Harlequin Presents--April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Dani Collins

  Zoey moved her lower body against the proud ridge of his arousal, her blood thrumming with excitement. ‘You turn me on too.’ She began to unbutton his shirt, button by button, leaving light little kisses against each section of the muscled chest that she uncovered. ‘You taste like salt and sun and something else I’ve never tasted before.’

  He became impatient and tugged his shirt out of his jeans and pulled it over his head, tossing it to one side. ‘And do you like it?’

  ‘Love it.’ She pressed another kiss to his right pectoral muscle. ‘I think I might be addicted to it.’ She circled his flat male nipple with the point of her tongue, round and round and round. He made a growling sound deep in his throat and she lifted her head to give him a sultry smile. ‘Steady... I’m only just getting started.’

  ‘Yeah, well, so am I.’ Finn slid the zipper at the back of her sundress down to just above her bottom. The dress slipped off her shoulders and fell to her feet, leaving her in just balcony bra and lacy knickers. He ran his hands over the curve of her bottom, bringing her back against his hardened flesh, his eyes darkening with unbridled lust.

  ‘I’m not taking the rest off until you take off your jeans and underwear.’

  His mouth tilted in a smile and he stepped back to strip them. ‘Happy now?’

  Zoey drank her fill of his gloriously tanned and toned and aroused body, her insides coiling tightly with lust. ‘Getting there...’ She stroked her fingers down his turgid length in a lightly teasing manner, and he sucked in a harsh-sounding breath and closed his eyes in a slow blink. She cupped him in her hand and massaged up and down, emboldened by the flickers of pleasure passing across his features.

  He made another growling sound and pulled her hand away. He reached around her to unfasten her bra, tossing it in the same direction as the rest of his clothes. He hooked his finger in the side of her knickers, drawing them down until they were around her ankles. She stepped out of them and he ran his hungry gaze over her lingeringly while her body throbbed and ached for his possession. No one had ever made her feel so proud of her body. No one had ever triggered such sensual heat and desire in her flesh. No one had ever made her want them with an ache so powerful. It consumed her totally, it drove out every thought but how to get her needs satisfied. It turned her into a wild and wanton being, driven by primal urges.

  Finn cupped her breasts in his hands, moving his thumbs over her already peaking nipples. Her flesh tingled at his touch, tingling sensations coursing through her body in an electric current. She made a soft sound of approval, her breathing increasing as the tingles travelled all the way to her core. He bent his head to caress her breast with his lips and tongue, the exquisite torture making her breathless with excitement. His touch was neither too soft or too hard but perfectly in tune with her body’s needs.

  It was as if he was reading her flesh, intuitively understanding the subtle differences and needs in each of her erogenous zones. He brought his mouth to her other breast in the same masterful manner and a host of sensations rippled through her. Delicious sensations that made her legs tremble and her heart race.

  Finn lifted his mouth from her breast and gazed down at her with smouldering eyes. And, without a word, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the sun loungers, laying her down on the largest one, which was the size of a double bed. He came down beside her, one of his hands caressing her abdomen, moving slowly, so torturously slowly, towards the throbbing heat of her mound.

  ‘I love watching how your pupils flare when I touch you like this,’ he said in a husky tone. ‘You have such expressive eyes. They are such an unusual colour, like winter violets. They’re either shooting daggers at me or looking at me like you are now.’ He brought his mouth down to the edge of hers and teased her with a barely touching kiss. ‘Like you can’t wait for me to be inside you.’

  ‘Newsflash,’ Zoey said, stroking her hand down the length of his spine, her own body on fire. ‘I can’t wait. Please, please, please make love to me before I go crazy.’

  He tapped a gentle finger on the end of her nose. ‘Safety first.’ He pushed himself up off the lounger and went to get a condom from his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. Zoey watched him apply it, her need for him at fever pitch.

  He came back and joined her on the lounger, his weight propped on one elbow, his other hand stroking her from the indentation of her waist to the flank of her thigh and back again. ‘Now, where was I?’

