Until she arched her back and screamed again, her pussy grabbing him, flexing so tight the release of her spasms had him coming. And coming. Buried deep within her, the spurts of his come erupting.
He’d never had sex without being wrapped in latex, and he wondered if that was what made this so good his legs gave out. He leaned forward, bracing himself on the desktop as he took her lips in a kiss of pure gratitude.
She arched and stretched as she came down, her eyes glazed over in pleasure. She looked sated and sleepy, but he wasn’t about to tuck her into bed. Not until he’d thoroughly enjoyed everything she had hidden under her dress.
“Are you still loaded?” Her full lips tilted in a grin and she squeezed him with her inner muscles.
“You up for another round already?” He kissed her smile, then knit his brow, unsure how to proceed. He knew how to withdraw and dispose of a condom quickly, but Holly didn’t seem to be in any hurry.
“I told you I wanted a bed.” She reached up and scratched his beard, which he still hadn’t bothered to get rid of. “I wish you would have listened to me and shaved.”
“Are you going to pick out my clothes next?”
“You have great style when you bother with clothes. Shorts don’t count, especially when you used your cock to hold them up.” She squeezed him again, and damn it all to hell, he was locked and loaded.
Not willing to wait a second more, he lifted her into his arms, loving the way she squealed and hugged his neck, wrapping her body against his. He didn’t bother with the lights as he strode through his office, focusing on the bedroom beyond.
The moon glowed like a beacon, shadowing the space in soft light. He set her on the bed, laid her back against the pillows and followed her down.
Chapter Fifteen
“Meet you there in twenty. A real twenty, not island time.”
Harm’s deep voice floated through her sleep-deprived brain. Holly tugged at the soft sheet, the tell-tale ache in her muscles a reminder that every time she went for the sheet, Harm took it as a wake-up call. Her cheeks tightened as her swollen lips tilted in a smile.
“Good idea. Bring her. Holly will love her. Don’t be late because I’m not in a waiting mood.”
Curiosity had her opening her eyes, the pale light of early morning surrounded Harm’s muscled form as he stared out the wall of windows. She propped her head on her hand and enjoyed the view. He’d showered and his thick, dark hair was slicked back and curling slightly at the nape of his neck. She’d been so caught up in being with him last night, she hadn’t had time to ogle.
The definition in his back made her want to offer up a massage, just so she could enjoy the feel of his power beneath her hands. He rolled his shoulders and the muscles rippled all the way down his tanned back to the pale skin that usually stayed hidden beneath his shorts. She couldn’t believe she’d shared a bed with a man who had an ass like that. But she had, the tiny red crescents marring his perfect flesh were from her greedy fingernails.
She’d been so frustrated and confused by him for the last week, but when they’d come together all her uncertainty had detonated into pure passion. In seeking him out last night she’d hoped he could work his seductive magic until she felt confident and sexy enough to pose today. It worked, but only to a point.
There was no way she’d get through the day without thinking of sex. Her body held tight to that dull ache between her thighs that both reminded and excited. And Harm was pure sex. She blinked and felt her eyes widen in confirmation of what she thought she saw. The man was hung like a moose, his cock dangling between his legs.
He turned his head, a you-loved-every-minute-of-it grin lifting his lips. He rubbed a finger along his now clean-shaven jaw. “Are you awake, schatje?”
“Barely.”
The heat of a blush licked at her cheeks and neck. His stare made her self-conscious and yet confident at the same time.
He joined her on the bed and pulled an edge of the sheet between his thick fingers. He gave it a quick yank and she let go, knowing if she didn’t, he’d tear it the way he had with her dress last night.
She knew where this was going and stopped him with a hand to his chest. “I thought you had somewhere to be in twenty minutes.”
“We both do. But it’s just next door.” His dark gaze had seemed so warm and passionate last night, but in the light of morning it shone with hard calculation. She knew that look well, had seen it in the mirror often enough.
“Way to dim the afterglow, Prinsen.” Her heart chilled and shrank in her chest. When he’d agreed to help her, she’d promised to give the island rumor mill a new story about him. Pretty hard to upgrade his reputation when they stayed in. He was within his right to do a breakfast with whomever he thought needed to see him playing boyfriend. He’d kept up his end of the bargain, and she’d been stupid to think last night changed any of that.
She was simply another tennis match to him. Not that she had the time or mental energy to deal with anything more. There was a new business to run and he happened to be the person her best friend hated most in the world. She ought to be grateful for the reminder.
“I’d light your fire again, but I fear the wrath of making you late for work.” He leaned back, his hot gaze pouring over her body like a caress.
She reached for the sheet. Let him rip it, she didn’t care. “I do have to work, so I hope this little meet and greet with your friends won’t take too long.”
His brows lowered, two lines forming between them. Confusion clouded his dark gaze, showing the fault lines that cracked through the confidence he showed the world. “They’ve modeled before. Most of them were part of that lingerie shoot you and Sassy think I threw off budget. When you said you didn’t have time to arrange anything with the agencies on St. Maarten, I made some calls.”
