Island Affair (Escape Into Romance) (3 page)

She let the button go and the sound of Jonathan's disembodied voice came through the speaker, "Lacey?"

She carefully pressed the button once again and said, "Yes?"

"When you're ready can you come downstairs? I will be waiting for you in the living room that is just over to the right from the bottom of the stairs."

"Um...okay. Do I need to change for lunch?" She wondered where her luggage was and looked around the room. She was surprised to see her cases stacked up on the other side of the bed. How had they gotten there? Had they been there when she entered the room before? She didn't have any idea. Not waiting for his response she continued, "I will be down in a few minutes."

"Right. See you then."

She hovered at the door for a moment and then decided to quickly freshen up a bit before lunch.

Jonathan was pacing the length of the living room. He had been full of restless energy ever since that kiss the previous night. He was burning up; he felt like he had a fever. He couldn't remember ever wanting a woman as much as he wanted Lacey.

He had told her no strings attached and he had meant it. If she wanted nothing more than to lounge around, swim and have a restful time while they were here then that is what she would have. Even if it killed him. Which he suspected it would.

She had been very distant on the trip here. They had barely spoken to each other. He was worried that the kiss had done irreparable damage to their relationship, which had been reasonably good before. That's why her insistence on resigning had thrown him for a loop. He was hoping to find out the real reason she was leaving while they were here.

He was standing at the window when he heard the sound of footsteps on the polished floorboards of the foyer. He turned slowly and felt his heart stutter at the sight of her standing uncertainly in the entryway of the room.

She slowly moved into the room towards him and he could feel his heartbeat accelerate. She had changed into a lovely deep red satin wraparound dress with ruffles around the neckline and a bow tied across her petite waist. Her hair was a shining auburn halo around her glowing face. She looked stunning.

He couldn't stop himself from going to her. He took her hand in both of his and looked into her bright green eyes. They seemed to be a shade lighter today.

"You look amazing." Was that his voice, all raspy like that? He cleared his throat before attempting to speak once more. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am starving."

"Good. Cook has laid out a wonderful spread for us out on the patio. Let's go out there, shall we?"

She nodded again and as they walked out through the double glass doors that led onto the patio Jonathan kept hold of her hand. He didn't want to lose the connection.

Lacey gasped as she spotted the table laden with a delicious array of sandwiches. "Look at all of this food. Are you expecting guests?"

Jonathan chuckled. "No, I'm not. It would seem that Cook has gone a bit overboard. He can never do anything by halves." He helped her to get settled into her seat before sitting down himself.

"I'm not sure where to start." Her eyes were wide and shining, cheeks flushed. She looked very beautiful and his breath caught in his throat.

"Just dig in." She grinned at him as she reached for a delicious looking lobster and cucumber sandwich. Lime mayonnaise oozed from the side and dribbled onto her chin as she took a bite. He had the strongest urge to lean over and lick it off but restrained himself from doing so.

Hoping to distract himself he asked, "What would you like to drink? We have wine or sparkling water."

Lacey swallowed the mouthful of food she was chewing and said, "Oh, sparkling water, please."

He twisted the top off a bottle of water and poured some into a glass each for them. He took a big mouthful of the icy liquid hoping to cool down a bit. Lacey seemed to be oblivious to his discomfort as he watched her tucking into the food. It pleased him to see that she wasn't one of these women that only ate sparingly to avoid gaining weight.

The rest of the meal passed without further incident. Jonathan wiped his mouth on a brilliant white linen serviette and sat back in his chair. Now that his hunger for food had been satisfied he was in the mood for some fun.

"That was wonderful. I've never had sandwiches quite like those before. Is that mayonnaise a special recipe?" Lacey asked him.

"Yes, I think that Cook has quite a few of those special recipes. He is a master chef and I would hate to lose him. Although he can be quite temperamental at times it is worth it to be able to dine so well."

