Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Maisey Yates

  The plane shook as they hit a rough patch of air. She moved involuntarily and felt him harden.

  Whoa. She’d had sex before. She liked sex. But what she’d had before was the kind of run-of-the-mill orgasm that her vibrator could accomplish. Ethan… Ethan was the master of finding all the right spots.

  As she slid off him, he caught her wrist and she looked at him. His eyes smoldered with the same emotions that raged through her: unsatiated desire, surprise at how good it was between them, fear because of how good it was between them and perhaps a little anger that she’d brought them to this point. She gave him a half smile. Who knew what the future held for her, but at the moment, she had all the freedom in the world. She wouldn’t have to wonder what it would’ve felt like to be with Ethan. The longing would’ve consumed her. Now she could get it out of her system, just like she had with her dreams of being a singer.

  He let go of her wrist, stood and went to the attached bathroom to get rid of the condom. Divya stood uncertainly, wondering whether she should get dressed. Should they sit and have a naked chat? What she really wanted was to go for round two. Make sure she hadn’t imagined round one.

  He returned from the bathroom, tossed himself onto the bed, got under the covers and patted the space beside him. She crawled into bed and he pulled her against him, her back to his chest. He curled himself around her and she felt him getting hard, which made her own core tighten with anticipation.

  “You had to do that, didn’t you,” he whispered in her ear, sending hot shivers down her spine.

  “Would you rather I hadn’t?”

  “It’s hard to answer that now, when the reality was better than my fantasy.”

  “It’s better than wondering what could’ve been,” she said.

  “Aren’t you the one who advised me not to go for women who are unavailable?”

  She had, hadn’t she? And she definitely wasn’t available. Had she been so selfish in her desire for him that she hadn’t noticed him developing real feelings for her? She eased herself from his arms and sat up on the bed so she could look at him. “You’re not falling for me, are you?”

  “Don’t you have a high opinion of yourself.”

  “Well, I am pretty lovable.”

  “And hot, don’t forget hot.” He reached for her and pulled her onto him so that their naked bodies molded together. She ground against him, getting him harder, then leaned toward him so her breasts tantalized his chest. He sucked on one hard nipple, then the other. She was already slick. He rolled her over so she was underneath him. From there, he went on an exploration of her body with his mouth that left her writhing with pleasure. He worked his way down from her breasts to her belly and finally to her core, where he teased her with his tongue and sucked her with his lips. When she couldn’t take it anymore, he reached into the bedside table, pulled out a condom and put it on, then entered her slowly. She cried out and pushed her hips up to meet him, taking him deeper inside her.

  He moaned and she increased the tempo. It didn’t take long for both of them to shatter, the world exploding even more powerfully this time than it had before.

  Divya gasped for breath as she finished. She lay there as Ethan took care of the condom, then returned. He slid into the bed and she turned to face him, tucking her leg between his. She wanted to stay with him for as long as possible and soak in the feeling of pure bliss. She placed a hand on his chest and traced the hair across his ribs. The men she had been with all had dark hair and dark brown nipples, like she did. Ethan’s were pink and rosy and she ran her fingers over them. “There is such a difference in our skin color.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “It’s just… I don’t know.”

  “You know, our differences are only skin deep. We have more in common than you think.” He took her hand and weaved his fingers through hers. “Family means everything to me, just like it does to you. And I know what it’s like to want something so badly that it scares you to admit how much you need it.”

  Her heart slammed against her chest. Ethan stilled. She withdrew her hand from his and turned her back to him. “I think the day is catching up with me.”

  “I’m not going to let you go that easy, Divya.” Ethan muttered. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

  His warmth felt so good, so comforting, that it wasn’t long before she fell asleep dreaming of singing onstage like Tina Roy, with Ethan cheering her from the audience.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Where are we exactly?” The first rays of sunlight were barely visible in the sky when they deplaned. They’d made a fueling stop somewhere, but Divya hardly remembered. She’d been so exhausted that the final descent had barely registered.

  The air was hot and humid. An attendant waited with the keys to a Porsche Carrera, the convertible’s top already down. Divya was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved blouse and a sweater and felt very overdressed for the weather.

  She looked at Ethan, meeting his eyes for the first time since she’d slid out of bed. He walked to the passenger door of the car and held it open for her. “We’re at a private airport in Key Largo. Let’s get on the road. There’s a sunrise view I don’t want you to miss.”

  She lowered herself onto the hard leather seat and took off her sweater. “What about our luggage?” she asked as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

  “We’ll be back on the plane by the evening. I have to be in Minnesota tonight. It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary.”

  “Oh,” she said. Was she going with him? Did she even want to go with him? She studied his profile as he steered the car out of the private airport. He was objectively the most handsome man she’d ever been with. His jawline was sharp, his nose perfect, his lips utterly kissable. Warmth pooled deep in her belly as she thought about his mouth on her body and in between her legs. Her entire body still tingled from his touch. He was a considerate and giving lover and she knew without a doubt that she’d always compare any man she ever slept with from this point on to Ethan.

