Surrender 01 - Surrender

corner, but she didn’t dare take a bath. She was going to clean off as quickly as possible and pray there were clothes waiting for her in the dressing area when she was finished.
    When the strong spray hit her skin, Ari jumped back. Yes, she was definitely sunburned, and the water wasn’t helping in the least. She turned the pressure down low and adjusted the temperature to barely above warm. Even that now felt like a scalding hot shower, but any cooler and her muscles would freeze up.
    She suffered through the shower, carefully washing her body as best she could; it was a relief, at least that her skin was free of the stinging sand and salt water. Once she was finished, she stepped out, grabbed a soft towel and wrapped it around her body before cracking the door open and peeking into the dressing room.
    Relief filled her when she saw a set of clothes sitting on the counter, and no sign of Rafe. If he really tried seducing her again, she was sure she’d cave in record time. Her body was humming with need from their brief hallway encounter, and knowing he wasn’t far away was making her desire flame hotter.
    When she picked up a silky blue dress and an incredibly skimpy black lace thong, she felt her face heat. The dress would barely cover more than her swimsuit had. He was intentionally tormenting her. When she discovered no bra among the garments, she glared at the closed door, wishing thoughts could kill. If they could, Rafe would have been sinking down, down, down into the ocean depths.
    She walked back in the bathroom and rinsed out her bikini top, then returned to the dressing area, found a hair dryer and dried it before putting the uncomfortable thing back on. With a gasp of disbelief , she slipped on the panties — no more than a scrap of material that barely covered her “lady parts” — and pulled the sundress over her head.
    The soft fabric barely reached mid-thigh, but the dress was surprisingly comfortable; the cool material felt wonderful against her heated skin. The longer she was out of the sun, the more painful grew the burn covering most of her body. The next few days weren’t going to be pleasant.
    She actually smiled when she found a bottle of pricey lotion with aloe in it. Quickly stripping down again, she began coating her skin with it. The cool cream felt heavenly as she spread it across her arms and neck and then her legs. She couldn’t reach all of her back, but she managed to cover enough of her skin to send relief coursing through her.
    She’d at least make it through the uncomfortable dinner that loomed. Rafe, she was sure, wouldn’t miss an opportunity to make her squirm. She’d try not to give him the satisfaction of showing that she felt out of place.
    “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming out.”
    Ari jumped at the sound of Rafe’s smooth and cultured voice. She hadn’t expected him to wait for her, not when his family was aboard the ship.
    “You didn’t need to stay here. I’m sure I would have been able to find the dining area,” she said as she approached him.
    “I wouldn’t be so rude as to leave my guest all alone.”
    “I’m not your guest, Mr. Palazzo. I simply got railroaded into being here. I’ll make the best of it, but rest assured, spending the evening in your presence will be about as pleasant for me as having a root canal would.”
    He slowly began inching toward her with a predatory air. She wanted to make a hasty retreat, but she refused to show him signs of weakness. That would be like baring her open neck to a lion.
    “I’ve tired of your calling me Mr. Palazzo, Ari. You will either call me by my name or I’ll find very enjoyable ways to torture you in front of my family. The choice is yours,” he said as he stopped with his chest just brushing across her swelling nipples. The dress he’d given her hid nothing from his view, and he smirked at her reaction to him.
    Ari would have loved to call his bluff, but what if he actually followed through? She didn’t think he’d do anything outrageous, especially with witnesses, but for all she knew, his entire family was twisted. Maybe they liked to sacrifice young women at sea by throwing their bodies to the sharks.
    “What? No sarcastic comeback, Ari. That’s unlike you,” he teased as his fingers ran through the natural curls of her hair. The slight tremor that raced down her spine was a clear giveaway of how much he was affecting her, but no matter how much she scolded herself,