by Sue MacKay
Kristof nodded. ‘Fair enough.’
‘Everyone has their way of showing their feelings,’ she snapped, shaken at the idea seeping into her thoughts over the past couple of days. She was more angry about once again being shown she was unlovable than feeling as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest.
A large, warm hand covered hers briefly, those long fingers squeezing gently. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’
‘Kristof.’ She aimed for serous, half got it right. ‘I’m not grieving for him. I’m angry he let me down, and for thinking there was more to our relationship than was real.’ Startled, she dropped her fork. That was so true.
‘Enough. Enjoy your entrée.’ Kristof removed his hand, and picked up a fork. ‘I hope you like lobster.’
Her mouth salivated. ‘Do I what?’ Grinning, she forked up a healthy mouthful. ‘One of my favourite foods of all time. What else are we having?’
‘Next course is rabbit goulash, followed by an apple and chocolate creation I’m sure you’ll love.’ His smile was wicked, sending her stomach into a riot of butterflies.
As the night progressed Alesha found it harder and harder to keep on track. Whenever Kristof looked at her as though she was his favourite course all her defence mechanisms came into play, at the same time warring with the need to have fun and follow her determination to enjoy each day as it unfolded. This latest version of her week in Dubrovnik had her blood racing and her nerves out of kilter. What if she made another mistake so soon after the last one? Was she throwing herself at Kristof?
Have a fling.
How did she start one if not by showing her intentions?
‘We’re only spending the evening together helping my mother out,’ Kristof said in a tone that spoke loud and clear—there’d be no further dates. A reminder he hadn’t been the one to invite her here.
Apparently she was an open book. ‘I wasn’t expecting anything else.’ Although she might have been wishing for more. Disappointment tugged, because she was out with a handsome man in an amazing setting in a city far from any other she’d visited, and of course it would be fun to experience everything the city had to offer.
‘Good.’ This man did blunt well.
Time for a subject change. She shoved her chair back. ‘I’m going to look at the gifts to be auctioned.’ Bidding for something would be the right thing to do after Kristof’s mother had so kindly invited her along.
Kristof strolled alongside her, his shoulder brushing hers. Intentionally? After his warning? There were mixed messages coming her way. ‘There’s lots of art; paintings, pottery, and sketches. Most are too big to carry back to London.’
‘Tell me what those vouchers are for.’ Alesha pointed to a line of cards with photos of food, buses, views, and a beauty parlour, trying to ignore his tall, well-proportioned body. ‘I get what most of them are about, but not where the service offered is situated. Like that one.’ Her finger tapped a picture of an outdoor restaurant with the sparkling blue ocean as a backdrop.
‘Cavtat, which is south of here. You can go by road, or, better yet, take a boat ride down there. It’s a lovely town with a baroque church and the Rector’s Palace to visit. The beaches are stunning, and there are lots of food choices.’
‘You’ve sold me on the place. I’ll visit one day this week.’ She’d bid for that voucher, even though it was a meal for two people. She laughed. Perhaps she could use it twice. Or talk Kristof into going with her. Although, he’d made it clear, no further dates, remember? Was this even a date when his mother had invited her and demanded Kristof drive her?
‘You could eat there every night this week for what you’ve just bid,’ Kristof admonished an hour later when she held the Cavtat restaurant voucher in her hand.
‘That’s hardly the point of this auction.’
‘I doubt my mother invited you along to spend your hard-earned money.’
‘Then why did she?’ Alesha asked, doubting she’d get an answer.
Kristof’s face softened. ‘She likes making kind gestures. Genuinely kind ones.’
And that was all Alesha was getting. She could ask until she was blue in the face but Kristof would not say another word on the subject. She knew that shut-off look already. She recognised the need to keep himself to himself, because it was the same with her. It didn’t stop her wanting to wipe away that hurt flitting through his eyes, pain that he thought he had under wraps. ‘Would you like to come to this restaurant with me?’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘I’m not asking you to do anything you wouldn’t want to, just to share another meal with me.’ So far she’d been in Dubrovnik two nights and had eaten with Kristof for both of them. ‘Let me know if you change your mind.’
