A Ring to Claim His Legacy

by Rachael Thomas

  ‘I guess I do.’ He smiled at her. ‘And to prove it I have arranged for somewhere special for us on our last night. It’s just a short ride in the utility vehicle.’

  ‘Now I am intrigued.’ She laughed and the way she reached out, placing her hand on his arm, sent a frenzy of fiery need hurtling through him, so fast he was in serious doubt if he could get through the meal he had planned without giving in to his desire for her.

  ‘Then let us go,’ he said as he held out his hand to help her in, trying not to think too much about where his thoughts had just led him. All he wanted was to enjoy the escape of tonight and be nothing more than Marco enjoying Imogen’s company. Who they really were, what their lives really entailed, didn’t matter one bit.

  Imogen settled herself next to him and looked around her with interest as he manoeuvred the small buggy down the track which led to his private part of the island. He’d liked the place so much that during renovations he’d sectioned part of it off for his exclusive use. His own private retreat from his family and the constant pressure to be what he didn’t want to be.

  ‘And how many other ladies have you bestowed this kind of special treatment on?’ There was laughter in her voice, but the nervous glance she cast him made him question if she wasn’t as experienced as she’d had him believe all week. Like the moon slipping out from behind a cloud, innocence shone from her briefly, before being cloaked once more in the cloud of the seductress.

  ‘None.’ He stopped the vehicle at the top of his private beach where a table, set for two, was waiting. ‘Now, if you have finished quizzing me, here is our table for us to enjoy dinner as the sun sets.’

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ Imogen whispered as she stood beside him looking at the trail of lanterns lighting the way to the intimate table.

  The sun was beginning to slip towards the horizon as he took her hand. ‘I want this night to be special. A final night of escape with a beautiful woman in beautiful surroundings.’

  ‘This truly is a night of escape, Marco. You have no idea how different this is from real life for me.’

  Marco ignored the slight opening of the door to the real Imogen, not wanting anything to intrude. He took her hand and led her to the table, pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit down. As she sat on the chair, the temptation to kiss the soft skin of her neck, exposed because of the sexy way she’d piled her hair up, was too much. He leant down and traced a trail on her skin and a jolt of satisfaction shot through him as she trembled slightly.

  The need to know more about this enigma of a woman got the better of him. ‘Tell me about the real Imogen.’

  She turned and looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. ‘Not tonight,’ she whispered seductively. ‘Tonight I want to escape from everything. Tonight I want to be just Imogen and I want to be with you—all night.’

  She might not be prepared to tell him about herself, but she had given him a loud and clear signal that she wanted him, that being with him was already a foregone conclusion. His pulse leapt with anticipation. After a week of nothing more than gentle kisses he knew he wouldn’t have much restraint left, but he’d see this meal through, and then it would be time to put into motion the final part of his seduction plan.

  * * *

  Imogen had skilfully avoided talking about herself or her normal life all evening and now, as the stars were shining and the moon rising, she knew the moment she’d wanted since that very first kiss, when he’d bought her champagne, was finally here. All week she’d longed for more than the soft, lingering kisses he’d given her at the end of each night. She’d longed for him in a way she’d never experienced before, not even with the man she should have married.

  ‘I have one more surprise,’ Marco said, his voice husky as he walked across the beach holding her hand, the soft sound of the waves as seductive as being with Marco. She really didn’t want this moment to end, this fairy-tale holiday romance that was so far removed from normality it didn’t seem real—or possible.

  ‘I don’t think you can beat that,’ she teased, the champagne making her head light, making any inhibitions she had slip away like the sun. As they’d dined with the soft sound of the waves close by Marco had raised a toast to her once more, just like their first night, and just like that first night she’d wanted so much more.

  ‘Is that a challenge, Imogen?’ His voice was soft and seductive as he stopped and took her in his arms. She looked up into his face, searching his eyes, seeing nothing but desire and passion—for her. It made her feel special, alive, but more than anything it made her feel desired.

  He lowered his head and his lips claimed hers, sending a shock wave of need hurtling through her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers into his thick, dark hair as his hands slid over the silk of the dress she’d asked Julie to buy on her behalf, not caring of the cost, wanting only to be who she wasn’t, who she could never be, for one more night.

  His caress moved lower until he cupped her bottom, bringing her against the hardness of his erection, making her shudder and drag in a deep breath of pleasure. She didn’t know how much longer she could play this game of seduction. All she wanted was him. All of him.

  ‘Marco.’ She breathed his name against his lips as he ended the kiss, still holding her intimately close. ‘I want more than this. Much more.’

  She shocked herself as her admission slipped wantonly from her. She’d never been the one to initiate things between her and Gavin, never been the seductress, but something about Marco made her feel different. It was that strange sensation that they were meant to be here, doing this, that they were destined to find each other. Or was that her incurable romantic side getting the better of her, finally resurfacing after the utter indignation of being left standing, practically at the altar?

