His Virgin Acquisition (10 page)

She finished getting ready as quickly as possible, tying her frizzing hair into a loose bun and applying a thin layer of make-up before putting on the ridiculous high heels that Marco had chosen for her to pair with the dress. She hurried back into the living room, still fastening the clasp on her delicate silver necklace.

“Ready?” Marco looked as though he’d also just stepped out of the shower, his dark hair damp and curling at the nape of his neck.

She closed her hands into fists, letting the bite of her nails on the tender skin of her palms ground her in reality as she fought the urge to cross the room and sift her fingers through his damp curls. Her heartbeat quickened its pace and a surge of longing washed over her.

She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Yes.” Her shaking fingers slipped and she missed the clasp on the necklace.

“Need any help?”

Her heart pounded harder. She was sure, absolutely sure, that he could hear it. “Yes…No…”

He chuckled. “You aren’t sure if you need help?”

I’m certain I do need help.

But not the kind he meant. If she were even the tiniest
bit sane she would have refused his offer. But it had been one temptation too many.

He moved behind her, his warm, moist breath fanning across her neck. She felt an answering wetness building between her thighs. He put his hand on her nape, his fingers lightly massaging her in small circles, and pleasure radiated from his touch and spread through her body. Her knees started to feel unsteady.

“You’ll have to let go, Elaine.”

Oh, she was. She was letting go of everything. Of everything she’d ever believed to be true about herself—of every conviction, every tightly held belief. There was no room for anything but this moment, and everything else—all the fear and the doubt—had to go unheeded.

“Elaine, let go of the necklace.”

Her fingers released their hold on the dainty silver chain and a hot flush stole across her cheeks.

His skillful fingers moved against the sensitive skin, and far too soon he’d finished fastening the clasp for her. He pulled his hands away, and the loss of his touch left her feeling bereft somehow.

Slowly the fog of her arousal, the fog that had descended the moment they’d entered this tropical paradise, began to lift. She couldn’t let this happen. He was the kind of man who used and discarded women with all the ease that most people had changing socks—definitely not the kind of man to get involved with. Even if he hadn’t been the absolute wrong man, it was absolutely the wrong time for her to get involved with someone. But that didn’t stop the restless ache of desire that left her feeling hollow and unsatisfied.

“Thank you,” she murmured, hoping he didn’t notice the throaty tone her voice had suddenly adopted. She
stepped away from him, hoping that distance would bring some sort of relief from the intense, unconscionable attraction that she felt for him.

He reached out and took her hand, drawing her back into the warmth of his body. “Ready for dinner,
amore mia?”

M
ARCO
couldn’t help but be impressed with Elaine’s performance over dinner. She came across as bright, confident and witty. James Preston was eating from the palm of her hand in a matter of minutes. The older man was completely taken in by her charm and intelligence. Which Marco knew should please him. Instead, primal possessiveness surged through him.

He moved closer to Elaine, wrapping his arm around her delicate waist and drawing her to him, smoothing his fingers along her silk-covered flesh. He felt a slight tremor race through her body at the light contact.

“So, Marco,” James said, sliding nearer to his own wife, “I understand you find it old-fashioned of me to have a vested interest in what will become of the resort when I retire and sell out. But I built it up from the ground. This was my first great success and it has sentimental meaning to me. I want to be sure that I’m passing it on to someone who will preserve the integrity of the property.”

“And I intend to. I will be keeping it privately owned, so that I retain total control of what goes on. My vision is to keep it exclusive—perhaps even make it more so.” Marco began to outline his plan for creating an even more
exclusive clientele base for the hotel, while increasing profits and improving the local economy.

“And your lovely wife will be involved in the process?” James gave Elaine a glowing look, and Marco tightened his hold on her.

“My
wife will be as involved as she wishes.” He couldn’t keep the biting edge from his voice.

James raised his gray eyebrows. “Well, he’s quite possessive, isn’t he?” He directed his question to Elaine.

A mischievous glint shone in her eyes. “Marco’s such a charming antique.” She ran a slender hand down his arm and gave him a look that was so falsely adoring he could have laughed had he not been so concerned about the words that were coming out of her mouth. “He has quite a reputation with women, as I’m sure you know, but I’ve tamed him pretty successfully. Of course there are moments when his inner caveman appears.”

James’s redheaded wife Kim quirked a smile, and spoke for the first time since they’d sat down at the dinner table. “Isn’t that the way it is with all men?”

“You behave,” James said playfully.

And just like that the tone of the conversation swayed from business and onto personal topics.

Marco had to admit that Elaine had a way with people. She could be engaging when she wanted to be, and none of her usual frosty reserve was on display for the Prestons.

Marco made an appointment to meet with James in the morning, and cut the dinner short before more drinks. As a rule he didn’t drink much. He didn’t like to dull his senses. And around Elaine Chapman he was going to need his mind functioning at its best. The last thing he needed was to have his decisions made through the soft, smoky haze of alcohol.