‘I could drive you down to Cavtat after I finish at the children’s centre, I suppose.’
Sound happy about it, why don’t you?
‘I’m going by boat so I get to see the coast along the way.’ Sitting on a ferry was far more fun than in a car. ‘Or don’t you like being on the water?’
‘You’re persistent, aren’t you?’ He finally cracked a smile that sent fire throughout her. ‘Okay, thank you. I’ll go with you by boat to Cavtat. As long as we walk around the peninsula before eating. It’s a spectacular spot with the water so clear you can see right to the bottom.’
‘Done.’ She wouldn’t look smug, or excited, or grateful. Nope, just relieved, and happy, and—calm. Okay, that wasn’t so easy to pull off, but she gave it her best shot. ‘I guess we’re going for dinner, not lunch?’
‘Yes. If that’s all right with you?’ Kristof hastened to add, inexplicable excitement flashing across his face before he shut down again.
What was that about? Forget the fling idea. It wasn’t happening. They both had too many issues to let loose and enjoy each other. ‘Absolutely.’
He stood up and reached for her hand to pull her gently upright. ‘Let’s say goodnight to everyone and get out of here. I’ve done my bit for this time.’
There it was again, that hint he was not happy about something to do with his mother. Or was it her charity he had issues with? Yet he gave her weeks out of what would no doubt be a hectic schedule back in London. Alesha smoothed down the front of her dress and looked at Kristof as he said goodbye to Filip and Nina. She’d probably never know what made this man tick. That wasn’t such a bad thing. After this week she wouldn’t see him again anyway. Getting to know more about him only meant getting close, involved with him, and she didn’t need that. Nor, she suspected, did he.
Outside in the slightly cooler air Alesha stared around at the city so alien to anything at home. The night lights and shadows gave an eerie yet exhilarating feel to the place. ‘Wow.’
‘Come on. I’ll take you down to the harbour edge. It’s on the other side of these buildings.’ Kristof reached for her hand.
The need to slip her hand in his was strong. As was the need to kiss him. She did neither. The champagne had been delicious at dinner but she’d refrained from enjoying too much, and she could do the same about holding hands. It would only be a gesture and she didn’t need any more of those now that she’d made up her mind to be strong—and single.
* * *
Kristof pulled off the road outside the apartment complex, relieved he’d got Alesha back without giving into the temptation that was her scent, her beauty, the wondrous figure that skin-tight dress highlighted, her soft yet strong voice. He’d lost count of how many times he’d made to haul her into his arms so he could kiss her down at the waterfront by the boats tied up. Temptation usually came with written warnings, but there were no warnings about Alesha.
None other than the ones his brain kept throwing up. What really bugged him was that he never hesitated when a woman came on to him, and yet last night when Alesha had he’d hauled the brakes on fast. She overwhelmed
him with her smiles, her frankness.
Oh, get real. She’s so sexy in that little red number it’s impossible to ignore her.
He wanted her, plain and simple.
Alesha opened her door. ‘Thanks for a great time. I’ll see you later in the week.’
Cavtat. Why had he agreed to go with her? How could he not when she’d looked at him with such candour in those heart-stopping eyes and said it was only for a meal? That felt like a challenge, and challenges were not to be ignored. ‘I’ll call to let you know what night works with my programme at the children’s home.’
‘I’m going to spend time with Capeka again so I might see you there.’ She clambered out of the car. ‘Goodnight, Kristof.’
No way. Alesha wasn’t getting away that easily. The brakes were off. He wanted her. ‘Wait.’ He held his hand out for the keys. ‘Let me.’
‘It isn’t necessary,’ she quipped. ‘I usually only make an idiot of myself once over any one thing.’
