Free Miami Spice by Deborah Merrell Page A

her rescuer. Besides the wire-rimmed sunglasses, he
wore light cargo pants, a seersucker shirt in a pastel plaid, and
canvas deck shoes. A glint of silver directed her to the slim chain
around his wrist. Hmm, Gianni’s twin possessed the same type of
bracelet.
    “Hello, Erica!” Nico greeted with a broad
smile. “Need a ride?”
    She met him halfway down the porch steps. “Am
I glad to see you! I thought I’d be stuck out here forever.”
    “Sorry,” he began after he gave her a quick
hug. “My brother sent me to fetch you. He had some kind of
emergency call and had to leave right away. On his way back to the
city, he called and asked me to come and rescue you.”
    “Well, that explains some of it,” Erica
conceded as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her back to
the Jeep. “But why didn’t your brother leave a message with the
waiter? I couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes to the
restroom.”
    “Who knows what he’s thinking?” Nico opened
the car door for her. “Gianni isn’t exactly the most diplomatic of
guys. He runs on hormones, not common sense.”
    “Well, all I can say is that I’m glad you’re
here.” Erica gladly slipped into the bucket seat and sat back,
relieved and mollified for the moment.
    As Nico slipped behind the wheel, he turned
to her with a bright smile. “So, what are you doing the rest of the
afternoon?”
    “Well, I thought I’d get some work done.”
    “That’s no fun.” With a little laugh, he
started the Jeep and pulled out of the parking lot. “All work and
no play makes Erica an overworked girl. So, why don’t you play
hooky this afternoon and go for a sail with me? We can relax and
enjoy life a little.”
    Erica didn’t have to think twice. “I’d love
to, but I’m not exactly dressed for a casual outing.”
    “So, we’ll pick you up some clothes on the
way. My parents have a sail boat at the Bay Harbor Marina.”
    The thought of spending an afternoon, alone
on the water, with such an attractive, charming man made her blood
rush to strategic body points. “You’re on, captain!”
     

Chapter Seven
    Relaxing along the polished deck, Erica
sipped her champagne and watched the captain of the sloop, Island in the Sky, tighten the sails before joining her. She
had been smiling with ease since Nico launched the boat and headed
out to sea.
    They had stopped at a strip mall earlier so that
Erica could quickly select a pair of tight shorts and a V-neck
halter top from a woman’s boutique, along with a pair of deck
runners from the shoe store. To top off the afternoon, Nico visited
the nearby supermarket and bought them a bottle of premium
champagne, two plastic wine glasses, and a party tray of cold cuts
and cheeses. With that, they set sail along the calm waters of
Biscayne Bay. Nico certainly proved that he knew the ropes when it
came to directing and tying off the pale yellow sails.
    “Such talent!” Erica exclaimed when the
captain joined her on the deck cushions. “For someone who’s not
from Miami, you sure know your way around a boat and the
water.”
    “Hey, we have boats in Connecticut, too,”
Nico defended and stretched alongside of her. “My parents always
enjoyed sailing, and we boys learned early. I did tell you that Island in the Sky is my mother’s baby.”
    “Yes, you did,” she agreed, “as well as
boasted about her attributes—the boat’s that is, not your mother’s
assets. Of course, I’m sure she possesses many as well. This baby’s
a steel-designed, thirty-four foot spray cutter. After that, you
lost me with ballast and keel weight.”
    “That’s okay,” he said with a laugh. “I was just
showing off to impress a lovely lady.”
    “Well, I’m impressed.”
    “Want to take another tour of the galley, get
out of the sun for awhile?”
    “Why do I feel you want to take me below to
show me your etchings?” Yet, with no misgivings, Erica allowed her
host to bring her to her feet.
    “My etchings and a