by Holly Martin
Bella smiled. ‘This is Alfie.’
Alfie wagged his tail furiously as Abe bent down to stroke him. ‘I had the pleasure of meeting Rocket earlier today, adorable little thing. I think Rocket and Alfie would make a good partnership. Mr Scott was telling me about her and how she spooks easily and it took her a long while for her to learn to trust him. He thinks she had a rough few years and was treated badly but he thinks she knows now that he’s never going to let her down. It fills my heart to see that Rocket now has this chance at happiness. I think Alfie will be good for her. He has that calm, loyal quality I admire in a… dog.’
Bella stared at him and then the doors pinged open.
‘Have a good evening, Miss Roussel.’
‘Thank you,’ Bella said quietly as she walked out, knowing that Abe had certainly not been talking about Rocket.
Were a lot of people looking at her and Isaac and thinking, like Abe and Claudia, that it was love and that they were happy for Bella after her awful childhood? Is that what people thought, that Bella just needed a nice man to look after her? She didn’t need anyone to look after her. Relying on someone else for her own happiness was a mistake because then they were also responsible for her sadness too.
She let herself into Isaac’s room and Rocket came running to greet them, well specifically Alfie. She called out to Isaac but there was no answer. She looked around the room as the two dogs chased each other around.
The room was huge, with a large U-shaped grey velvet sofa sitting opposite a TV that took up most of the wall. The bedroom, which had the biggest bed she had ever seen, was to the right of the lounge, but it was the view that captured her attention, the moon glowing over the silver sea. Blueberry Bay was immediately in front of the hotel, one of her favourite places on the island because it was so secluded. Beyond that, on the edge of the headland was Mistletoe Cove surrounded by the hawthorn trees that were just starting to bloom. Later in the year the trees would be covered in the white berries of mistletoe that gave the cove its name.
She turned her attention back to the dogs and saw that Alfie had settled himself down on the large dog bed that Isaac had bought for Rocket and Rocket was leaping over him, but eventually his stillness calmed her down and she snuggled into his side. Alfie licked the top of her head a few times and then rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. Abe was right, Alfie was good for Rocket, and in her heart she knew that Isaac was good for her too.
Suddenly she didn’t care what people thought, whether they judged her for sleeping with the boss, whether they thought she had got the job by jumping into bed with him. She knew the truth and she knew they were doing nothing wrong. She didn’t care if people were looking at her thinking she had found love and were happy for her. It was no one’s business but hers and Isaac’s. He made her happy, it was as simple as that. And Claudia was right, there was no point in letting fear of the future ruin what they had now.
Thinking about the welcome she could give Isaac when he finally returned from wherever he was, she slipped out of her dress and underwear, dimmed the lights and arranged herself naked on the sofa in prime view of the door when he walked in.
Minutes ticked by and there was still no sign of him. She couldn’t even call him as he had lost his phone in the fire and she wasn’t sure if he had a replacement yet.
Eventually, just as she was starting to get cold, she heard the key in the lock and Rocket shot to the door to greet Isaac.
She quickly arranged herself in what she hoped was a sexy pose and the door opened.
‘That’s brilliant,’ Isaac laughed. Clearly he’d had a new phone delivered to him and he was talking to someone on it.
Isaac hit the lights, turning them on full, and as his eyes became accustomed to the brightness he saw her and the smile fell from his face. That wasn’t the look she was hoping for.
‘I know, that’s what I thought,’ came a familiar male voice, right behind Isaac.
Bella’s heart leapt as she saw Dougie Harrison step into the room and bend down to stroke Rocket.
She let out a little yelp, desperately looked around to try to find something to cover her nudity, realised there was nothing, and as Dougie started to straighten back up, she did a little ninja roll over the back of the sofa and hit the floor by the window hard.
Chapter Eighteen
There was silence for a moment. Had Dougie seen her?
‘Wow. That view is incredible,’ Dougie said and to her horror she heard footsteps walking over towards the window.
‘Erm. What do you want to drink? Come over to the mini bar and you can help yourself,’ Isaac tried but the footsteps kept coming.
Scrabbling up onto all fours, Bella crawled round the back of the sofa and round to the other side of the U-shape, where Isaac was still standing helplessly by the door. He let out a snort of laughter when he saw her. She leaned against the back of the sofa as Dougie admired the view out the window.
‘God, I’ve missed that view,’ Dougie said and then to her horror she heard the footsteps walking back over towards the door and the mini bar again. ‘I think I’ll just have a beer.’
He clearly intended to stay for a while. Bella quickly crawled back towards the window again. At least now he’d seen the view he wouldn’t be coming back to the window. He would just have his drink and go and she would have to trust Isaac to get rid of him as soon as he could.
She heard the hiss of a can of beer opening and, just as she made herself comfortable leaning her back against the sofa, she heard footsteps coming back to the window.
She scrabbled up and crawled back round to the front of the sofa again, where Isaac was clearly finding it hard not to laugh.
‘I do love that view. I think if I ever came back to this island, I’d need to get a place with that view.’
