His After-Hours Mistress: The Rich Man's Reluctant Mistress
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That earlier brief kiss, no matter how much she had resented it, had opened up her defences. She was susceptible to him now. And, judging by the look in his eyes, he knew it! They were narrowed and intent on hers, reading her dilemma, knowing exactly how she felt. It was time she left. But when she pushed back her chair and stood up a hand shot out and caught her wrist.
‘Don’t leave yet,’ said Zane. ‘The evening is still young and I have no wish to spend it alone.’ And all the time he was speaking he was pulling her inexorably towards him.
The air between them crackled with tension, warning her that if she didn’t escape now it would be too late. But did she want to escape? Wasn’t this devastatingly attractive man setting alight fires inside her that had never been lit before? Wasn’t he arousing passions that no one else but he could quench?
Yes, but…
But what? asked an inner voice.
But nothing! There was no but about it. She was being foolish. If she didn’t put a stop to things now she would hate herself later. ‘I want to go to my room,’ she told him firmly, trying to no avail to tug her hand free. ‘I really am very tired.’
‘And I’d like you here with me. Please stay.’
Their eyes met and held, his fingers relaxed and suddenly her hand was free, but instead of turning and running Lucinda amazed herself by slipping quietly back on to her chair. It was the way he’d said ‘Please stay’ that had done it. It had been an unexpected ‘please’. Not what she was used to from this man. Perhaps he was lonely? After all they were both in a strange place with no one else to turn to for company.
‘Very well,’ she agreed quietly, ‘but not for long. I should go to bed.’
Gradually she relaxed. Zane seemed to be in a mood for not saying very much and she too was content to sit quietly. Nevertheless his nearness could not be ignored. The heady scent of him invaded her nostrils and if she closed her eyes and listened intently she could even hear him breathing. There were so many other night sounds around them and yet Zane’s breathing and the constant thud of her heart were the only ones that she heard.
‘What are you thinking?’
His voice broke the silence and made her jump. ‘How beautiful it is out here,’ she lied.
‘But not as beautiful as you.’
Her eyes shot wide and her heart rate increased. ‘You shouldn’t be saying that, Zane. We’re here on business. Or at least I am.’ But never had a job taken her to such a faraway magical place. Everything here was beautiful.
He inched his chair nearer to hers. ‘I’m glad you said that you’re here on business and not me, because I don’t normally like to mix business with pleasure. As things stand, I have no such dilemma.’ Again he edged his chair closer, so close this time that there was but a hair’s breadth between them.
Lucinda drew in a swift breath, trying to ignore the alarming sensations that were pulsing in every single one of her cells. He was going to kiss her; she was very much aware of it, and if she had any sense she would flee. But sense and sensibility didn’t show their heads; instead she felt an aching need that only he could assuage and when he tipped her chin with a firm finger she willingly parted her lips.
Zane had wanted to do this ever since Lucinda had walked into his office just over a week ago. She had transformed herself into a stunningly beautiful businesswoman. Not only beautiful but hellishly sexy as well.
But he was aware, very much so, and she was driving him crazy. He had begun to think that he would never get anywhere with her—and he had taken a huge gamble when he’d kissed her earlier. Brief though that kiss had been, he had become immediately aware that she wasn’t immune to him. It had given him the encouragement he needed.
He had heard it said that St Lucia was born beautiful. That was true of Lucinda as well. Just as the beauty of nature enhanced the island, an inner beauty made Lucinda one of the most striking women he had ever met. She was completely unaware of it but to him it was like a beckoning beacon. He wanted her so badly that it hurt.
And when she showed no sign of resisting him, when she seemed to melt into his arms, he groaned deep within his throat and, pulling her on to his lap, he deepened his kiss.
He traced her lips with his tongue, he tasted the nectarlike sweetness of her, he explored the intricacies of her mouth, and all the time he could feel the throb of her heart getting stronger and stronger. And the soft warmth of her body growing hotter and hotter.
