James, Stephanie by Fabulous Beast Read Free Book Online

water. It was a hell of a swimsuit, he decided dryly. He hooked his
    arms around his knees, sitting up to watch as Tabitha dutifully began swimming laps. The suit was black
    with tiny little nondescript flowers scattered about. High-necked, with wide straps and a little skirt
    designed to help conceal the roundness of her hips, the garment stood out amid the gaily colored bikinis
    and maillots simply because it was so utterly different! He wondered if she realized that in seeking
    anonymity she had unknowingly made herself somewhat unique on the sun deck of the ship.
    Even though it had been designed to conceal rather than reveal, there was only so much a swimsuit, any
    swimsuit, could cover however, and Dev found himself thoroughly enjoying the sight of Tabitha as she
    gamely went back and forth in the pool. She was so soft looking, he thought wonderingly. Soft and gentle
    and feminine. He remembered the touch of her hand on his forehead the night before and took a deep
    breath. A determined man might resort to violence to obtain that kind of softness for his very own.
    And he’d sure as hell resorted to violence for less reason than that in the past!
    But violence wasn’t the way with a woman like this. He narrowed his eyes against the sun as Tabitha
    emerged, dripping, from the pool. He watched the way she shook back her warm-colored hair and then
    he realized he wasn’t the only one whose eyes were following the progress of the staid little swimsuit.
    With instinctive male alertness he pinpointed the one or two other knowing masculine gazes, and he
    frowned in unaccustomed displeasure.
    Almost simultaneously he realized something else. Tabitha was totally unaware of the other eyes on her.
    It wasn’t a casual pretence of unawareness inspired by feminine self-confidence but a genuine lack of
    consciousness that she was attractive. It was as if she simply didn’t believe herself the type of woman to
    draw a second glance from any man. Perhaps it was that very lack of sensual response on her part which
    made the other masculine gazes slide on past to other swimsuits.
    But none of these other men had nearly gotten themselves killed in a back alley on some scroungy
    Caribbean island and then had this woman come to their rescue. Nor had they discovered the warmth
    and gentleness in her touch as Dev had the previous night. He decided he preferred to keep the
    information to himself.
    “I’ve been thinking about tonight,” Tabitha began hesitantly as she neared Dev’s lounger and quickly
    picked up the towel he extended. As soon as she got it wrapped around her she felt instantly more
    comfortable. His gaze had remained politely on her face as she approached, and his smile was one of
    genuine welcome. Such a nice man. He neither leered nor ignored. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as
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    she took the seat beside him. “Are you going to feel up to having dinner in the main dining room?”
    “I’m feeling better by the minute. And thanks to all the food you’ve been stuffing down me today, I think
    my energy level will be high enough to manage the exertion of dinner,” he said, chuckling and leaning
    back against his folded arms.
    “Oh good. Well, I was wondering about perhaps seeing the purser and getting your seat assignment
    changed. There’s an empty place at my table and as long as you’re not traveling with anyone else…?”
    She tried not to chew on her lower lip as she waited for his reaction. He had been so amenable to every
    other suggestion she’d made today that when this idea had come to her in the pool, she had decided to
    risk the potential rejection.
    “I’d like that, Tabby,” he murmured, closing his eyes against the glare of the sun. “I’d like that very
    much.”
    Tabitha’s smile was very private this time as she leaned back to let the heat of the day finish drying her
    body. Her self-confidence