Socialite's Gamble

by Michelle Conder

  ‘Determination. I like it,’ he said, positioning the board and holding it steady for her.

  Cara pulled herself up and lay on her stomach, swearing that this time she would get it.

  ‘Okay, get ready,’ Aidan called out beside her.

  ‘The wave’s coming—no, relax and go with it. Let the momentum build. Feel the way it grips you and then find the sweet spot. Feel how it sucks you backwards and then the adrenaline rush as it launches you forward. Okay, here it is—and go!’

  With a thrust Cara felt the wave pick up the board as she surged forward and she relaxed into its grip and submitted to its force. Trembling with excitement she pushed to her knees, steadied and then stumbled to her feet. The board rocked her one way and the wave pulled her another and then, arms outstretched as if she were balancing on a tightrope, Cara found the sweet spot Aidan was talking about and rode the board into shore until its fins dragged on the sandy bottom.

  Elated, she jumped off the board and let out a giant whoop, pumping her fist in the air. As the board floated towards the shore she turned and ran back out to Aidan. Without thinking she launched herself into his arms and nearly knocked him over. ‘I did it! I did it! ‘

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him and bounced with pure delight. ‘Now I know why all those surfers spend hours and hours sitting on the beach waiting for the waves to come up. That was the best feeling in the world.’ She couldn’t stop herself from babbling. ‘I felt like I was floating on air. I felt like I could do anything.’

  Cara realised that Aidan wasn’t saying anything and then she suddenly became aware that his hands were cupping her bottom and that her legs were wrapped tightly around his lean hips.

  Oh, my Lord, and he was … hard, his arousal pressing against her soft belly. An instant rush of liquid fire drenched her lower body and she didn’t know whether to straighten her legs or squeeze them tighter.

  Her body had a mind of its own and chose the latter and a look of abject pain crossed Aidan’s handsome face.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

  Aidan gripped her bottom harder to hold her still and clenched his jaw. ‘You didn’t … hurt me exactly. Just hold steady before, oh, Jesus, Cara, please stop squeezing your thighs, you’re killing me here.’

  Cara stilled. She was? With her heart drumming so loudly inside her head Cara couldn’t think of anything else except for the man holding her so tightly in his arms.

  She was completely aware of their near-nudity and of the warm silky water swirling around their hips. She could feel the fabric of his shorts rough against her core, her bikini so small it was as if it wasn’t even there.

  Her body felt boneless and she knew that if Aidan were to move his fingers just a little higher he would be able to feel how aroused she was. He would be able to move the tiny strip of fabric to the side and slip his fingers inside her already-parted flesh.

  Unable to prevent it, she let out a low moan and her lower body completely ignored Aidan’s instructions to hold still and pressed down against the thick ridge of his penis.

  He said a word she had once had a nanny wash her mouth out for and then his mouth captured hers and all the pent-up lust she had been trying to keep at bay broke over her like one of the waves surging around them.

  Aidan locked one hand in her hair and pressed the other into the small of her back, urging her even closer.

  Cara gave herself over to the warm thrust of his tongue and clutched his shoulders, running her hands over his strong back and revelling in the feel of his muscles bunching and releasing as he fought to keep them upright in the surf.

  She caught another of his deep groans in her mouth and then she felt his fingers slide beneath the fabric of her bikini bottoms and sanity returned. ‘Aidan!’

  She pushed at his shoulders when he didn’t immediately respond and then his fingers found her wetness and she nearly succumbed to the fever he caused inside of her. ‘Aidan, stop,’ she gasped weakly.

  Those skilful fingers withdrew and she wanted to take back her words and beg him to continue. When he slid them free of her bikini bottoms she made a low keening sound and buried her face against his neck, breathing in his musky male scent and willing her body to stop throbbing.

  She felt him lower his face against her hair and breathe deeply. He might have kissed her there, she wasn’t sure, but when she made to unwind her legs he stayed her. ‘Hold on.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘Just give me a minute.’

