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
The warm sun was setting by the time Zander steered his luxury yacht away from the jetty on his island. Elvie stood beside him, a light wrap around her shoulders, and waved back to the guests standing on the jetty and the beach, including Bella, Eva, and the grinning Gerald, who was in proud possession of the bouquet.Bella was standing a short distance from Matheo, and Elvie could see the goggle-eyed looks Bella was casting in the butler’s way, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. On the handsome scale, the butler was like Zander—off the scale. But, while the butler had a tendency to smile rather than frown, Zander had a more brooding demeanour, hinting at a man who preferred his own company and kept his own counsel. Bella wasn’t the sort of girl to get her head turned by a good-looking man, but she was a sucker for a man with secrets, given she had one or two of her own.Zander manoeuvred the boat in the direction of the setting sun, which was now a fireball of red suspen
Elvie closed her eyes before responding, "Yeah?""You okay?""Yes. A little dizzy, but erm, I think I’ll have a drink. Would you like champagne? I feel like some, don’t you? This is a good one. Wow, I’ve been to the vineyard. It was amazing, so picturesque." She fumbled with the foil around the top of the bottle, sudden nerves and shyness assailing her.Zander came over, took the bottle from her, and placed it back in the ice bucket. He put his hands on her waist, his expression as tender as she had ever seen it. "You’re nervous. Why is that?" He said it as a statement, not as a question. Elvie pulled at one side of her lower lip with her teeth, her cheeks feeling as if someone had lit a fire under them."It was probably a fluke down at the beach. I might not be able to do it again."He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger, holding her gaze with his. "No one’s keeping time here, wife; we can do whatever we want. Hmmm, what do you want us to do anyway?" He teased her. "You can ta
Zander had worshipped her body, not exploited it. He had caressed it, not coerced it. He had respected it, drawing from her a depth of passion she had never given to anyone else. She hadn’t been capable of it with anyone else. Her body had never wanted anyone like it wanted him. It was as if she was programmed to respond to his touch alone. Zander leaned his weight on one elbow and used his other hand to stroke her cheek. His eyes held hers in a gentle tether that made her feel even closer to him. It was as if he had glimpsed who she really was and liked what he saw. “You are amazing, wife.” Elvie gave him a shy smile. Silly to be feeling so shy after what they’d just done, but still. “I don’t suppose you’ve had too many dreams like this?" He idly curled a strand of her hair around one of his fingers, the slight tug on her scalp making her shiver in delight. “Maybe?” “Good, because it’s nothing any man should take for granted. What pleases one woman might not please another. Commu