  Zoey pulled his head down so his mouth was just above hers. ‘You were here.’

  Finn’s mouth covered hers at the same time he entered her with a deep, thick thrust that made her shiver from head to foot. The movement of his body in hers was slow at first, then built to a crescendo. Her senses rioted, her feminine flesh gripping him tightly, the exquisite tension in her swollen tissues building and building. She rocked with him, her legs tangled with his, her hands stroking the hard contours of his back and shoulders. And then, as she got closer and closer to the point of no return, she grasped him by the buttocks and arched her spine to receive each driving thrust of his body.

  Finn slipped his hand between their bodies, caressing her intimately to push her over the edge of the cliff to paradise. She fell apart with a sobbing, panting cry that rent the air, her body quaking as the pulsating sensations went through her. Her orgasm was powerful, overwhelming, earth-shattering and mind-altering, and it went on and on, faded a little and then resumed with even more force. Finn rode out the second wave of her pleasure with his own release, his deep, urgent thrusts triggering yet another explosive orgasm that left her breathless, panting and wondering how on earth her body was capable of such intense pleasure.

  Zoey flung her head back against the sun lounger, her chest still rising and falling, the warmth of the sun on her face and the heat of Finn’s body lying over her a blessed weight, anchoring her to the earth. It didn’t seem possible to experience such profound pleasure without a price to pay and she suddenly realised what it might be. Her earlier hatred of Finn had faded to a less potent dislike, then somehow it had morphed into a deep respect of him. A growing admiration for the things he had overcome to become the man he was today.

  And there was another step she was desperately trying to avoid taking—the step towards love. Not just the friendship or casual love, but the sort of love that sent down deep roots into your very being until you couldn’t move or breathe without feeling it. The sort of love that made it impossible to imagine life without that person by your side. The sort of love her friends were experiencing with their partners.

  A once in a lifetime love.

  The sort of love Zoey had never experienced before... How had she settled for all those years with her ex when she hadn’t felt anything like what she was beginning to feel for Finn? The feelings inside her were like the first stumbling steps of a toddler learning to walk. Tentative, uncertain, unstable. But how could she be sure it was actually the real deal—love? What if she was confusing great sex with long-lasting love? It was an easy mistake, and many women made it, becoming swept up in the heady rush of a new relationship when the sex was exciting and fresh and deeply satisfying.

  Finn propped himself up on one elbow and used his other hand to cup one side of her face. ‘You’ve gone very quiet.’ His gaze held hers in an intimate lock she found hard to hold. ‘I hope it’s a good quiet, not a bad quiet.’

  She lowered her gaze to his mouth and gave a flickering smile. ‘It’s not often in my life that I become speechless.’

  He tipped up her chin to mesh his gaze with hers. ‘Same.’ His thumb brushed over her lower lip in a slow caress that made her whole mouth tingle. ‘You’re breathtaking, do you know that?’ His voice had a husky edge and his eyes darkened to pitch. ‘No one has ever got under my skin quite as much as you.’

  ‘Good to know I’m not the only one who feels like that,’ Zoey said, gently caressing his strong jaw.
‘But, given this is just a fling, I think we need to be careful we don’t start confusing good sex with something else.’

  ‘I’m not confused, but are you?’ His tone was playful but there was a faint disturbance at the back of his gaze. A shifting shadow, fleeting, furtive.

  Zoey stretched her lips into a confident smile. ‘Not so far.’

  His eyes moved back and forth between hers as if he was looking for something. ‘Better keep it that way, babe. I don’t want to hurt you.’ There was a roughened edge in his voice. ‘That’s the last thing I want to do.’

  ‘Ah, but I might be the one who ends up hurting you,’ Zoey countered in a teasing tone. ‘Have you considered that?’

