The Allure of Dean Harper

  Her jaw dropped. “What? I thought we were going to skip it this year.”

  I explained the recent change of events.

  “Well shit,” she said, dropping her towel and bag on the cabin’s floor. “Everyone is up on the sundeck. I’ll go fill them in.”

  “Call Hunter too,” I yelled out as she set off for the stairs. “He’s not coming today.”

  I turned back to my computer and scanned through the available rooms at the Bellagio. I knew it would be slim pickings. The hotel booked up quickly on a normal week, but the fact that it was also the home base for the convention ensured that we would be lucky if we found a room within a five-mile radius. I scanned through the availability for the guest rooms and suites, not shocked to find them all booked.

  I was about to call the hotel to book one of their nine private villas, when I heard Lily’s voice on the stairs.

  “Does he think we have no life? I can’t just drop everything and leave town on a moment’s notice.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You will if you plan on getting paid this month,” I yelled.

  She came into view at the door of my suite, arms crossed over her short white cover-up. Her tan shoulders were bare and her bright red suit was just barely visible beneath the thin fabric of her dress. Her long legs were more on display than they’d ever been—a tempting sight that I didn’t indulge in. Her blonde hair was tied back at the base of her neck, allowing me to take in every ounce of anger written across her features. She was pissed. I was intrigued.

  “You can’t force me to go to Vegas,” she countered.

  I smirked. “Antonio Acosta has agreed to help us with the menu for the new restaurant.”

  Her grip loosened on her arms. She knew that name. “Are you kidding me?”

  I shook my head.

  “When do we fly out?” she asked, her tone slightly less abrasive than before.

  “Wednesday, assuming I can book this villa in time.”

  She swallowed and nodded. I could see the excitement growing behind her gaze. The Las Vegas Restaurant Week was an invite-only event. It was exclusive and elite. I knew how badly Lily wanted to attend, and I knew she would have admitted that desire to anyone but me.

  Why?

  Because we were both playing the same game.

  “Julian said he’s available up until Friday,” Zoe explained, cutting her gaze between Lily and me. “He’ll need to fly home before us.”

  I nodded. “As long as he’s there for part of the week, it should be fine.”

  “And Hunter?” Lily asked, her gaze focused on Zoe.

  “He’ll be there, but he’s been warned about his behavior. Don’t worry.”

  She nodded, seeming to accept my answer.

  Zoe clapped, breaking the silence. “Okay, well, we’ll go mix some drinks on the deck and let you finish up. Let me know if you need my help with anything.”

  Zoe pulled Lily’s arm and they turned toward the stairs. I focused on Lily’s body as she walked away, wondering if it was a good idea to book one villa for all five team members. There’d be plenty of space for everyone, but something told me that staying in a hotel room—even a large one—with Lily Black would be temptation in its most extreme form.

  …

  By the time I’d finished booking everything, we’d dropped anchor in open ocean. I surfaced from my cabin, hot and cranky, and paused at the top of the stairs. Zoe was lounging on the sundeck with her sunglasses covering most of her face. Julian and Josephine were sitting on the couch beneath the roofed section of the sundeck. Julian leaned in and kissed her cheek. I looked away and my gaze followed the line of the sundeck until I spotted Lily behind my bar, wearing nothing but her red bikini and one of my old Nicks caps. It sat crooked on her head, the wide brim covering her entire forehead.

  “Where’d you find that?” I asked, stepping closer.

  A smarter man would have stepped in the opposite direction.

  She glanced up and blanched. “It was in a cupboard down in the galley. I forgot a hat and I get so many freckles if I don’t keep my cheeks covered in the sun.”

  I tilted my head, taking in her delicate features beneath the brim of my hat. She already had freckles across her cheeks, but I liked them.

  “I can take it off.”

  I shook my head and bent down to retrieve a few limes from a bowl beneath the bar.

  “Keep it on.”

  I purposely didn’t look to see her reaction.

