married. In fact, I bet you wouldnât stick it out a week before you hit the road and ran.â
He shrugged. âIt would depend. Are you planning on being a good wife in this hypothetical scenario of ours?â
She saw red. âThat sounds like code for putting out every night.â
âAt least.â He grinned at her again. âIn fact, since weâre married, we should take advantage of each other.â
âRight.â She rolled her eyes. âLike you really want to have sex with me after blackmailing me. That would be a new low, even for you.â
He shrugged his shoulders again and then, shoot, his eyes lit up. âIâm up for it if you are,â he taunted.
Even if he hadnât blackmailed her into coming with him, Leviâs pretty package was wasted on her. He was the sexual equivalent of the loaner sweatshirt that got passed around when a girl was cold. Every female had had a piece of him, so no way was she sleeping with him, too. âNo sex,â she said firmly.
In addition, if it turned out that they really were married, she wasnât risking an easy annulment, so it was better to make her position clear now. Before she finished her cocktail and returned to their villa to deal with the one-bed-and-a-basketful-of-sex-toys situation. Mr. Manwhore might be the last SEAL on earth sheâd sleep with, but she wouldnât put it past him to pursue her. He liked sex, and their ostensible marriage would put a crimp on anyoneâs style.
âOkay,â he said agreeably.
Right. She snorted and he looked at her.
âLike you could go a week without having sex.â
âI absolutely can.â He sounded confident. Sheâd give him that.
She, on the other hand, was hyperaware of his long, powerful legs stretched out in the sand next to hers. He was still wearing his BDUs and combat boots, and for no particular reason, the sight of him ready for anything got her going. Or maybe it was just that he was a gorgeous, available jerk and sheâd been without a boyfriend for too long.
âPull the other one,â she said dryly. âIâve seen you in action, remember, and going without sex while youâre out in the field doesnât count.â
âYou think Iâm going to cheat on you while weâre married?â He managed to sound surprised, but it wasnât like he was the poster child for monogamy.
âWeâre not really married. Anything we do doesnât count.â She wasnât sure she really meant that, but there was no point in setting herself up for disappointment with Levi.
âI keep my promises.â He set his beer bottle back on the bar with a small click and leaned forwardâ surprise âto take her hand, his calloused fingers threading through hers in a rough-tender caress that was inexplicably good. His thumb found a sensitive spot in her palm and rubbed. Okay. Maybe she was the one who wouldnât make it a week.
Which was undoubtedly his point.
âI dare you,â she blurted out, her mouth rushing ahead of her brain. âNo sex for one week.â
âSure.â He nodded agreeably. âYou said the sex shopâs closed, so no worries.â
Sheâd never thought he would take advantage of their possibly married state. He wasnât that kind of guy. They were plenty clear on that particular pointâit was just everything else they disagreed about.
âBut,â he said, his voice a low rasp. âIf I take your dare, you take mine.â
Her hand shot up. âNo. Iâm done negotiating with you.â
Of course he kept right on talking as if she hadnât said anything. âFor each night I go without sex, I get to choose a drink for you from Fantasy Islandâs cocktail menu.â
She really, really needed to ignore the pulse of heat that suggestion generated in her belly. And lower. This was Levi. She didnât even like him, but apparently
Joanna Wayne Rita Herron and Mallory Kane