The Seduction Season (HQR Presents)

by Helen Bianchin

  She’d thought to delight in his loss of it, but nothing prepared her for the deep, penetrating invasion that took hold of her emotions and tossed them high.

  Her hands reached for his shoulders and she simply clung to him until the storm inside began to diminish. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lightened the kiss until his lips merely brushed against her own, then he linked his arms at the base of her spine.

  His eyes were dark, so dark they were almost black, and there was a waiting quality evident beneath the sensual warmth.

  The next move was hers. He was giving her the option to move away from him, say any words by way of excuse, then leave.

  If she stayed, it would be because she wanted to, not due to any unfair persuasion on his part.

  Indecision warred temporarily as she fought desire with sanity.

  How could you know a man for months, a year, longer, yet not really know him at all? Then meet another, and see almost at once the heart of the man beneath the many layers fashioned by time and experience?

  She could turn away and never know the joy he offered, or the depth of emotion they could share. Yet what was the price she might have to pay?

  Sadly, she had the feeling it would be way too high.

  ‘I think I’d better go.’

  Sebastian leaned forward and brushed his lips against her forehead. ‘I could tell you not to think. Just to feel.’

  She lifted her head and met his steady gaze. There was a depth apparent that frightened her. Not out of a sense of threat, but something she was too afraid to define.

  ‘I know.’ Her voice came out as a husky whisper. She even managed a shaky smile. ‘But you won’t.’

  He let his arms fall to his sides, and watched the fleeting emotions chase across her expressive features.

  Then he watched as she took a backward step, then turned and walked to the door.

  ‘Be ready at nine.’

  Her hand froze as she reached for the latch, and she cast him a startled glance over one shoulder.

  ‘Our picnic, remember?’ A slow smile spread his mouth. ‘I’ll organise the food.’

  Anneke recovered quickly. ‘Nine.’ Then she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her.

  She’d left a light on inside her aunt’s cottage, and it provided a welcoming glow as she crossed the path.

  Sleep didn’t come easily. Nor did peace of mind. But then she hadn’t expected it to.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ANNEKE woke at dawn, opened one eye, groaned, then rolled over and tried to capture sleep. Two hours would be great, but she’d settle for one.

  Ten minutes later she gave up on it and slid out of bed. An early-morning swim, then she’d shower, have breakfast, and package the small Christmas cakes designated as gifts ready to consign to the postal services tomorrow.

  She expected to see Sebastian on the beach, but he was nowhere in sight. She ran the length of the cove, then stripped down to her swimsuit for a leisurely swim.

  It was almost eight-thirty when Aunt Vivienne rang to report that Elise was progressing so well the doctors were confident she’d go close to full term.

  ‘How are you getting on with Sebastian, Anneke?’

  Oh, my, now there was a question! What would her kindly aunt think if Anneke went with total honesty and said she was on the verge of going to bed with him?

  ‘Fine.’ That covered a multitude of contingencies.

  ‘Why don’t you fly up and join us for Christmas, darling? I know Sebastian is going to Paris, and I don’t like to think of you at the cottage alone.’

  ‘That’s thoughtful of you,’ Anneke declared warmly, grateful for the option of spending the festive season with family.

  It was almost nine when she smoothed a hand down the seam of her designer jeans, then slid nervous fingers along the ribbed hem of the skinny top she’d chosen to wear.

  A knock on the door heralded Sebastian’s arrival, and she caught hold of her bag, collected her sunglasses, then crossed to open the kitchen door.

  Clad in dark blue jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled part-way up each forearm, he looked far too vibrant for any girl’s peace of mind.

  ‘Good morning.’

  Sunglasses made it impossible for her to detect his expression, and she matched his smile with one of her own.

  Sebastian headed the Range Rover north when they reached the open highway.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘The Gold Coast hinterland. Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s.’ He spared her a warm glance. ‘We’ll feed the lorikeets, have lunch, then maybe head down to Surfers Paradise for an hour or two.’

  The sun was hot, tempered by a slight breeze, and Anneke was delighted by the friendly lorikeets. Feeding time was something else as the brightly coloured green and red plumed parrots settled on her arms then walked up onto her shoulders. Some even settled on her head, and she laughed when one became over-curious with the band confining her hair. His claws became tangled in the single thick plait, and his squawking brought Sebastian to the rescue.

  ‘Hold still.’

  ‘Believe me, I wouldn’t think of doing anything else,’ she assured him as he moved in close.

  Too close. She was intensely aware of his shirt-clad chest and shoulders only mere inches from her cheek. Clean fabric mingled with the faint musky tones of his aftershave, and played havoc with her senses.

  ‘He won’t hurt you,’ Sebastian murmured. ‘He’s just frightened.’

  That makes two of us. But it wasn’t the parrot she was afraid of.

  ‘There,’ Sebastian reassured. ‘He’s free.’ He caught hold of her chin and lifted it. ‘His claws didn’t scratch you?’

  ‘No.’ Her mouth was inches away from his, and she had to control the temptation to reach up and pull his head down to hers.

  ‘Hungry?’

  ‘Yes.’ It was true. The mountain air had given her an appetite.

  ‘Come on, then.’ He caught hold of her hand and tugged her towards the path leading to where the land cruiser was parked.

  Sebastian unlocked the rear door and opened up a portable cooler.’ Voilà.’

  There were fresh steaks, crisp lettuce, fresh fruit, mineral water and a bottle of wine.

  ‘You came prepared.’

  His eyes challenged hers. ‘Always.’

  She doubted if anyone had managed to gain the element of surprise with this man. He was intensely vital, acutely alert, and far too discerning to be caught unawares.

  Gas-fired barbecues were positioned at intervals on a grassed area adjacent the car park, and there were tables with fixed umbrellas to shade picnic-makers from the sun.

  Sebastian took hold of the cooler. ‘Let’s grab a niche over there. I’ll cook the steaks while you mix the salad.’

  They drank a glass of superb Lambrusco with their meal, and washed the fruit down with mineral water.

  Anneke rose to her feet and stacked plates and cutlery into a plastic bag ready to place in the cooler.

  ‘Feeling energetic?’

  She lifted both shoulders in a light shrugging gesture. ‘Not particularly.’

  So she hadn’t slept much either. After an hour of tossing and turning, he’d pulled on a pair of jeans, booted up the computer and worked until three.

  He collected the cooler and stored it in the rear of the Range Rover. ‘Then let’s head down to the Coast.’

  More than an hour later they were seated at one of many tables overlooking the broadwater, savouring cappuccinos. It was a relaxed atmosphere, with numerous people wandering the boardwalk, admiring the many craft moored at the adjacent marina.

  The physique, the hair, the dark, attractive features earned Sebastian more than a few covetous glances from the women who passed by their table.

  ‘Oh, my,’ Anneke declared, sotto voce. ‘I think you have made a conquest. That’s the second time one particular blonde has walked this way. Perhaps I should go powder my nose and leave a clear f
ield?’

  ‘Do that, and I’ll take evasive action,’ Sebastian drawled.

  ‘You’ll go powder your nose?’

  He tipped his sunglasses further down his nose and speared her a level look over the rims. ‘Kiss you in such a manner there’ll be no doubt you are my only interest.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you be taking an enormous risk?’ Anneke queried sweetly. ‘I might push you over the railing into the water.’

  ‘Then we’d both look foolish,’ he intoned lazily as he leaned forward and trailed light fingers down her cheek.

  Her eyes dilated fractionally at his featherlight touch, and her lips quivered as he traced their fullness with his thumb.

  ‘You’ve been treading on eggshells all day,’ he said gently. ‘Waiting for me to pounce?’

  She held his gaze. ‘I think you have a strategy,’ she said with innate honesty. ‘I just need to figure out which ploy you intend to use.’

  Sebastian laughed, a soft, chuckling sound deep in his throat. He stood to his feet, anchored a ten-dollar bill beneath one saucer, then reached for her hand. ‘Come on, let’s walk.’

