Seduced (Surrender #3)(29)
Author: Melody Anne

“Oh yes, you do,” he teased as he kissed her neck.

“That is an absolutely terrible thing to say, Ian,” she said with a pout.

“I’m just teasing you. Your snore is really quite cute, very delicate like you,” he said.

“I do not snore, and I warn you that I am anything but delicate,” she said as she sat up and climbed on top of him, already forgiving him and feeling a stir in her body.

Ian had opened up something inside of her, and she couldn’t get enough — was greedy for more all the time.

“We need to leave this room for a while. I think I’ve forgotten what the rest of the world looks like,” Ian told her as his hands gripped her h*ps and he pushed his wakening arousal against her heat.

“I’m happy to stay right here,” she countered, pushing down against him in temptation, not wanting for him to let her go. They had only two days left, and she was battling sadness at the thought. She wasn’t ready. A week just wasn’t long enough.

“I am, too, but I have a surprise planned for you,” he said, piquing her interest. Rachel always had loved surprises.

Though he was saying the words, he was now hard and pushing against her core.

Rachel moaned as he surged inside of her. Yes, she would certainly miss this.

Ian made slow, sweet love to her, almost bringing her to tears as he looked deep in her eyes while his body moved within her.

Her pleasure overtook her in a sweet wave, and she collapsed on top of him, feeling drained emotionally and physically.

An hour passed as she lay there in his arms, on the cusp of sleep and consciousness. His hand held her behind and squeezed as he kissed her lips, and then he sat her up.

“We are leaving this room,” he said with a laugh. “Go and take a shower…alone.” He added as he set her on her feet.

Rachel practically floated into the bathroom; she stepped beneath the shower spray and quickly lathered herself with sense-entrancing body wash. As much as she didn’t want to leave their small haven, she was looking forward to whatever he had planned. It would be one more memory for her to carry with her when her mysterious lover disappeared forever.

They didn’t talk of exchanging numbers or speaking again after their week was up. This was a fling only — they’d both made a firm agreement on that, and she considered it the smartest course. Even if he asked, she’d have to say no.

Her thoughts burst forth in a jumble. Her life was moving in a new direction. She was going back to Italy. They didn’t have a future together. All they could possibly have was meeting once in a while in foreign places. Though that idea was appealing, she could see only heartbreak coming her way if they went that route.

It was going to be hell on her to let Ian go after only a week, but meeting with him every few months would make her crave him more. She wouldn’t do that to herself.

When she stepped back into the living area, dressed and ready to go, she was happy to see him in a pair of fitted trousers and a tucked-in dark blue dress shirt. He looked incredible no matter what he wore, but in that attire, his appeal was sinful indeed.

“That was quick. I guess you are eager to get started,” he said as she walked up to him and looped her arms around his neck.

“I can’t seem to get enough of you,” she replied, and her lips found his. Ian didn’t hesitate, but took her mouth in a possessive kiss. Oh, how he could kiss, stirring low in her midsection, and making her melt against him.

“Yes, you have me quite bewitched, Rachel,” he said, pulling back and looking into her eyes. His dark pupils dilated and she wanted to crawl back into bed with him. “What a spell you have me under, woman. We must leave now, or we’ll be late,” he said as he gently pushed her from him, then took her delicate hand in his, placing a gentle kiss on her fingers so she wouldn’t feel rejected.

The two of them walked from the room and took the elevator down, then slipped out the back door, where a limo was waiting. She found a bit of guilty pleasure in the ride, but was frustrated since she was trying to ease away from such an extravagant lifestyle, trying to fit in more in normal society. Ian was really pulling out all the stops on this adventure, though, and she couldn’t fault him for showing her what he considered the ultimate in romance.

“Where are we headed?”

“That is a surprise,” he said as they drove through the city.

When they arrived at the heliport, she raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask any more questions. He wasn’t going to tell her, so it wouldn’t do any good.

She’d flown many times with her brother in a helicopter and felt no fear as Ian helped her get situated before speaking to his pilot. Then he sat next to her in the luxury machine, and she sat back and waited for the fun to begin.

Yet they were flying out across the ocean, and Rachel was thoroughly confused. She’d expected him to be taking her somewhere in Florida, but they went instead farther and farther out to sea.

Lights appeared on the ocean surface, and her eyes widened in pleasure as the chopper began making its descent. She turned to grin at him as they landed on a giant yacht in the middle of the ocean. The vessel they’d just landed on made her brother’s boat look small.

“Is this yours?” she asked. She’d known Ian was wealthy, but this was a whole new level of wealth, at least equal to that of her brother’s, and she found that hard to believe. Ian had a certain arrogance about him, but he didn’t seem like others she’d met in the billionaire class she’d been around her entire life.

“No. It’s a friend’s,” he replied.

They’d agreed on not asking personal questions, but curiosity was eating her alive. But caution dragged her more firmly into the opposite direction. If she asked him questions, she reminded herself, Ian might answer. The problem? The price would be her own story, and she didn’t want to tell it. So she kept quiet.

“It’s beautiful,” she said instead.

“Yes, she is a beauty. My friend has excellent taste. Right this way.” He leapt from the craft, then reached for her hand to assist her, and led her from the landing to an elevator that took them down a couple of levels.

When the doors opened, she laughed in delight at the dim room with a candlelit table set up in one corner, and a small group of musicians on the opposite side playing classical music.

“You are quite the romantic, Ian,” she said as he led her to the table.

“Only when I’m inspired,” he whispered in her ear. Chills traveled down her spine.