by Dez Burke
Alexandra’s eyes were quizzical as she looked up at him, but she couldn’t speak. She still hadn’t stopped shivering since the words ‘breathtaking and beautiful Alexandra’. He thought she was the hottest woman he’d ever seen? Whoa. The thought warmed her belly, tripped her heart up and made her want to sing. So basically, she was left speechless. A flipping sex god thought she was a sex goddess. She’d need to float down a bit from that first.
Cane smiled tenderly, almost like he could read her mind. Alexandra felt warmth spread over her cheeks and down to her neck, until beads of perspiration formed in the dusky hollow of her cleavage in the white bandeau she wore over her tie-dyed sarong.
“Remember when you asked me…when you wondered if I was ever curious to find out, even just once, how it could be between us?” Cane asked softly, moving so close his body warmth radiated all over her and made her head spin. He smelled so good, as always. Like nothing she could describe; just all male, fresh and inviting. She looked up into those mesmerizing eyes and wanted so much to fall into them – fall into him. But her heart felt wary, even terrified. How could she open the door and get kicked in the chest again?
She could only nod in reply to his question, and he stroked his thumb over her cheeks as he added, “Well, you were right. I was curious; I thought about it every freaking day and night while I was assigned as your bodyguard. Thinking about it, wanting and needing it, only made it worse. And when I left you, I felt like I was ripping out my own soul. I kept wishing I had taken that one kiss, that one night with you in my arms, letting me claim you like a lover should. With you out of the picture, I went so crazy that I was dangerous to have working on a mission. It was like I was slowly losing it and it felt just as it would have done if you had broken my heart, or if it didn’t work out between us. So either way, I was fucked.”
Alexandra drew in a shaky breath, her mind confused, eager to understand yet…cautious to give in. That too-good-to-be-true feeling that she couldn’t shake off. She looked up into his searching eyes and said, “But that doesn’t explain how you’re here, now. How come you just happened to be jogging down the beach, to me?”
Seeing him, identifying his face and that killer body making its way to her from across the pristine beach…it had felt like she’d conjured him just by her aching thoughts. Alexandra felt like she was still in shock from the fact that out of nowhere, her dream man, the one who’d got away…had found his way back to her.
Cane’s smile sobered slightly as he told her, “When I said I was never really gone, I meant it. Sure, I did go on that mission, but in three days I finally convinced myself I couldn’t cope and Noah agreed to let me off the case.”
“But I called him and he told me you were on assignment,” Alexandra blurted out accusatorily.
“Well he was right,” Cane said ruefully. “That assignment was you, rosebud. I came back because I was still worried about you and I wanted to be sure you were okay. So I started to keep watch on you; I followed you to your classes, I was there when you let Malia drag you off to some play or outings with friends, and I generally wanted to be certain that there really was no more threat to you, not from your father’s business rivals or anyone. But it’s become pretty clear now that Vincent really was never the threat; your ex Lamar had been the one who broke in that night at your apartment. But it wasn’t all just a job for me, in case that’s what you’d think. I did it because I couldn’t bear to be far from you, not so soon. I told myself I’ll let you find your heart, maybe meet someone in a normal situation and have a normal relationship. But you never dated and hardly left the house. I was worried about you even as I realized that my feelings were not going to fade away after a while like I thought. Instead, they became so intense I felt ready to face you with the truth.”
“So why didn’t you?” Alexandra choked, so dazed that all this time, Cane had been in the background, watching, looking out for her. “I was dying, Cane. I missed you and sometimes it was a trial to even get out of bed every morning. And you’re telling me you were right there all along?”
He let out a shuddering breath. “I was your bodyguard, Alexandra. And you were the daughter of this mega-billionaire. At first I was worried about what people would say – not about me because I wouldn’t give a shit, but about you. ‘Beautiful young heiress Alexandra Duke falls for or is seduced by her bodyguard’…the tabloids would make a meal of it and cook up the kind of tales that would probably tear your heart to pieces. I was afraid to risk that. I didn’t want anyone thinking you’re the kind who could be taken advantage of, or deceived – like Lamar tried to do.”
