Their dessert of Pistachio and Lavender Honey Panna Cotta was placed before her, and she didn’t hesitate to take a bite. There were no complaints from her about the delicious meal.
“Sadly, you are wrong, so I have to admit nothing of my true identity,” he said as he began eating his dessert.
“Ah, well, my next guess is that you’re a top-secret superhero commissioned by the government to rescue damsels and fight crime.”
“I’m afraid that you have caught me. They call me Aquahero, and I fight crime only along the oceanfront, my true nemesis being the Great White Shark.”
Oh, Rachel liked him — liked him a bit too much for someone she intended only to sleep with and then never see again. There would be no exchanging of phone numbers. She had plans, and they didn’t include Mr. Sexy and his dark-as-night eyes.
“It’s my turn. You are obviously educated and well-traveled. You know fine wine and good food. Confidence oozes from you, and I would wager that you’re very used to getting your way. Yet as much as you want me to believe you’re a woman of the world, I see a hint of vulnerability beneath your impressive act. That leads me to believe that you’re from a good family, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a coming-out season. Since you’ve already told me your mother is from Italy, you most likely spend a lot of time doing international travel… I say you are a shipping heiress who flits from country to country trying to win new customers.”
Rachel was impressed even more. He was doing very well, though she didn’t appreciate his vulnerability comment. She wasn’t a weak little girl who needed protecting. And she was sick of people thinking she was such an innocent, the Palazzo daughter who would never do wrong. She’d always been aware of what people thought and had been careful to maintain a good reputation. But sometimes a girl just needed to be a little bit bad to have a whole lot of fun.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
She’d forgotten that the waiter was even there, but as he brought a bottle of rare Rémy Martin cognac to the table and poured some into two snifters, she looked up, impressed by the man’s professionalism. How hard it must be for him not to laugh at their ridiculous conversation.
“No. Thank you very much. The meal has been quite pleasant,” Ian said, and the waiter disappeared, leaving them alone.
Rachel picked up her snifter and sipped the smooth liquid, feeling just the slightest effect from the evening’s alcohol. She in no way wanted to become drunk. She wouldn’t allow herself to blame her decision to sleep with the man on alcohol. She wanted to remember every second and have no regrets about it.
“You have guessed wrong. It seems that neither of us has a gift for reading other people,” Rachel said as Ian stood from the table and held out a hand to her.
“I think we will be much better at other things,” he replied as he slowly pulled her into his arms.
Here was the moment of truth. Was she really going to follow through on her plan? He was giving her plenty of time to change her mind as he looked into her eyes. She either lifted her mouth to him, or turned and walked away. She could do that.
The night could be about nothing more than a great dinner and some amusing conversation, or she could take what she wanted.
The moment seemed to stretch on forever as he waited for her cue on what to do next. She respected that he was a man of honor — that he wasn’t going to just take what he felt he deserved.
To stay or not to stay, that was the decision.
Chapter Thirteen
Lia
Shane’s perfected dive barely left a ripple in the crystal-clear water as he surfaced, droplets pouring down his face as he pulled Lia tightly to him. The only thing on his mind was the fact that they were both in this cool paradise, and they were both naked. He grabbed hold of her tightly — no hesitation on his part as his mouth met hers.
His lips coaxed Lia’s open and devoured her. This was no chaste meeting of mouths; it was a possession of the highest, and she was powerless to stop it. Who did she think she was fooling, anyway? He left her breathless.
She wanted him, even after all this time. She had tried dating other men, had even tried to sleep with one of them, only to find herself feeling absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. She’d called a halt.
Only one man turned her blood to lava, made her desire him from deep within her soul, and that man was Shane.
His hands slid slowly around her back, and she didn’t even feel the movement as he led them toward the surrounding land, where he could stand and then use his hands to glide across her body. She should at least try to stop this, but why?
They both wanted it more than they wanted rescuing, so what was the use in pretending otherwise?
“You are mine, Lia. I have given you room, I have been patient, but you want me just as much as I want you, and my patience is finished,” he growled low in his throat before his lips covered hers once again.
She should protest his high-handedness, and she would — in just a few minutes…
Shane’s hands slid from her waist and gripped her round behind, pulling her up his body so his straining erection was pressed just outside of her core.
She wanted to wrap her legs around him and feel the sweet bliss of him deep inside her. She was a fool to deny both him and herself. The real world would still be there tomorrow, but right at this moment, she was with him, with the man she’d wanted for so long, and hadn’t had nearly long enough in their brief fling in Vegas two-odd years ago.
“Tell me you want me, Lia!” he demanded of her.
No. She wouldn’t go that far. She was still waging war within herself and she wouldn’t give Shane the satisfaction of submitting to his will. She did want him — wanted him so much that she ached all over — but she wouldn’t tell him that.
“I won’t sink inside you until you admit that you want me,” he said, leaning back, his intense gaze not relenting.
“No.” The word tore through her. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why couldn’t she give in just one small inch? Was there no reason for it? Did she want to see how far she could push him and still have him come back for more? So many people who knew her would think she was that frivolous and self-absorbed. No, it wasn’t that. She was simply trying to protect herself from another devil-may-care lothario who couldn’t see beyond her looks and her spirit.
“What?” his expression was unreadable as he gazed at her, his hands still gripping her backside tightly, her body still pulled flush against his. One little word and he’d sink inside her.