“The dictionary. I suggested you pull every word in the English language from my mouth. All you managed was your name.”
He smiled into her hair. “That was enough, darling.” The pet name fell from his lips with ease and, for once, it wasn’t just an empty platitude meant to pave the way for a smooth departure from his lover’s bed. The truth rattled him, and he lost his train of thought.
She was quiet, presumably waiting on him to finish his thought.
He rolled onto his back and took her with him, situating her so she straddled his hips before offering her the truth. “Dawn is hours away. We’ve plenty of time to work on your vocabulary.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELLASATNEXTto the pool, laptop open, and flipped through the list Liam had given her before he slipped out this morning. The warmth of the early-afternoon sun soothed muscles that ached from overuse through the night.
She grinned.
Maybe she’d arrange for a massage later this afternoon. Or she’d talk Liam into doing it. Yeah, that had some real potential.
Her grin widened.
“Work first, play second.” She murmured the reminder under her breath.
Getting back on task, she continued to read through Liam’s paperwork. There, at the bottom of the first page in bold male handwriting, was a note with the groom’s request for a shellfish pairing with the main course. She typed the request into the file she’d started to track Liam’s changes. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She didn’t know him enough to either trust or distrust him when it came to her career. But she felt better keeping their individual choices clearly defined in the event the bride or groom wanted to know why a specific change had been made.
She continued through the notes. There were quite a few handwritten amendments on the second and third pages—things like the flowers to be used in the bride’s bouquet, the number of guests attending, requested activities, food choices, the orientation of the chairs relative to the sea and more. Each change left Ella a little more concerned than the last. Sure, the revisions were minor, but they altered the feel of the preceremony celebration and the nuptials...enough to make Ella question whether she’d had it right from the beginning. Was she losing her touch? Liam had been so confident in giving her the changes, so sure about what the couple desired for their big day. And he would know, wouldn’t he? Had she misread the bride’s wishes so significantly?
At the thought, her belly rolled over, the sensation as lazy as it was insolent.
A shadow cut across her computer screen. “Finding everything in order?”
Ella glanced up and discovered the very man she’d just been thinking about standing beside her lounge chair. Liam’s broad shoulders blocked the sun. He wore nothing but a pair of pale blue board shorts. Water dripped from the hems and puddled around his bare feet. His dark hair was slicked back, making his deep brown eyes all the more prominent in that sculpted face. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and the waist of his trunks slipped a fraction of an inch down his hips. Tanned warmth gave way to a thin white strip of skin.
He moved to tug the shorts up, and she reached out to rest a hand on his knee. “Don’t.”
A smile teased one side of his mouth. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t pull your shorts up.”
“The lady allows me to command her body in the dark but thinks to command mine in the light of day?”
She tugged on the end of the wet suit, exposing a bit more skin, and took him in, one visual gulp at a time.
“If memory serves, you were quite vocal in your approval.”
“I’m all about positive reinforcement.”
He chuffed out a small laugh.
“Besides,” she continued, “how else was I supposed to let you know you were doing what—exactlywhat—I wanted?” Batting her eyes, she lowered her voice. “And ifmymemory serves, you were all too anxious to have me command your body under yesterday’s sun.”
He touched two fingers to his forehead in mock salute. “Touché.”
A short laugh, breathy and shallow, escaped her, and she fought the urge to cringe. She’d never beenthat woman, the one who flirted with inane comments and superficial behavior. This man wouldn’t turn her into that woman, no matter how spectacular a lover he’d been.
Ella cleared her throat, gathered her paperwork and then stood, forcing Liam to take a step back and give her some space. She needed to do something proactive on this account, something to prepare for the arrival of the bride and groom in just four short days.
Four days.
The timeline was so tight. If she screwed this up, there would be no time to fix it. This was a one-shot opportunity to reclaim her career and her self-esteem. She wouldn’t,couldn’t, screw it up.
“I have some questions about the changes you requested.”