The Helen Bianchin Collection (Mills & Boon E-Book Collections) (148 page)

Not content, he moved low over her navel, then traced a tortuously slow path to render the most intimate kiss of all.

He wanted to have her beg for his possession, to feel the hunger, the want, and
need
him as much as he needed her.

The passion was mesmeric,
magical
. Too much. Way too much and beyond her control. Slow, silent tears trickled down over her temple and became lost
in her hair as she tossed her head from one side to the other as she craved a release only he could give.

Her body shuddered in reaction, and he raised his head, saw the devastation etched on her features, then he shifted to close his mouth over hers in an evocative kiss that made her want to weep afresh.

It was then he slid into her, taking care with long, slow strokes that culminated in an explosive crescendo.

Afterwards he pulled up the covers and held her close, trailing a light, feathery path along her spine in a soothing gesture until her breathing steadied to an even beat.

 

‘Rise and shine.'

Ana registered Luc's voice, the words, and opened her eyes a fraction.

It was Sunday morning, she didn't need to go into the shop, and she had no particular inclination to get out of bed at…she took a moment to check the time…eight o'clock.

She spared him a glance, and saw he'd already showered and was dressed in casual jeans and a polo shirt. He looked vital, and far too lethally male for any woman's peace of mind. Especially at this early hour.

‘You'd better have a good reason for suggesting I
rise
and
shine
.'

Luc indicated the tray resting on the bedside pedestal. ‘Tea and toast. Fruit.'

She slid into a sitting position, realised she wasn't wearing a thing and pulled the sheet high. ‘
You
made this?'

He sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘Don't sound so surprised.'

‘Thank you.' Her lips curved into a slight smile. ‘Presumably you want to get me out of bed, rather than keep me in it…so what gives?'

‘I plan to take the boat out onto the harbour for the day.'

Given the
boat
was a luxury cruiser moored at a marina, he'd obviously planned ahead. She had to ask. ‘Are you inviting anyone else along?'

‘No.'

Better and better. ‘What time do you want to leave?'

‘As soon as you're ready.'

She looked beautifully tousled, her skin flushed from sleep, her eyes deep and lustrous. He reached forward and pushed a wayward lock of hair behind her ear.

There was a need to spend time with her, in order to help repair some of the damage caused by Celine's interference.

‘Are you going to sit there and watch me eat?'

He looked completely relaxed, although even at ease there was a leashed quality evident. A sensual element that never failed to stir her emotions.

‘I've already had breakfast.'

She finished the tea and toast, then peeled the banana and ate it. ‘I need to shower.'

He caught up her silk wrap and handed it to her. ‘I'll see you downstairs. Twenty minutes?'

She made it in fifteen, choosing jeans and a knit top over a bikini, and she'd snagged a sweater in case of a cool breeze.

The skies were an azure blue with hardly a cloud in sight, and there was warmth in the early-summer sun as they gained the large marina.

After a hectic week, the prospect of cruising the harbour seemed an idyllic way to spend the day. Luc's cruiser was a sleek-looking craft with gleaming white paint, expensive fittings, and contained a roomy cabin, master suite and bathroom.

Within minutes of boarding Luc started the engines, then eased the craft out into open waters. Ana stood at his side, admiring the rocky promontories where beautiful harbour-side mansions dotted the landscape, the numerous coves and bays.

Craft in varying shapes and sizes were out on the harbour, some with definite destinations in mind, others just idly exploring the waterways or putting down anchor to try their luck at fishing.

The muted sound of the powerful engines was a pleasant background noise. ‘Are you meeting Jace at the airport?'

Luc spared her a quick glance. ‘His flight gets in late. He'll take a cab to the hotel and call me in the morning.'

There were questions she wanted to ask, and she struggled with them, not willing to spoil the day or upset the delicately balanced truce they shared.

The sun rose higher in the sky, dappling the waters with reflected light, and around midday Luc cut the engines and dropped anchor.

‘Lunch. Do you want to eat in the cabin, or outside?'