She walked ahead of him out of the restaurant, her hips swaying, encased lovingly in that form-fitting little dress. She was like a bright tropical flower, or a piece of luscious fruit. Forbidden fruit. He had made her off-limits. A notion that was completely foreign to him. A notion that made her appear all the more succulent.

She moved to the passenger side of the car, her body hidden from him by the dark shadows of the azalea bushes that lined the asphalt. He caught up to her and pulled her against him. The little hitch in her breath was the only sound she made to express her surprise. “So I’m a caveman, am I?” He placed his hands on her waist and drew her nearer, allowing her to feel the steel of his erection pressed against the curve of her bottom.

“It’s not the first time I’ve said it,” she said, her voice breathless.

“You were supposed to behave yourself,” he growled low, bringing his lips so close to her ear that he brushed the tender skin.

“You mean I was supposed to play silent accessory, like James’s wife?”

“Men like women who do as they’re told.” He skimmed his fingers from the indent in her waist to the underside of her breasts.

“Well, that’s too bad. I don’t suppose I’ll be having much luck with men.”

He chuckled.
“Cara mia,
I don’t believe that for a moment. You are walking temptation.”

She drew in a breath. “Even when I’m being mouthy?”

“Especially then.”

She leaned her head back for a moment, her body relaxing, her curves molding to fit against him. He pressed a kiss to her neck and she stiffened. “Stop.”

He released her. “Why?” Somewhere between the restaurant and the car he’d decided he didn’t need to fight his attraction for her anymore. As long as he stayed in control of the situation, and there was no doubt that he would, there could be no harm in indulging in an affair with her. He found it easy to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh without engaging his emotions, and in his experience a modern woman viewed sex much the same way.

Elaine lowered her eyes. “It will make things…complicated.”

He cupped her cheek and tilted her face up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “There’s nothing complicated about sex.”

“Maybe not for you.”

But Elaine knew that for her it would be. Dinner had been akin to torture. Watching him talk business, seeing him in his element, a ruthless light in his eyes as he spoke about his plans for the resort, the confidence he exuded, the arrogance…It had been the most spectacularly sexy thing she’d ever seen in her life. More than that, he’d made her
feel
far too much. Not just desire, but other things. She’d been proud of him, had felt possessive. She hadn’t liked the way Kim Preston had eyed Marco’s spectacular physique—not that she could blame the other woman—but then Elaine’s gaze had locked on the platinum wedding band on Marco’s left hand and one word had run through her mind:
mine.

And that was wrong. He wasn’t hers. And he never could be. Neither should she want him to be!

She felt as if she was dangling from the last thin shred of her resistance. If she let go, if she lost her grip, she was going to go tumbling down into the abyss beneath her, and climbing back out would be nearly impossible.

“There’s nothing complex about this,” he said, his voice
a low, sexy whisper that vibrated through her, sending Shockwaves of longing through her being. “This is the most basic thing in the world. Man and woman. Desire and satisfaction.”

The promise in his voice almost stole her resolve then and there. “Marco, I’m tired and jet lagged. Let’s go back to the villa.”

She knew the absence of a firm no coming from her lips did not escape his notice. She honestly hadn’t been able to muster up the will to give him one. She knew it was dangerous, going back to the Ano Lani without a definitive decision in place, but maybe that was what she wanted. She was honest enough to admit, at least in that moment, that she wanted to leave the door open a little bit. She didn’t want to lose all possibility of making love with him—not when so much of her desired it so intensely.

They took the ride back to the hotel in silence. Elaine tried to steady her breathing, to get a handle on the riot of sensations and emotions that were tumbling through her usually predictable body. Where was her cool head now? When she most needed that level, analytical part of her personality it had deserted her like a rat off a sinking ship. Almost as if it wanted no part in the impending disaster.

No. There would be no disaster. She could control herself. The problem was that she wasn’t entirely certain she
wanted
to control herself.

She leapt from the car the moment it came to a stop in front of the villa, needing desperately to put some distance between Marco and herself so that she could clear her head.

She felt rather than heard him enter the room behind her. “I’ll sleep on the couch,” she offered quickly. “You’re a lot…bigger than I am.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. I have some work to finish up before I head to bed. I’ll be in the office.”

“Did the BlackBerry charger show up?”

He chuckled, the sound spreading through her like melting butter. “As a matter of fact it did.”

“So the staff shall live to see another day?” She didn’t know why she was instigating conversation, why she was so reluctant to let him go, to let him end the evening. She hadn’t completely closed the door on them making love tonight, but he obviously had. She should be relieved.

“So long as their performance remains up to par.”

