Read Online The Honeymoon Trap by Kelly Hunter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kelly Hunter
Ads: Link
chauffer?’
Chapter Eight
T here was a lot to be said for getting out of the constricting garb of Sherlock Holmes and into an itty bitty blue bikini, decided Zoey half an hour later as she rummaged around in her suitcase for a towel. A white slip-on sundress, silver sandals for her feet, straw hat for her head, and Zoey was ready for the beach. Eli hadn’t even taken that long to get ready. It seemed that the man could strip down to board shorts and T-shirt within seconds.
‘What do you usually wear to work?’ she asked as they crossed the road out front of the hotel and she stopped to remove her sandals before setting feet to the almost-white sand. It squeaked beneath her footprints, superfine and somewhat on the hot side.
‘If a client comes calling about a boat design, I can usually manage decent casual wear. Otherwise, you can usually find all three of us in some variation of shorts and T-shirt.’
‘The joys of the self-employed.’
‘What do you wear?’ he asked. ‘Costumes?’
‘Skirt and top.’
He looked a little skeptical.
‘Okay, sometimes I pretend I’m Audrey Hepburn and wear a slim fit dress, wide head band or scarf and funky sunglasses. If only I had a Vespa.’
‘Nothing wrong with your imagination.’
‘Nothing at all.’ She surveyed the beach with a slight frown. Plenty of sunshine and no shortage of people, most of them engaged in some sort of activity on the sand. The flags were up though and two lifesavers were in attendance. ‘Why do you think there aren’t many people in the water?’
‘Too cold, too rough, a big rip or the bluebottles from this morning haven’t gone away yet. There’s always the ocean baths.’ He pointed along the beach, towards the headland and the swimming pools carved into the rock there.
‘Can we try here first?’
‘You’re going to get tossed around out there, lightweight.’
‘I can handle it. Should I go flailing past you on my way out to sea, you have my full permission to grab me and haul me back to safety.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘And I may need to cling to you like a barnacle for a bit if I get tired.’
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
Zoey looked to the water once more. It really was a washing machine out there. ‘And you’ll tell me if my bikini goes askew, right?’
‘Sure.’ He dropped his towel and peeled his T-shirt up and over his head. Zoey surveyed the terrain and gave a happy sigh.
‘Not Walnut, and emphatically not Peanut,’ she murmured. ‘Tell your brothers that you’re Teak.’
‘That ain’t happening any time soon.’
Grinning, Zoey peeled off her dress and dropped it on the clothes pile and it was Eli’s turn to pretend he wasn’t looking. Her tan was several shades lighter than his and she was somewhat on the slender side, but she could claim some small curves here and there and she was proud of them.
Somewhere along the way, Eli had decided to hell with not looking. He was looking. And it seemed that he liked what he saw.
Zoey could have blamed the pebbling of her nipples on the coolness of the water as she splashed out through the smaller waves and into deeper water, but she wasn’t one for self-delusion on quite that grand a scale.
The more time she spent with Eli Jackson the more she wanted him. Body, certainly.
And soul.
There was a reason why only the brave had ventured into the water this afternoon. It was freezing, and the undercurrent was vicious. Zoey was an enthusiastic swimmer rather than a world class one, so she halted while she was still waist deep, ducking down to wet her shoulders and slip beneath an oncoming wave. She popped back up several meters sideways from where she’d started. Okay, so that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Even Eli, who appeared to be part seal, had a crease between his eyes as he reached out and grabbed her by the hand.
‘Stay with me.’
Which, for all that she was totally on board with that plan, was easier said than done.
The sea walloped
Chapter Eight
T here was a lot to be said for getting out of the constricting garb of Sherlock Holmes and into an itty bitty blue bikini, decided Zoey half an hour later as she rummaged around in her suitcase for a towel. A white slip-on sundress, silver sandals for her feet, straw hat for her head, and Zoey was ready for the beach. Eli hadn’t even taken that long to get ready. It seemed that the man could strip down to board shorts and T-shirt within seconds.
‘What do you usually wear to work?’ she asked as they crossed the road out front of the hotel and she stopped to remove her sandals before setting feet to the almost-white sand. It squeaked beneath her footprints, superfine and somewhat on the hot side.
‘If a client comes calling about a boat design, I can usually manage decent casual wear. Otherwise, you can usually find all three of us in some variation of shorts and T-shirt.’
‘The joys of the self-employed.’
‘What do you wear?’ he asked. ‘Costumes?’
‘Skirt and top.’
He looked a little skeptical.
‘Okay, sometimes I pretend I’m Audrey Hepburn and wear a slim fit dress, wide head band or scarf and funky sunglasses. If only I had a Vespa.’
‘Nothing wrong with your imagination.’
‘Nothing at all.’ She surveyed the beach with a slight frown. Plenty of sunshine and no shortage of people, most of them engaged in some sort of activity on the sand. The flags were up though and two lifesavers were in attendance. ‘Why do you think there aren’t many people in the water?’
‘Too cold, too rough, a big rip or the bluebottles from this morning haven’t gone away yet. There’s always the ocean baths.’ He pointed along the beach, towards the headland and the swimming pools carved into the rock there.
‘Can we try here first?’
‘You’re going to get tossed around out there, lightweight.’
‘I can handle it. Should I go flailing past you on my way out to sea, you have my full permission to grab me and haul me back to safety.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘And I may need to cling to you like a barnacle for a bit if I get tired.’
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
Zoey looked to the water once more. It really was a washing machine out there. ‘And you’ll tell me if my bikini goes askew, right?’
‘Sure.’ He dropped his towel and peeled his T-shirt up and over his head. Zoey surveyed the terrain and gave a happy sigh.
‘Not Walnut, and emphatically not Peanut,’ she murmured. ‘Tell your brothers that you’re Teak.’
‘That ain’t happening any time soon.’
Grinning, Zoey peeled off her dress and dropped it on the clothes pile and it was Eli’s turn to pretend he wasn’t looking. Her tan was several shades lighter than his and she was somewhat on the slender side, but she could claim some small curves here and there and she was proud of them.
Somewhere along the way, Eli had decided to hell with not looking. He was looking. And it seemed that he liked what he saw.
Zoey could have blamed the pebbling of her nipples on the coolness of the water as she splashed out through the smaller waves and into deeper water, but she wasn’t one for self-delusion on quite that grand a scale.
The more time she spent with Eli Jackson the more she wanted him. Body, certainly.
And soul.
There was a reason why only the brave had ventured into the water this afternoon. It was freezing, and the undercurrent was vicious. Zoey was an enthusiastic swimmer rather than a world class one, so she halted while she was still waist deep, ducking down to wet her shoulders and slip beneath an oncoming wave. She popped back up several meters sideways from where she’d started. Okay, so that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Even Eli, who appeared to be part seal, had a crease between his eyes as he reached out and grabbed her by the hand.
‘Stay with me.’
Which, for all that she was totally on board with that plan, was easier said than done.
The sea walloped
Similar Books
