Slow Hands

Obviously seeing her frown, he clarified. “Of course, if we were to come to an agreement, I’d guarantee that none of those other obligations would ever involve sexual contact with anyone else. Otherwise, a lot of my time has to be my own. And that is a deal-breaker.”
    Of course he had a private life, everyone did. She already knew he had a family, somewhere . And maybe he really did have other clients that he “escorted” without any of the naughty goings-on. She could live with that…she hoped.
    “Very well.”
    “Also, just so we’re clear, if I agree to this solution of yours, you won’t be calling all the shots.” He raked a hot stare across her, from her windblown hair, down to the clingy top, which outlined the red bikini beneath. “You might be paying for my undivided attention when we’re together. But how I choose to pay that attention is up to me.”
    Maddy shivered lightly, despite the warmth of the day. The words might have been cool, but the look in his eyes was hot. So hot. And she knew he was telling her he’d be the one in charge in the bedroom.
    Well. She’d bow to the expert on that. She’d be insane not to, especially after the amazing things he’d done to her Tuesday night. “Also agreed,” she managed to whisper, already feeling weak in the knees at the thought of him paying attention to her.
    “One last point.”
    “Yes?”
    “If I’m not seeing anyone else, you’re not either.”
    That surprised her, considering she hadn’t had so much as a date in more than a year, not until Jake. It also surprised her that he’d care. She wondered if he had started feeling the crazy mix of emotions toward her that she already felt for him. The question also definitely reiterated that he would not be merely an employee .
    Maddy nodded slowly. “Okay. Does that mean…”
    “Yeah, I guess it does.” He reached for her again, sliding his fingers into her hair, cupping her head, then dragging her forward until her body was crushed against his. “You’ve got a deal, Madeline Turner,” he whispered.
    Then he covered her mouth with his…and sealed that deal with an earth-shattering kiss.
    A GOOD MAN WOULD HAVE TOLD Maddy the truth right away. A noble man would have stopped her before she’d ever made her offer. A kind man would have taken pity and not tormented her with questions and conditions while she awaited his answer. And a gentleman would have absolutely refused.
    Jake considered himself good. At least a little noble. Pretty kind, especially to the injured and helpless. And definitely a gentleman, given his upbringing.
    But he’d kept his big mouth shut. He had, in fact, forced himself not to laugh as Ms. Madeline Turner “bought” him for the next thirty days.
    Oh, he hadn’t been laughing at first. The idea that he’d been mistaken for a male hooker—well, that still burned. If it hadn’t resulted in him ending up with this amazing—strong-yet-vulnerable, demure-yet-sexy, icy-and-blazing-hot-woman— he’d probably be pretty damned furious. As it was, he definitely had something to say to the auction people, who’d apparently gotten his information mixed up with that of some Euro-trash gigolo. Possibly even the Irish-sounding guy who’d gone on the block immediately after him.
    Hmm…he wondered what that dude—billed as the Chicago firefighter offering beer and baseball—had gone for. And how Mr. Smooth had felt about it.
    At that, he really did laugh.
    “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Maddy asked, obviously hearing him as they skimmed across the surface of the clear, calm water. The sun beat down from above, yet with the speed of the wind in the sails, and the rush of air moving past, he didn’t feel the heat.
    Well, unless he looked at her .
    Maddy had taken off her shirt and wore just a pair of soft white shorts and a flaming red bikini top that couldn’t possibly manage to hold in all her curves at once. Good thing she hadn’t done it while they were docked. There probably would have been a yacht traffic jam caused by all the sailors ogling her as they sailed out of the marina.
    He’d thanked the universe more than once today, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what the hell the universe was up to, given the crazy situation in which he’d suddenly found himself.
    “You really love this, don’t you?” he asked, watching her turn her face into the wind and let it blow her hair in a long, billowing stream of lush brown behind her.
    Here on the water,