The Best Thing Yet (2 page)

Arissa fought back her smile. He must have tasted her drink to know it was unsweetened. Cracking her eyes, she watched as the woman walked away. With a sigh and a small wiggle, she settled back into her comfortable position and focused on relaxing. A deep breath brought the smell of the sea to her nose, but along with it came something else. Something masculine and enticing. Something that made her shiver despite the warmth of the day. Turning her head, Arissa peered through lowered lids to stare at the man beside her. As if he knew she was checking him out, he tilted his head and even though he wore sunglasses, she felt his eyes bore into her.

Deiter unhurriedly ran his gaze along the languid form of the woman beside him. Arissa Wright. She had a body to die for, curves that made him want to get down on his knees and give thanks to the Almighty. Her skin was dark brown and flawless, and her pixie-style haircut was reddish-gold in colour. When he’d stared into her light brown eyes, they’d been filled with intelligence and more than a smattering of humour. And yet, beneath that there lingered the tell-tale signs of one who’d seen too much.

He had been on his way to a pool when his gaze had landed upon her. Deiter had almost tripped over his feet. Never had a mere glance struck him more than it had when he’d first seen her. Her peach tank top complemented her sheer sarong, which had patterns of blue and white swirls. The way her dark smooth legs peeked out made his body shift into overdrive. A quick glance at her feet showed him her nails dressed by a French manicure, which matched her fingernails.

Her voice was something old singers had—velvety and slightly smoky. It grabbed him down low and stroked all the way up, setting him aflame. Even when his body had been semi under control, he hadn’t wanted to move on. There were lots of attractive women on this ship but none had turned his head until now. Every inch of her was luscious. He wanted to spirit her away to a secluded area and peel away what little clothes she wore and…

Deiter looked away from Arissa to see the cocktail server had returned with their drinks.

“Thank you,” he said with a slight smile as she placed them down and removed Arissa’s nearly empty glass.

“You’re welcome.” Without any further comment, she slipped away.

He put his attention back on Arissa. Long curved eyelashes rested against satiny smooth skin. At least, it appeared like satin to him. Deiter longed to reach out and trace his finger along her full lips. Then taste them, over and over again. Another wave of longing flowed through him.

Sitting up, he reached for his drink and took a sip. A grimace crossed his face. It had tasted much better when he’d drunk it from her glass.

“Why’d you order tea if you don’t like it?” Her question reached him.

Deiter was struck by the amusement in her eyes. He turned his body towards her and leant back again, smiling.

“Yours tasted different. Better.”

She grinned up at him as stirred the drink with her straw. “You didn’t squeeze the lemon.”

His eyebrow arched. “Excuse me?”

Her smile grew as she shook her head in amusement and pointed a finger at the tall glass. “The lemon. I squeeze mine into the tea and mix it up.”

Deiter did as she’d recommended and the next taste was more similar to the way hers had tasted. “Oh, way better. Thank you.”

“No prob.”

His cock jerked in his jeans as her mouth curled around the red straw.
Damn. If I could just feel those lips curled around my…
Abruptly he stopped that thought. No need to behave like a caveman. This trip was
not
about meaningless sex.
Are you sure?
His libido taunted.
Who said it would be meaningless with her? Have you looked at her? I mean…hello!
Grinding his back teeth, Deiter strove for control.

“Tell me about you, Arissa. From where do you hail and what do you do?”

Arissa moved the drink away from her overly tempting mouth just as a beeping noise reached him. She grabbed her bag and glanced at the watch attached to the wide strap.

“I’d love to but I have a massage scheduled.” She slipped on her sandals and put her book in the bag. “I’m sorry.”

When she stood, he bit back a groan of approval.
God damn!
Deiter stood as well, reaching out to stop her briefly.

“Dinner?”

He observed the gamut of emotions flashing over her face.

“What time do you eat?”

“Name the time and place,” he offered.

She did and Deiter stood still for a moment after she walked away, just staring at her retreating form. When he could no longer see her, he left the deck and went to a gym on the ship. A good workout would help pass the time and burn off some of the extra energy Arissa had created within him. After his workout at the gym, his body was sore as he let himself into his room to shower and change, but sore in a good way.