‘Most places on this island have a view of the sea,’ Isaac said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.
‘Yes but Mistletoe Cove is one of the most beautiful places on the island. It was there that I kissed the only woman I’ve ever loved.’
Bella pondered that statement. Who had he kissed in Mistletoe Cove?
‘I might get a glass actually,’ Dougie said as he walked back towards the mini bar.
‘That’s a bit posh for you, isn’t it?’ Isaac said as Bella quickly crawled back towards the window again. She wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Dougie was doing this deliberately, it was just the sort of thing he would do. But she also knew him well enough to know that if he had seen her, he would have made some comment straight away. He certainly wasn’t restrained enough to hold it in.
She heard the sound of the beer being poured into the glass and then footsteps. She made to crawl back to the front again when the sofa shifted with the weight of someone sitting down, right next to where she was. If Dougie looked over the back of the sofa now, he would see her. But now she didn’t dare move in case she caught his attention.
‘Well, as your beautiful girlfriend hasn’t turned up, why don’t me and you make a night of it? We could play a few games on that games console over there, order a pizza, sink a few more beers.’
Girlfriend? Is that how Isaac had referred to her? She couldn’t help smiling about that.
‘I’m a bit tired actually. It’s been a long day,’ Isaac said.
‘Ah come on mate, it’s been too long since we hung out,’ Dougie said, taking a sip of beer.
‘We can hang out tomorrow, mate. I’ll be much more awake then. But tonight I’m just ready to crash.’
‘Anyone would think you just want to get rid of me.’ Dougie took another sip of beer. ‘Or would that have anything to do with Bella Roussel sitting naked behind this sofa?’
Bella knelt up, concealing her nudity with the sofa, and flicked Dougie’s ear. ‘I knew you were doing it on purpose, you ass.’
He yelped as he stood up, laughing. ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.’
‘I forgot that you two know each other,’ Isa
ac said.
‘Me and Bella go way back. I couldn’t resist winding her up. Good to see you again, cuz, though I have to say I didn’t expect to see quite so much of you.’
‘Cuz?’ Isaac looked between them in confusion.
Dougie gestured to his red curly hair and Bella’s red hair. ‘As we used to hang out together as kids, everyone thought we were related. We told everyone we were cousins. Bella, how about a hug for your cousin?’
Bella laughed. ‘Not right now. Why don’t you sod off so I can seduce my hot boyfriend as I’d planned?’
Dougie laughed and put the beer bottle down on the table. ‘Fair enough. I’ll let myself out.’ He turned his attention back to Isaac. ‘Let’s hang out tomorrow.’
Isaac nodded.
‘And as her cousin, I feel it’s my duty to say, if you hurt her, I’ll have to beat you up for it.’
Bella laughed. ‘Get out.’
Dougie gave her a wave and left and Bella sank back down to the floor with a groan. The lights were suddenly turned off, plunging the whole room into darkness, lit only by the great moon, casting its silvery blanket over the sea below them.
She heard footsteps walk round the sofa towards her but this time she didn’t run away. Isaac came and sat next to her. He leaned against the sofa and swung his arm round her shoulders, kissing her head fondly.
‘How embarrassing. I just wanted to give you a nice welcome.’
‘It was the best welcome I’ve ever had. So how were you planning to seduce me?’ Isaac asked.
Bella laughed. ‘I have no idea. I’d got as far as stripping naked and waiting for you. You know I’m no good at this kind of stuff. You’d be better off with someone who has a bit more sex appeal than me. I bet you’ve dated women that could turn you on with a single look, who could bring you to your knees with a simple touch and know their way around the bedroom a lot better than I do.’
‘I’ve been with a few women, probably not as many as you think, but not one of them turned me on as much as you do. I have never kissed a woman from work, never even been tempted. I’ve known you less than a week and kissed you when I was undercover, kissed you in your office on your first day, kissed you in my office, stroked your back in the lift in front of several other people and made love to you three glorious times. Believe me when I say you bring me to my knees in every single way.’
She grinned as she leaned her head against his shoulder, the warmth in her chest spreading throughout her body making her fingers and toes tingle with what felt like excitement and something much more.
‘I didn’t know you and Dougie knew each other,’ Bella said, not wanting to focus on the incredible feeling that was surging inside of her.
‘We go way back too. We used to be in a video game club here after school. When I left to go to St Mary’s, he had cousins on the island so, whenever he’d visit them, he’d visit me too. When we both went to university, we were both doing really similar courses, even though he was in America and I was in London, and we stayed in touch about the different assignments, helped each other out with coursework on more than one occasion. We’ve stayed in touch ever since. When you mentioned Dougie the other night, I wondered if it was the same Dougie but I was undercover then and I didn’t want to ask too many questions about him in case I was found out. I have to say I forgot all about it after that. You stayed in touch with him too?’
‘Yeah, on Facebook mainly and we always meet up whenever he comes over.’
‘He comes over to see you quite a lot?’
