“He gets a little overexcited,” Lucas said.
“That’s fine by me. It’s nice to be wanted,” Sam said absently as she wiped her face with the towel and followed Lucas into the open-air living room. Rendered cement floors flowed into other rooms; wide leather couches dominated one area, with hardwood tables and chairs tucked into another. Color was brought in with pops of blues and reds in the vibrant island photos that covered the walls.
“These photos are great,” Sam said, nodding to a particularly charming one of a seahorse.
“Thanks. I have fun taking them,” Lucas said as he led Sam down a hallway to the bedrooms.
“They’re yours?” Sam gushed.
“Yes, just a hobby. I love diving, so it’s fun to try and capture some images of what I see underwater.”
“Isn’t diving scary? What if a shark comes?”
Lucas turned and smiled at her.
“Then I jump in the water and take a picture of it.”
“Oh. Hmmm,” Sam said, unable to form sentences for a moment because they stood about two inches apart in the doorway of his bedroom. Her brain suddenly skewed to danger of another sort as she eyed the massive driftwood bed that dominated the room. It shocked her to realize that she wanted to drop her towel and tug Lucas into the room and indulge in all sorts of deliciously naughty things that she was too prudish to even come up with. But if she was a mermaid, Sam thought, she’d know what to do.
“Pretty bed,” Sam managed, swallowing past the need.
“Thanks. I had it custom-made by a builder on the island. He also made similar ones for the guest rooms,” Lucas said, continuing down the hallway and popping open doors as he went. The villa was lovely, arranged so that guests could have their privacy, and done up in cool soothing tones that invited one to relax after a hot day in the sun. Sam found herself wishing her life could be like that – spending more time outside and less time in conference rooms.
“Let’s go check on lunch,” Lucas said, reaching out for her hand and tugging her back down the hallway toward the patio. A little tendril of warmth trailed up her arm at his touch and she delighted in how good something as simple as holding hands made her feel. It felt nice to be wanted, she realized, just for her presence alone – not for her job or who her parents were.
“Your house is beautiful,” Sam said as Lucas deftly plated the food and slid it onto a stone table already set with plates. Opening a small cooler, he brought out a pitcher of what looked to be tea. “Do you rent or own?”
“Thank you. I rented here for years, I’m not sure why – I could have saved myself money if I had just purchased a place early on. I guess I was waiting for the right place to find me. And when this one did, well… I wasn’t even going to look at it as it was further from town than I thought I wanted. But, well, just look at this.” Lucas gestured to the beach and the stunning ocean view that presented itself. “It’s hard to say no to that view. Plus, I quickly realized I didn’t mind being further out from town. I’m a bit of a homebody, I’ve learned.”
“Were you not always?” Sam asked, sampling a bit of the grilled pineapple. The warm sweetness of the fruit exploded on her tongue and she almost groaned in ecstasy. Why had she never thought about grilling pineapple before?
“No. But it took me years to realize that the party-hard ‘see and be seen’ lifestyle was not something I wanted. The costs are too great,” Lucas said, a shadow passing over his handsome face.
Sam studied him for a moment. “What was the cost for you?” she asked softly.
“I lost a friend to drugs,” Lucas said, his tone flat as he took a slug of his iced tea. “It crushed me.”
“Were you with him? Doing drugs with him?” Sam asked, realizing just how little she knew about the man who sat before her. Pipin came over and nudged her with his nose, looking hopefully up at her plate of chicken.
“No – well, not the drugs part. But I certainly participated in the fast lifestyle of clubs, drinking, and being seen at the best places in town. That ‘money talks’ sort of way of life. Jack, my friend and one of my partners, took that further by getting too deeply into cocaine. Turns out he had also had a weak heart. The mix ultimately ended him. Losing him… well, it brought my life into perspective.”
“And so you ended up here,” Sam surmised. “What did you do for work?”
