A Dangerous Taste of Passion

by Anne Mather

  Lily stared at him, trying to take in what he was saying. ‘You do remember you...told me to stay away from you,’ she reminded him softly. ‘You actually said it would be better if we didn’t see one another again.’

  ‘I lied.’ Rafe was honest. ‘And I believe what I actually said was that I might not be so generous next time.’ He shrugged. ‘De nada. It does not matter.’ He gave a small twisted smile. ‘Come, I will take you back to Orchid Cay.’

  ‘Wait.’

  As he started to turn away, Lily laid a tentative hand on his bare arm. His skin was roughened by a light covering of dark hair, and there was something infinitely personal about touching him like this.

  Heat enveloped her, heat and a melting sensation in her lower body. His magnetism reached out to her like the raw warmth of an open fire. It ignited a need inside her, a need she’d never felt before.

  ‘What did you mean?’ she asked, acting on impulse. ‘Did you change your mind? Did you want to see me again?’ She took an uneven breath. ‘Is this the real reason you brought me here?’

  His reaction was violent. ‘Dios, no!’ he exclaimed savagely. He snatched his arm out of her grasp and stared at her with dark angry eyes. ‘Mierda, I brought you here to see the view. Nothing more.’

  And por favor Dios, she would believe him.

  ‘Well, I’m only trying to understand why you thought we shouldn’t see one another again,’ said Lily steadily, even though her pulse was racing.

  ‘Qué?’ Rafe swore. ‘You are not that naïve, Lily.’ He cradled the back of his neck with both hands as he moved his head from side to side. ‘You know as well as I do that I am too old for you. You are—what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three?’

  ‘Twenty-four, actually,’ Lily corrected him. ‘If you’re not attracted to me, you don’t have to make silly excuses.’

  ‘Silly excuses?’ Rafe groaned. ‘I brought you to my home because I enjoy your company, Lily. Because, as unlikely as it might seem, you make me believe there is life after self-destruction.’

  ‘Self-destruction?’ Lily blinked. ‘Whose self-destruction?’

  ‘Mine, por supuesto,’ said Rafe harshly, closing his eyes against the look of confusion on her face. ‘Do not look at me like that. I am not suicidal, querida. But—’ His lids flickered open again and he surveyed her with a rueful resignation. ‘I cannot deny it has been a tough couple of years.’

  ‘Oh, Rafe—’

  Lily had no idea if what she was about to do was either right or sensible. Acting purely on instinct, she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms about his waist.

  Then, with her face pressed to the solid warmth of his chest, she whispered, ‘I’m sorry if I’ve said or done anything to make you think I didn’t want to come here.’ She tilted her head and looked up at him. ‘I did. I truly did. Whether I’m too young for you or not, I am attracted to you.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  RAFE STIRRED BUT he made no move to return her embrace, even though the sensuous warmth of her slim body pressed close to his was doing crazy things to his equilibrium. Her warm breath mingled with the tantalising scent of her body, a delicate flowery fragrance that he remembered from the last time he’d touched her.

  And, remembering that occasion, he felt his arousal harden against the soft curve of her stomach. Dios, he wanted her, he thought unsteadily. He couldn’t ever remember wanting a woman more.

  But she wasn’t a woman, he reminded himself; she was a girl, however much she might deny it. She was totally inexperienced when it came to men like him and he had to keep his head.

  ‘Lily,’ he groaned, struggling for restraint. ‘You do not know what you are doing.’

  Lily acknowledged that she probably didn’t. But she couldn’t deny the excitement of knowing he wanted her. And in knowing, allowing her own excitement to emerge.

  She withdrew her hands from his back and allowed them to slide sinuously up his chest. With what Rafe recognised as an innate sensuality, she cupped his neck, her nails grazing his skin. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked huskily, bestowing a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. ‘Have I shocked you now?’ A smile touched her lips. ‘Well, that’s a first.’

  She’d shocked herself, she realised. Who would have thought she could be so provocative? With increasing confidence, she allowed her lips to brush his again, revelling in the pleasure it gave her.