Her heart squeezed and she took his hand. She really had to trust the Harm she saw, not the playboy version that had been painted for her. She didn’t want her suspicious nature to hurt either of them. “It’s sweet of you to try and help, but we can’t afford to pay them. Sassy V is just starting and we keep reinvesting everything we make. There isn’t a discretionary fund right now.”
“I called in favors. No one will ask for money.”
“You don’t have to do this just because we slept together. I can handle my business.” She caught herself wringing the sheet in her hands.
“I arranged it before you came upstairs. I would have done the same if it had been Sassy with the problem, so long as she wasn’t running at the mouth. The company that you’re contracted with screwed you. I like to think of that as my job.” He leaned in, gifting her with a brush of lips so quick she doubted it counted as a kiss.
“Are you planning on posing too? Is that why you shaved?” She reached out and ran her fingers along the hard edge of his now-smooth jaw. He’d all but begged to go down on her last night, but beard burn on her thighs did not mesh with a swimwear photo shoot.
“You told me to shave.”
She gave a wistful grin, wishing this fantasy were a reality that would hold. “You’re playing this boyfriend role a little better than I anticipated.”
“I don’t play games.” His dark gaze pierced through her.
“Jokes are supposed to be funny, Harm. No one likes to be punked.” She looked towards the sea so he couldn’t see how much she wanted that to be true. Low tide exposed more of the craggy rocks along the shore than before.
“You’re the one who plays make-believe and makes jokes when you’re uncomfortable.”
“You’re playing me, Prinsen. I know it and so do you. I thought we were friends.” She tugged the sheet around her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“Friends with benefits.”
“Exactly. Let’s just leave it there for now.” She pulled the sheet over her breasts, relieved to not be so bare for this conversation.
“And if I want to renegotiate this benefit package?”
Her hea
rt stilled and dizziness held her in place. She swallowed over the knot in her throat. “You don’t want to be more than friends.”
“Yes, I do. We already are.” The confusion on his face tugged at her soul.
“Have you even thought about what that would mean? I’m already the longest relationship you’ve had in a decade. Plus, I live in New York.”
He shrugged. “You’re moving here.”
“Not really. We’re basing the business here for tax purposes. I’ll still spend most of my time in New York, and travelling. When the high-end line takes hold there will be runway shows at all the major fashion weeks. My career will only get more demanding. And I don’t share, Harm. All that time alone on an island with a continual stream of willing women, you’re bound to take what’s on offer. Plus, you hate my best friend. That doesn’t make me good girlfriend material.”
“I don’t hate Sassy. I want her to be a better person. And I’m not hung up on where you live or how much you work. I have a plane. I can come see you whenever I want.”
“Of course, you have your own plane.” She stood, clutching the sheet to keep it from slipping away. “We’re not going to decide anything in a post-coital haze. What was it you told Joe? He was obsessed with Saskia because of the magic-pussy phenomenon? Maybe you’re just having some kind of weird reaction to getting laid.”
“My brother has a big mouth.” His devilish grin had her wanting to back up as he rose from the bed and made his way towards her. He stopped right in front of her, deep within her personal space. She felt the heat of him through the thin sheet.
She held up her hands to keep him from getting too close, but her traitorous palms slid right over the sparse hair defining his powerful chest. Even after a night of exploring, she couldn’t get enough of his body. She refused to blame herself for it. The man was an Adonis. Surely that forgave some of her brazen behavior.
Harm lowered his head, speaking in a whisper though there was no one to overhear. “You cast a spell on me the first time you kissed me, schatje. I can’t get enough of you. Even having you only makes me want more.”
Damn, he was good. She squeezed her thighs together and closed her eyes. He wrapped his hands around her waist and slid his smooth cheek against hers.
“You’ll see it my way eventually, sweetheart.” He pressed his lips to her earlobe and gave a slow pull, the delicate touch rekindling the flame left burning from the night before.
She sucked in a breath meant to cool her desire, but instead she pulled Harm’s masculine scent into her lungs, imprinting it there forever. She needed distance—emotional and physical. She’d just had several rounds of the best sex of her life. She couldn’t possibly make any life decisions now. Because the best options would all include sharing a bed and a laugh with the man she’d come to care about, despite an island full of warnings.
“I have to get to the crew and see if they’d be on board with working with unknown models.”
It was his turn to sigh. “Once the shoot wraps and we put the crew on a boat for the airport in St. Maarten, we’re having this conversation.”
“A man who wants to talk, you are just full of surprises, Prinsen.”
He stepped back and shook his head. “We’ll start with why you are stealing my sheet.”
“It won’t leave the premises, I promise.”
“I don’t think it should leave this room.” He reached two fingers under the edge, right between her breasts. One quick tug and the material pooled at her feet.
She fought the instinct to cover herself. His desire for her had tripled her confidence, just as she’d hoped. She winked and did her best catwalk impression as she headed for the stairs.
Chapter Sixteen
It had taken all week, but the photographer had finally let go of his all-black New York look and found a pair of shorts. Holly thought the guy was great, but Harm had to question the sanity of anyone who refused to soak up the glory of the Caribbean sunshine. Or work in shoes when the beach had soft, white sand.