He turned away from her, and she couldn’t keep herself from admiring the view. The broad set of his shoulders, his lean waist and his muscular butt were far too tempting a treat to pass up. She had to get her thrills somewhere. And before Marco it had been a long time since she’d gotten any. And those had been innocent thrills, mild in comparison to the kind of sensations that were pinging through her body now, electrifying the blood that was charging through her veins.

“I’ll probably just go to bed,” she said.

Marco turned and watched her look forlornly at the long couch. She was probably weighing her need to keep up her hard-to-get act versus her need for a good night’s sleep—although she wouldn’t find a good night’s sleep on the couch
or
in his bed.

He went into the office without bothering to watch her make her final decision. His body ached with need and it unsettled him. Yes, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, much longer than he was accustomed to, but that did not excuse the intensity of the desire that had him hard, throbbing, and unable to concentrate.

Ironic that he had never come close to proposing
marriage to a woman in his life, and the one he
had
married seemed to avoid physical contact with him at all costs. But she desired it as he did. She wanted him too. But something was stopping her from making the final step. It could all be part of her act—playing at reluctance in order to build his level of sexual frustration to a fever pitch. Or she could be genuinely opposed to conducting a physical relationship. He couldn’t discount that possibility.

But, whatever her reasoning, he was still left with a raging hard-on and no satisfaction in sight.

He clenched his fists and turned his attention to his laptop, trying to turn his normally high-performing mind to the task at hand. It was a futile attempt. His body was talking much louder than his brain tonight.

And he wasn’t the type of man to practice self-denial.

Despite the fact that as far as her body was concerned it was the early hours of the morning, she knew she was far too keyed-up to get any sleep. She wandered through the villa, pausing to enjoy the native Hawaiian-style artwork before wandering into the bathroom.

She needed a bath to settle her mind and her body. But the bathroom that was at the “safe” end of the villa—the end that didn’t take her anywhere near Marco’s office or bedroom—only had a shower, and she was desperate for her nightly ritual.

She opened the glass door that led to the outdoor courtyard. Low stone walls and a vine covered lattice roof offered privacy, but also allowed her to see the jade-green bay, turned gray by the silver moonlight.

A massive jet tub sat in the corner of the courtyard. A freestanding wooden rack with towels and a white silk bathrobe was situated by the tub. She sighed. Stress relief
was at hand. It wouldn’t relieve any of her other physical issues, but it would help loosen her knotted shoulders.

She turned the gilded taps and experimented with the assorted essential oils that had been placed on the towel rack. Candles were placed on the four corners of the tub, and a lighter had been left nearby. She bent over and lit each candle. It was the perfect setting. Relaxing. Sensual. Romantic. It was a bath designed for two. But only one would be taking it. And it was better that way.

She slipped out of her clothes quickly, her eyes darting to the door, praying that Marco didn’t pick that moment to explore this portion of the villa, and stepped into the tub. Or maybe, a treacherous voice spoke up, it would be more interesting if he did. She banished the unapproved thought and sank beneath the water, letting the scent of mint and vanilla wash over her, relaxing her body and her mind.

It was so easy to imagine Marco sitting behind her, her head pillowed on his muscular chest, her body wedged between his masculine thighs, the rough hair abrading her soft skin…Her heart began to pound heavily, and her body began to feel a whole different kind of languor.

She stood from the tub abruptly and reached for one of the jade-green towels, drying her over-sensitive skin quickly before wrapping herself in a robe. She stepped out of the water and welcomed the slight bite of the night air. She needed something to cool her down.

She padded over to the far end of the courtyard and out the gate that led to the large wooden deck that was attached to the villa. She leaned against the railing and gazed down into the koi pond, watching the fat orange fish swim lazily through the water. Her heart was still pounding and her breath was coming out in short, uneven bursts.

She drew a shaky hand over her face. She had a
feeling she was fighting a losing battle. Maybe the key was to stop fighting. She wanted Marco. She didn’t want to get married for real, and fall in love—at least not in the foreseeable future—but she honestly didn’t want to die a virgin either. Not that she’d ever worried about it much before.

If she slept with Marco she ran the risk of getting in too deep. She knew that women sometimes underestimated the effect sex had on them. But if she went into it with her eyes open and viewed it as a learning experience, was able to be detached…maybe then it would work.

“I was looking for you.” Marco’s husky whisper drew her from her reverie. She turned to face him and her throat dried. He was so impossibly handsome, so amazingly, sensationally masculine. He made everything feminine inside of her quiver with expectant longing.

“I took a bath,” she said, hoping the silver moonlight disguised the blush she knew was staining her cheekbones. “It helps me relax.”

He moved closer to her, his eyes black in the dim light, the planes of his face thrown into sharp relief. He reached a hand out and cupped her cheek, stroking it lightly with his thumb. She shivered, and she felt her nipples tighten and press against the thin, insubstantial fabric of the robe, her aching flesh calling for his attention, his touch.