High Stakes Seduction by Lori Wilde

surfing’s not for you.”
    “Couldn’t I just rent one?” he asked.
    “You could, but you might really love surfing and the rental fees can add up quickly.” She handed him a wet suit and pointed to the dressing room.
    “I’m going to look like a dork in this.”
    “Not at all. But come out and model it for me, I want to make sure it fits you correctly. An ill-fitting wet suit is pure misery.”
    But when he emerged from the dressing room clad in the wet suit, the misery was all hers as a hard ache yanked up tight in her stomach. Omigosh, the man could have been a swimwear model, he was that hot. The wet suit clung to his honed frame, showcasing every attribute he possessed and he possessed a lot of them.
    Eva gulped. She was in over her head with this one. If she was smart, she’d tell him she had a headache and needed to go home. But clearly, she was not smart or she wouldn’t be here with him in the first place.
    “How do I look?” he asked, arms extended.
    “Um…”
    “That bad, huh?”
    No, dammit, that good. “It fits,” she mumbled.
    “I’ll just go change.”
    “Wear it.”
    Oh, you shameless hussy. You just want to stare at his ass.
    “Just wear it out of the store?”
    “No point in changing and then trying to shimmy into it on the beach,” she said, even though she wouldn’t have minded watching that, as well.
    “Good point.”
    “Next stop, surfboard rental,” she said as they walked up to the cash register to pay for his purchase.
    In the process, his elbow brushed lightly against her rib cage, just underneath her breast. She knew the touch was accidental, but that didn’t stop her body’s red alert.
    What if it wasn’t accidental?
    Eva slid a sideways glance his way as he dug his wallet from the back pocket of the Hawaiian shorts he had thrown over his forearm along with his T-shirt. Neptune himself couldn’t have looked sexier.
    Okay, so he was sexy. Okay, so she liked him. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. That didn’t mean she had to do anything about the attraction.
    He was different from the men she was accustomed to—disciplined, logical, handy with a hot water heater. She shivered thinking about how this broad-shouldered man had been in her apartment, so close to her bedroom. Would he be just as handy in bed?
    “Cold?” he asked.
    Another good quality. Concern for others. Stop cataloging his good qualities. Look for faults. Look for things that will annoy you after you’ve dated him for a while.
    Hmm, that was a tall order. She couldn’t find anything annoying about him.
    “Yeah,” she lied.
    “Let’s get you out in the sun.” His smile was genuine, but it seemed rusty, as if he didn’t use it often. It wasn’t that he was stern, more like he’d forgotten how to play.
    Well, she could cure that.
    You shouldn’t be curing anything. You should be keeping your distance. Cure yourself of short-term relationships.
    Ah, but honestly, was it so wrong to hang out with him? Maybe she should have a fling with him. Let him be her palette cleanser after Keith. A good guy to restore her faith in human nature.
    What would he do if she kissed him right here? A real kiss this time. None of that cheek stuff. Felt that firm mouth on hers. Splayed her fingers over that taut chest; felt his heart skip a beat. Find out if she affected him as strongly as he affected her.
    His hand went to the small of her back as he guided her out the door. The slight pressure sent another shiver up her spine. She blinked against the strong sunlight, reality smashing through the sweet little daydream she’d been spinning. Seagulls cawed. A group of college kids played volleyball. The air lay heavy with the scent of sea and sand.
    She retrieved her surfboard and they stashed his clothes in a locker. She shimmied into her own wet suit, fully aware that he was watching her from the corner of his eye while trying to pretend that he wasn’t. After that, they went to rent a beginner board with a leg