  There was another tiny flicker at the back of his gaze but then his expression became inscrutable. ‘I guess I’ll have to take my chances.’ And he sealed her mouth with his.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LATER THAT EVENING, Finn brought a bottle of champagne and a cheese and fruit board out to the terrace overlooking the sparkling lights of Monte Carlo and the moonlit sea in the distance. Zoey was leaning against the stone balustrade, her long, dark hair lustrous around her shoulders, her face turned towards the golden orb of the moon. She was wearing a long white shoestring-strap sundress that showcased every delicious curve of her body. He wondered if he would ever get tired of looking at her. His pulse leapt every time he came near her, the memory of their lovemaking stirring his blood anew.

  The rattle of the glasses on the tray he was carrying alerted her to his presence and she turned round and smiled, and something in his chest stung like the sudden flick of a rubber band. Maybe it was the moonlight, maybe it was the passionate lovemaking earlier...or maybe it was a warning he needed to rein it in a little.

  Her comment earlier about the possibility of her hurting him would have been laughable if anyone else had said it. He never allowed anyone close enough to give them the power to hurt him.

  But Zoey was getting close, a little too close for comfort.

  She knew him intimately, far more intimately than any other lover. And that intimate physical knowledge had somehow given her the uncanny ability to tempt him into lowering his guard. He had brought her away to spend concentrated time with her because he wanted continuity rather than having one night here and one night there.

  Having her to himself, day upon day, night upon night, had deepened his desire for her and also made him appreciate how talented she was and how she hadn’t been given a proper chance to shine. He had a plan for her irrespective of the timeframe of their fling—he wanted her on his creative team going forward. He didn’t want her to disappear out of his life once their fling was over. Whether she would agree to it was another question, but he would make her an attractive offer, one she would be a fool to refuse.

  A part of him was a little disquieted about the lengths to which he was prepared to go in order to keep her. He normally kept his emotions out of business. He hadn’t built his empire by being swayed by his feelings but by concentrating on the facts. But the fact was, Zoey was a one in a million person and he didn’t want to lose her to someone else. She would be an asset to his business and, since his business was his main priority, he would do anything to keep her. Almost anything.

  ‘Ooh, lovely, a moonlit champagne supper,’ Zoey said. ‘You really know how to spoil a girl. But then, you’ve had plenty of practice.’

  ‘Some women are harder to impress than others,’ Finn said. ‘But worth the effort in the end.’

  ‘And which category am I in?’

  ‘You’re in a category of your own.’

  Zoey was the first woman he had brought here, and right now he couldn’t imagine bringing anyone else. It would seem...odd, tacky...almost clichéd. He knew it was how she saw him. As some well-practised charmer who slept his way through droves of lovers. And there was some uncomfortable truth in her view of him. That was the way he lived his life and he would no doubt go back to that lifestyle once their fling was over.

  Finn frowned as he placed the tray on the table and took the champagne out of the ice bucket. The kicker was, what if he didn’t want it to be over any time soon? What if Zoey wanted to end it before he did? What if the possibility of her hurting him became a painful, inescapable reality? What if that little elastic band flick in his chest became a thousand flicks? Ten thousand? More?

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Zoey asked, catching the tail end of his frown.

  Finn gave a crooked smile. ‘What could be wrong? I’ve got the most beautiful woman with me on a perfect night in Monte Carlo.’

  Her gaze slipped away from his and her hand left his arm to scoop her hair back behind one shoulder. ‘I guess I’m just one of many you’ve brought here.’ She walked back over to the balustrade and stood with her back to him, her slim shoulders going down on a sigh.

  Finn put the champagne bottle back in the ice bucket and came over to her. He placed his hands on the tops of her shoulders and turned her to face him. ‘You’re the first person I’ve brought here.’

  Doubt flickered in her violet gaze. ‘I find that hard to believe, given your reputation.’

  ‘It’s true, Zoey. I’ve only just had the renovations done and there hasn’t been time to entertain a guest before now.’

  ‘But you’ll bring others here once our fling is over.’

  Finn removed his hands from her shoulders and frowned. ‘Is that a crime?’

