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She was so enchanted by her surroundings that she gasped with shock when Conner emerged next to her.
There was just enough light for her to see the outline of his face and the faint glitter in his eyes as he reached out and pulled her against him. ‘I can’t believe I’m skinny dipping with Flora Harris. Looks like I’ve finally corrupted you.’
‘I like being corrupted.’ She kept her voice light, trying not to reveal how it felt to be this close to him. She could feel the hardness of his thighs against hers and, despite his complaints about the cold water, a building pressure against her abdomen. ‘And I’m not naked.’
‘Not yet.’
‘Conner…’ To keep her balance she placed her hands on his shoulders and felt the smooth swell of hard male muscle under her fingers.
His mouth was dangerously close to hers. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said.’
Thinking? How could he think? ‘What did I say?’
‘That you were the only female on the island that I haven’t kissed.’
‘I was wrong.’ She was so aware of him that could barely speak, ‘I’m fairly sure you haven’t kissed Ann Carne, and Mrs Parker may have escaped, too.’
‘Good point.’ He lifted
his hands and cupped her face gently. ‘Nevertheless, it’s only fair to warn you that I might be about to corrupt you further. You might want to run for the beach. I’ll give you a two-second start.’
Her heart pounded like the hooves of a racehorse on the home stretch. ‘Two seconds doesn’t sound like much.’
‘It’s all you’re getting. Take it or leave it.’
She couldn’t take her eyes from his and the anticipation was agonising. ‘I’ll leave it. I can’t run in these waves.’ He was going to kiss her.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Conner MacNeil was going to kiss her.
‘If you can’t run, then you’re trapped.’ His head moved closer but he didn’t touch her. Instead, his mouth hovered tantalisingly close to hers, the expression in his eyes knowing and wickedly sexy as he prolonged the torture for both of them. Her stomach tumbled and her senses hummed and when finally he brushed his lips over hers, she knew that this was the most perfect and exciting thing that had ever happened to her. His lips were cool and the tip of his tongue gently caressed her lower lip.
Heat exploded inside her and she made a soft sound in her throat and leaned against him, seeking more. Her eyes closed, but still she saw stars as everything inside her erupted with excitement.
His fingers closed hard around her arms and his body shifted against hers.
‘Hell, Flora…’ This time his mouth came down hard, his kiss sending bolts of electricity through her body, and she clutched at him for support as he drew the fire from deep inside her with the skilled, sensual stroke of his tongue. And she kissed him back, her tongue toying with his in a kiss that was both intimate and erotic. His hands dropped from her face and slid down her back, pulling her against him in a movement that was unmistakably possessive.
It was a kiss with promise and purpose but before she had the chance to discover where it was leading, there was a shout.
With a groan of frustration and anger Conner dragged his mouth from hers and Flora clutched at him for support, dizzy and disoriented from the kiss. It took her a moment to realise that the sound was coming from the beach behind them.
‘Conner? Conner MacNeil, is that you? It’s Jim—Jim from the ferry and a few of the lads. We wanted to buy you a drink.’
‘Oh, my goodness.’ Flora shrank with embarrassment. ‘They can’t possibly see us, can they? It’s too dark.’
Conner stared down at her for a moment, his lashes lowered, his eyes as cool and defiant as ever. ‘Do you care?’
Flora didn’t answer because she genuinely didn’t know the answer to that. This was her island. And it was her reputation on the line. She should care, she knew she should. But his kiss had changed everything. It was as if her life had reached a crossroads and she didn’t know which path to take—the safe one was back on the shore and the dangerous one was here, in the sea, with Conner’s hard male body pressed against hers.
‘Flora?’ His voice was even and she wondered how he could sound so normal after what they’d shared. She felt far from normal. She felt churned up, confused—different.
She breathed in and out. She knew that it was too dark for them to have recognised her, but if she walked out of the water with Conner…
She wanted to say, Damn the lot of them, and carry on kissing him, but something held her back. ‘I—I don’t know, Conner.’ Her fingers tightened on his arms. ‘I suppose I do care. I have to work with these people. I’ll still be living on this island long after you’ve left.’
He released her abruptly. ‘Of course you will. Stay here. I’ll get them away from you and you can get home before anyone is any the wiser. I guess that’s more chivalrous than escorting you home.’ He spoke with a careless indifference and she felt a flash of desperation as she sensed his withdrawal and felt her new self slipping away.
Suddenly she wished desperately that she hadn’t spoken.
