Leah was still confused. “Wasn’t it?”
He shook his head slowly and locked eyes with her. “All the time I thought the resort was the most important thing to him, there was actually something else that was far more pressing. Something that haunted him. You.”
She drew in a short breath. Her world tilted on its axis and it took all her strength to croak out, “Me?”
“Picture the amount of work Sean did to get his idea from paper to sparkling reality.” Will paused. “Now double that and you’ll know how much he thought of you. He clipped articles about you and by you. He kept up with old friends who knew what you were doing and whether you were with anyone. After a year had gone by and you weren’t seeing someone new on a regular basis, he started to get some hope back. But it wasn’t until you started reviewing resorts for your father’s magazine that everything clicked. He knew he had to get you down here to Escapades.”
Leah reeled with all the information hitting her from every side. When Sean had disappeared, she’d thought he’d cut himself off from everything. Mutual friends had claimed not to know of his whereabouts. But all that time, he’d been down on an island in the Caribbean, watching and waiting for the right moment to come back into her life.
Watching and waiting for her.
“Should I go on?” Will asked after she’d sat nearly motionless and entirely silent for a few moments.
She held her breath. Could she actually take more of this? More of hearing what she already knew but couldn’t admit? Except she also couldn’t bear not knowing. Not hearing.
“Please.”
He smiled. “Sean’s plan became more and more elaborate and took more and more of his time as the months went by. I don’t think the boy slept more than a couple hours every night between building the resort and plotting ways to get you down here. And then you wrote that article on the false promise of a fantasy resort.”
Blood filled her cheeks at the memory. It seemed so long ago when she’d written that bitter diatribe on false fantasy and the lack of second chances for relationships on the rocks.
“I guess that gave Sean the perfect opportunity,” she whispered. “Everyone was gunning to get to me their resort, so I never suspected a thing.”
He nodded. “I don’t know who he bribed to be the resort chosen for your first review after that bombshell got dropped on the industry, but it worked. And even though we were just starting to get clients coming to the island from the general public, he dropped everything for the past month to make his final preparations for you.”
Leah shivered though the island breeze was hot and heavy. Here she’d been frustrated at Sean’s dedication to work when it turned out he’d neglected everything just to be with her.
“To Sean, love is best expressed through actions, Leah.” Will pinned her with a stare she couldn’t escape, though she desperately wanted to. “That’s why he dragged you down here to have a stolen week out of time with him. That’s why he showered you with gifts of new clothes. That’s why he’s planned these elaborate nights for you once you arrived. Actions.”
She had nothing to say. It was all a little too much to comprehend.
“I think you’re a great girl. You obviously care for Sean very much and I think you’re right that I don’t truly understand the nature of the problems that drove you two apart. But I have to ask you to do one thing for me.”
“What?” She could barely manage to get her voice above a whisper.
“Why don’t you take a little time and think about what message you’re sending Sean with your actions. Then figure out if that’s what you want him to hear after this week is over. If the two of you aren’t careful, all you’ll have are memories of the time you shared. And regrets. And I think you both have enough of those already from the last time around.”
Leah flinched at the stark reminder as Will rose to his feet and brushed sand off his cotton slacks.
“I need to get back to…” He motioned over his shoulder toward the main lobby of the resort. Leah nodded and watched as he walked away down the beach.
Once he was out of her sight over a bluff, she put her head down in her hands with a sigh. Everything in her mind was jumbled. Here she’d been up in arms about Sean’s obsession with business and his outright refusal to allow her to help him, and then Will told her how much Sean had sacrificed to get her here. And only to have her for a week, too.
So if those sacrifices said Sean still loved her, a thought that made her tingle all the way to her toes, what did her actions say?
First, she’d left Sean. She could admit her hastily written note had left him with little explanation for her departure. And she’d been too scared to take his phone calls or meet him. Obviously that didn’t say love.
Since she’d arrived on his island, she’d fought with him over silly things like clothes, the chartered flight and his request that Danny leave. But Sean kept coming back, offering her nights she would never forget and days that reminded her how much she still cared for him.
He’d wooed her, and she’d let him. But she’d never really tried to win him in return. So, if his actions said love, hers said… what?
Indifference.
Shaking her head, she started back up the beach at breakneck speed. She had to do something. She had to show Sean that she loved him, too, even if she wasn’t ready to say it out loud. When he saw that her feelings mirrored his, perhaps he would finally trust her enough to let her in. Maybe they could resolve some of the things that had come between them and make a fresh start.
Leah headed straight for the lobby. She had some arrangements to make. For a night of fantasy that Sean would never forget.
***
Sean strummed his fingers along the bar, then checked his watch for the third time in five minutes. Leah was late. Leah was never late. But she was tonight.
He fought a curse as he motioned to the bartender to bring him another drink. He needed it. After his performance in his office today, he’d obviously alienated the woman he loved. She was probably packing her bags and arranging for transportation even as he sat there waiting for her like some fool.
Why had he gotten so pissed when she’d confronted him about his business problems?
