Seduced - Book Three - Surrender Series (11 page)

His plans for the evening had just changed.

Lia

The rain wasn’t just coming down; it felt as if the heavens had opened up and God was unleashing his fury on the small island. Lia could see only a couple of feet in front of her as she staggered through the bushes and trees, fear starting to escalate.

What if she was completely lost? What if she broke through the bushes just as a tidal wave was surging from the ocean and it carried her back out to sea, where she’d never be found again?

Her temper was going to end up causing her untimely death. There was a point when stubbornness was just plain stupid, and she’d crossed that line, and then redrawn all new boundaries.

Staggering along, hoping she was headed in the right direction, Lia prayed to make it through this somehow. As another horrendously loud clap of thunder sounded right above her head, she felt as if she’d gotten a big fat
no
in answer to her prayers.

* * * * *

Shane had sulked long enough. Emerging from the surprisingly deep cave, he came up out of the water and immediately searched for Lia. Looking up at the sky, he grew worried. It was going to pour at any moment. He’d stayed inside the small cavern for far too long, a couple of hours, perhaps. Maybe more.

“Lia!”

He couldn’t see her anywhere. There was no way she’d be so irresponsible as to wander off alone — not with a storm brewing. But what if she’d gone off far earlier, after their tiff, perhaps to get food? After all, that had been a major point of this expedition, and he’d blown off thinking about what had to be done because he was pissed off. All in all, this was a disaster ultimately of his own making.

Shane quickly climbed from the water and grabbed the bag, rushing it over to the cave behind the waterfall so it would be safe.

Then he hurried back and dressed, his temper flaring when he realized that she had indeed wandered off. Part of it was her fault, her stubbornness, but he couldn’t absolve himself of all blame. She could be anywhere and the sky was about to unleash its wrath. He hoped Lia hadn’t gone back to the beach. He had no idea what the swells would be doing right now.

As the wind picked up, he made his way through the brush, shouting her name every minute or so. Suddenly, the rain came down, and it wasn’t showing the least bit of mercy as thunder boomed and lightning slashed across the sky. He had to find her and get back to the safety of the cave.

Passing a fruit tree, he almost didn’t stop, but knew they could be stuck for a while. He took less than thirty seconds and filled his pockets, then continued his search.

As the torrential rain poured down, Shane pushed ahead, feeling the sting on his face as the brush and low tree branches whipped past him in his fervent pursuit. Not giving the sting a second thought, he continued on. Unsure how he was going to find her, but knowing there was no way he’d give up, he continued calling for her as the light faded.

Just when he thought he would be wandering the woods in the thick of night, he spotted a flash of pink ahead. It had to be her shirt. His heart stalled as he made his way in that direction.
Please
, he prayed.

It had to be her. When he got closer, he found Lia hunched down on the ground. Terror gripped him at her stillness, but then he saw her move and his temper flared. How dare she frighten him so badly!

“What in the hell were you thinking?” he shouted.

Lia’s body jerked as she turned to look at him. Defiance shone in her eyes — she wasn’t going to back down an inch.

“I was thinking about getting away from you, you overgrown pig,” she replied, her words slightly garbled as the pouring rain dripped into her mouth.

“We need to go now. This storm is only getting worse,” he said as he gripped her arm and lifted her to her feet. They could fight once they were in the safety of the cave.

Shane was astonished when she dug in her heels. “I would rather stay out here in the rain than have you dictate to me, Shane Grayson!”

This was pure insanity. Maybe she’d eaten some of the inedible plants and was having a reaction. It was the only thing that made any sense to him. Whatever it was, this was ending now.

“Lia, I’m giving you to the count of three…”

“And what exactly are you going to do then?” she snapped as a streak of lightning flashed far too close for his comfort.

“Try me and find out. One, two… Screw this,” he snapped as he grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, her head hanging down his back and her ass high in the air.

“Shane Grayson, you put me down this instant,” she demanded as he began quickly moving back the way he’d come. All he could think about was the dryness of the cave and getting food in his stomach. Well, that was all he could think about until he noticed her tight rear end so close to his face. His temper was evaporating as lust began to fill him again.

“I’m not putting you down, so just shut up and enjoy the ride,” he said.

“Shane!”