  ‘Since the night we met, I’ve wanted to make love to you.’ The deep, hoarse notes of his voice betrayed the desire he had been keeping control of, sending sparks of anticipation through her. She had never wanted a man the way she wanted Marco. This ultimate fantasy had to play out tonight—right to the very end. She couldn’t return to her life and wonder what might have been. She wanted to take with her something special to cherish in her memory.

  ‘I want that too, Marco. Tonight.’ She looked up at him from lowered lashes, shy at such an admission.

  In answer he kissed her, deeply and passionately, the soft swish of the waves blending with the thumping of her heart as his tongue plunged deep into her mouth, forcing a sigh of pleasure to rush from her. The kiss became frantic and wild as he held her head between his hands, keeping her exactly where he wanted her, where she wanted to be, so he could plunder her lips, ravish her mouth with such delicious control. Her whole body was on fire and she trembled as he let her go, holding her away from him as if he thought they would both lose control at any moment.

  His gaze raked down over her body, lingering on her breasts as she breathed deep and hard with unquenched desire. She watched him, waiting for his next move in this desire-filled game he’d started.

  ‘I want you, Imogen.’ The guttural growl of his words left her in no doubt he was fighting hard to remain in control, forcing himself to hold back now. The idea that she’d done that to him, that he wanted her so much, only intensified her need for him.

  ‘And I want you,’ she whispered as he moved closer to her, putting his hand behind her head and bringing her close, pressing his forehead gently against hers as if they were truly lovers instead of a couple about to bring their holiday romance to a spectacularly passionate ending.

  His kiss this time was soft, gentle, caressing. Any last reservations that she could actually go through with this and spend a night with a man she knew very little about vanished. Swept away by the passion and desire which was so real they could be lovers, real lovers.

  Without another word he took her hand and led her along the beach. The star-filled sky an
d the rising moon lit the way, reflecting on the ocean as it lapped seductively at the shore. Each step she took was a step nearer to the moment she’d wanted since she’d first made eye contact with this sexy Italian New Yorker. Then she had been trying so hard not to be Imogen Fraser, assistant at Bespoke Luxury Travel. When he’d asked her name he’d sealed her fate, setting her free to be just Imogen, and even the fact that he didn’t want to volunteer anything more about himself only added to the dream, the escape of the moment.

  By tomorrow evening all this would be a dream and she and Julie would be back in England, back to the reality of their normal lives. That thought was driving her on, making her want this moment all the more. She’d never forgive herself if she stood in her own way of enjoying the fantasy of this last night. Something like this was hardly likely to happen to her again.

  ‘This is where we will spend the night.’ He stopped and she looked across the beach, to a cabana with white curtains drawn back and moving gently in the warm breeze. The lanterns beside the thatched cabana cast a romantic yellow glow. ‘We can relax, enjoy the warmth of the night and watch the stars.’

  What could be more romantic? ‘All night?’ She turned to him, a wicked desire to tempt him still further rushing through her.

  ‘All night. And when we have seen enough of the magic of the sky we will close the curtains and be totally alone.’

  ‘What if someone passes by?’ The last thing she wanted was to have someone come along and spoil her fantasy night.

  ‘There is nobody else on this part of the island. It’s totally private, and now all the staff have gone, and we are completely alone.’

  She smiled and moved towards the cabana, noticing the bucket of champagne cooling, wondering if she should indulge in any more. She was already losing her inhibitions, already losing her head and quite possibly her heart to a man she would never see again.

  For a split second she wanted more than tonight, more than this magical moment. Then she remembered who she really was, that tomorrow just Imogen would no longer exist. And she knew that Marco would never look her way if he knew who she really was. The man was so far out of her league.

  ‘You really have bought into the romantic escape.’ Her voice was light and carefree as she tried to stamp out those dark thoughts and bring the desire-filled emotion back to her heart. She stepped under the thatched roof of the cabana and trailed her fingers along the white double bed from which they would look out to sea as they lay together. She stood and took in the view. Never had she imagined anything like this; it was totally surreal and hopelessly romantic.

  Marco came close behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. Passion was in every word as he whispered in her ear, sending a tingle of hot, sparking need down her spine. ‘Whatever I do, I make sure it is the best.’

  He kissed her neck and she sighed softly, leaning her head back against him, turning towards his face. ‘Is that a promise?’

  Who was this woman? What had happened to sensible Imogen Fraser? This escapism fantasy was definitely going to her head.

  Before she could answer those questions as they rambled through her mind, he turned her quickly in his arms to face him. He didn’t speak, but his deep and rapid breaths told their own story.

  She looked up into his eyes, saw the swirling passion and hot desire in them. Slowly she went on tiptoes and teased a kiss on his lips. His hand skimmed down her back until he held her closer as he kissed her. The gentleness of that kiss soon gave way to hot, fiery passion as the dam finally burst. There would be no holding anything back now. She wanted nothing more than this moment with Marco.

  ‘Marco,’ she whispered as he kissed down her neck, this time going lower, down to her breasts. She closed her eyes against the wild, passionate heat his kiss brought to them. When his mouth closed over her nipple through the flimsy black silk of the dress she gasped in shock, pushing her fingers into his hair, holding him there.

