Ample Delights (15 page)

“Terrah?”

She opened her mouth to say she’d come to the party alone when images of Nick’s hard-on at the photo shoot flashed in her mind. Whether he’d slept with Jocelyn or not didn’t change the fact that she needed to walk away. She knew from today she couldn’t continue to indulge in a fling with him and not become even more emotionally involved.

“Let’s share a final toast…to the success of today’s
hot
shoot.” Terrah twirled the guava martini in her glass and lifted it up.

“By hot, you mean my er—”

“Erection, yes.”

“I see,” Nick said, grabbing her arm.

“Hey, let go.”

Nick didn’t respond. He pulled her away from the deck railing and took them into the shadows. “Not before we finish clearing the air.”

Terrah frowned as she glanced down at his hand on her elbow. “I didn’t come here with Aidan.”

“Good.”

The rough pad of his thumb rubbed against her arm, causing goose bumps to emerge.

“Were you jealous about what you thought was going on between Jocelyn and me today?”

“Yes.”

A warm breeze laced with the scent of barbecue fluttered through the tall, exotic plants shrouding them in the corner of the deck as they stared at one another.

Terrah exhaled, caught off guard by his bold question and her rapid response. Embarrassed, she tried wrenching her arm from his grasp, but he wouldn’t release her.

“Damn it, Nick!”

She lifted her face to his and gasped when he yanked her close and crushed his lips to hers. He kissed her hard and, despite her chaotic emotions, she melted in his tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving in to passion with each dizzying, mind-melting caress of his tongue. Nick pressed her against the wood railing with his hard body and the loud music and chatter faded into nothing but background noise.

With considerable effort, Terrah broke the kiss and pushed him away. She glanced around the leafy potted plant to check if anyone had seen them and was relieved to find no one paying them any attention. Breathless she touched her tingling lips, furious at the triumphant gleam in Nick’s eyes.

“I hope you enjoyed that kiss, because it was your last.”

Nick laughed. “No. I don’t think so.”

Terrah took a few steps back from him. “I’m sure you don’t, but I’m telling you it is. This has been fun, but—”

“That
display
everyone saw at the photo shoot wasn’t for, or about, Jocelyn. I got hard thinking about you.”

“What?”

Nick came to her, took her hand and pulled her back into their secluded spot. “You heard me.” He snaked his arms around her waist. “I got hard in the middle of the shoot this morning thinking about
you
. I tried not to think about kissing you, holding you, but then you came over to fix Jocelyn’s hair and my concentration was broken. All I could think about was how incredible it was being with you, and how much I wanted to be with you again.”

His declaration melted her defences. She placed her hands on his chest as Nick closed the slim gap between them, making her very aware of his stiff cock. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.

“
This
”—he pressed his hard-on against her—“is all for you.”

Terrah suppressed a shiver of delight, hating the treacherous arc of desire snaking through her. “I can’t do this.”

“Why?”

“We spent one afternoon together. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Nick’s arms tightened around her waist. “Your lips are saying one thing, but your eyes are saying another, Terrah.”

She averted her gaze and Nick chuckled.

“I want you, Terrah. One day of pleasuring you is not nearly enough for me. Be honest with yourself and tell me it isn’t for you, either.”

Terrah’s pulse raced from simply hearing the words ‘pleasuring you’ come out of Nick’s mouth.

“Someone’s going to see us together if you don’t let me go.”

“No one can see us over here, and I couldn’t give a damn if they did. Tell me you don’t still want me and I’ll let you go.” He ground his hips against her, making her crave him even more than she already did.

“Nick…”

“Wrong response. Let’s try again. Tell me you haven’t been thinking about how good I feel inside of you all day, and I’ll let you go.”

Terrah moaned with need and frustration. His words invoked the very mental image she’d been trying to compartmentalise in her head, to no avail. She was so wet. It seemed foolish and futile to fight against what she hungered for.

“I’ve been thinking about it. That’s
all
I’ve been thinking about.”