She chuckled at his description of the elusive Cook. "Will I get to meet him while I'm here?" She let her eyes drift towards the ocean view.

"Possibly. It all depends upon his mood." He grinned at her. "What would you like to do this afternoon?"

Her head swung back in his direction and he felt the full force of her brilliant green eyes. "Nothing too strenuous I think. I'm feeling in the mood to be lazy." Her mouth tilted upwards in a sweet smile.

"What about going for a swim? We can swim in the sea or the pool, your choice, and then afterwards we can relax either by the pool or on the beach. What do you think of that plan?"

Her smile widened. "I think I like that plan very much."

"Great. Now all we need to do is decide whether we want to swim in salt water or chlorinated water."

She contemplated that for a moment and then said, "I think I would like to swim in the pool today." She turned to look out at the ocean once again and pointed out to sea, "it looks as though there might be a bit of a swell on out there today. I don't think it would be real nice for swimming."

He looked in the direction she was pointing at and could see that she had a point. "Okay, the pool it is then. Why don't you go and get changed?"

After changing into a sleek, black, one piece swimsuit Lacey obtained directions to the pool area from Angus. She was surprised to find that she was alone when she reached the pool. She was sure that Jonathan would have been there before her as she had taken quite a while to get ready.

The temperature had climbed very high this afternoon and she was looking forward to cooling off in the inviting blue water of the pool. Not sure if she should wait for Jonathan or not she plopped down onto one of the sun-lounges that were lining the edge of the pool. As she smeared on sun block to protect her skin she was aware of Jonathan coming to a stop just outside the pool deck doorway.

She could feel his eyes boring into her and suddenly felt exposed and self-conscious. She continued to apply the sun block and tried to pretend that he wasn't watching her every move.

"Do you want me to rub some of that on your back?" The sound of Jonathan's voice so close to her ear made her shiver. When had he moved in so close to her? She hadn't heard him move. Silently she passed him the bottle of sun block and felt the movement of him sitting down behind her.

She was so tense that at the first touch of his hand to her back she trembled. As he gently smoothed the cream over her skin she went languid. Liquid fire burned her skin where he touched. It was exquisite torture. She was barely breathing and started to feel light headed. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck as he rubbed lotion into her skin.

She nearly leaped out of her skin when she felt the feather light touch of his lips burning a trail of fire down the back of her neck and across her shoulder. He smoothed his hands up and down her arms as his lips continued their assault on her exposed flesh. She shivered violently when she felt his tongue join in. She didn't know how much more she could take when he suddenly pulled away and leapt up to run and dive into the pool.

Lacey suddenly felt chilled now that his heat had disappeared. She watched as he furiously swam one lap after another of the pool. His powerful arms cutting the surface of the water furiously as he went from one end to the other. After several minutes he slowed to a more sedate pace and then finally stopped.

He glided over to the side of the pool and skewered her with a penetrating look. "Are you coming in or what?"

Lacey wasn't sure that was a good idea. After her reaction to him just a while ago she wasn't sure she could trust herself around him. After a few moments of deliberation she decided, what the hell, you only live once. She dived into the deep end and did a couple of slow laps from end to end of the pool. When she stopped she found Jonathan at the opposite end just watching her.

She could see a predatory gleam in his eyes and felt a moment's trepidation. Playing with fire, she gently pushed off the side of the pool and slowly glided through the water towards him.

As she got closer to him her heart started to pound. Did she really know what she was doing? If you play with fire you'll surely get burnt. But she was so sick of playing it safe. She had been playing it safe for two years. She was leaving, so therefore had nothing to lose, right?

She stopped just before reaching him and planted her feet firmly on the bottom of the pool. The water came up to her waist and she felt exposed. Jonathan had been bobbing down so that he was almost all under water. As she came up to him he stood up and her breath caught at the sight of his impressive body. The water droplets were running down his chest creating little rivulets in the hair sprinkled over the expanse.