  They explored the upmarket shopping complex, then wandered to the wharf market where fresh seafood was sold direct from the fish trawlers.

  Anneke examined the prawns, the many varieties of crustaceans. They looked succulent, mouthwatering. ‘I promised you dinner.’ She shot him a teasing grin. ‘Are you willing to trust me?’

  ‘You want to take some of these home?’

  ‘I’m buying,’ she insisted as he extracted his wallet. ‘I mean it,’ she said fiercely.

  He lifted both hands in the air. ‘OK.’

  She chose carefully, with the expertise of a market haggler, selecting, rejecting, until she was satisfied she had the best of the best.

  ‘Let’s get this into the cooler and head home.’ Her mind was already busy with the preparation she needed to make, the time factor, a mental rundown of salad makings in the refrigerator.

  It was almost seven when they reached the cottage. ‘Give me an hour,’ Anneke said as she extracted the seafood from the cooler. That would give her time to shower and change, and have the food ready on the table.

  ‘I’ll bring the wine.’

  She managed it with five minutes to spare, and spent four of those minutes wondering if she should change blue jeans for black dress jeans, add blusher and eyeshadow or just stick with lipstick. Perfume?

  A knock at the door precluded the necessity for either, and she crossed the kitchen and let him in.

  Sebastian took the bottle of chilled white wine to the servery. ‘Shall I open this?’

  Anneke handed him the corkscrew. ‘Please.’

  He’d showered, shaved and changed into casual dark trousers and a pale blue shirt. Aunt Vivienne’s kitchen wasn’t large, and he seemed to fill it.

  She extracted two glasses and set them on the table as he eased the cork out from the neck of the bottle.

  ‘Anything I can do to help?’

  ‘It’s all done.’ Did she sound as nervous as she felt?

  He leaned forward and covered her mouth with his own, taking advantage of her surprise by bestowing an erotic tasting. He lingered a few seconds, then lifted his head.

  She looked…momentarily startled, and her slight confusion pleased him. ‘Shall we eat?’

  Oysters mornay, chilli prawns, and crustaceans in their shells, split in half and the flesh coated with a delicate sauce and grilled. Fresh salad greens, and a baguette she’d heated to crunchy perfection in the oven.

  ‘Magnificent,’ Sebastian declared, with the pleasure of a man who had eaten well. ‘More wine?’

  ‘No,’ Anneke refused quickly, and earned a slight smile.

  ‘The need for a clear head?’

  She didn’t answer, didn’t dare. ‘I’ll make coffee.’

  Her movements were mechanical as she set up the coffee-maker, and when she turned to open the cupboard he was right there.

  ‘Sebastian—’ His lips settled over the vulnerable hollow at the edge of her neck, and she lost track of whatever it was she’d intended to say.

  His mouth was warm, his tongue an erotic instrument as he teased the pulsing cord, savoured it, then used the edge of his teeth to take delicate nips from the sensitive hollows.

  She made one last-ditch effort at protest, only to have it die in her throat as he turned her fully into his arms and covered her mouth with his own.

  One hand lifted to cup her nape while the other slid down her back and pressed her close against him.

  His arousal was a potent force, and she felt her bones begin to melt as liquid fire coursed through her veins. Each sensory nerve-end was heightened to acute awareness, and her body leaned in close to his as he deepened the kiss to an imitation of the sexual act itself.

  Anneke wanted to feel his flesh, taste him in a tactile exploration that would drive him wild. Her fingers slid to the opening of his shirt, freed each button, then she trailed butterfly kisses across his chest, tangled her tongue in the whorls of hair, took possession of one male nipple, and suckled.

  His body shuddered, then tautened as firm hands clasped hold of her waist, and it was she who cried out as he lifted her onto the servery, then parted her thighs and positioned himself between them.

  His eyes were dark and impossibly slumberous as he tugged her top free from her jeans, then pulled it over her head. The bra clip slipped open with ease, and he slid the straps down her arms and dispensed with the scrap of silk and lace.

