This time she had to force herself to smile back, because, of course, the sad truth was that they wouldn’t be.
Not even close.
* * *
A couple of hours later, they were sitting at a table in a beachside restaurant with views across its private golden-sand cove, groaning with pleasure after stuffing themselves full of what they both agreed was the best pasta dish they’d had since arriving in Italy.
‘I have to try and persuade them to give me the recipe for this so I can teach my evening class how to make it,’ Indigo said, looking round to see whether she could catch the eye of the waiter.
‘Give it a go,’ Julien said with a smile. ‘Just widen those amazingly persuasive eyes at him and I’m sure he’ll do anything you ask.’
He wouldn’t be at all surprised if she managed to do it either. Indigo had such a lovely way about her it was almost impossible not to give in to her charms—as he himself had discovered time and time again this week.
‘Ha! If only it were that easy,’ she replied, her cheeks flushing.
Looking at her now, he realised that talking and bantering with her today had been the most fun he’d had in a very long time. She’d ignited something in him with her quick wit and ability to best his arguments, and he’d grown to like her more and more as the day had passed.
She was excellent company.
That was why he’d suggested she join him for a swim from the boat when he’d realised they were about to part ways back at her hotel. It didn’t seem like the right way to end things after they’d had such a good day together.
And he hated loose ends.
They were both quiet for a moment as they watched the waiter bustling about between the busy tables.
‘So where are we picking up this boat of yours?’ she asked, turning to look towards where a number of them bobbed out on the open sea.
‘Just over there.’ He nodded over towards the other side of the cove where small rowboats and motorboats were being rented out to eager tourists.
‘You know, I feel like this holiday has turned a corner,’ she said, sitting back in her chair with a grin. ‘Only a few days ago it was looking like I was going to have to sing for my supper and look at me now. I couldn’t ask for more than this.’
When she looked round at him his heart nearly leapt out of his chest at the expression in her eyes. She looked happy. And the thought that perhaps he’d had something to do with that shook him to the core.
Get a grip, man.
‘Anyway—’ she cleared her throat ‘—I guess I’d better settle up.’ She turned to catch the waiter’s eye and make the international hand sign for the bill. ‘Then we can go and cool off in the sea.’
That sounded like a very good idea to him right about then.
* * *
A short while after that they sat on a white sofa at back of the yacht that Julien had chartered, drinking from bottles of ice-cold beer.
Indigo leaned back against the plump cushions and stared up at the cloudless sky, barely able to believe where she was right now.
‘You know, when you said boat, I envisaged something more like one of those,’ she said, pointing towards a small rowboat being paddled back to the shore by a hot-and-bothered-looking young man while his girlfriend lay back, blithely trailing her fingers through the water.
‘This is more like a luxury cruise liner, albeit a miniature one,’ she added, flashing him a teasing grin.
She’d been speechless when they’d zoomed across the water by motorboat towards this sleek, handsome yacht, which she’d assumed must belong to some millionaire playboy.
It had a kitchen aboard, for goodness’ sake, and a full-sized bathroom.
And a bedroom.
That last discovery had thrown her for a complete loop.
‘So are you going to sleep here tonight?’ she asked, trying not to sound as covetous as she felt. It had to be wonderful to be lulled to sleep by the gentle rock and bob of a boat on the ocean. Especially if Julien was there in the bed too.
Don’t go there...
‘That’s the plan,’ he replied, taking another long pull on his beer. ‘Don’t worry, I can take you back to shore in the motorboat any time you want.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she said. And she wasn’t. Not about him getting her safely back to shore anyway. She felt totally safe in his company; there was something very solid and steady about him—reassuring. But when it came to the way she felt about him, the way her heart leapt and her stomach plunged every time he looked at her...well, that was another matter.
And there was something disconcertingly intimate about the two of them being here, alone together, in the middle of the sea.
They sat back, admiring the view in silence, watching the seagulls wheel above them as the sun’s final rays transformed into the warm glow of dusk.
‘I can’t believe they wouldn’t give me the recipe for that dish,’ she said for the umpteenth time since leaving the restaurant, using her annoyance at not being able to charm the waiter as a way to disguise her twanging nerves. ‘And I gave him a really big tip,’ she added contritely.
‘Ah, well, you can’t blame them for keeping the secret of their success close to their chests,’ Julien said, employing a full-on Gallic shrug, which made her smile.
‘Yeah. I guess it’s fair enough,’ she grumbled. ‘I could probably guess most of the ingredients anyway. I’m going to have to experiment when I get home.’
The thought of home made her chest contract. She didn’t want to think about leaving here now that she was having such a good time. Or the fact that she’d probably never see Julien again once she left Italy.
‘How’s your beer?’ he asked, breaking into her thoughts.
