All through the recital the following day, she found out that her brother left at dawn, and she didn't even have the chance to talk, which made her confused as to why her brother was in a hurry. She planned to ask Zander about it. However, Elvie couldn’t stop thinking about THE EX, who had spurned Zander’s proposal. If it wasn't Kristal, the whore, then who could that be? She’d tried searching for information on the net, but there was nothing about him having been in a long-term relationship. How many years had it been? Had it been long before he’d risen to the top, while he’d been still making his mark on the world?Before their marriage?Was that why he had never fallen in love and insisted he never would? Was that why he only ever hooked up with women for short periods of time—because developing an attachment would make him too vulnerable? If he had truly loved the woman, then Elvie could understand how hurt he must have felt—especially when his ex had supposedly chosen someone bec
Zander took his child, holding her slightly aloft as if not wanting to get too close. But then Thea smiled and gurgled up at him, and Zander brought him against his chest and gently rocked her in his arms, looking down at the smiling kid. Elvie hadn’t expected the sight of him with Thea in his arms to stir her so much."I think she is really tired," he said after a moment."A nap will do, and she'll be back into a bomb," Elvie said."Don’t we all?"She angled her gaze at him.He gave her a self-deprecating smile. "With a baby, it's like having a meeting with a client.""Seriously?""Yeah. Uncontrollable. You'd be surprised. It took me a long time to get control of my life. I almost lost my way a few times." He looked down at the child again, his smile dimming slightly. "Especially after my parents were killed, I suddenly found myself all alone in the world." His expression reminded her of a suit of armour. She could see the outline of his face, but only through a mask of steel.She fr
"Shut it up, old man," Zander growled.Matheo smirked. "Not as good as things are going for you, I’ll wager," the SVP said with a wide grin. "So, you two finally got together. He’s a good catch, eh, Elvie? You must be feeling pretty pleased with yourself for landing a man like him."Why’s that? Because I was rabid-dog ugly and left on the shelf, and no one in their right mind would ever have offered for me in a thousand, million years? She thought to herself.Elvie ground her teeth so hard behind her smile that she thought she would have to be tube-fed for the rest of her life. "Actually, Matheo, Zander is the one who got the prize catch, aren’t you, dear?"Zander’s smile set off a smouldering glint in his eyes. "But of course, wife, I’m the hands-down winner in this union."Elvie’s back teeth went down another centimetre. But thankfully, Matheo moved on to chat with his secretary, who had come out to the garden to enjoy the shade and light breeze coming in from the ocean."What is he
Once the legal team and the rest of the crew had been seen during the week, Elvie didn’t see Zander again until the day before the scheduled honeymoon, when she arrived at his private retreat via a helicopter he had chartered to meet her at the airport. Her week had been a nightmare of juggling work, Thea’s never-ending questions about her dad, and arranging and packing for their ‘honeymoon’. Every time she even thought of the word, much less said it, it made her pulse gallop. She knew he wasn’t the sort of man to force himself on her. It was her own uncontrollable desires that she was worried about. But yeah, they talked about what happened in the closet and agreed to never let it happen again.Yeah, full of bull, because she knew it would eventually happen again.Soon…Bella was right. How on earth was she going to resist him? Spending a week on a yacht with Zander was going to test her resolve like a chocolate addict standing in the middle of a chocolate fountain with her mouth ope
Elvie let out a breathy little sigh and stepped closer, placing her hands flat on his chest, making his blood roar all the harder. "I’m sorry. I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. Is he OK, this employee of yours?"Zander held her by the hips, his need for her closing the distance between their bodies like a bridge of lust. "Yes, no worries."She bit into her lower lip with her teeth. "Oh, okay." Her brow was still slightly furrowed.By the way, you need to call Thea later, she’s been asking a lot about you.""Shit, I forgot, I promise to call her back," Zander said.Her expression was thoughtful after a beat or two of silence. "You should call her back asap, or else she won't stop scaring her nanny. I wish I could bring her with me.""You know you can't…" "Yeah, yeah!" Elvie gave him a lopsided smile, and her hands slid up to link around his neck, bringing her body even closer to his until he could feel the cool, wet press of her breasts and the hot swell of her mound.
Elvie walked back along the sand to the pathway leading to the villa, with Zander’s hand holding hers. Her body was still vibrating with aftershocks from the pleasure he had evoked. It made her aware of every inch of her flesh, as if all the nerves had been given steroids and were twice their size and three times as active. How did it happen? How could she let herself go? How could he let him touch her like that again? How could she be so stupid and naive again? Why had she allowed Zander to touch her like that? He hadn’t followed through to claim his own pleasure, so didn’t that make her seem a little pathetic? Like that teenage girl she used to be? Her wanton response to him demonstrated her vulnerability. She was a fool to give him more ammunition. She was supposed to be resisting him. Rejecting his advances and not encouraging such intimate contact. Not only encouraging it but responding to it like she had never responded to anyone before. Her breasts felt fuller and more sensiti
"Fine. The shell-pink I'll wear later," Elvie said, turning to Bella, who was hovering nearby. "What do you think, Bella? It would go best, don’t you think?"Bella nodded. "Absolutely. It’s perfect."Having Bella there meant so much to her. Why had Zander gone into so much trouble? It made her feel that he cared for her. Really cared for her. Or did he just really care what people made of their somewhat over-the-top honeymoon?Though she knew it was for a show, to let the media swarm like bees to honey, it still unnerved her.Bella grinned at her, while Gerald and Almera bid their goodbyes.Elvie grasped her friend’s hands again. "Bella, you didn’t let on that, you know, did you?""No, but even if I took my contacts out, I could see you’re halfway to being in love with him, if you’re not fully there already," Bella said. "Truly, he’s something else to look at, isn’t he? And that smile. Gosh, I’m halfway in love with him myself. Not that I wasn't since working with him, but don't get t
"This—I mean, this is over the top Zander, we go through all this for a show. This isn't a real honeymoon; there is no need to—" "Is it?" Zander said as he drew Elvie closer and pressed his mouth to hers in a kiss that felt unlike any other kiss he had ever experienced. It wasn’t because of the witnesses gathered from not so far away, taking pictures, or the solemnity of the show, like it was a movie set. It was a kiss that had a sacred element to it. A promise had been made, and this kiss sealed it. Her lips clung to his, her hands resting against his chest, her right one over the thud of his heart. Elvie smelled of summer flowers, and her lips tasted of strawberries. Zander held her against him, praying his erection would cool it in time to turn to walk back through the gathered paparazzi. He’d always considered it tacky when a kiss went on too long. But now he wishes he could freeze time. Stay right there and sup at her mouth until this burning ache in his flesh subsided—if it eve