Love Script (12 page)

He swore and forced himself to start the grueling routine al over. Obviously, he hadn’t chal enged himself enough during the first round. By the time the crowd started filtering into the gym, he was final y wrapping up his workout.

Cooper Wright walked in. He punched settings into the treadmil machine next to Nick’s.

“Where’s Laney?” he asked cheerful y.

“Why?” Nick hadn’t meant it to come out as gruff as it did.

“Just curious.”

Nick arched his brow. “Heidi’s not enough for you?”

Cooper shrugged. “She’s great.”

“Sure, she is. You might want to tel her to grow a pair of vocal cords during a conversation.”

“Oh, that.” Cooper laughed. “A minor setback, but rest assured she has vocals cords. What about Laney?”

Nick stopped jogging and fixed the guy with a serious look. “Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tel you.”

“Just curious.” Cooper laughed.

“Yeah, the way I hear it you’re real curious.”

“She told you I asked her out? That shouldn’t bother you.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, I’ve seen your type of women, Nick, and Laney ain’t it.” Cooper pushed himself up with his arms, lifting his feet to the stationary rails of the treadmil belt. “Although I must commend you on your choice of companionship. How long have you known about Vivian Zelman?”

“I didn’t.”

“Bul shit.” Cooper said with a snort. “My team has been researching her background al week, and we couldn’t even find a traffic ticket on the woman. You can’t tel me you selected Laney just for fun.”

“I’m not tel ing you anything other than I didn’t know about Zelman’s wife until I saw her yesterday morning.”

Cooper considered Nick. “You hooked up with Laney right after you saw Vivian.” It wasn’t a question. “You real y are as good as they say. I was expecting you to show up with Vanessa or Kim.”

“Just how many people know I’m sleeping with them?”

Cooper laughed. “Everybody. Including them.” Nick stepped off his machine and col ected his towel. “Until we disembark from the ship, remember it’s a sin to covet your neighbor’s wife.”

“I’l keep that in mind. Give Laney my love.”

“Fuck you.”

❧ ❧ ❧

When Nick returned to the room, Laney was gone. She’d left a message on the table, tel ing him that Vivian had asked her and Heidi to join her for a dance class in one of the workout studios. He welcomed her absence. Perhaps he could catch up on some of his sleep. He showered and fel onto the bed, lying on her side. He could smel her scent. It smel ed like faint flowers. There was no way he would get any sleep with her fragrance haunting him.

He rol ed back to his side of the bed, and within minutes he was sound asleep.

After napping for an hour, he checked his e-mails and made a short phone cal to his office to get an update on current campaigns. He was interrupted when Cooper knocked on his door, inviting him to join him at the batting cages. Nick saw right through the ruse. Cooper wanted to keep tabs on him to make sure he wasn’t seeing Zelman behind his back. Nick despised Cooper, but he was reasonable enough to see the value of keeping a close eye on him.

Nick didn’t return to his and Laney’s suite until wel past noon. Stil no sign of Laney.

He was just stepping out of the shower when Laney walked in the room. She took in his wet skin and bare chest before meeting his eyes. She was dressed in some Capri-styled sweatpants, tube top and flip-flops. She looked refreshing.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi.” He nodded toward the towel she held.

“How did your class go?”

She smiled. “It was fun. Not exactly what I had in mind but it was fun. How about you?”

“I went to the gym.” There was no need to mention his encounter with Cooper. “Did Vivian mention where her husband was?”

“Wil was with us.”

“Wil ?” He arched his brow.

She smiled. “He joined us for our dance session. He’s a very energetic man for his age.”

“Why didn’t you tel me he was with you? I could have joined you.”

“I didn’t know where you were. You were gone before I woke up.”

Nick knew it was ridiculous to feel guilty over that but he did. “Did he say anything?”

“About what?” She tossed her towel on the ottoman and reclined on the loveseat.

“About me?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “No, he didn’t.

This may surprise you, but Wil and Vi are on a
real
anniversary vacation. You’re not exactly at the top of Wil ’s priority list.”

“Vi?”

“That’s her nickname.” She flipped a stray brown strand of hair over her shoulder. “You know, you and Cooper might want to focus more on nurturing your marriages, rather than just putting in face time with Wil . It was noticeable that both Heidi and I had been abandoned.”

Nick took offense at being corrected. “It looks like you have your part down. We won’t have to practice the art of nagging.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “I won’t say another word.”

“No.” Nick sighed heavily. “That wasn’t fair.

You’re right. I should have been there with you. I know you’re trying to help. I’m sorry.” She didn’t seem to care for his apology. She slipped off her shoes and began rummaging through her bag. “I need to freshen up. Are you finished with the bathroom?”

He recognized a blowoff when he saw it.

Catching her hand as she walked past him, he tugged lightly to gain her attention. “I’m sorry you got stuck with the Zelmans,” he said. “I take ful responsibility for that.”

“You should and don’t be surprised if they ask you how you feel. I told them you were a little seasick.”

“Seasick?”

“I didn’t know where you were, Nick. I had to tel them something.”

“Right,” he agreed. “You’re right.”

“I know.”

“I guess we have some free time.” He said this with little enthusiasm.

She rol ed her eyes heavenward. “Wil mentioned that he wanted to visit the pool this evening. If you want to get another chance at them, we could beat them there. That way it won’t seem like we’re stalking them.”

His face lit up. “Great idea.” He wasn’t exactly up for roaming around the ship looking for the Zelmans.

Nor was he excited about being locked up in the room with Laney, not after last night’s kiss. If they planned this right, he could get in some major time with Zelman and stil come off as an attentive husband.

It was becoming routine to wait on Laney. She showered and changed in the bathroom at agonizingly slow speed, al the while saying “I just have to do one more thing,” and ten minutes later she would repeat the same words. He was getting antsy. The Zelmans were probably already there by now.

