The scent aroused him. But Julian reminded himself that bedding Elyse wasn’t the sole reason for his grandiose gesture. He wanted to get to know her without any distractions and without her running away. Now that he’d found her, he had no intention of letting her slip through his fingers.
“So where are we going?” Elyse asked after the pilot had come to give them the standard flight instructions and then returned to the flight cabin.
“Saint Lucia,” Julian replied. “It will take about five hours to get there, and I promise, when we do, you’ll like it. A decade ago, I visited the island. The people were so warm and friendly, I’ve been going back ever since.”
“Then I look forward to seeing it through your eyes,” Elyse responded, looking through the window as the jet taxied down the runway.
Julian cast Elyse a lingering glance. He was thankful she had agreed to his over-the-top fantasy vacation because he was ready to explore the attraction between them. She looked stunning with her chic haircut and just a dab of eyeliner and mascara. She was wearing a sleek designer dress that hugged her curvy bottom.
Julian spent the remainder of the flight regaling Elyse with tales of his youthful follies on the Caribbean island, which included an attempt at surfing that had been an epic failure. And he would tell the story again and again if each time it produced the delicious sound of Elyse’s laughter. She was relaxed and carefree, which was exactly what he wanted.
Once the jet landed, a convertible was waiting for them at the private hangar. After their luggage was loaded, Julian hopped in and drove them through the beautiful shoreline hills to a luxury one-story villa he had procured for the week. When they parked, Julian hurried to help Elyse out of the car.
The front door opened and the chef/housekeeper he’d arranged to prepare the villa and keep it well stocked was there to greet them. “Welcome to Saint Lucia. Can I help you with your luggage?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it later,” Julian replied with a grin. Ignoring the older woman’s shocked expression, he asked, “Are those the keys?” He nodded at the key ring in her hand.
“Oh yes,” she said, handing them to Julian. “And I’ve stocked the refrigerator as you requested.”
“Excellent. We’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Julian dismissed her and immediately grabbed Elyse’s hand and ushered her inside. “C’mon, let me show you the place.”
“Wait!” She tugged her arm away. “I’d like to get changed first.”
A devilish grin spread across his lips. “Clothing is optional.”
“Like hell it is.”
“I have it covered.” He walked forward, leaving Elyse no choice but to follow.
Her shocked gasp was enough to make him stop and turn around. And suddenly he could see the world through her eyes where the sliding-glass doors had been opened to the amazing sunset beyond the infinity swimming pool.
“Julian!” Elyse said, walking onto the terrace and taking in the ocean view. “This place is beautiful!”
In Julian’s mind, nothing was more beautiful than Elyse and, once given the chance, he’d show her exactly how much he appreciated that beauty.
* * *
Elyse was completed overwhelmed by the grandeur of the expansive views of the Caribbean and bay framed by the hills surrounding the home. Inside the villa, the open-concept kitchen and dining area could easily seat an entire family. The spacious living room was equipped with a large TV and sumptuous furnishings that were much more expensively elegant than anything in her tiny apartment.
Julian toured her around the villa, which boasted four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and private balconies, but the most exquisite room was the master bedroom. She blushed when she saw the king-size bed with its cozy bedding and imagined her and Julian tangled in the sheets and plush pillows as he made love to her. And she wanted to, but she was also conflicted. If she went to bed with Julian and explored this mutual attraction, it would be sleeping with the enemy. Yet, Julian didn’t feel like one. It was disconcerting, so she rushed off to the bathroom, which featured a stand-alone bathtub beside a full glass wall with a view of the ocean.
“What do you think?” Julian asked as she stood flabbergasted at the separate walk-in rainfall shower. “Do you think you could get used to this for a week?”
Elyse tried not to be gauche. “I think so.”
He inclined his head. “Follow me.”
He led her to double doors inside the bathroom and opened them with a flourish to reveal an array of colorful clothes, from stylish dresses, to pants, tops and swimwear. Elyse walked over to the rack and glanced down at several of the tags. They were all her size.
“I guessed your size. Was I right?”
“This wasn’t necessary.” And it wasn’t, since she’d had the forethought to go back to her place to pack. But was she surprised? Given his reputation with the ladies, of course, he knew the shape of a woman’s body. Elyse told herself not to be jealous about any of those women because they weren’t here with him now. She was. He’d whisked her off to a Caribbean island to woo and seduce her.
Would she let him? How far would she go to get close to Julian and gain access to his father and the Atlanta Cougars?
* * *
Later that evening, after a long, hot shower, Elyse donned one of the light sundresses in the closet chock-full of clothes and joined Julian out on deck where a table for two had been set up. The night was warm but not humid, and Elyse had to admit the villa and the view was breathtaking.
“You’re looking lovely,” Julian commented when she gave a slight twirl upon her arrival.
“So are you.” Elyse didn’t know where the comment came from, but she couldn’t help it. He was dressed in linen trousers and a white shirt with the first few buttons casually undone. He looked and smelled divine. He must have showered in one of the other rooms because he hadn’t used the master bath.
