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Marcus reached out his hand, and Eloise placed her own small hand in his palm. His night-black eyes caught and held hers, the simmering passion in his gaze igniting her own. Adrenaline raced through her veins; anticipation heated her blood. For the first time in her life she rejoiced in her own sexuality, neither afraid nor ashamed.
In that moment she saw them as two supreme beings, naked as nature intended, free from all the shackles of convention, all worldly cares, and she stepped forward.
‘You are perfection,’ Marcus groaned as their mouths met in a desperate hungry passion.
He shaped her swollen breasts with shaking hands, his thumbs grazing over the hard tight peaks, before lifting her in his arms, and lying her on his outspread jacket. His large powerful body stretched out beside her his shoulders shook as he lifted his head. ‘Every time I see you, I want you more.’
Reaching up Eloise framed his head in her hands and urged him down to her. ‘Don’t talk,’ she murmured. She wanted nothing to spoil the erotic dream consuming her and pressed her mouth to his, her tongue daringly searching the moist depths of his mouth.
Time suspended in another dimension, they touched, tasted, and explored and, mindless in the grip of a primeval passion, the sea water gently lapping at their limbs, they finally came together in a glorious, slow-burning, ecstatic climax that left them both shuddering in the aftermath of exquisite pleasure.
Marcus recovered first and, smiling down at her, a smile of smug male satisfaction, he kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Skinny-dipping next.’
It was another first for Eloise. She had never swum naked before and later, when they made their way back to the house, dishevelled and looking as if they had done exactly what they had done…she wondered if she ever would again.
The sun was shining through the window when Eloise’s eyes fluttered open.
Marcus, a fully dressed Marcus, if one could call denim shorts and a sleeveless black tee-shirt fully dressed, was standing by the bed. ‘What time is it, what are you doing?’ she mumbled, closing her eyes again. So much virile male pulchritude was a jolt to her system so early in the morning.
‘Almost noon.’
‘What?’ Her eyes flew open.
‘I thought you needed the rest, and your friend Katy called. Apparently she has talked Harry into letting her come out for a few days. She will be arriving this afternoon.’
Her eyes properly open now, Eloise looked at Marcus. The lover of last night had gone; his dark eyes were narrowed speculatively on her small face, his body tense.
‘That will be nice,’ she said politely, his obvious reserve a timely reminder to her to keep her emotional distance from the man, and she dragged the cotton sheet up to her armpits.
‘Maybe, but it seems rather a sudden decision on Katy’s part,’ Marcus opined darkly. ‘So much so, I could be forgiven for thinking you had arranged it between you. Are you really that bored at the prospect of staying alone with me?’
His black eyes roamed broodingly over her beautiful face, the fabulous red hair spread over the pillow, to where she had tucked the sheet firmly across her breasts. His throat constricted as he recalled the lushness of her body beneath the sheet. Hell! What on earth was the matter with him? Challenging her like some jealous teenager, just because she had a friend coming to stay, when he wanted her all to himself, he finally acknowledged with a frown.
Watching him frown, Eloise shivered in spite of the heat. Marcus was back to his usual cool, remote self. Yet she could have sworn in the middle of the night she had felt his arms close around her, holding her close, protecting her. Sadly she realised it had been wishful thinking on her part. Inexplicably, she felt like crying but, gritting her teeth and fighting back the tears, she sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up under her chin.
Taking a deep breath, she tilted back her head. ‘You have to be joking.’ She forced a light laugh. ‘I wouldn’t dream of inviting a friend of mine anywhere near you, unless I had to. And may I point out this is your home; Katy asked you. You could have said no.’ She knew she had gone too far; he took a step forward, his black eyes blazing, and then he stilled.
Marcus stared at her as if she had sprouted horns and a tail. Her words had cut deep. She had no family, but she didn’t even want him near her friends, while he had wanted to bring her to his home, delighted in introducing her to his family, and was looking forward to her meeting his friends on the island.
In that moment, Marcus, a man who had never believed in love, suddenly realised he was madly, passionately in love with Eloise. He bent forward again. ‘Eloise.’ He had to tell her and, reaching out, he gently stroked her red hair from her face.
Eloise flinched back.
‘No,’ he said sharply. ‘I…’ and he could not say it. The deal, everything came flooding back, and he almost groaned out loud. How could he have been such a blind fool? He didn’t give a damn about revenge. It was Eloise he wanted, had always wanted, and he’d been too arrogant, too jealous, to admit as much.
‘I’ll go and collect Katy,’ he said, pulling back. ‘You rest, eat, pamper yourself—do what women do.’ He must sound like an incoherent idiot, he knew, but he had so much ground to make up with Eloise, he didn’t know where to start.
A grim smile twisted his lips. He needed a strategy to woo her, win her love. On the plus side, he knew he wouldn’t need to coerce her into bed. The chemistry between them was explosive. Maybe a private talk with Katy might give him a few pointers.
‘Pamper?’ Eloise exclaimed and, watching the fleeting expressions chase across his handsome face, she was totally confused.
Glancing back at Eloise, seeing the confusion in her emerald eyes, the master strategist lost it. ‘I want us to stay together, get married, everything,’ Marcus said with grim determination, sitting down on the bed and pulling her into his arms.
She shook her head, unable to believe her ears. He looked more like he had swallowed a dose of horrible medicine than a suitor. Then he kissed her.
‘Damn Katy,’ Marcus muttered, lifting his head, as the whirling blades of a helicopter landing broke the silence.
Eloise looked up and collided with lustrous dark eyes. Was she dreaming or had Marcus really asked her to marry him? He looked frustrated and, unbelievably for him, vulnerable, unsure. ‘Katy,’ she mumbled irrationally, too stunned to comprehend what he meant.