Holly had spent the week in dresses, but today she’d donned a Sassy V creation, a deep ocean-blue number that reminded him of lingerie, not swimwear. The crochet looked like lace and her golden skin showed off every detail.
The entire morning had been more relaxed than the other days of shooting. Holly looked breathtaking in her element, smiling and laughing as the visions in her head became photographs. He’d stood by and listened as she explained the colors and mood she wanted, her ideas making him see the swaying palms and breaking waves from a new perspective.
Find what you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s what his godfather, Dutch, always told him. Holly had managed to find at twenty-six what had taken him until thirty-five to figure out. She enjoyed her fashion line as much as he and Joe liked taking damaged houses and making them high-end homes. Yes, rental properties had a better return-on-investment than any commercial deal he’d ever arranged, but he did it for the before-and-after pictures. The sense of accomplishment in leaving something better than he’d found it.
Meeting Holly had been that way. He’d expected so little of her and she’d shared so much with him. But he wanted more. Like some kind of acknowledgement she wasn’t trying him out as if he were an Anguillan tourist attraction. He’d told her what he expected, and she’d thrown up a smokescreen of excuses, then tried to run from him like a scared little rabbit.
He couldn’t blame her. Falling for her hadn’t been on his agenda either. Fear crept around his heart, squeezing in his chest. He had to convince her to stay on Anguilla, to play this thing out rather than writing it off because of some misguided idea about his reputation. He couldn’t deny that he’d enjoyed more than his share of women, but he’d never been a womanizer. Never used any of them. There had to be a way to make her see that, to get her to trust what she felt for him. He knew she wanted him as bad as he did her.
“Your turn, Holls.” The photographer called out to her, smiling when she shot him a not-in-this-lifetime glare. “Come on, just a few of you in this blue one and then you should change into the white like everyone else.”
“Jason, I put on this suit because I wasn’t sure the models would work out. But they’re gorgeous. We could not have cast it better.” She turned away from the surf, pressing her floppy hat firmer on her head. Jason captured the pose. “If I find out you put that on a dart board, we cannot be friends.”
“What are you afraid of, Holly?” Harm asked, enjoying every moment as she took in his double meaning.
“I’m not scared. I arrived this morning prepared to try my hand at modeling, but luckily someone called in the professionals.” She gave him a million-dollar grin, her long hair dancing on the breeze.
“Prove it. Let Jason take his shots. Arguing about it is just wasting time.”
Jason cleared his throat. “Listen to him, Holls. I promise to make you look good.”
“Fine, make it quick. Should I say cheese?” She shrugged and held up her hands. The breeze kicked up, whipping the floppy hat off her head and onto the sand.
Harm jogged toward it and snatched it up as he closed the distance to Holly.
“You just wanted to be in the picture.” She took the hat from his hand and held it behind her back as she faced him. “Is that why you shaved? You wanted me to ask you to model?”
“You know why I shaved.” He moved closer and pressed his body to hers as he ran his fingers over the intricate details of her bikini bottom. No wonder these suits were such a hit. They curved to her body as tightly as his hands, ties at the side and back allowing for individual adjustments. Or easy access.
Holly stood on tiptoe, her smile wide as she set her floppy white hat on his head. She threw her head back and laughed, the musical sound he loved so much. He gripped her hips and leaned in to capture her laugh with a kiss.
She snagged the hat and held it beside their faces. Probably a good thing, because the way she kissed him back belonged in his bed, no
t a public beach. But he couldn’t stop. She tasted of sweet hope and deep desire. He pressed closer to her, showing her how she affected him with just a kiss.
“What are you doing?” Saskia’s shrill voice lanced through the air. “Harm, get your hands off her.”
Holly froze in his arms, biting his lip and not in the fun way. She tried to step away but he shook his head. Separating now was only going to make matters worse. The sun glinted off the golden flecks in her eyes and she took a deep breath before lowering the hat and stepping in front of him.
“Holly, what did he do to you?” Sassy jogged down from the bungalows and across the beach. “Are you okay?”
“Honey, it’s not what you think. Did you notice Jason taking pictures?” She motioned to the photographer who held up his camera.
Harm’s stomach pitched and he clutched Holly’s hip, pressing his possessive fingers into the soft curve of flesh.
She didn’t react at all. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to see your mom in Miami?”
Sassy gulped down air, eyeing him with veiled annoyance. “We met her for breakfast then came here. I thought I could wear a few of the designs so we had something for the website. But it looks like you were able to work some kind of magic with the local modeling agency.”
“That was Harm. He called in some favors for us.”
“Why?” Sassy narrowed her blue eyes and put her hands on her skinny hips.
“You needed the help, brat. That’s why,” he said and Holly stiffened under his grasp. “The proper response is thank you.”
“Okay, you two. We’re not on a playground.” She pulled off his hand and walked up the beach. “You want to fight like children, you get off my set.”
“Holly,” they said in stereo, casting each other annoyed looks.
“Work it out on your own time.” Holly never turned around, just marched up to the bungalows and made her way inside.
Harm swallowed over the anger choking him. Sassy had ruined every hookup she’d ever witnessed. But he wasn’t about to let her interfere with Holly.
Caribbean Casanova: Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 2 Page 8