Holiday Affair (2 page)

“What a shame all the tents are so close,” she breathed into his ear. “No privacy here, and I show my appreciation rather loudly.”

Lissy pursed her lips, fighting to keep a straight face.

She tried to hold back her laughter, imagining herself as a femme fatale, a passionate woman of the world, and a lusty participant in the bedroom. Nothing could be further from the truth—especially the last few years when she’d buried herself in her studies and research.

She quickly lowered her head to hide the laughter in her eyes and Nick pulled her close, whispering in her ear.

“Don’t cry. I’ll take care of you.” Lissy looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. She swallowed the giggle bubbling in her throat and then reached up as though she was going to kiss him.

“Sorry, buddy, you’ve lost your bet tonight.” Pushing him away, she strolled across to the group around the fire and sat down next to the Italian girls. After tying her sarong tightly around her breasts, she clenched her hands to still the shaking of her fingers.

Yes, a real femme fatale.

Nick had first noticed her standing apart from the group of noisy backpackers at the marina that morning. Boarding the vessel alone, she had kept to herself all day. Deep in thought as the old schooner sailed across the Whitsunday Passage to Hook Island, he noticed her brush away tears a couple of times. He had also taken several long appreciative looks at her sunbathing on the front deck from his vantage point high up the mast as he rigged the sails. After watching her all day, he was not surprised to feel that jolt of heat run through his body. She had a tilted nose with a light sprinkling of freckles and full red lips. Red-gold hair fell in a tangle of curls to brush her delicate bare shoulders. She was older than most of the backpackers on the charter, but had a maturity and a beauty that made him look again…and again. It would have been an enjoyable way to end his last trip on the boat.

No commitment, no strings attached; just the way he liked it.

Now, Nick was angry at his stupidity in getting himself entangled in this situation on his last day on the boat. It was because of that stupid bet. He had lost control of the situation when he had been so attracted to Lissy. On the other trips this week, he had shared a few flirtatious kisses with the chosen girls to win the wager with the crew. When he looked down at Lissy, he had been lost in her sad, dark eyes. As he shifted his eyes to her soft mouth, her lips had beckoned him. He had only to dip his head slightly and he could have covered her mouth with his own, savoring the tempting sweetness of those luscious lips.

He shook his head in frustration.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m getting soft.

It was time to get back to work and finish the blasted report or the funding would dry up. The recent calls from his family indicated it was time to go home and be the dutiful son and brother for a while. The emails from his mother hinted at upcoming changes in the family, and how much they missed him. The pull of Italian blood was strong. As much as he hated to admit it, he loved his time back in Armidale on the family farm.
La mia famiglia…

the close bond that held his brothers and sisters together no matter where they were in the world was fostered by their mother.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Nick jumped as a hand touched his arm.

The first woman who had really attracted him for a long time stood in front of him, backlit by the flickering firelight. Smarting from the unflattering image of himself as a Lothario who would make money from a demeaning bet, Nick knew it was time to make amends.

“You really don’t want to know what I’m thinking.

Boring thoughts about work,” he said. He walked over to the camp fridge, grabbed two beers, and held one out to her.

“Peace offering?”

After a pause, she reached for the beer. “Why not?” They sipped their beers in silence as they walked back to the group sitting around the fire. They sat on the soft sand and Lissy looked over at him and spread her hands.

“Can you really call this work?”

He laughed and decided it was not the right time to tell her all about himself, now that she seemed to have forgiven him for his crass behavior. He would give it a while and then admit that there was more to him than just a drifter in the Islands.

The whoosh of waves breaking on the crushed coral beach woke Lissy early the next morning. Rolling onto her stomach, she opened the flap of the one-man tent and propped her chin on her hand, enjoying the view of the old sailing ship silhouetted by the rising sun. She saw tanned muscular legs through her tent flap and she sighed at the sight of Nick heading for the water, clad only in a pair of tiny black swimming trunks. Closing her tent flap, Lissy rolled on to her back, crossing her arms on her chest.

