‘Yes, well, we haven’t exactly spent a lot of time around each other recently, so I’m going on past experience.’
I have to look away from him after that and concentrate on forcing down some more of my food so he doesn’t see how much this conversation is bothering me. It was hard enough being around him when he was being cruel and offensive, but now he’s actually acting like a human being I don’t seem to know what to do with myself.
It’s a charm offensive, all right, but I’m not sure where it’s leading.
He chooses not to respond to my jibe and out of the corner of my eye I see him continue to eat his meal.
The silence is tense and as soon as we’re both finished and have carefully placed our cutlery on our empty plates he gives a frustrated sigh and shakes his head.
‘Look, April, can you at least try to relax? I’m not that much of a bastard, am I?’
‘Relax?’ I scoff, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair. ‘How do you expect me to do that when you have me captive here, just waiting to exert your will?’
He waves a dismissive hand at me. ‘You know that’s bullshit. You could leave any time you like. I won’t stop you. Just say the word and I’ll sail you straight back to the mainland.’
‘But then you won’t sell me your company,’ I point out.
‘Well, no. That was the deal we made. Which you agreed to,’ he says with a wolfish grin. ‘So don’t try to make out I’m some sort of sexual deviant. This is a business exchange. Where we both win, remember?’
‘You’re only doing this to pay me back, Jamie. Don’t try and pretend it’s anything else.’
He lays his hands on the table and fixes me with a serious but friendly look. ‘Think of it as closure, April, pure and simple. So we can both move on. Losing my father forced me to reassess my life and I’ve decided it’s time we put our resentment towards each other to rest. Don’t you agree?’
I pause, wanting to refute this, to say I can never get past it. That too much has happened between his family and mine for that to be possible. But I don’t. Because that would inevitably open up a whole new conversation with him that I really don’t want to have. I buried the past ten years ago and there’s no way I’m going to exhume it now. Nothing good can come of talking to Jamie about it. Especially so soon after losing his father. He’ll only hate me more for my involvement in it and I can’t afford to let that happen.
‘Yes, I guess this ridiculous feud has gone on too long,’ I say slowly, uncrossing my arms and placing my hands neatly onto my lap. ‘We’re adults now. We should be able to handle being around each other without fighting. Let’s agree that we both made mistakes, but it was a long time ago. I can forgive if you can.’
‘Good,’ he says, a wide smile flattening his lips. ‘Then let’s forgive each other.’
But I’m not that stupid.
I know this is just a trick.
Jamie
She looks guarded, sitting there all prim and proper, as we both lie through our teeth to each other.
I know there can be no way she’s actually forgiven me for the way I behaved after we spilt up, and I certainly can’t forgive the anguish she put me through when she so callously cut me out of her life.
But perhaps we can put it to one side, if only for this evening.
In all honesty, having her here on the island has made me realise just how much I miss the April I used to know—at least the person I thought she was, until she turned her back on me. We’d had such a good time together when we were young. We’d fitted. And for some unknown reason life keeps throwing her back in my path.
It’s really fucking with my head.
‘Want to go for a stroll on the beach before we lose the light?’ I ask as an awkward silence descends between us again.
Is she thinking the same things I am? Wouldn’t that be something?
I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, to be honest.
‘Sure,’ she says, standing up from her chair and smoothing down the skirt of the dress I knew she’d look incredible in. She has the most perfect body. It’s all soft curves and strong, toned limbs. I remember the glorious sensation of her long legs wrapped around my waist and her arms circling my shoulders as I held myself still inside her in that dark office and my body heats with the promise of what’s still to come.
Or who. Hopefully both of us.
We follow the path across the chamomile lawn I’ve had planted in front of the house and down to the beach. Birds leisurely swoop across the darkening sky, getting in one last blast of exercise before bedding down for the night.
The sea is still calm and makes gentle lapping sounds against the wet sand as we walk down to the shoreline.
April’s hair shines in the dying rays of the sun and I can’t help but stare at her. I can barely believe she’s actually here with me. I never thought I’d see the day when we were alone together and not fighting.
How has my life come to this—where I’ve practically had to kidnap her in order to find out the real reason why she left me the way she did ten years ago.
‘It’s a beautiful island,’ she says, dragging me out of my musing.
‘Thank you. It was completely deserted when I first bought it, with just an old ramshackle house and one hell of an overgrown mess. It’s been quite a challenge to get it to the state it’s in now.’
She raises an eyebrow. ‘How long have you owned it?’
‘I bought it at the pinnacle of my tennis career, five years ago. Winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year meant the sponsorship money came flooding in, and then the opportunity to set up my own sports clothing line came about, which I grabbed with two hands.’
I glance at her, but she’s looking down at the sand, her brow set in a small frown.
‘My father suggested I invest the money I made, rather than fritter it all away, which I thought was good advice,’ I go on, feeling a need to fill the silence. ‘But I also really liked the idea of having a place where I could both train and holiday away from prying eyes. The press seemed to be particularly interested in me at that point and I found it exhausting trying to go about my day-to-day business in England.’
