Seven Nights

by Jess Michaels

  Sean looked off toward the pool and his voice grew distant. “I dreamt of running a place like this for years. All through graduate school. And after you…”

  He trailed off and the look on his face shifted so subtly that if Leah hadn’t been paying such close attention she wouldn’t have noticed the change. Though he maintained his smile, Sean’s eyes lost some of their glow.

  “After you left, my drive to make this dream a reality only grew. I knew Will during my days at Penn State and thankfully he wanted in on my dream. And here we are, just a few years later.”

  She swallowed. “It’s amazing. You’ve done so much in such a short time.”

  “Well, we’ve had some great backers.” He plucked at a clump of seaweed that had twisted around the edge of their blanket. “Without their financial support, without the work of the staff, without Will acting as our front man, none of this would have worked out. It’s a cumulative effort, everyone has to do their part or it all falls to pieces.”

  Leah nodded, though she couldn’t help but think back to the way things had been so many years before. Now Sean depended so much on strangers and friends. Yet, he’d never been able to depend on her.

  It made her… jealous.

  She cleared her throat and shook away the ridiculous emotion. “So when do I get to meet this Will Todd? I’m sure I’ll want to use quotes from him in my article.”

  “Will is supposed to be back from the yacht tour late tonight. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to answer any question you have for him.” He leaned closer and Leah got a faint whiff of his smooth aftershave and soap. “And so am I.”

  “I do have one question.”

  Leah shivered as she considered all the questions she could ask Sean. Like why they’d separated, why hadn’t he tried to kiss her today, or if he ever intended to consummate this new attraction that seemed to crackle between them whenever they were within ten feet of each other.

  All very dangerous questions.

  “Anything,” he murmured, locking eyes with her.

  “Um, did you bring any lunch? I’m starved.” Chicken, she turned her head away from his intense stare, from his heat and from her own desires.

  He laughed as he grabbed for his backpack. “In fact, I did.”

  Leah sighed with relief as Sean began to unload Tupperware containers and icepacks loaded with food and a bottle of wine. Her heart slowed to a more normal rate, though she was dismayed that she still felt the tug of longing even when she and Sean weren’t entangled in serious conversation or a passionate embrace.

  “Oh, damn.”

  Leah cocked her head. “What is it?”

  “I brought forks and knives, but left them in the glove compartment of the jeep.”

  Sean started to push off from the blanket, but Leah hopped to her feet first. Waving him back down, she said, “I’ll get them. You finish your picnic set-up here.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “It’s a pretty steep hill.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She gave him a brief smile. “With all that food you brought, it looks like I’m going to need a little extra exercise this afternoon. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  As she started to head toward the steep path back up to Sean’s jeep, she felt the touch of his hand on her elbow. Turning back, she found he’d come to his feet and she was nearly in his arms.

  “Hey, Leah?” he said, his voice soft and husky in the near-perfect silence of their waterfall escape.

  “Yes?” she managed to squeak out, though she barely heard her own voice over the intense pounding of her heart.

  Sean threaded his fingers through her hair and slowly tilted her head. Inch by inch, his lips descended until finally they brushed hers. Though the kiss was gentle, unlike the burning, hungry ones they’d shared the night before, it still affected Leah in ways so powerful that they frightened her.

  This wasn’t the kiss of a man who wanted to claim her. It was the touch of a man who already knew she was his. Who had surrendered himself to her.

  It was a kiss of pure and unafraid love.

  Leah’s eyes flew open just as Sean pulled back from her. He smiled, completely oblivious to the tortured thoughts that wracked her brain.

  “Now today is a good day. The silverware is in the glove compartment.”

  Leah blinked as her mind cleared. Silverware. Yes. She had to get the silverware from Sean’s jeep and stop thinking ridiculous thoughts like that he was still in love with her.

  Or worse, that she was still in love with him.