“Ah, baby, your thrashing around is only turning me on more,” he called, his mood changing as he carried her through the woods, walking down the path he’d forged earlier. He felt a bit like a caveman who had just claimed his prize. Thunder boomed, and he picked up his pace.

When he turned the corner and saw the path down to the water and the cave, he breathed a sigh of relief. Shelter was needed. Even though he knew that the moment he set Lia down, she would fly at him with her claws extended, it was worth it.

She was light as a feather, and he’d enjoyed feeling the warmth of her body as he carried her through the storm. It was all leading up to one hell of an explosive night. Having had a couple of hours to think on it, he would take her any way he could get. She’d soon be begging him — he didn’t need her to make the first move this time.

Shane reached the cave, and he could have gone around the waterfall, but they were already soaked, and that was the quickest way in. So, without warning, Shane stepped down into the waist-deep pool and walked through the thick stream of pouring water.

Lia’s shouts turned to a gurgle as she inhaled a little of the sweet water. Setting her down on her feet, he backed up quickly, hoping to get enough time to brace for impact.

“I’m going to bloody you,” she snapped as she flew at him.

With her eyes flashing in the fading light that was seeping through the veil of water, and her T-shirt molded to her heaving breasts, Shane was more than ready to play.

He easily caught her in his arms and didn’t give her a chance to slap him. Spinning them around, he pushed her up against the smooth cave walls, and captured her mouth, stopping her words as he plunged his tongue inside, demanding a response from her.

Holding her hands firmly against her sides, he deepened the kiss, not giving her a chance to retreat, not giving her a single moment to think. They both needed this. It was the only way to move forward. What they had together was unstoppable, and the sooner she realized that, the better off both of them would be.

“Shane,” she cried as her rage quickly turned to passion. She might have thought that she despised him, but her body was telling him something entirely different.

“Are you going to behave?” he asked as he pulled back.

Her hand quickly escaped his hold and he felt the sting of her slap across his cheek. He might have deserved that. He really shouldn’t have been mocking her. In fact, when this night was over, he owed her several apologies for his behavior during the day. He’d been less than a gentleman from start to finish. But he just couldn’t seem to help himself when in her presence. She elicited emotions in him unlike any other woman he’d ever met. He certainly couldn’t help himself now.

“Not ever in this lifetime,” she said through gritted teeth. Her heaving chest was still brushing his as he leaned in closer.

“Oh, Lia, darling, we are going to make our own thunder tonight,” he promised her as he lifted a hand and rubbed his jaw. She’d really put some effort into that hit.

“You are so full of yourself, Shane. The only thunder you’ll be hearing is outside of these walls,” she said, but the tremor in her voice let him know that she was very aware of where this was going.

They were quickly losing their light, so Shane released her, moved to the bag and pulled out their tent — the tent they’d be making love in all night long. His body hardened in anticipation.
Just a little bit longer,
he thought.

Shane, ever the romantic, threw Lia a bag of beef jerky as he quickly set up their Home Sweet Home. She’d need her strength.

“What’s the point of a tent? We’re in a cave,” Lia said.

“You can sleep outside it if you want, but I prefer not to have spiders crawling all over me,” he said with a grin that was difficult for her to see.

Lia shut up as she looked around and began scratching her arms. Shane felt the slightest bit of guilt, but he was so worked up right now, his hands were trembling as he put the tent together.

With only a few candles in the emergency pack, he decided to light only one. With luck, they’d be rescued soon, but they were stuck in this cave until the horrendous rain stopped, and no one was going to find them there. Hmmmm.

Yes, he wanted to be rescued, but having Lia all to himself for a couple days wasn’t a bad thing, in his opinion. She’d have no choice but to admit where this was going between the two of them.

When he was finished, he stood, and looked her way, her face barely discernible in the fading light. “Damn, you are stunning,” he gasped, loving the silhouette of her body against the dark interior of the cave.

Her eyes widened, but it wasn’t a line, it wasn’t a way for him to gain her submission — she just took his breath away.

“Shane…” she began, her voice barely a whisper, need pouring through it.

“Time to get out of those clothes, Lia. We don’t need you catching pneumonia,” he said as his eyes raked across her chest.

