Free The Tycoon's Red Hot Marriage Merger by Christine Glover Page A

enveloped her. “Maybe I should just dive in and get it over with.”
    He brushed her cheek with his lips. She could smell the ocean on him, then tasted the salt when he moved his mouth lightly over hers. “I say we take our time—not rushing will make the experience more satisfying—for both of us.”
    Heat pooled between her thighs. She had no doubt that Marco would be an incredible lover. “Then we should take our time,” she said. For now she’d settle for a patient partner while she swam in the ocean for the first time in four years.
    “ Si . I want you to enjoy yourself.”
    “Well, there aren’t any shark fins so I suppose it’s safe enough,” she said.
    He grinned. “You trust me to protect you if one shows up?”
    She glanced again at the erection tenting his swim trunks. “The only thing I’ll have to keep my eye on is you.”
    “Don’t worry.” Marco raised a brow. “I’m a man of infinite self-control.”
    “Trust me, I know,” she said, much to her chagrin. The sun warmed her skin and a light breeze lifted her hair, which she’d kept loose, letting it tumble down her back. “I’m a little freaked about diving into that water, so how about you go in first and test it?”
    “Absolutely.”
    Marco dove into the water with perfect form, swimming with easy strokes when he broke the surface. And, after a moment, he paused and treaded the waves. “You ready?” he asked.
    The deck rocked gently, swaying slowly. The sun glinted, sparkling on the water like a thousand opals, giving it a surreal and magical look. Her nerves continued to shiver and she hesitated, cupping her hand to her brow to peer into the distance.
    No sharks. No fins. Nothing threatening to stop her from taking that first step back to the waters she’d walked away from four years ago.
    “What’s taking you so long?”
    “Ah, just checking for sharks. I don’t want to die before I actually do lose my virginity.”
    “There aren’t any sharks in these waters.” Marco held out his arms. “I’ll take care of you if one shows up.”
    “My hero,” she said ruefully.
    “ Si , I’m your knight in shining armor.”
    Ahead of her was her future. Marco. Grinning and waiting for her to be with him, his rebel mane of hair glistening in the sun wet with ocean water, wild and sexy and dangerous.
    But she had already dance with that danger—literally on the floor in his nightclub. The man who had controlled her body with such incredible finesse had the power to protect her from anything lurking deep in the waters lapping the yacht’s edges. Now she had to trust him with more than her safety. Their marriage might be stamped on paper, and trap her into a lifetime bargain, but she had to believe that the passion flaring between them would lead to something more than sexy side benefits.
    A bird called, then she jumped.

Chapter Six
    Cassandra laughed and landed feet first into the water. The resulting splash and cry moments before she submerged zipped adrenaline into Marco’s extremities. He catapulted into action, diving under the azure ocean waves to swim to her. When he reached Cassandra, he enveloped her and brought her to the surface with a single kick.
    Sunlight dappled prisms of color into the droplets of water cascading down Cassandra’s ebony hair. She trembled in his arms and her wide blue eyes had a dash of panic streaking through them. Marco’s heartbeat quickened. Concern mingled with a tenderness he hadn’t expected to feel. “You’re okay. It’s all going to be okay.” He held her lightly in his arms. “Just relax,” he said, though holding her against his body did nothing to chill him out.
    “Easier said than done.”
    Cassandra wiggled and he could see her throat move while she fought to regain her composure. Her skin, wet and slick, slid against his. An electrical current jolted through him, slamming him in the groin. “True.” After all, he had grown hard as granite despite the ocean’s cool