  “What are you going to make?” she asked, taking a hesitant step closer.

  She smelled like summer. That tropical scent that warms your stomach.

  “A margarita,” I said, peering at her from the corner of my eye.

  Her red tube top style bikini was tight and had the effect of drawing me in like a moth to a flame.

  “That’s my favorite drink,” she said, a small smile stretching across her lips.

  I sliced up two limes, squeezed the juice into the shaker, and reached for the triple sec. “I usually like to use fresh orange juice, but this’ll do.”

  I pulled the cork from my Patrón and poured in two shots. A little ice and a splash of agave nectar went in next, and then I shook the drink up while Lily watched me in silence.

  “Try it,” I said.

  Her hand brushed mine as she took the glass from me. Lily brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Her bright eyes met mine over the brim of the glass and I knew I had her. She was a better bartender than I was, but I’d been perfecting margaritas since I was sixteen.

  “It’s good.”

  “You can keep it,” I said, already reaching for two more limes.

  “You’re being nice again today,” she quipped, pressing her hip against the bar to face me.

  I shot her a dark look. “You won’t be saying that in a few minutes.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  “You’ll find out as soon as you finish that drink.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Dean

  During the summer months, when the sundeck is hot and the water is too tempting to ignore, I like to jump off the side of my yacht into the water. It isn’t dangerous if you do it right, but when I broached the subject to the group, everyone but Julian reacted like I was insane.

  “No!” Josephine yelled, leaning out over the edge of the railing. “That’s how people get eaten by sharks.”

  “There are no sharks,” I corrected her, reaching for the hem of my shirt. I tugged if off and tossed it back onto the floor of the main deck. When I turned back toward the railing, Lily was watching me. Her eyes dragged down my chest, heating my skin. I cleared my throat and she smirked, meeting my eye for only a moment before glancing away. She wasn’t embarrassed to have been caught. She was too self-assured to be bothered by the fact that I knew she was checking me out.

  “I think we should do it,” Zoe said, tossing her sunglasses aside. “It’ll be a bonding exercise.”

  Lily grunted. “Will the bonding part come when we’re all at the hospital nursing broken bones?”

  I smiled and shook my head. She and Josephine would come around. Everyone did. “I’ve done it a million times.”

  Lily’s wide eyes met mine. “It’s that easy to do?”

  Josephine slapped her palm against her forehead. “This is dumb. We shouldn’t do this.”

  Zoe was ahead of everyone. She already had one leg swung over the metal rail, balanced on the short ledge that extended out a few inches on the other side. I stayed close until she swung her other leg over and had a solid grip on the railing.

  Julian helped lift Josephine over the railing even as she continued to protest. “How confident are you about the sharks?”

  He laughed off her question and then swung himself over the railing beside her. Zoe, Julian, and Josephine spread out along the side of the boat, a few feet apart. Lily stayed where she was, her feet firmly planted on the safe side of the rail.

  “You going to chicken out??
?? I asked, stepping up behind her.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” she replied, sliding her gaze back to me.

  I smiled and reached up to take the hat off her head.

  “Hey—I didn’t say I was going to do it,” she protested, trying in vain to flatten down her blonde hair. It was curly and wild from the salty air.

  “There are no sharks,” I assured her.

  She narrowed her eyes on me. “Maybe it’s not the sharks I’m scared of…”

  “What then?” I asked.

  She inhaled a breath and whipped around to face the railing. “Just hold on to me as I climb over.”

  I reached out and slid my hands around her slender waist. Her skin was so warm from the sun and I gripped her tight enough that even if she tripped, she wouldn’t fall. The bottom of her bikini shifted, revealing a sliver of pale skin. I yearned to see more—to see the parts of her that the sun couldn’t reach.

  “Okay, I’m just going to swing my leg over…”

  I nodded in response, knowing if I spoke my voice would likely reveal the attraction I was trying to keep hidden.