‘Humour me, okay? One thing I did learn growing up was manners.’ And to work hard at being different from his father. But that was another story, which had nothing to do with what was going on in his body.
‘You just don’t want to find me sleeping on the side of the road when you go to work in the morning.’ Somehow she managed to pass the keys to him without touching his skin.
‘I’ll bring some toast in case.’ The sorry dope he’d suddenly turned into had been hoping for a little bit of contact, an indication she might be a little attracted to him.
Her laughter tinkled in the clear air, drew him closer to her as they climbed the steps up to the apartments. His gaze fell to the curved, swaying backside in front of him, his groin tightening alarmingly. He should’ve stayed in the car. Then they were on the level and Alesha was waiting for him to open the door to her apartment, her back to him.
‘Who’s going to undo that zip for you?’ The words spilled out. A logical question considering he’d had to finish doing up the zip in the first place, but it was filled with suggestion and hope and need that he couldn’t hide. When had he last felt so awkward with a woman? Probably when he’d asked Melissa Stokes to his sixth birthday party.
‘I could go door knocking,’ she tossed over her shoulder as she stepped inside.
He followed her in and reached for her, hands on her shoulders. ‘I don’t like that idea.’
‘Really? Then what are you going to do about it?’
Slowly he turned her around and lifted those long waves of golden brown hair with one hand. With the other he nudged the zip down an inch. And another inch. Another. All the way to the top of those curves he’d followed up the steps. The air stuck in his throat at the beauty before him. Soft, satin-like skin the colour of vanilla ice cream. The gentle flaring of those hips shaping her dress. The heat, the scent of summer. Everything about Alesha made his body hum.
Oh, so slowly Alesha turned. His hand spread across the width of the small of her back, the other cradling her hair, letting the silky texture slide through his fingers. The last of the restraints he’d placed on himself during the evening evaporated in an instant of heat and desire. Gone. All he knew was he wanted her so badly it hurt in places pain had no right to be. He leaned down so his mouth could caress Alesha’s. It wasn’t enough. Her soft lips melted into his so they became one where their mouths joined. It wasn’t enough. His hands slid under the fabric of her dress, slid it down over her shoulders, while at the same time he kicked the door closed.
Alesha hesitated, pulled back to lock an unsteady gaze on him.
His lungs stalled.
Please don’t say no.
Then she smiled and her lips were returning to his, her tongue making forays into his fevered mouth, driving him crazy. If this was what kissing Alesha did to him, then the next hour was going to be unbelievably erotic.
A low, slow groan escaped her mouth as she pressed her breasts against his chest, her taut nipples like beads of desire throbbing with the beat of his blood. He wound his arms tighter, brought her so close they moulded together. It was wonderful. The heat, the need coursing through his veins, and, he knew, hers too. It wasn’t enough. His shirt and her dress were impediments.
Setting Alesha back only as far as necessary, he nudged the narrow straps from her shoulders. The dress fell away. Nothing held those pert breasts, no lace or silk, nothing but nature. His knees bowed. As he reached to bring her up against him she resisted.
‘I want to see you.’ Her hands were tugging his shirt free of his trousers.
He took his hands away from that warm skin for the moment it took to drag the offending garment over his head and toss it aside. Then he went back to touching, holding, looking. Feeling, aching, needing. And lifting her into his arms to place her on the beckoning bed where he could make love with this amazing woman all night long. Where he would give her everything she needed and wanted, first. Where the pleasure would be as much his as hers. Where he could lose himself in her heat, and her generosity.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALESHA ROLLED OVER in the rumpled mess that was sheets and pillows and the heady smell of a night making love with Kristof, and dragged her eyes open. Some time after the sun came up he had left to go back to his mother’s house to get ready for a day at the children’s home. He hadn’t kissed her goodbye, hadn’t uttered a word, just slipped into his shirt and trousers, slung his jacket over his shoulder and left. Message clear—this had been a one-off night.