  Feeling a thrill race through her when she realised that he was as close to release as she had been, Cara didn’t move a muscle. His breathing was ragged beside her ear and after a minute she felt him pull himself back under control. A bird called overhead and she heard the muted sound of distant conversation farther along the beach.

  ‘We’re on the beach,’ she whispered unnecessarily.

  He pulled his head back and looked at her. ‘I know.’ His eyes, fiercely blue, were filled with hunger. ‘I think it’s time we got off it.’

  Cara heard the question implicit in his statement and she couldn’t look away. She knew if she gave him the slightest encouragement he would most likely take her back to their bungalow and make love to her. Her lower body clenched at the thought and her mouth went dry.

  Kissing Aidan, touching him, was one of the most electrifying experiences she had ever had in her life. No one else had ever come close to making her feel the same level of excitement that he did. So did she really care that they would be leaving later today and she would likely never see him again? Well, yes, she did. But she also knew that feelings like these didn’t come along very often and this might be her only chance to experience something truly magical.

  Taking a deep breath she pressed her fingers into his broad shoulders and stared up at him. ‘I think so, too.’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  THE SHORT WALK BACK to their bungalow seemed interminable and Aidan made it as far as kicking the front door closed before turning and pressing Cara up against it. Then he hooked a finger beneath her shoestring bikini strap and paused. His eyes met hers and Cara gave a breathless laugh as he tugged it down.

  ‘For a minute there I thought you were going to fix it,’ she said huskily.

  ‘I am.’ He curled another finger into its twin and gave another tug. ‘It’s in my way.’

  The tiny triangles of her bikini gave way and Aidan was spellbound.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said roughly, ‘so beautiful.’

  She whimpered at his words and threw her arms around his neck, plastering her exquisite breasts up against his naked chest, the firm tips pressing into his hard flesh like a brand. He groaned and crushed her mouth beneath his.

  Her taste was like the sweetest nectar and he framed her face and fed from her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth over and over, tasting her again and again. He couldn’t get enough of her and drew her up onto her toes and angled her head so that he could explore every inch of her sweetness until she had no secrets left to reveal to him.

  ‘Aidan.’ She whispered his name brokenly, her smoky voice filled with a desperate yearning. A desperate yearning he returned.

  She stared up at him, trying to catch her breath, her aqua blue eyes searching.

  He stilled.

  ‘Take out your contact lenses,’ he said roughly. He didn’t give a damn who she was channelling today but he wanted to know that it was her he was making love to. She could colour her hair whatever colour she wanted, wear whatever style of clothing she wanted, but on this he would not compromise. In this moment she would not hide herself from him.

  She paused, uncertainty crossing her lovely face. He circled his hands around her throat and tilted her chin up with his thumbs. ‘I want to see you, Cara. I want to watch your eyes darken when I fit myself inside you for the first time. I want to watch them glaze over when you come for me.’

  Breathing shallowly, she reached up between them and ducked her head as she slid first one smal
l disc and then the other out of her eyes.

  Then she looked up at him and his heart kicked against his ribs. His mind went blank, just as it had done in that moment at the airport when he’d gripped her upper arms after she’d stepped into his path. Then, he’d presumed that he had just been aggravated with her. Now … now … he just stared into eyes of the deepest, darkest brown. Rich and glossy like the colour of freshly roasted coffee beans. Warm, sincere and devastatingly beautiful.

  She blinked her gaze to the side as if embarrassed and suddenly he was back in the real world with a seminaked, sun-warmed woman in his arms. ‘Please promise me you won’t ever wear contact lenses around me again,’ he said thickly.

  She coloured and moistened her lips so he did what any man would do. He bent his head and took her mouth again. Her lips trembled beneath the force of his but he’d be damned if he’d give her the opportunity to close off from him again so he deepened the kiss even more. Filled her mouth with his essence and slid his hands to her waist. She whimpered and melted into him.

