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disinterested once-over glance if she were to change into a swimsuit. She’d certainly give him more than a quick look if he were to change!
    “Go on, Tabby,” he encouraged. “I’ll just stretch out here on the lounger and rest a bit while you cool off. Everyone else is in the pool!”
    “I don’t…well, that is…” She fumbled to a halt. There really wasn’t a whole lot she could use for an excuse. And she didn’t want to make him think she was self-conscious about the prospect of having him see her in the suit. Besides, he was a gentleman and a friend. He wouldn’t be judging her against the other women, would he? Dev Colter was too intrinsically gracious to stoop to that sort of masculine cruelty. “All right, if you’re sure you don’t mind being deserted for a while, I’ll go downstairs and change.
    Be right back.”
    She was shy, Dev thought, hiding his amusement as he watched her hurry off toward the staircase which led to the lower decks. Was she really embarrassed at the thought of flaunting that nicely rounded body in a skimpy little swimsuit? He liked the small, growing signs of awareness he was seeing in her. The notion of having her aware of him as a man was satisfying. Still, he cautioned himself, he had to go slowly.
    The desire to pounce on her was increasing every hour he spent in her company but instinct told him it would be disastrous. Better to have her relaxed and open, slipping over the edge into sensual awareness before she quite realized what was happening.
    Dev settled back in his lounger, wincing as he jolted a few still-healing muscles. Then his mouth tilted upward faintly at the corners as he closed his eyes and waited for the return of his tabby cat. He felt rather like a medieval hunter setting out to capture an unfamiliar creature described in a bestiary. The knowledge that he was deliberately setting lures and baiting traps took him by surprise. What was it about this woman that made him want to keep her near? Was it just that he was luxuriating in the soft comfort she offered? Probably. It was a rare treat.
    Women in his life tended to fall into one of two categories. They were either lethally dangerous or else they were cute, sexy creatures who found him temporarily fascinating because of his past. He made a determined effort to avoid both varieties. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of choice in between the two extremes. Or perhaps, up until recently, he hadn’t realized what he was missing. How did a man know to go looking for something when he wasn’t fully aware that it existed?
    Tabitha emerged on deck twenty minutes later swathed in a huge, oversized towel. She smiled a little uncertainly as she came toward him, hugging the towel closely. Conscious of his role, Dev returned the smile, keeping the greeting light and totally unthreatening. He wanted the tabby purring comfortably.
    “Here, I’ll hold your towel for you while you go in the pool.” Casually he held up his hand, making it nearly impossible for her to avoid complying. It took her a couple of seconds but then, apparently deciding she was being ridiculous, she let the towel unwind and handed it to him with a brave nonchalance that made him want to chuckle indulgently.
    “I’ll be right back,” she assured him, turning at once toward the pool. He watched as she first sat down on the edge and then slid into the water. It was a hell of a swimsuit, he decided dryly. He hooked his arms around his knees, sitting up to watch as Tabitha dutifully began swimming laps. The suit was black with tiny little nondescript flowers scattered about. High-necked, with wide straps and a little skirt designed to help conceal the roundness of her hips, the garment stood out amid the gaily colored bikinis and maillots simply because it was so utterly different! He wondered if she realized that in seeking anonymity she had unknowingly made herself somewhat unique on the sun deck of the ship.
    Even though it