “But who am I to correct the marine biologist?”
Natasha sighed in exasperation. “You want to be in charge of this outing?”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Okay, I’m game. As long as this doesn’t involve any strand-the-novice-in-shark-infested-waters humor.”
She threw back her head and laughed. What the hell was so funny about all this?
“Shoes, seriously. In case you accidentally step somewhere sharp,” she said. “And I promise I won’t leave you alone with the sharks.”
“All right,” he said warily. He eyed her tank top and shorts. “You changing first?”
She shook her head.
“Nice,” he said. “I like the wet T-shirt thing.”
Natasha rolled her eyes and gave him a little push off the lounger. “Let’s go.”
Max headed for the cabin and changed into his suit and tennis shoes then met Natasha outside. She was still sitting on one of the pool deck chairs, now wearing sunglasses and a hat. Her gaze slid down his body, slowing at his bare chest. He waited, letting her get her fill. He knew he looked good. And after spending the morning trying to block out Natasha’s luscious body in that red bikini she’d worn yesterday, he wouldn’t mind flipping that dynamic. Maybe she’d—
“Um, you might want to put a shirt on,” she said, interrupting that train of thought.