  Rafe groaned. He knew he’d regret what he was about to do, but he couldn’t resist her. Not in this mood, not when she was bringing him so close to the edge.

  Bringing his hands up to her shoulders, he pushed the neckline of her sweater aside with his thumbs and bent to brush his mouth over her bare shoulder.

  She tasted of woman, of heat, of mindless ecstasy. There was a pulse fluttering in her throat, its erratic beat matching his own. Her skin was slightly damp, deliciously so, tempting him to suck the soft flesh into his mouth.

  He was desperate to see more of her. His hands moved up to peel her sweater over her breasts. The gentle cleft between them incited his hunger and he paused a moment to taste her again.

  As he licked the dusky hollow, his roughening jaw scraping her tender flesh, she trembled. But she didn’t attempt to stop him. She simply took a shaky breath when he unclipped her bra to expose her swollen breasts.

  Madrena de Dios, he groaned silently, she was delicious, her nipple pebbling automatically against his palm. Her vulnerability both delighted him and shamed him, but that didn’t stop him from finally taking possession of her mouth.

  Which was when all coherent thought ceased. Later, he chided himself that he should have remembered how desirably sexy she’d been that day in the park. It had been a battle then to keep his head when he was with her. Here, in the quiet intimacy of his bedroom, he had no weapon to defend himself against her sensual appeal.

  Her mouth opened beneath his, sweet and also hotly passionate. If he was out of control, she was too. The tip of her tongue tangled with his as he thrust between her lips. And, like a swimmer caught in a treacherous current, he was immediately swept out of his depth.

  It was a tide of feeling he didn’t even try to fight against. With her hands twined in the damp hair at the back of his neck and her slender body moulded to his, there was no way he could hide what she was doing to him.

  His erection was hard against her stomach and, as she came up on her toes to accommodate him, he ground his hips against her in an effort to ease his aching shaft.

  Lily’s head swam. Rafe’s hands were behind her now, cupping her bottom and lifting her against his sex. Her body felt light, weightless, yet her bones continued to support her, even though she was sure they’d turned to jelly beneath her.

  Her whole being was alive to his lovemaking. She could feel every intimate angle of his body, the burning heat of his arousal pulsing hotly against her.

  He suckled her breast, his teeth grazing her nipple as he took the swollen nub into his mouth. The stubble on his chin was rough but she revelled in the sensation, even though it caused a red welt to appear upon her skin.

  ‘I am so sorry,’ he said huskily, but she wouldn’t let him draw back. Holding his head against her, she welcomed the sweet pain as he lost control.

  Rafe’s hands were on her hips now, feeling the delicate bones moving beneath her skin. When his fingers slipped inside her shorts, warm globes of flesh spilled into his hands, smooth and soft and silky. With a catch in his breath, he thrust her offending shorts and lacy underwear down to the tops of her legs.

  ‘This is so much better,’ he said thickly, looking down at the curls of brown-streaked hair just visible above the wedge of cotton and silk. ‘You are so beautiful.’

  Watching him, Lily felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest, it was beating so madly. Then, when his mouth sought hers again, she burrowed beneath his shirt to spread her palms against the taut muscles of his chest.

  Rafe groaned in agony. Releasing her mouth for only a moment, he tore h
is shirt over his head. The intimacy of his bare torso pressed against her breasts left Lily breathless, and she swayed a little dizzily as a sensuous tension held her in its grip.

  ‘Te deseo. I want you,’ he muttered, tossing his shirt aside. ‘You have no idea how much I want you.’

  ‘I think I do,’ Lily whispered, amazed that she felt no shame in standing there virtually naked in front of him. She ran an experimental finger over the hard ridge that bulged against his zip. ‘Can I see?’

  Rafe gazed down at her with smouldering eyes. With fingers that shook a little, he unfastened the button at the waist of his pants and tore his zip open. Then he shoved the cargo pants down around his ankles, his erection belling against the front of dark green silk boxers.

  He heard her sudden intake of breath as she looked at him, took an intake of breath of his own when she stroked him through the fine cloth. ‘Querida,’ he muttered hoarsely, his control virtually non-existent. But she only laid a finger across his lips, silencing his protest.

