by Alice Raine
SINFUL SEDUCTION
Alice Raine
Chapter One
The sand was pleasantly hot beneath my toes, and the breeze coming in from the gently lapping sea was so warm that my cheeks felt flushed. The temperature on this beautiful island was much different to what my friends back in the UK would be experiencing now – most likely winter winds and quite possibly snow.
I gazed around the sunny, deserted cove and smiled to myself – there was no chance of snow here. In fact, the guidebook tucked in my backpack said that they’d only had snow once in recorded history here on Somora, and that had been at the top of the tallest mountain and due to a freak weather front pushing up across the Atlantic Ocean.
Wiggling my toes, I buried my feet deeper to find some cooler sand, and thought about what the next few months would hold for me. My job had brought me to Somora – I was set to teach English at the British American School on the island, initially covering a maternity leave for six months – but as my contract in the UK had finished, I’d decided to come out four weeks before I started, to get my bearings on the island and settle in. Plus, my accommodation was already paid for by the school, and the opportunity of four weeks relaxing in the sun had been too tempting to turn down.
I could have taken another teaching job in the United Kingdom, but I was young, free, and single, and so I’d decided to be brave and try life somewhere completely different for a while. So far, since my arrival two weeks ago, I hadn’t been disappointed. Tropical palm trees lined practically every road; vendors sold mangoes, watermelons, and other fresh foods at the roadsides; people wore their traditional tunics instead of the jeans that littered English streets, and the beaches were the cleanest and longest I’d ever seen.
On top of that, the weather was incredible. Crystal-clear, blue, cloudless skies had greeted me every single morning so far as I’d opened the blinds in my little apartment, and because we were close to the equator, the temperature barely changed between day and night. It had averaged in the early thirties every day, but this was “winter” here, and I’d read that it might be quite a bit hotter in a couple of months.
After enjoying the feel of the sand for a few more minutes, I decided that it was actually getting a little too warm, and pushed my feet back into my flip-flops before making my way to a cluster of pale cream-coloured rocks at the water's edge.
Flip-flops were hardly the most practical footwear for exploring the rock pools, but I couldn’t resist hopping around and watching the crabs and brightly coloured fish, before crouching down to examine them more carefully.
I was propped over a deep pool, peering at a beautiful pale blue starfish, when I heard a distant thumping sound that had my head snapping up and my heart rapidly banging against my ribs. My eyes searched the open sands then zeroed in on the rider and horse thundering across the beach in the distance, and my breathing hitched.
He was here again!
As he got closer a blush rose to my cheeks that had nothing to do with the heat of the day, and I untucked my hair from behind my ears, hoping I might be able to hide behind my long blonde locks and disguise my observation of him.
I wasn’t a horsey person, but there was no denying the beauty of this stunning chestnut stallion as it got closer. The magnificent creature wasn’t the reason for my blushes, though – the man riding him was.
He was equally as impressive, if not more so; wearing tight black riding trousers and knee-high chunky leather boots, his white shirt billowing in the wind along with his mop of black hair.
He was just beautiful. If you can use that word to describe a man as masculine as this. Perhaps ruggedly handsome would be more appropriate.
Since arriving on Somora, I’d been on this part of the beach regularly, and on several occasions, I’d spotted this same man riding his horse along the sand. The first day I’d seen him he had literally taken my breath away – that was how handsome he was. Even from a distance he had somehow made me feel like a quivering wreck.
He was also the reason that I now walked over four miles every afternoon to get to this particular stretch of the coastline. Not that I had anything better to do – I hadn’t met any of the other teachers yet, and didn’t exactly have a packed social life – so a long walk before dinner was a good way to get some exercise, see the island, and kill some time.
This beach was always deserted, except for the two of us, but I had never spoken to him in our few encounters. He’d never been close enough for me to converse with, but that didn’t stop me from watching him with fascination and imagining exactly how seductive and exotic his accent might be.
He was about twenty meters up the beach, and, as usual, rode past with a rod-straight back and easy familiarity with the horse that made me think he must have been riding his entire life. Once he had passed me, I glanced over my shoulder and shielded my eyes from the sun, so I could watch his broad back disappearing along the sand.
His usual routine was to ride four lengths of the beach and disappear again, so even though I would never get a close-up look at him, at least I’d get to enjoy the view from here a few more times.
Today was different, though. After completing his four lengths, he dismounted just along the beach from me, catching my attention and setting my senses on high alert. I was watching him so avidly that I found myself holding my breath, and giggled as I forced myself to slow my pulse and take a deeper lungful of air. He led his horse towards the sea, where it whinnied in apparent delight, then began playing in the surf, trotting back and forth and splashing water around as it cooled off.
My gaze drifted towards the rider, and I swallowed hard as I took in his strong stance and confident posture. This was the closest the man had ever been, and I couldn’t help but strain my eyes to watch him. His legs were spread wide, hands tucked into his trouser pockets, and, as ever, his back was straight and proud. He was even more stunning than I had first thought, and was grinning as he watched his horse's delight.
His expression was infectious, and before I knew it, a matching smile had spread across my lips. Taking me completely by surprise, he looked across at me and began waving. Shocked at the power in his stare, I wobbled on the bumpy rocks, but managed to steady myself by dropping some of my weight onto my hand.