‘Amazing. Best beer I’ve ever tasted,’ she replied truthfully. She didn’t often drink beer, usually opting for a glass of crisp, dry white wine when she went out, but it tasted perfect to her right then. In fact, thinking about it, everything tasted or felt or smelled that much more intensely satisfying when Julien was around. It was as if he made all her senses sit up and pay attention. Whenever she was near him she experienced this constant prickling frisson, as if she was plugged into a low-level electric socket, which made her heart race and her limbs twitch. It was as if her body was priming itself for something to happen. Something momentous and life-changing.
But she was a fool if she thought it would. The frustration of this awareness only made the restlessness worse. It made her want to leap around or jump off something, just to relieve the tension of her unsatisfied need.
‘I’ve been meaning to ask—why the red hair?’ Julien asked, reaching out and smoothing a piece of it between his fingers.
The tingle of awareness grew more intense. ‘It makes me feel powerful,’ she replied, desperately trying to latch on to some of that power to give her the strength to keep her wits about her.
‘That figures. It suits you.’ He smiled right into her eyes, making her breath hitch in her throat.
She gave a little cough to clear the tension. ‘Thanks. I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but Gavin, my ex, wasn’t keen, so I didn’t until just before I came here.’
His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. ‘Really? I was under the impression you don’t like to take orders from anyone.’
Huffing out a laugh, she pulled her feet up on to the sofa and hugged her knees to her. ‘I don’t normally. But whenever I brought it up as an idea he accused me of not taking his feelings into consideration and I felt bad about that.’
She looked away, remembering the frustration she used to feel when Gavin laid on the guilt to get his own way. It nearly always ended up with her giving in to what he wanted when he did that.
That was something she didn’t miss.
Come to think of
it, the hurt she’d been carrying around at the beginning of the week seemed to be greatly reduced now. Perhaps it had something to do with having something new and exciting to concentrate on.
Or someone.
Stop!
‘Okay, I’m going for a swim before it gets too dark,’ she said, springing up, unable to sit still next to Julien any longer, making him jerk in surprise.
Before he could say a word, she dashed down the steps to the diving platform, pulled off the towel she’d wrapped around her to cover her bikini and dived into the water.
The shock of the cold water was a delicious relief against her heated skin, and her heartbeat begin to calm as she swam steadily away from the boat, riding the gentle dip and swell of the waves, feeling a corresponding lift in her tummy.
In the distance, the cliffs rose majestically before her, the foliage vividly green against the soft grey of the rock.
It was so peaceful here, on her own in the middle of the sea with the vast sky above her and the undulating water disappearing into the horizon. This withdrawal was exactly what she needed right now to soothe the raging noise in her head.
It had been fine being alone with Julien when they were walking. The constant forward motion and changing scenery had kept her mind distracted from the intensity of his nearness, but now they were stuck in one place together she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide how he made her feel when she was around him.
Deep inside her head she knew—she knew—that Julien wasn’t emotionally available right now and that she should accept that as fact. He’d certainly warned her about it enough times, but it didn’t stop her from wondering—hoping—what if?
When she finally forced herself to look back towards the boat, she saw that Julien was standing on the diving platform, his face turned towards her, shielding his eyes against the last low rays of the sun.
‘Are you coming in? It feels wonderful!’ she shouted, aware that her pulse had picked up again at the discovery that he’d been watching her all this time.
He paused for a moment and she got the distinct impression he was searching for an excuse not to join her, but apparently he thought better of it, pulling his T-shirt over his head in one deft move and stepping up on to the edge of the boat.
Indigo trod water, feeling her body being lifted and dropped by the gentle waves as she stared in rapt delight at his muscular physique, immensely glad of the cooling effect of the water as her body surged with nervous heat.
He dived in with the same grace he applied to every physical action and swam towards her, powering through the water. When he reached her, he stopped, barely touching distance away and gave her a wide grin.
‘You’re right; it does feel wonderful.’
She smiled back, wishing with all her heart that it was okay for her to reach out to him, to slide into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist, to ride the waves with him and laugh and play, then kiss him hard, so he’d know how much she was enjoying being here with him. How he’d opened up this whole new sense of excitement for life in her that she so desperately wanted to cling on to.
For this to be their holiday.
She longed to ask him how he’d feel about spending the rest of his week with her, but she knew she’d be on dangerous ground. This link between them was so tenuous it would snap as soon as she put any kind of pressure on it.
So instead, in an attempt to relieve her frustration and wipe that easy smile off his face, she drew back her hand and swished a sheet of water at him.
He didn’t see it coming and got a face full.
‘Right!’ he said with an ominous growl after he’d recovered from the surprise of it, wiping the water off his face with an expression that promised retaliation.
She shrieked and swam away from him, turning back to find him in hot pursuit.
They laughed and played like a couple of kids, chasing each other through the water and sending great sprays of water back and forth until Indigo held up her hand in defeat, her eyes now stinging from the make-up she’d forgotten to take off before jumping into the water.
