The Holiday (12 page)

He righted himself on the edge
and swung a leg over, a big boyish grin on his face. "I did it."

She waited till he was safe on
the balcony before thumping him on the shoulder. "You
idiot
. You could have been killed."

He stilled. "Would you have
been sad?"

"I would have killed you all
over again."

His smiled became brilliant.
"I'm fine with that."

She hit him again, mostly just to
touch him to assure herself he was okay. "Don't ever do that again."

"I've climbed taller trees
on our country estate." He pursed his lips in thought. "I haven't
actually done it in twenty years or so. Maybe I should practice more
often."

"Just promise you won't do
it while you're eighty proof." She sniffed at him. "What have you
been drinking?"

"The finest Irish." He
grinned boyishly. "MacLeod loves the stuff."

"You might as well come
inside. It's cold out here."

He staggered into her bedroom and
collapsed on the bed as she closed the terrace doors behind her.

Colin kicked off his shoes with a
sigh.

She tried not to smile, because
encouragement from her was the last thing he needed. "If you're going to
pass out on my bed, at least leave me some space."

"Just crawl on top of
me." He lifted his head with effort. "I know you said I didn't need
to apologize but I really do. I disregarded what you wanted over my own
desires. I'm sorry for that."

"I'm sorry I overreacted and
ruined the weekend."

"So we're both sorry."

"Yes."

"I think we should kiss and
make up."

She smiled. "Just
kiss?"

"Just crawl on top of
me," he said again, this time with desire darkening his words.

She shrugged her sweater off and
let it fall to the floor. Slowly, she stripped out of her pants and top.
Leaving her underwear on, she strode to him and climbed on, straddling his
hips.

Sighing, he folded his arms
behind his head and watched her with a passion-laden gaze.

She understood his intent. He was
putting her in charge, letting her go as far as she was willing. Her heart
melted with the realization, knowing he did it to make her happy. She paused,
confused.

"Lower just one strap,
Leilani." He nodded at her bra.

That she could do. She let the
strap fall off her shoulder, and then she went one step further and pushed the
lace cup aside too. His pleased gasp drew a warm rush of feeling through her,
her body going both taut and molten at once.

Not wanting to think, just
wanting to feel, she ran her hands down his body, all the way to the waistband
of his slacks. She slid her hand down, feeling over the front. His hardness
pushed back at her, eager and insistent.

Not wasting time, she unzipped
his pants and took him out. In her hands, he was silky and firm, and she reveled
in the feel of him, anticipating the moment when she's slid him inside her.

He surged up in her grip, as
though he knew what she was thinking. "There's a condom in my
pocket."

"Thank you." She made
no move to get it.

"Or you can keep doing
this," he said, closing his eyes on a groan.

"Okay." But she knew
she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer herself. She fished in his pocket
for the condom, sheathed him, drew her underwear aside the way he liked it, and
eased him in.

They both moaned in pleasure. She
dropped her head, trying to catch her breathing enough to make this last. When
she opened her eyes, he was watching her with a mix of hunger and affection that
touched something deep at her center.

"Move on me, love," he
whispered. "Please yourself on me."

She nodded, breathless, and began
to undulate her hips. A shock of feeling shot from the core of her to the ends
of her body and back. Bracing herself on his thighs, she rotated her hips,
moving on him up and down.

He didn't touch her with anything
but his gaze. He whispered scorching words, encouraging her on, an audible
caress that was turning her on more and more.

Finally he lifted his hand,
trailing it over the exposed tip of her breast, down her abdomen, right to the
center of her, where she was joined with him. His thumb found her unerringly,
feathering over her in just the right way.

Throwing her head back, she cried
out as wave after wave of pleasure broke over her. Dimly she heard him call out
her name, feeling him surge with his own climax.

Dizzy, she draped over his chest.
His heart beat furiously under hers, and she put her hand over it to reassure
it.

He ran a hand down her hair,
holding her close. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered, "Let's
never argue again. I was in agony."

Agony was a good way to describe
it. At the same time she didn't want to give him false hope. "I still
don't want to get married, Colin."

His body stiffened, but he
shushed her and pulled the covers over their bodies. "Don't think of that
now, Leilani. Just let me be with you like this."

That she could do. She exhaled,
trying not to analyze that she felt like she was finally home.

Striding toward Sloane Square and
the tube, Leilani looked in the now familiar shops lining King's Road. Almost
four weeks in London, and already she
loved
it. She loved the people and their various accents. She loved the markets and
the little shops. She loved walking on the streets and sitting in the manicured
parks. She loved riding the tube and zipping underground.

She loved everything British.

It was so different than Maui.
Different energy—a different pace. Maybe it was because everything was so
foreign on this island, compared to her own, that it thrilled her so.

Maybe it was just because here
she was simply Leilani Wakida, gallery owner, friend of Mel King, and lover of
Colin Melbourne.

She especially loved being
Colin's lover.

Her smile dimmed a little. Since
that night he'd drunkenly serenaded her they'd declared a tentatively truce. They'd
gone back to the way things had been, but the specter of his proposal shadowed
them still.

She still had the ring.

Holding her purse closer, she
pictured it in the side pocket. It was probably a bad idea, carrying it around
with her, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't even want to consider what
that meant.

She wouldn't think of it, she
decided as she went into the tube. For now, she'd focus on the spectacular sex
and the companionship.

Leilani wasn't sure which she
loved more. Both were definitely fabulous. She loved spending time with him out
of bed as much as she liked staying in. 

Colin had been taking her
exploring. She'd mentioned that she'd never seen a medieval castle except for
in the movies, so one weekend he drove her down to Dover to see Dover Castle.
The sprawling fortress had been awe-inspiring. Ancient stones set on top of
white cliffs surrounded by hallowed grounds where generations upon generations
had walked. They'd stayed in an adorable bed and breakfast where the hostess
served the most delicious shepherd's pie ever. Leilani didn't have many to
compare it to, but Colin had assured her it was the best in England.

One afternoon, he'd surprised her
by picking her up early to show her the Tower of London. Standing on the
grounds, she'd felt the residual echo of the past. The Tower Green with its
memorial to those who'd died there was interesting, but she liked seeing the
Crown Jewels best. She couldn't help feeling that the most famous diamond in
the collection, the
Koh-I-Noor
originally from India, wasn't nearly as special as her Sea Pirate's diamond.

She and Colin had made out in the
British Museum. He'd taken her to see the Elgin Marbles, and in the long
austere hall of the Duveen Gallery where the sculptures were housed, Colin had
turned her around and given her a bone-melting kiss that she'd remember for the
rest of her life.

After each excursion, they always
ended up in his bed, and then he'd eventually take her home. She always felt
guilty about him taking her home so late in the night, but she couldn't stay
and he refused to let her take a cab.

But last night she'd broken her
rule.

She sighed as she left the
underground. He'd convinced her to stay the whole night, taking her back this
morning so she could change. He'd offered to drive her to work, but she'd
assured him she'd be fine taking the tube.

Consequently, she was late for
work. Mel wouldn't mind but Leilani did.

It'd been nice sleeping in his
arms.

Really nice. That was what
bothered her most.

Although she was bothered, it
didn't stop her from agreeing to see him tonight—or from accepting a copy
of his house key so she could let herself in after work.

When she arrived at the gallery,
Mel was fortunately occupied with a call. Leilani quietly holed herself in the
office and got to work. First thing she needed to do was check on the paintings
Sam was sending from Maui, so she emailed her friend.

If everything else was in the
air, one thing that was going fabulously was the exhibit. The Hawaiian art
she'd picked to complement the British works they'd chosen were perfect. Thanks
to Mel's tireless marketing, they were already receiving a great amount of
press, including a feature article about them in
The Independent
.

The day went by in a blur of
details and calls. Around five o'clock, Mel poked her head in the office.
"I'm off to have drinks."

"Date?" Leilani asked,
looking up from her laptop with interest.

"I don't have time to date,
love."

"You did at one time,
apparently," she said, thinking of the Argentinean polo player.

Mel's expression lost some of its
sparkle. "Yes, well, we all have our youthful follies. I'm too busy
conquering the world now. But that doesn't mean one of us can't have fun."

She smiled. "You want me to
take that on?"

"I think you already
have." Mel winked at her. "I noticed you didn't come home last
night."

Her face burned.
"Guilty."

"I'm counting on you and
Colin to have marvelously lascivious plans for this evening as well."

"I'm meeting him
later."

"Good." Mel waved as
she walked away. "I'll close up the shop. Ciao, darling."

She worked for another hour and
then took the tube to Colin's. She was supposed to meet him at a pub close to
his work, but she wanted to drop off her overnight bag first.

She let herself in with her new
key. The old family tomb, as he called his home. She smiled. It
was
tomb-like in that it was vast, but
the feel of the place was warm and welcoming, if masculine.

MacLeod rushed out to greet her
with a smile she couldn't resist. She scratched his jowls. "What do you
say we put my bag in the bedroom and then get a snack?"

He barked once and led the way.

Slipping her shoes off, she raided
the cabinet—shortbread for her and a dog biscuit for MacLeod. As they
both nibbled their treats, her cell phone rang.

When she saw the name on the
screen she smiled and answered it. "Sam, you're up early."

"I couldn't sleep because Mark's
in San Francisco for work."

She'd been having that trouble
too, until last night. Last night she slept like a baby.

"Did you just sigh?"
Sam said. "I heard you sigh. What's going on? Is something wrong, besides
wondering where the paintings are?"

"No." She frowned,
thinking of the ring. "Not really."

"It sounded like you were
having a good time in London. Has that changed?" Sam gasped. "Did you
stop having sex with that British guy?"

"I'm going to regret telling
you about that, aren't I?" she asked with a small smile.

"You can't hide things like
that from your best friend and partner."

That was exactly what Sam had
become too, Leilani realized suddenly. The last year had brought about so many
changes, most of them good.

She tried not to think that maybe
all of them were good. "So about the paintings."

"Forget the paintings. Tell
me about sex and the Englishman."

"It's—" She tried
to think of a word that'd do it justice.

"That good, huh?" Sam
said, sounding impressed.

"Better than good."
Then before she could stop herself she blurted, "But Colin and I have
become too intimate."

"Isn't that the point of
sex?"

"I stayed the night with him
last night."

Sam sighed dreamily.
"Sleeping with a man is so
nice
."

It had been—too nice.

"Wait. Didn't you like it?
Did he have horrible morning breath? Because that would pretty much kill it for
me."

"No, I liked it." She
thought about the way he'd held her in his arms all night and sighed. Aaron
used to turn his back on her. "It was frighteningly amazing."

"Good. You're too set in
your ways for someone so young. If you didn't feel scared you wouldn't know
you're alive."

"With Colin, there's no
doubt of that."

Sam gasped. "You're falling
in love with him."

"No, I'm not." But a
niggle of doubt clouded her mind.

MacLeod huffed and butted her
with his head, as if he disagreed.

"Was that Colin?"

"No." Leilani looked at
the dog. "It's his roommate."

"He sounds chummy."

"You have no idea," she
said as MacLeod licked her fingers.

"Speaking of chummy, guess
who's been coming to see me?" Without waiting for an answer, Sam said,
"Mary Lilo."

Leilani closed her eyes.
"She's been trying to reach me."

"That's what she said. You
want my opinion on this?"

"Sure."

"Don't answer your phone
when she calls."