Embarrassed by my wobble, I risked another glance up and saw that he was running towards me and waving both arms. I was wondering why he had chosen today to wave, when the panic on his face registered in my mind.
At the same moment, I heard the now familiar sound of hooves on sand rapidly approaching from behind me. The handsome stranger's horse was still in the water in front of me. In confusion, I spun my head around and got a brief glimpse of wild flying legs and a flash of silver-grey mane before the second animal charged past me, missing me by just a metre or so and prompting a startled yelp to rise in my throat.
Wow, that had been a close call! I was just thinking how lucky I was that the horse hadn’t collided with me, when my footing slipped on the rocks. I tried to steady myself but felt a chunk of stone fall away beneath my flip-flop, and I lurched forwards, uselessly flailing my arms as I tried, and failed, to save myself.
My vision spun as I fell, the water coming closer and closer until I hit the rocks and a sharp pain rang out in the side of my head. I twisted as I tumbled, the sun blinding me briefly before the back of my head took a second, harder knock on a pointy rock. As my body hit the surface of the rock pool, salty water rushed into my eyes and mouth and flooded up my nose.
My lungs were filling, and as much as I knew I needed to swim to the surface, there was nothing I could do about it, because foggy blackness was crawling into my pounding head, weighing me down and dragging me towards darkness.
Chapter Two
I lay on my side, curled into my favourite sleeping position, but my eyelids felt sticky and heavy, as if I’d slept for a thousand years and yet it still hadn’t been enough. Using supreme determination, I managed to peel my eyes open, before being instantly blinded by a dazzling light and quickly squeezing them shut again.
I raised a hand to shield my face from the intrusive light source, only to groan when my fingers landed on my forehead and I felt a painful, achy sensation on my brow.
What was going on?
Gingerly running my fingers over my face, I found a grainy substance covering my skin, then became aware of someone close by speaking quickly in a deep, foreign accent.
Licking my lips to speak, I felt the same grainy sensation, and got a hit of salt and copper spreading on my tongue. Both were familiar to me.
Sand.
And blood.
My mind felt foggy, but the feel of the sand triggered enough of a memory for me to realise where I was and what had happened.
The beach. The horse. My fall.
The man.
Was that the voice I could hear? Suddenly I was desperate to see if the gorgeous husky tone belonged to the horse rider, and I shielded my eyes from the sun and began to try to push myself up to a sitting position. The instant pounding in my head meant I didn’t quite make it, but I managed to prop myself on my elbow, which would have to do for now.
Several things registered in my mind as I blinked. One, my entire body hurt; two, sandy hooves were tramping impatiently on the beach to my right; three, the sand wasn’t just on my lips, but inside my mouth too – yuck. And finally, from the blurry image of a tall, broad-shouldered man I could see, it was the handsome horse rider standing beside me.
I used the thin scarf at my neck to wipe some of the sand from my face, but it seemed to just scrape at my sore skin instead. The material was wet, and as I groggily ran a hand across my body, I realised that all of my clothes were soaked through.
Had I fallen into the rock pool? I couldn’t remember anything after hitting my head on the sharp rocks, but the building taste of copper in my mouth distracted me, and I leaned to the side and spat out a mouthful of sandy blood before wiping my mouth. The back of my hand grated across my lips, and I gave up on trying to clean myself up and instead let out a small frustrated breath.
As I cleared my throat again, the voice abruptly stopped, and the feet beside me spun around.
‘Miss?’ The rich, deep voice pulled my eyes upwards, but as I once again winced and shielded my eyes from the blinding sun, the booted legs crouched down to reveal the enigmatic horse rider I had watched so avidly over the past two weeks.
Bloody hell. He was even more gorgeous up close.
I saw him glance at the blood that I had spat onto the sand, and a flush rose to my cheeks as I realised I’d acted in a very un-ladylike fashion in front of this stunning stranger.
‘Miss?’ he repeated, causing me to finally join my gaze with his. The shock of finding myself lying on the sand was nothing compared to the shock of just how handsome this man was. The sight rendered me completely non-responsive. All I could manage to do was stare at him. He was a little older than I had first thought, perhaps mid-thirties, with a square jaw, straight nose, and stubble-covered chin, topped off with the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen. They stood out from his beautiful tanned skin like two shining gems, but before I could lose myself in his features, the concern on his face registered in my mind.
‘Hi,’ I mumbled, noticing just how thick and woolly my voice sounded, and giving a small jerk of my hand that almost resembled a wave.
He smiled, apparently relieved that I was talking, and offered a hand to me. ‘You’ve had quite a fall. Can I help you sit up?’ His voice might be accented, but his English appeared to be perfect.
‘Yes, please,’ I replied in a daze, giving a nod of my head that sent shooting pains searing around my skull and had me clutching at my temple and grimacing.
‘Or perhaps you should lie down again? You banged your head hard on the rocks.’
‘No. I think sitting might be better.’
The handsome horse rider frowned at my obvious pain, but gently took hold of my elbow and guided me to a sitting position. Even with a layer of wet material separating our skin, his touch felt like it was burning hot, and sent tingling sparks cascading across my skin.
