Tycoon's Valentine Vendetta

by Yvonne Lindsay

  After they’d cleared away the breakfast dishes, a job that only took a few minutes, Jack took Lily on a tour of the boat.

  “This is amazing,” she said as she inspected the two miniature bathrooms off the separate staterooms on the lower deck. “Who designs these things?”

  “You remember my younger brother, Finn? He did the interior design work. He has his own business north of Auckland. They design and fit interiors for all marine applications although most of his work is private luxury craft like this. He’s doing well.”

  “I’m not surprised if this is anything to go by.”

  Lily stepped into the main stateroom, hovering in the doorway as she took in the expanse of the bed that dominated the space.

  “They’ve thought of everything, haven’t they? Do you spend much time out overnight?”

  Jack smiled. There was a catch to her voice that hinted at the possibility that she was envisaging the same fantasy as he was right now. Their bodies, bathed in moonlight from the side windows and the skylight above, entwined together.

  “Not as often as I’d like to. But that will change soon. Come on, let’s head to the beach.”

  Back on the main deck Jack loaded a sun umbrella and folded straw mats into the inflatable dinghy together with a large cooler bag and her tote before sliding the smaller craft into the water.

  “More food?” Lily teased as he handed her into the dinghy.

  “We are here for the day. A man’s gotta eat.” Jack joked back, suddenly struck by how comfortable he was with her. It would be all too easy to lose sight of his goal, to let things between them develop naturally without an ulterior motive in mind. He needed to stay on track. It all came down to timing.

  At the beach, Lily helped Jack pull the dinghy up the sand, clear of the lapping water. She couldn’t believe he’d brought her back here. She looked around, noting that the beach had changed some since their last visit. More of the sandstone rock had been worn away by the unrelenting movement of the sea, a couple of old trees had tumbled off the eroding cliff face and lay in a tangled mess of dead wood at the base.

  She still remembered their last visit as if it were yesterday. Her backside had ached from the time they’d spent on the bike, and Jack had laughed at her, teasing her about how “soft” she was. He’d told her he’d make it all better. And he had. He’d led her around the rocks, holding her hand through the more precarious parts and laughing at her squeals of fear at the waves as they crashed close by.

  The discovery of a huge rock pool, the size of a small swimming pool, had seen him strip himself of his clothing and dive in. She still remembered how breathless she’d been. It was the first time she’d seen him completely naked and the firm chiselled lines of his body had taken her breath away.

  He’d eventually persuaded her to follow him into the water, and she had. She still remembered the tense knot of nerves in her stomach as she’d unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off her shoulders. He’d watched every tiny movement as she’d slowly divested herself of her shirt and then her jeans, standing there in only her bra and undies, feeling incredibly vulnerable until she’d seen the look in his eyes. The look that had made her feel as though she was the most beautiful creature in all the world. The look that had seen her remove her underwear and gently slide into the water and glide toward him until she was close enough to wrap her arms and legs around him.

  She still remembered vividly the sensation of his naked body against her skin. The water had been silken cool, but he’d been hot, so hot. He’d treaded water for both of them as they’d kissed with all the passion and hunger that months of restraint had built up. The snatched moments they’d shared together outside of school hours and his work at the petrol station faded into nothing in comparison to what they’d shared that day.

  Lily fought a groan as lightning-hot need scored through her body at the memory. As if he knew exactly what path her thoughts were taking, Jack spoke.

  “The rock pool’s still there. Remember that day?”

  “A girl never forgets her first time, Jack.” She opted for a flip response, her emotions too raw to be openly acknowledged. Not here. Not now. Not when she was still so unsure of why she’d even chosen to be with him today.

  “Nor does a guy.”

  Seven

  She whipped her head around at the four small words, quietly spoken. The expression on his face struck straight to Lily’s heart, making her gasp.

  “Jack?” She took a step toward him, to where he stood—his bare feet planted firmly in the sand.

  “The past’s the past,” he said abruptly. “Let’s leave it there for now.”

  Lily nodded. Her body tingled all over with the flood of memories. They’d spent some time fooling in the rock pool before making their way off the rocks to the sandy cove where they now stood. It was there they’d made love for the first time. She’d never known it had been his first time, too. He’d been so tender with her, so reverent. She’d felt so incredibly special, as if she was the most precious thing in his world.

  How times changed, she reminded herself. He was right. It was better to leave the past in the past rather than let bitter disappointment and reproach colour what promised to be a spectacular day.

  She helped Jack unpack the sun umbrella and mats from the dinghy and spread the mats out on the sand. It was getting warmer and once they were set up Lily pulled off her blouse and shorts and raced for the water.

  “Last one in is a rotten egg!” she shouted.

  “Cheat!” Jack’s voice sounded a lot closer than she expected.

  As she reached the water’s edge she heard his pounding feet running up behind her. She put on a burst of speed, but he was quicker and his body flew past hers, cleaving the water beside her before she could dive in.

  Strong hands circled her ankles and tugged her off balance, and she fell backward into the water, still laughing. She surfaced and wiped her hair back off her face.

  “Hey, that wasn’t fair play!” She smiled.

