Through the Maelstrom by Rebekah Lewis Read Free Book Online Page B

voice. His accent had lost the island inflections from the night before, though a strong English accent remained. She liked it better. Made him seem more of this world and not from another. What an odd thought. "Oh?" Serena said pointedly. "And what would that be?" This one she had to hear. What constituted insinuating someone was a whore while attempting to sleep with them as okay?
    He shook his head sadly, but his smirk held the hint of amusement. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not certain I believe it."
    She rolled her eyes and replaced her sunglasses. "Whatever. I have tanning to do, and you're blocking my sun." She waved her hand dismissively, feeling emboldened by her own defensiveness. Flirting she had trouble with. Being dismissive she could do without fail.
    His smirk grew into a dazzling grin as his gaze locked onto her hand. It was predatory. He was preparing to pounce. Her attitude wasn't deterring him at all, and her body's reaction wouldn't give up. Crap .
    "Shall we begin anew?" Christophe changed the subject and kneeled beside her, taking her hand in both of his.
    Crap. Crap. Crap.
    She tried to pull it away, but he held tightly, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. His touch was warm, and those fingers she'd been so intrigued with caged her, trapping her at his mercy. She couldn't think straight with his hands on her. Serena gaped at him, anger seeping out of her, only to be replaced by sheer bafflement. What does it take to scare this guy off? It wasn't that she wasn't interested. Telling herself otherwise would be a lie. But she would not tolerate disrespect, and the night before had been pretty damning.
    While her hormones continued to dance to the song of their "people" through her loins, Serena had lost sight of Becky Ann. But at that precise moment, flailing arm movement caught her eye. Behind Christophe, in the surf, Becky Ann gestured for her to grab Christophe and swiftly began undulating against the waves in a provocative manner. Yeah, like I'm going to do him right here on the beach. She narrowed her eyes. There wouldn't be any of that happening at all.
    Christophe turned around to see what had diverted her attention from him—because he probably knew he was pretty difficult to ignore, the jerk. His jaw dropped, giving Serena a chance to yank her hand free, nearly sending her chair toppling in the process. Becky Ann froze mid-thrust, dropped into the water, and then proceeded to doggie paddle around, staring into the air, oblivious. If they were closer, Serena would bet she was even whistling.
    " She's not a whore either," she said dryly, feeling the need to protect her friend's virtue, despite the way she could come off promiscuously. "Look." Serena stood and wrapped her towel protectively around herself. Though she wore a clingy tankini, Christophe had done a pretty fair job at maintaining eye contact. She, however, couldn't do the same. Eye contact was an issue for her, especially with attractive men.
    Which is how she came to acknowledge how interesting the sand was on the beach. Beige with hints of browns and even shades of pink the island was known for, but it was more noticeable near the water. "First impressions go a long way." She'd finally found her voice again, not loving the squeak to the end of her sentence. She cleared her voice before she continued. "It's clear to me that you saw me as a one-night stand waiting to happen, payment or not, and I'm not that person."
    He nodded. "Aye. You wish to be courted properly, and I've come to do so. I've procured a midday meal." He held his hand out to her, and she couldn't do more than stare at it like she'd never seen a man's hand before. "Shall we?" Touching him wasn't a good idea. She could walk without making skin-to-skin contact, and would be all the better for it.
    Biting her lip, she turned so he couldn't see the yearning that shot through her. How she wished she could be more extroverted. To take a man's hand freely, act