The dark beauty of Arissa Wright was with him as he stood under the pounding spray of the showerhead. Fisting his erection, he debated on finishing up with only cold water. Once, twice he pumped his hand before he swore.
Verdammt!
He wanted relief but damn it all, he wanted it
with
Arissa, not by his own hand. Resting his head on the wall, he reached out and turned the hot water knob, shutting it off. A low hiss escaped as cold pellets pounded onto his skin.

Deiter finished quickly and dried off before dressing for his date. With a whistle on his lips and a spring in his step, he headed towards his destination. While he was pleased with her dinner choice, part of him wished she’d suggested a more formal atmosphere.

It was a thought that quickly vanished as his searching gaze found her. All earlier notions of remaining in control disappeared like water in the desert. Arissa’s open-backed silver shirt accentuated her breasts and was combined with low rise jeans. She wore heels, he knew for she was taller than she had been earlier. Deiter tried to calm himself, not wanting his blood to rush to one area.

His heart stuttered when her light brown gaze landed upon him and a smile graced her features.

“Evening,” she said easily when he stopped beside her.

A low whistle escaped him as he allowed his eyes to move blatantly over her. “Good evening. You look…amazing,” he told her as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Her gaze drifted to the ground briefly before she met his eyes again. “Thank you. Ready to eat?”

Something primal roared to life inside him. “More than you could know. Let’s go.”

She began walking towards a table. For a brief second he admired her view again, but when he noticed other men doing the same thing, he stepped up beside her and settled his hand on the small of her back. Spikes of power raced through him at the feel of her warm skin against his palm. When he held her chair for her, Deiter couldn’t help but allow himself to inhale deeply. She smelt crisp and clean, nothing but her own natural scent. And he loved it.

Sitting across from her he watched as she fixed her tea. No sweetener, just lemon. He had ordered a shake to go with his burger and fries. While they waited for their food to arrive, he waited for her to stop playing with her tea and look at him.

“Now, tell me about you, Arissa Wright.”

She continued to stir her tea but she nodded. “I live in Chicago, have for”—she frowned and a cute furrow appeared between her eyebrows—“for nine years now. Damn, didn’t realise it had been that long. Yes, for nine years.”

He smiled. “What do you do in Chicago?”

“I work in an emergency room.”

That was impressive. He stared at her for a moment then one side of his mouth lifted. “So this is a well-deserved vacation.”

“Oh yeah. Long overdue.” She smiled as their waiter placed their food down. “Thank you,” she said, prior to returning her attention to him. “And you? What do you do?”

“I’m a translator. Work for the government mostly, but on occasion I teach at colleges or give guest lectures.”

“Interesting. What language?”

“German.”

“Was it hard to learn?”

“No. I grew up speaking German. And also English, but mostly German.”

“Oh, I see.”

“My mother is a linguist so it was understood we would speak the language of our home country as well as the one we now lived in.”

“So you weren’t born in America?”

“Nope. Düsseldorf. But we moved here when I was young and Mom insisted I learn English as well.”

He watched her as she ate some fries, even that was done sensually. Dinner was light-hearted and fun. Afterwards, they took a stroll along one of the decks, allowing the night air to cool the heat growing between them. They didn’t hold hands, just kept pace with one another, the conversation still flowing easily between them.

Deiter escorted her to her door. She had a suite on an upper deck. After unlocking it, he placed his hands on either side of her head and stared deep into her brown eyes. It may have seemed too soon to some but in that instant, Deiter knew he was gazing into the eyes of his soul mate. There was no explanation, just a gut feeling. He didn’t hear any angels sing. Hell, he hadn’t even kissed her yet
.
But still, just like he understood in order to survive he had to take his next breath, he knew.

Those guileless eyes stared back at him. Lowering his head, he skimmed his thumb along her cheek. Heat flared up in her stare and she blinked once before she licked her lips.

“Thank you for dinner, Deiter.”

“My pleasure, Arissa. Can I see you tomorrow?”

