Read Online Summer Vows (Arabesque) by Rochelle Alers - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rochelle Alers
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Spinning on her toes, she turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Jacob felt as if he’d been punched hard in the solar plexus when he gaped numbly at the firm roundness of her bottom in the revealing shorts. There was hardly enough fabric to conceal her buttocks.
“Ana.”
She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Yes?”
He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. Jacob wanted to tell his houseguest that what she considered something cooler was downright indecent. And it wasn’t that he was a prude—far from it—but seeing her dress like that made him aware of how long it’d been since he’d slept with a woman.
“Would you be opposed to dining outdoors?” he said instead.
Ana peered at him over her shoulder, smiling. “Of course not, Jacob. In fact I was going to suggest it. As soon as I finish hanging up my clothes I’ll be down to help you put dinner together.”
“Make certain you put on sunscreen before we go outside. You’ve exposed a lot of skin,” he explained when she gave him a questioning look, “and the UV index is quite high today.”
A frown marred her smooth forehead. “I didn’t bring any. Do you happen to have some?”
Jacob’s smile was triumphant. “No, I don’t.” It faded as quickly as it’d appeared. “Did you bring a cover-up with you?”
Ana chewed her lip. “No. In fact I didn’t bring a swimsuit. But you may be able to help me out.”
“How’s that?” Jacob asked.
“If you’re willing to give up your rather garish shirt it could double as a cover-up.”
He glanced down at his shirt. “My shirt may be a little colorful, but it’s hardly garish.”
Ana bit back a smile. “Surely you jest. It’s loud and gaudy.”
His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “It’s garish, gaudy and loud, yet you want to wear it?”
She extended her hand. “I’ll take it now if you don’t mind.”
“You want me to take it off now?”
“Why not? It’s only going to take me a few minutes to hang up the rest of my clothes before I come back and set the table. You do use the table on the deck, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” Jacob countered. “I’m not into lap trays.” Ana reached out to unbutton his shirt, but he caught her wrist, holding it in a firm but gentle grip. “I’ll give you another shirt and I’ll make certain it’s somewhat less loud.”
Coward! Jacob silently berated himself. Why couldn’t he just tell her that seeing her dressed that way made him uncomfortable? In fact he was quite turned on by her curves. First the call from his mother had disturbed him, and now it was seeing a woman with whom he would spend days or perhaps even weeks with who thought nothing of dressing provocatively that had him on edge.
“I’m not going to strip for you, Ana. Go upstairs and hang up your clothes. And when you come down I’ll have something for you to put on.”
Ana wrested her wrist from his loose grip with a minimum of effort. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Jacob’s expression became a mask of stone. “Do what?”
Going on tiptoe, she thrust her face close enough for him to feel her moist breath on his jaw. “Talk to me as if I were either a child or an idiot.”
Seeing her close-up, inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume made him aware of things that he hadn’t noticed before. Her eyes weren’t dark, but a clear brown with glints of gold. The color amber came to mind. She was short, much shorter than she appeared because of her slimness, and her damp hair was coal-black, the perfect contrast to her olive complexion. Not only was she beautiful, she was exotic.
It was Jacob’s turn to swallow the acerbic words poised on the tip of his tongue. Diego had cautioned him that Ana was going to be defiant and challenging. She’d chosen a career dominated by men and she’d somehow learned to navigate the testosterone-filled waters with relative ease. That is until now. She’d run into a juggernaut when dealing with Basil Irvine,
Jacob felt as if he’d been punched hard in the solar plexus when he gaped numbly at the firm roundness of her bottom in the revealing shorts. There was hardly enough fabric to conceal her buttocks.
“Ana.”
She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Yes?”
He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. Jacob wanted to tell his houseguest that what she considered something cooler was downright indecent. And it wasn’t that he was a prude—far from it—but seeing her dress like that made him aware of how long it’d been since he’d slept with a woman.
“Would you be opposed to dining outdoors?” he said instead.
Ana peered at him over her shoulder, smiling. “Of course not, Jacob. In fact I was going to suggest it. As soon as I finish hanging up my clothes I’ll be down to help you put dinner together.”
“Make certain you put on sunscreen before we go outside. You’ve exposed a lot of skin,” he explained when she gave him a questioning look, “and the UV index is quite high today.”
A frown marred her smooth forehead. “I didn’t bring any. Do you happen to have some?”
Jacob’s smile was triumphant. “No, I don’t.” It faded as quickly as it’d appeared. “Did you bring a cover-up with you?”
Ana chewed her lip. “No. In fact I didn’t bring a swimsuit. But you may be able to help me out.”
“How’s that?” Jacob asked.
“If you’re willing to give up your rather garish shirt it could double as a cover-up.”
He glanced down at his shirt. “My shirt may be a little colorful, but it’s hardly garish.”
Ana bit back a smile. “Surely you jest. It’s loud and gaudy.”
His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “It’s garish, gaudy and loud, yet you want to wear it?”
She extended her hand. “I’ll take it now if you don’t mind.”
“You want me to take it off now?”
“Why not? It’s only going to take me a few minutes to hang up the rest of my clothes before I come back and set the table. You do use the table on the deck, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” Jacob countered. “I’m not into lap trays.” Ana reached out to unbutton his shirt, but he caught her wrist, holding it in a firm but gentle grip. “I’ll give you another shirt and I’ll make certain it’s somewhat less loud.”
Coward! Jacob silently berated himself. Why couldn’t he just tell her that seeing her dressed that way made him uncomfortable? In fact he was quite turned on by her curves. First the call from his mother had disturbed him, and now it was seeing a woman with whom he would spend days or perhaps even weeks with who thought nothing of dressing provocatively that had him on edge.
“I’m not going to strip for you, Ana. Go upstairs and hang up your clothes. And when you come down I’ll have something for you to put on.”
Ana wrested her wrist from his loose grip with a minimum of effort. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Jacob’s expression became a mask of stone. “Do what?”
Going on tiptoe, she thrust her face close enough for him to feel her moist breath on his jaw. “Talk to me as if I were either a child or an idiot.”
Seeing her close-up, inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume made him aware of things that he hadn’t noticed before. Her eyes weren’t dark, but a clear brown with glints of gold. The color amber came to mind. She was short, much shorter than she appeared because of her slimness, and her damp hair was coal-black, the perfect contrast to her olive complexion. Not only was she beautiful, she was exotic.
It was Jacob’s turn to swallow the acerbic words poised on the tip of his tongue. Diego had cautioned him that Ana was going to be defiant and challenging. She’d chosen a career dominated by men and she’d somehow learned to navigate the testosterone-filled waters with relative ease. That is until now. She’d run into a juggernaut when dealing with Basil Irvine,
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