Marcus shook his head. No. Ill make you coffee, Ill fetch your damn baggage, but Im not going to be your personal slave.
Please? She watched his face flush and found the notion of his embarrassment completely charming. Most of the men she knew wouldnt think twice about agreeing to her request. Are you shy?
No, he said.
Its just lotion, she said. And I wont bite.
He hesitated, cursing softly, then snatched the bottle from her fingers. Eden rolled over on her stomach and stretched out on the towel, resting her chin on her hand. She closed her eyes and waited for his touch, the anticipation making her heart beat a little faster.
A moment later his palms smoothed across her back. Eden bit back a contented sigh. She had enjoyed her share of men, though shed slept with far fewer than the press had reported. But Marcus was different. Hed made it clear he didnt want her on board and done his best to ignore her. And even though she sensed an attraction between them, hed done absolutely nothing to act upon it. Shed never known a man to be able to maintain such restraint. You arent gay, are you? she asked.
His hands stilled. What?
Eden looked over her shoulder. Gay. Usually I can tell, but
You think because I havent tried to seduce you that I prefer men?
Do you? she asked. Because theres nothing wrong with that. Or maybe you go both ways? You can be completely honest with me.
He cleared his throat, then continued to rub the lotion onto her back. No, I prefer women. Im just not sure Id be able to handle a woman like you.
Like me?
Im afraid I might suffer by comparison, Marcus said.
His words cut her to the quick. In an instant, Eden knew exactly what he thought of her, how hed already pegged her as a silly socialite with a penchant for ill-advised sexual escapades. Maybe he was right. In fact, before long, the whole world would be thinking that very same thing and have the proof of it to boot.
But her real life, the one that she lived for most of the hours of the day, was nothing like the life portrayed in the press. She wasnt a raging nymphomaniac and she didnt engage in wild orgies and shed only danced topless once at a nightclub, and only because shed drunk too much champagne. I havent really been with that many men, she admitted.
Marcus chuckled. Why do I find that so hard to believe?
She felt her temper rise. Because, like the rest of the idiots in this world, you think everything you read in the tabloids is true. They use me to sell papers, to make money. They dont care if what they write is a big lie as long as people want to read it.
And you give them plenty of excuses to write about you, he said.
You sound like my father, she muttered, her voice cold and dismissive.
Funny, I dont think your father would approve of what Im doing right now. Or how youre enjoying it. He reached up and ran his hands along her shoulders, then came back to the center of her back. He paused to put more lotion on his hands, then began to move lower.
Edens anger slowly dissolved and she held her breath, losing herself in his touch. Marcus Quinn had very strong and sensuous hands, inflaming her desire. He also had the strange talent of provoking her ire at the very same time.
His fingers slipped beneath the strap of her thong as he began to massage lotion onto her backside. When his hand slipped between her legs, she fought the temptation to turn over and pull him down on top of her. Why couldnt he just kiss her and be done with it? Why did he insist on taunting her like this?
Thats fine, she murmured.
You dont want me to do your other
No. Thanks. Youyou can go now.
Great, he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. Is there anything else I can get for you, Princess?
Now that you mention it, I dont think I can survive on donuts and coffee. Unless we tie up at the dock, the market in town wont deliver. If you could pick up some fresh fruit for mesome melon, kiwi, papaya, some really good grapesId appreciate it. Make sure its all organic, though. And theres a really good fish market in town. I dont care what you get as long as you cook it properly. The housekeeper has accounts at all the shops in town. Just charge whatever you buy.
He stood up beside her, casting a shadow over her body. For a long time he didnt move, and she wondered what he was thinking. In truth, he was probably thinking about turning her into shark bait. But if he persisted in provoking her, then she had no choice but to stand up for herself. Thats all, Eden said. You can go now. Ill call you if I need you again, Barney.
A few seconds later she heard his footsteps on the deck. Eden couldnt help but watch his retreat, curious to see whether he bothered to look back. All of this wouldnt be half as frustrating if Marcus Quinn wasnt so damn gorgeous.
Was it the dark hair or the deep blue eyes that she liked so much? Or was it the crooked smile that he so rarely used? He couldnt be called charming or even friendly. But he possessed an undeniable masculinity, a way of commanding her attention that made him irresistible.
Perhaps she shouldnt test him so, but sooner or later, hed have to waver. Eden sighed. She was accustomed to getting what she wanted. But this time she didnt really know what that was. Did she simply need Marcus to acknowledge the attraction, to make her feel better about herself? Or was she looking for something to distract her from the troubles looming just over the horizon?
Eden had often tried to understand her warped view of relationships. She suspected it had to do with her parents divorce when she was seven. It had been called the divorce of the decade, acrimonious at best, downright vicious at its worst. Shed been used as a pawn in a settlement and custody fight between her grasping mother and her controlling father. When the courts had finally put an end to the fight, Eden had realized neither one of her parents really wanted her. All they had cared about was winning.
So shed spent the school year in Malibu with her mother and summers in Newport with her father. She rarely saw Trevor Ross, but he made up for his absences by indulging her every whim. At first, she cared nothing for his gifts, preferring his company instead. But after a time, Eden realized that the only thing she would ever have of her father was what he bought for her.
Her problems with her father extended to other men. After five or six years of dating, she knew her chances at ever making a normal relationship work were slim at best. Shed never been able to trust a man enough to let him inside her lifeor inside her heart. For a long time, that hadnt made a difference. But lately shed wanted to believe she could have a grand romance, an affair that would last longer than a few months.
There had to be something more to life than what shed experienced so far. Something deeper, something real. And though hiding out on her fathers yacht might provide the solitude she needed to sort out her life, playing games with Marcus Quinn wasnt the best use of her time.
Just let the man do his job, she murmured. And stay out of his way. She repeated the words again, but she still couldnt convince herself. Every time he was near, she felt compelled to look, to say something that might provoke him into conversation. And if she thought the suntan-lotion ploy would satisfy her desire for his touch, Eden was fooling herself.
Maybe he was right. Maybe it would be best for both of them if she just packed her bags and left. Eden took a deep breath and shook her head. No, shed stay. But shed try her best to get along with Marcus, to make him see that, at heart, she really was a good girl.