‘But they must have been so proud of you and everything you’ve achieved.’
This time his hesitation was unmistakable. For a minute she thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally, though, he gave her a perfunctory smile.
‘Isn’t every parent?’
He didn’t move, but she could almost feel him retreating from her. Nodding mechanically, she decided it was time to change the subject.
‘Do you think we could sleep out here tonight?’
She felt him relax.
‘I guess so.’ His gaze locked on to hers. ‘Won’t you be scared though? Like I said, there are wild animals out here.’
‘They don’t scare me,’ she said huskily. ‘I know how to tame them.’ And, wriggling closer, she climbed on top of him, catching his wrists with her hands.
‘Are you sure?’
His voice was hoarse, his eyes dark and fierce, and she could feel the pulse beating beneath his skin.
‘Yes,’ she murmured. ‘Only I might need a bit more practice.’
‘Good idea. Practice makes—’
But he broke off on a gasp as, lowering her mouth, she ran her tongue lightly over the smooth muscles of his chest, then lower, down the line of soft golden hair on his stomach, and then lower still...
* * *
Afterwards, she lay in his arms, watching him sleep. She felt drowsy but she didn’t want to close her eyes. Or for the moment to end.
All her life she’d been searching for passion. Looking for that intensity of feeling, that intimacy of knowing somebody inside out.
Only she’d never imagined finding it with Rollo.
At best, she’d assumed that being with him would offer a respite from the heartbreak of another failed romance. What she hadn’t expected was this incredible sexual chemistry—a physical attraction that filled her with wonder and yearning.
It might not be love.
It might not be permanent.
But right now she was living in the moment.
And she was going to make the most of it.
As the warmth of his body seeped into her she curled her arm more tightly over his chest and, closing her eyes, fell instantly asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IGNORING THE BURNING ache in his lungs, Rollo sprinted up the hill. Only another couple of metres to go and—
A small but intrusive alarm broke through the pounding of his heart and, slowing to a jog, he headed towards the wooden jetty that stretched out into the lake. His arms were shaking, the T-shirt he was wearing was damp with sweat, but the heat and chaos of his body felt inconsequential beside the turmoil inside his head.
He had woken early, eyes straining against the first sliver of light slicing through the blinds. There was nothing unusual about that. The business world was always awake somewhere in the world, and he routinely made property deals at all hours of the day and night. Normally, he found it easy to get up early.
But this time he’d been oddly reluctant to move. He’d felt warm and comfortable and it had been easy to lie there, drowsily listening to the sound of the waves lapping against the deck.
Only beneath hi
s lethargy and the comforting rhythm of the water there had been a nagging sense of something being different.