She threw her head back and laughed. “I seduced you,” she repeated, her face glowing. “I didn’t know I could. It’s . . . liberating.”

“You come on over to my place tonight and you can be as liberated as you want. Right now, keep your hands off me.”

She linked her hands behind his neck, easing back so that she could see his face in the falling light. “You wanted to tear my clothes off again.”

“I’m still thinking about it, so behave yourself.”

“I wanted to tear yours off, too. I wonder what that would feel like, to just rip away at your clothes, and . . . bite you. Sometimes I just want to sink my teeth into your—”

“Shut up.” In defense, he cupped her head and pulled it to his shoulder again. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

“I don’t know about that, but you sure hit the switch. I like it.” She laughed again and arched back so that she was floating from the waist up. “Let’s come back here tonight when everyone’s asleep and go skinny-dipping and make love in the water. Then we’ll go for a walk on the cliffs and make love there, just like Seraphina and Felipe.”

She rose up again, water streaming from her. “Let’s do something crazy.”

He was about to do something crazy just then, when he caught the sound of footsteps on the path, and movement. Subtly, he hoped, he changed his grip, hoping he wasn’t holding any inappropriate part of the daughter of the house.

“Laura?” Susan Templeton’s brows shot up into her spiky bangs. She didn’t consider herself to be a woman who was easily surprised, but it certainly rocked her to see her daughter clinging to a man in the pool with the look of a woman who had recently been thoroughly aroused still on her face.

“Mom?” Shock came first, then the heat in her cheeks from embarrassment. She wiggled, but Michael held firm. Neither of them knew if it was out of stubbornness or habit. “You’re here.”

“Yes. I am.”

“But you were supposed to be here tomorrow.”

“We finished up our business a little early.” She spoke smoothly. But then, she was a smooth woman. Small and delicately built like her daughter, she looked young and chic in her Valentino traveling suit, her dark blond hair capped gamine style around a sharp, interested face.

“We thought,” she said with a faint edge of amusement, “that we’d surprise you. I think we succeeded.”

“Yes. I was just—we were . . . How was the trip?” Laura ended lamely.

“Fine.” Manners polished to a high sheen, Susan stepped forward, smiled. “It’s Michael, isn’t it? Michael Fury?”

“Yeah.” With a jerk of his head he tossed his wet hair back. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Templeton.”

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen