‘I’m impressed you aren’t one of these women who cannot even think of going in the sea, much less getting her hair wet.’ He took her hand and led her from the villa towards the beach. ‘What is Julie doing for her last day? I hope she didn’t mind me stealing you away again.’
If only he would steal her away for ever, Imogen thought, but she knew she wasn’t his type. At least, the Imogen she really was certainly wasn’t his type. Not that it really meant anything, she reminded herself sharply, the risk of getting carried away with it all stronger than ever. She was just someone for him to while away the week with. Why else would he have only kissed her goodnight at the end of each day?
‘Julie is more than happy with our arrangement,’ she said as they walked on the soft white sand of the beach, already heating up from the sun. Imogen wasn’t about to enlighten Marco to the fact that Julie hadn’t come back to the villa last night after her date. ‘She’s using this week to escape too.’
Imogen tried to make light of the whole situation, or arrangement as he’d openly called it. She simply wanted to enjoy this last day with Marco. Tomorrow she and Julie would be on a flight heading back to England and the normality of their day jobs at Bespoke Luxury Travel. Their moment of escape here on the romantic tropical island would be over.
‘In that case we have all day to be together—apart from a little something extra I have arranged just for you. For our last night together.’
She looked up at him, the sun sparkling in his eyes. Or was that mischief? He’d arranged something for her? First he’d told her she was beautiful and now this. If she wasn’t careful she’d lose all sense of reality and start wishing for the kind of happy-ever-afters she knew didn’t really exist.
‘I’m intrigued,’ she teased but her breath caught as he took hold of her hand, making her stop, so that she could only stand and look up at him.
‘I’m the one who is intrigued. By you.’ His eyes darkened until they were completely black and her pulse raced as with his free hand he pushed back stray strands of her hair which had escaped from her ponytail.
He was going to kiss her—and she wanted him to. Not the soft, gentle kisses he’d given her since that first night. She wanted him to really kiss her.
Her eyes closed as he moved nearer, his hand sliding round to hold the back of her head, bringing her closer to him. Not that she needed any persuading. This was the last day of living the life of luxury. After tomorrow Marco would be part of a moment out of reality, a man she would never meet again. They lived in two completely different worlds.
His lips moved over hers and she kissed him back, demanding so much more from him. Fire leapt to life inside her as she pressed herself recklessly against him, abandoning any notion of being sensible, wanting only to ease her aching desire for this man.
He answered her demands with an almost burning passion as he deepened the kiss, holding her so tight. She could hardly breathe but she didn’t want it to stop, didn’t want the deep pulse of desire inside her to fade away to nothing. She wanted everything, every part of this man.
Between her thighs heat scorched. The hardness of his erection pressed against her made her ever more reckless as she moved her hips, wanting to get even closer, even more intimate. Her body was begging him to make love to her. She’d never experienced anything so powerful. Her ex-fiancé, her only other lover, had never aroused her like this, never made her so wanton, so consumed with desire.
‘Have you any idea what you do to me?’ Marco asked, each word a hoarse, passion-filled whisper.
‘I do now,’ she teased. Who was this woman? Imogen Fraser would never be as seductive and flirty as this. But she wasn’t Imogen Fraser. She was just Imogen and this was her moment. Tomorrow it would end and she had no intention of going home with any what ifs lingering in her mind.
He let her go and moved back a step, running one hand through his hair in a distracted way, which only made her want him more. ‘Imogen—you will be the undoing of me.’
‘I intend to be exactly that,’ she said as she moved towards him, sliding her hands around his neck again and brushing her lips teasingly over his. The feral growl he tried hard to suppress left her in no doubt as to the effect she had on him. He did want her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
‘Do you, now?’ He put his arms back round her waist and she wished she’d had the courage to wear a bikini. She wanted to feel his hands on her body. Skin on skin.
‘But first,’ she mercilessly teased him, a big smile on her lips, ‘haven’t you arranged something for us?’
‘I have.’ Marco snatched at the change of subject she unwittingly offered because if he didn’t he was in danger of taking her back to his villa and spending the day exploring the desire between them, which had now reached near explosive heights. Whilst it was very much what he wanted to do, it wasn’t part of his plan to create the ultimate romantic escape on their last night. The pleasure her body promised would have to wait. ‘We are going out on that yacht.’
She turned swiftly and looked to where a sleek white yacht was anchored in the bay, waiting patiently on the sparkling blue water. ‘Now I understand the need for swimwear.’ Her laughter was as infectious as it was captivating.
‘We aren’t just going on the sea—we are going under it. I’ve arranged for us to snorkel over one of the island’s reefs.’
He braced himself for excuses. Any other woman he’d dated in recent years probably wouldn’t paddle in the sea, let alone swim in it. All they’d wanted to do was sunbathe. Tiny bikinis were not for getting wet. Imogen’s red one-piece showcased her sexy curves in a way a bikini couldn’t, making him imagine how it would feel to have her naked body in his bed. Each time he looked at her, taking in every shapely curve, he grew more impatient for the conclusion to this week.
A spike of lust shot through him. He’d never waited this long to have sex with a woman. Imogen was different and, although he had no intention of trying to figure out why, he had every intention of bringing their romantic week, their escape from reality, to the conclusion he’d wanted from the very first moment he’d set eyes on her in that alluring blue dress. Tonight, no matter what, she would be his and the passion and desire he’d held in check all week could finally be set free.
‘Marco, that’s so exciting—thanks.’ Her eyes sparkled like the sea beyond her as she looked up at him, then as if the wind had changed direction she lowered her head and looked down. ‘Nobody has spoilt me like this before.’
A woman like Imogen must have had many admirers, all trying to impress her and win her affection. Her admission shocked him. ‘I find that very hard to believe.’
She looked back up at him. ‘It’s true. I’ve only ever had one relationship. It lasted for over two years, but...’ Her words trailed away, reminding him of the aura of innocence she sometimes portrayed. Had this teasing temptress really only had one lover?
‘Whoever he was, he was a damn fool to let you go.’ The words sprang from him before he had time to think and they were totally out of character. He never gave away his feelings, never said anything to a woman that could be misread as something more. Settling down had never been part of his big plan for life and yet here he was, talking with Imogen as if they shared a secret need to do just that.
‘He didn’t let me go,’ she said, looking up at him, that spark of defiance in her eyes once more. ‘He lost me.’
‘Then his loss is my gain. And being here has enabled me to find you,’ he said softly, brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
‘Yes, our week here has been fun, a real escape, and all I want is to make the most of the last day together.’
A sense of calm slipped over him. She was as good as telling him that once they left the island she wouldn’t be looking for anything else from him. It was everything he had hoped