Immersion (Magnetic Desires) Read Online Free Page A

then emphasized time, made me wonder what she was avoiding. Things about this girl didn’t add up. There was the tiny stateroom, and the fact that over lunch, she’d tucked half her sandwich into her bag. The food on the cruise was paid for in most cases, so it had to be habit. Yet she dressed as if she had money to burn, and she’d been the one to make the bet. "Surely not. What do you do?"
    She halted and turned to me, tucking her hands under her arms. Her gaze bounced but didn’t quite meet mine. "Are you thirsty? I’m thirsty."
    Interesting. I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to question her further. Whatever it was she was hiding would come to the surface eventually. "Sure. Let’s get a drink and go back to your cabin."
    Her jaw dropped. "Why?"
    "Because, I have some business to attend to." I threaded her arm through mine and led her back to the elevators. "Besides, you’ll have my undivided attention tomorrow when we go into San Juan."
    "We're what?" She stepped into the crowded elevator.
    I followed her in, taking the opportunity and the excuse to get as close to her as possible. She was the perfect height, so if I’d wanted to, I could have scooted her up against my chest and rested my chin in her hair. Even sweaty she smelled amazing, so when I got the opportunity to hold her and breathe her in, I’d take it. People got onto the lift, forcing her closer. Hips pressed together, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. An elbow in my ribs kept me from pulling her against me, but she made no move to get my arm off her shoulder. My gut dipped a little at her lack of response when my heart pounded at the simplest touch, but she didn’t move away from me.
    Now that we could carry on our conversation without an audience, I offered up more information. "I have to go see a friend in San Juan about some pieces for the gallery, and I thought we’d make a day of it."
    "Oh, no. You go see your friend without me."
    "We’ll only be there a short while, and the rest of the day is ours, sweetheart."
    She crinkled her nose, and I wanted to press my lips to the deep lines between her eyebrows.
    "It’s Lola."
    "I know it is, gorgeous."
    We stopped at a café to buy drinks before heading back to her cabin.
    Taking one of the bottles, she twisted the lid off and sipped it. "Then why do you insist on calling me cutesy nicknames?"
    "So many reasons." My fingers in front of her face, I counted them off. "One, you’re sexy as hell when you’re annoyed, and two, I don’t think you’d appreciate me calling you wife."
    "Is that all?" She scowled.
    "I wasn’t finished. You’re going to get used to them, and once you are, I’m going to stop. You know what’ll happen then?"
    "I’ll be thankful you’ve stopped using cheesy pet names."
    "You’ll ache for me to call you sweetheart, just once more, because you’ll miss the way it makes you feel like you’re the only woman in the world I want to be with."
    She swallowed and the pulse at her throat sped up. "Are you sure it’s smart to give away your plays like that? I’m the opposing team remember."
    "Keep telling yourself that."
    We stopped at her door and she found the keycard. "When do we meet tomorrow?"
    "Breakfast. I’ll meet you in the dining room."
    "Okay." She held the keycard ready to swipe but hesitated.
    "Aren’t you forgetting something?" I leaned against the wall.
    "What?"
    I had her between me and the wall before she had time to respond. Her tongue darted out over her lips as I leaned into her. "I’ll take that kiss now."
    She lifted her gaze to meet mine, her eyes hooded as her hands clutched at my chest. The heat of her nestled against me seeped through to my skin, the buzz of our connection in my blood. Inch by inch I closed the gap between us, giving her ample time to pull away. If she left me now, I’d be lost in this storm of desire, powerless to find my way out. Her lips crashed on mine as she reached up on tiptoe, and I froze. She’d been the one to