Amaya hadn’t had this much fun in ages.Sure, she attended swank parties before and rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous thanks to her brilliant friend Mary, but those events were filled with pretentious flakes who spoke to you depending on which designer dressed you or how many millions you made a year.She hated the way money talked, hated the way it divided people into classes, and, while she understood Chase’s drive to gain acceptance into the privileged world she’d been born into for the sake of his business, she couldn’t help but ask if he’d wanted to marry her for her all those years ago if she told him about Tommy.They’d both changed so much, yet when he touched her, when he kissed her, the last days and what he said in Greece vanished with a wistful sigh.Amaya longed, and she wished so much. She’d romanticised what they had and mistaken the throes of love for something to build a lifetime commitment on.But Chase hadn’t been ready, and while his deliberate sabotaging o
Amaya paced the kitchen, waiting for Chase to see the last reveller off the property.She shouldn’t be this nervous.It wasn’t as if she’d never made love to him before.Though as she watched him stride towards the house, broad shoulders squared, long legs eating up the distance, a full moon casting shadows across his face and glinting in his dark hair, she knew the man he was today was a far cry from the boy he’d been ten years earlier.If she’d loved that Chase unreservedly, unashamedly and unabashedly, what hope did she have of holding back her emotions this time around?As he neared the door she quickly dropped into the nearest chair and picked up a magazine from a messy stack in the corner, pretending to flip through it without a care in the world.When he entered, she took a peek over the top of the magazine, confused by his wide grin.“Is everyone gone?”So much for casual. Her voice came out a high-pitched squeak and she cleared her throat, rustling the magazine, ready to duck
“How about we start with a little appetiser?” Chase brought his mouth down to the side of her mouth, the tip of his tongue circling her beauty spot, evoking a tiny whimper from her and a sway of her body towards his. He traced his tongue over her plump lower lip, following the delicate ridge of her vermillion border like an artist drawing a fine line. Amaya made another soft mewling sound, her hands going to his chest, the press of her palms inciting a rush of red-hot desire, making his legs tremble at the knees and his groin bulge and burn.Chase moved his tongue to her top lip, sweeping it across the soft surface before taking it lightly between his teeth, a soft little ‘come play with me’ tug that made her press even closer, her hands fisting into his shirt. He cupped her bottom, drawing her hard against him, torturing himself with the feel of her soft curves against the pulsing hardness of his body. “I want you.” Those were the only three little words he wanted to say. The only wo
“Oh God,” Amaya breathed in a sigh, her entire body humming and thrumming and sated as she sagged against him, her head lolling against his shoulder.His barely audible oath had her head jerking up as she spun around to face him. “What’s wrong?”“This. Here. I—I don't know what to say…” he grumbled.She frowned at her as Chase gestured around the kitchen before dropping his gaze on her bunched clothing and thong around her knees, shaking his head. “You deserve more than this, Amaya.”Mustering what little dignity a woman with her knickers around her knees could have, she wriggled back into her thong before jabbing him in the chest.“Seriously Chase? Don’t you dare apologise for the best sex I’ve ever had. It was perfect. Better than perfect, it was stupendous.”The corners of his wickedly sexy mouth kicked up. “The best, huh? Better than Greece?”She nodded emphatically. “Yes, better—I mean, the best.”His grin widened. “So you like a guy so out of control he can’t make it to the bedr
“Good to know.” There was a little silence broken only by the slap of the water hitting the sides and hull of the yacht. “Do you want to take the wheel for a while?" Chase asked.“I don’t know. I might run into another boat or something.”“There’s no one else out here. Come on. Stand in front of me, and I’ll steer with you.”Amaya moved to stand in front of the wheel, and he came in behind her, his arms on either side of her body, his hands resting on top of hers where she was gripping the steering wheel. Who knew steering a yacht could be such a turn-on? The warm, hard presence of his body behind her made every nerve in her core jump up, ready for duty.His broad hands almost completely covered hers; his fingers were long, strong, and so very capable. Deliciously, dangerously capable. Amaya could feel him against her bottom cheeks; the rise of his flesh was an erotic reminder of what was to come. She shivered when he moved closer, his stubbly jaw grazing her cheek when he leaned down
Amaya closed her eyes before responding, "Yeah?""You okay?""Yes. A little dizzy, but erm, I think I’ll have a drink. Would you like champagne? I feel like some, don’t you? This is a good one. Wow, I’ve been to the vineyard. It was amazing, so picturesque." She fumbled with the foil around the top of the bottle, sudden nerves and shyness assailing her.Chase came over, took the bottle from her, and placed it back in the ice bucket. He put his hands on her waist, his expression as tender as she had ever seen it. "You’re nervous. Why is that?" He said it as a statement, not as a question. Amaya pulled at one side of her lower lip with her teeth, her cheeks feeling as if someone had lit a fire under them."It was probably a fluke down at the beach. I might not be able to do it again."He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger, holding her gaze with his. "No one’s keeping time here, wife; we can do whatever we want. Hmmm, what do you want us to do anyway?" He teased her. "You can tak
Chase had worshipped her body, not exploited it. He had caressed it, not coerced it. He had respected it, drawing from her a depth of passion she had never given to anyone else. She hadn’t been capable of it with anyone else. Her body had never wanted anyone like it wanted him. It was as if she was programmed to respond to his touch alone. Chase leaned his weight on one elbow and used his other hand to stroke her cheek. His eyes held hers in a gentle tether that made her feel even closer to him. It was as if he had glimpsed who she really was and liked what he saw.“You are amazing, wife.”Amaya gave him a shy smile. Silly to be feeling so shy after what they’d just done, but still. “I don’t suppose you’ve had too many dreams like this?” He idly curled a strand of her hair around one of his fingers, the slight tug on her scalp making her shiver in delight.“Maybe?”“Good, because it’s nothing any man should take for granted. What pleases one woman might not please another. Communicati
“I wish I’d listened to myself about not agreeing to marry you at that time. It would have saved me a lot of hurt and embarrassment.”Chase raised his brows. He gave her an on-off smile and turned away to shove his feet back into his shoes before he reached for a T-shirt and hauled it over his head. “I’m going up on the bridge to check on things. I’ll leave you to rest or whatever. We’ll have some supper once I secure us for the night in a sheltered cove not far away from here.”Amaya’s shoulders sagged when the door clicked shut on his exit. She was being silly. What did it matter if he didn’t love her? Refused point blank ever to fall in love with her? They could still have a satisfying relationship. Far more satisfying than any relationship she’d had before. Sure, it wasn’t the fairy-tale relationship she secretly yearned for, but how realistic were those yearnings anyway? She knew more than most about the sort of heartache that came from idealistic expectations in relationships. T