  She stretched her left leg out over the rail and then twisted her body as if she were hopping over the top of a fence. I lifted her and kept her steady, and when she was on the opposite side, both feet on the platform, she glanced up at me. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Our pulses were blending and for two seconds, I thought we’d kiss. Right there with everyone watching.

  “You can let go now,” she said, shifting her gaze from my lips up to my eyes.

  I snapped back to reality like a rubber band, let go of her waist, and took two steps back. One step wouldn’t have been enough. One step meant I could still lean forward and kiss her. Two steps gave me back my control.

  “C’mon Dean! I’m jumping with or without you!” Zoe yelled.

  I laughed and hopped the railing in one clean jump.

  “Okay, jump on one,” Julian yelled.

  “Three.”

  I leveraged my body over the blueish green water and took a breath.

  “Two!”

  “Oh Jesus, this is stupid,” Lily whispered next to me.

  My heart raced as if it were trying to fight its way from my chest.

  “One!” Julian yelled.

  I bent my knees, reached out for Lily’s hand, and pulled her off the ledge with me.

  She let out a wild scream as we flew through the air. The water rushed to meet us and I held my breath just before we crashed through the surface. The cold water overtook us and I let go of Lily’s hand so I could kick back to the surface. Endorphins spiked my blood, mixing with the adrenaline from the few seconds of flight. I’d taken that jump hundreds of times, but never while connected to someone else.

  I broke the surface and inhaled a deep breath. Julian and Josephine were already kicking back to the dive ladders, and Zoe was climbing onto the swim platform. Lily was nowhere to be found.

  I spun in a circle, cursing the fact that we were swimming off the shore of New York and not in the Caribbean. The water was too dark to see below the surface, and for two seconds I feared I wouldn’t be able to find her if she’d hurt herself during the jump. I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to go back down to search for her, just as her blonde hair broke the surface. She coughed up water and pushed her hair back out of her face, out of sorts, but seemingly uninjured.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, paddling closer.

  Her wide eyes turned to me and she held out one hand, using the other to tread water.

  “Do. Not. Come. Any. Closer.” She enunciated each word as if she’d chop my head off if I didn’t heed her warning.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I paddled closer and her eyes flared with warning.

  “DEAN. Do not come any closer.”

  That’s when I noticed what she was trying desperately to hide.

  Oh shit.

  “My top came off when I hit the water.”

  She scanned the water around her, frantic. And me?

  I tried my damnedest to keep the smirk off my face.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lily

  “EVERYONE TURN AROUND!” I yelled. “SO HELP ME GOD!”

  Julian helped pull Jo up out of the water and she collapsed into a fit of laughter on the swim platform. Julian covered his eyes with one hand and bent down to pull her up with the other.

  “I can’t see anything! I swear. I’m just going to go back into the galley.”

  Josephine kept howling with laughter, unable to even catch her breath. I’d kill her as soon as I found my bathing suit top. Hell, maybe I’d just strangle her with it.

  Zoe was currently the only person on my good side. As far as I was concerned, Jo was dead to me. Her and Dean, both. When I turned back around, he was still treading water a few feet away from me, completely unfazed by my death threats.

  “I hate you.”

  He tilted his head and a little smirk stretched across his lips. “I can’t see anything.”

  “You’re lying,” I said, glancing down to confirm my boobs were below the surface. Every time the ocean current bobbed me up and down, I feared one would pop out, much to Dean’s delight.

  He shook his head. “There’s no use looking for your top. You’re going to drown trying to find it.”

  I groaned and glanced back to the boat. “Josephine! Jo! Will you stop laughing for two seconds and help me?”

  She was absolutely no use. “Lily.” She breathed through laughter. “I’ll help, just let me—” She couldn’t even get the sentence out without erupting into another fit of cackling.

  The burning sensation in my arms was becoming harder to ignore; I couldn’t tread water for much longer.

