Ample Delights (17 page)

Terrah cut her eyes at him, and he knew she was thinking about all the erotic things they had done before finally drifting off.

He reached out to touch her hand. “I love sleeping next to you.” He could feel her pulse speed up beneath his thumb as she stared at him.

“Me too—you’re not a cover hog.”

Nick laughed. “Thank you.”

She squeezed his hand before pulling away to grab her drink.

“I think just about everyone is going back sometime today. My flight leaves around nine tonight—”

“Don’t get on that plane.”

Terrah’s eyes widened. “What?”

She set her glass down as he ran his index finger over her cheek. “Stay with me. I’ve got two more days before I have to be back on the mainland and I want to spend them with you, here on the island.”

He expected her to hesitate, but he was unprepared for the frisson of anxiety that zipped up his spine at the thought of her declining his invitation. They needed more time together. Something was happening between them and he was certain Terrah felt it too. If she left now, they might not get the chance to explore it any further.

Don’t say no.

A flicker of excitement ran across her face before she frowned.

“Stay? I don’t know… The ticket—”

“Don’t worry about the ticket. Do you have another booking you need to be back for?”

“Not for a couple of days.”

“Well, see, that’s perfect. You’re
supposed
to stay here with me. So…what do you say? Keep in mind that if you say no, I’ll be forced to throw you in the pool.”

Nick chuckled at the horrified look on her face.

“You wouldn’t!”

“Nah, I wouldn’t.” He leant forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “But I do hope you’ll say yes.“ He kissed her again, knowing he wasn’t playing fair, but he wanted to make it harder for her to say no. “Come on, say yes, Terrah. I know you aren’t ready to leave this place yet, either.”

“You’re right.”

“So, you’ll stay?”

“Yes.” Her lips brushed his, and Nick could feel her smile before she moved back in her chair. “I’d love to stay.”

“Woman, you’ve just brightened my day.”

Terrah laughed, then frowned. “Brightened? Something
is
wrong.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Nick patted his knee. “C’mon here.”

He reached for her as she got up out of her chair, yanked her down on his lap, loving her girlish giggles.

“Are you ready to see more of this beautiful island?”

“Mmm…maybe later?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her. Her lips tasted like champagne, making him temporarily forget about the bomb Jocelyn had just laid at his feet.

For the next couple of days, he would concentrate solely on Terrah’s pleasure. He wanted her to trust there was more between them than just great sex. She didn’t know it yet, but he was determined to have her in his life for more than just a hot island fling.

Chapter Sixteen

Terrah sighed as she stretched out her legs. “This has been an incredible day.”

“I’m glad I got to show you a little bit more of Hawaii.”

“Me too.”

They had spent the entire afternoon sightseeing and shopping, and Terrah had enjoyed every minute of her time with Nick. She hadn’t laughed so much or felt so relaxed and happy in a long time. Terrah snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his arm, which was wrapped around her shoulders. Despite what he had said, she still got the sense something was bothering him, but whatever it was hadn’t stopped him from showing her a good time.

“What did you enjoy the most?
Besides
shopping.”

“Hey.” Terrah playfully jabbed Nick in the ribs. “I didn’t spend
that
much time shopping.”

She placed her leg over his, comfortable in the oversized chaise. The soft rumbling sound of the water jets in the pool drew her attention away from the beautiful landscaping around the lanai and their beach bungalow.

“And I’m not complaining.” Nick tugged on the strap of her new aqua-blue sundress. “I enjoyed watching you try on those clothes.”

“I know you did, but I wasn’t going to say shopping was the best part of the day.”

“Really?”

“Nope.”

Just being with you was.

“I really loved horseback riding along the beach. What a great suggestion.”

Nick placed a kiss on her shoulder. “Mmm…that was nice. I’ll tell you what was even better, though…”

“What was better than the horseback riding?”

She turned her face to look at him to see his devilish grin.

“Seeing you horseback riding in those jeans was the highlight of my day.”

Terrah rolled her eyes, charmed by his compliment.

