LITMIR.BIZ

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he said. “It’s yours.”

      She considered his answer for a long moment. Suddenly she didn’t want to slow down. If anything, she wanted him more than she had before he’d gotten all noble and heroic on her. “If I want to sunbathe topless, I certainly can,” Eden said.

      “Then don’t expect me to keep my hands to myself,” Marcus warned.

      Eden stared at him, trying to keep from smiling. She felt so alive inside when they were at odds, the anticipation of surrender enhanced by antagonism. “You forget that you only work here, Barney. This is my father’s boat and I can do whatever I please. If I want to take off all my clothes right now, I could. And there wouldn’t be anything you could do about it.”

      “First, you’re usually wearing next to nothing anyway, so it wouldn’t come as much of a shock. Second, I’ve seen it all before. And finally, if you choose to do this, then be prepared to suffer the consequences.” Marcus grabbed the gallon of varnish he’d brought on board and turned toward the foredeck.

      Eden stared after him. The consequences? Somehow she couldn’t quite believe that the consequences would cause any sort of suffering at all. In truth, the consequences of tempting Marcus Quinn would probably be sheer, unadulterated pleasure.

      With a sigh, Eden picked up a suitcase and dragged it to the aft companionway. It was only a matter of time. And any thoughts that either one of them had about keeping their relationship platonic were simply the fantasies of two very deluded people.

      MARCUS SAT CROSS-LEGGED on the foredeck, his back braced against the side of the cabin, a small slab of teak jammed up against a stanchion. He’d been working on a series of carvings for the cabinetry above the double berth in the master suite—fish and crustaceans and other underwater life. He’d been working on the crab for the past few days and was nearly finished.

      A shadow blocked his light, and he glanced up to see Eden standing over him. “That’s nice, Barney,” she said.

      “Thanks.” Marcus squinted against the setting sun. “You’re in my light.”

      “I thought you might like some dinner. I made a salad and some sandwiches.”

      He levered to his feet and brushed the wood shavings from his lap. “Yeah, I could eat.”

      Their fight earlier that day had been forgotten and Eden seemed to be much more relaxed. He couldn’t say the same for himself. He found himself aching to touch her again, but then he remembered the agreement.

      Hell, it wasn’t an agreement at all. Instead, it had become some sick brand of sadomasochistic torture.

      It was as if they’d silently agreed it wouldn’t happen and now they were just prolonging the agony to make it more pleasurable for the both of them when it did. Marcus had spent every hour since she’d come on board thinking about stripping off her clothes and yanking her down on the bed and slowly burying himself inside her. If they didn’t consummate this relationship soon, Marcus was going to be left with no choice but to take matters into his own hands—or hand.

      Marcus followed Eden back to the cockpit as he pondered their relationship. It was a word he’d avoided for so long, but there was no other way to describe what they’d been sharing. They did seem to get along—they talked and laughed all the time. And there was an undeniable sexual chemistry between them. He wanted her more than he could ever remember wanting a woman. Didn’t that pretty much define what a relationship was? Sure, it was primarily based on uncontrolled lust, but that wasn’t all bad, was it?

      When he stepped into the cockpit, Marcus noticed the table she’d set, this one much less elaborate than the one last night. Candles flickered from little glass cups, and a bottle of wine had been uncorked. Eden pointed to a spot beside her at the table. He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine, then filled her glass, as well.

      “Should we make a toast?” he asked.

      “And what would we toast?” she asked, sliding into place next to him.

      He held up his glass. “To … friendship,” Marcus said.

      Eden raised her eyebrow, then shrugged. “All right. To friendship.”

      Marcus took a quick taste of the wine, then dug into the salad she’d prepared. He’d never been much for lettuce, but it tasted pretty good, kind of tangy and sweet at the same time. She’d made a ham-and-cheese sandwich with the Italian bread he’d bought, but she’d sliced little dill pickles onto the sandwich, adding a taste that wasn’t all that bad.

      She watched him as he ate, slowly sipping her wine and picking at her salad. “It’s good,” he said.

      “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a useless bimbo who only knows how to shop and party.”

      “That’s not what I think of you,” he said.

      “I’m an expert at grilled cheese and hot dogs and that’s about it. My mother was gone a lot, so I usually ate supper with Maria, our housekeeper in Malibu. She used to make the best Mexican food.”

      “I love Mexican food,” Marcus said.

      “Well, I ate it, but I never learned to cook it. Another thing I’m completely mediocre at.”

      Marcus grabbed his glass and sat back in his chair. “Why do you do that?”

      “What?”

      “Talk about yourself in such a negative way. I know you’re not useless or a bimbo. And I know there are a lot of things you probably do very well.”

      “Do you? I don’t think you really know me at all.”

      “Then tell me,” Marcus said, setting his fork down. “I’d like to know more about you.”

      She regarded him with a suspicious look. “You want to know about the videotape, don’t you?”

      “If that’s where you want to start, then go for it,” Marcus said.

      “If I’m going to tell you about the video, then you need to tell me something about yourself first.” “Ask me anything,” Marcus said. “Why do you have an Irish accent?” “I don’t,” Marcus said.

      “You do. I noticed it the moment I met you. It’s there, but it’s very faint.”

      “I grew up in Ireland,” Marcus explained. “My ma got sick when I was about five years old, and my da sent me and my two brothers to live with my grandmother. We were there for eight years. I had a really thick accent when I got back, but I learned to hide it. Hiding it helped me survive at school.”

      After he finished, Marcus drew a deep breath, the detail of his reply surprising him. He’d always been so guarded when talking to women, especially about his childhood. His answers usually consisted of three- or four-word replies. But suddenly, he felt compelled to reveal his life story to Eden. Was it because he wanted her to do the same? Or was it because he’d come to trust her? After all, neither one of them had lived a fairy-tale life as a child. She would understand better than anyone.

      “But you are an American,” she said.

      “I felt Irish,” Marcus said. “It was all I knew for a long time.” He took another sip of his wine, the alcohol relaxing him. “Now your turn.”

      Eden drew a deep breath. “All right. I thought I loved him and I wanted to keep everything between us exciting because there were so many women who wanted him. So I let him turn on the camera. And we watched the tape later and it was exciting and fun. He promised to erase it, but he kept it. A few months ago, after I said some rather unflattering things about him in the press, the tape suddenly reappeared. I think he gave it to a friend who gave it to a guy to put on the Internet.”

      “It doesn’t make me think any less of you,” he said, his jaw tight. “But it sure as hell makes me think a lot less of this guy. He deserves a proper smackdown.”

      Eden laughed. “And

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