“Laney, how much longer are you going to be in there?”

The bathroom door swung open, and Laney appeared, wearing a black sarong tied in a knot above her breasts. It fel just above her knees, completely hiding her swimsuit except for the halter strings that tied around her neck. Even with the formless fabric wrapped around her, there was no hiding her curves. Nick both anticipated and dreaded the moment she removed the covering.

“I’m ready,” she said.

“Don’t forget your role,” he reminded.

“Which is?”

“We’re happily married.”

“I’l try to remember that.”

❧ ❧ ❧

The pool was a festive place. There was loud tropical music playing, splashing waterfal s and people everywhere. Nick spotted a place for them not far from the tiki bar. He’d chosen this spot specifical y because he could see who came and left the pool area. He spread their towels over their recliners, pul ed off his T-shirt and leaned back in his chair, observing the current crowd, mostly families with young kids. There were a smal number of people around Nick and Laney’s age. The pool was huge, providing plenty of room for everyone, though he noticed that everyone his age was lounging near the bar. Laney left to go buy them drinks. As he watched her make her way to the bar, he noticed guys checking her out as she passed. Like him, they too must have been wondering what was underneath that black veil.

She returned quickly with two large piña coladas.

He looked past her at the long line in front of the bar. “That was quick.”

She shrugged. “Some guys let me skip. Here you go.”

He took both drinks from her to al ow her time to get settled. He frowned at the frozen drinks. “A beer would have been nice.”

“Perhaps so. However, the guys who let me skip in line offered to pay. I doubt they would have been as charitable if they knew they were buying drinks for my handsome husband, instead of my attractive girlfriend.”

“Using your feminine wiles to get your way?”

“I prefer to cal it sharing the wealth. Besides, you look so cute with a girly drink in your hand.” She batted her eyelashes playful y.

“I thought you were supposed to be the loving wife—”

His words stuck in the back of his throat. Nick lost focus of everything when Laney pul ed the knot loose and let the wrap fal on the lounge. Nothing could have prepared him for the vision before him.

She was wearing a leopard print bikini that broadcast every inch of her shapely body. She was a beautiful mixture of lean muscles and soft curves. His gaze journeyed from her firm calf muscles to the flare of her thighs and hips, up to the dramatic hourglass dip of her stomach to the delicate curves of her ful breasts. He knew they were more than a handful.

Those golden orbs teased him behind the flimsy fabric of her suit. They were barely contained. He hoped they would spil forward into his hands at any moment.

The only thing that dragged his attention from her breasts was the space between her thighs. She had strong legs and he couldn’t help but imagine how they would feel wrapped around his waist. They looked warm to the touch and delicious to the tongue. What would she taste like? His eyes narrowed in on the one spot he knew he would find contentment in. Would her pussy lips be rosy pink or mouth-watering chocolate?

“Nick.”

He blinked but didn’t look away.

“Nick, I can hold my drink now.”

“I’m sorry?” he said, slowly coming out of his haze.

“My drink.” She held her hand out, causing her cleavage to jiggle slightly.

When Nick didn’t react, she snatched the frosted glass from his hand. A deep blush covered her cheeks. She must have known where his mind was from the dumbfounded look on his face. That, or she noticed the prominent hard-on he was sporting. He had to cool off before he could lie down, but to do that he couldn’t look at Laney. She had al but forgotten him. She’d pul ed her sunglasses over her eyes and was carelessly reclining on her chaise, sipping from her drink every few seconds. What else could he do but sit there looking miserable until his cock softened?

Nick sipped on his drink, hunched over on his lounge, looking more like a guard dog for Laney.

Unsure if it was the alcohol from the drink, he boldly chal enged any man that looked at her too long. She was completely unaware, as she had been dozing for the past ten minutes. This gave him the opportunity to watch her, openly appreciating her beauty.

How was it that she’d worked for his company for three years and he couldn’t remember ever laying eyes on her? He definitely noticed her now. The problem was he couldn’t stop noticing her. That made him wonder about her ex, the boyfriend who was a no-show for the cruise. Had he dumped her?

A family emergency? He wondered who the jerk was and what circumstances made him desert Laney. He would find out soon enough.

Laney turned onto her side, and Nick took a shaky intake of breath when her cleavage kissed.

This had to stop.

“Laney.” He placed his hand on her hip to shake her awake. He couldn’t help it. He had to touch her.

She slowly opened her eyes. When she saw him, she smiled and stretched. She didn’t rol onto her back, because Nick hadn’t removed his hand yet.

“Let’s go for a swim,” he said.

She gave a sleepy nod. “Okay. Did you finish your drink?”

“No, do you want it?”

He handed her his glass and waited until she’d finished it off before helping her to her feet and guiding her to the pool. He caught a few black guys throwing him a look that he could only imagine a rich kid who’d just won the lottery would receive; undeserving, unworthy, and unappreciative.

He eagerly stepped into the pool, welcoming the cool water. Laney fol owed him, only a bit more timidly. Once submerged in the water, she laughed at the wondrous feeling. Seeming to become aware that Nick was watching her, she blushed.

“I heard you got your dining room remodeled,” she said, for lack of anything better to say.

He wet his hair. “Just how much do you know about me, Laney?”

“Not much. I said, ‘I heard.’”

“What else have you
heard
?”

She laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not al good.”

“Such as?”

She thought for a moment and then, deciding to oblige him, said, “You’re stringing along two women named Vanessa and Kimberly.”

“Damn.” He was shocked. “You know about that?

“Everyone does.”

“But how do you know? We don’t move in the same circles.”

“You mean because I’m not white?” She smiled.

“Nick, women talk, regardless of what color they are.