Island Affair (Escape Into Romance) (6 page)

"But Lacey, just listen..."

"No! Just go." She stormed out of the entryway into the kitchen and rushed outside. She ran like the devil was chasing her down to the beach and away from him.

Jonathan watched her sprint out of the entryway. He felt so helpless. What had he done? How was he going to fix it? But right now he had to face her father. He slowly turned in the older man's direction.

Her father was glaring at him and he didn't blame him one bit. He took a deep breath ready to face whatever was to come.

"I'm sorry about causing a scene, that wasn't my intention when I came here."

"What exactly was your intention?" Lacey's father spoke with ice in his voice.

"I wanted to fix things. I have been a jerk to Lacey and I wanted to apologize. But I don't think she is going to let me."

The older man's eyes bored into him. He didn't speak for several moments and then he moved and Jonathan thought he was going to punch him for a moment before he saw the outstretched hand waiting for him to shake.

"Patrick Craven, and I take it you are Jonathan Tyler?"

Jonathan took his hand and shook it. "Yes, that's correct. I see Lacey has been telling you about me."

Patrick frowned. "Yes, and it wasn't very complimentary either. I should deck you for hurting my little girl like that."

Jonathan moved back a bit and Patrick laughed. "I ought to but I'm not going to."

Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little.

"So what are you going to do to make it up to her?"

"I wish I knew." He had no clue how to proceed.

Lacey waited a couple of hours before going back to the B&B, sure that Jonathan would have left by now. When she approached the doorway of the kitchen she could hear her father talking and laughing and thought that it must be safe to enter.

As she slipped into the room unnoticed by the occupants she was shocked to see that Jonathan hadn't left. He was the person that her father was talking and laughing with. What was going on? She propped her hands on her hips and waited for them to see her.

"Oh there you are Lacey love." Her dad smiled at her. "I was starting to get worried about you."

"What is he still doing here?" She pointed at Jonathan as she asked her father the question.

At least her father had the decency to look a bit guilty as he responded, "Jonathan has decided to stay for a few days."

Lacey glared at Jonathan. "Why? It won't do any good you know? I won't change my mind. I don't want to see you or talk to you." Without waiting for him to acknowledge what she had said she turned on her heel and stormed from the room.

Of all the... She was furious. At Jonathan and at her father for allowing this.

For the next two days she avoided him like the plague. She didn't speak to him or stay in the same room as him at the same time. But that didn't stop him from being in her face all of the time. Everywhere she went she could hear people talking about him. It was Jonathan this, or Jonathan that. He had charmed the whole houseful of guests, not to mention her father. She couldn't escape it.

On the evening of the second day her father had decided to have a special event for the guests. He had the cook prepare a special romantic meal for the four couples that were presently staying at the B&B. Much to Lacey's chagrin her father enlisted Jonathan to help in the preparations.

She got the feeling that her father was trying to play matchmaker. It wouldn't do any good, she was determined to ignore Jonathan.

She and Jonathan had been given the task of laying the tables. Lacey tried to stay as far away from him as she possibly could. After Jonathan had spread out the white linen tablecloths Lacey came after him and set the table with the cutlery. Jonathan then set out the glassware. After which Lacey placed tastefully arranged flowers onto the center of the table.

As they were finishing up the last table Lacey could feel Jonathan looking at her as he placed the glassware ever so carefully onto the table. She tried to ignore it. They had worked steadily together all afternoon to make the dining room perfect and he had been thankfully keeping his distance. Now he was staring at her. Why? She was getting uncomfortable under his scrutiny while he just looked amused which annoyed her more.

As she moved around the table laying the cutlery Jonathan seemed to slow down so that she caught up to him. She tried to ignore the way her heart started beating just that little bit quicker or how her breathing sped up. Didn't matter; she was ignoring it. Yeah right.

His eyes were dark and hooded as he looked at her and she felt the excitement course through her. She tried to stop it but it had a life of its own. She didn't look at him in case he could see the desire mirrored in her eyes. She turned away from him and fussed with the cutlery just to give her hands something to do other than what they really itched to do.

She felt him move up behind her and press his body into hers. She tensed as the electricity sparked between them.

"Can I help you with that?" His raspy voice went straight to her core and she felt the hint of wetness building there. She needed to get away from him, right now, before her defenses came down.

"Um...yes you can finish up laying out this cutlery." Was that her voice? It sounded husky and sexy. She swallowed hard. Trying to move away she found that he had her pinned up against the table and that she was unable to move. She felt his hot breath on her neck and shivered.

"Could you move, please? I need to finish up those flowers." Yes, that was much better; more like her regular voice. She felt him back away from her and suddenly felt cold. She walked away from him without another word.

Well that went well, Jonathan thought as he watched her walk away. This was going to be harder than he had first thought. As she left the room he scrubbed a hand across his face and sighed. He would need to adjust his plan if he was ever going to get her to listen to him and accept his apology.

He had been a jerk but there had been extenuating circumstances. He had been worried about his mother but that hadn't given him the right to treat Lacey the way he had. He was sorry for that and he would make her listen to him if it was the last thing he did.

He decided to give her some space until the special dinner was over. He wasn't about to spoil this evening for the fine guests of her father's establishment. That would give him time to work out exactly what to say to get her to listen to him.

It was late when the last of the dinner guests retired for the evening and all of the cleaning up had been taken care off. Lacey, Jonathan and her father were sitting in the kitchen having a drink and unwinding after a long day's work.

"Thanks you two for your help today." Her father shared a smile with them. "I don't think I could have done it without you. I think everyone enjoyed themselves tonight."

Lacey smiled at her father. "It was a great night for your guests dad. I think it is something that they will tell others about for a long time." She tried to stifle a yawn but wasn't successful.

