‘It’s OK, Liv. I believe you,’ he said. And should her faith in Jodie prove to be misplaced—because after all they were all human, and old habits died hard—then Adam would not judge Olivia.
In all honesty it wasn’t Jodie he was concerned about now—it was Olivia. Because, however cheesy it sounded, this had gone beyond lust; he might not do love or happy-ever-after, but he wanted to show her that sex could be a beautiful act between two people. That was well within his remit. They only had one night left. No harm could come of one night.
‘I want you to think about something,’ he said. ‘Zeb arrives tomorrow. What happens after that is out of our control. But until then it’s up to you, Olivia. If you want to explore this spark more then we can.’
She stared at him, hazel eyes wide. ‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Why have you changed your mind?’
‘Because I want to show you that you are a beautiful, desirable woman and that there is nothing wrong with that. I want to show you that losing control can be liberating.’
She shivered and desire flared in her eyes. Adam clenched his hand on his thigh. Because no matter how much he craved to kiss her, taste her, plunder her lush mouth until she felt nothing but burning arousal, this was her choice.
‘Think about it,’ he said, forcing his tone to remain light, as if his entire body wasn’t seized with need. ‘For one day only, I am on offer.’
A small huff of laughter emerged from her lips. ‘Are you asking me to step on your conveyor belt for a one-night ride, Masterson?’
‘Hell, yes, I am. And it’ll be a ride to remember.’
TWELVE
Adam stood on the villa’s balcony and stared out at the glow of the evening sunlight, at the sky streaked with spears of vivid orange as the sun began its glorious descent.
He turned. ‘Liv,’ he called. ‘You’re missing the sunset.’
And she loved the sunsets, would gaze mesmerised each evening as if she were etching every colour, every nuance, on the easel of her memory.
‘Adam?’
The soft husk of her voice pulled him to the present and he turned away from the pink slivers of disappearing sun.
‘Liv... You look—’ He broke off and tilted his hands palms-up in the air. ‘There are no words.’
The vibrant orange dress she wore was reminiscent of the sunset itself. Its simple off-the-shoulder style bared her sun-kissed skin then cleaved low to reveal the tantalising top of her firm breasts. The clinging material accentuated the slender span of her waist, then dipped to midthigh.
Adam leant against the railings, arms spread, fingers gripping the iron in an attempt to prevent himself from moving forward. His eyes skimmed down the lissom length of her legs, over the toned calves and down to the bejewelled flip-flops that glittered in the rays of the setting sun.
She smiled, her eyes holding a feminine appreciation of his all too evident male approval. ‘I thought we could go out for dinner tonight,’ she said. ‘On me. I know you can afford a thousand meals, but tonight...it’s important to me that I pay.’
‘Then I accept, with thanks,’ Adam replied, his gaze riveted to her expression. His gut churned in anticipation. Every instinct was telling him that this was it. Olivia had made her decision and tonight would culminate in making all his and her fantasies reality.
Her skin was a touch pale, her oval face framed by the magnificent cascade of strawberry tresses. She wore minimal make-up, so far as he could tell, but her eyelids shimmered and her gorgeous lips were glossy. This was Olivia dressed to kill—and, yes, he was dying over here.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked, and almost laughed at the deeper meaning under the simple question.
An answering gleam lit her eyes. ‘I booked us into Snapper Fish,’ she said. ‘After that we’ll come home.’
And so to bed—or so he hoped. ‘Sounds good to me,’ he agreed. His gaze lingered on the dress as his brain whirred. ‘So that’s where you went when we came back? Shopping?’
Olivia nodded. ‘I wanted a new dress for the evening. To mark the occasion,’ she added with a siren smile.
It was the kind of smile that had his heart threatening to escape his ribcage, the tilt of her glossy lips teasing him.
‘Shall we go?’ she asked.
Adam nodded; Olivia had a plan and he needed to go along with it. Her choice. Ruining her timetable of seduction—and every atom of his body prayed that he was reading the schedule right—by turning Neanderthal, throwing her over his shoulder and storming to the bedroom, was not an option.
They left the villa and walked in easy silence in the fragrant Ko Lantan dusk. The sweet frangipani-scented air enveloped them, somehow merging with Olivia’s underlying apple scent to send his head awhirl.