One side of her mouth curved up. “I’d like that. Meet for breakfast?”

I’d rather share it in the room with you, but I’ll take what I can get.
“I’ll be here nice and early.”

“Good night.”

Leaning in, Deiter brushed his lips against her face and allowed himself a final inhalation of her clean scent. “Until the morning.” With his fingers, he touched her nose followed by her lips, then span around and strode off before he carried her inside the room and had his way with her.

Chapter Two

Arissa smiled and raised her glass in a silent toast to the man who winked at her from the pool. A low moan rose in her throat as he lifted himself out of the water and moved towards her. The Caribbean sun kissed his skin and the water droplets ran down his body in ways she envied. Not an ounce of fat sat upon him, it was all hardened muscle and mouth-watering physique.

For the past week, all waking moments had been in the company of Deiter Schneider. A wonderful week. Days lounging in the sun and evenings had been spent watching the sunset over the water. Then they had tended to curl up on a chaise together and share kisses, which as the days had passed, had become more and more intense. She’d not slept with him but in her dreams she’d done that and more. Arissa craved him in ways she’d never wanted her ex. Unfortunately, Deiter was a gentleman. Well, not unfortunately, but sometimes a woman wanted more, didn’t want a man who kissed her goodnight at the door and left her there.

“Sure you’re not coming in the water?” he questioned as he reached her side and grabbed a towel off the lounge beside her.

Holding up her book, Arissa shook her head. “Oh no. I’m good here. Reading, you know, it’s good to do.”

Towelling off, Deiter leant down and kissed her lightly. “Another romance. Learning anything?” He rose up and ran the terry cloth down his powerful arms.

Skimming her gaze up his chest to his eyes, she smirked. “Oh…the things this book is teaching me. The
Kama Sutra
has nothing on it. This author knows how to write some
steamy
scenes.”

His nostrils flared and a muscle ticked in his jaw. A single droplet of water ran down his temple as he lowered his face back to hers. His eyes were dark and swirled with barely constrained desire. “You are one hell of a temptress, Arissa Wright. Teasing me like this. Perhaps there should be a test, I am a teacher after all.” He winked and that single action sent shivers of longing through her.

“I suppose I could go for a lesson”—she paused—“or two.”

“Be careful I don’t carry you off right now.” Promise laced his tone.

Arissa wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. Time for my Tae-Bo class.” She stood, allowing her body to slide along his wet one. “Enjoy the rest of your swim. See you later.” Lifting her bag, she walked away with an added swish to her hips, knowing full well he was watching.

* * * *

As she walked from the gym to her suite, there was a smile on her face. She felt good and from all indications, tonight would be the night she got to see the part of Deiter she hadn’t been allowed to see yet. Moisture flooded her pussy at the thought of having the chance to experience the tall, strong German.

“Man,” she muttered as she rounded the corner. “I’m bad off.”

“Anything I can help with?” Someone with a deep voice questioned.

Jerking her head up in surprise, a gasp escaped her as the image of the man she’d just been thinking about filled her sight. Deiter Schneider. He stood there, leaning against the door to her room, looking more gorgeous than sin. Everyone said that Lucifer had been the most attractive of angels before he had fallen, and she’d bet anything that Deiter could give him a run for his money.

His legs were hooked at the ankle allowing his jeans to pull tight against his rock-hard thighs. Deiter wore a dark blue sleeveless T-shirt and his well-defined arms were also crossed. She licked her lips and swallowed, trying to get moisture into her extra-dry mouth. His blue-grey eyes were full of mischief and longing as he held her gaze.

“Arissa?”

“It’s not time for supper yet, is it?” she asked reaching for her key card and swiping it. The door unlocked but still Deiter didn’t move, except to place his hand on the handle and keep it cracked open. With no response forthcoming, she glanced up at him only to find his gaze had lost all joviality and now simmered with heat.

“Invite me in,” he murmured.

She slid past him and, once in her room, rested her head against the edge of the door and held his stare. Slowly and with extreme attention to detail Arissa scanned him from the floor up. He still waited for her, his eyes straightforwardly direct. And molten hot.