It was surprising how comfortable she was with that. It might be too soon after being dumped but she’d gone into the evening eyes wide open and mind clear about having fun without any attachments. Her heart had not been involved, nor was it going to become so. Just because they’d both wanted to have fun without consequences that didn’t make them a couple, or even best friends.
Shuffling up the bed and stuffing a pillow behind her, she leaned back and looked around. Sunlight snuck around the edges of the wooden blinds, teasing her to get up and make the most of another bright and sunny day. In a minute. It was relaxing to sit here with nowhere she had to be by a specific time. Freedom from work. Freedom from other people’s expectations. Living up to her own for a change. Feeling hollowed out, yes, but that came with a sense of getting to understand herself as never before.
Looking back, she saw the nine-year-old version of Alesha—sad, bewildered, lost. Her parents suddenly didn’t have time to talk to her about school or the games she played as they’d done before. They withdrew their love so she went looking for it elsewhere. Which was where this chasing men came from, she recognised now. She plucked at the sheet, unable to cry for the child who’d become the woman she was now, her heart heavy. Yet persistent hope pinged her. This time it was hope she’d get her life sorted in a way that fitted with her new dreams. Be strong and—She faltered. And single? Was it Kristof who’d made her see things differently? If so, she owed him, and not in a clingy, ‘let’s be together’ kind of way.
There’d been a certain freedom about the evening, followed by that sexy, sensual night, with a man she’d only met the day before. Having never done anything so unrestrained before she’d have thought remorse would’ve been her prime emotion today, but no. For the first time in a long time she was completely relaxed, wasn’t looking for hints of what might come in the future, what Kristof might expect of her today or next week or even when they were back in London. For once she wasn’t getting ahead of herself.
Untangling her legs from the sheet, she leapt out of bed and stretched up on tiptoes, arms above her head, then bent to touch the floor with her fingers. While muscles everywhere ached, her body felt alive and ready for action. More action. Like a swim, breakfast, a visit to see Capeka, and then walk into the Old City to take a mini-tour up to the lookout on the hills behind the city.
‘Morning,’ Karolina called from the other side of the deck where she was s
weeping the moment Alesha walked outside dressed in her bikini. ‘You had a good time last night?’
How much did she know? ‘I had a great time. The auction was a huge success.’
‘So I hear.’ Karolina’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
So she knew more than how the dinner had gone. No need to confirm or deny though. Placing her keys and phone on a sunbed, Alesha then dived into the sparkling water and popped up at the far end. ‘How often does Antonija organise auctions? I gather last night’s wasn’t the first.’
‘Once a year. She says any more wouldn’t bring in more money and double the cost of putting them on.’
‘That makes sense.’ As far as Alesha could discern, if ever there was a sensible woman Kristof’s mother was her. ‘The children’s home must cost a bit to run.’
‘I think so. Though Kristof arranges for doctors to come from England throughout the year free of charge.’
So he was happy to help out but had issues about his mother. She was not about to ask Karolina anything about him. That gleam in those knowing eyes would only increase and she didn’t need that. She also wasn’t going to explain she was having a week like no other where she’d be free and happy and take whatever was on offer, then go back to England, sign up for another job. Which reminded her—that job Cherry called about. She’d send in an application before she got on with this new way of life.
Oh, boy. She had plenty to think about. But not now. Job application, then a shower before heading down the hill for breakfast at one of those bakeries she’d spied yesterday on her way back from Port Gruž.
* * *
‘Morning, Alesha,’ Kristof called from the other end of the hallway as she entered the building. ‘I didn’t expect you here quite so soon.’
I didn’t expect my pulse to go from slow to racing in two seconds flat just seeing you.
‘Hi. Thought I’d spend some time with Capeka before I go sightseeing, if that’s all right?’ Had Kristof been looking out for her? Unlikely after his quiet way of leaving her apartment that morning. ‘I’d like to try reading to her again, but only if you think it won’t distress her when I’m leaving at the end of the week.’