  “No, it wasn’t. But fair play never got anyone anywhere in this world.”

  Jack’s expression was enigmatic and Lily was tempted to answer until she noticed the tattoo on his chest. She lifted her hand to touch it, then let her hand drop back to the water.

  “You still have it,” she said quietly.

  Jack absently stroked the outline of the lily he’d had indelibly marked over his heart to acknowledge the first time they’d made love.

  “Yeah.”

  Abruptly he dove back under the water, resurfacing some distance away and swimming parallel to the beach with strong, steady strokes. For a while Lily simply watched him, admiring the power and the strength he displayed in the water. He’d always been tall, and slightly on the lean side, but maturity had put more muscle on his frame and imbued him with a masculinity that couldn’t be questioned.

  Lily flipped over onto her back and floated for a while, simply enjoying the peace of the ocean and the sheer luxury of being able to relax and enjoy herself. It had been a while since she’d taken time out and chosen just to do nothing. The past few years had taken their toll—from the giddy heights of being the darling of the fashion house she’d represented to the depths of despair when her recovery had been so slow and she’d been unable to fulfil the terms of her contract. Fighting her way back into her former position had been like trying to conquer a vertical glacier in a pair of slippers and a dressing gown. Futile.

  And what did she have left to show for any of it? Nothing bar a few designer gowns that she’d probably sell anyway. She’d lived the life expected of her, been seen in the right places with the right people—all of which had taken a financial toll that had sunk her in the end.

  It was a time to rebuild and replenish. Grow up. Everybody had to learn sometime. Her time had come. Thinking about selling her designer clothing suddenly triggered off an idea. Most of the stores in Onemata catered for more casual beach wear. Anyone wanting to get anything more forma
l or dressy usually had it made or took a trip up to Auckland. With the change in population in the town and the new business centre there would be increasing demand for more upmarket clothing for both men and women. She could do that. She could source and supply ranges for both. Ideas tumbled through her mind and excitement bubbled in her veins. She could make this work—really work. She couldn’t wait to discuss it with her father. She’d need his help, initially, to get her idea off the ground, but she’d pay him back, every last penny. Today was Friday, but come Monday she’d be checking out some retail space in town. She couldn’t wait.

  Lily rolled over in the water and began to swim back toward the beach. She realised that for the first time in forever, she was actually happy. She felt as though she was back in control of her life, and it was a darn fine feeling.

  Jack was strolling along the shoreline toward her as Lily came out of the water.

  “Enjoy your swim?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I did. It’s like it freed something in my mind. Something that’s been stuck for a while.”

  “Oh? Nothing too painful, I hope?” A smile flashed across his face.

  Lily laughed, the sound bubbling from her throat without inhibition. “No, nothing painful. Yet. I just had an idea of what to do with myself now I’m back for good.”

  “For good? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure, now.” She fell into step beside him as they walked up the beach to their things. “I’ve been drifting for too long. It feels good to have a direction again.”

  “I know what you mean. The things that drive you bring you far greater satisfaction in the long run.”

  He picked up his towel and dried his body. Lily averted her eyes. He was too much. Too close.

  “What is it that drives you, Jack?” she asked, curious to find out what had burned in him so bright that he’d made such a success of his business exploits.

  Jack shook out his towel and laid it on the mat in the sunshine. Her question hit him broadside. What would she say, he wondered, if she knew the truth? He lowered himself to the towel and lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, and looked up at Lily.

  “A lot of things drove me in the past. Survival primarily. Nowadays, it’s basically down to satisfaction.” He watched her closely as she absorbed the information. A tiny frown of puzzlement creased her forehead before smoothing away again.

  “Survival.” She said the word emphatically, with no hint of question in her voice. “It was hard on all of you when your dad died, wasn’t it?”

  Jack reached for his sunglasses and slid them onto his face. Hard? The word didn’t do their struggle justice. He gave Lily a wry smile.

  “We got through it. The alternative wasn’t an option. We didn’t have anything or anyone else to fall back on.”

  “And you made it. Your mum must be really proud of you.”

  “She is.”

  Tania Dolan was incredibly, deeply proud. As his father would have been, also, if he had lived long enough to see what Jack had made of his life. If he had anything to thank Charles Fontaine for, it was giving him the tool to drive himself to succeed at all cost—and it had cost him dearly. But it would all be worth it in another week. Jack almost couldn’t believe it was all coming to an end so soon. In just seven days FonCom would find out they’d lost the bid on another contract. The ripple effect of that lack of business, combined with the tactical decimation of the company to date, would send everything sliding toward a deep dark pit from which there would be no recovery.

  Then, and only then, would Jack be satisfied.

  Lily had stretched out on her towel beside him, and was reapplying sunblock. From behind the tinted shield of his sunglasses he watched as her hands stroked the cream down her legs, massaging it into the skin. A flush of heat prickled across his skin that had nothing to do with the sun and everything to do with need to replace her hands with his, to stroke, long and firm, over her thighs and down her legs and back up again. Maybe now would be a good time to go for another cooling swim, he thought as he rolled over onto his stomach to hide his semi-erection before it became full-blown.

