Sleeping with the Boss (Anderson Brothers, #1)(44)

“Not completely. It belongs to my brothers and me. My mom and dad have gifted the three of us most of the Anderson properties, and the auction business of course.” He led her up the pier past a generator toward the largest in a cluster of brightly colored concrete houses with thatched roofs.

The main house was classy and comfortable. Three bedrooms and a kitchen opened off of a central living space that was clearly made for entertaining. The ocean breeze blew through, ruffling the gauzy white curtains.

“It’s incredible.”

He held his arms out and she walked into his embrace. The Bahamas, New York City, or anywhere in between—there was nowhere else on earth she’d rather be than in his arms…not even Egypt.

“How about a swim?” he suggested.

“I don’t have a swimsuit.”

He laughed. “Neither do I.”

And then it dawned on her why he said she didn’t need anything. It was his own private nudist beach.

…

Will loved the blush that ran up her neck and face as she figured out why she didn’t need changes of clothes. To acknowledge that her two-plus-two did actually add up to four, he pulled off his shirt and shucked his pants right there in the living room. He scooped them up and pitched them into a chair. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” He then helped her by pulling off her shirt and removing her bra.

“Um, are you serious?”

His body was reacting to her gorgeous half nakedness, making him rethink the walk. He gestured to his rising erection. “Don’t I look serious?”

She laughed and he untied her warm-up pants. She stopped him before they fell down her legs. “I’ve read all about you, Will. The reporters get shots of you everywhere. I even saw pictures they’d taken of you and Beth on a beach by stalking you from a boat somewhere. I don’t want to go strolling down the beach naked if the world’s most humiliating Claire-ism is possible. I really don’t want to be in the tabloids. I know you’re used to it, but I’m not.”

Will consciously un-balled his fists. He would never get used to it—to the prying eyes and judgmental statements. Beth used to tip off the local society reporters when they were going out and it angered him beyond belief. “I absolutely hate reporters and the press, and avoid them at all costs. Beth was the reason I was in the papers. I would never interact with them willingly, and I wouldn’t put you in a situation like that.”

She nodded. “Fair enough.” She slipped off her shoes and shoved her pants down the rest of the way. Then she stood uncomfortably nude only a few feet from him. Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, she’d never be uncomfortable naked again.

“Let’s go check out the beach.” He grabbed two towels on his way out the door and they wandered down the soft white sand, hand in hand. He made no attempt to hide his open admiration of her body, and it wasn’t too long into the walk that they ended up turning back around to head inside so he could give her a tour of the bedroom, with a focus on the bed in particular.

…

Claire couldn’t help but ogle Will’s muscular body as he sauntered into the bathroom. He undoubtedly had the finest backside ever. She couldn’t recall ever having this much fun. In fact, she was having so much fun, it was all she could do to not roll onto her belly, pound the mattress with her arms and legs, and scream into the pillow. Instead, she attempted to get out of the bed and ended up on all fours on the floor because she had jelly knees. When Will came charging out of the bathroom with a worried look on his face, she broke out into a ridiculous case of giggles.

His furrowed brow relaxed and his dimples made an appearance. “Are you okay?”

Still on her hands and knees, she nodded. “Oh, yeah. Just a little post-orgasm Claire-ism.”

And that set them both to laughing.

He helped her to her feet and pulled her against him. She ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest and down his ridged abdomen. God, what a lotto win. Body, brains, and humor. The whole shebang in one edible package.

“Well,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “What do you want to do now? Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”

What exactly did she want? “I want a shower.”

“Done.”

“And food.”

“Easy.”

But what she wanted wasn’t easy—not really. What she truly wanted was Will. To keep getting to know him and having fun together like this. To get naked and roll around in the sand until they looked like powdered sugar doughnuts, then rinse off in the ocean and make love in the waves. But what she found herself wishing increasingly with each passing minute was that this was more than just a fling. She wanted all of him, even his heart. But that was impossible. Her future was the Cairo Museum, not William Anderson.

Pushing down the longing for something out of reach was familiar to Claire. She’d done it her whole life. What she couldn’t suppress, though, was the hope she was feeling—something she hadn’t dealt with before. Something that made her dream about a happy ending for once.

After a shower that left both of them satisfied, and very, very clean—especially certain parts—they shared a plate of cold chicken, Bahamian peas and rice, and white wine on the porch. The sun was setting over the ocean in brilliant streaks of tangerine and magenta, looking more like a painting than real life. In fact, at this moment, with the sea breeze in her face and this amazing man by her side, nothing felt real. Even her impending trip to Egypt. If only…