  ***

  Pride was a bad thing in business. Sean knew that from years of experience. Pride could tear a project down. It could destroy plans and wreck partnerships.

  But damn. Seeing that look of startled pleasure on Leah’s face when he kissed her would be cause for pride in any man. Especially since she still had the same dazed expression on her face ten minutes later as she picked her way back down the steep trail to the waterfall’s edge.

  “Did you have any trouble finding the knives and forks?” he asked as innocently as he could muster. He had a sneaking suspicion she’d taken so long getting the utensils because she was still recovering from their stolen moment together.

  “No.” She smiled, but it was an unnatural look. “Got them just fine.”

  She sank down on her knees on the blanket as she spoke and placed a knife and fork beside each of their plastic plates. “Well, this looks great.”

  He paused at her false tone, then said, “Thanks. We have a remarkable chef, stole him from Island’s Resort in St. Thomas.”

  Leah’s eyes grew wide and for a moment her strangely distant attitude disappeared. “Really? You have Jean Carlos as your chef? Island’s had a fit when he left.”

  “I get what I want.” Sean smiled as he poured her a glass of wine.

  She frowned, but dished them each portions of food. He’d taken just a few bites before he noticed she wasn’t joining him in eating. Instead, she stared at him, watching his every move as if she were in some kind of trap.

  “What is it, Leah?”

  She sighed. “Um, well, I found a bit more in your glove compartment than just silverware.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a thick stack of folded papers.

  Sean’s heart lodged in his throat. “Damn, I forgot those were there.”

  She winced as she placed the packet on the blanket between them. “There were more than just these. I couldn’t fit them all into my pocket. What’s this all about, Sean? Why do you have my clippings?”

  Sean fingered the edge of the worn papers, some yellowed with time, others fresh. “Do you know what these are? How far they go back?”

  “I only gave them a cursory glance.” She held herself stiffly. Gone was the woman who had let herself go just hours before. Now she was totally on guard.

  “They aren’t some of your clippings, Leah.” Sean sighed as he tossed the napkin in a ball on the blanket. “It’s all of them. That file you found in the glove compartment contains every single piece you ever published, from the articles for the University Review to your short stories. Everything you’ve done for Get-Aways from your days as a staff writer to Senior Travel Editor.”

  Leah didn’t answer, just stared at him with eyes so wide that he could almost lose himself in the green forever. Finally, she cleared her throat.

  “You kept everything I’ve done?” she whispered, breaking her gaze away from his face and back down to the pile of magazine and newspaper pages that rustled in the soft breeze.

  “Yes. There are even things in that file that were never published. Stories you wrote for me. Things you tossed in the garbage because you convinced yourself they weren’t good enough.” He dared to lean forward and brush his hand across hers. “I kept everything.”

  She shook his hand away with a soft cry of pain that surprised Sean. He knew his revelation caught her off guard, but why would it hurt her?

  “And you keep them in your car and just coincidentally sent m
e up there to get utensils from your glove compartment? Do you really think I’m that stupid?” she snapped as she stood up and paced to the edge of the water.

  Sean stared at her. “You think this is some kind of a set up?”

  “Yeah!” She laughed, but there was no humor to the sound, only pain. Betrayal. “For some unfathomable reason you want me again. Or more specifically, you want me to want you. And you know my work means something to me so you use it to get what you want. You always do, right?”

  Jumping to his feet, Sean crossed the sand to her side. He touched her arm, but she flinched away. In fact, she refused to acknowledge him at all as she stood in a ramrod straight position that barely masked her body’s trembling.

  “Wait a minute-”

  She turned on him, her face dark with anger. “No, I won’t wait. I don’t like being manipulated, Sean. And that’s what this whole seduction is all about. You trap me here, you take away my friends and my way out, you tempt me with things I can’t ever have and then, to top it all off, you try to make me believe that you’ve kept me in your heart and your mind all these years. And like an idiot, I fell for it.”

