Read Online No Strings Attached by Jaci Burton - Free Book Online Page A

of the port and onto the open sea, heading out at a leisurely pace.
     Clay led Ella to the front of the boat where there were cushioned seats waiting for
     them. The sun was out and warm, so he shed his shirt and kicked off his sandals.
    “Oh, great idea,” Ella said, and stood, pulled off her tank top and shucked her shorts.
    Damn. Even though he’d had her naked last night, the sight of her in her bikini was
     enough to make his mouth water and his dick twitch. She had smooth skin, she was slender
     and well built, and she fit a bikini like a model. Yet she wasn’t perfect. She bore
     scars here and there—minor injuries incurred from working construction alongside her
     crew. Her hands were calloused, her nails short and scraggly, and her feet looked
     as though they spent the day stuffed in work boots.
    Maybe that was what he liked so much about her—she wasn’t buffed, puffed and polished,
     didn’t look as if she spent her days at the gym and the spa being pampered. She worked
     for a living, just like he did. She had a fundamental understanding of what his life
     was about, which was light-years away from any woman he’d ever dated. He could actually
     carry on a conversation with her—hell, he
wanted
to talk to her, which was rare with the women he was usually with.
    She pinned him with a curious stare, her hands on her hips. The wind blew her hair
     across her face. “You taking inventory?”
    He grinned. “Maybe.”
    “Well, stop it. It freaks me out. I know I’m not perfect.” She slid into one of the
     cushioned chairs and propped her feet across the raised deck of the bow.
    “I know. I was just thinking that.”
    She slid her sunglasses over her eyes. “Gee, thanks. You sure know how to compliment
     a woman. I’m amazed you get as many dates as you do.”
    “No, I was thinking that I can appreciate how imperfect you are,because I’m not perfect. These scars, for instance.” He lifted her arm and traced
     his finger across the faint ridge on her forearm.
    “Damn weld burn. Went right through my shirt.”
    “Yeah. I carry more than a few of those myself.”
    She leaned over and smoothed her fingers down his arm. “I recognize your battle scars.”
    He laid his hand over hers. “I like you touching me.”
    Her hand stilled. “I like touching you.”
    Their gazes caught and held.
    “This is so…odd,” she said.
    “Yeah? Why?”
    “I don’t know. You, me, together. That part I’m used to. But this part?” She smoothed
     her hand across his arm again.
    “Is that a problem?”
    “Not really. I’ve just known you a long time. As a friend. A business associate. I’m
     not used to having free access to your body.”
    He pulled on her hand until she came over to his chair and sat on his lap.
    “Get used to it. I want you to touch me.”
    She leaned against him, the curve of her breast so near his mouth he could have licked
     her. His cock rose at the thought. Instead, he buried his face in her neck and inhaled
     her scent. “You smell good.”
    Her breathing deepened. He ran his hand down her back, letting his fingers tease the
     material of her bikini bottom.
    “You keep doing that and something scandalous is going to happen right here on this
     boat.”
    He kept doing it, letting his fingers dip just inside the material.
    “Clay.”
    “Yeah.”
    “I’m pretty sure the captain and crew can see us.”
    “That’s too bad because my dick is hard.”
    “Does this boat have a cabin?”
    “As a matter of fact, it does.”
    She lifted, looked at him. “A private cabin? With a door lock?”
    He laughed. “I don’t think they’re going to bust down the door,Ella.” He’d paid a hell of a lot of money for this private charter. And private meant
     just that—he expected time alone with Ella.
    She slid off his lap and held out her hand. “Let’s go.”
    He stood, hoping his erection wasn’t too obvious. Not that he cared. They went downstairs,
     Ella leading the way. She found