‘Outside,' Ana said without hesitation, and took bottled drinks from the cabin refrigerator while Luc unpacked the large chilled cooler.

Petros had been busy, she perceived as she checked out roast chicken, succulent ham, various salads, fresh bread rolls and fruit. It was a feast, and she set it out on plates, added cutlery, then sank onto one of the cushioned squabs.

Luc settled down opposite and layered a roll with chicken and salad, then bit into it with evident enjoyment.

Ana followed suit, reflecting a week ago she'd been in a different place, endeavouring to sort out a wealth of ambivalent emotions.

Would Luc have come after her if he hadn't discovered she was pregnant? And if she'd demanded a divorce, would he have insisted on a reconciliation, or merely called his lawyer?

She wanted to know the answers, but she didn't have the courage to ask the questions. What if the answers Luc gave weren't what she wanted to hear?

Did he care for her,
really
care for her? Or was she merely a convenient wife who suited his needs?

In bed, they were in perfect accord. Out of it, she spent time trying to convince herself she should be content with the status quo.

A week ago, she'd thought she had choices and options. Now they'd been taken away from her.

‘I value what is mine. That's a given.'

Value
wasn't
love
, she added silently. Would he have followed her to the Coast if she hadn't been pregnant?

‘Yes.'

Her eyes widened beneath the tinted lens of her sunglasses. ‘You read minds?'

‘You have expressive features.
Yes
…I would have hauled you back to Sydney.' He paused fractionally. ‘And no,' he continued with chilling softness. ‘Not solely because I discovered you carry our child. Or as some form of misguided revenge for your father's misappropriation of bank funds.'

Dared she believe him? She wanted to, desperately. The repetitive beep of a cellphone was an intrusion, and it took a few seconds to realise it was her own. The caller ID wasn't one she recognised, and there was surprised relief as she read a text message from her father confirming his safe arrival in New York together with the name of his hotel.

Ana put a call through to Rebekah and relayed the news, then she cleared away the remains of their
lunch while Luc fired up the engines and headed south towards Botany Bay.

It was so warm, she stripped down to her bikini, took time to cover every exposed inch of skin with sun-screen lotion, then she spread out a towel and let the sun and fresh salt air work their soporific magic.

She must have dozed, for when she woke the sun had moved lower in the sky. It was still warm, but she sat up and pulled on the knit top, then rose to her feet.

The engines were silent, and she saw Luc sprawled comfortably at ease near by, reading a novel.

At that moment he glanced up and discarded the book. ‘Ready to go home?'

‘Yes. Thank you,' she added with sincerity.

Humour tugged the edges of his mouth. ‘For what, specifically?'

‘Organising the day.'

‘My pleasure. We'll go out somewhere later for dinner.'

The thought of dressing up didn't appeal. ‘Why not collect take-out and eat at home?'

‘Anything in particular?'

Crispy noodles, heaps of vegetables, prawns and rice. ‘Chinese?'

‘Done.'

She looked at him in surprise. ‘You're not going to override me?'

‘Why would I do that?' he queried, and caught the gleam in her eyes as she laughed.

‘You're being indulgent.'

‘Is that such a terrible thing?' His light, teasing drawl brought an answering smile to her lips.

She could almost imagine they had taken a step back in time to the early days of their marriage, only to dismiss the thought as being fanciful. Yet there was a part of her that wanted what they once shared…the affection, fun, the spontaneity. The uninhibited loving, when there had been no doubts and she retained few insecurities.

It was almost six when they left the marina. Luc stopped
en route
to Vaucluse and picked up Chinese take-out, which they ate with chopsticks directly out of containers seated at a table on the terrace. Oliver sat close by, eager with expectancy for the occasional morsel of food.

Afterwards they watched the sunset, the brilliant flaring of orange streaked with pink and purple, followed by the gradual fading of colour with the onset of dusk.

It had been a near-perfect day, and she was reluctant to have it end. Tomorrow would see a return to work, and in the evening they were due to dine out with Jace and Rebekah.

