Chapter 53

Peyton leaned back in the lawn chair Dix had dragged from the storage shed, along with the other outdoor furniture, and let the sun bathe her with a warm caress. She had gone for a swim while he was out for his run and been caught unawares, standing on the dock in her swimsuit when he returned. Her first and most immediate thought was to yank her long T-shirt over her head and cover up her body. Despite the weight she'd lost, she was still self-conscious about her appearance. Surely Dix Amendola had seen the most gorgeous women in the world in less than she was wearing. She was certain to fall short in the image department.
Then, as quickly and automatically as the thought came, another one replaced it. Why should she even care? This wasn't a date or a weekend getaway with a hot guy - even if the guy she was with was hotter than hell. It wasn't anything except two people who accidentally ended up sharing a cottage. There was no reason for Dix to think anything about her one way or another. So, she'd just stood there, pretending he couldn't see her, while he dragged the lawn furniture out so she'd have someplace to sit or lie down.
She couldn't stop thinking of the image of him as he'd jogged down the road and around their vehicles back to the cottage, sweat covering his Superman chest. His dirty-blond hair was plastered to his head, and droplets of sweat clung to the dark blond curls scattered across his chest and arrowing temptingly down below his waistband. His shorts were slightly more modest than the swimsuit he'd almost had on the night before, but, even with the extra material, it was difficult to ignore the obvious boner.
Good lord! Was the guy in a state of perpetual erection?
Doug had been like that. Doug, the hotshot lawyer someone had recommended to check out her contracts for her. Had he seen her as a love-starved female fawning over his attentions? Because that's what she had been in the beginning, so thrilled that a man of his sophistication was interested in her she'd do whatever he asked. He was always hard, always ready, and, for a long time, she'd convinced herself it was because of her. But then he began to manipulate her, attempt to control her.
"Ditch that dress, Peyton. It looks like a housedress.
"Wear shorter skirts, Peyton, but be sure to hit the treadmill every day to get some of the flesh off those thighs. We want them nice and toned.
"No panties today, Peyton, when we go to lunch." Glittering eyes raked over her. "We're going to take a stroll in the mall, and I'm going to fuck you in the hallway where they take deliveries."
While that had been adventurous and even exciting in the beginning, she soon discovered exhibitionism wasn't her game, nor were the outrageous things he demanded of her.
Was Dix like that? She had no idea what his rank in the SEALs was, but he seemed like a man used to giving orders. She'd already had that once, thank you very much. She'd had a man like that tromp hard enough on her heart already.
Wait, heart? Holy crap, Peyton! You've just met the guy, and hardly under the best circumstances, and already you're licking your lips over his body? Yesterday, you were mad at him, and today, you're licking your chops over him? No, no, no! Discipline. Control. Blank the mind. You'll never find our muse again this way.
God, she was so susceptible. That was probably what came of being a very late bloomer in the love and sex department.
As he was dealing with the lawn furniture, she'd spotted something she'd missed in the dark the night before. The perfection of his left thigh was marred by two round scars and a thin line between them. Obviously he'd been wounded. She wondered how it had happened and how he was dealing with it mentally. Was this trip serving as rehab for him? No wonder he'd wanted to be alone. She'd do her best to give him the space he needed.
First, she had to stop thinking about his almost-naked body. She gritted her teeth and was trying to concentrate on letting the sun tan her body when she heard the sound of something knifing cleanly through the water. She sat up and stared, seeing a faint pool of ripples spreading outward. Dix had obviously decided to cool off in the lake. And no wonder, with the sweat he'd worked up. She was still amazed at how long his run had been. Was he Superman?
She watched the continued spread of the barely visible ripples until far from shore his head broke the surface of the water. Then, instead of diving, he began to knife through the water with the clean movements of a crawl.
He really is a thing of beauty to behold.
She watched him for a long time, fascinated, until he finally turned and headed for shore. She closed her eyes, trying to listen for his movements and hoping he wasn't aware she'd been watching him. Staring at him was more like it.
Oh, lordy, how was she going to do this?
Her eyes were closed, a few moments later, so she sensed rather than saw him lie down on the ground. She tried to catch his breathing but, lord, the guy had to be superhuman after all. There wasn't even the usual whistling breath after all that exertion. Unable to help herself, she turned her head and looked at him through slitted eyes. His gorgeous body was stretched out on a towel next to her chair. Drops of water glistened on the curls on his chest and his perfectly sculpted muscles. She got a better look at the scar, noted how new it appeared, and realized he couldn't be that far removed from when it happened. She wondered what kind of danger he'd faced to be wounded like that.
"Feel free to stare." His voice was amused. His eyes were closed, so how on earth did he know she was looking at him
Peyton actually found herself embarrassed.
"I, uh, sorry. I was - " What? I was what? The familiar redhead blush scorched itself over her body as she searched for something to say that wouldn't make her sound like the stupidest person in the world.
"No problem." His eyes were still closed. "Listen, we're stuck here together for the next month, and I figured, in such close quarters, we should at least be civil to each other. Right?"
"Oh, right." What did he expect her to say?
"I mean, I'm trying not to be rude. That's all. I just thought you should know I've got a lot of stuff on my mind to work through, so I probably won't be very talkative. I'll probably crawl off by myself most of the time."
"Uh, that's fine." She wet her lips. "But you don't owe me an explanation. You do what you have to do, and so will I."
Besides, if she had to keep looking at his ripped body and his hard dick all the time, she might forget what an inept novice she was at everything and how disappointing she was to her lovers and do something to really embarrass herself.
"Okay. Good."
"Good," she echoed.