His own desire surged and when Lucinda wriggled against him he knew that she was aware of his arousal. The beauty of it was that it didn’t frighten her away. On the contrary, she sucked in his kisses like a drowning woman, letting her tongue play with his, her hands shaping his head, fingers twisting in his hair, her passion growing with each second that passed.
What he wanted to do, what he really wanted to do, was pick her up and take her to bed. But he knew that it was far too soon. So he continued to kiss her and slowly he let his hand glide over one of her breasts. When he discovered that she was not wearing a bra beneath the coral silk it nearly drove him wild.
He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her nipple until it tightened into a hard nub. And then he did the same to her other breast. And all the time she said nothing. Not that he wasn’t aware of her heightened excitement. Her breathing came in much shorter gasps and her fingers tightened in his hair until he felt that if she wasn’t careful she would pull it out by the roots.
Very slowly he released his mouth from hers and with even more painfully slow progress he nibbled his way down to her beckoning breasts, at the same time flipping open her blouse buttons so that they were revealed in all their naked glory to his greedy eyes.
Then he sucked each burning nipple in turn into his mouth, exulting when he heard her moans of pleasure, when she held him against her as though she never wanted him to stop. She tasted as sweet as she smelled and he knew he ought to call a halt before he came to the point when he couldn’t.
It was a tiny noise that did it. The sound of something shattering inside the house! A dropped plate perhaps, or a glass! Followed by a smothered cry. And it broke the spell.
He lifted his face to look at her. He saw sweetness and softness and wonderment. Lips that were moist and slightly swollen. Eyes that were glowing orbs of pleasure but with a question in them too. She was asking herself how this could have happened.
And he wanted to ask the same.
Was it the sweet night air that had seduced their senses? Was it their exotic surroundings? Was it the magic of the island? Or was it simply that when push came to shove she couldn’t resist him? He’d really given her little choice. She had wanted to retire to her room. Instead he had insisted she join him. What had happened next was inevitable. Except that for some reason his conscience bothered him. It didn’t normally. Most women he knew enjoyed his kisses. But Lucinda was different.
‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ he growled, but he said it so quietly that it was possible she hadn’t heard.
‘No, you shouldn’t,’ she agreed, also very quietly. ‘It went beyond the bounds of our contract. However, I’m prepared to forget it, provided it never happens again.’ And with that she pulled her blouse together and walked away with her head held high.
Lucinda could not believe that she had let Zane kiss her again. And not only on the lips! She’d let him undress her and taste her breasts, and touch them, and arouse them, and make her lose her mind. Oh, God, the pleasure he had given her! Even thinking about it recreated the sensations.
Indoors in her room she touched where he had touched. She looked at herself in the mirror. Saw the dreamy arousal in her eyes, the soft glow to her skin, and when she grazed her thumb lightly over her nipples the full sweet sensations winged once again through the very heart of her.
What was she to do? Amazingly he had apologised so perhaps he wouldn’t touch her again. But Lord help her—she wanted him to. He had given her a taste of what it could be like between them and she wanted to feed from it like a starving animal.
It was this island that did it, she felt sure. It was an exotic paradise just made for lovers. Had Zane known that when he brought her here? Or had St Lucia woven its spell over him too? He struck her as a man well able to control his emotions—so what had happened?
He needed a woman, that was what had happened. And she had been the only one available!
Looking at it like that made Lucinda tighten her lips. The magic was over, the spell broken. It didn’t have to be her; it could have been anyone. Zane Alexander had an insatiable sexual appetite. She must never forget that. He was used to a whole coterie of women sitting at his feet, waiting for his favours. He’d probably never been turned down.
What a shock he had in store!
CHAPTER FIVE
NOT surprisingly Lucinda’s body refused to settle down and she slept little that night. She could still feel Zane’s touch, still smell the male scent of him, still experience rushes of pleasure whenever she remembered what he had done to her.
And the thought that he was in the next room played a big part as well. She had lain awake listening for him to come to bed and an hour or more had passed before she heard his soft footsteps and his door opening and closing. Even then she strained to hear the sounds of him moving about the room—and it was well into the early hours before all was still and quiet.