Let's not forget Celine, Ana accorded silently on the edge of sleep. The woman was bound to wreak more havoc, given half a chance.

M
ONDAY
was busy, orders flowed in, and what breaks Ana and Rebekah were able to take
were minimal.

Consequently, it was almost six before they
were able to get away from the shop, and traffic seemed even slower than usual
as Ana headed for Vaucluse.

Luc pulled into the driveway seconds ahead
of her, and she followed the Mercedes into the garage, parked, then slid from
the car.

‘You're late.'

There was disapproval in his tone, and Ana
flashed him a stunning smile. ‘Well,
hell
, so
are you.'

She thought she caught a glimpse of humour
in those dark eyes as she drew level, and her lips parted in surprise as he slid
a hand beneath her nape and pulled her close.

‘You have a sassy mouth.'

His head descended, and she was powerless to
prevent the firm pressure of his mouth on hers as he bestowed an evocative kiss
that left her wanting more.

‘What was that for?'

He traced the fullness of her lower lip with
an idle finger. ‘Because I felt like it.'

Dear heaven, did he have any idea what he
did to her? In bed, without a doubt. But out of it? Just the thought of him sent
the blood coursing through her veins. Sexual chemistry, she perceived, was a
powerful entity.

And
love
? To
find a soul mate and gift one's heart unconditionally…to have the
gift returned… Was it unattainable in life's reality? Or did that
kind of love only exist in romantic fantasy?

There were times in the depths of passion,
she thought it was possible. Except in the dark of night it was all too easy to
believe the touch of a man's hands, the feel of his mouth, meant much more
than it did. And without the words…

Although better no words, than a meaningless
avowal that would only leave emptiness.

Get a grip
, Ana
berated silently. You knew when you married him that love wasn't part of
the deal. Why should anything have changed? Except in the deepest recess of her
heart she'd hoped that it might.

‘What's going on in that head of
yours, hmm?'

She blinked at the sound of his voice, and
switched from passive reflection to the present in an instant.

‘Contemplating how Jace and Rebekah
will react to each other,' she declared with a blandness that didn't
deceive him in the slightest.

Luc curved an arm over her shoulders as they
made their way towards the foyer. ‘I have no doubt Jace will handle her
without much effort.'

As you handle me? Aloud, she retaliated,
‘Rebekah wouldn't agree with you.'

Ana ascended the stairs as Luc paused to
consult with Petros, and she began discarding clothes as soon as she entered the
bedroom. Thirty minutes in which to shower, wash and dry her hair, dress and be
ready to depart the house didn't allow for leisurely preparations.

The sound of cascading water masked the
faint snick of the shower door opening, and she gave a startled gasp as Luc
entered the cubicle.

‘What do you think you're
doing?'

He took the bottle of shampoo from her hand
and poured a liberal quantity into his palm, then began massaging it into her
hair.

‘Indulging you.'

His drawling tone curled around her
nerve-ends and tugged a little. ‘I don't need you to indulge
me,' she said fiercely, endeavouring to ignore the pleasure spiralling
through her body. God, that felt good, so good!

His hands moved to her nape, then worked
magic on her neck and shoulders. An appreciative sigh escaped her lips, and she
felt the warmth within slowly build to a burning heat.

Luc rinsed the suds from her hair, smoothed
back the wet length, then he lowered his mouth over hers in a soft, evocative
kiss that had her leaning in to him, wanting, needing so much more.

His arousal was a potent, virile force, and
she
whimpered a little as he eased back a little, gentling
the kiss until his lips were just brushing hers. Then he held her at arm's
length, and let his gaze roam over her slender form.

The thought of their child swelling her body
almost brought him undone. The beauty of it, the miracle…

Already he could see the slight difference
in the shape of her breasts, the aureoles, and he traced each contour and
lightly cupped their weight, exalting in her faint intake of breath as he
brushed each tender nub with his thumb.

He let one hand slip down to cover her
waist, and wondered how long it would be before it began to thicken. A few more
weeks…longer?