  She started to stalk away, but he caught both her upper arms and spun her around to face him. “No, that’s not how it is, Leah! I really have kept all your work since the first moment I met you. It was the only thing I took with me when I left our apartment three years ago. I kept that file, and I added to it over the years as I watched your career grow and your writing change.”

  She motioned wildly up the hill in the direction of his vehicle. “And why was it in your jeep of all places?”

  Sean shook his head. He could only pray she’d understand. “When I confirmed you were coming down here, I took the jeep and your articles and I just drove. I stayed out on the beach for two days trying to figure out how I could reconnect with you. I realized I had no idea who you were anymore, no idea what you’d gone through or done beyond what you’ve made public through your work and the occasional society page blurb I’m sure your mother arranges.”

  The harsh line of her mouth softened slightly. “Go on.”

  “Your writing was the only personal thing I had left from you. So I read everything you’ve ever published from beginning to end. I looked at how your style changed. At how your voice changed.”

  Her eyes had filled with tears, but Sean wasn’t sure if they were tears of happiness or pain. “A-And what did you find by reading all my work, Sean?”

  He smiled as he brushed a tear from her cheek. “That underneath it all, Leah, you’re still you. You’re still the woman I wanted to marry all those years ago.”

  Her lips parted in an expression of surprise. For a moment, she only stared at him in disbelief and confusion, but then she slowly shook her head.

  “No. I’m not that same woman. I’ve changed over the time we’ve been apart. Like you said, you don’t know anything about me anymore.”

  He laughed even though her pointed words cut him as deeply as any knife. “I know you’ve changed, but the core part of you is the same. I see it in the passionate way you’ve written about poverty in some of your sidebars. Your father wouldn’t have included anything so pointed and honest if you hadn’t pushed him.”

  Leah hesitated. “Yes, I did have to fight to include the sidebar on the shanty towns of Rio de Janeiro and the slums in Bali.”

  “And I felt you in the article you wrote about fantasy resorts like mine.” He shrugged one shoulder slightly. “You’re right, you know.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened with disbelief.

  “About what you said. A lot of couples think place like this are going to be a panacea for their broken marriages. They might do better to invest that travel budget in therapy.”

  “Wait, so you, the co-owner of Escapades, one of the newest and hottest resorts, are admitting your place isn’t a fantasy for a lot of people?” She let out a loud laugh. “Can I quote you on that, Mr. Dalton?”

  “No.” He was rewarded with a wide smile and a shake of her head. “But you could say that the staff in this resort does its best to create a romantic, relaxed atmosphere for its guests. Perhaps in that kind of environment couples might actually have conversations about things they hadn’t discussed in years. They might move past the arguments about their children or work schedules and actually get to the heart of their issues. Maybe it’s not as good as marriage counseling, but it’s better than nothing.”

  Leah wrinkled her brow. “I’d never considered that.” She chewed her lower lip. “Okay, I admit that might be true.”

  “Oh?” He leaned closer and took a deep whiff of the lily scent of her hair. “Can I quote you on that, Miss Prescott?” He sighed. “I really didn’t put your articles in the glove compartment with any forethought about today or manipulation in mind. I swear to you.”

  She studied his face for a long moment, then nodded. “I believe you.”

  “Good.”

  He sighed with relief as he slowly let go of her. But instead of walking away, Leah stayed where she was, standing just inches from his body, her face tilted up to his in what was almost an invitation to a kiss. One he was having a hard time resisting.

  “You know, even I haven’t kept all my clippings.”

  “Why? You should be proud of your work,” he answered, barely keeping his breathing at a normal level. He had to maintain an outward appearance of calm, even as his stomach did back flips and all the blood in his body rushed in the opposite direction of his brain.

  She shook her head. “Oh, I am. I just haven’t kept much of it. There are only a few things.”

  “Like what?” he asked, slowly mastering his lust enough that her words really began to sink in. Leah was confiding in him. Him!