“We were hedge fund managers,” Lucas said, smiling a little at Sam’s look of surprise. “I know, hardly the ones that you’d think would party hard. But there was just so much money floating around and we were young. I think it was too much altogether.”
“What happened when you left the company?”
“The other partners weren’t happy with me, but they could hardly give me a hard time for it. Losing Jack made me realize that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working for other people and living a life that, ultimately, left me empty inside.”
“And your family? Did they support your choice?”
“It’s just my mom. My father took off when I was young. She worked several jobs to support me growing up. Part of why I worked so hard was to give back to her. But she’s always wanted me to be happy, and I think she worried when I was at the firm. She seems much more content now. Granted, she loves having her island retreat to come to, so I don’t think she’s complaining,” Lucas laughed.
“Where does she live?”
“I moved her out of Chicago and bought her a condo in Florida. She’s got a great little group of friends down there and she’s enjoying her life, even though I couldn’t get her to fully retire. The woman does like to work. She’s part-time at a garden center. Now her biggest gripe is her lack of grandchildren.”
“Do you want kids?” Sam asked, tilting her head as she studied him. She wondered what kind of father he would be.
“No, I’ve never particularly wanted them,” Lucas said. “What about you?”
“To be honest? No, I don’t want children,” Sam said, feeling a flush heat her face at the admission. “Which may be horrible to say as a woman, but that’s the truth. I think it’s because I didn’t have a very happy upbringing. Or perhaps I’m just not maternal.”
“Judging by the way you’re sneaking Pipin chicken and smothering him with love, I wouldn’t say you’re not maternal.” Lucas laughed when Sam flashed him a guilty look.
“Sorry. Should I not feed him from the table?”
“It’s fine. You’ve made a friend for life now,” Lucas said, leaning back to pat his belly, which had Sam ogling his bare chest again. “I don’t think it’s horrible to not want children. I’d say it’s better you know yourself than to bring a child into this world if you don’t want to be a mother.”
“Thank you for that. I wish other people in my life would see that I don’t want the same things they do,” Sam ground out. She sipped her tea, the cool liquid seeming to soothe the burn of resentment a bit.
“Ah, your parents pushing you to have kids?”
“They push me to do everything they want,” Sam said.
“Hm, that doesn’t sound fun. Want to tell me about it?” Lucas asked.
Sam found that she did, actually, want to tell him about it. She gave him a quick run-through of how they’d dominated her life choices and used guilt as a tool to keep her in line.
“Just from a casual observation, that almost sounds abusive or toxic,” Lucas said, his tone gentle.
Sam’s mouth dropped open. “Oh… no. No. They just want what’s best for me,” Sam said, honestly shocked at his perception of things.
“They want you to fall in line with their demands. When you step outside the norm or tell them that you’re not going to do what they want, they tell you to ‘have a nice life.’ Wouldn’t you say that’s a little emotionally manipulative? Like a child stomping their feet and having a tantrum until you give in to what they want? It’s extremely controlling and plays on your emotions. Even more telling is that you’re sitting here feeling guilty and defending them. A
ll in all, I’d say that’s quite the mind fuck they’ve pulled on you.”
“I…” Sam was a bit shocked at his harsh assessment, but let it sit with her a moment. “Well, I honestly don’t know what to say. I’ve never looked at it like that before.”
“Unconditional love should be just that – without conditions. It shouldn’t be only given if orders are followed. You’re a grown woman, Samantha. You have every right to make choices for yourself, that you feel are best for you, and expect your family to support you. That’s normal,” Lucas said.
“You’re right. I’m a little bit embarrassed to say it, but you’re absolutely right. I can’t believe I’ve been living under this for so long. It’s not like I’m a bad person or doing dumb things with my life. But I just want to be able to make those choices – myself. Even if I screw it up. At the very least, I’ll have learned from it, you know?” Sam shrugged a shoulder and turned back to her plate. She was surprised to realize she’d eaten everything on her plate.
