Moonlight Mirage: Bandicoot Cove 2 by Sami Lee Read Free Book Online

sensuous. Her silence was both an answer and the start of a whole array of additional questions. Mitch wanted to clarify that a “purely sexual affair” was all she had with Ty. Before he could ask, she took a deep breath and straightened. “Mitch, I’d like to show you something.”
    “What is it?”
    “You can’t ask questions, and you have to come with me now.”
    Her demand unsettled Mitch. He was used to being in the driver’s seat in every exchange. Asking him to blindly follow someone else’s commands was tantamount to expecting him to jump off a tall cliff without any base-jumping equipment. When he opened his mouth to ask for more detail, the look Hayley sent him stifled the queries he wanted to utter. She didn’t think he could do it. She didn’t think he trusted her.
    A strange sense of peace came over Mitch as he let go of the need to control the situation. He realized with some surprise that he did trust Hayley. Either that or he was willing to go anywhere with her, as long as he was by her side.
    Both possibilities ought to have frightened the hell out of him. But he wasn’t scared as he nodded slowly. “Okay.”
    As it turned out, Mitch was only too happy to oblige Hayley’s request. Walking behind her on the path that led through the resort’s lush green foliage enabled him to watch her unobserved. Her blonde curls fell in thick waves over her shoulders, all the way down to the small of her back. The tank top was short, exposing a strip of lightly tanned skin between its hem and the top of her sarong. As she walked, the jaunty swing of her hips mesmerized him—especially when the floral garment started to slip low on her hips. Above the fabric, Mitch saw a glimpse of dark ink, the tail end of a swirling shape that told him the tattoo she’d gotten was right there at the base of her spine, decorating the very tops of her butt cheeks.
    Mitch could see the appeal of tattoos now. The mystery of Hayley’s—what it represented and how low it might go down—made his mouth dry out. By the time they cleared the resort grounds and their feet hit sand, he was in serious need of liquid refreshment.
    “Can you see it?”
    Mitch stared at the spot where her sarong had slipped another tantalizing inch, muttering, “Almost.”
    At her silence, Mitch met her gaze. Hayley stared at him askance, one eyebrow lifting. “I was talking about what’s out there.”
    The tilt of her head indicated he ought to be looking at the ocean. Dragging his gaze away from Hayley’s impish green eyes, Mitch stared out to sea. He looked for something on the horizon that might be interesting enough to warrant this little trek through the rainforest—a ship, a pod of leaping dolphins—but he saw nothing but an endless expanse of water and a pinkish-grey dome of cloudless sky. “I don’t know what I’m looking for.”
    “This isn’t a test. You’re not looking for anything, but you’re supposed to see it.”
    O-kay. “If this isn’t a test, why are you staring at me as though I’m missing something obvious?”
    “Because you are. It’s all around you, Mitch.”
    Reminded of the words to an old song, Mitch quipped. “Are you going to tell me it’s love that’s all around?”
    Her eyes remained steady on his and for once in his life Mitch was the first to tear his gaze away. He shouldn’t have mentioned the L-word even in jest, not around Hayley. “Hayley, I don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
    “I can see I’ll have to take a more hands-on approach.” Her steps so leisurely they made his erratic heartbeat halt altogether, Hayley moved to stand behind him. Rising on tiptoes, she placed her hands over his face. “Close your eyes.”
    “I think I’ll need them open if I’m to see anything.” The droll retort came out raspy as the heat of Hayley’s body infused his back. Mitch swallowed. Dry. His throat may as well be chock full of sand.
    “Just be quiet and do what I say.”
    “That’s usually