Jonathan thought that she had never looked so beautiful, dark circles included.

As if she felt him looking at her she turned in his direction. Her eyes were unreadable as she looked back at him. She yawned again and started to stand up.

"I'm going to go to bed. I'm exhausted. I'll see you guys in the morning." She hugged her father and gave Jonathan another of those unreadable looks as he watched her walk out of the room. He turned back to face her father and was surprised by the amused look on his face.

"What?" Jonathan said with raised eyebrows. Patrick just smiled a knowing smile at him. The silence stretched out between the two men for several minutes. Jonathan started to squirm under Patrick's scrutiny. "Spit it out, I know you want to say something. Right now I am open to suggestions."

Patrick chuckled. "Just go and talk to her."

"I've tried. She won't listen to me. She just shuts me down."

"You aren't trying hard enough. You have to persevere and not back down. Make sure she understands what you're saying."

Lacey paced the length of her room. She was so frustrated right now. She had pleaded tiredness as an excuse to leave the kitchen and get away from Jonathan. His constant presence for most of the day was just too much for her to handle right now.

That man was an itch she couldn't scratch. And her father, inviting him to live here! She knew he was just trying to help her. She wasn't mad at him. Much.

A yawn broke out from her again. Whatever. She needed to sleep right now, and her man troubles be damned. Stripping out of her clothes, down to her bra and panties, she turned down the covers on her bed.

Just as a knock sounded at the door.

It would have to be Jonathan. It could only be him. She shook her head and covered her eyes with her hand. "Go away!"

"Lacey?" His voice was quiet and sincere. "Can I come in?"

Seriously? "Jonathan…I'm not decent!"

"Just for a few minutes." He wouldn't go away. And then he said something she never thought she would hear from the such a self-confident and strong man like him. "Please?"

That caught her off guard. She wanted nothing more than to stay away from him. He was trouble of the sort that kept her awake at night. But there was something in his voice that made her change her mind.

Turning the lock she opened the door to him and stepped back so he could come in. His eyes immediately roamed her body and she wished she'd taken the time to put a robe on, at least.

"What do you want?" She shut the door behind him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uh, look. I'm sorry for keeping you awake, and all, but I've been trying to figure out how to say something to you for three weeks now, and I just need to say it before another day passes."

She wanted to be angry at this man, so badly. She wanted to feel hatred at him for drawing her into a relationship with him and then closing the door so harshly. But instead, this close to him, what she felt was a rising heat in her core that rose up into her chest and made her heart thud. Her body reacted in the way it always did to him. Her feminine side was aroused and willing. No matter what her head tried to tell her.

"What can you possibly have to say to me?" She was proud of herself for keeping her voice from trembling.

"Just this." He took a step closer to her, his palms itching to touch her. "I'm sorry, Lacey. We were in that perfect moment back at Whitsundays. And I ruined it by shutting you out."

She shifted her weight from bare foot to bare foot. "Yes, you did. But I get it, okay? You were worried about your mom. I just don't want to make space in my life for a guy who can't love me, Jonathan."

There. She had said it and it was out in the open. Now it was his turn to do something with it.

He shook his head. "Yes, I was worried about my mom. I mean, I don't see them much anymore. They turned their back on me when I went out on my own. But she's still my mom. I still care about her."

He reached out finally and put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing circles with his thumb in a way that sent electric sparks along her skin. "But that doesn't excuse what I did to you."

"No, it doesn't." She pulled away from him even though she wanted him to touch her more, to touch her in every way a man can touch a woman. "You are a hateful, selfish man!"

The look on his face made her sorry she had said it. She was so mad at him, and wanted him to leave, but she wanted him to stay, and she wanted him to hold her, and she wanted him… She swallowed and looked away from him.

"Lacey, I have been without anyone in my life for a very long time." His words sounded very hollow in his ears. How could he explain himself to her? "I have forgotten how to express…certain feelings. But with you, I was starting to remember what it was like to be something more than just a businessman. I have tried so hard for so long to get out from under my family's shadow that I had forgotten what it was like to be more than a shadow myself."

He touched her again, both of his hands on her shoulders, and instead of moving away from him, she felt herself settling into his touch. "I want to be more with you, Lacey. I want to be the kind of man you deserve."

He was silent then. She didn't know if he was waiting for her to say something or not. But she had nothing to say. She couldn't think. His touch was everything. And then she felt his lips tracking their way up the side of her neck. And she melted.

Jonathan put his hands on her hips, running them up her gentle curves, up her sides, and then around to her breasts. She moaned as he cupped her breasts. He figured it was as much of an invitation as he was ever going to get. And he wasn't going to turn it down.

He felt her nipples peaked and stiff. His fingers felt further in and found the front clasp of her bra. It was easily undone and when her breasts were free she arched her back and pressed herself into him.

"Jonathan…I love you." She had to say it. The words had been there since he walked into her room. She wanted to scream it at him, but instead it came out in a whisper. But she felt his arms stiffen around her; she knew he had heard her.

Jonathan slipped her bra off and turned her around into him. He crushed her breasts against his chest in a hard hug as his lips crushed hers in a hard kiss that made her body tremble. When his tongue teased the corners of her lips she allowed her own tongue to play with his. The sensation was intoxicating.

His hands felt down to the firm mounds of her ass cheeks and kneaded her there. He wasn't gentle about it. She didn't want him to be.

"Take me to bed." Her voice had turned husky with need. And that was the fact of it. She wanted him. She had told him she loved him and she needed him now. The rest of it could be sorted out later.

She had his pants unbuckled and sliding down his legs as he walked her to the edge of the bed. Feeling into his boxers she took out his hard manhood. There were a lot of things she had dreamed of doing to him over the last three weeks. Her dreams had been a riot of sexual frenzy. She meant to do each and every one of them now.