AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The three of them made small talk about the resort and the long-term recovery of the area as the waiters came around and entertainment took to the stage but Luke was too distracted to eat or be entertained. Too distracted for local politics as he surreptitiously searched the crowd for one particular person. He finally spotted her standing to one side with Avery and, damn, if she wasn’t wearing that dress.
Everything lurched inside him.
For some reason he’d expected to see her in her usual travesty of polyester—ridiculous really, given that they were both at a black-tie cocktail party. Not that it would have mattered had she been in her uniform. She looked equally good in both, not to mention the fact that he’d helped her out of both in varying degrees of urgency.
She had her hair swept up as it had been that night in Cairns, a frangipani tucked behind her ear.
Do not think about that night in Cairns.
But it was hard not to. There wasn’t one part of him that didn’t rejoice in seeing her. That didn’t want to wrap her up in his arms. That didn’t want to drag her away from this party and have his wicked way with her.
Two weeks had felt like two decades and he was gripped by a fierce yearning to be deep inside her again.
Relief flowed through him at his strong physical reaction. He’d been confused by his feelings, unsure of how he felt about somebody he shouldn’t be feeling those kinds of things for. Somebody who didn’t want to feel them either. But sex he understood. Sex he could pigeonhole. Sex was biology and natural urges.
It wasn’t emotional; it was physical.
He’d been lusting after her. And that was an easy fix.
He was just about to stop making polite conversation and excuse himself when a familiar guy in a tuxedo approached Claudia.
Raoul.
A surge of pure possession filled him as Raoul said something to her and both she and Avery laughed.
His heart thudded in his chest as the Spanish charmer flirted easily. Suddenly Luke wasn’t feeling so sure of himself.
Suddenly this was a whole new ballgame. Biology, natural urges, lust—they all felt frivolous.
What he was feeling now, watching Raoul with Claudia, was much more primal.
Much deeper. Much more profound.
He watched as Raoul took Claudia’s hand and led her to the dance floor and he had to suppress a roar of outrage that rose in his chest.
No!
It was like Cairns all over again. Except a thousand times worse because Claudia was the woman he loved—yes, he loved her!—and he wasn’t into sharing.
‘Excuse me,’ he said, interrupting the conversation he hadn’t really been listening to anyway. ‘I’m sorry,’ he apologised. ‘There’s somebody I really have to see.’
Jonah glanced across to where Luke was looking and nodded. He held out his hand and shook Luke’s. ‘Go get her, man.’
Unfortunately Luke was waylaid a couple of times but he managed to get to the stage just as the song was ending.
Perfect timing.
‘Claude.’
Claudia stilled in the circle of Raoul’s arms as a very familiar accent turned her legs to jelly. She leaned in to Raoul for a moment for support and, bless him, he ignored the thunder on Luke’s face and let her.
‘Mi querida. Are you okay?’
Claudia nodded as she pulled away from him. ‘Thanks, Raoul. I’m fine.’
For a moment Claudia thought Raoul was going to challenge Luke, but she gave his arm a squeeze. ‘I’ll see you later,’ she said.
Raoul, ever the gentleman, bowed slightly and took his leave. Claudia watched him weave through the dancers, collecting herself for a moment before turning to face Luke.
Luke in a tux.
Her stomach dropped at the mere sight of him, her heart rattling along like the lid on a steaming kettle. But she was determined to play it cool.
‘You made it,’ she said as he held out his arms and she slid into a polite waltz stance and started moving, careful to keep her distance, hoping he couldn’t feel the flutter of her pulse at her wrist. ‘I thought you must have changed your mind.’
She felt him tense for a moment. ‘I said I would be here. I’m here.’
‘Why, Luke?’
Claudia was proud of the steadiness of her voice, considering she wanted to stamp her foot and beat her hands against his chest like a spoilt princess or a toddler having a tantrum.
‘What’s the point when you’re just going to turn around and go back to London? It’s a long way to come for three lousy days.’
It had been two weeks since Luke had wanted to shake her but only a minute back in her company and the urge returned with a vengeance. ‘Because I love you, you irritating woman,’ he said, then promptly dipped her and pashed her in front of everyone.
