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  It was all the invitation Gloria needed. For the remainder of the meal she flirted with Sean outrageously, and he flirted right back. He turned on the charm, his rakish smile and teasing black eyes underscoring the purring warmth in his voice, the teasing sensuality that colored their conversation.

  But for all the effort he put into it, Sean was, to his disgust and annoyance, not totally engrossed in the flirtation. He was too aware of the fact that Joanna was ignoring him. Whenever he glanced across the table she was chatting with either Mary or Tony. Usually Tony. The few times Joanna's gaze met his she looked away as though he didn't exist, and when he asked her a direct question she answered him with a polite indifference that made him grit his teeth.

  Joanna's low laugh drifted across the table and Sean glanced at her again. His eyes narrowed as he watched her wrinkle her nose at something Tony said. Surely she's not going to go off the deep end over that New York slick? he thought, frowning. He eyed the man's neatly styled hair, fashionable glasses, and immaculate, just right clothes sourly. He was too smooth. Too perfect. Hell, couldn't she see that? Sean's gaze dropped to Tony's well tended hands and one corner of his mouth curled disdainfully. He didn't trust a man who wore nail polish, even if it was clear.

  Becoming aware of the trend of his thoughts, Sean shifted uneasily in his chair. Good grief, Fleming! What the devil do you care if the girl wants to indulge in a shipboard fling? You're not her keeper. And besides, you ought to be happy to have her off your back. Determinedly, he pulled his gaze away from the pair and turned back to Gloria with a lazy smile.

  "Ready?" Tony asked a moment later.

  Joanna took one last sip of coffee, then patted her mouth with her napkin. "Yes, I'm ready." With a murmured, "Excuse us," and a parting smile for the others, she rose and linked her arm through Tony's.

  Broodingly, his eyes glittering slits of obsidian, Sean watched them walk away.

  He was oblivious to the chatter going on around him until Gloria drew his attention with a playful rake of her long nails across the back of his hand. Stifling the unaccountable irritation that roiled through him, Sean turned his head and met her coy smile.

  "Personally, I think they have an excellent idea." Gloria purred in response to his questioning look. "Why don't you and I pair off and go for a swim? I have a new bikini I'm just dying to try."

  Sean stared at her, absorbing her ripe beauty, arid wondered why the idea didn't hold more appeal. After a moment he impatiently thrust the thought aside and with one of his lazy smiles, drawled, "Sure. Why not?"

  * * *

  Suntan lotion, towel, sunglasses, paperback novel. Satisfied she had everything, Joanna added her room key to the contents of the canvas bag, pulled the door shut behind her and headed for the pool.

  Her thong sandals slapped against her heels as she ran up the stairs. Rounding the landing on the next deck, she nearly bumped into Susan and Bill.

  "Hi." Susan hitched Lori higher on her hip and eyed Joanna's white lace beach robe. It barely reached the tops of her thighs, and the fragile lace gave tantalizing glimpses of the cinnamon maillot beneath. "Going swimming, huh? We were just heading for the pool ourselves."

  "Yeah," Bill chimed in. "It's one of the few activities that we can take Lori to. She's been swimming since she was five months old." He smiled proudly and tweaked his daughter's tiny nose. "She's a regular little water baby."

  "Really?" Joanna smiled at the staring infant. "I'd really like to see that. Mind if I join you?"

  "Of course not. Come on."

  As they climbed the final flight of stairs together Susan slanted her a curious look. "I saw you playing shuffleboard with Tony this morning. He seemed... well...very interested. I'm surprised he's not with you."

  "He's playing in a backgammon tournament," Joanna replied, biting back a smile at Susan's gentle probing. "He said he'd meet me at the pool when it was over."

  "You didn't want to watch?"

  "No. I'm afraid I find the game extremely boring."

  Actually, Joanna had thought it wise to spend some time away from Tony. He was a nice man and pleasant company, but she didn't want to encourage him too much. There was no explaining it: he was attractive, in a smooth sophisticated way, eligible, and so far, had behaved as a perfect gentleman. But there was no spark between them—at least, not from her side.