Cane’s lips pulled closer and Alexandra caught her breath, thinking he’d go for her lips, but instead he traced the kiss along her jaw line, his breath snagging. “So when I couldn’t take it anymore, I confessed to Noah how I really felt about you. And he told me he’d always suspected, especially when I changed my mind about being taken off your security detail – and of course when I volunteered afterwards to carry out the constant surveillance on you. And then that was when he told me you’d just called, asking about me. Damn…that day I think my heart just stopped and then imploded. I told myself that I couldn’t dare believe that meant anything…I told myself that sure, you’d grown attached to me as your bodyguard; you still felt some gratitude that I’d saved your life…I warned myself off in all these ways and yet, that didn’t stop me from going to see your father at his office and telling him I wanted to be with you.”
“Wait…what?” Alexandra asked in shock, breaking out of her mesmerized daze of listening to his voice as those last words shattered through her brain. “You went to see my dad?”
“I guess you’ll say I’m old fashioned that way,” Cane said with a lop-sided grin. “I said to him, Sir, I’m in love with your daughter and I want to be with her. I told him I just wanted to lay it on the line that it had nothing to do with who you were; this wasn’t about Donel Duke the billionaire’s daughter, but about Alexandra Duke the beautiful, gifted and adorable woman and what she was to me.”
“Oh my God,” Alexandra gasped, mortified yet joyous at the same time. “I’m almost afraid to ask what he said.”
Cane smirked, his cocky grin showing through. “He chuckled and said he’d been wondering when I’d fess up, considering that I’d already undertaken the duty of following his daughter around. You see, of course Noah had to tell your father about me tailing you and making sure you’re alright since Noah handles all his security matters anyway. Well, to cut the long story short, he handed me a few brochures for St. Maarten and told me, ‘go get her’.”
Alexandra still had that ‘Oh God’ embarrassed look on her face. To think that everyone, including Noah and her father had been in on everything and she’d never even suspected, made her face hot.
“So that’s why I’m here. I came to get you, petal,” Cane said softly, making Alexandra’s throat go dry with the melting look in his eyes coupled with his soft endearment. “Now will you let me sweep you off somewhere romantic where we can kiss for hours and possibly, tousle up some sheets?”
His rakish smile was paired with his eyebrows wriggling suggestively in a comical way that was so different from his usual cool demeanor that Alexandra had to guffaw, covering her mouth with a hand to hold in the mirth.
“Hmm, I don’t know about that, Mr. Smooth. I happen to already have a date,” she finally managed to say while twisting her lips coyly.
“You mean the dashing doctor,” Cane surprised her by saying while his expression crossed between a frown and a scoff. “Yeah, I’ve watched him hover around you like a hawk for some time.”
Alexandra rolled her eyes. “Oh my goodness, just how long have you been here keeping me under more surveillance?”
“About three days,” he confessed, his smile rueful. “I love watching you, Alexandra. I could never tire of that but now I want to do it up close, where you can feel my love.” His fingers trailed down her cheek, sliding past her throat to d
ip into the soft yet firm hollow of her cleavage. Alexandra’s breathing hitched.
“Hold on…are you trying to sweet talk me into standing up the good doctor for some quality time with you?” she mock accused, her eyes thinning to playful slits.
“Hmm…yes,” he replied deeply, his hands falling on her waist and tugging her hard against him. “It’s already been many long, trying months since you walked in from your father’s study and I set eyes on you for the first time, Alexandra. God…you blew me away. It was all I could do not to sink back down in my chair; my legs could hardly keep me standing. You were like walking, talking candy; luscious and tempting me to take a huge bite. You slayed me, baby.”
“I never…wow, I didn’t even suspect,” she breathed, her eyes shining with happiness and disbelief.
“How could you? I was so good at keeping it all in. I daren’t let you see my instant attraction as I thought you’d use it against me. But I’m too far gone to be able to hide anything from you now.”