  There was a tiny bead of moisture on the thick head of his erection and, although Lily had never done such a thing before, she bent and removed it with her tongue.

  ‘Dios,’ Rafe groaned, shuddering from the innocent stimulation. ‘Do you want me to lose all self-respect?’

  Lily lifted her head and looked at him. Then, quite deliberately, she lifted her leg and caressed his calf with the sole of her foot.

  ‘I want you,’ she said huskily, aware of how she was opening herself to him.

  And Rafe paused only long enough to push her shorts down her legs before swinging her up into his arms.

  Her legs came about his waist as he lifted her and when they tumbled onto his bed he could feel her heat melting his doubts away. When he pushed his hand down between them, her essence was wet upon his fingers and he gently eased between the folds of flesh to find its pulsing source.

  Lily moaned as he caressed her. Sensations she’d never felt before were causing her body to writhe and arch beneath him. She realised that, despite her boast of experience, she’d never known the kind of emotions Rafe was arousing. And when a sudden climax took her by surprise she could only cling to him in wild abandon.

  His erection was pressed against her stomach now, hot and heavy, and Rafe was licking his way from nipples wet from his attention to where her breath escaped in jerky gasps.

  His teeth grazed her lips, bit into the tender skin on the inside of her mouth, took possession. He kissed her hotly, hungrily, the heat of his tongue exploring and expanding her need.

  Lily had thought she had experienced the demands of passion, but she was realising Rafe had only just begun.

  She could scarcely breathe as he moved over her. ‘Oh, please,’ she said on a whimper, her hands buried in his hair now, her nails digging desperately into his scalp. ‘Please, Rafe, you’re killing me.’

  ‘You are sure this is what you want?’ asked Rafe unsteadily, wondering what he’d do if she’d changed her mind. Go quietly mad, he thought. Or perhaps not so quietly. He’d be tempted to howl his frustration to the moon.

  ‘I’m sure,’ Lily panted as he tugged an inch of soft flesh into his mouth, leaving his mark on her throat. ‘I want you. I do.’

  ‘I believe you,’ Rafe told her roughly, drawing back to part her legs. But she couldn’t deny a quiver of apprehension as he pushed urgently into her slick core.

  She sucked in a breath as he invaded her body. She’d thought she was ready, but nothing could have prepared her for Rafe’s size and strength. Powerful muscles invaded moist flesh and she trembled violently. But her reaction was only a forerunner of what was to come.

  She felt Rafe’s fingers spreading her wider, felt him massaging the nub of her womanhood with his thumb. Another incredible wave of feeling came over her and she was swept up by the sensation. And, as it enveloped her, she lost herself completely once again.

  ‘Es bien?’ Rafe breathed against her throat, his muscles taut with the effort of controlling himself, and Lily nodded.

  ‘But you—you haven’t—’ she began unsteadily, and he made a strangled sound in his throat.

  ‘But I will,’ he assured her fervently, realising that nothing was surer. And, unable to wait any longer, he drew back before pressing with increased urgency into her.

  Lily was amazed to find her body responding once more to his lovemaking. As he moved with a wild and hungry abandon, she felt her own arousal stirring again. Her legs came around his waist and she arched herself against him as she met his rhythm and matched it with her own.

  Rafe was sure he couldn’t get any deeper. And when her muscles clenched around him, drenching him in the sweetness of her essence, he lost all restraint.

  The frenzy of her orgasm left her weak and clinging to him. And his own convulsions lasted long after he’d spilled his seed inside her, the heady call of nirvana leaving his body pulsing hotly against her womb.

  * * *

  It was the sound of raised voices that awakened her.

  Lily opened her eyes to find the room was filling with the shadows of late afternoon. The window that opened onto the balcony was still ajar and the sheer drapes billowed lazily. And when she propped herself up on her elbows she could see a yacht out on the water, its white sails stark against the blue.

  She knew immediately where she was, of course. In Rafe’s bed in Rafe’s house, looking out at the view that had so delighted her a couple of hours ago.

  She glanced about her, but she was alone in the huge bed. Rafe had evidently not fallen asleep as she had. Did that mean he was used to spending mindless afternoons making love?

