‘I never want to stop this,’ she murmured, not even aware of what she was saying.
‘We won’t,’ he agreed, and his hands were parting her legs so that he could enter her, take her, make her his.
And she was his. Completely.
From the second he thrust into her she knew she would find a way to solve this—without hurting Cressida, without betraying her pr
omises, and without losing Rio. There was some kind of magic out there somewhere. She just had to uncover it.
His hands were roughened by demand as they moved over her body, pushing at the dress until they found her breasts and cupped them. He groaned as he massaged their weight, his fingers teasing her sensitive nerves while he drove into her.
She was lost at sea. She arched her back and lifted her legs, and he dropped a hand, catching her thigh and holding it, holding her leg where it was, high in the air. He nipped at her calf with his teeth and she groaned.
It was sensual torment. She was a willing prisoner and would be for ever.
Pressure built; it was a dam about to burst. She could not contain it. She didn’t want to. She caught hold of his shoulders as it broke and he was on top of the water, riding the wave with her, his body moving in unison with hers, pleasure dousing them together.
Their panting filled the room, and finally pleasure. Release. Relief.
She wrapped her arms around him and brushed her cheek to his.
She belonged here. With Rio.
* * *
Tilly couldn’t have said how much time passed. Knew only that they lay together, bodies entwined, sweat mingling, needs satiated—for the moment—until he spoke.
‘I was gone too long,’ he said with a rueful grin. ‘I was ready to punch Rafaelo when he suggested we tour yet another path.’
Her smile was wide on her face, her lips pink, her cheeks stained from desire. ‘You’re forgiven.’
He laughed. ‘I’m glad.’ He pressed a kiss against her forehead. ‘Want to come and see the caves?’
‘Caves?’ she murmured, her eyes showing confusion.
‘I said we’d get back to them, remember?’
She did—of course. She just hadn’t thought of them since. She nodded. She would find a way to tell him the truth, and in the meantime what harm could come from enjoying every minute they had left on the island?
‘Sounds perfect.’
And it was.
The caves were every bit as beautiful as she’d imagined. Swimming in them with Rio was something she would always remember—something to cherish. But her nerves were stretching to breaking point. Every joke they shared, every kiss, hug, touch, made her more conscious of the fact that she needed to tell him the truth.
He looked at her as though she was the most perfect specimen on earth. And even as she wondered why she couldn’t find the words, she knew.
She didn’t want him to stop.
She didn’t want him to see her flaws.
And when he learned the truth, he would. It would change things. Would he even want to be with her once he knew who she was and why she’d lied?
She was breaking his cardinal rule and it was breaking her heart.
She fell asleep with the secret in her heart and Rio’s arm around her. She fell asleep with no answers and very little hope.
CHAPTER ELEVEN