  She could hardly stand. Her knees were so weak her legs wouldn’t hold her much longer, and as if he knew the effect he was having on her he pushed her back onto the softness of the bed.

  Without taking her gaze from his, she slid backwards further onto the bed, her breathing deep and fast. He removed his jacket, tossing it on the sand, then his bow tie and then his white shirt.

  The sight of his firm, muscled chest only heightened her desire and the dark trail of hair arrowing downwards was almost too much. She pushed one of her heeled sandals off, then the other as he towered over her. For a moment he held her gaze before turning to close the curtains at the sides, leaving only the end looking out to sea, which gleamed silver, lit by the full moon.

  Not that she cared much for the view right now. The only view she wanted to see was this man, this incredibly sexy man.

  He moved back to the bed and placed his hand on her ankles, looking at her intently as his chest heaved with passion-induced deep breaths. Slowly he slid his hands up her legs, up under the hem of her dress, pushing it higher. She could barely take it as his fingers hooked into either side of the black lace panties.

  He began to pull them down and she raised herself, wanting them gone, wanting all her clothing gone—and his.

  This was the moment the whole week had been building towards. As if there was an unspoken agreement between them they’d courted one another, teased with light kisses, but never anything more. It was as if they had both known the outcome of the week on this paradise island from the moment they had first seen each other.

  Imogen trembled with need as Marco looked down at her, but instead of removing the remainder of her clothing he knelt between her legs, then, with a quirk of his brow and a mischievous grin, pushed back the silk of her dress and kissed a trail from her bellybutton down. Her hands gripped at the bed as the trail of kisses went to the heated core of need only he could satisfy. She let her head fall back against the bed, unable to watch him as the ecstasy of his kisses swept her further away from reality, deeper into the fantasy.

  He grasped her thighs as he kissed her intimately, almost sending her over the edge. She couldn’t take much more and writhed away from him, wanting the moment to go on longer. He stopped and she lay there breathing rapidly, opening her eyes and looking up at the inside of the thatched roof, lit with small heart-shaped lights.

  She raised her head and looked down at him when he moved away from her and she drew in a sharp breath when she saw him strip off the last of his clothes, leaving him beautifully naked and wonderfully aroused. She couldn’t think straight any more, didn’t want to. All she wanted was this man inside her—deep inside her. The fire of passion he’d just lit couldn’t be extinguished now.

  She watched, unable to help herself, as he rolled on a condom then moved over her, the intent in his eyes making them almost black. She felt his nakedness, his skin against her thighs, and wished she didn’t still have her dress on. His body covered hers, pressing her into the bed, and the sexual tension she’d been battling with all week exploded. She wrapped her legs around him, following an instinct she had no idea she possessed. The heated hardness of his erection nudged at her, teasing her. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She lifted herself up, wanting him. All of him.

  The muscles in his arms were rigid as he braced himself over her, looking down, as she moved and teased him. Reality was far away as she twisted against him, teasing him, begging him with her body to finish what he’d started.

  He kissed her, hard and demanding, and she matched his passion, pulling him against her with her arms and her legs, wanting it all, wanting it now. The fever of the passion built as his kiss bruised her lips, their heavy breaths drowning out the sound of the waves. Still it wasn’t enough. Still she wanted more, and she moved her hips as she writhed beneath him, wanting him inside her, filling her. With a feral growl of passion he pushed into her, deep and hard, sending stars of desire surg
ing to join those looking down on them from the velvety sky.

  It was wild. Passionate. It was everything and more than she’d wanted this night, their moment of true escape, to be.

  He kissed her face as she gasped, then his lips claimed hers as he moved deep within her. She moved with him as he struck up a rhythm of passionate need, harder and deeper. He lifted his head up, bracing himself away from her again as he thrust deeper still. She clung to his shoulders as the pace became a frenzy of desire-induced need so wildly passionate. She moved with him, the moment so intense that nothing else mattered.

  With a gasp of pleasure her body shook as stars burst behind her closed eyelids. Marco thrust once more, a wild growl tearing from him as he too gave himself up to the pleasure of the moment, his body shaking as he lay heavy on top of her.

  Imogen clung to him as she slowly came back to earth, the sound of the waves gradually able to be heard once more. Her whole body was alive with desire, aware of the heat of his as he lay on her, breathing hard as he too returned from the ecstasy of what they’d just shared.

  * * *

  Marco lay next to Imogen as she slept, the sound of the waves welcoming the new day, heralding the end of their time together. Last night had been like no other he’d ever known. They’d made love again and then one final time in the early hours, as wildly and recklessly as the first time. But now it was time to leave the island, leave the escape this woman had provided.

  The buzz of his mobile dragged him from the lust-inducing thoughts of last night. Even the moment when the condom had come off during that last wild coming together hadn’t killed the passion. He hadn’t been able to stop himself as they’d taken one another to the heights of dizzy passion until they could only lie exhausted and listen to the waves.

  His phone sounded again, and he slipped off the bed, pulling on the trousers he’d discarded in a hurry last night before picking up his jacket and searching in the pocket for his mobile.

  The text from his sister slammed reality back into him.