“As if you didn’t know,” he admonished himself as he took a swig of his drink.
Sean knew why he’d gotten angry. He wanted Leah’s respect. He didn’t want her to feel like she had to save him from his problems.
“Excuse me, Mr. Dalton?”
Sean had been so distracted he hadn’t even noticed the bartender step up in front of him. He forced a smile for his employee. “Yeah?”
“A note for you.” The man handed him the folded message.
Sean stared at the note while the pressure of dread slowly built in his chest until it felt like he was having a coronary. It was from Leah. He didn’t have to open it to know that. And judging from her uncharacteristic tardiness, it was probably telling him to sod off. Not that he deserved anything less after that afternoon’s antics.
He took another bracing sip of his drink and mustered the courage to open the paper.
Instead of the kiss off he expected, it contained a far more interesting message.
I’m running late. Meet me in my villa when you get this. Leah.
There was no other explanation, no subtext for him to analyze and overanalyze. Just a simple message.
Except Leah was never late.
That fact kept running through his mind as he slipped away from the bar and hurried through the hallway to the main lobby. Once he was outside and racing down the path toward Leah’s villa, his mind kicked into overdrive.
Did she want to tell him to go to hell to his face? Or was she so upset by their earlier encounter that she couldn’t even get ready?
Or was he just an overanalyzing idiot?
“For God’s sake, maybe she’s just running late,” he said to himself, loud enough that he got a funny look from a couple that passed by him on
the path. “Good evening,” he muttered sheepishly.
He could only hope they wouldn’t recognize the crazy man talking to himself as their host. He and Will already had enough problems as it was.
Finally, he stood at Leah’s door. For a brief moment, he was reminded of the first day she’d arrived on the island. She’d called him to her villa to ream him out for stealing her clothes. They’d ended up sprawled on her bed together, her naked and him throbbing.
But this night wouldn’t end like that. He had a sneaking suspicion he’d lost privileges in that area.
With a curse under his breath, Sean knocked. Leah opened the door with a sheepish smile. She definitely didn’t have the look of a woman ready to kick his ass.
“Hi, I’m so sorry. Come in.” She motioned him inside and closed the door behind him.
He stared at her. Her blond hair was already done in soft ringlets that curled around her face with a teasing bounce, but she wasn’t dressed. She wore the oversized resort bathrobe, just like she had the afternoon they’d been reunited. Sean swelled with desire as he wondered what she was wearing underneath this time.
He shook away the inappropriate thought and smiled at her. “Don’t apologize. We all run late sometimes.”
She’d turned away, but at his statement she pivoted back. The sheepishness was gone from her face, replaced by a sexy, knowing smile that made the hard-on Sean had managed to tame come back with even more force and demands.
“Oh, honey, I wasn’t apologizing for being late.”
She sauntered to the bed stand and picked up the remote that controlled the television and stereo system in the wicker armoire across the room. With a click, the room was filled with the sexy beat of a sax’s wail.
“I was apologizing because I lied.” Her voice was low and husky as she came across the room to where he stood. She was so close he could feel her body heat, smell that delicious shampoo scent of her hair.
“Lied?” he choked out with effort.
“You aren’t here because I’m running late. You’re here because tonight it’s my turn to create the fantasy.”
With that, she snaked her hands up her body and undid her robe tie. Beneath the flowing white cotton, she wore a black lace teddy with thin spaghetti straps and a neckline that seemed to go down forever. Beneath sheer black silk, her nipples jutted toward him in invitation and the thong back revealed every delectable inch of her smooth ass.
Sean knew his mouth had dropped open, but couldn’t seem to find the muscle control to close it. Especially when Leah laughed softly and slipped even closer.
“And don’t even think of trying to escape, Sean. You’re mine. Maybe not for seven nights. But for tonight. All night.”
He swallowed, feeling the strain in his dry throat as he fought the urge to touch her. Somehow he knew that wasn’t the proper response and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself once he started.
“And what fantasy is that, Leah?” he croaked out, his voice little more than a pained squeak. “What sense do you plan to seduce?”
Her little sexy smile grew into a larger one as she wound her hands around his neck and leaned up for a kiss. “This fantasy is directed at your sense of control. A sense I intend to strip you of, just like I’m going to strip you of these clothes. Right now.”
Chapter Thirteen
Leah had never felt so sexy, so powerful, so in control in her entire life. Sean stared down at her with a mixture of disbelief and lust burning in his gray eyes. But he didn’t seem to know what to do otherwise. His hands still hung limp at his sides, even though she was flush up against him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her lips just a few painful inches away.
Well, he might be confused, but for the first time in a long time, Leah knew exactly what she wanted and how she planned to get it.
With a sigh, she brushed her mouth against his. It was a teasing kiss and even though it killed her not to delve inside and taste every gorgeous inch of him, she knew there would be plenty of time for that later. Later when he had no way to stop her from finding out every little thing that made him groan with pleasure.