‘Ow, ow, ow! My eyes! Wait, Julien, wait, I can’t see.’ Distracted by the smarting pain, she forgot to kick and dipped down into the water, sucking in a mouthful of it.
Kicking back up in alarm, she spluttered, coughing the water out and wincing at the revolting taste.
‘Are you okay?’ she heard Julien say, somewhere close by.
She nodded, but proved herself wrong by accidentally taking in another gulp of briny water when she drew in a breath to try and cough the sharpness out of her throat, starting to panic as she felt herself sinking back down beneath the waves again.
‘It’s okay, I’ve got you,’ he said right next to her now.
She felt his arm slide around her waist and he pulled her securely against his chest, lifting her further out of the water. She clung to him, wrapping her legs around his hips to make it easier for him to swim, and he kicked hard, quickly taking them the few metres back to the boat.
Reaching to grab hold of the rail at the stern, he hauled them both on to the diving platform and they toppled backwards with the momentum, Indigo landing on her back beneath him.
He looked down at her, his face only inches from hers, his eyes dark with alarm.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, the concern in his voice making her shiver.
She was suddenly acutely aware of how little clothing she was wearing and how solid and warm the boat’s deck was under her back and how good the hard press of his body felt between her legs.
All she could do was nod in response.
‘You look like a bedraggled panda,’ he murmured, his voice sounding rough and deep as he ran his thumbs gently under her eyes, wiping the make-up away.
The simple tenderness of this action undid her and, from out of nowhere, an overwhelming urge to cry hit her, forcing the air from her lungs and tightening her throat. But she didn’t want to let the tears come. Not like this, not with him looking at her like he was. He’d see it—her vulnerability and need. So, in the absence of a better idea, she raised her head those few precious inches and kissed him.
In her head, she’d meant it to be a kiss of gratitude, an apology to smooth away his worry, an acknowledgement of his act of kindness, but as soon as her lips touched his, she was lost.
She let out a small moan as she registered the firmness of his mouth, then a gasp as his lips parted so she could sweep the tip of her tongue against his.
He tasted so good: musky and seductive and sweet all wrapped up into one delicious essence. Pressing her lips harder against his, she tightened her grip and pulled his body closer to her, so she was hard up against his solid chest, revelling in the strength of him as she wrapped her limbs around him.
She was drowning again, only this time in his scent, turning into a bundle of nerve endings under his touch. Her whole body sang with joy as she felt the power of him surround her, drawing her down deep into the oblivion of the kiss.
Until something changed.
Her heart started to hammer as she realised he was withdrawing from her.
‘Wait, Indigo, stop,’ he muttered against her mouth, lifting himself away so she had to loosen her grip on him.
Misery sank through her in a heavy wave as she realised what she’d done.
Exactly what she’d been warning herself against for the entire day.
She’d given herself away again.
When she dared to open her eyes, he was shaking his head, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as if he was trying to will away what had just happened.
And then, like before, when laughter had overtaken her, something seemed to snap inside, only this time it was the tears that came, racking her body with brutal sobs.
‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,’ she managed to
struggle out between gasps, wishing she was anywhere but there with Julien right then. She hated him seeing her break down like this.
‘I guess I’m still feeling a bit raw and lonely after Gavin dumped me like he did. Not that that’s much of an excuse.’
His dismayed expression told her everything she needed to know. She’d totally blown it with him now.
‘Stay here. I’ll go and get us some towels,’ he said, getting up awkwardly.
She felt the cool movement of air on her skin as he left her, which was immediately replaced by the hot sting of humiliation.
Sitting up, she rolled on to her knees then carefully got to her feet, not entirely sure her legs were going to hold her up.
No way was she going to cower here like an idiot until he returned.
By the time she walked on to the main deck, he was coming back with two large, fluffy white towels. He handed one to her and used the other to wipe the remaining water from his face.
‘Thank you,’ she said, wrapping it tightly around her, unable to make eye contact with him.
‘Indigo? Are you okay?’ he asked quietly.
When she finally plucked up the courage to look at him his expression was dark with frustration.
‘I’m just going to go and wash my face,’ she said, tearing her gaze away and turning to make her way shakily down to the belly of the boat.
In the bathroom she sat down on the closed toilet seat and dropped her head into her hands.
What a fool she was. And she only had herself to blame. She’d thought she could handle being here with him—that it wouldn’t mean anything to her, but it did. It did.
It meant the world to her.
After washing away the remainder of the make-up, she took a deep bolstering breath and left the bathroom, deciding to ask Julien to take her back to shore right now, before things got any more awkward between them—if that was even possible.
She found him sitting on the sofa when she shuffled back on to the deck, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him. He hadn’t bothered putting his T-shirt back on and his bare chest glinted with water droplets in the final dying rays of the sun.
One Week with the French Tycoon Page 9