  The moment they came in sight of the pool Lori let loose with a string of ecstatic jabber, her arms outstretched toward the water, opening and closing her chubby little fists in a classic "gimmee" gesture as she bounced up and down in her mother's arms. Laughing and watching the baby's uninhibited excitement, Joanna didn't see Sean at first. When she did she stopped short.

  He was sitting on a poolside lounge beside Gloria, who was stretched out on her stomach with her head pillowed on her crossed arms. The top of her bikini was unfastened, and Sean was methodically applying tanning lotion to her bare back. And if the expression on his face was any indication, he was enjoying the task immensely.

  Joanna was appalled by her reaction. Pain sliced through her like a sharp knife at the sight of those tanned fingers smoothing over the woman's skin. For an instant she almost gave into the urge to turn and run back to her room. But then, as she studied the look of male satisfaction on Sean's face, her jaw tightened and she stiffened her spine. No. She wasn't going anywhere. She had told Tony she'd meet him here, and here was where she was going to stay.

  Gloria's back glistened in the sun. The mingled scents of heavy perfume, coconut oil and heated flesh drifted upward from her supine body, making Sean's nostrils twitch and flare. This wasn't such a bad idea after all, he mused as he watched his palms glide languidly over her slick shoulder blades, then trail downward to her waist. The strange anger he had felt at breakfast had slowly dissipated. Smiling, he gently kneaded the soft flesh beneath his hands. This was what he needed to get his mind off things. A little sun and fun, a beautiful woman to add spice. And, he thought with pleasurable anticipation, he had a hunch that with very little encouragement, Gloria could add a great deal of spice to this vacation.

  His dreamy complacency didn't last long. At that moment Sean looked up, straight into Joanna's eyes, and his hands stilled. Briefly, her cool gaze flickered over him, then she turned away and dumped her canvas bag onto a lounge. Sean clenched his jaw and cursed fluently under his breath.

  Suddenly self-conscious, he finished applying the lotion to Gloria's back with a quick, impersonal touch. "There, I think that's got you covered."

  "Mmm," Gloria mumbled sleepily.

  Sean capped the bottle and tossed it onto the towel beside her, then moved away and stretched out on the next lounge with his fingers laced together behind his head.

  Through barely slitted eyes he watched Joanna shuck her frothy little beach coat and drop it beside her bag. His eyes roamed over her, and he cursed silently once again as he felt an unwelcome surge of heat rush to his loins. The shimmering cinnamon material of her one-piece suit molded Joanna's high breasts and boldly defined every hollow and curve of her slender body. Cut daringly low both front and back, and high at the thighs, the suit revealed a great deal of creamy skin and emphasized the long length of her shapely legs.

  "Come on in, Joanna," Susan called from the pool.

  Without so much as a glance in Sean's direction, Joanna stepped to the edge and dove neatly into the water.

  For the next half hour Sean watched as Joanna played with the Adamson's baby, who paddled with amazing agility between the three adults. After a while they each took turns caring for the child while the other two swam. Sean was just toying with the idea of joining them when Tony appeared.

  "Hi. Aren't you going to swim?" Joanna asked, eyeing his cream slacks and bronze silk shirt.

  "Not today. My back's still a little red from yesterday." Tony nodded toward the umbrella covered table at the end of the pool. "Why don't you take a break and join me for a drink?"

  "Okay." Grinning mischievously, Joanna turne
d to Susan and Bill. "Come on, gang, Tony's buying."

  "Great!" Bill plucked the baby from the water and urged the two women toward the side. When they had heaved themselves out he handed Lori to her mother and clambered out after them, and they laughingly dripped their way around to where Tony sat waiting.

  Feeling unaccountably irritated, Sean stood up and plunged into the water. Submerged, he swam the length of the pool three times before surfacing for air.

  He was resting at the side, breathing heavily, when Gloria jumped in beside him, feet first. She surfaced laughing and looped her arms around his neck, pressing her body intimately close to his. "Gotcha!" she cried gaily. "And now you have to pay a forfeit."

  Gloria tightened her arms and lifted herself higher against his body. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and pursed her lips invitingly.

  Unable to resist, Sean glanced toward the table at the end of the pool, then looked back at the lush red mouth. Joanna wasn't watching, and it wasn't any of her business who he kissed anyway, yet he felt absurdly guilty. Determinedly Sean leaned forward, then hesitated. After a moment, his mouth twisted in a rueful half smile, and he reached up and detached Gloria's arms from around his neck.