“Thank you. Would you like an aperitif before dinner?”
“I’d love one.”
“There’s wine and some mixers for a cocktail.”
“Since we’re in the islands, I’ll have a rum and Coke.”
“Coming right up.”
While Julian went back inside to make the drinks, Elyse remained on the terrace, trying to figure out her own mind. In the shower, she’d accepted the position she now found herself in. She’d wanted to find an in with the Locketts and thought Julian, the weak link, was her ticket into their inner circle. So she’d thrown herself at him. And now Julian wasn’t only intrigued by her, he had gone to great lengths to secure time alone with her.
Elyse honestly didn’t know what to do next. She had never met anyone like Julian. This impromptu trip had showed her she was in way over her head. Yet she couldn’t blame Julian. He’d been honest with her. He wanted her. And that was a heady feeling, knowing a man like Julian, who could have any woman he wanted, wanted her. Did he expect her to go bed with him tonight? And what would happen after? She wasn’t Julian’s usual type. She wasn’t superrich or an actress or model. So why her? If he seduced her, he’d see through her bravado and quickly learn that she didn’t have much experience in the bedroom.
She was debating her quandary when Julian returned with their drinks.
“For you, my lady.”
He handed her the tumbler and she noticed he’d opted for a bottle of beer. He didn’t strike her as the beer type, but then again, she hardly knew him. Perhaps it was time she changed that. She had to stop making this solely about what Julian wanted, but about what she wanted, too. “Thank you, but do you always travel like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like this?” Elyse swept her hand around. “I mean most people usually stay at a hotel not a private luxury villa.”
“Elyse, I can’t help that I grew up with money and can afford a place like this,” Julian responded. “So,
if you’re waiting for me to apologize, you’ll be waiting a long time. I enjoy life and what I’ve been given, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t used that same money for good and to help others.”
“You have?”
“Don’t sound so shocked. The Lockett Foundation has a done a lot for the community, and my mother was an instrumental part of establishing the charitable foundation. We are also a huge donor to the Salvation Army. But that’s not all. We support the community through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Then there’s the Breast Cancer and Autism Speaks organizations that we contribute to. And we have youth camps for players and their parents. Did you know we invite our players to participate in a nationwide volunteer effort?”
“What’s it called?”
“The Cougars’ Huddle. Our players give back to the community by volunteering. But it’s not just the team. I donate to all the charities and volunteer when my schedule permits at several medical clinics in underprivileged communities. I want to make sure everyone has access to medical care.”
“That’s incredible.” Though she wasn’t surprised Angelique Lockett was the spearhead, she had her doubts that Josiah Lockett was capable of helping others.
“Anyway, enough about me, are you hungry? There’s quite a spread in the warmer.”
“I’m starved.”
“Follow me.”
Elyse was surprised to find Julian to be quite adept in the kitchen. In no time at all, he put together their salad and dinner plates, which they took outside to eat.
Julian was great company, as always, or perhaps it was the bottle of wine they’d killed along with their meal. In any event, Elyse found herself relaxing so much, she didn’t notice when the atmosphere between them changed from lighthearted to electric. The charge between them was arcing uncontrollably.
Elyse glanced up from her wineglass to find Julian devouring her with his eyes. She whet her lips with her tongue and his look told her time had run out. She felt sensitized. Exposed. Raw. And terrified that he might see the real truth hidden beneath her cool exterior.
Julian rose from his chair, but didn’t come for her immediately, as she’d expected. Instead he went to the settee and picked up a remote, and soon the entire terrace was flooded with soft music.
Romantic music.
Elyse’s heart began thundering loud in her chest. Could he hear the beat? He moved toward her and offered his hand. Elyse slid her hand in his and that chemistry she’d been feeling all night heightened a notch. It didn’t help when Julian banded his strong arms around her, bringing her bosom and pelvis into direct contact with his.
She glanced up at him. Handsome didn’t come close to describing his beautiful features. He was sexy as all get-out and her body responded. She imagined his hands wrapped around her, skimming over her naked curves.
Swallowing hard, Elyse raised her eyes to Julian’s chest and could see a vee of brown skin and a sprinkling of dark hair. He smelled of spice and soap mixed with an indescribable male scent that spoke to everything female in her. She didn’t resist when he raised her chin. She watched the slow descent of his mouth toward her own and waited for the kiss she knew would wreck her.
* * *
No woman had ever gazed at Julian with everything in her eyes. He felt that warmth flow through him, filling him, melting away any jadedness he may have had from other women he’d been with. He lowered his head, letting his lips sensuously glide across hers. She needed to let him in. When he felt her mouth move against his, telling him she wanted the kiss as much as he did, only then did the kiss become hungrier, hotter, and harder in the span of a heartbeat.
His hands spanned her waist, drawing her to him, and Elyse rose to meet him. He allowed her to feel every hard inch of him. And he was hard. For her. Only for her. Her soft curves pressed against him made Julian feel as if he’d been in a desert searching for water and had found the long sought-after oasis.