She narrowed her eyes, seeming to gain just a little bit of her temper back. “I’m not getting naked in front of you again, and in this heat, I don’t think I have to worry about that,” she told him as a shiver passed through her that had nothing to do with her body temperature.

He just smiled as he moved forward. Holy hell, he liked it when she played hard to get.

Rachel

“No. You are doing it all wrong,” Rachel cried, emitting a flood of giggles.

It had been five days of utter bliss, and though she knew their time was coming to an end, she refused to think about it. She was growing attached, but she pushed that to the far recesses of her mind as well. She couldn’t focus on what tomorrow would bring; she allowed space in her brain only for what the two of them had right at that moment.

Ian was spectacular in every single way, even in his imperfections, which she liked about him. He had a cowlick that wouldn’t behave no matter how many times he brushed his hair. There was also a small scar on his forehead; she really wanted to know how he’d gotten it, but she didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to get more attached.

Their days and nights of lovemaking were more than she could have ever imagined, and he was also funny and sexy and made her never want to leave this penthouse suite.

But she would.

After their time was over, she would walk away with her head held high, and she’d have an experience that she would most likely carry with her for the rest of her life. She’d gone into this with her eyes wide open, and she refused to have regrets about it.

“I don’t see how I’m doing it wrong. This is just ridiculous,” Ian said with a scowl.

“Obviously you don’t know how to just let go. The whole point of Pirate’s Cove is to battle for rights so you can become the most feared and famous pirate the world has ever known. You aren’t even trying,” she said as she collected more gold. She’d won again.

“I have better ideas of games we can play,” Ian told her as he flicked the board away and grabbed her quickly, pulling her into his lap.

“I thought you said I was wearing you out,” she said with a grin as she kissed his square jaw.

“When would I ever have said such a thing?” he asked in horror.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think it was right after our shower a few hours ago.”

“Then I was a fool. I could never get enough of your delectable body,” he said as he began kissing her neck.

“Mmm. You can do that for about a million more years,” she offered, leaning into his mouth, enjoying the trace of his tongue along the sensitive skin of her neck.

He took her right there on the couch, and then she lay in his arms, sated...

“You’d better not go to sleep or the walls will rattle,” he said with a laugh.

“What?”

“The people in the next suite over were pounding on the walls because you were snoring so loudly.”

“I do not snore,” she gasped in horror as she glared at him.

“Oh yes, you do,” he teased as he kissed her neck.

“That is an absolutely terrible thing to say, Ian,” she said with a pout.

“I’m just teasing you. Your snore is really quite cute, very delicate like you,” he said.

“I do not snore, and I warn you that I am anything but delicate,” she said as she sat up and climbed on top of him, already forgiving him and feeling a stir in her body.

Ian had opened up something inside of her, and she couldn’t get enough — was greedy for more all the time.

“We need to leave this room for a while. I think I’ve forgotten what the rest of the world looks like,” Ian told her as his hands gripped her hips and he pushed his wakening arousal against her heat.

“I’m happy to stay right here,” she countered, pushing down against him in temptation, not wanting for him to let her go. They had only two days left, and she was battling sadness at the thought. She wasn’t ready. A week just wasn’t long enough.

“I am, too, but I have a surprise planned for you,” he said, piquing her interest. Rachel always had loved surprises.

Though he was saying the words, he was now hard and pushing against her core.

Rachel moaned as he surged inside of her. Yes, she would certainly miss this.

Ian made slow, sweet love to her, almost bringing her to tears as he looked deep in her eyes while his body moved within her.

Her pleasure overtook her in a sweet wave, and she collapsed on top of him, feeling drained emotionally and physically.

An hour passed as she lay there in his arms, on the cusp of sleep and consciousness. His hand held her behind and squeezed as he kissed her lips, and then he sat her up.

“We are leaving this room,” he said with a laugh. “Go and take a shower…alone.” He added as he set her on her feet.

Rachel practically floated into the bathroom; she stepped beneath the shower spray and quickly lathered herself with sense-entrancing body wash. As much as she didn’t want to leave their small haven, she was looking forward to whatever he had planned. It would be one more memory for her to carry with her when her mysterious lover disappeared forever.

They didn’t talk of exchanging numbers or speaking again after their week was up. This was a fling only — they’d both made a firm agreement on that, and she considered it the smartest course. Even if he asked, she’d have to say no.