“So prove it,” she half-teased, gazing up adoringly into his eyes. “Show me you can be a risk taker. Kiss me, Cane Hutchinson.”
Alexandra shivered as something feral and bright shone in his eyes at her words. He didn’t even hesitate. The next second he was crushing her to him, making her breathless as he caught her lips with his, right there on the white sand beach of St. Maarten.
It became more than just a kiss. It was the kiss, the game changer, the bringer of bliss and the promise of things to come. Shot down, Alexandra clutched at Cane’s broad shoulders, her spine almost bent in half as he ate into her like the world would end. There was heat and passion and tongue – slick, sweet and precious tongue mating hard with hers. Oh my sweet lord, thought Alexandra as her inner thighs quivered. If this man put the same detail to sex like he did to kissing then damn…baby girl had hit the jackpot with this one.
Neither of them could breathe steadily by the time they slowly drew apart for much needed air. His eyes were smoky and filled with unrelenting ardor, mirroring her own feminine cravings to be devoured by him as soon as sanely possible. Like, right now. They just needed to find a room.
She giggled helplessly, and his left eyebrow shot up triangle-style. “What? I kiss that bad it makes girls laugh now?”
“Oh no, not that,” she gasped, holding a hand to her belly. She couldn’t explain it…maybe it was just all the improbability of it all – Cane, in love with her, probably as obsessed with her as she was over him…and then them being together, here in the most romantic corner of the world and probably just minutes from ‘consummating’ their newly confessed emotions…It seemed more perfect than perfect itself.
“Mmm, Cane,” she murmured on a deep breath as she threw her arms around his neck and snuggled close, unmindful of the spectacle they could be making to passers-by. “I’m laughing because…it’s either that or crying. I do love you, so much. Too much and I’m ready to take this as far as you lead. You know what they say…many folks climb mountains simply because they’re there. And I…I fell for you simply because you’re you. You were there and everything in my life just fitted in place like the perfect jigsaw puzzle.”
Cane didn’t speak; he didn’t need to especially since she could see the coals of profound admiration in his eyes. He simply took her hand and kissed it with fierce feeling, his eyes closing tight for a few moments.
“So…,” Alexandra teased as she curved her lips in a sultry smile. “I guess I’ll be standing up the doctor tonight after all. Now let’s go tousle up some fine-threaded sheets.” She grabbed his hand playfully to begin leading him away, but he pulled her to a stop, making her turn to look at him questioningly.
“Hey, no rush,” he said with a flash of white, gorgeous teeth. “We’ve waited this long, the red hot sex can wait a little bit more.”
Huh? Says who? Alexandra wanted to ask as she tried to curb the quivering in her secret folds at the mention of ‘red-hot’ sex.
“Okay,” she said, very slowly. “Now what?”
He pinched her chin and gazed down into her face with a smile. “What do you know about deep sea fishing?”
Alexandra’s eyes darted. “Um…about as much as you’ll know about any Lil Wayne rap lyrics,” she replied, smiling cheekily.
Cane laughed deeply. “No, I’m serious. Deep sea fishing, as well as snorkeling, diving and sailing…that’s my thing, rosebud. You asked me once what I did for fun and then and there I thought to myself that the first chance I got, I’d take you on a fishing adventure. As it happens, St. Maarten provides a wide variety of fishing areas as well as some serious sailfish, tuna, wahoo and dolphin and they’re always biting,” he told her with his boyish grin. “I’ve got a charter arranged already with enough bait, ice and fishing tackle to last us the whole day.”
His enthusiasm was catching, and Alexandra couldn’t help grinning back with equal excitement. “And then…we can catch the sunset together?”
“Yes,” Cane said, gazing down into her face like it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. “The St. Maarten sunset on open water is an incredible vision to behold…much like the woman I’m looking at right now.”
Oh shit, it’s so not fair, Alexandra thought as she fell in love with him all over again. How was it possible, the bottomless way he made her feel? Nothing could measure it or box it in; it was boundless, limitless. And the best part of it all, the unbelievable part, was sensing that he felt exactly the same thing for her…
Chapter Fourteen
Alexandra tossed her bouquet over her shoulder and from the gleeful sound she heard behind her, it seemed like Malia had made a lucky catch.