  What if he’s the last man I sleep with? She pushed the idea firmly to the back of her mind because it was too pleasant a thought. Had she made a mistake by seducing him? He’d been good to her. She didn’t want to break his heart, but there was no way they could be together long-term. He was wrong about their differences being only skin deep. He knew her only as Divya the woman, not Divya the sister or daughter. Would he understand her commitment to her family? How would he deal with her parents? She’d seen how defensive he’d gotten with Rajiv and Gauri. Her mother didn’t mince words and she didn’t let anyone talk back to her. Why am I even thinking this way? It wasn’t as if she was getting serious about Ethan. It was good sex. Okay, amazing sex. But that’s all it was.

  Ethan motored south onto US Route 1 just as the first rays of the sun began to brighten the sky. She gasped as she caught sight of the crystal clear water all around her. It seemed like the road was floating on top of the ocean.

  “The Atlantic Ocean is to our left and the Gulf of Mexico to our right. This is called the Overseas Highway,” Ethan said.

  “Are we even on land?”

  He smiled. “If you’re impressed now, wait until we get on the Seven Mile Bridge in a few minutes. You’ll feel like you’re about to fall into the ocean.”

  As the sun burst into the sky, the scene in front of her transformed into hues of orange, red and purple. The water changed from a dark blue green to a lighter blue. There was little traffic on the road, so Ethan drove slowly. “This the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen, I wanted to share it with the most spectacular woman I’ve ever met.”

  Her chest constricted at the thickness in his voice. She was glad she couldn’t see his face and he couldn’t see the tears that had suddenly sprung in her eyes. Plenty of men had told her how beautiful she was, but Ethan hadn’t just meant her looks. She knew t
hat in her heart, and that made his compliment sting. He was a good man. Had he been a suitable boy who her parents had set her up with, she would’ve been having a very different conversation with herself. But there was no scenario in which her family would accept a gora. Arjun had almost been disowned for wanting to marry an Indian girl who was divorced. Divya’s sister-in-law, Rani, was an amazing person who spoke their language, understood their culture and traditions. Yet Rani struggled with truly fitting into the family. How could Ethan ever become a part of her world? Gauri’s comments about the impersonal nature of their relationship with her white sister-in-law came to her. Ethan would always be an outsider standing next to her.

  She saw the sign for the Seven Mile Bridge, and Divya leaned over as far as she could to look out the window. “Oh my God, I can almost see the fish, the water is so clear.”

  “We won’t have time to go swimming today, but you should come back and really explore the Keys.”

  He’d said you, not we. Somehow, she knew she could never come back here without Ethan. This place, this feeling of pure bliss, would always remind her of him. She lifted her face to the sky and breathed in the warm, salty air. Her home in Rajasthan was a desert, so there was always a grittiness in the atmosphere. She’d been to Miami before with Arjun to check out a potential hotel he was looking to buy, but they’d never taken the time to travel to the Keys. “How did I not know that such a spectacular place existed?”

  “You have to get out of your comfort zone to find this kind of paradise.”

  This was truly paradise. But it wasn’t real life. It didn’t include the people she loved. It was a momentary escape. She closed her eyes to savor the moment and lock it away in her mind so she wouldn’t forget. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the sunrise, then reached out her arm and leaned close to Ethan for a selfie.

  “Are you going to give our social media fans a honeymoon picture?” he said laughingly.

  “I want to remember this moment forever.”

  “Why?”

  What did he mean, why? “It’s an amazing sunrise.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  Her stomach clenched. Why couldn’t things just be easy, uncomplicated and temporary between them? “I enjoy being with you, Ethan. I love our time together and I want to remember it for when…” Her throat suddenly went dry.

  “For when it ends, and you go back to your regularly scheduled life.”

  “It’s not as if it’ll be goodbye forever. We will keep in touch, stay friends.”

  He stayed silent, his lips set in a straight line, and her stomach flipped. He knew it could never be serious between them, didn’t he? She’d been upfront with him that she was not the marrying type, and he wanted someone forever. He was done with jetting around and temporary relationships. She was done sitting at home and letting other people make decisions for her. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to sleep together. And yet as she looked at him, all she could think about was running her hands all over him.

  Once they got off the Seven Mile Bridge, he took a right turn onto a gravel road. He pulled up to what looked like a log cabin. A hand-painted sign read Skydive Keys. She stared at it.

  “You can’t be serious. We’re going skydiving?”

  He nodded. “That beautiful view we just saw is even more spectacular from the air.”

  “Are you crazy? I don’t know how to skydive.”

  “You’re not going to do it alone. We’re going to be strapped together in tandem.”

  You are nuts! There was no way she was going to do something like that. She wanted adventure, but this was extreme. What was Ethan thinking?

  A man with long blond hair and a scraggly beard appeared from the cabin. “Ethan, my man.”

  Ethan exited the car and did some sort of secret handshake with the guy, who looked more like an overweight surfer dude than a lean mean skydiver.

  “It’s been a while. Plane’s gassed and I got your gear laid out.” Divya got out of the car and surfer dude turned to her. “Name’s Buck.”