  At the feel of those small breasts nestling against his chest he broke from her mouth and kissed his way down her neck, arching her back over his arm so that her breasts were tilted upwards, his for the taking. He watched her as he rolled his tongue over first one rigid peak and then the other. Her brown eyes darkened and her dense lashes drooped over them. ‘Watch me,’ he commanded, waiting for her to peel her eyes open once again, and then he fastened his mouth over one tight tip and sucked her deep into his mouth.

  She cried out and curled her hands into his hair. He pushed her against the door and fell to his knees in front of her. Her sexy tattoo beckoned and he ran his tongue around it and had to press his hands into her hips when she bucked against him. He looked up to find her slumberous gaze watching his tongue dip in and out of her navel.

  The primal need to take her bit deep and he had to take a moment to steady himself. He was iron-bar hard and his body had one aim. To mate with her. To yank her to the floorboards and sink into her without preamble. Without finesse. Hell, without any foreplay.

  Forcing himself back from an edge he’d never found himself close to before he slid her bikini bottoms down her legs and tossed them away. Then he nuzzled her silky curls, breathed her warm woman’s scent into his blood and opened her for his mouth.

  She whimpered his name and lust shot through him; he’d never enjoyed playing with and torturing a woman so much. Almost immediately he could feel her body start to quake as it reached the brink of pleasure and he pulled back, wanting this first time when she came to be inside her. Joined with her.

  Not quite steady on his feet he rose and lashed his mouth over hers. She met his kiss with an urgency that matched his own, her hands clutching at his neck and shoulders.

  ‘Aidan, please …’

  ‘Undo my shorts,’ he commanded thickly.

  She did, her unsteady fingers fumbling first with the laces and then finally, thank God, finally, she peeled open the Velcro.

  ‘Oh, my.’ Her voice was hoarse as she pulled him free of his clothing and clutched him in her tight fist. ‘You feel amazing.’

  Aidan moved his hands to cup her and gently pushed a finger into her soft heat, thrusting in and out, preparing her for his possession. Even around his finger she felt snug. Wet. Perfect.

  Growling, he slid urgent hands to her thighs and lifted her, parting her. Her coconut-scented breasts rubbed against his chin and he made a deep, animalistic sound as he positioned himself and penetrated her tight sheath for the first time.

  It was like being thrown into the centre of a giant flame. His body burned with a fever that rattled the chains of his self-control. Sweat broke out over his skin and his legs felt perilously weak. Life as he knew it ceased to exist. There was only this moment. This woman.

  Her startled gasp brought him back into himself and he held still, sweat beading on his brow as he gave her time to get used to the feel of him filling her. God knew the feel of her was turning him inside out. The need to pound into her a driving force he had to concentrate to master.

  Unable to wait another minute he began to move slowly and closed his eyes against the sweet bliss of her tight body gripping him and pulling him deeper, as deep as he could go.

  Then he remembered contraception and swore.

  The force of the four-letter word made her rise up on him in surprise and it was all he could do not to shove her back down and finish the job.

  Her hands squeezed around his shoulders. ‘Please, Aidan, don’t—’

  ‘Condom,’ he muttered between rough breaths.

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Oh’ was right. When was the last time he’d forgotten one of those?

  ‘Are you protected?’

  She shook her head and her body gripped his. He groaned, clenched his teeth and pulled slowly out of her.

  Picking her up, he dropped her onto the single bed in his room.

  She didn’t move, her long limbs sprawled helplessly as she watched him roll a condom on.

  Then he climbed onto the bed and on top of her. He took a moment to cup her jaw. Kiss her. Then he widened her legs and powered back into her, his eyes locked with hers as he took in every nuance of her response to him. Shock. Wonder. Delight.

  And she was so responsive. Wrapping her long legs around his hips and holding him to her. Ignoring the fact that he’d never felt this good, never wanted a woman as much, he surged into her again and again until her harsh cries of completion filled his ears and only then did he let himself go completely.