Even though she knew what Nick was after, she still found him incredibly attractive…and kind. It had been good of him to apologize last night.

After breakfast, the crew packed up the campsite in preparation for the sail back to Hamilton Island. Lissy and some of the other backpackers climbed to the lookout on the peak of the island. As they reached the top of the path, Lissy caught her breath and moved across to the lookout, taking in the beauty of the view down to Hamilton Island.

Patches of brilliant white sand edged the blue waters, backed by verdant green hills on each island.

“Are you coming, Lissy?” Bella, one of the Italian girls, called. “We sail at eleven.”

“I’ll catch up with you.” Lissy glanced at her watch.

She stood there for a long time after the others started the trek to the beach. This short holiday had helped her cope with her grief after Gramps’s funeral, and she was feeling ready to go back to work. Deep in thought, she jumped as a deep voice intruded in the silence.

“It’s the best view in the Whitsunday Islands.”Nick stood at her shoulder. “Did you know the islands were first recorded by Captain Cook on Whit Sunday in 1770, and that’s how they got their name?” He was standing so close to her she could feel the heat coming from his body as he pointed to the islands spread below them like emeralds on the blue water.

“Not far north from here, Cook ran aground and had to repair his ship, the
Endeavour
.” His breath on the side of her face sent goose bumps down her neck. Her serenity disappeared instantly; he was trying his luck again.

Well, two can play this game. My mother might have
been a sucker for the first good-looking man that came
along, but I won’t follow in her footsteps.

“How fascinating. I don’t know much history at all,” Lissy said as she settled into her role. Professor Andrews would be horrified to hear those words from his Pacific history lecturer.

“I’m a little bit scared to walk down the track alone. I heard things rustling in the bush before.” She widened her eyes, deciding not to bat her eyelashes as that might be overdoing it a tad.

“Nothing to be scared of,” he replied, holding out his hand to her. She reached out and held it and an instant electricity seemed to ignite between them. Nick put his warm hands on her bare shoulders, pulling her in close.

Her heart started thudding and her legs felt shaky.

“I feel safe now,” she said breathlessly, even though she felt unsafe. She hoped the combination of her demure expression and the huskiness of her voice would have the desired reaction. She kept her eyes lowered as his hand slid down her arm and he lifted her hand to his mouth. He moved his lips gently across her palm.

“Come on, the dinghy is waiting to take the last group back.” He kept hold of her hand as he led her down the track through the coastal she-oak trees. When they were on the beach, hundreds of black butterflies fluttered from the bush at the eastern end of the bay.

“Spectacular, isn’t it? That’s why they call it Butterfly Bay.” He looked down at her, and reached across to push a strand of hair from her eyes. “Delicate creatures, a lot like you.” Lissy pushed his hand away. She was done playing games.

“You’re not going to give up are you, Nick? What’s the time frame on the bet? I told you last night. You’ve done your money. You chose the wrong girl.” She picked up her backpack and stalked across to the waiting dinghy.

Nick felt his body suffuse with heat. Fighting to keep his temper, he struggled to maintain an impassive expression. Lissy glared at him from the edge of the water.

Nick Richards, who rarely backed away from a challenge, was intimidated by this slip of a woman. He had avoided this sort of situation for years, since Olivia had dumped him for a richer prospect. Heartbroken, he had sworn a pretty face would never suck him in again, and he had enjoyed his playboy “love’em and leave’em” lifestyle of the last ten years. This stupid bet had not given him the opportunity to lay down his usual ground rules, and one thing he hated was dishonesty. Now, he was having a strong and genuine attraction thrown back in his face. Strolling over to the dinghy, he picked up the last of the camping gear and turned to face Lissy, hurt driving his words.

“I’m sorry about the bet, Lissy, but you were playing the game too. So, sweetheart, be careful with the game-playing or you may find yourself in trouble one day.” Chapter Three

Lissy strode along the road from the marina at Hamilton Island down to her beachfront cabin still fuming from Nick’s parting shot. She sat with the Italian girls on the front deck listening to their chatter and laughing with them as they tried to converse in two languages. When the vessel moored, she bid a cheery farewell to Bella and Anna, disembarking without a backward glance.