My eyes snapped to his, and I thought I saw a similar expression of shock in his gaze. Had he felt that, too? What was going on? I was dazed from my fall, but there was no ignoring the instant effect he was having upon me.
Clearing his throat, he leaned back slightly, giving me just enough room that my breathing could settle again. ‘Here, have some water,’ he said, offering me a bottle. I accepted it and swigged greedily, glad to moisten my parched mouth, and rinse the coppery taste of blood from my tongue.
‘My head … hurts.’ Which was a complete understatement, given the excruciating pain I was currently in. ‘Have I cut it?’
‘You have. On your brow, and the back of your head. One of them looks like it might need stitches. Is there someone I can call for you?’
Forgetting my injuries, I shook my head, which caused my vision to swim, so I immediately stopped and closed my eyes again. ‘No.’
‘No one?’ he clarified, sounding confused.
‘No. I’m here on my own.’
‘So, you’re on holiday? Which hotel are you staying at?’
Peeling my eyes open again, I tried to iron out the confusion. ‘No … not a holiday. I’m going to be teaching at the British American School next term … I arrived about a week ago. I don’t know anyone here yet.’
He absorbed my words for a few seconds then nodded. ‘Trying to drown yourself was perhaps a little bit of a dramatic way to make your first acquaintance, but it worked. My name is Khalil, so now you know someone on the island.’
Embarrassment washed over me at his words, and I couldn’t help but let out a small self-conscious chuckle. ‘Hi. I’m Sara.’
‘Sara.’ He repeated my name as if memorising it, and smiled, holding a hand out for a handshake. ‘I wish you weren’t injured and soaked through, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Sara.’
I placed my palm in his and returned his handshake, but every second that our skin touched I became more and more aware of how my body was responding to him. My heart was pounding, and after just a few short seconds I was almost hyperventilating. I was trying to get my breathing under control, but I couldn’t, and I had a distinct suspicion that it didn’t have anything to do with being winded from my fall.
‘Did … did you save me?’
His lips quirked and he nodded. ‘I dragged you from the water, if that's what you mean. And after you threw up a load of water I placed you in the recovery position.’
Wow. ‘Th-thank you so much.’ I could have died. A chill ran over my skin as that thought sunk in, and I looked up at my saviour again.
‘No thanks required,’ he said casually.
‘And I threw up?’ I croaked, vaguely remembering the water rushing down my throat as I sank, but not having any recollection of expelling it again.
‘Indeed.’ He cast an amused glace at his feet and grinned at me. ‘All over my boots.’
I’d thrown up on his feet? My cheeks filled with a mortified blush as I looked at his soaked leather boots then back at him with wide eyes. ‘Oh my gosh … I’m so sorry …’
‘You don’t need to apologise.’ He dismissed my words with a shake of his head. ‘To be honest, it was quite a relief, because until you threw up the water I had been panicking that I might need to try and use my rusty CPR training to clear your airways. I’m not sure I can remember it very well.’
Visions of his lips on mine, and his hands on my chest, sprung to my mind, but the images in my head had nothing to do with CPR, and everything to do with being deliciously ravaged by this spectacular specimen.
‘Now, let's get you sorted, shall we?’ he mused, as
I desperately tried to get a grip on my spinning head and rampant imagination. ‘I’ve already called ahead to the local hospital and they’re sending an ambulance, but this cove is inaccessible for vehicles. If you think you can manage it, I’ll take you up the path on my horse?’
I glanced at the steep, rocky path and knew I would struggle to walk it in my current state, but I’d never been on a horse before. Looking up at the gigantic chestnut stallion just behind him, I felt my stomach drop. There was no way I could climb onto that thing at the moment, not without making a complete idiot of myself, so I gave a small smile and tried to put on a brave face. ‘I think I’m just a bit shocked, I’m sure I’ll be OK to walk up.’
I regretted those words as soon as I tried to stand. My head swum, my knees buckled, and the next thing I knew, I was groaning and staggering sideways towards the sea, seemingly unable to control my body.
Yet again Khalil came to my rescue, expelling some words under his breath which sounded like a curse, and wrapping an arm firmly around my waist to stop me falling into the water for a second time. ‘Woah! You don’t get to try and drown yourself twice on my watch.’
In this position our faces were only centimetres apart, his words fluttering across my skin and causing my gaze to drop to his lips. They were just so kissable. After openly staring at them for a moment, I raised my gaze and our eyes met with such force that it caused me to suck in a short, sharp breath. His heated stare seared into me, and the sensation it caused was almost as dizzying as my headache. As he continued to stare down at me, I had to force myself to look away before I passed out again, kicking myself for not being able to control whatever it was this man did to me.
Now the eye contact was broken, he shifted so he was beside me. Then, supporting my weight, he began to gently lead me up the beach. ‘Come, this way.’ With some careful guidance, he walked me up the sand to some larger, flatter rocks and helped me stand next to him on the top one. His arm was around me the entire time, and even though my spinning head made me nauseous, I couldn’t deny how good his touch felt, or how safe this stranger had instantly made me feel.