“Come on, Nick, you should’ve been enjoying the scenic view. Those waves were amazing.”

“I was…I did, but all I kept thinking about was how beautiful you looked on that horse.”

“Thank you. I’ll never forget my first time horseback riding by the ocean.”

“You’re welcome, Terrah. I like surprising you.”

Their gazes locked and her heart twisted in opposite directions. In an instant, the playful moment between them had become electric. She turned her body towards his and kissed him. He cupped the side of her face with his hand and Terrah sucked in a breath when Nick ended the kiss. She stared up at him and a whirlwind of emotion swelled within her.

“What are you thinking?” Nick asked, stroking her cheek.

“I’m thinking that the biggest surprise has been on me.”

“What do you mean?”

There was no way she could tell him the truth.

“Terrah?”

“I mean—”

A noise along the fence distracted them. They turned to look and Terrah gasped at the sight of a telephoto lens pointed in their direction.

“What the hell?”

The fury in Nick’s voice seemed to echo around the lanai as he shot up off the chaise. In a flutter of leaves, the lens disappeared from sight.

Nick was running toward the unseen intruder before Terrah could utter a word. Stunned, she stood up as he easily hoisted himself up and over the cement fence within seconds, leaving her to stare after him in shock.

Someone had just taken pictures of them kissing.

She wrapped her arms around her body. Minutes ticked by as she thought about what had just happened. She felt violated. Just the thought of someone capturing an intimate moment of her life on film without her knowledge was disturbing.

How long had that person been snapping photos? Thank goodness they hadn’t gone any further than kissing.

“Terrah?”

She turned around to see Nick walking through the sliding doors of the bedroom with his cell phone at his ear. The terse words he uttered into the device barely registered as he approached.

“Are you all right?” he asked, setting his phone on the table.

Her gaze ran over his face. His handsome profile was a mask of controlled anger, a stark contrast to the warmth she had become accustomed to seeing. She felt the need to reassure him.

“I’m okay. I just can’t believe that happened.”

“Yeah.” Nick ran a hand through his hair. “Neither can I.”

“Did you see the person with the camera?”

“No, thank God for him. I don’t know where he could’ve gone that quickly.”

Terrah glanced over his shoulder as the doorbell rang. “That was fast.”

Nick grabbed her hand, walked across the lanai through the sliding doors and headed towards the door.

“You informed the hotel already?”

“I called them while I was looking for that SOB.”

Nick opened the door to reveal an attractive, ultra-tanned man wearing a suit.

“Good evening, Mr Tasso. I’m Rick Varga, the hotel manager.” Rick offered his hand to each of them in turn as he shook his head. “First, let me apologise again for the invasion of your privacy. We take the comfort and security of our guests very seriously.”

“How did this happen?”

Terrah glanced at Nick, seeing the tension in his body as Mr Varga rushed on.

“The hotel has been abuzz since news of your modelling shoot taking place here hit. We anticipated the press popping up, but, apparently, another guest staying in one of our private villas invited a member of the paparazzi onto the property without our knowledge.”

Terrah sighed. “What about the photos the photographer took?”

“The photographer was not on the premises when we confronted the guest, who denied any knowledge of the photographer’s intentions. She claims she didn’t know he was a photographer and had only just met him at a party.” Mr Varga cleared his throat. “She’s apologised for what happened. I do hope this incident will not prevent you both from continuing your stay with us now or in the future. I would personally like to extend an invitation for the two of you to come back and stay here with us”—he gestured around them—“or in any of our other villas for a long weekend…free of charge.”

The tentative smile the hotel manager gave them convinced Terrah he was willing to do just about anything to make them happy.

“Well.” Nick widened his stance as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Mr Varga—”

“Rick, please call me Rick.”

“Rick, that is a generous offer to consider, but I think right now both of us are more concerned about the photos captured.”