  "Behave yourself," he said, smiling to take the sting out of his words. He turned the pouting woman around and gave her a little push and a playful slap on the rump. "Come on. I'll race you to the other end. I'll even give you a three-second head start."

  "You're on!"

  Sean watched her thrash away and shook his head. How in hell was he supposed to carry on a seduction with his best friends' daughter watching?

  Chapter Five

  Barefoot and makeup-free, Joanna entered the gym smiling. She wore a rose-pink leotard and lavender tights with stirrup straps that hooked under her insteps. A pair of deep purple leg warmers were slung casually over her shoulder, the ends swaying against her back with every jaunty step she took. Anticipation sparkled in her hazel eyes. Movement. Activity. It was what she needed, and she was eager to get started'.

  Spotting the athletic instructor across the room, Joanna altered her course. A bare six feet away, her steps faltered, and she came to a halt. In front of her, lying back on a bench with his feet braced on the floor on either side, Sean was working out with a set of hand weights.

  Indecision gripped Joanna. Gnawing at her bottom lip, she eyed him warily. Should she brazen it out and ignore him, or leave? She cast a longing glance toward the instructor and the other women who were already gathering around her and sighed. It was tempting, but remembering the past few days, Joanna decided that retreat was the wisest choice.

  She poised to turn, but before she could move Sean sat up and their eyes met. Anger darkened his face. With a muttered oath, he shot up off the bench and stalked to her.

  "What are you doing here, Joanna?" He stood with his feet spread aggressively, hands on his hips, and growled the words in a low undertone through lips so stiff they barely moved.

  Joanna was both intimidated by his anger and fascinated by his body. He wore only a brief pair of athletic shorts and tennis shoes and his bronze skin glistened with a fine sheen of moisture. Without shoes, Joanna barely reached his chin, and she found herself staring at the damp black hair that lightly furred his chest. The heat from his body hit her like a furnace, bringing with it the smell of sweat and a dizzying, tantalizing musky maleness. Helplessly, her eyes focused on a bead of sweat trickling through the band of hair that arrowed downward from his chest. At his navel it halted, then swirled around the small cavity and streaked lower, disappearing when it touched the already damp top edge of his low-slung shorts. Joanna swallowed hard.

  "I... I—"

  "I'm getting a little sick of this, you know," Sean went on, ignoring her stammered attempt at a reply. "Everywhere I go I run into you. If this is your attempt at staying out of my hair, I'd hate to see you when you're in hot pursuit."

  The sarcastic comment snapped Joanna out of her sensual trance instantly. Her eyes went wide and she sucked in her breath. "Are you accusing me of following you around?"

  "All I know is I can't make a move without practically stepping on you. It's only been twenty-four hours since you so sweetly promised to leave me alone, and already I've run into you by the pool twice, bumped into you in the library, the card room, the casino. Every time I go to one of the clubs or the theater you're within earshot. I'm beginning to think the only place on the ship where I can be assured of not seeing you is the men's room."

  That did it. Joanna's anger soared right along with her blood pressure. She stiffened and planted her fists on her hips, unconsciously mimicking his stance. "Now just a darned minute!" she flared, glaring right back at him. "I promised to leave you alone, which I've tried my best to do, but I didn't promise to lock myself in my cabin for the duration of the cruise. I paid for my ticket, and I'm entitled to enjoy myself and to make use of all the facilities the same as you."

  They stood nose to nose, their bodies stiff and vibrating with anger, unflinching hazel eyes glaring defiantly into smoldering black ones.

  Across the room, the athletics instructor clapped her hands loudly and called out,'"All right, ladies! Line up, it's time to get going."

  With a toss of her head, Joanna broke eye contact and moved to step around Sean. "I came here to take the aerobics class," she informed him haughtily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, that's exactly what I intend to do."

  Rock music exploded from the speakers on the walls as the instructor turned away from the stereo. Moving in time to the heavy beat, she faced the group of women who had spread out on the mat. "Okay, here we go.

  We'll start with the hustle jog. Lift those knees! Lift! Lift! Three. Four. Five. Lift! Lift!"

