He’d eventually have to get around to hiring a professional designer and handing the work over to them to produce something suitable. However, he had no wish to hurt Talia’s feelings, so he softened his rejection by laughing gently.
‘And in return I promise not to tell you about how irritating I find planning officials!’ He took another mouthful of his margarita. ‘But from now on I’m leaving all that to the project manager I’ve appointed. He can cope with officialdom. Besides—’
He broke off. He’d been about to say that he wouldn’t be spending much more time here on the island. Buying the hotel site had been an impulse, catching at something deep within him. But his business life was conducted in the financial centres of the world. That was where he’d made the fortune he’d had to make in order to forge the weapon he’d needed to bring down his enemy.
His fingers clenched over the stem of his cocktail glass and forcibly he made them relax again. Grantham was destroyed. And everything the man had once possessed was now his.
His eyes skimmed over the woman at his side, sipping delicately from the multi-coloured cocktail she’d been served.
Everything he had is mine now. Even his daughter.
His eyes were shadowed behind his sunglasses. He would have given a great deal for Talia not to be Gerald Grantham’s daughter. His mouth tightened. But he would not blame her for what she could not help.
His eyes skimmed over her now. She was wearing one of the floaty, floral sundresses he’d bought for her that morning. It had been formidably expensive, though she hadn’t even glanced at the price tag. Of course for Gerald Grantham’s daughter price tags had never been of any concern.
But he would not blame her for that, either. It was what she was used to—of course she took it for granted. Why shouldn’t she? It was the habit of a lifetime.
But not one she can afford any longer.
Unless, of course, there was another man to provide it for her.
The thought hung in his mind, but he knew what must come next.
It is what she will want—what she will expect. And if I want her I have to accept that.
He raised his cocktail to his lips, taking another mouthful. What they had was worth it—oh, more than worth it. He must accept her as she was—as he had done when he hadn’t known she was Gerald Grantham’s daughter.
His eyes rested on her again and instinctively he took her hand, feeling her fingers press his in return, watching her mouth parting in a fond smile at his gesture. His gaze softened in automatic response. Tonight—this very night—he would make his feelings for her clear.
And what her answer would be he already knew.
She will never leave me again. Never.
The certainty warmed in his eyes and he meshed his fingers with hers, entwining them together, sure in his possession of this most irresistible of women. So very, very special.
And tonight I will show her just how special she is. I will show her exactly what she means to me...
It was a good feeling.
* * *
Slowly, with deliberate control, Luke let his fingertips trail down the valley between the ripe orbs of Talia’s lush breasts. His fingers splayed out across the slender softness of her body and then, with even more deliberate control, he slipped them between her thighs.
She gave a low moan of pleasure and he lowered his mouth to the crested peaks of her breasts, adoring each in turn as more moans came from her arching throat. His own arousal was complete, and he was ready—more than ready—for his possession of her. With the same absolute self-control he moved his body over hers.
Afterwards, as their heart rates slowed and their breathing eased in the exhausted torpor that had come to them, Luke settled her into the crook of his arm, feeling her body warm and drowsy against his, their limbs still tangled. Above them, the slow blades of the ceiling fan rotated lazily, cooling the ambient air, though not enough for him to need to reach for the coverlet which had slumped to the floor.
Lightly, his hand brushed the soft contours of her rounded hip, then trailed over her slender thigh. ‘Do you realise,’ he murmured, ‘that we’ve been here on the island nearly two weeks?’
Did he feel her tense suddenly? If he did, he was glad of it. It gave him reason to continue. His life had changed utterly since Talia had walked into his office, and he wanted to keep it that way. He could not—would not—lose her again.
He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead, smiling. ‘Tempting though it is, I can’t stay here lotus-eating for ever,’ he went on. ‘I’ve got to the point now where I can leave the restoration of the hotel to the experts I’ve appointed, and it’s time to pick up my life.’
He took a breath, his hand on her hip tightening slightly.
‘So what do you say to coming with me to Hong Kong? Then on to Shanghai? I’ve got various matters I have to see to there—business matters—but after that...’ his voice warmed ‘...maybe we could drop down to the South Seas and explore the islands there?’
He took another breath, and then he said what had been