‘They’ll never believe it, of course,’ she groaned. ‘But I can pretend.’
‘They’ll believe it,’ he said. ‘It wouldn’t surprise them to hear I’ve been a jerk.’
She shook her head. ‘You weren’t that bad. You just needed to find some fun, right? A blow-out now and then. Especially given you never get a day off.’
He didn’t regret his past actions, but he didn’t feel any desire to replicate them. The thought of being with anyone else now was abhorrent. Irritation needled his flesh. He didn’t understand how everything had changed in such a short amount of time. He urged Jupiter to move faster, taking the excuse to hold her more tightly. Her breathing quickened, but her body moved with his. In the forest it was quiet and felt even more intimate. Through the trees he spied the blue sea and felt that familiar exhilaration and peace. ‘The view is amazing, isn’t it?’ he said.
‘Yes.’
‘And then there’s this.’ His very favourite place in the world.
‘Is that steam?’ Hester asked. ‘Is it a thermal pool?’
‘Yeah.’ He smiled; smart cookie. He guided Jupiter carefully around the large rocks and to the left of the small steaming pond.
‘Can we swim in it?’
‘Yes. No one else comes here. It’s completely private.’ It was his.
‘And those rocks—they’re amazing.’
‘Yeah—there’s volcanic glass—obsidian—in them. Sometimes I find pieces broken off.’
‘It’s the colour of your eyes,’ she murmured. ‘This is your wait-and-see moment.’ She was very still against him and her voice was the thinnest whisper. ‘It’s like some ancient fairyland. It’s just incredible, Alek. It’s like...a fantasy. There’s nothing more, is there? Because what with the palace and the castle and the homestead and now this?’
‘This is the best place in the world, Hester.’ His chest warmed as she softly babbled on, for once not holding back on expressing anything. And he was happy to confess his own secret love for it. ‘I think so, anyway.’
‘But am I going to have to get off this horse now?’ Her voice had gone even smaller.
He chuckled, tightening his arm across her waist. ‘It wasn’t so unbearable, was it?’
It had been completely unbearable. The raw sexuality Hester felt emanating behind her was making her steamier than the gorgeous-looking thermal pool. She hadn’t been able to resist pressing back, indulging in his heat and strength, the security in his hold and the danger in the press of his thighs as he’d guided the horse to a faster pace. The wind had whipped her hair and stolen her breath before it could reach her lungs, exhilarating and liberating. She’d become appallingly aroused and he’d brought her here—to paradise. She never wanted to return to reality.
‘Stay there a sec.’ He swung and leapt off the horse, landing so easily all the way down there on the ground.
He turned back to face her and held his arms out to help her down. She literally slithered off the saddle and into his embrace—somehow ended up pressed against his chest. His hands ran down her back, pushing her closer against him, and she shut her eyes tightly, savouring the moment before he pulled fractionally away.
‘Hester.’
She didn’t answer, didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes.
‘Look at me,’ he said softly.
Neither her fight nor flight instincts were working. She’d frozen with the worst emotion of all—longing.
‘Hester.’
She opened her eyes, lifting her chin to gaze at him, pinioned by a riot of yearning. She’d thought—so naively—that once that curiosity had been quenched, it would end. That it had mostly been only curiosity driving her to let him in. Instead, she’d discovered the utter delight of him and she wanted more. There were myriad things she secretly desired to do with him now. To do to him. She’d not thought she’d ever want to share any part of herself, ever. But with him?
‘You know you can practise your riding skills on me any time,’ he said huskily.
Oh, he was just pure temptation.
‘What, as if you’re some stallion who needs breaking in?’ she muttered, but couldn’t hide her breathlessness.
His eyebrows lifted and his eyes widened. ‘Maybe. While you’re the skittish filly who needs a gentle touch to bring her round.’
‘Maybe I don’t need that gentle of a touch.’
His smile vanished, leaving only raw intensity. ‘And maybe I don’t need to be controlled.’
The electricity between them crackled. The tension tore her self-control to shreds.
Why should this be difficult? Why shouldn’t she reach out and take what she wanted? She’d been isolated and alone and denied touch for so long. And while she knew this wasn’t going to last, why shouldn’t she enjoy everything this arrangement with him could offer?
She couldn’t deny herself. She reached for him, tilting her chin to kiss him. His arms swept back around her, pulling her right off her feet. She clung to him as every ounce of need unravelled—forcing her to ensnare him. To keep him close. She kissed him as if there were no tomorrow. But he tore his mouth free.
‘I need to...uh... I need to sort Jupiter... It’ll just take a moment.’ He shook his head and firmly set her at a distance but she saw the tremble in his hands as he released her.
The strongest sense of liberation swept over her as she faced the thermal springs. She stripped off her tee and her trousers, sliding her underwear off too. She wanted to be free. She carefully stepped into the narrow pool and then sank lower, letting the silken, warm water soothe her oversensitive body.
‘Hester?’
She turned at his choked sound and saw him standing at the edge of the small pond. He was still and intent.
Her awareness heightened and a deeply buried instinct kicked in. She stood, suddenly certain of her own sensuality as she stepped out of the water. She had no designer dress, no make-up. She was just plain, unadorned Hester. Completely bared. But the way he was looking at her? The response that he couldn’t conceal?
He believed she was beautiful. He wanted her. He ached the same way she did.
Pride and power exploded within her.
For the first time in her life she was unafraid to take what she wanted. He could take it—more than that, she knew he willed it for her. For her to find that freedom to explore, to claim, even to conquer. It was almost anger that built within her—a reckless force so fierce and hot she couldn’t contain it. That searing need drove her to take what she wanted. And that was simply to get closer to him. To seek that sensual obliteration and satisfaction from him, with him.
She unbuttoned his shirt with a dexterity she’d never imagined possessing. He said nothing but the rise and fall of his glorious chest quickened and suddenly he moved to kick off his boots. But then he was hers again. She unfastened his trousers, freeing him to her gaze, her touch, her total exploration. And she kissed him everywhere.
She pushed and he tumbled. She rose above him, savouring the sensation of having his strength between her legs. She didn’t just open up and allow him in, but actively claimed what he was offering. She took, her hands sweeping over him, and she drew on the hot, slick power of him. She couldn’t contain her desire any more—it was utterly unleashed and she was hungry. So hungry she was angry with it. With the depth of the need she felt for him. The ache that only he filled yet that grew larger every moment she spent with him. She wanted to end it—this craving. The sheer ferocity of it stole her breath so for a second she stilled.
He reached up and cupped the side of her face. ‘Don’t stop. Do what you want.’
‘I want you.’
‘You already have me. Hester.’
The way he sighed her name was her undoing. She slid on him—taking him right into her soul. She heard his muttered oath, the broken growls of encouragement as he urged he