  Then he buried his face in the valley between her breasts and caressed the soft curves, tormented and teased each roseate peak, then trailed a path down to her navel.

  Her jeans were a barrier he dispensed with with ease, tugging them free and dropping them onto the floor.

  He kissed her, gently at first, then with an increasingly demanding possession, and when he at last lifted his head she could only look at him in shaken silence.

  Sebastian didn’t have to ask. The unspoken question was apparent in his stance, the liquid darkness of his eyes, the curve of his mouth.

  A slight shudder ran through her body. If she turned away now, she’d never know his touch. And she wanted to, badly.

  Not just the physical. She wanted more, much more than that. His heart, his soul. Everything.

  Maybe, just maybe, she should take the gamble and run with it. Let emotions take her wherever he led.

  A week could be a lifetime. And better to experience a week of heaven than never to experience it at all.

  Slowly she reached out and slid her fingers to his nape, where a clip fastened the leather strip that bound his hair. Her eyes never left his as she slipped it free. Then she forked her fingers through the silken river of black, and spread it out so that it flowed onto his shoulders.

  It gave him a rakish look that was pure pagan, primitive, and it was a gesture she’d wanted to make ever since she’d first stepped into this kitchen and found him making tea.

  His smile was slow and infinitely sensual as he copied her actions, releasing the thin elastic band at the base of her plait, then threading his fingers through the length of her hair.

  It was the expression in his eyes that made her catch her breath and caused her pulse to quicken to a much faster beat.

  ‘I think,’ she said shakily, ‘you’d better take me out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.’

  He played the game, teasing her gently. ‘You think so?’

  ‘Otherwise I may never be able to cook or serve food in here again.’

  Sebastian laughed. A deep, husky sound that curled into the recesses of her heart. ‘Put your arms round my neck.’

  Anneke did as she was told, and he kissed her long and deep, then he carried her through to the bedroom, switched on the light, and let her slide down to her feet.

  In one easy movement he sought the pocket of his jeans, extracted a slim foil square and slipped it beneath one pillow.

  Mesmerised, sh
e stood still as he popped the studs on his jeans, then shucked them off. The thin covering of black silk sheathing his manhood followed, and her eyes widened at the sight of him.

  His was a savage beauty. Primal, powerful. A man who could show great strength, even cruelty. Yet there was a tenderness apparent, an acute caring for those who were sufficiently fortunate to win his trust, his love.

  Sebastian reached for her, pulling her in close as he tumbled them both down onto the bed. He was hungry for her, wanting, needing to sheath himself in the silken sweetness of woman. Not just any woman. This woman.

  He needed to show her the difference. Knew, hoped, that she would know.

  Anneke let her fingers splay over taut muscles at his shoulders, trailed them to explore his ribcage, then slid down over his flanks to urge him close.

  ‘Non, mon ange. We are just beginning.’

  He took pleasure in the tasting of her skin, every inch of it, with the pads of his fingers, his lips. And felt her pulse quicken, her breath become erratic and fast.

  Her body began to feel like the strings of a finely tuned violin, his touch creating magic that reverberated along each nerve fibre until her whole being sang to a tune that had never been played.

  The feeling was so intense she could hardly bear it, and her hands became more urgent as she began to plead with him to ease the ache deep within.

  He soothed her as she arched against him, caressing the moist heat with a touch that brought her to one explosive climax after another.

  It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough, and she became a wild wanton in his arms, pliant, bewitching, his.

  He entered her slowly, allowing the silken tissues to stretch to accommodate him, then he drove forward with one powerful thrust.

  Anneke gasped at the level of penetration, absorbed it, then met and matched his rhythm, unable to prevent the soft guttural cries that escaped her lips as he took her higher and higher to the brink, held her there, then caught her when she fell. And kissed the light tears as they trickled from her eyes.

  Sebastian curled her close in the circle of his arms, and she dozed for a while, then stirred at the movement of a hand sliding low over one hip.