“So what’s stopping you now?” Lucas asked.
Sam found herself grinning at him, feeling a newfound power slip through her. She wondered if this was the inner mermaid power Irma had instructed her to find. Whatever it was, it felt great.
“Absolutely nothing,” Sam said, and stood.
Chapter 22
“I’ll clean the plates, you just relax.” Lucas immediately stood as well, but Sam ignored his words and went over to stand in front of him. Looking up, she pressed a hand to his chest and smiled.
“What if I don’t want to relax?”
“Vacations are meant for relaxing,” Lucas said, his tone light though his look had sharpened.
“Will you kiss me again? Like last night?” Sam said, feeling nerves skitter through her stomach. She wished she could be like Lola or Jolie and just grab the man’s head and kiss him breathless.
“It’s all I’ve been thinking about,” Lucas admitted, sending heat racing straight through her core as he lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, and then lingered.
Sam’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned into him, tasting pineapple and something deeper – more elemental – on his lips. The leaves of the palms fluttered overhead, the breeze bringing with it the scent of salt from the waves that crashed gently on the beach below. For a second, the world drifted away, and nothing mattered but this moment and this man.
She wanted to feel free. To start over – to do something right now that she could clasp to her heart and hold in her memory, to be taken out on those long boring days at work and relived with bittersweet angst. Sliding her hands up his chest, she marveled at the feel of him, sun-warmed skin and hard muscles under her palms, and she was delighted to find that she wanted to follow the trail of her hands with her mouth. Pulling back, Sam shot him a glance from beneath her lids before reaching up on her tiptoes and beginning to press kisses down his neck.
Lucas let out a breath and Sam was shocked to realize that the man was fighting to hold onto his control.
Because of her. She was doing that to him.
And if the hardness pressed against her stomach was any indication, Lucas was anything but bored with her. Enthralled, Sam continued to explore his body with her hands, trailing her hands over the carved muscles in his arms, then back down his chest to toy daringly with the tie of his board shorts. At her touch, he grabbed both of her wrists in his hands and pulled them away from his shorts, devouring her mouth with a kiss that seared its way straight to her brain.
“Sam,” he gasped against her mouth.
“Lucas,” Sam said, laughing at him.
“You make it hard to want to take it slow with you. I promised myself I would take it slow,” Lucas said, still holding her wrists tight. Sam found that being unable to touch him only made her want him more.
“Nobody said you had to take it slowly,” Samantha argued, biting his lower lip in frustration.
“You’re the kind of girl who needs to take it slow,” Lucas said.
Samantha almost stamped her foot in frustration. “That makes me sound like a boring fuddy-duddy,” she groused.
“Trust me, you are anything but boring,” Lucas laughed down at her, still holding her hands. “But I want to let you bloom – to let Siren Island work its magic on you. That takes time, and trust.”
“I…” Sam licked her lips and Lucas narrowed his eyes, bending to kiss where she had just licked. “I don’t know if I want you to take it slow. I’m nervous and I think I need you to just push me past that.”
“I’ll never push a woman,” Lucas said. “And we will get where we both want this to go. But, you see… there’s this thing they say about island time.”
“What’s that?” Sam said, a haze of lust clouding her thinking. The man had just admitted he wanted her in bed.
“See, on the island, we like to take things nice and slow. There’s no rush to get anywhere, you understand? Small pleasures are meant to be enjoyed,” Lucas said, nudging her backward until she felt the brush of the hammock swing hit the back of her knees. Carefully, Lucas lowered Sam until she sat, rocking gently in the hammock and staring directly at… well, she blushed and looked back up at him.
“So, you’re telling me no?” Sam asked, trying to focus on what he was saying.
“I’m saying that I’m going to seduce you, Samantha Jameson. Nice and slow, until all you can think about is being with me – us together – when we’re both ready,” Lucas said, and Sam’s stomach dropped when he knelt between her legs. His hands brushed lightly across her breasts, toying with the strings to her bikini top. Sam wanted to scream – she felt like she would explode if he didn’t take her soon. The stress of life, everything, seemed to just fill her up and she wanted to, for one moment, forget it all.