  When they woke it was dark outside. Cara stretched and felt two hair-roughened legs tangled with her own and stilled. He had one arm around her, anchoring her to his side, her head pillowed on his chest. It felt good. So good. Too good.

  She lay still, breathing in the scent of sweat and man. She wanted to stay but she knew that nothing this good ever lasted.

  Memories came rushing back and her mind reeled. Had she ever felt like that before? Had she ever felt so completely taken by a man? So completely desired? Had lying in a man’s arms ever felt so wonderful?

  No.

  No to all of the above. Which was beyond concerning.

  Trying not to wake him she inched out of bed and headed for her room on slightly shaky legs.

  Even though it was dark she didn’t bother turning on a light until she reached the bathroom.

  When she did she glanced at herself in the mirror and released a slow breath. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were dark. Brown. They looked like two fathomless pools of churning emotion.

  Had she just made a huge mistake?

  ‘You’re thinking this has been a huge mistake.’

  Startled, Cara whirled around at the sound of Aidan’s deep voice and snatched a towel off the rail to hold in front of her body. Silly, really, when he had already seen all of her. Touched all of her … Kissed all of her …

  He leaned against the doorjamb wearing nothing but the board shorts from earlier, the Velcro hastily pulled together and doing little to hide the bulge beneath. Cara swallowed hard. He was so rampantly male he took her breath away just looking at him.

  ‘Aren’t you?’ she asked, her voice husky from lack of use.

  ‘Don’t worry about what I’m thinking.’ His voice brought her eyes back to his. ‘What are you thinking?’

  That this is all a huge mistake.

  And that she couldn’t stop wondering what he was thinking. It seemed more important than her own view on it. How silly was that?

  ‘You’re too sensitive, Cara.’ Her sister’s words came back to her.

  Was she? Was she being that now?

  And why couldn’t she be honest? Why couldn’t she say that she was worried that she had felt too much in his arms earlier? That she was sure that no man would ever make her feel the way Aidan did again, which scared the pants off her.

  Somehow she wasn’t that brave. She’d rather live in the grey world of half-truths than confront things a
nd be hurt by them.

  Unfortunately this man was more the confront-things-head-on type.

  ‘If it’s important for you to know what I’m thinking,’ he said, ‘then I’m thinking that tonight—or is it last night?—was sensational.’

  ‘Oh.’ Her hands tightened around the towel.

  ‘And that this doesn’t need to be complex. We can keep everything nice and simple.’

  ‘Simple?’ She knew there was a warning implicit in those words. A warning for her not to lose her heart most likely but her body really didn’t care.

  ‘Yeah.’ He moved closer. ‘Simple.’ A slow smile curled the edges of his lips. He stopped an inch away from touching her and smoothed her hair back behind her ears, catching one of her tiny braids between his fingers. ‘We’re two adults who share an explosive sexual chemistry that I, for one, am not finished exploring.’

  He leaned forward and kissed the corner of her lips. He touched her there briefly with his tongue before transferring his attention to the other side. Liquid heat pooled low in her pelvis and Cara closed her eyes to savour the sensations.

  ‘I’m not ready to go back to Sydney yet, either,’ he surprised her by adding. ‘I haven’t had a holiday for a long time. I thought I might try and embrace a little Fiji time. Why don’t you embrace it with me?’

  Why didn’t she? Because things had a tendency to go wrong for her.

  He lifted his mouth from hers and shifted slightly back from her. ‘No pressure.’

  No pressure. Is that what she needed? She didn’t know. She only knew that she needed him.

  ‘I have to be in London by Sunday for the Demarche unveiling,’ she reminded him.

  He nuzzled her neck and her pulse jumped in her throat. ‘Then we’ll leave Friday. Is that soon enough for you?’

  ‘Yes, but … “we”?’

  ‘You said you don’t like being alone. Unless of course you have another date lined up?’