Once Alexandra had called Malia on the phone to say that Cane had proposed and they were ‘eloping’ and having a beach front destination wedding on St. Maarten, Malia had squealed and warned that they’d better not do anything until she got there. She took the first plane down and within hours of leaving New York was just in time for the ceremony which took place that bright, warm day.
To Alexandra’s amazement, her father had made the trip as well. She’d called him with the news just the night before. “I love him and we’re going to get married, dad. I never really wanted to have a big wedding – but I did dream of a perfect one.”
“And that’s what you’ll have,” her father had said deeply. “You both have my blessings but I fully intend to give my only daughter away, Hutchinson.”
Cane, who’d been right there with her, had assured her father that they wouldn’t want it any other way. So her father had zipped over on his private jet and the wedding took place without a hitch.
Alexandra had been shocked to say the least when Cane proposed. They’d taken an excursion on a boat to one of the nearby bleached coral sands with the unbelievable view all around them…and that was when he kissed her and showed her he wanted to take the biggest risk of all.
“Marry me,” he’d told her simply, gazing into her eyes. “On the beach. Tomorrow.”
Two blinks and a belly-quake later, Alexandra breathed, “Yes.”
And after that she hardly needed to lift a finger as Cane handled all the arrangements. “Leave everything to me, princess,” he’d said with deep warmth and adoration in his eyes as he’d kissed her gratefully once she accepted. “I’ll fix all the details from the license to the location…all you’ll have to do is to say, “I do”.”
And she did. They both did, there on the scenic beach with the most perfect weather backing them up. Friends, family, and well-wishers stood around with moist eyes as they watched Alexandra and Cane exchange vows they’d created themselves.
Now, hours later, her new husband was sweeping her in his arms past the threshold of their marvelous honeymoon beach villa. It sat on the cliff top overlooking Orient Beach with amazing views in every direction.
But for tonight, Alexandra intended to be far too preoccupied to take in the scenery.
Cane hadn’t been joking when he’d said there was no rush in term
s of sex. Since that day when he’d run up the beach to meet her, he’d been more focused on wooing her than tumbling her in the sheets. At first Alexandra had been shocked, dismayed and foot-stomping mad at the extended deprivation, but now, with his ring on her finger and their wedding night before them, she was beginning to see the allure of keeping their first time for this special occasion.
The last few days had been spent doing all the fishing, excursions, club-hopping, plus wining and dining two people in-love could squeeze in so many hours. But once the bedroom door shut behind them, Alexandra looked up into Cane’s eyes and the message in the flames was unmistakable.
If she’d been expecting a slow grind with Cane, to work them up into the moment, then boy was she wrong. It was like he could finally let the beast out and whoa…Alexandra was in for a hell of a revelation.
That night, the only thing soft was the music playing on the speakers set in all the rooms and connected to Alexandra’s iPod where – surprise – Cane had filled the playlist with all the hottest Trey Songz’ bed-wetting, panty-dropping tracks ever made.
There were also candles lit all around the spacious, glass-walled bedroom with the lights turned down. The whole ambience gave off a gentle, soothing vibe but from the look of things, Cane never got that memo.
Alexandra gasped with deep-seated arousal as Cane moved from the closed door and grabbed her hips, tugging her upwards off her feet. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands cupped her bottom and his lips captured hers. Her arms went round his neck, her response instantaneous. He gave her an open-mouthed, recklessly sloppy kiss trimmed with heat and sensuality. Shit. Alexandra felt the base give out inside her belly and she could hardly breathe as Cane started to fuck her mouth with his marauding tongue.
Alexandra liked that the rough-edged intensity of the kiss was to set the tone for the rest of the play…
Cane couldn’t seem to have enough of her mouth, and she was helpless to his onslaught, making soft mewling sounds into his mouth as she succumbed to his mastery, his ownage.
