“Sure,” he said. “Where’s the property?”
“Um…that’s the thing.”
“Oh?”
“It’s in Fiji.”
“As in South Pacific Fiji?”
“Uh-huh. I’d pay for your airplane ticket, of course. We can stay at the bungalow. I can put in for three vacation days and we could make a long weekend of it.” Please, please let him say yes.
She heard his intake of breath and she could almost see him standing there, thinking about the work he’d be leaving behind if he took off for five days. Was his attraction to her strong enough to overcome his addiction to his work?
“You could have your own room,” she ventured. “Keep this strictly a business trip.”
“Now, why in the hell would I want to do that?” he asked.
Glee tickled down inside her. She grinned. How she wished he was with her so she could fling her arms around his neck and kiss that firm, angular mouth of his.
“So you’ll go?”
“Under one condition.”
Her heart squeezed. She held her breath. “What’s that?”
“We take my private jet.”
THE VIEW OF Fiji Island from the window of Liam’s jet was breathtaking. The water was a mesmerizing color of turquoise, the sky cloudless. Even from the air, you could make out the lush growth of brilliantly colored flowers-bougainvillea, anthurium, birds-of-paradise, a stunning palette of red, yellow, orange and green.
Luxury hotels with private bungalows ringed the beach among a proliferation of palm trees. The smell of plumeria blossoms filled the air the minute they stepped onto the tarmac. In the terminal, they were greeted by smiling hostesses with leis made of orchids, along with the soothing, rhythmic sounds of island music. The scenery was so beautiful it felt surreal.
They had taken off from Boston nineteen hours earlier, but the flight had been so much fun it had seemed like nineteen minutes. They’d talked and played cards, watched in-flight movies, napped, eaten filet mignon, drank wine and talked some more.
She found out his favorite actor was Tom Hanks and she confessed to having a mad crush on Orlando Bloom. She learned he liked his steaks well done while she preferred hers rare. He was a whiz at gin rummy, but she thrashed him soundly at poker. But when she suggested a hand of strip poker, Liam refused because he knew he’d end up naked within five hands. Katie told him that was the point.
They’d also done a little kissing-okay, they’d done a lot of kissing-but that was all. Even though Katie had tried her best to initiate him as an official member of the mile-high club, Liam had been equally determined to hold her off. His theory was they’d heighten their enjoyment of this trip by making her wait for sex.
They grabbed a cab at the airport and Katie gave the driver directions to her family’s bungalow on the beach. It was tucked into a quiet area. Liam carried their bags inside and Katie immediately ran to open the sliding partition that opened out onto a large private lanai. The ocean rolling softly against the shore lulled them with a sweet hypnotic sound.
“I forgot how beautiful it is here.” She sighed and breathed in a deep draw of air as she stood looking out at the beach. “We used to come here every summer when my father was alive.”
“You miss him, don’t you?”
“Something fierce. He was a great father. Strict but fair.”
“I wish I knew what that was like,” he said. “Having a father’s love.”
“I wish you did, too.”
Liam studied her and his heart reeled. She looked incredible in a pair of white denim shirt shorts and a tangerine halter top with her hair pulled back into a girl-next-door ponytail. No one could have known just by looking at her that she was a Boston blue blood.
This was it, his big chance to take their relationship to a new level. But was she ready? Could he convince her he was a man worth overcoming her fear of commitment for? He prayed he could.
Liam realized how much his outlook on life had changed since he’d met her. Suddenly, something was more important than his work and she was standing right in front of him.
She turned in the doorway to grin over her shoulder at him. Damn if her smile didn’t warm him from the inside out.
He grinned back.
She crooked her finger at him. “Come ’ere.”
Liam sauntered over.
Katie wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned back to look up into his face. “Let’s have sex on the lanai.”
“Whoa, slow down. We just got here.”
She reached up to stroke her index finger down the length of his cheek. “You’re doing this on purpose,” she said, pretending to pout.
“Doing what?”
“Withholding sex to tease me.”
“Yes, I am,” he admitted. “There’s something to be said for delayed gratification.”
“How long are you planning on holding out on me?”
“For a while.”
“You sure you want to get into this?” Her eyes danced.
“Get into what?”
“Making me beg for sex. Because buddy, two can play that game.”
“Yeah?”
She licked her lips. “Yeah.”
“Go ahead, hit me with your best shot.”
“Oh, it’s on,” she said, and proceeded to untie the string of her halter top.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Getting naked.”
“Give the man a cigar.” She grinned and let her top drop to the floor.
Liam ogled as she reached for the zipper of her white denim shorts. Did the woman have any idea how hot she was making him?
She wriggled out of her shorts and kicked them across the room. She stood, hands on her hips, wearing nothing but a skimpy peach-colored strapless bra and matching thong panties. In her navel, she sported the cutest little gold ring.
Sassily, she stuck out her tongue, and then reached around to unhook her bra. She twirled it over her head a few times before tossing it in his direction.
“It’s not working,” Liam said through gritted teeth. He could handle this. Yes, he could.
“Coulda fooled me with that world-class boner.” She cast a knowing glance at the zipper of his pants, strained with the outline of his rock-hard erection.
She shimmied out of her panties and strutted out onto the lanai naked as the day she came into the world.
He followed her. The sun was warm on his skin, the ocean spray salty against his tongue. Watching Katie’s bottom twitch as she strode toward the lounge chair at poolside, experiencing his desire for her rocketing hard, made Liam feel as if he were a one-celled animal, responding to every stimuli.
Everything about her was intoxicating-the wave of her hips, the perky jut of her breasts, the patch of pecan-blond hair curling at the apex of her thighs.
Glancing over her shoulder again, she gave him a saucy wink and settled herself down on the chaise lounge, legs provocatively spread. She wet her index with her mouth, and then slowly trailed it down to her breasts.
She was driving him insane.
Every whim of her body made the hairs on his wrist quiver. Every vagary of sunlight dappling across her sumptuous breasts registered spiky and vibrant on his retina. Sensation after sensation washed over him. Nothing was lost in translation.
His senses were on high alert, his body tuned for pleasure.
She looked at him with an extraordinary light in her eyes. It worried him and he evaluated her, trying to decode what was going on inside her head. His body took stock of his surroundings, of this moment, like a strong but cautious corporate raider moving through an intricate negotiation, searching for hidden agendas and subterfuge. The novelty of her, the surprise of the expression she was giving him, riveted him.
Life had taught him to be wary. His mother had taught him to be strong and in control. It was difficult for him to drop his emotional armor and allow her to see his vulnerabilities. But he was willing.