Her thoughts burst forth in a jumble. Her life was moving in a new direction. She was going back to Italy. They didn’t have a future together. All they could possibly have was meeting once in a while in foreign places. Though that idea was appealing, she could see only heartbreak coming her way if they went that route.

It was going to be hell on her to let Ian go after only a week, but meeting with him every few months would make her crave him more. She wouldn’t do that to herself.

When she stepped back into the living area, dressed and ready to go, she was happy to see him in a pair of fitted trousers and a tucked-in dark blue dress shirt. He looked incredible no matter what he wore, but in that attire, his appeal was sinful indeed.

“That was quick. I guess you are eager to get started,” he said as she walked up to him and looped her arms around his neck.

“I can’t seem to get enough of you,” she replied, and her lips found his. Ian didn’t hesitate, but took her mouth in a possessive kiss. Oh, how he could kiss, stirring low in her midsection, and making her melt against him.

“Yes, you have me quite bewitched, Rachel,” he said, pulling back and looking into her eyes. His dark pupils dilated and she wanted to crawl back into bed with him. “What a spell you have me under, woman. We must leave now, or we’ll be late,” he said as he gently pushed her from him, then took her delicate hand in his, placing a gentle kiss on her fingers so she wouldn’t feel rejected.

The two of them walked from the room and took the elevator down, then slipped out the back door, where a limo was waiting. She found a bit of guilty pleasure in the ride, but was frustrated since she was trying to ease away from such an extravagant lifestyle, trying to fit in more in normal society. Ian was really pulling out all the stops on this adventure, though, and she couldn’t fault him for showing her what he considered the ultimate in romance.

“Where are we headed?”

“That is a surprise,” he said as they drove through the city.

When they arrived at the heliport, she raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask any more questions. He wasn’t going to tell her, so it wouldn’t do any good.

She’d flown many times with her brother in a helicopter and felt no fear as Ian helped her get situated before speaking to his pilot. Then he sat next to her in the luxury machine, and she sat back and waited for the fun to begin.

Yet they were flying out across the ocean, and Rachel was thoroughly confused. She’d expected him to be taking her somewhere in Florida, but they went instead farther and farther out to sea.

Lights appeared on the ocean surface, and her eyes widened in pleasure as the chopper began making its descent. She turned to grin at him as they landed on a giant yacht in the middle of the ocean. The vessel they’d just landed on made her brother’s boat look small.

“Is this yours?” she asked. She’d known Ian was wealthy, but this was a whole new level of wealth, at least equal to that of her brother’s, and she found that hard to believe. Ian had a certain arrogance about him, but he didn’t seem like others she’d met in the billionaire class she’d been around her entire life.

“No. It’s a friend’s,” he replied.

They’d agreed on not asking personal questions, but curiosity was eating her alive. But caution dragged her more firmly into the opposite direction. If she asked him questions, she
reminded herself, Ian might answer. The problem? The price would be her own story, and she didn’t want to tell it. So she kept quiet.

“It’s beautiful,” she said instead.

“Yes, she is a beauty. My friend has excellent taste. Right this way.” He leapt from the craft, then reached for her hand to assist her, and led her from the landing to an elevator that took them down a couple of levels.

When the doors opened, she laughed in delight at the dim room with a candlelit table set up in one corner, and a small group of musicians on the opposite side playing classical music.

“You are quite the romantic, Ian,” she said as he led her to the table.

“Only when I’m inspired,” he whispered in her ear. Chills traveled down her spine.

If she had only two nights left, then this was the way to end things.

“Do
I
inspire you?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t fish for compliments, but unable to help herself.

“Oh, yes. You have greatly inspired me, Rachel. I fear letting you go won’t be such an easy endeavor.”

The serious look in his eyes had her heart racing.

No. She had to change the subject. They must keep their affair light and brief. It was the only way. Looking around, she saw that no one else was in the room with them yet, making her bold.

“Well, then, you’d better hold on tight while we still have time,” she said as she rose from the table, and slowly walked to him, sitting down on his lap.

“I will learn your secrets, Rachel. I have decided I want to know them.”

Rachel leaned in and kissed him, needing to distract them both before she made a fool of herself.