Terrah slowly exhaled as Nick dropped his arms from around her waist with a crooked grin.

“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. All day long, I was looking forward to spending more time with you…and not just in bed. Now tell me about Aidan. I know there’s some history there.”

Terrah nodded. “We dated before he was famous.”

“He’s still into you.”

“I know, but I’m not interested in Aidan.”

Nick responded by pulling her close. She closed her eyes as he claimed her lips in a slow, sensual kiss. Her core body temperature skyrocketed and her heart pounded against her ribcage. It felt so right in his arms. He caressed her back and Terrah moaned with delight. She knew in an instant the danger of falling for him was very real. She affected him just as much as he did her. Knowing that made it easier to accept the reckless emotions she felt for him.

“I want to take you away from this party,” Nick said against her lips. “Do you want to stay?”

“I want to be with you.”

“Do you have any idea what it does to me to hear you say that?”

She had a pretty good idea, if the way his gruff voice warmed every inch of her was any comparison to what he was feeling. More than anything, she wanted to ditch Aidan’s party and be alone with Nick. He smelled so damn good and she wanted him naked…
now.

Terrah lifted her chin to see his face as he stood back. The passion glimmering in his eyes sent a jolt of desire straight down to the wet heat between her thighs. She was slipping, falling headlong into something she knew had the potential to crush her heart, but she couldn’t walk away.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

Terrah followed him back out of the shadows of their secluded niche and back into the light of the tikis surrounding the deck. They reached the stairs leading to the beach just as Aidan bounded up them. He stopped mid-climb when he saw them.

“Hey! I was just coming to look for you, Terrah. Care to join me for a glass of wine by the pit fire?”

“I can’t, Aidan, but thank you.”

“I told Terrah I’d show her around the island.”

“You guys are leaving my party?” The photographer’s gaze shifted from Terrah’s face to Nick’s.

“We are. Thanks for inviting us.”

Terrah could tell Aidan was annoyed as Nick gave the other man a wide smile.

Aidan nodded. “No problem. Have fun.”

“Goodnight,” Terrah said as he passed them on the stairs.

Terrah waited until he was out of earshot to shake her head. “You might as well have told him to back off.”

“He needed to know sooner rather than later. He’s wasting his time hitting on you.”

“I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Why?”

“Word might get out that we left the party together.”

“And?”

“Unlike you, I’m not used to being a gossip topic.”

Terrah stared up at him as they reached the bottom of the stairs, captivated by the possessive light in his eyes. He might not care if anyone knew about them being together, but she did. Whatever was going on between them was likely going to end once they were off the island, and the last thing she wanted was her name thrown into the rumour mill. She’d worked too hard to build her reputation, which was just about everything in this business.

“Forget Aidan. He isn’t going to say anything because he’d never want to admit the woman he wants isn’t interested. He only likes telling stories that stroke his ego.”

Terrah chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.”

They walked through the crowd of mingling bodies to the edge of the deck, and Terrah stopped when Nick paused.

“Do you want me to carry your shoes?”

“Are we going for a stroll on the beach?” She slipped out of her espadrilles and handed them to him.

“I promised to take you away from all of this”—he gestured to the wild group singing to the Eighties hit blasting from the outdoor speakers—“and I am a man of my word.”

Terrah giggled as they stepped into the sand. They were a few feet away from the party when he took her hand and laced her fingers with his. They walked in the opposite direction of the luau, each step in the cool sand drawing them away from the noise and back to the natural tranquillity of the island.

“Look at the moon.” Terrah stopped, spellbound by the luminous round orb and the moonlit reflection on the rolling waves. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, it is. Being here makes you appreciate what you might not even notice in the city.”

She nodded, falling into step with him once again. The balmy air felt good on her skin and being with Nick felt amazing. She glanced up at him in the moonlight and smiled as he turned and winked at her.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look gorgeous in the moonlight?”