‘Luc—'

‘I want to look at you,' he said
gently.

‘Don't…' It was a
token protest, for there was something magical happening here. Surely she could
be forgiven for wanting to capture and hold the moment.

‘Don't
what
?'

She made a last-ditch attempt at
sensibility. ‘We'll be late.'

His smile held musing humour. ‘So,
we'll be late.'

‘Rebekah will never forgive me.'
She gave a husky groan as his hand slid low over her abdomen and sought the
sensitive clitoris. All it took was the glide of his fingers, and she became
lost…
his
.

He lifted her easily, and she wrapped her
legs
around his waist, then sank into him, loving the slow
slick slide as she accepted his length.

Her mouth angled in to his, and she felt she
was drowning, awash in libidinous sensation as his tongue tangled with hers in
an oral simulation of the sexual act itself.

It was he who controlled the rhythmic
pacing, its depth of penetration, and he cradled her as she climbed the heights,
then caught her as she fell.

Like this, nothing else mattered. Only the
man, the moment. It was possible to believe everything in her world was OK. No
intrusions, no designing ex-mistress, and no nebulous ghost of his first wife to
cloud the perfection of what they'd just shared.

Later there would be a reality check. But
for now he was hers…in body, and affection. Was it so wrong to want it
all? His heart, his soul?

Ana told herself she should be content with
the positives…she was his wife, she was carrying their child.

The negative was Celine, who'd stop at
nothing to cause trouble.

And then there was Emma, who'd
occupied a brief part of his life before leaving it. In all honesty, she could
hardly begrudge him the memory, and didn't.

It was almost eight when they entered the
restaurant, and Ana sensed the tension apparent before she even reached their
table.

‘Ana.' Jace rose to his feet and
greeted her with an affectionate hug, brushed his lips to each cheek
in turn, then held her at arm's length. ‘You
are beautiful,
pedhaki mou
. I swear, if you were not
already married to my cousin, I'd have no compunction in stealing you
away.' His dark eyes held a devilish twinkle. ‘If he dares to
mistreat you, I promise to kill him.'

‘Flatterer.' She offered him a
winsome smile, then slid into the chair the waiter held out for her.

The resemblance between the two cousins was
notable in that they shared the height, the breadth of shoulder, the dark,
attractive good looks of their heritage. Add power, a dangerous alchemy, and it
became a combustible combination.

How many years separated them? One, two? It
could only be a few.

‘You knew I didn't want to be
with Jace one-on-one,' Rebekah remonstrated quietly as Luc and Jace
perused the selection of wines.

‘I'm sure you managed OK.'
Given the thoughtful and rather musing expression Jace wore, it wasn't
difficult to imagine he'd succeeded in getting beneath Rebekah's
skin.

The waiter presented the menu, and they
ordered a starter followed by a main, waived dessert in favour of the
cheeseboard.

‘So tell me how it is with the florist
industry,' Jace drawled, and his eyes were watchful, sharp, beneath an
indolent demeanour.

‘I've been away for a few
weeks,' Ana said lightly. ‘Rebekah can expound on it.'

‘To what purpose? I doubt Jace's
interest is genuine.'

‘On the contrary. I'm very
interested in everything you do.'

Oh, my, this was assuming all the portents
of a verbal clash.

‘Really?' Rebekah didn't
appear to care, but Ana knew her sister too well. The question had to be whether
Jace saw beneath the practised and protective fac¸ade.

‘You want to hear a florist's
day begins at four in the morning when she leaves for the city flower markets?
If she arrives there later than five, all the quality blooms have already been
bought.'

She held out her hands. ‘These are the
major tools of our trade.' She gave them a rueful glance.
‘They're in water, they get cut, scratched, blistered, and retain
permanent callouses. Gloves don't work, they're too unwieldy, and
creams don't begin to repair the damage. Forget manicures and nail
polish.' Her faint grimace held fleeting cynicism. ‘You want
more?'

‘You've left out standing on
your feet all day, and dealing with difficult customers. Deliveries that go to
incorrect addresses?' Jace drawled quizzically.

