She couldn’t make herself say it. She stubbornly looked back at him as she rocked her hips. She was saying yes with her body; wasn’t that enough?
“You would rather suffer than admit you still want me?” he asked incredulously.
She kept silent.
When he let her go, she couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping her throat. She wanted him so much, her body felt like it was going to go up in flames. Just tell him, she screamed at herself.
But she couldn’t.
“You will cave, Lia. I have no doubt,” he said, using a practiced confident grin to mask his disappointment.
The tip of his finger moved from her throat to down between her br**sts, and then disappeared in the water while it circled her stomach. She couldn’t breathe as she waited for him to touch her where she most needed it.
Instead of lowering, his hand rose again and skimmed her br**sts, barely running over her achingly hard ni**les before lifting and rubbing along her bottom lip.
“When you finally come to me and admit what we have, I will lay you down and nibble every inch of your skin. I will suck those taut ni**les into my mouth until you scream, and then I will sink inside you and make you come over and over again.”
Lia felt herself sinking at his words. She was grateful to be in the water because her knees would no longer lock together. One word and she could have all of that. Shane smiled at her, knowing the torment she was going through.
Without another word he dived into the water and swam to the other side of the natural pool, swimming beneath the breathtaking waterfall and disappearing from her view.
Anger filled her as he left her trembling and unfulfilled. Who in the hell did he think he was?
“I hope you’re having a great time pleasing yourself!” she yelled before climbing from the water.
All appeal in her swim now lost, she climbed onto a rock to dry off, not even attempting to cover herself. To hell with him. It would be good for him to see what he’d just turned down.
Of course, she’d been the one to turn him down. But that was just a technicality. She’d been saying yes — just not out loud.
When her body was dry and she still didn’t see Shane, she got up and dressed. She wasn’t waiting around for him. Her stomach was growling, her body still on fire, and she thought the best thing possible for the two of them was some time apart.
Too dang bad they were stuck as the only two people on this small island.
Even knowing she was a bit of a fool to wander off into the foliage alone, Lia didn’t care. She had her temper to protect her. She hadn’t seen any signs of predatory animals so far, so she was sure she was fine.
She left the bag as she made her way back down the trail they’d come in on — well, the trail that Shane had cleared. Her stomach was complaining and she was in desperate need of something sweet. She didn’t care at this point what she had, though, as long as she got something into her empty stomach.
It seemed that all her hungers were going unsatisfied at the moment.
Walking around, she didn’t know how long she’d been away from the waterfall, but she managed to stumble upon a few fruit trees. Excitement filled her as she reached for the ripe mangoes. The day was already turning around.
As she took her first bite of the fresh fruit and the juice dripped down her chin, a big smile crossed her face, and she sighed. Yes, things were certainly looking up.
At least that’s what she thought until she heard the resounding clap of thunder. And then the skies opened up on her.
Chapter Fourteen
Rachel
Rachel clutched the chilled bottom of her cognac glass as she leaned against the balcony — was her hand imparting any heat to the crystal? Probably not, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d shatter the thing.
Her eyes were frightened as she struggled with her choice. Or was she really struggling? She’d drunk a little too much, but it was giving her the courage to do what she wanted to do in the first place. She knew it was foolish, but she also knew that when the morning light hit, she would only have regrets if she were to walk away from the invitation in Ian’s eyes.
She wanted this man she’d met just that day — wanted him with a desperation that bordered on obsession. She’d never before felt such intense desire for a stranger, but as her evening with him had continued, she’d found herself enamored with his words, his accent, his beautiful obsidian eyes — everything about him.
Wanting to feel his body against hers, she gave him a look that was sure to let him know what her decision was. Thankfully, Ian wasn’t a stupid man. But then, if he were, would she be so attracted? Of course not.
Setting down his cognac, he closed the distance between them in a heartbeat.
“You are trouble, Rachel,” he said as his hand lifted and he ran a finger across her lips. Her breath rushed out in a heated sigh, and his eyes darkened even more, making her think of a starless midnight.
“I can be,” she whispered as she arched her back, pressing her br**sts against the hard contours of his chest. Yum was all she could think as her body went flush against his, her softness meeting his steel-like musculature.
“Are you sure this is what you want? I don’t think I can stop once we start,” he said, his gaze boring into her widened eyes.
Was she sure?
“Yes, this is exactly what I want,” she said with a confidence she hadn’t known she possessed.
Without a further word, Ian wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head. Rachel had been expecting heat, hunger, passion — she got all of that and more.
He was like a man possessed as his lips claimed hers, taking ownership and telling her with nothing but the whisper of his tongue that she belonged to him right now. For tonight, she was all that he was focused on, and she hoped the clocks somehow froze and this would never end.
When Rachel was about to melt at his feet, Ian pulled back, his eyes blazing. Lifting his hands, he traced a finger beneath the collar of her shirt, the soft pad of his index finger lightly tracing her collarbone and trailing across the top of her chest.
Still looking into her eyes, he lifted his hands and slowly began unbuttoning her blouse, one button at a time, as if he weren’t in the least bit of a hurry. It was torturous. She wanted his hands on her skin, not on her clothing. She reached up to assist him, but he caught her hand and shook his head with only the slightest tilting to his lips.
Not knowing why she was obeying him, Rachel dropped her hands and leaned back against the tall railing, allowing him to continue with his achingly slow removal of her clothes.