Seeming to sense the frustration radiating from her, Lucas shocked her by untying the bottom of her bikini as he trailed kisses up her leg.
“Now, lay back, look up at the sky, and let me do things my way – nice and slow,” Lucas said.
Samantha gulped and then suppressed a nervous giggle when his mouth found the spot where she wanted him most. Shocked, Samantha leaned back in the hammock, throwing an arm over her head and doing exactly as he told her to. It didn’t take long before the heat built deep inside of her and it was all almost too much for her. The press of his mouth, the gentle sway of the hammock, the soft play of the sunlight that filtered through the palm trees – it all combined to have Sam teetering on the brink in moments.
Even though she wanted to prolong the sensation, Sam found she couldn’t wait any more and tipped over the edge into exquisite bliss – a gift from a man who expected nothing from her, asked for nothing in return. As the final waves of pleasure rippled through her, Sam pulled her arm from above her head and glanced shyly down at a grinning Lucas.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Sam said, words failing her.
“Say, ‘Thank you, Lucas, that was lovely,’” Lucas decided, smiling devilishly as he pulled her to standing. She gasped and grabbed at the strings of her bikini to tie it back around her hip.
“Thank you, Lucas. Can I… um…” Sam blushed again, wishing she wasn’t so awkward with this stuff.
“Cuddle with me in the hammock for a siesta? Absolutely,” Lucas said, surprising her, as he pulled her toward a longer hammock tucked between two palms in the shade. In moments, he’d deposited her next to him so that her head nestled on his chest and his arm was wrapped around her. Sam squirmed against him a bit, setting the hammock rocking, and found she couldn’t keep the silly smile from her face.
“You do that, um, well,” Sam finally said, glancing up Lucas as chuckled. Bending down a little, he brushed a kiss against her lips, then gave her a searing look.
“I want you to look at me the next time we’re together and remember where my mouth has been and the pleasure I’ve given you,” Lucas said, his eyes hot on her hers.
“Oh my,” Sam gasped and buried her head against
his chest as he chuckled once more, the vibration of his laughter rumbling in his chest.
As afternoons went, Sam thought before she drifted off, it was one for the books.
Chapter 23
“You did what?” Lola screeched into the phone so loudly the next morning that Samantha had to hold the phone away from her ear. Sam had to admit, it felt good to be the one who had a deliciously naughty story to tell for once.
“You heard me,” Samantha said, bending over to apply another coat of red polish to her toes. Turning the bottle over, she checked the name – Siren. Squinting, Sam thought about when she’d bought this bottle. About a week before the trip, she was at a store picking up antacids and had seen it displayed on a little rack by the checkout. Typically, Sam stayed with neutral colors, but had picked the bottle up on impulse and tossed it in her basket. Had she noticed the name at the time, she wondered? Was that the subliminal message that had added an extra boost for her to book this trip? Either way, Sam was beginning to think it was one of the best decisions she’d made in years.
“I am in awe. Shock and awe over here,” Lola said, “And so damn proud of you. I like this new Samantha. I know you have a lot going on in your head and a whole lot of real life to deal with, but I am so proud of you for letting go, even if it’s just for a little bit, and letting yourself live life a little on the wild side.”
“Lola, I have a confession to make,” Sam said, making her voice serious.
“Oh no, what did you do?” Lola breathed.
“I think I might like it on the wild side,” Sam said and laughed when Lola cheered again.
“You know what I like about this guy? That he napped with you after. I mean… that says something, doesn’t it?”
“That he was tired?” Sam asked, keeping her tone light. She didn’t want – no, she refused to look any deeper into this situation with Lucas. The clock was ticking on her time on Siren Island. It wouldn’t do for her to get too attached to him.
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