Her breath caught in her throat as he squeezed her hand, lifted it to his lips and pressed a kiss against her wrist.

“What would you say if I said I was thinking the exact same thing?”

“I’d say it’s another sign that we’re in sync with one another. Connected in ways we don’t even understand yet.”

His words stunned her. “Do you really believe in that kind of thing?”

Nick shrugged. “I don’t believe in coincidences. What about you? Do you believe things just happen…that people meet all by chance?”

“I don’t know. One thing’s for sure, it’s all unpredictable.” Terrah glanced at Nick as he started to chuckle. “What?” She grinned, pleased by the sound of his laughter. Then she knew
why
he was laughing. “Oh—my ringtone.”

“I’ll never be able to listen to that song and not think of you.”

“Ditto.”

Nick led them to a stone path obscured by lush plants and blossoms, which soon surrounded them as they continued forward.

“Oh, wow,” Terrah said, pointing to illuminated bungalows now visible through foliage on the secluded beach. “Imagine watching the moon and sunrise staying in one of those. The view must be incredible.”

“I’m sure it is.”

Terrah frowned as Nick started walking towards the private beachfront properties spread out along the shoreline.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.”

Each bungalow was gated, surrounded by palm trees that guaranteed privacy.

“Come on, let’s take a closer look.”

“Nick! We’re about to be trespassing,” Terrah said when they stopped in front of a particularly lovely gated archway decorated with yellow plumeria flowers. This one was bigger than all the others they’d passed.

“Here we are,” Nick said, producing a key from his pocket.

Terrah gasped when he unlocked the door and beckoned her inside.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You upgraded your room to…to
this?
”

“I’ve always thought about staying in one of these when visiting the island. I wanted you to experience it with me.”

He opened the door and Terrah stepped inside, gasping again in delighted wonder. The beach bungalow was a breathtaking space.

“Nick…this is incredible!”

Terrah moved forward, looking around. She shook her head in amazement. Her hotel room was plush, but the spacious and luxurious setting in front of her was magnificent. The living room was a picture of exotic elegance, the dark wood furniture complementing the light walls, and the Polynesian and floral accents. She could see the ocean through the huge, sliding glass doors leading out to a private lanai, where a sparkling pool was the focal point in a mirage of tropical plants.

“I can’t believe you did this.” She turned around to look at Nick, overwhelmed by the feelings surging up within her. “This is the most beautiful, romantic thing any man has ever done for me.”

She went to him, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I”—she kissed him again—“am swept away.”

“Not yet.”

Terrah squealed as he swept her up into his arms. She protested, laughing, as he carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the king-sized bed. Candles had already been lit, adding to the romantic flair already present in the lavish décor. She could hear the wind and surf through the open sliding doors that showcased the lit lanai.

“Champagne?” Nick asked as he popped the cork off the bottle.

“Yes, please.” Terrah stood up, took the offered glass and held it up. “A toast…”

Nick smiled, lifting his glass to hers. “To?”

“Beautiful surprises.”

“Perfect.”

Their glasses clinked together and the sound of the fine crystal resonated in the room. Terrah took a sip, holding Nick’s gaze as she swallowed the bubbly drink.

“Having you here with me has been all I’ve been thinking about all day, Terrah.”

She didn’t know what to say. His words and his smouldering stare sent a rush of heat over her skin that had nothing to do with her champagne.

“You really surprised me with this.” Terrah gestured around them as she lifted her glass. “This is so good.”

Could he tell how flustered she was?

Flustered? She was
aroused
, especially with him staring at her lips. Terrah squeezed her thighs together, conscious of the slick heat building between her panties and her wet flesh. Nick closed the small gap between them and desire unfurled deep within her. He took her glass from her hand and set it beside his on the table.

“Let me taste,” Nick said, lifting her chin with his thumb.

Terrah’s eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her. Their lips connected, moulding and melding into one. He pushed his fingers through her hair, and she let him guide her backward until they fell on the bed.

“I missed you all day.”