  He held out his fist and she gave him an awkward bump with her own. “You guys picked a nice day. Sky is clear, air is warm and you’ve got just enough wind to get a nice ride.”

  “Awesome!” Ethan said. “Let’s go! Thanks for opening early. I want to get our run in before the tourists get here.”

  “I got you, man.”

  As Ethan began walking toward the cabin, Divya grabbed his arm. “Are you really serious about this?”

  “Relax. I have a level D skydiving license. I’ve done about six hundred jumps. You’re going to be strapped to me the whole time and I’ll take care of the parachute pulling. All you do is enjoy the experience. It’ll be like taking a roller-coaster ride.”

  All she had to do was strap herself to him and enjoy? That did sound good. Except they’d be falling out of the sky. Her mouth went completely dry.

  As they turned a corner, she saw two long pieces of cloth on the ground attached to a backpack.

  “Is that our parachute? Is that how it’s supposed to be?”

  He laughed. “I like to pack my own parachute and make sure it’s done right. There’s two main parachutes, one you’ll be wearing and one that I’ll be wearing. Plus we each have an emergency parachute that someone else inspects and packs. It’s all perfectly safe. We only need one parachute and we’ll have four between the two of us.”

  She looked around. There was an airstrip and a plane that looked like it had seen better days. Beyond the airstrip, the Gulf of Mexico shimmered as the sun rose higher. “Is this the only skydiving place around?” Divya asked.

  He shook his head. “I know this place looks like a dump, but Buck and I went to high school together. He’s a good guy and he knows what he’s doing. I’ve been jumping here for years.”

  Ethan ran his hand down her arm. She turned to face him and he pulled her close. His body felt solid against her and a shiver rose deep from her core. She pressed herself to his body and stood on her toes to whisper into his ear, “You know, sex on the beach is also on my bucket list.” She kissed his ear and felt his reaction push against her belly. He pressed his lips to hers, then disengaged.

  “Nice try, but we’re doing this.”

  Her eyes widened. “This is madness. I’m not into sports. I don’t even play badminton.”

  He stepped closer and cupped her face. “At any point you want to abort, just say, ‘bridesnatcher.’ It’ll be our safe word.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You trust me?” he asked.

  His eyes, the color of sky, sparkled like the shimmering water behind her. It was so easy to get lost in them, to forget all the alarm bells ringing in her mind. She nodded.

  Things moved quickly after that. Buck returned with a tablet and made her watch a safety video while Ethan meticulously inspected, folded and packed the parachutes. The video showed her how the gear would work, how to position her body during the dive, how to open her chute and how to land. Buck then did some practice exercises with her.

  “What happens if we free-fall too long and don’t open the parachute in time?”

  “If you open the chute too late, your descent will be too fast.” Buck slapped his hands together. “You pancake if you land on the road or become shark food if you land in the water.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  “Stop it, Buck,” Ethan said. “I’ll open the parachute in time. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  Things were moving so quickly, Divya couldn’t even process everything that was happening. She was exhilarated as much as she was scared. When else would she ever get to skydive? Her parents thought skiing was too dangerous a sport. She was free to do what she wanted.

  They put on their harnesses and chutes, did a final safety check, then climbed into the plane. The interior of th
e plane was like the inside of a paper towel roll. There were no seats—it was even more basic than the outside. Ethan showed her how to scoot onto the metal floor and sit with her legs in front of her. They could see clear into the cockpit.

  Ethan pulled Divya close to him, her back to his chest, his legs beside hers.

  “All right, sit tight, flight time is ten minutes.” Buck looked back from the cockpit, and Divya closed her eyes.

  As the plane taxied and took off, Divya’s legs stiffened. She was glad she wasn’t sitting near a window to see how far up they were. The noise inside the cockpit was deafening, and the plane bumped around like an old railcar. Her heart raced. What am I doing? She was about to jump out of a plane with a man she’d known for… Had it really just been three days? The plane lurched and her heart went with it. A light at the front of the plane turned yellow, and there were two beeps. That was their signal to get ready to jump.

  I can’t do this. She had taken everything too far. In her desperation to escape her wedding and her longing to sing at Café Underground, she’d completely lost her mind. What was she doing thousands of miles away from her family? How had she abandoned all her responsibilities? What was she doing sleeping with Ethan, playing with his emotions and her own? How was she pretending that this was a vacation and when it was done, everything would go back to the way things had been? That she would be the same person?

  Ethan had said that if she got to a point where she really didn’t want to do it, all she had to do was say the safe word, bridesnatcher, and they could abort.

  Ethan pulled her close and she heard him attaching the harness that would connect them, just as they’d practiced on the ground. His body felt solid against hers. “The first time I did this, I was scared out of my mind, but after this, there’s nothing you’ll be afraid of. It’s time to let go of all the fears you hold inside you.”

  She exhaled. “I can’t do this. I can’t!” But the words were stuck inside her throat.

  “I’ve got you,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll be with you.” He wrapped his arms around her tightly. Her heart rate slowed. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.