“I understand, and, again, I do apologise on behalf of the hotel. We’ll have extra security patrolling for the duration of your stay.” Rick reached into his suit and extracted two cards, handing one to each of them. “We are still looking into this matter and, if I learn anything more, I’ll contact you. Feel free to call me anytime to arrange a complimentary stay with us in the future.”

“Thank you.” Terrah shook Rick’s extended hand and forced a smile onto her face as the man shook Nick’s hand.

She went with them to the front door, her mind racing as the two men stepped outside. On edge, she walked back into the living room and switched on a lamp. She grabbed some matches, proceeded to light all the candles in the room, then stared at the flickering flames bouncing off the walls.

Who had taken the photos and when would they surface?

Terrah considered herself a realist, and she was under no illusions those photos would not turn up somewhere. Nick was a celebrity and those shots would be worth a lot of money for whomever had captured their kiss on film.

“Wine?”

She turned to see Nick with a glass of merlot in his outstretched hand. “Thank you.” Terrah took the glass from his fingers and swirled the ruby contents around in the goblet. The liquid gleamed in the candlelight.

“You’re worried.”

She glanced up at Nick as he took a sip of his wine.

“I’m troubled.” She stared at the wine moving in subtle circles in her glass, avoiding his eyes.

“I know. There’s a chance the pictures will be leaked to the press.”

“A
big
chance.”

“And… What’s your biggest concern? Terrah, look at me.”

She lifted her face to his, touched by the warmth in his eyes.

“Are you concerned about our relationship going public?”

Relationship?
Hearing the word filled her with joy.

“Is that what you’re calling this?”

Nick’s gaze narrowed. “What would you call it?”

Terrah shrugged, finally taking a sip of wine. “A fling?”

“A fling?” Nick repeated, before throwing back the contents of his glass.

Terrah nodded as he placed his snifter on the table beside them.

“You mean like a hot island tryst?”

His voice had dropped into that husky tone he used in the bedroom and Terrah’s pulse quickened as she swallowed the semi-dry wine on her tongue.

“Yes. We’re enjoying the island and each other.”

Terrah lifted her head as he stepped into her personal space and grabbed her by the waist. She got lost in the aqua-green magic of his eyes as liquid heat replaced the blood coursing through her body.

“That’s true, yes. We
are
enjoying the island and each other.”

She gasped as his hands slipped over her hips to caress her ass. He palmed each cheek, bringing her closer to his body so she could feel his thickening erection.

“But, babe, this isn’t a fling and you know it. A
fling
would imply that we both see and want an end to things between us in the foreseeable future.”

“Okay, so what is it, then?” Terrah whispered as he gently squeezed her ass and guided her backwards.

He was so damn hard and she was so wet.

“The beginning of something I don’t want to end. Tell me, Terrah, do you want this to end?” Nick asked as her back brushed against the wall.

It was an unfair question, especially with him touching her. She hesitated and he kissed her jaw before taking her lips in a soft, sensual kiss that left her wanting more.

“Do you, Terrah?” He took her glass and set it on the table. “Because I don’t.”

“Neither do I.”

Her words elicited a growl of satisfaction from Nick. He pressed her harder into the wall and kissed her again. Terrah slipped her arms around his neck, intertwined her fingers into his thick hair and released a throaty moan. He caressed her tongue with his. Right now, here in his arms, she couldn’t think about how long what they had would last. She could only concentrate on how badly her body craved his passion. It didn’t seem to matter how many times they were together, she wanted more.

Concerns be damned.
She hungrily kissed him back. His mouth slanted against hers and he slipped one of his hands under the hem of her sundress. She tugged on the dark strands of hair between her fingers as he skimmed his hand up her thigh to her hip. Terrah smiled against his lips when his questing fingers found her pantyless.

“You remembered.”

“Yes.”

His fingers skated over her hip and over the top of her pussy, teasing and warm.

“Touch me, Nick.”

He obliged, making her whimper with need as he slipped his hand between her legs and dipped his fingers into her silky heat. Terrah widened her stance, wishing he’d pay more attention to her clit and make her come, but he continued to tease her.