She smiled, noticing the hint of jealousy in his voice. She looked up at him, running her fingers through his glorious stubble. ‘He comes over to see Eden quite a lot although he’d never admit it, and me and Rome catch up with him too. You have nothing to worry about there.’
‘I’m not worried.’
‘Jealous then.’
‘I’m jealous that another man got to see my beautiful girlfriend naked.’
The smile grew on her face. ‘Girlfriend, eh?’
He frowned slightly. ‘I’m not sure what else I can call you. You’re a lot more than just some girl I’m shagging. Is it OK that I call you my girlfriend?’
‘As your girlfriend do I get special privileges?’
‘What kind of privileges do you want?’
‘Sex whenever I want?’
‘Of course.’
‘Massages?’
‘I can’t say I’ve ever given one before but I’m sure I could give it my best shot.’
‘And lots of cuddles?’
Isaac pulled her tighter against him, wrapping both arms around her. ‘Always.’
She closed her eyes and smiled against him, every doubt, every worry about what people might think or say just fading away. None of that mattered.
She opened her eyes and gasped as a sudden arc of white appeared over Blueberry Bay. She quickly scrabbled up and moved to the window.
‘Oh my god, is that a moonbow?’
‘Wow. Yes, lunar rainbows are very rare.’
The moonbow glinted like silver in the moonlight and, reflecting off the calm water beneath it, it created a perfect circle with the moon as the centrepiece. ‘It looks like a pearl ring. If you were going to propose to me, now would be a perfect time to do it,’ Bella teased, though of course Isaac did no such thing. ‘It’s wonderful.’
‘I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life,’ Isaac said from behind her.
She turned back to look at him and realised he was staring straight at her and not at the moonbow at all. She felt the smile fade from her face as the chemistry sparked in the air between them.
‘You say you have no idea how to seduce me but you standing there completely naked, bathed in the light of the silvery moon, is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.’
She moved towards him and sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms round her and she kissed him deeply. He held one hand around the back of her neck as he kissed her too.
‘Make love to me,’ Bella whispered against his lips.
Isaac eased her back against the floor, moving on top of her. ‘How about I make love to you here in front of this incredible view.’
Bella giggled as she removed his shirt. ‘He really did like the view.’
Isaac let out a little growl. ‘I think he was trying to catch a view of another beautiful sight.’
He kissed her shoulder and then kissed her breast, swirling his tongue over her nipple before sucking it into his mouth. She arched against him, pleasure spiralling through her stomach already. When he slid his hand between her legs it was only a few seconds later when she went tumbling over the edge.
He fished a condom from his pocket and passed it to her before kicking off his trousers. He braced himself over her and she quickly tore open the foil packet and slid the condom on, relishing in the feel of him beneath her fingers.
He settled himself between her legs and she wrapped her legs round his hips, holding him close as he slid carefully inside her. He looked so beautiful washed in the glow of the silvery moonlight. She felt so complete, so utterly at peace right then that she felt almost overwhelmed by it.
‘As your boyfriend, do I get special privileges too?’ he said, moving slowly against her.
‘Right now, I’d give you the world,’ Bella said, feeling the pleasure growing again, tightening through her body, on the verge of her release.
‘I want this, always.’
He lowered himself down on top of her, so she could feel his velvety hardness from her toes up to her lips as he kissed her. And the thought of having this wonderful man in her life forever was the thing that sent her rushing over the edge, her orgasm ripping through her like a dam bursting its banks.
He held her close, whispering sweet words of affection in her ear, not taking what he needed until she had stopped shaking beneath him. When he finally let go, he did so staring into her eyes and for the first time in her life she wanted forever too.
Bella
was dozing in the massive bed, though she couldn’t really sleep as Isaac was sitting next to her working on his tablet, the blue glow from the screen lighting up the room. She opened one eye and watched him as his fingers sped across the screen. It was the first time she’d seen him like this; in all the time they’d spent together, he was simply not one of those people that was always checking his phone, which surprised her given how busy he always was.
She shifted closer to him, pressing a kiss on his bicep, in the hope of tempting him to go to sleep with her. They had a few hours yet before they needed to be up for work and after spending several hours making love the night of the fire and that night, she really needed the sleep.
He kissed her fondly on the head and then returned his attention to the screen.
‘What are you doing?’ Bella said, snaking her hand across his stomach as she curled into his side.
‘I’m working on The Great British Egg Chase.’
Clarity pierced the fog of sleep in her mind and she sat up. ‘You’re making the game?’
He nodded. ‘Every spare second I’ve had, I’ve been doing it. As I wasn’t at work yesterday afternoon, I spent the whole time working on this.’
‘But you said you didn’t have time, and that you were going to ask your colleagues at SparkStar to do it for you.’
‘I don’t have time, but I wanted to do this for you.’
Bella smiled, the warmth in her chest growing so much that it felt like it would burst from her. Tears pricked her eyes as she bent forward and kissed him. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ve really enjoyed making it. I love doing this stuff and I’ve forgotten how much. It’s made me think about doing more in the future with it.’
‘Can I see?’
He lifted his arm up and she moved to sit between his legs with her back leaning against his chest.