  “Josephine! This isn’t funny! Some shark is probably smelling my bikini top and deciding he wants to eat me for lunch!”

  Dean groaned. “For the last time, there are no sharks.”

  I turned back around and…GOD DAMN HIM. He was closer than ever. I didn’t have a choice. I had to swim to the boat and get out without my bikini top. Josephine wasn’t going to get off her bony butt and help me. Either I succumbed to my fate and drowned, or I got out and let Dean see my life-changing rack, thus ruining him for all future women from there on out. (Okay, maybe I was hyping myself up a little bit.)

  I started paddling back to the boat, already breathing heavily from having to tread water for so long. Dean swam right past me, reached the ladder, and pulled himself up and out, all before I even got close to the boat. Show off. His tan, smooth chest glistened in the sun as he bent back down for my hand.

  “I can get out myself,” I said, covering my chest with one arm and using the other arm to doggy paddle closer to the ladder. It was slow going, but I figured I’d get there eventually.

  “The ladder isn’t stable. Stop being difficult and just let me help you,” he argued.

  Me? DIFFICULT? So help me god, he was going to eat his words when I got onto that platform.

  “I have strong arms. Turn around and let me get up.”

  “Lily. Enough.”

  The fire in my veins had nothing to do with treading water and everything to do with my anger toward Dean. I was right against the ladder, just below where he was hovering on the platform. I had one arm wrapped precariously around my chest and one arm desperately trying to keep me afloat…which left me with zero arms to reach for the ladder. Fuck me.

  I had to suck it up and wait him out. Eventually he’d get bored and go inside, and I could lift myself out then. The muscles in my arm started cramping worse than ever, like they’d heard my thoughts and were desperately trying to convince me to abort my plan. My pain must have shown on my face because Dean bent lower, too annoyed to deal with my nonsense any longer.

  “Lily, I’m going to help you up. You can yell all you want, but I’m not going to let you kill yourself because you’re afraid I’ll see your boobs.”

  I tried to reach for the ladder with
my swimming arm just as I felt his hands grasp my biceps. He yanked my arm away from where it covered my chest and hoisted me out of the water like he was lifting a bag of marshmallows. I didn’t even have time to fully comprehend the fact that my boobs were on full display before I felt one foot touch the edge of the platform.

  I was on land again!

  I wasn’t going to die!

  Unfortunately, excitement set in a moment too soon. Just as I tried to set my other foot down on the platform, it slipped out from under me. Dean tried to hold me up, but I was already flailing forward like a fish. I couldn’t brace myself against him because he still had ahold of my arms. I fell in slow motion, confident my face was about to make contact with the hard platform, when instead, I landed face first against Dean’s crotch.

  Wait. Let me clarify.

  I’d been on the edge of the swim platform with Dean holding me up like a rag doll, and when I slipped, my face had hit his crotch with enough force to strip the paint off his bow, if you catch my drift. I was pretty sure I’d just broken Dean’s penis. Hello God? It’s me, Lily. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you have a shark jump out of the water and eat me? I’d really like to die a quick, painless death, preferably one that doesn’t involve my face colliding with Dean’s crotch any more.

  Dean let out a guttural grown, let go of my arms, and collapsed back onto the swim platform. He squeezed his eyes shut and rocked from side to side with bent knees. I jumped up and leaned over him, gripping his shoulders in my hands.

  “Oh my god. I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

  One of his eyes peered open and he shook his head, incapable of speech. Clearly, I’d just caused some serious damage.

  “Do you need some ice? Should I blow on it?”

  He laughed, and then groaned again. The joke was crass at best, but I needed a way to gauge how badly he was injured.

  “Okay good, if you can laugh then you aren’t going to die.”

  I heard footsteps on the stairs and glanced up to see Josephine, taking them two at a time. With all the excitement, I hadn’t even noticed that she’d left the swim platform. “I’ve got it! Here, Lily, I’ve got something for you to wear!”