Page 126 of Ruthless Touch

I charge after her, stretching my long limbs and trying my damnedest to catch up.

I whistle when Elise emerges from the bathroom. She’s in a slinky long dress that clings to her many curves and hints at the deliciousness underneath. In the front the fabric hugs her hips and in the back it accentuates her ass.

The halter cut shows off her toned arms and shoulders while the backlessness provides a real distraction.

She smirks at me, her lips a red wine shade. “Put your tongue back in your mouth, Rhee.”

I laugh, sticking my hands in my pockets. “But why should I? We both know I’ll be removing that dress with my mouth in a couple hours. I can’t help it if you look so damn good.”

“You’re looking pretty damn fine yourself.” She winks at me and then starts toward the door.

We head out to make it on time to our dinner reservations.

We’re having dinner at a small restaurant on the coast that boasts some of the island’s most fresh and flavorful fish.

The interior is tastefully decorated—strings of lights overhead, candles flickering on the tables, old photos of the legendary Haenyeo women who once dove deep into the waters surrounding the island.

Fresh seafood arrives accompanied by white wine that tastes expensive and smooth. We sit and stuff our faces with all that we can eat ’til we’re truly satisfied.

“I keep thinking about starting over,” Elise says, sipping from her wine glass. She’s on her second of the night. “About where this all goes from here. About how we can move forward.”

“Our fathers were friends once,” I muse, picking up a slice of grilled fish with my chopsticks. “Before everything went wrong. Maybe we’re completing a circle they never got to finish.”

She considers this, her dark eyes reflecting the candlelight. “That fits, doesn’t it? Look how far we’ve come—starting as enemies and ending as lovers. If someone had told me that first night at Eclipse that I’d be here with you now...”

“I was smitten from that first night,” I admit with a grin. “The way you moved, the way you shut down poor Joon-gi without even trying. I knew you were trouble, but I also knew I wanted you.”

Elise laughs, teasing me right back. “It took me a little longer to warm up to you.”

“You’re lying, feline. That dance we shared told no lies. You felt it too—the pull between us. The instant connection.”

“Right, and then I tried to kill you.”

“Regretfully,” I add to another snicker from her.

She rests her chin in her palm and watches me with an intensity that makes my chest clench.

“Thanks,” she says softly.

“For driving you crazy?” I ask.

“For taking me on my first vacation. For being the first person to break down my walls and show me how to trust. It doesn’t happen often… or ever.”

“It was difficult. But worth the prize in the end.”

Her eyes sparkle with mischief and affection as I lean across the small table, closing the distance between us until I can capture her lips with mine.

The kiss is soft at first, tentative like we’re rediscovering each other all over again, but it quickly deepens with more passion.

It’s one of the telltale signs it’s time for us to head back to our suite.

We don’t waste any time enjoying each other. We return to a dark room where the ocean breeze floats through the window and rustles the sheer curtains and the only light is the one on the nightstand.

We’re both in even more relaxed moods after the drinks we’ve had, coming together for kisses and caresses.

Elise reaches for my shirt, undoing the buttons and pushing it off my shoulders. We work her long dress off together, our mouths teasing each other as we do. As the fabric falls to the floor, we’re migrating to the bed.

We fall together, Elise under me as we go for deeper kisses.