The Dare Collection: July 2018. Nicola Marsh

it’s been a few hours at most.” He laughed and scooped her into his arms, liking the little yip sound she made. “But never let it be said that I don’t take care of your needs.”

      “Heaven forbid.” She arched up to murmur in his ear. “I’m desperate for you, Roman.”

      His cock went rock solid and he tightened his hold on her. “In that case, I think your friend can wait another hour or two.” He strode for the bedroom.

      * * *

      Allie sat as rigid as she was able to while the boat wobbled its way through the waves away from the island. When she’d invited Roman along to go snorkeling, she hadn’t really thought it through. Becka hadn’t seemed to mind, so it didn’t really sink in until they’d left the island that this was...a date.

      No, not a real date.

      But it was as close as she’d come to a date in years.

       Not loving what that says about my social life.

       What social life?

      It was different when it was just her and Roman in his villa. She didn’t have to think too hard about the implications, because it was clearly just sex. Or maybe the sex just fuzzed her mind and that was why spending all that time with him didn’t bother her.

      Either way, it was different now.

      They were out in what passed for public on the island. The little boat was maxed out with her, Roman, Becka and a trio of giggling women who kept shooting Roman significant looks. All three had wedding rings, but that didn’t look like it’d stop them from taking him somewhere to be alone if he so much as crooked a finger.

      Allie clenched her fists and stared pointedly at the ocean. Roman wasn’t hers. If he wanted to run off with someone else, she didn’t have a right to be pissed. She certainly didn’t have the right to punch him over it. Get it together.

      “You look like you’re about to shove someone into the ocean.” Roman’s murmur was barely loud enough to be heard over the waves they cut through. “What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing’s wrong.” She’d answered too quickly. Might as well have put a sign over my head claiming the opposite.

      “Allie.”

      She glared at the horizon. If she was smart, she’d fake a smile and play this off. Admitting to feeling something as damning as jealousy would give Roman even more ammunition than he already had. Then again, if she’d wanted to prevent him from having ammunition, she shouldn’t have slept with him a second and third time...and she shouldn’t be planning on doing it again at the earliest available opportunity. There was no taking back those actions, and she had no intention of stopping until she really had to.

      “Allie.” He pressed his hand to the small of her back. “You’ve been checking out on me ever since last night.”

      “Maybe it’s just what I do. You don’t actually know me, so you don’t know that it’s not something I don’t do.” It sounded just as jumbled as her head felt. She battled the truly ridiculous urge to cry. Allie shook her head. “I’m sorry. I think it all just became real to me and I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m not really protected against you and it’s my own damn fault.”

      Roman moved closer, his body blocking her from the rest of the people on the boat. “You think you need protection from me?”

      She couldn’t read his tone, but the words didn’t sound any happier than she felt. “Not like that. I know you’d never hurt me, but...” But once they left West Island, all bets were off. She also knew that. She’d known that going into this thing with him.

      So why did it bother her so much now?

       I like him.

      It was as simple as that. It might have started with just sex, but it wasn’t just sex. She’d never been all that good at compartmentalizing, and even if she had been, Roman’s sheer presence would overwhelm whatever barriers she put up between them. It was easier when she could pretend she loathed everything about him except for his body.

      That fallacy hadn’t held up against their interaction that morning. He wasn’t just an unfeeling suit. He was a man, with a past and a present and a future, and they had at least a few superficial things in common. She understood his loneliness, because she held the twin feeling inside her. He spoke to her as if he cared what she thought, even if most of the time they’d been too busy to talk about much of anything. It didn’t matter. That focus was there and he’d have her confessing her deepest desires if given half a chance.

      She turned to face him, putting her back against the boat railing. His expression wasn’t a happy one. He hadn’t had a vacation, and she’d invited him out here to continue their feel-good time together...and now she was ruining it. She hated that, hated that she’d been the one to damper his enjoyment of the boat ride. Of the sight of those women.

       Stop it.

      She bit her lip, but there was no holding back the torrent of words. “I hate the way they look at you.”

      He blinked and then blinked again as comprehension dawned. “You’re jealous.”

      “I wouldn’t say that.” That was exactly what she’d say.

      Roman moved closer and skated his hand up her side until his thumb brushed the side of her breast through her swimsuit top. “Do you honestly think I have the slightest interest in anyone else?”

      She didn’t really know. That was the problem. It was entirely possible that the only reason he’d come onto her the first night was because they were literally the only two people in the restaurant. Oh, for God’s sake, stop. Allie gave herself a shake. She didn’t do this. Crippling self-doubt was exactly that—crippling. She hadn’t had time for that nonsense up until this point, and she’d be damned if she would let it prevent her from enjoying her remaining time with Roman.

      She took a long, slow breath, and then another. “Okay, yes, I’m jealous. You might not be mine, but you’re mine right now, and I don’t like them looking at you like you’re a piece of meat they’d like to share over dinner.”

      Roman burst out laughing, the sound taking up residence in her chest...and lower. His thumb dipped beneath her swimsuit, wandering dangerously close to her nipple. “You know damn well that you’re the only one who gets to have me for dinner.”

      She couldn’t find the air to laugh. Not when he pressed his hips into her, letting her know exactly how much he wanted her to have him for dinner. Allie ran her hands up his chest. “There isn’t anywhere private on this boat.”

      “If there was, we’d already be there, and I’d be inside you.” Roman’s thumb found her nipple. “I wouldn’t even tell you to be quiet, Allie. I’d fuck you hard enough to make you scream as you came around my cock, so everyone within hearing range would know exactly who it belongs to.”

       Belongs to.

      She didn’t know what to say to that, so she went onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Allie looped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his and tried to tell him without words how hot he made her—how much she appreciated the distraction.

      Distantly, she was aware of the boat turning and stopping. The guy driving it cleared his throat. “We’ll gear up here and you can explore the reef.” He went on, but she was too focused on the heat rising to her cheeks to pay attention.

      Roman backed off just enough to fix her top and then slid behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His cock pressed against her backside, the hard length preventing her from focusing fully on the instructions. He knew it, damn him. His lips brushed her ear. “Pay attention.”

      “Stop distracting