  Joanna scrambled to pull on her leg warmers, skipping and hopping on first one foot, then the other in her rush to join the class. When she had finally tugged them into place she found a position at the front of the group, stepped into the rhythm and threw herself into the routine with a vengeance.

  "Now spread your feet, hands on hips and bend to the side! Bend! Bend! Get those elbows down! Come on ladies, reach! Reach!"

  Joanna bounced downward, straining to make her elbow touch the side of her knee. Already she was breathing hard, and she could feel perspiration popping out all over her body. She glanced at Sean and found him standing where she'd left him, fists still propped on his hips, watching her. Joanna gritted her teeth and bounced harder.

  Who does he think he is, glowering at me like that? Automatically following instructions, Joanna straightened, extended her arms to the sides and swiveled her shoulders in time to the beat.

  Resentment bubbled up inside her as she thought of his accusations. She'd tried to avoid him. She really had. But it was impossible on a ship of this size. But did he take that into account? Oh, no. He preferred to see her as a man-chasing spoiled brat.

  Joanna shot Sean a dagger-sharp glare. Up until now, every time they'd met she had either tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, or made an excuse and left. But no more, she decided pugnaciously. From now on, Sean or no Sean, she was going to enjoy herself. And if he didn't like it, he could leave.

  "All right, ladies, move those buns! Get a little action in it! Shake it! Shake it! That's it!"

  The music throbbed. Wild. Pulsating and primitive. Joanna's lithe body was an extension of it, moving to the heavy beat, translating it into a sinuous flow of fluid rhythm.

  Her face was flushed, her hair flying. Sweat drenched her. It gathered between her breasts and streamed down the narrow trench that marked her spine, making dark blotches on her rose-colored leotard. Beneath the form-fitting garment, supple flesh and firm, feminine muscles rippled with each undulating movement, and her small, uptilted breasts swayed and bounced in unfettered abandon.

  God! Sean thought a little frantically. I've seen less erotic dances in X rated films. He stared, unable to tear his gaze away. When the unconscious enticement of Joanna's gyrations had
their inevitable effect on his body he cursed and snatched up his towel from the bench and held it in front of him, dabbing absently at his chest and arms, but his eyes remained trained on her.

  Who would have thought that a leotard and leg warmers could be so damned sexy?

  The neckline of the formfitting garment plunged in deep V's both front and back, but even so, it covered a great deal more flesh than even a one-piece bathing suit. Yet, somehow, its high, French cut and the bunched folds of wool that covered Joanna from ankle to knee managed to draw attention to her legs, especially the long, luscious curves of her thighs. That, in turn, led the eye irresistibly to those gently rounded hips and that tight, delectable derriere.

  "Okay, ladies! Shake it out! Shake it out!" the instructor chanted. "Now bend and touch the floor! Bend! Bend! Bend!"

  Legs spread and straight, her rump stuck up in the air, Joanna bent over, and with her palms flat on the floor, bounced her torso in time to the music and the instructor's chant.

  Sean groaned and tightened his grip on the towel. Christ, Fleming, don't stand here gawking like a sixteen year old in heat. Leave, for Pete's sake!

  But he didn't. He couldn't. The music pounded hotly and so did the blood in his veins. With each passing second both his excitement and anger grew. He didn't want to be attracted to Joanna, dammit!

  He gave a snort of laughter at that. Want it or not, you sap, you are, he told himself in utter disgust.

  Guiltily, he realized that his recent behavior was the direct result of the unwanted attraction. He'd never been deliberately rude to a woman in his life before, yet for days now he'd been glowering and snapping at Joanna every time she came near him. He'd told himself he was doing it for her own good, that sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind, but that had been pure self-defense. Just as the flimsy excuses he'd used for not becoming Gloria's lover had been pure self-deception.

  Lord! This was crazy! Two weeks ago if anyone had told him that he would prefer a willowy, aristocratic girl to an earthy, sensual creature like Gloria he'd have told them they were nuts. But as he watched Joanna's sleek body move to the evocative music it didn't seem strange at all. Like a thoroughbred, she was all subtle curves and elegant lines. In comparison, Gloria's voluptuous figure seemed blowsy and overblown.