She slept intermittently but as soon as the first lazy fingers of dawn stretched across the sky Lucinda sprang out of bed. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, tied her hair back in a ponytail and set off to explore. The temperature outside was perfect, but she knew that all too soon the heat of the day would take over and she would wish herself back in the air-conditioned house.
The gardens were lush and green with a plethora of ferns and palms and exotic flowers that she did not know the names of. She discovered a path and followed it down the hillside. It became steeper and steeper with a handrail to the side and eventually Lucinda found herself on the shore, with the bay to her right with its dozens of moored yachts and cruisers, and to her left a long stretch of almost white sand.
By now the sun had painted the sky in a fleeting burst of red and apricot, until it rose majestically above the horizon and the colours muted and disappeared altogether. There was not another soul about and Lucinda kicked off her sandals and walked along the shore. The sea was tempting and although she had nothing to change into she ran into the lapping waves, laughing and splashing, until she was in deep enough to swim.
The water felt like silk against her skin and she raised her arms in long lazy strokes, enjoying the feeling of being at one with nature. She floated on her back, watched the birds wheeling and crying above, and was thinking of returning to the house when she became conscious of someone swimming beside her.
‘Zane!’ How had he got here? In no time flutters of anxiety filled her nerves. She had been enjoying her time alone. Now all she could remember was last night and him kissing her.
Zane grinned at her shocked face. ‘Is that all you have to say? Zane?’
‘I didn’t expect you. I didn’t even see you,’ she retorted, annoyed to feel her heart racing all over again.
‘Why are you up so early? Couldn’t you sleep? Wasn’t the bed comfortable?’
As if by mutual consent, they both turned and headed for the shore. ‘The bed was very comfortable, thank you,’ she replied, looking him straight in the eye. ‘It was my thoughts that kept me awake.’
‘Now let me think,’ he said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. ‘Would they be thoughts about the project in hand? Were you busy imagining how you are going to transform my place? Or would your thoughts have been about—’ he paused deliberately, his eyes twinkling with humour ‘—what happened between us last night? I know I said I shouldn’t have done it, but I’m not sorry I did. Your boyfriend was a fool to let you go.’
By now they had reached shallow waters and they waded out and stood for a moment on the shore facing each other. Lord, he was sexy, thought Lucinda. He wore a pair of brief black swim-shorts and his body was tanned and firm and her fingers simply itched to touch him.
Heat flooded her. They were insane thoughts. She must learn to curb them. ‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ she said with a hint of anger in her voice. ‘It was the project I was thinking about. I’d actually like to go into Castries and see what’s on offer. Do you have a car I can use?’
‘Better still, I’ll come with you,’ he said without hesitation.
‘No!’ Lucinda’s voice came out in something like a panic-ridden shriek and she immediately amended it. ‘I mean, no, I’ll be better off alone. I’ll probably spend hours looking around. You’d be totally bored.’
His eyes told her that he could never be bored in her company, but what he said was, ‘Do you not think I should have a say in what you’re going to do?’
‘Naturally,’ said Lucinda. ‘But not until I’ve developed a few ideas. I need time to myself. Both in your house and when I’m sourcing furniture and materials.’
‘Mmm!’ Zane touched a finger to his lips. ‘That might be difficult.’
Lucinda frowned.
‘You see I’m not very good at spending time by myself. I need company.’ Blue eyes challenged hers, sending shivers of sensation down her spine.
Lucinda shook off the feeling as well as she could. Not easy when the sexiest man in the universe was standing less than a metre away. ‘You more or less told me that this would be a base,’ she declared resentfully. ‘Can’t you go and do some work somewhere?’
‘I could,’ he agreed. ‘But you know what they say about all work and no play making Jack a dull boy. I should hate to appear dull.’
That would be impossible, thought Lucinda. Zane? Dull? Never!
His mouth twitched as he waited for her response.
‘Since I am here to work,’ she told him, ‘I see no reason why you shouldn’t work also. You can’t possibly sit around for days on end.’
‘I don’t intend to do that,’ he told her. ‘This transformation of my house, or whatever you like to call it, is going to be a joint effort. It’s so rare I take time off work that I’m actually looking forward to it.’
