Playing the Billionaire's Game

Finally giving in to her desires, he pushed to the very depth and she felt him, all of him, and more, as if she no longer knew where he ended and she began. He withdrew and she nearly cried from the loss until he thrust back into her and she cried instead with pleasure. Again and again he thrust into her, her moans of ecstasy poured into him as he kissed her, their sweat-slicked bodies sliding effortlessly together, bringing them closer and closer to something unfathomable to Sia—a strange wordless moment that defied explanation. Each thrust took her nearer to the edge and further from rationality and she both longed for it and wanted to delay it because it would take her away from the sheer pleasure drenching her entire being.

Her hand slipped around Sebastian’s waist instinctively, knowing what she wanted, pressing down against the base of his spine to hold him there, deep within her, as she shifted her hips, welcoming him further into her. His eyes grew wide, ringed with gold flecks that shone in the darkness, and in that second—the moment just before they both fell—they shared infinity.

CHAPTER EIGHT

SIA STIRRED, FEELING the warmth of a sunbeam against her skin, smiling to herself from the memory of the night before. She stretched out her legs, feeling the pull of unfamiliar muscles and the gentle hum of pleasure still in her body.

Reluctantly prising her eyes open, she spied the beautiful sunny day through the large open windows of the cabin. She also caught sight of a round table, pristine white cloth swaying in the breeze. From the bed she could make out platters of fruit, croissants and, thankfully, a large silver cafetière.

She realised that Sebastian wasn’t there and was actually a little thankful to have just a moment to collect herself. She didn’t for one minute regret what she’d done with him last night, but she was beginning to understand what he’d meant about unforeseen consequences.

The emotions that wrapped around how she felt about him and even herself were shifting in the sunlight like dust particles. There had been a moment last night when she had felt utterly connected to him. No masks, no lies, no secrets yet to be revealed. It had been just them and for a moment she’d thought—she’d imagined—they could have...

The rest of their lives.

And then she kicked off the sheets as if she could kick away the thought as pure fancy, even if somewhere deep in her heart she clung to the possibility. She had agreed only to the next twelve days—eleven now, she realised as she ducked into the shower and stretched beneath the soothing hot jets of water cascading over her skin. It shouldn’t have been arousing, but the memory of Sebastian’s hands and lips doing the very same thing heated her blood and she twisted the handle to cold, relishing the sharp shock and clearing the sensual fog from her mind.

Laughing at herself a little, she reached for a towel, dried herself and then took the silk robe hanging beside the shower. As she walked out towards the decking, fastening the robe at her waist, she took in the signs of what had happened last night. At the foot of the bed she picked up her silk negligée from the floor, running it through her hands as she looked out to the decking and the feast on the table. Condensation had formed on the glass jug of freshly squeezed orange juice and the pang in her stomach prodded her into action.

She sat in the place opposite a cup that still held an inch of rapidly cooling coffee, her frown dissolving as she bit into the most delicious flaky pastry, uncaring that she groaned out loud, especially with no one to hear her. Not even halfway through it, she was already eyeing another, contemplating just how wicked it would be to have a second. Sebastian had made her wanton and as her tongue flicked out to rescue a sliver of sweet almond she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Although there was a slight sense of unease building as she considered the range of emotions Sebastian might be feeling. Did he regret it? Had it been okay for him? The wisp of concern at that thought was immediately soothed by the memory of the look in his eyes last night, the awe that she’d felt reflected back at her in his gaze...that wasn’t fake.

She held the rim of her coffee cup against her lip, unseeing of the horizon or the beautiful blue sea peppered with boats at varying distances from shore until a small speedboat caught her eye. Not because of the speed at which it was going but the figure at the helm. Tall, proud and focused, there was something about the man that made her think of Sebastian as the boat cut through the waves.

Without thinking, she went into the room to retrieve the binoculars from the table and, returning to the decking, brought them to her face, startled by the detail she could see.

The wind rippled across his white shirt, flicked through his hair and pressed against his tan trousers, outlining powerful thighs. For a moment she was distracted by the sight, her senses still alert from the night before. Until her gaze snagged on two large dark shapes on the floor by his feet and she remembered the duffel bags they’d waited for at the airfield back in London.

Sebastian passed a catamaran and several jet skiers, ignoring their greetings, his focus zeroed in on a beautiful yacht way out in the distance, far enough for the two figures waiting on the boat to seem tiny even with the binoculars.

Unable to look away, it was some minutes before Sebastian met the yacht, pulling up alongside to pass something to them which could have been the duffel bags. After a brief exchange Sebastian manoeuvred the speedboat around and turned back to shore.

Sia put the binoculars to the side and picked up her coffee cup, her mind purposely blank. Automatically she finished the croissant, no longer under its sugary sway. She must have sat like that for quite some time because she stirred only when she heard footsteps on the pathway and saw Sebastian approaching the steps to the cabin.

His lips quirked into a broad smile and he removed the sunglasses to reveal eyes sparkling with sensual mischief. He closed the distance between them and before she could finish her breath had placed a firm kiss against her lips.

‘I was hoping to find you in bed,’ he said.

‘I could say the same,’ she replied, purposely keeping her tone neutral.

‘Oh, that,’ he replied as she saw his eyes skate across the table and over the binoculars. ‘A couple of guys sailing the islands underestimated how much fuel they’d need. I didn’t want to bother the staff in their preparations for the opening, so I headed out and gave them enough to get where they were going.’

‘Very kind of you.’

‘You sound surprised,’ he remarked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Not in the slightest,’ she said, unable to resist the smile pulling at her lips.

He leaned in and stole another kiss. ‘I don’t believe you.’ Grabbing an apple from the bowl, he took a bite. ‘Finish breakfast because we have to get going.’

‘Going where?’ she asked, intrigued in spite of herself.

‘You’ll see,’ he teased and disappeared inside the cabin, from where she heard the shower start. But out on the veranda the smile loosened its hold and a cloud passed over the sun, chilling the air, and Sia shivered.

Sebastian loved the speedboat. The feel of the engine roaring behind him, the feel of the wheel beneath his palm, the stinging heat from the sun soothed by the cool air buffeting them as they cut through the waves. And he wasn’t the only one. The look of excitement in Sia’s eyes, the exhilarated yell each time they crossed and crested a wave unexpectedly, the juddering bump both startling and delighting.

Everything he’d set out to achieve in the Caribbean was done. The party celebrating and thanking the hotel staff and contributors had been a roaring success. The feedback from the visiting staff had been not only good but useful and he had a team working out whether it should be an annual event for all staff and hotels.