Rebekah chose silence, although Ana knew it
cost her.

The food was delectable, and they ate with
enjoyment.

‘How long are you staying in
Sydney?' Ana que
ried, directing her attention to Jace,
whose home base was a private residence in New York's fashionable Upper
East Side.

‘As long as it takes to wrap up a few
property deals. Has Luc told you I intend dragging him down to Melbourne day
after tomorrow?'

‘Not yet.'

Jace's smile held devilish humour.
‘Can you manage without him for a few nights?'

‘Easily.'

Luc caught hold of her hand and brought it
to his lips. ‘You're supposed to say
no
.'

His dark eyes held a lazy warmth that was
wholly sensual, and she felt the answering kick of her pulse as it quickened in
pace.

‘Really?'

Jace chuckled, and touched the rim of his
wine glass to Ana's water goblet. ‘Salute. I know of no other woman
who would dare take Luc to task.'

‘My wife delights in deflating my
ego.'

‘Count yourself fortunate,
cousin.'

Ana caught Rebekah's expressive
eye-roll, and steered the conversation onto safer ground. ‘Let's do
dinner and the movies while Luc is away.'

‘Wednesday night?'

‘Done.'

‘Do I get to have a say?' Luc
queried mildly.

‘None whatsoever.'

‘Have Petros drive you.'

‘Don't be ridiculous.'

‘I could invite myself to stay
over,' Rebekah suggested.

‘Better,' Luc acquiesced.
‘Petros still gets to be chauffeur.'

‘Remind me to hit you when we get
home.' She made the threat sound amusing, but there was no humour in the
glance she cast him.

‘I'll look forward to
it.'

She couldn't win, so why try? Except
the banter kept things light, and Jace and Rebekah's presence made for a
pleasant evening.

It was after ten when they left the
restaurant and drove home. Traffic was minimal, ensuring there were no delays at
controlled intersections, and the lull provided a pleasant reminder the day was
almost done.

‘What time are you leaving for
Melbourne?'

‘Eager to be rid of me,
pedhi mou
?'

‘Must I answer that?'

Together they entered the house, and Ana
climbed the stairs to the upper floor while Luc set the security alarm.

She was in bed and on the verge of sleep
when he joined her, and she made no protest as he gathered her close.

His lips nuzzled the warm scented skin at
the edge of her neck, then trailed a path up the sensitive cord to savour the
lobe of her ear before tracing the line of her jaw.

She adored the feel of him, the hard muscle
and
sinew, the shape and contours of a body that was wholly
male.

He made her come alive, as no man ever had,
and the blood sang in her veins, heating her skin and activating every nerve
cell until all her senses meshed and she became one throbbing entity.

Great sex. The best. For a while she lost
herself in sensual euphoria, totally enraptured by the man who held her heart
and captured her soul.

 

Ana glanced up at the sound of the
electronic door buzzer, and her lips parted to form a warm smile.
‘Jace.' Her greeting held genuine affection as he crossed to the
counter. ‘How nice to see you.'

He leant forward and brushed his lips to her
cheek. ‘And you, Ana.'

‘Is your visit business or
pleasure?'

His dark eyes held humour. ‘One could
say both.'

‘Rebekah has stepped out for a few
minutes.'

‘Then I shall wait.'

Her grin was unrepentant. ‘Thought you
might.'

‘Am I that transparent?'

She tilted her head a little, pretending to
consider his mocking query. ‘You're a Dimitriades,' she
answered lightly. ‘Transparency isn't one of your traits. Playing
the game
is
.' Her expression sobered.
‘Take care with my sister.'

The amusement disappeared. ‘Or else
you'll come out fighting?'

‘Count on it.'

‘I consider myself duly
warned.'

‘I don't suppose you're
going to give me any hint of your intentions?'

‘No.'

‘Damn.'

He lifted a hand and tucked a stray tendril
of hair back behind her ear. ‘I can see why my cousin put a ring on your
finger.'