She stops to take off her shoes and pushes her bare feet through the sand, her colourful toenails disappearing then reappearing again like shy sea creatures. ‘It must be nice to have somewhere you can hide from the rest of the world,’ she says, turning to look at me now.
Am I imagining it or is that a wistful look on her face?
‘It is,’ I agree. ‘It never occurred to me that my private life would become such public property before I started winning major tournaments, so it’s been great to have a place where I can get away from the press and relax. I only ever wanted to play tennis. I’ve never been interested in the fame that comes with it.’
She doesn’t say anything to this but I sense her internally raising an eyebrow at that and I’m sure I see her mouth twitch at the corner.
‘It’s been ten years since we knew each other, April. Don’t you think it’s possible there’s more depth to me now than you’re willing to acknowledge?’ I chide, experiencing a jab of hurt at what feels like unfair judgement.
There’s a small pause while she seems to contemplate this. ‘I guess there’s a chance you might have changed since then,’ she grudgingly admits, shooting me a reluctant small smile of acknowledgment.
A grin twitches at the corner of my mouth. I get the impression she’s still struggling with having to play nice with me. But she’s going to have to do a lot more of it before our three days together are up. I’ll make damn sure of it.
As if she’s sensed me thinking this, she slowly moves towards me, her gaze intent on mine, closing the distance between us till we’re standing only inches apart.
‘You know, since we’ve forgiven each other there shouldn’t
be anything stopping us from moving on with our deal now,’ she says, reaching out a hand to brush away a leaf that’s snagged on the shoulder of my shirt.
My heart relocates to my throat at the touch of her fingers and the atmosphere suddenly becomes charged with promise.
She reaches behind her and slides down the zip at the back of her dress, keeping her eyes fixed on mine, daring me to react.
I stare back, a pulse ticking in my jaw.
Once again she’s trying to force things to move on before I want them to.
But I’m going to make sure this happens on my terms. I won’t let her control it. No matter how much I might want to kiss her right now.
Defiance flares in her eyes as the dress slithers down her body to expose the black balconette bra she’s wearing underneath which pushes her breasts upwards into two generous mounds.
I struggle not to give in and look down.
Reaching behind her, she undoes the clasp and slides first one bra strap, then the other down her arm until it falls away from her body and she’s standing brazenly in front of me, half-naked, her face set in an expression of dignified purpose. And it’s so fucking hot.
The sound of our ragged breathing is the only noise in my head and it takes all my willpower to keep my hands at my sides and give her a bland smile. ‘You can’t let go, can you? You can’t stand not to be in charge for one second,’ I tease her.
‘Of course I can,’ she retorts, as if I’ve just made the most ridiculous suggestion ever.
I shake my head. ‘That’s not how this is going to work. I thought I made it clear earlier, I’m not interested in a quick fuck. I want us to get to a point where we can stand to be in a room together again and in order to do that we need to reconnect properly. I want to know there are no issues left between us so I can finally put the past to bed.’
‘And you think proving you can make me come is going to achieve that?’
I flash her a grin. ‘It’s worth a try, don’t you think?’
She lets out a snort, which could either mean she agrees, even though she thinks it’s a crazy idea, or she just thinks I’m plain crazy.
‘But not tonight,’ I say, reaching forward to snag her dress between the finger and thumb of each hand and slide it back up her body, holding out the arm holes so she can grudgingly slip a hand through each one. Once she’s done this, I glide the straps back up her arms towards her shoulders. She gives a little shiver as the front slips over her beautiful bare breasts, the material catching for a moment on her erect, rose-pink nipples, and I feel a sting of regret as they vanish from sight.
I’m so close to her like this, I can feel the heat radiating from her body. She lets out a small, unguarded sound in the back of her throat, like a strangled cough, as I push the straps of the dress back onto her shoulders, my thumbs grazing the soft skin of her collarbone.
Perhaps this is harder for her than she’s willing to admit. Perhaps my delaying tactics are getting to her, the anticipation making her crazy.
I hope so. Because I don’t know how much more of this I can take myself. I long to touch her, to see her give in to the desire she so tightly controls. To reignite a part of her I know is still burning on low inside. To see the April I used to know again.
I force myself to take a step away, my body aching with regret.
‘I think it’s time we retired for the evening,’ I murmur, trying not to react when I see frustration flash across her face.
‘You should have everything you need in your room,’ I add. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
Without another word, I give her a casual nod of goodbye and walk away, feeling her perplexed gaze boring into me the whole way back to the house.
CHAPTER SIX
April
I HADN’T BEEN expecting that—the gentle redressing of my body, as if he was concerned for my dignity. And I certainly hadn’t expected to be left standing alone on that beach, my whole body throbbing with unsatisfied need.
Once Jamie disappears into the house I take some deep, shuddering breaths and try to get my hands to stop shaking.
He’s turning me into a half-crazed mess.
But perhaps that’s his plan. He wants to see me lose my legendary cool.