Lucinda groaned inwardly. She hadn’t really thought about what Zane would do while she was working; but she most certainly hadn’t imagined he would want to spend much of his time with her—certainly not all of it! It would make her job impossible.
Maybe if he hadn’t kissed her, maybe if she weren’t so very much aware of the way her body reacted to his, then it would work. But already, after only a few hours on the island, she could see the physical impossibility of anything like that happening.
‘How can I think with you around?’ she asked him bluntly.
And how could he act normally when a woman as exceptionally beautiful and desirable as Lucinda was living with him but was taboo? Zane knew he was behaving like a complete moron. It wasn’t usual for him to lust over a member of the opposite sex. It was usually they who came to him.
Women hung around him in droves. And he knew why. Money! Power! It was an aphrodisiac to some of the female population. Lucinda was different. She’d had a bad experience, and a bad role model in her mother apparently, and was well and truly off men.
Although—and it pleased him somewhat to realise this—she hadn’t been entirely averse to his kiss last night. It had eventually sent her running, yes, but she had nevertheless enjoyed it. Indeed her reaction had been far more intense and exciting than he had expected.
‘As a professional woman I’m quite sure you’ll be able to get on with your job,’ he assured her, ‘despite my presence. Now, let’s go up and have some breakfast. I don’t know about you, but that swim’s made me hungry.’
He touched a hand to her elbow and led her to a door in the cliff face. A glass door! He smiled at her surprised expression. ‘The previous owner had a lift installed for his invalid wife. We may as well make use of it; it’s a stiff climb otherwise.’
Zane could see the doubt in Lucinda’s eyes—and quite incredible green eyes they were too. Sometimes they were as dark as the deepest ocean and at others, like now, they were the lightest aquamarine. They enchanted him. But he could see that she wasn’t happy about sharing the lift. Maybe she was thinking about last night’s kiss. That incredible kiss! She had run like a scared rabbit afterwards but he had a feeling that she had enjoyed it as much as he had.
It was so unusual for him to be happy about taking time off from his business affairs that he knew this attractive woman had something to do with it. A lot to do with it, in fact! Everything to do with it! She was totally gorgeous. Although he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, Lucinda had a lot more going for her than most of the women he dated.
As Lucinda stepped into the lift and the door swished closed behind her she felt a shiver of apprehension. The confined space worried her. She knew what Zane could do to her senses—without even touching her. And here, now, he was so close that she could almost feel the electricity crackling between them.
She tried to concentrate on the view instead. It was totally magical being whisked silently upwards with the whole panorama opening out in front of them. The yachts grew smaller, the ocean wider, the sky immense. And inside their little space the walls were padded with ocean coloured leather. It was out of this world.
Except that it was a tiny world holding just her and Zane. She could feel the heat of his body, inhale the fresh scent of him, and her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
‘Is something wrong?’
She hadn’t realised that Zane had observed her tension.
‘Are you scared of heights?’ The shore was a long way below them now.
Lucinda grabbed the excuse. ‘Yes,’ she lied faintly. But it was entirely the wrong thing to have said. The next second Zane’s arms were wrapped protectively around her, her head held firmly against his chest, her eyes shaded from the view outside.
‘A few more moments,’ he told her.
More like a lifetime, she thought, fighting to control the sensations that were whizzing through her veins. And when he, oh so gently, stroked damp strands of hair from her face such was her surge of feelings that she wanted to press herself even closer to him.
Fortunately, before she had time to give herself away, the lift came to a halt and the doors opened. Zane immediately released her and Lucinda stepped out. They were at the side of the pump house, near the pool. It was no wonder that she hadn’t seen the lift before.
‘I’ll go and get showered,’ she said at once.
Zane nodded. ‘We’ll meet at breakfast and afterwards we’ll make that trip into Castries.’
Lucinda did not want him to accompany her, but she knew without a shadow of doubt that he wouldn’t take no for an answer so she smiled bravely.