  “Do you need some sunblock? I can put some on your back if you’d like?”

  Like? Yeah, he’d like, all right. What the hell? Why not?

  “Thanks, that’d be great,” he murmured, mentally bracing himself for the feel of her hands against his skin.

  Jack felt her move closer, her knees almost touching his side as she shook some lotion into her hand. Just think of something else, he told himself as she lowered her hands to his lower back and started to work up his spine in sweeping strokes. There wasn’t a visual image strong enough to douse the fiery trail her touch ignited across his skin. She’d warmed the lotion in her hands before applying it so he hadn’t even had the advantage of cold shock on his skin to counteract the heat that burned throughout his body. Her hands, though slender, felt strong and smooth as she worked the sunblock into his skin, working it into his shoulders and down the backs of his arms.

  “You’ve got some really hard knots here,” Lily commented as she massaged the broad lines of his shoulders and across the base of his neck. “You want me to try to work them out?”

  They weren’t all that was hard, Jack groaned inwardly as she applied a firmer pressure to the knotted muscles. He heard a slight hitch in her breathing, the telltale sound a clue to how touching him was making her feel. He hoped she was experiencing the same torment he was. The same need for satisfaction. And satisfaction would come—at a price.

  “Sure, have at them.”

  Jack knew her time was wasted but he wasn’t averse to her contact. The tension in his shoulders wouldn’t diminish until his plans all came together and Charles Fontaine was a broken man. As broken as his father had been.

  By the time Lily started on the backs of his legs he was one massive ache that had nothing to do with knotted muscles and everything to do with wanting her with a hunger he fought to keep tamped down. Her slender fingers caressed his inner thighs as she ensured his skin was thoroughly protected. Jack clenched his teeth, hard.

  “Lily?” He forced the word out and mercifully her hands slowed and stopped.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “You’re killing me here.” He turned his head to look at her, noting instantly the flush of peach across her cheeks and upper chest, the glitter in her eyes that he’d always found so incredibly sexy. No, she wasn’t unmoved by their contact. In fact, he’d hazard to say that she was as uncomfortably aroused as he himself right now. It would be so easy to hook one arm around her tiny waist and draw her down beside him on the mat, to slide his leg over hers and to pin her beneath him and show her the full extent of his need for her right now.

  “You want me to stop?” Her voice was breathless, her chest rising and falling rapidly, drawing his attention to her nipples pressed hard against the fabric of her bikini top.

  “God, no. But if you don’t, I won’t be accountable for my actions.” He managed a laugh. Strained but genuine.

  The blush on her cheeks deepened as she took his meaning.

  “Well, we can’t have you losing control then, can we?” She smiled back, a hint of mischief in the play of her lips. She allowed her hand to trail up the back of one thigh before giving him a light slap on his backside.

  Quick as lightening he’d flipped over and caught her hand, drawing her to him, against the hardness of his erection.

  “Still want to play, Lily?” He challenged. His body throbbed as he waited for her reply. “Like the old days?”

  She caught at her lower lip with her teeth, her pupils flaring, all but consuming the pale blue of her irises. Her fingers flexed against him, whether it was involuntarily or not he didn’t know and didn’t care. The sensations she kindled in him were exquisite, and he wanted more. He’d planned to keep today on an even keel. To tantalise, but above all to remain firmly in charge. Right now tantalising could go to hell and back. He wanted it all. He wanted her. N
ow.

  A tiny sound escaped her mouth, and the pressure of her hand increased against his groin before she tugged free of his hold.

  “This isn’t a good idea, Jack. We shouldn’t—” Lily pulled away from him, hugging her knees up to her chest and staring out at the water. “We were young then. Different people to who we are now.” She barely made enough sound for him to catch the words.

  “Yeah, you’re right, we were young, and look where it got us last time.” Lily shot him a sharp glance, confusion evident in her eyes at his comment. Clearly she’d expected him to argue her withdrawal. Force with a woman had never been his style, ever. “But we still want each other, and we’re all grown up now. What are we going to do about that?”

  “I don’t know, Jack. I really don’t know. I’m really confused right now. My life has imploded and to be honest I don’t need any more complications. I need something solid beneath my feet. Something I can build a base on and get ahead with.” She looked straight at him, tears in her eyes. “You’re a major complication. What we had, what went wrong between us—I was too young to know what the right thing was to do. I still can’t get a handle on it. But I do know I can’t do that again. It would totally crush me.”

  Crush her? She barely knew the meaning. Did she realise he knew about their baby? Had she any idea how he’d felt when he’d finally found out the truth? On top of everything her father had done to his family, her deception was the bitterest pill. He waited for her to speak again, to see if she’d finally share the truth about her leaving the way she had that night. It was her perfect opportunity, but he waited in vain as she remained silent.

  He chose his words carefully. “We can’t deny we still have something together. You’ve been back less than a week and already we can’t keep our hands off each other. Why don’t we just take it one day at a time? No pressure. Just two old friends rediscovering each other.” His last words soured on his tongue. Friends. They’d gone there and beyond. He still bore the scars on his heart to prove it.