Elyse was lush and sweet, and so responsive, he lost his head completely as he swept his hands over her body. When he felt no bra beneath the sundress she wore, he closed his hand over one of the sweet mounds of her small breasts. Her nipple hardened, making his own body quicken with lust. He hauled her closer still, deepening the kiss. She moaned against his lips and he pulled her closer until they were hip to hip.
Julian lost all finesse and skill. He wasn’t thinking about seduction anymore. He just wanted more—more of her, more of her softness, all of her heat. He wanted everything. And that thought terrified him. He wasn’t used to being this out of control for anyone. And hadn’t he told himself that Elyse was different? She wasn’t just another one of his one-night stands even though he wanted to brand her as his in the most basic way imaginable. He had to treat her with care, not have her up against the wall as he wanted to do.
Slowly, he lifted his head and Elyse looked up at him with passion-glazed eyes. He didn’t understand why he was pulling back, any more than she did, but he had to.
Taking a deep breath, Julian took several steps away from Elyse until his back hit the wall and kept him upright. He had to get control of himself.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, touching her lips, which were swollen from his kisses.
He shook his head, unable to talk. His groin was throbbing, his self-restraint stretched to the breaking point as he refrained from taking Elyse to bed. And take her he could have, despite her keeping him at arm’s length. It was clear that she wanted him with equal measure. It was only here, away from everyone, that she’d allowed herself to show it.
“Then what?”
When Julian didn’t immediately answer, Elyse ran off the terrace. He heard the slamming of a door, telling him he’d ruined what could have been one hell of an amazing night. On the other hand, if he’d taken Elyse to bed, wouldn’t he have lived up to all the worst stereotypical notions she had of him. For her, he wanted to be a better man and, by God, he would be!
Eight
Elyse drifted awake alone not knowing where she was. Sheer drapes allowed sunlight to filter in through the windows. Bolting upright, she looked around the enormous bedroom and remembered she was in one of the guest suites of Julian’s villa. She’d come here to Saint Lucia yesterday with Julian after he’d whisked her away from Atlanta. She also remembered the romantic candlelit dinner and the subsequent kiss.
Julian was so perfect. So delicious. So incredibly tempting. A temptation she’d blatantly given herself wholeheartedly to last night only to have him push her away. She couldn’t believe she’d let herself get so carried away in the moment. She’d nearly gone to bed with the man. Was she so susceptible to Julian because she’d never felt this way about another man?
Tossing off the covers, Elyse rushed to the bathroom to clear her mind. She emerged a half hour later, after having washed every inch of her body and putting on denim shorts and a cold-shoulder tank. Starving, she went in search of food. She found what she was looking for, or rather who, in the kitchen.
Julian was looking sinfully gorgeous in a T-shirt and ripped jeans that showed off his well-built physique. He was the picture of vitality and masculine energy. He was cooking what appeared to be the makings of an omelet. There was a carafe of orange juice on the countertop and coffee had been brewed, which told Elyse he’d been up for a while.
She didn’t speak. Instead she made herself at home and found a mug. Once she’d poured herself a cup of coffee and drank liberally, she headed over to where he stood.
“How long have you been up?”
Julian shrugged. “I dunno. It was too beautiful a morning to sleep in and I’m excited to show you Saint Lucia.”
So he wasn’t upset that she’d run off to bed like some spoiled schoolgirl who hadn’t gotten her own way? If he was, Julian didn’t act like it. Instead, he slid two perfect omelets onto plates and then skated behind her to the toaster where he plopped in two pieces
of bread.
“Thank you for making breakfast. I’m starved,” she said as she took a seat in the breakfast nook. The toast popped up and Julian added a slice to each of the plates before bringing hers over.
“For you, madam.”
“I wouldn’t think you’d know how to cook,” Elyse said, tucking into her omelet with gusto.
Julian smiled. “Haven’t I told you not to underestimate me, Elyse? You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” He put his plate on the table and sat across from her.
She was beginning to realize how right he was. All her preconceived notions about Julian were just that. He wasn’t who she’d thought he was. He was better. “This is delicious,” she commented on the spinach and mushroom omelet. “Who taught you how to cook?”
“No one really. I just loved being around my mom and with her being from New Orleans, the kitchen was one of her favorite places. Often I found myself there when my father, Roman and Xavier were outside playing football.”
She put down her fork and knife. “So I take it you’ve never been inclined toward sports?”
Julian shook his head. “Nah, that was always Rome’s and Xavier’s thing, not mine. I much preferred the arts. Activities my father claimed weren’t manly enough. Even though my grades were stellar and I could easily have skipped a grade, he kept pushing me to join sports teams. I hated every minute of them, which is why I always got my butt kicked. But Josiah kept pushing, no matter if I got a broken nose or a dislocated shoulder. It was all part of the game and I had to man up.”
Even as he said the words, Elyse could see that, even now, the past still affected Julian because his brow was deeply furrowed. It filled her with unease. Hadn’t she heard similar stories about the man from her own father? Josiah was a bully and if he could push people around to get his own way, even his own son, she shouldn’t be surprised.
Blind Date with the Spare Heir Page 7