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“I hope so.” And he truly did. Even if they weren’t intimate, he loved the feel of her in his arms. It was simply right, like she belonged there.Like she belonged to him.
She bristled, but surprisingly didn’t demand her immediate release. He waited a minute, and then a few more. He might’vegiven up ecstasy, but he had no regrets. If it made her see the possibilities, it would be well worthwhile.
She sighed softly, shifting in his arms. Her breathing turned even and deep, her chest rising and falling in gentle rhythm. Satisfaction rose. She might act tough and hard, but underneath it all there was a softness to her. She trusted him to take care of her while she slept.
Hopefully his plan would work. He had just over a week to persuade her to admit the truth, because once work resumed it would be all but impossible. He pulled her even closer, smiling when she gave a little mewl of satisfaction. Tomorrow she would have an even harder time resisting him.
He would make sure of it.
Cheyenne awoketo a cool breeze and the sounds of birds in morning song. She snuggled closer to the source of heat under the vegan down blanket. The band of warmth surrounding her tightened.
Wait – what band of warmth?
Or ratherwhose?
She shot up, or rather she tried, but the arm tightened and prevented it. “Julian!” she hissed. “Wake up!”
His response: pull her a little closer.
Every sense became overloaded with unfulfilled desire, as vibrant light illuminated the world, brightest at the open portal. Wait – the open portal? “I know you’re awake. You opened the windows.”
“Did I?” The fully awake voice held no remorse. “I suppose I’m caught.”
“Let. Me. Go.”
“Never.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Mind,” he added. “Never-mind.”
Only that’s not what he’d planned to say, and certainly not what he meant. An unbidden shiver made taut muscles quiver. “Are you planning on letting me go?”
“I’m considering it, but leaning toward no.”
“And I’m leaning toward a charge of false imprisonment.”
He finally let her go, but not before bringing her closer for a good morning embrace. And, damn, she enjoyed it. “Don’t get any ideas,” she warned. “You were right yesterday to stop our extracurricular activities.”No, he wasn’t.“Since I’m not giving in to your so-called blackmail, we’ll never have to worry about that again.”Yeah, right.It would be a miracle if she made it past noon.
“Sure,” he said with the ease of a man who knew he’d already won. “Ready to get started?”
Oh, she was ready all right. She’d start with his neck, then his chest, then lower… She licked her lips, stopped her thoughts.Noon was seeming optimistic.
“Would you like a tour of the island?”
“That sounds great!” She jumped at the distraction, a little too enthusiastically, perhaps.
He grinned. “I’m glad you like the idea. Breakfast is bagels, cream cheese and fruit, and there are picnic lunches in the fridge. It’s a pretty small island so we shouldn’t have any trouble walking it.”
“Sounds good.” Somehow, she managed to temper her voice as she slowly rolled out of bed,accidentallybrushing against Julian. She stretched, annoyingly well rested after sleeping in his arms all night. “What a coincidence you told me to bring extra clothes, almost as if you knew we’d be stuck on this island.”
“Isn’t it?” He smiled broadly.
“You have no guilt whatsoever, do you?”
“Not the slightest.”
She couldn’t stop a small laugh. “All right then, let’s go check out this island prison… I mean paradise.”