His blue eyes were inky dark and smouldering as he looked at her. His eyes travelled down her body and stopped to take in her breasts. Her nipples swelled and peaked at his scrutiny. She felt her face flush and watched his eyes darken even further.

Jonathan was in emotional overload. All of his senses were heightened and they hadn't even touched yet. The tension was excruciating. His hands itched to reach out and touch her, to pull her to him. To bury himself deep inside of her.

He wasn't sure how long they just stood there in the shallow end looking at each other but it felt like an eternity to him. Finally, unable to stand the tension any longer, he reached out a hand and wrapped it around her wrist. He tugged gently and she willingly came to him.

He lowered his head and claimed her lips. His eyes slipped closed as sensation overtook him. Her lips were soft, wet and cool from the water. As he moulded his own lips to hers he felt the heat come into them. They kissed slowly and gently; just lips melding together, there was no urgency. Yet. Although he could feel it building inside of him.

A few more moments of the gentle kissing were enough for him and he pulled away to look deep into her eyes. They were dark and hooded. It sent a thrill through him to know that he could have that effect on her.

He slid a hand behind her neck and drew her to him. Crashing his lips onto hers, this kiss was totally different. It was like an explosion. She gasped and he angled his head to deepen the kiss. His eyes slipped closed and at the first touch of his tongue to hers he saw flashes of light behind his eyelids.

His other arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her into him so that she was flush with his body. He moaned at the sensation. She fit perfectly like she had been made for him. He ran his hand up and down the length of her back and then down to the soft round mounds of her backside.

He squeezed gently and it was Lacey's turn to moan. Jonathan broke the kiss to nip and kiss his way down her throat. He kneaded her ass cheeks more firmly as he pushed her more fully into his lower region. He rubbed himself against her trying to ease the growing ache in his groin. She whimpered as she tried to get even closer by lifting one of her legs and wrapping it around him.

He groaned loudly and with monumental will pushed himself away from her. He was breathing heavily as he said, "I think we should take this somewhere more private, don't you?"

She looked quite dazed and it seemed as though all she could manage was a nod of the head. He climbed out of the pool on unsteady legs and held out a hand to help Lacey out. They wrapped themselves in thick luxurious towels before making their way inside.

Lacey couldn't speak. Her heart was pounding and her legs felt weak. As she followed Jonathan towards his room she couldn't believe that they were about to do this. It had been a long time coming. She needed to be careful though, it was imperative that she protect her heart. She couldn't afford to fall in love with him. There was too much at stake.

She grimaced to herself. Who was she kidding, really? She had feelings for the guy. She couldn't pretend otherwise. What those feelings were she wasn't sure, but making love to him didn't seem to be a good way to get him out of her system. But she wanted this, badly.

They reached his bedroom door without running into any of the household staff, thank goodness. Maybe they had made themselves scarce as they knew what was going to happen. Maybe Jonathan always brought his women here and the staff knew the score and conveniently disappeared.

Why was she doing this to herself? Why torture herself with images of Jonathan with other women. She shook her head to relieve herself of the annoying images and took a deep breath.

He opened the door to his room and indicated for her to precede him. He followed her in and pushed the door shut. In one swift movement he twirled her around and pushed her up against the now closed door. She didn't have time for more than a gasp before he crashed his lips down onto hers in a blazing kiss.

Lacey was on fire. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. As he ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth all coherent thought left her as her senses took over. His lips were surprisingly soft. And hot, oh so hot.

She could feel the warmth of his fingers gently stroking the skin of her neck. Lacey lost sense of time and space as hungry kisses and urgent hands took over. Swim suits disappeared as they worked their way towards the bed. His hands roamed over her naked skin sending shivers through her.

He reverently palmed her breasts as he coaxed her nipples to attention by sucking the pink tips into his mouth and then soothing them with a swirl of his tongue. She raked her nails along his smooth back and squeezed his firm butt cheeks before wrapping a firm hand around his hardness to urge him towards her welcoming heat.