“No. Thank you very much. The meal has been quite pleasant,” Ian said, and the waiter disappeared, leaving them alone.
Rachel picked up her snifter and sipped the smooth liquid, feeling just the slightest effect from the evening’s alcohol. She in no way wanted to become drunk. She wouldn’t allow herself to blame her decision to sleep with the man on alcohol. She wanted to remember every second and have no regrets about it.
“You have guessed wrong. It seems that neither of us has a gift for reading other people,” Rachel said as Ian stood from the table and held out a hand to her.
“I think we will be much better at other things,” he replied as he slowly pulled her into his arms.
Here was the moment of truth. Was she really going to follow through on her plan? He was giving her plenty of time to change her mind as he looked into her eyes. She either lifted her mouth to him, or turned and walked away. She could do that.
The night could be about nothing more than a great dinner and some amusing conversation, or she could take what she wanted.
The moment seemed to stretch on forever as he waited for her cue on what to do next. She respected that he was a man of honor — that he wasn’t going to just take what he felt he deserved.
To stay or not to stay, that was the decision.
Chapter Thirteen
Lia
Shane’s perfected dive barely left a ripple in the crystal-clear water as he surfaced, droplets pouring down his face as he pulled Lia tightly to him. The only thing on his mind was the fact that they were both in this cool paradise, and they were both naked. He grabbed hold of her tightly — no hesitation on his part as his mouth met hers.
His lips coaxed Lia’s open and devoured her. This was no chaste meeting of mouths; it was a possession of the highest, and she was powerless to stop it. Who did she think she was fooling, anyway? He left her breathless.
She wanted him, even after all this time. She had tried dating other men, had even tried to sleep with one of them, only to find herself feeling absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. She’d called a halt.
Only one man turned her blood to lava, made her desire him from deep within her soul, and that man was Shane.
His hands slid slowly around her back, and she didn’t even feel the movement as he led them toward the surrounding land, where he could stand and then use his hands to glide across her body. She should at least try to stop this, but why?
They both wanted it more than they wanted rescuing, so what was the use in pretending otherwise?
“You are mine, Lia. I have given you room, I have been patient, but you want me just as much as I want you, and my patience is finished,” he growled low in his throat before his lips covered hers once again.
She should protest his high-handedness, and she would — in just a few minutes…
Shane’s hands slid from her waist and gripped her round behind, pulling her up his body so his straining erection was pressed just outside of her core.
She wanted to wrap her legs around him and feel the sweet bliss of him deep inside her. She was a fool to deny both him and herself. The real world would still be there tomorrow, but right at this moment, she was with him, with the man she’d wanted for so long, and hadn’t had nearly long enough in their brief fling in Vegas two-odd years ago.
“Tell me you want me, Lia!” he demanded of her.
No. She wouldn’t go that far. She was still waging war within herself and she wouldn’t give Shane the satisfaction of submitting to his will. She did want him — wanted him so much that she ached all over — but she wouldn’t tell him that.
“I won’t sink inside you until you admit that you want me,” he said, leaning back, his intense gaze not relenting.
“No.” The word tore through her. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why couldn’t she give in just one small inch? Was there no reason for it? Did she want to see how far she could push him and still have him come back for more? So many people who knew her would think she was that frivolous and self-absorbed. No, it wasn’t that. She was simply trying to protect herself from another devil-may-care lothario who couldn’t see beyond her looks and her spirit.
“What?” his expression was unreadable as he gazed at her, his hands still gripping her backside tightly, her body still pulled flush against his. One little word and he’d sink inside her.
She couldn’t make herself say it. She stubbornly looked back at him as she rocked her hips. She was saying yes with her body; wasn’t that enough?
“You would rather suffer than admit you still want me?” he asked incredulously.
She kept silent.
When he let her go, she couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping her throat. She wanted him so much, her body felt like it was going to go up in flames. Just tell him, she screamed at herself.
But she couldn’t.
“You will cave, Lia. I have no doubt,” he said, using a practiced confident grin to mask his disappointment.
The tip of his finger moved from her throat to down between her br**sts, and then disappeared in the water while it circled her stomach. She couldn’t breathe as she waited for him to touch her where she most needed it.
Instead of lowering, his hand rose again and skimmed her br**sts, barely running over her achingly hard ni**les before lifting and rubbing along her bottom lip.
“When you finally come to me and admit what we have, I will lay you down and nibble every inch of your skin. I will suck those taut ni**les into my mouth until you scream, and then I will sink inside you and make you come over and over again.”
Lia felt herself sinking at his words. She was grateful to be in the water because her knees would no longer lock together. One word and she could have all of that. Shane smiled at her, knowing the torment she was going through.
Without another word he dived into the water and swam to the other side of the natural pool, swimming beneath the breathtaking waterfall and disappearing from her view.
Anger filled her as he left her trembling and unfulfilled. Who in the hell did he think he was?
“I hope you’re having a great time pleasing yourself!” she yelled before climbing from the water.
All appeal in her swim now lost, she climbed onto a rock to dry off, not even attempting to cover herself. To hell with him. It would be good for him to see what he’d just turned down.
Of course, she’d been the one to turn him down. But that was just a technicality. She’d been saying yes — just not out loud.
When her body was dry and she still didn’t see Shane, she got up and dressed. She wasn’t waiting around for him. Her stomach was growling, her body still on fire, and she thought the best thing possible for the two of them was some time apart.