Can he really be that shallow? I can’t quite reconcile it with the Jamie I’m starting to get to know all over again. The philanthropic businessman. The talented cook and attentive host.
A man I’d told myself he wasn’t capable of being.
But I can’t let that knowledge sway me. So what if he doesn’t appear to be the shallow arsehole I thought he was? It doesn’t mean it would be a good idea to get emotionally involved with him again. It doesn’t mean he’s not playing a sadistic game of cat and mouse with me.
I trudge back to the house, bra in hand, hyper-aware of my sensitive nipples rubbing against the soft material of the dress like a caress. Everything I’ve sensed, seen or touched since I’ve been here in his company has felt sexualised, as if Jamie’s ministrations, or lack of them, have put my body on constant high alert. The empty space between my legs throbs with the need to be filled. To feel the heavy weight of his cock inside me again.
Damn it. I’m letting him get to me and that can only end in disappointment and pain. Just like the last relationship we had. Men are selfish, self-serving beasts and Jamie De Montfort is no exception.
Like father, like son.
As soon as I get back to my room I take another cooling shower before retiring to bed.
I sleep fitfully till the early-morning sun bleeds around the shutters on my windows waking me up.
Getting out of bed, I stretch my tired muscles and take some deep centring breaths, preparing myself for a brand new day of tactical engagement, my stomach fizzing with nerves.
* * *
Jamie is nowhere to be seen when I make it downstairs, dressed and ready for battle in a pair of blue silk shorts and a simple white cotton vest-top.
I make my way to the kitchen, where I find fresh aromatic coffee and a plate full of pastries waiting for me. I pour myself a large mug of black coffee and take it with a custard-filled filo parcel through the living area and out to the terrace where we’d sat the night before. Even though the sun isn’t fully on that part of the house yet, it’s lovely and warm, and I sink into a dining chair and sip my coffee as I stare out to sea.
It really is beautiful here. I can see why Jamie bought this island. There’s an air of serenity about the place, a calmness that’s impossible to find in London. It’s been a long time since I’ve just sat and stared, I realise. Usually I’m looking at my emails while eating my breakfast. My stomach gives a nervous roll at the thought of what’s happening—or more to the point, what isn’t—without me.
It’s so hard to turn my brain off from work. I seem to eat, sleep and breathe it nowadays. No wonder I’m finding the quiet and stillness of this place so unnerving.
I’ve just finished my delicious pastry when there’s a movement in the corner of my eye and Jamie strides onto the terrace in gym shorts, his glorious torso naked and gleaming with sweat in the soft morning sun. My stomach swoops and my face immediately heats as though someone’s just directly aimed a furnace at it. Reaching for my coffee mug, I take a long sip to give me a moment to compose myself.
My God, he looks good after just working out. Hot, virile and so bloody healthy.
‘Morning. I hope you slept well,’ he says, his tone practically winking with innuendo. He must know how much his teasing game of slow seduction is getting to me.
‘Very well, thanks,’ I say coolly. It might be visibly obvious that I’m struggling with his half-naked presence but there’s no way I’m vocally going to admit to it. I need to maintain some vestige of pride here. ‘I hope you don’t mind—I helped myself to breakfast,’ I add.
‘Of course not. I put it out so yo
u could.’
So we’re still alone, then.
He takes a seat opposite me, his eyes never leaving mine. ‘I want you to relax while you’re here. Take a break from the rush of your life. Focus on one thing for once, instead of a million of them.’
‘Focus on you, you mean?’ I say with a wry smile.
His shrug is nonchalant. ‘Yes. I do. And in order to do that you need to calm that overactive brain of yours. That’s why I wanted you to stay for a few days.’
‘Are you trying to tell me you’re doing this for my health now?’
‘Partly, maybe. But I’m also interested in seeing the April I used to know. Back when you weren’t driven by profit and loss. When you could laugh at yourself and actually enjoy life.’
Thinking about the person I used to be makes my chest contract.
‘She doesn’t exist any more. She died the day my mother did,’ I say, keeping my voice brisk and dispassionate.
His gaze locks with mine and an expression of sadness crosses his face.
‘I don’t believe that,’ he says quietly. Leaning forward, he braces his hands on the table. ‘I think she’s still in there somewhere.’
My laugh is strained and cynical. ‘Well, if she is, I can’t find her.’ I swipe my hand through the air, swatting away the notion. ‘Anyway, I wouldn’t want to be that naïve again. I’m proud of the life I’ve made for myself. I have everything I’ve ever wanted now.’
‘Everything?’ he asks.
I feel my heart starting to beat harder in my chest. ‘Yes,’ I lie.
‘I remember you saying that to me once before, when we were together.’
My throat dries as I remember exactly the time he’s talking about. We’d spent the weekend together, mostly in bed, only getting up to eat then go out to a gig at a local pub. We’d been sitting at a sticky table with pints of lager in front of us, relaxed and happy in our cosy world of private jokes and dreams for the future. A future together.
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