A Diamond for Del Rio's Housekeeper

Xavier withdrew almost completely before taking her again, and this time he wasn’t so gentle, or so considerate and slow. And she loved it even more than the first time.

‘More?’ he suggested, his mouth tugging in a wicked smile as she groaned rhythmically in time with the subsiding waves of pleasure. He didn’t wait for her answer, and plunged deep. She was more than ready for him when he commanded. ‘Now!’

‘Let me ride you,’ she insisted when she was calm enough to speak. ‘I want to do more than lie here and be pleasured.’

‘You’ll find no argument from me,’ he agreed. Lifting her into position, he said, ‘Take me.’

She needed no encouragement, especially when Xavier thrust his hips towards her to a dependable beat, applying pressure exactly where she needed it.

Throwing her head back, she allowed him to hold her and guide her. She loved the way he liked to watch. She wanted to make it last for as long as she could, but Xavier made that impossible. Taking a firm hold of her hips, he upped both pressure and speed until her mounting cries of excitement became wails of release.

And that release was so fierce for both of them she didn’t have the strength to do more than collapse exhausted onto his chest when it was done. And even then the pleasure continued to pulse through her, until finally she drew a deep, contented breath and fell asleep.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

SHE WOKE TO find Xavier making love to her. He was behind her, moving slowly, but steadily, rhythmically, lazily thrusting, so that her pleasure level on waking was exquisitely extreme. Leaning forward, she raised her hips, making herself even more available for him. She knew he liked to watch. Every action has a reaction, she thought, smiling to herself as he groaned with pleasure and upped the pace. He couldn’t wait and neither could she, and very soon both of them were driven by a fierce hunger that could only have one ending.

‘You’re insatiable,’ he murmured with approval when her cries of pleasure had finally died down.

‘And you are very good at what you do,’ Rosie admitted, groaning with satisfaction as she rested back.

Xavier raised himself on one elbow to stare down at her. Dawn was peeping through the drapes, illuminating his face. He looked more disreputable than ever. Morning was kind to him. His wild hair was dishevelled, while his stubble was thicker, sharper, blacker, and, best of all, he was smiling lazily at her with that rare smile that meant so much to her. She leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips.

Xavier’s answer to that was to turn her beneath him. He had no need to prepare her. She was ready and groaned with contentment when he sank deep. He made no pretence of drawing things out this time, and they moved urgently towards the longed-for goal. When his warmth flooded her, she felt a great, almost primal sense of completion. She had never been so happy in all her life. Resting back on the pillows, she turned her wedding ring round and round, making it glitter in the growing light.

‘I think you like that ring,’ Xavier commented huskily.

‘I love it,’ Rosie admitted. The simple gold band seemed to represent everything that was right about them. The circle was complete—almost. It would be complete when they went back to the island and started to work there together.

She turned with surprise as Xavier swung off the bed. Reaching out, she tried to catch hold of him, but he eluded her. ‘I have to work,’ he said. ‘Nothing’s changed where that’s concerned.’

‘What happened to the time you could always take off?’ she argued.

‘I can’t take time off today,’ he said, seeming preoccupied. ‘There’s plenty for you to do on board,’ he added, as if she were a child in need of entertainment.

Was that it? He’d made efforts to impregnate her, not once, but many times. Did he consider the job done now? A wave of cold dread washed over her. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t bewildered as she watched him stroll naked across the room, and she wasn’t sure how to respond.

‘Take a shower and then a swim, if you like,’ he added. ‘There are two pools, a cinema, and a gym—or a reading room, if you prefer. I’ll see you later—’

‘Later?’ She sat bolt upright in the bed. ‘When, later? Will I see you at lunch?’

‘I thought the idea was that we make no demands on each other,’ Xavier commented as he closed the door on his dressing room.

True. But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

It was only later when she came out of the shower and heard the helicopter taking off, she realised that Xavier wasn’t just leaving her to go to his study, or to some other room on the vessel, he was actually taking a trip. She had no idea how long he’d be gone. He hadn’t given her an agenda. And this was supposed to be their honeymoon—

Get over it, Rosie told herself impatiently as she towelled down after her shower. She hadn’t married a pipe-and-slippers man, and this wasn’t one of her fantasies that she could tailor to suit herself. She had to accept every facet of Xavier’s complicated life. But that didn’t mean she had to sit around on her backside, waiting to see what he might do next. She had a super-yacht to explore, and plans of her own to make, now that she had the means to do so.

But this time the instruction from her can-do spirit had a very hollow ring to it.

Gathering up her wedding dress from the floor, she spread it out carefully on the sofa. Her gaze lingered on the beautiful workmanship. Hours of work had gone into the exquisite dress. And for what?

Stop that! She might be naïve in some things, but she had never been pathetic. She had to get used to the idea of being Xavier’s convenient wife.

Her biggest problem now was what to wear. There were so many clothes in her dressing room. The rails were packed and the drawers were full. There was every accessory money could buy, and swimwear better suited to a supermodel. She chose one of the plainer costumes, and a sundress to wear over it. She was exploring the inside of a drawer when she came across a beautiful enamelled casket, decorated in shades of turquoise, jade green and violet, and gasped when she opened it to find a treasure trove of jewels. Rubies glistened against her skin like drops of blood, while sapphires sparkled as she held them up to the light. Emeralds flared and opals flashed fire, but for some reason they made her feel lonelier than ever. She didn’t need all this extravagance, and would have traded every jewel in the world to have breakfast with her husband on this, the first morning of their married life.

Silence surrounded her as she ran the chains and bracelets through her fingers. The jewels were fabulous, but they couldn’t satisfy the practical woman she had become. Like the clothes and all the facilities on board, she felt, they were just toys to keep her happy. She looked at her simple wedding ring again, and turned it around her finger, knowing she would always love that best of all.