  Probably, she conceded uneasily, finding it hard to believe that what had happened had been as earth-shattering to him as it had been to her.

  Her cheeks burned suddenly as she remembered how shamelessly she’d behaved. Had she really invited him to make love to her instead of accepting his offer to take her back to Orchid Cay? He’d been prepared to do the right thing and she’d stopped him. Whatever interpretation she put on Rafe’s actions in the future, she had been equally to blame.

  Her father would be horrified if he ever found out how she’d spent the afternoon. It was to be hoped that Ray Myers hadn’t rung home looking for her and alerted Reverend Fielding to his daughter’s absence.

  All the same, she could imagine Ray’s outrage when she didn’t return to the agency. Was he petty enough to report that she’d gone off with the other man?

  Of course, he couldn’t know for sure where she was, but he was bound to speculate. Rafe hadn’t returned to the restaurant and in Ray’s eyes the facts would speak for themselves.

  A sheet was all that covered her and, on impulse, she gathered a handful and pressed her face into the soft folds. The sheet smelt of silk and heat and the unmistakable scent of Rafe’s body. And sex, she acknowledged tremulously. Raw, uninhibited sex.

  The voices came again, nearer this time, and she stiffened. The sound appeared to be coming from the corridor outside Rafe’s suite of rooms. It wasn’t Rafe’s voice. It was two women talking together. But, of course, she didn’t recognise either of the voices.

  She had to get up, she thought guiltily. She had to get up and get her clothes on before whoever it was decided to come into the room. She’d be so embarrassed if anyone found her like this. Without any clothes; without any hiding place; without any dignity.

  She realised suddenly that the voices had gone silent. Breathing a sigh of relief, Lily took her chance and put a tentative leg over the side of the bed. Gathering up her scattered clothes, she realised she needed the bathroom. It might be a good idea to get dressed in there as well.

  She had started across the carpeted floor when someone tapped at the door behind her. Panic gripped her and, dropping her clothes again, she snatched up the sheet from the bed and dragged it sarong-wise around her naked form.

  Before she could speak, the door opened and a maid appeared. ‘Oh, Ms—Fielding,’ she said in some confus
ion. ‘I thought you’d gone.’

  Lily moistened her lips. ‘You did?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ The girl hesitated. ‘When Mr Oliveira left for Orchid Cay, I thought you had gone with him.’

  Lily swallowed. ‘Mr Oliveira has gone into town?’ she exclaimed weakly, and the maid nodded.

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ She paused and then, as if feeling that something more was needed, she added, ‘Mr Bellamy came to fetch him.’

  ‘Mr Bellamy?’

  Lily knew she sounded bewildered but she couldn’t help it, and the maid looked embarrassed now.

  ‘I think they’ve gone to see Mrs Oliveira,’ she declared as her colour deepened. ‘I know I heard Mr Bellamy mention Mrs Oliveira’s name.’

  Lily caught her breath. ‘I see.’

  ‘But I’m sure Perez can take you home, if you don’t want to wait until they come back,’ murmured the girl awkwardly. ‘I can ask him, if you like.’

  ‘Perez?’ Lily didn’t recognise the name.

  ‘He works for Mr Oliveira,’ explained the maid. ‘If you’ll come downstairs when you’ve got—when you’re ready, I’ll speak to Carla about it.’

  Lily was stunned. She was fairly sure the other girl had been about to say When you’ve got your clothes on, but she’d had the decency to change it at the last minute.

  ‘And when did Mr Oliveira leave?’ asked Lily tensely.

  ‘He left about an hour ago,’ replied the girl unhappily. She paused, evidently wishing she’d never entered the room. ‘Is there anything you need?’

  ‘I—no.’

  Lily wondered if she could believe her. It seemed incredible that Rafe would leave her here to go and see his ex-wife.

  In the silence that followed the maid’s departure, Lily had to press her hand over her mouth to silence the sudden sob that rose in her throat. Oh, God, she felt so ashamed. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so devastated in her life.

  She dressed quickly in the bathroom, abandoning any thought of taking a shower in the cream and gold luxury she found there.