  ‘No.’ She gave a stiff little smile and added, ‘I’ll have other lovers too.’

  The sting in his chest was not the flick of a rubber band this time but a whip. Finn walked back to open the champagne, a frown pulling at his forehead. He wasn’t a card-carrying member of the double standards club, but right now he was having trouble handling the thought of her making love with anyone else. He pulled the cork of the champagne with a loud pop and poured some in each of the glasses, but he had never felt less like drinking it. He brought the glasses over to where she was standing and offered her one.

  She took it with another smile and then clinked her glass against his. ‘Let’s hope my future lovers are as exciting as you.’

  Finn put his glass down on the edge of the balustrade without taking a sip. ‘For God’s sake, Zoey,’ he said with a savage frown.

  She arched her eyebrows in an imperious manner. ‘What? You’re being a little touchy, are you not? I’m simply stating a fact. We’ll both go back to our normal lives once we end our relationship. In fact, you’ve done me a favour in breaking my self-imposed man drought. I haven’t been with anyone since I broke up with my ex and wondered if I would ever take a lover again. But you’ve helped me get back in the dating game.’

  He scraped a hand through his hair and muttered a curse not quite under his breath. ‘Glad to be of service.’

  ‘Why should the mention of my future lovers be an issue for you? You’ll probably have dozens after me, hundreds even.’

  One thing Finn knew for sure—none of them would be half as exciting as her. ‘I’m not sure you’ll find the casual dating scene as fulfilling as you think.’

  ‘Does that mean you don’t find it so?’

  Finn hadn’t found it so for months but wasn’t going to admit it to anyone. He was barely ready to admit it to himself. Admitting it to himself would mean he would need to change how he lived his life, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to explore the possibility of doing that in any great detail. He was used to being alone, apart from brief flings. He was used to being self-sufficient. He was used to having the control to start or end a relationship on his terms. Sharing that control with another person was in the too-hard, too-threatening basket.

  Finn took one of her hands and brought it up to his chest. ‘I don’t want to think about you with anyone else, not while we’re having such a good time.’ He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘You’re having a good time, yes?’

 
Her lips curved in a smile. ‘I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed myself more.’

  Finn placed his arms around her and gathered her close, resting his head on the top of her head. ‘Nor me.’

  * * *

  The next few days were some of the most memorable of Zoey’s life. They spent considerable time in Nice, looking at the hotel Leo Frascatelli was currently redeveloping. The hotel was situated close to the sweeping arc of the beach and had various restaurants and bars that made the most of the spectacular view. It was in the process of extensive renovations, which were now close to being completed, to coincide with the launch of the advertising campaign.

  On another day they toured the ancient fortress town of St Paul de Vence, high up in the hills behind Nice, strolling hand in hand up and down the narrow cobblestoned alleys, wandering in and out of the galleries and artisan shops. They went to the renowned perfume village of Grasse, where Finn bought her some gorgeous fragrances to take home. They had a leisurely lunch in the resort town of Cannes, famous for its international film festival, and then visited the ancient market place in Antibes, and gazed at the jaw-droppingly expensive yachts moored in the port.

  Being in Finn’s company every hour of the day, whether they were sightseeing, working or dining or making love, made Zoey realise how dangerously close she was to falling in love with him. He treated her like a princess and yet still managed to make her feel his equal in every way. He was tender and caring, looking at her with such focussed concentration at times, she began to wonder if he was developing a stronger attachment to her than he was prepared to admit.

  And, unless she was seriously deluding herself, she had seen that same look on her friends’ fiancés’ faces. A look so tender and caring it made her blood sing with joy. Every time she tried to imagine a future without him, a wave of dread swept through her. He was an attentive and considerate and exciting lover and, as much as she had teased him over one day moving on to other lovers, she was beginning to realise it would be near impossible for her to do so without disappointment. Acute, heart-wrenching disappointment. For who could possibly compare to him and his exquisite lovemaking?