Just the thought of that made her wet. She could feel the need pooling first in her blood and then moving through her body. Her teddy had to be soaked already and that was just with the anticipation. She hadn’t even begun to have any real fun yet.
Her kiss became more heated, a partial loss of her own control and partly a planned move. One that worked. Sean’s surprise faded away as she traced his lips with her tongue. She tasted the sharp hint of scotch mixed with a flavor that was pure Sean and only Sean. She was unsure which was more intoxicating.
Finally, on a groan that echoed around her room, he grasped her waist and pulled her closer as he first returned her kiss, then tried to dominate it.
For a brief moment, Leah considered letting him. In Philadelphia, she rarely lost control, despite the past few days with Sean. One thing she’d learned in that time was that giving control over to the man she loved was pure, unadulterated pleasure. There was no doubt he’d lay her back on that bed, suckle and tease her to the brink and then take her over the edge again and again. She would cry out for mercy, then beg for captivity.
But if she surrendered, she wouldn’t be showing him how she felt. And that was what she wanted. More than anything, she wanted him to give himself over to her the same way she had done so many times to him. She wanted to make him moan. Beg.
Come.
“No.” She pulled away when he started to back her toward the bed. “Let me undress you first.”
A flicker of something intense and animal flashed in Sean’s eyes, but he released her. Leah drew in a breath of relief. She hadn’t really considered what she’d do if he refused her. If he’d kept kissing and touching her, she knew for damn sure she wouldn’t have been able to resist.
Shaking those thoughts away, she focused on her task at hand. Since he’d been working, Sean wore a pair of beige chinos and a casual, navy blue button down shirt. She ran her hands up the crisp cotton of the shirt, letting her fingers catch on each button as she marveled at how alive her senses had become since Sean had begun seducing each one in turn.
She could smell each element that made up his personal scent. His minty toothpaste, the musky maleness of his skin and the faint remainder of aftershave from that morning’s rituals. She definitely heard the rough rasp of his breathing as he tried to maintain the façade of calm he kept up so well. But she could tell by the catch in his breath that it was a losing battle.
Her touch was also enhanced. Sean’s muscles rippled under his shirt when she rolled her fingers over his chest. And when she started to work at the buttons, she was sure he shuddered.
But best was her sense of sight. Looking at Sean was like indulging in every one of her favorite desserts. From his ruffled dark hair to the smooth tan that seemed to make him glow, he was beautiful. Perfect.
And hers. Always hers. And maybe forever hers.
She slid her hands inside his shirt and slipped it slowly off his shoulders. His skin was hot against her palms and even hotter after she touched him. His desire was rising and she knew she’d find him at full attention when she finally got him out of the Dockers he wore so well.
She was nearly giddy with anticipation at just the thought. With shaking hands, she found his belt. As she worked the leather open, she glanced up. Sean met her gaze and held it, pulling her in without putting his hands on her.
Her hands fumbled as she finally got the belt open. The message in his eyes was clear. She was his. She was his and she would never really escape him again.
She didn’t want to.
She leaned up as she found the button on his fly. Her lips feathered against his, then pressed harder as tears filled her eyes.
“Sean,” she murmured against his mouth, breathing in his breath and feasting on his kiss. “I missed you. I missed you so much.”
His kiss faltered as he pulled back from her.
He looked down and his eyes, while still hungry, reflected something else, as well. Something deeper, something yearning. And then his mouth was on her again and his arms were around her as she let his pants drop to the floor.
For a long moment she forgot about her plans and just kissed him. She kissed him with all her long repressed emotions. With all the love she’d once felt for him. And with all the love she felt for him again. He instantly gave her those emotions in return and she was in awe. Things had never been so intense between them before. Of course, before they hadn’t known how much they had to lose. Now that they did, both of them clawed to keep it.
When they finally broke apart, he looked as stunned and dizzy as she felt. He eased the tense mood with a half grin. “I feel a little silly standing here with my pants around my ankles.”
She laughed as she wiped away her tears. “Well, then you should step out of them and lay down on the bed.”
With a wicked grin, Sean did as he’d been told, kicking out of his clothes in a few short motions. When he was totally naked, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Leah drew a deep breath. “No, no. Lay down.”
His eyes widened, but he did as he’d been asked. When his head hit the pillow, he looked up at her with a crooked eyebrow. “Satin sheets?”
“You noticed.” She smiled as she slipped closer. “I had them put on the bed just for tonight. And now…”
She sank down beside him. As he reached for her, she slipped his hand in the velvet restraint she had attached to the bedpost. Before he could argue, she caught the opposite hand, as well and he was firmly in her trap.
***
Sean’s initial response was to pull against the velvet ropes that bound him. He didn’t like being out of control, even though he had to admit the feel of the sumptuous velvet against his wrists and the idea of being at Leah’s utter mercy weren’t so bad.
“What are you doing?” he asked as he tugged one last time against the ties. Of course, Leah, Girl Scout as she had once been, had made the perfect knots when tying the restraints to her headboard. There would no escape by brute force.
Seven Nights Page 14