  “Um, those sidebars you mentioned. A few short stories from our college days. And… and…” She cleared her throat with a blush. “The notes for my novel even though I know I’ll probably never write it.”

  “Why?” Sean barely resisted the urge to push a lock of blonde hair away from her face. “You talked about it so often in college. Honestly, I’m often surprised I don’t see you in the bookstores.”

  “Oh, writing a book is a dream. Writing the articles, being the travel editor for my Dad’s magazine, that’s reality. That pays the bills. Writing a book is dangerous.” She shrugged her comment off, but Sean could see there was a lot more to it than that.

  “I’ve never known you to be a coward.” He grinned as his inflammatory comment hit its mark. Leah let out a gasp of derision.

  “Hey, I’m not! If I were, the moment you came into that office yesterday, I would have swum to Jamaica and caught the first plane home.”

  Sean paused, searching her face for what emotions she felt when she said that. To his surprise, he found desire and a healthy measure of apprehension. Slowly, he moved closer.

  “Am I so scary? So dangerous?”

  Leah swallowed hard and tilted her face up and up until she met his eyes. Suddenly it became very clear that she was going to kiss him, and the knowledge took Sean completely off guard.

  “You’re more dangerous than you know,” she whispered before she leaned up and pressed her lips against his.

  Sean certainly wasn’t going to argue with her. All he’d wanted to do since they’d been alone was kiss her. More than kiss her. So he pulled her closer and let his instincts take over. Instincts that roared at him to go faster, to take the encounter to a more intimate level.

  Unlike the other times they’d come together, he found no shyness or resistance coming from Leah. In fact, when he deepened the kiss, she responded with a soft moan and delved even further. Her hands crept around his back and pulled him closer while her hips rose up to brush softly against his own.

  “You’re killing me,” he whispered against her lips before he trailed his own down the slope of her neck and found the spot behind her ear that had always driven her wild.

  “Well, I never said I wasn’t dangerous, too,” she
laughed even as her nails grazed his back and her breath hitched.

  With a grin, Sean slowly lowered her back onto their picnic blanket, sending plastic plates and food flying out the way as he did so. Leah gripped at the hem of his t-shirt, easing it up over his stomach and shoving it around his armpits. He stopped kissing her long enough to oblige her silent order and yank it off.

  “Wow,” she breathed as her fingers skimmed down the lines of his bare chest. “You’ve been working out since we broke up.”

  “Helps relieve tension,” he muttered as he slipped his own hands under her t-shirt and found the edge of her bra.

  Leah hissed in a breath as his fingertips brushed the lacy edging, then trailed underneath to trace the curve of her breast.

  “There are lots of ways to relieve tension,” she whispered near his ear before she caught the lobe between her teeth and tugged gently.

  Half-erect went to fully erect as light exploded in front of Sean’s eyes. Suddenly the only thing he was aware of was Leah. Her scent, her touch, the feel of her rising up beneath him as he fumbled with the clasp of her bra.

  He wanted nothing more than to touch her, claim her, stroke her to a brilliant climax that would burn into her memory forever. He wanted her to think of this moment whether or not this stolen week in paradise led to a rekindling of their relationship. He wanted more than just a faint memory, a dream of what moving within her had been like. He wanted stunning, sensual reality.

  And he wanted it all right now.

  “Stop staring and touch me,” she demanded with a husky chuckle before she grasped the nape of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss so hot that he felt his insides melting.

  “You asked for it,” he managed to say between kisses as he pulled her to a sitting position just long enough to yank off her t-shirt and twisted bra.

  When the hot, humid air stirred against her now bare breasts, Leah let out a hiss of pleasure. One that swiftly turned to a moan when Sean laid her back down on the blanket and pressed his mouth down against her nipple. He stroked his tongue slowly, enjoying every little gasp and cry she made as he teased her, tasted her, taunted her. And taunted himself just as much in the process.