The only time she had been near Nick was during the morning briefing by the crew, and he’d ignored her—

which suited her fine. His stinging comment would not leave her. She regretted the two days on the backpacker charter. She should have saved her money and stayed in the luxury cabin at the resort. What a jerk! Working in an international playground where people are relaxed and receptive to romance had distorted his view of the way normal people behaved. He had started the whole mess with his demeaning bet.

Unlocking the door to her cabin, Lissy angrily threw her backpack into the corner. She was upset with herself because even after his nasty comment, she was still aware of the attraction between them. She had encouraged him a little bit more than necessary. Her T-shirt and shorts followed the backpack into the corner, and she pushed open the door to the luxurious marble bathroom.

A long soak in the hot tub with lots of bubbles would wash the salt out of her hair and clear her mind. She planned on dressing up and relaxing with a glass of wine and dinner in the resort restaurant. Lissy would enjoy the last night of her holiday, before the prospect of going back to the cold winter of the tablelands, and being Dr. Melissa McIntyre at work, resurfaced. Standing in front of the mirror, water filling the large spa bath, she touched her lips, imagining Nick’s lips on hers. She could dream—she would never see him again and could file him away as a fantasy.

The bath wasn’t the total escape she had hoped for.

As the fragrant oils soaked into her skin and the steamy heat lathered her face with moisture, Nick drifted in and out of her thoughts. Damn the man for being so sexy! She sank down in the water and closed her eyes, but images of Nick climbing the mast, his long tanned legs lightly covered with blond hair, and standing bare-chested as he steered the little dinghy, flicked through her mind in an erotic slideshow.

Sitting up, Lissy pulled the plug, dismayed at the direction of her thoughts. She climbed out of the bath, dried off and wrapped herself in a soft white toweling robe, and stepped onto the sunny deck to dry her hair. She pulled up the chair on the front deck that overlooked the tropical gardens at the back of the resort. The front door of the neighboring cabin opened and caught her attention.

A red-faced cleaning maid hurried down the pathway in front of the cabins, pulling her cleaning trolley along behind her.

“Apologies,
monsieur
, I will send someone down with fresh towels for you immediately. I am so sorry that your room was not ready.”

“Not a problem,” drawled a familiar voice. “I’ll borrow one from my friend next door.” Lissy looked over to see the subject of her erotic daydream standing there wearing nothing but a wicked grin and a small towel strategically placed across his hips.

“Got a spare towel, sweetheart?” Glaring at him, Lissy draped her spare towel over the low wall between their decks before storming inside, and slamming the door behind her.

She closed her eyes as Nick’s laughter drifted through the open window. The sooner she was on a plane home, the better. Cold weather and work, with no Nick to bother her, was very appealing.

…

Nick strolled into the restaurant an hour later and spotted Lissy sitting alone at a table by the window overlooking the bay. Her chin rested in her hand as she gazed out over the water. With a quiet word to the
maitre d’
, Nick walked over to her table and sat opposite her.

“You know I’m beginning to think you’re following me.” Lissy turned and glared at him, but Nick reached over and took her hand, ignoring the instant tug of attraction as he looked into her eyes.

“Lissy, I apologize for the way I spoke to you this morning. I was way out of line.” Nick had regretted his harsh words all day, and when he realized Lissy was staying at the resort, he had decided to seek her out and apologize. Finding himself in the cabin next door to her had been an unexpected bonus.

“Let’s pretend we’ve just met and forget the last two days. Good food, good wine, a great view, and great company. I owe you a drink for lending me a towel.” To Nick’s surprise, Lissy didn’t react with the sarcasm he expected.

“Why not? I’m going back to reality tomorrow. I may as well indulge the last night.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Indulge?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, buddy. I’m talking food and wine, nothing else.” Her face brightened. “Good company will be a bonus. It’s past time that we quit playing games.

A civilized meal together, a casual conversation, good memories, and we’ll go our separate ways tonight.” She held out her hand. “Deal?”