Their en suite bathrooms were back to back and when Lucinda finished her shower she could hear Zane’s water still running and above it she could hear him humming. It depressed her. He was clearly happy with the situation even though she wasn’t. But if it was in his mind to start an affair then he would need to think again. There was no way she was going to take part in anything like that. No way!
This job was unlike any other she had worked on. She had thought, initially, that it would be a good experience. And it would be, if it weren’t for Zane. Had she known they would be spending so much time together, she would most certainly not have taken the job. How did he expect her to do what he was paying her for if he insisted on commandeering her attention? He had told her that he had business interests here in St Lucia, so why wasn’t he out there working?
Lucinda took her time dressing and Zane was already sitting at the breakfast table when she walked out to the sun deck. The air was warmer now but the mountain breeze ruffled her hair and was very welcome, although not all of the heat in her body was due to the weather.
On the table was a huge dish of fresh fruit, already peeled and sliced; there were bread rolls and butter and cheeses and ham, a selection of juices and cereals. ‘I wasn’t sure whether you’d like a cooked breakfast?’ he asked.
Lucinda shook her head. She didn’t feel that she could eat a thing.
‘Likewise. I always eat continental when I’m in a hot country. At least we have something in common.’
Not quite sure how to answer that, Lucinda let it go and poured herself a glass of mango juice.
‘Tell me more about this guy who let you down,’ said Zane conversationally when she had selected a bread roll and buttered it carefully. So carefully in fact that it took her ages and she hadn’t noticed that Zane was watching her. ‘He’s really affected you, hasn’t he?’
Lucinda frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ he asked. ‘You seem extremely wary of men—unless it’s just me?’
‘It’s not you,’ she lied, ‘although it was definitely a mistake letting you kiss me. Rest assured it won’t happen again. This is a business trip, neither of us must forget that.’ She felt sudden heat flood her cheeks as she reminded him of the kiss and hoped he would put it down to the warmth of the day.
‘So in future you’re Miss Prim, is that it?’ His smoky blue eyes teased her. ‘Or would it be Miss Untouchable?’
‘I happen to take my work seriously,’ she reminded him fiercely. ‘I wouldn’t have got where I am quite so quickly if I didn’t.’
‘Tell me about your ex-fiancé. I’m interested in him.’
Lucinda sighed and leaned back in her chair. ‘There’s not much to tell.’
‘Four years was a long relationship. Time enough surely for you to both know your own minds?’
Lucinda nodded. ‘I was so sure he was the one.’
‘Most people get married or at least move in together in far less time than that,’ he observed. ‘Which perhaps suggests that he was never the right person for you. Did you ever have reservations?’
‘None at all,’ she answered, feeling the pain of their parting all over again. ‘Simon and I met at university. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that. But we gradually began to see more of each other and I suppose we slipped into the relationship. Nevertheless I did love him; I could see a future for us together. But obviously he didn’t. I don’t know who he left me for and I don’t really care.’ But she had cared when it happened and she had tried to find out who the other woman was. Not that it would have done her any good. Simon had gone, deserted her. All the love he had sworn for her had sailed into thin air.
Zane reached across the table and put his hand over hers. ‘You’re well rid of him. You deserve better.’
And when she looked into the smoky depths of his eyes Lucinda saw compassion and wondered if he was suggesting himself. He didn’t stand a cat in hell’s chance. She definitely felt attracted to him, but that was pure sex, nothing more. When, or if, she ever did fall in love again he would have to be someone special, someone whom she could trust and love unconditionally, and who felt the same way. Zane Alexander most definitely didn’t fit that bill.
She pulled her hand away, trying to do it so that he didn’t realise how much he had the power to disturb her. And she broke off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth.
‘Anyway, we’re not here to talk about ourselves,’ she said firmly.
‘So what else is there to talk about?’
Anything but themselves!
‘Would you like to tell me what you’re thinking of doing to my bedroom, for instance?’ he asked with a hint of a smile.
Swift heat flooded her. Bedrooms were as much a taboo subject as Simon and her manless state. She still thought of silver and grey and ice-blue, although maybe the ice part wasn’t right any more. He was a man of passion. Maybe hot red or fiery purple would make more sense.