What was a girl brought up in the Lutheran faith to make of Maximiliano’s confession? It would be foolish to think a man like him had never bedded other women, yet jealousy knotted Heidi’s innards.
But his world wasn’t the one she’d left behind in Denmark. Life in the Caribbean was based on a different moral code. She’d learned that in Sankt Thomas.
He readily admitted he was no saint, yet she recognized he was an honorable man at heart. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” she said.
“You and I may be marooned on this island for a long time. We’ll only survive if we trust each other.”
Heat rose in her face that had nothing to do with the fire. “I’ve let you do things...”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “I know. You’ve trusted me with your body. We’re drawn to one another that way.”
She stared into the flames. “But men are naturally drawn to women.”
He inhaled deeply. “Believe me,querida, I have gone for long periods of time without bedding a woman. I should be putting my energies into finding a way off this island. Yet, I find I’m content to stay here with you. You’ve bewitched me.”
“I feel the same,” she confessed. “My parents must be turning over in their grave, but you’ve ignited passions I never knew I was capable of.”
He stood and took her hand. “Wait until this night is over,” he said. “I promise you’ll truly know what passion is.”
* * *
Maximiliano chuckled at his own bravado. While it was true he’d bedded women, not one had pronounced him the greatest lover she’d ever had. Nor had it been his ambition to garner such a reputation, unlike other pirates of his acquaintance.
Juana submitted to what she called hisinvasionsbut made no secret of not enjoying marital relations.
The intimate touching he and Heidi had indulged in by the pool was unlike anything he’d experienced. He couldn’t explain it. She was a widow, daughter of a Danish pig farmer, a woman who’d known grief and abuse. Yet she drew him like a moth to the flame.
He’d spoken of trust and believed she trusted him. Perhaps seducing a woman he’d known only a day or two wasn’t the best way to convince her he was trustworthy, but an insistent voice in his head told him their union was meant to be.
He’d divulged things about himself he never told anyone. Was it because, deep down, he knew they might never leave the island, and who would she tell? Rather, he sensed she would keep his secrets, no matter what the circumstances. She didn’t judge him by his misdeeds. With her, he could be the honorable Maximiliano Aguero again.
This unusual woman deserved to be bedded by the world’s greatest lover, and he vowed to do his best to fulfill that role as he drew her down on the mattress.
* * *
“Shall I take off my clothes?” Heidi asked, feeling ridiculously nervous as she sat on the mattress. She’d been married. It wasn’t the first time she’d lain with a man.
“I plan to do that,” Maximiliano replied, tracing a finger from her ankle up her skirt to her thigh. “First, these endearingly old-fashioned bloomers. Lie down.”
She obeyed, appreciative of his attempt to calm her nerves. “I brought them from Denmark.”
“I suspected as much,” he replied, kneeling beside her and reaching for the waistband. “Lift.”
She raised her hips, surrendering to the incredible sensations as he slowly peeled the bloomers off her bottom and down her legs. Alarm surged when he held the underwear to his nose and inhaled, but he closed his eyes, clearly relishing her scent.
“My Heidi,” he rasped. “Now, I want to watch while you unbutton the blouse.”
He locked his gaze with hers. Desire spiraled up her thighs and into her womb with each button. By the time the last one was unfastened, she was awash with desire.
He stayed her trembling hands and opened the blouse to reveal her breasts, raking his gaze over them before leaning forward to lick each nipple in turn.
“Again,” she murmured when he sat back on his haunches.
He nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ve only just begun.”
The World's Greatest Lover
Maximiliano got to his feet, yanked his shirt over his head and divested himself of his pantaloons before his erection ripped them apart. He inhaled deeply, hoping to calm the urge to fall on Heidi like a wild thing and ravish her.