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CHAPTER FOUR

ZANE knew that Lucinda was torn between letting him kiss her and doing the right thing and pushing him away. He was sorry about her father, of course he was, and when he persuaded her into his arms it hadn’t been his intention to take the situation any further. But holding her against him, feeling the warmth of her body and smelling its sweetness, had aroused all of his base instincts. He wanted her! And he wanted her now.

It took all of Lucinda’s will-power to move out of Zane’s embrace. It felt as though she was wrenching herself free of an iron clamp instead of the light touch of his hands. It really had been a big mistake coming here. She had put greed for his business before what was best for her.

‘I wish you hadn’t done that,’ she told him tightly, the words crackling out of a throat gone tremendously dry.

‘Done what?’

Did he really need her to spell it out? ‘You know what I’m talking about,’ she retorted. ‘I appreciate the use of your handkerchief but I don’t need comforting in other ways.’

‘And what way would that be?’

A steely glint appeared in his eyes and Lucinda began to wonder whether she had misjudged him. Whether it was her fertile imagination that had seen something that wasn’t there. Whatever, he looked far from pleased.

She shook her head and got up from her chair. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘And I say it does matter,’ he rejoined fiercely. ‘I do not like being criticised.’

‘It doesn’t count that you’re already cast as a playboy?’

‘You’ve heard the rumour?’ A faint smile curved his lips. ‘Who told you that, I wonder?’

Lucinda jutted her chin and stared hostilely. ‘Actually I’d had my suspicions, but my stepfather confirmed it.’

‘Ah!’ Enlightenment filled his eyes. ‘And you took his word as truth? A man you incidentally hate the sight of? It didn’t occur to you that he could be saying it because he didn’t want you working for me?’

It was true; David Goldberg definitely didn’t like to think that her career was taking off. He liked to think that she hadn’t the intelligence to do well for herself. Why, she had no idea. Maybe because she had always resented him! At the age of fifteen her hormones had been all over the place; she’d just lost her beloved father, her mother had all too quickly remarried and Lucinda’s resentment of the new man in their life had caused ill feelings between them, which had never gone away.

‘I don’t care whether it’s true or not,’ she told him now. ‘And I have no wish to continue this conversation.’ She sprang up from her seat and ran round to the other side of the house, where she stripped off her skirt and top and dived cleanly into the pool. She desperately needed to cool off.

She was feverishly hot and the water mercifully cold, and after a few energetic lengths her ragged nerves were calmed. She had half expected Zane to follow and was both relieved and pleased when there was no sign of him. She kept telling herself that it wasn’t going to work, staying here with him, feeling his presence, knowing that at any minute she could give in to temptation. And he was a big temptation. She could hardly believe that she was attracted to him. It was totally inconceivable.

Finally she hauled herself out of the pool, rinsed herself down beneath the huge outdoor shower and headed back towards the house. Zane appeared in front of her as if from nowhere.

‘You swim like a mermaid,’ he complimented. ‘Graceful, swift and beautiful.’ A pair of dark glasses shielded his eyes but she felt his eyes studying her body in its neat white bikini. The heat returned.

‘You were watching me?’ Accusation made her voice shrill.

Zane inclined his head. ‘And very pleasant it was too. I wanted to join you but I wasn’t sure that you’d appreciate it.’

‘No, I wouldn’t have done,’ snapped Lucinda, her green eyes flashing magnificently. ‘In fact I don’t appreciate your presence here at all.’

‘That’s a pity,’ he said with a disarming smile, ‘because I was actually enjoying myself. And I think I’d enjoy myself more if you’d allow me to…’

His words ceased as his hands caught her hips and urged her against him and, before she could even draw breath to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, his mouth found hers.

It was a heart-stopping kiss that filled her body with intense pleasure. How a man she didn’t particularly like and certainly didn’t trust could do this to her she did not know. Thankfully he let her go just as abruptly. ‘I’m sorry, I just had to do that,’ he declared immediately. ‘You have no idea how tempting you looked.’

Lucinda struggled for breath. She didn’t believe his apology for one second. He’d planned this. He’d known from the moment he invited her out here that he would make a play for her. It was what he did. And she had been a fool to think otherwise.

‘Not only do you swim like a mermaid but you also looked like one as you stood there with your hair hanging loose.’ His eyes lowered and Lucinda became aware of her nipples pushing against the silky fabric of her top. It was plain white and far too revealing. In fact, she realised with instant horror, it had gone almost transparent!

Her cheeks flamed. It was a new bikini, not tried out in the water, bought more for sunbathing than anything else. She had thought it would look good against a tan. Inwardly, though, she stiffened her spine. Not for anything would she let Zane see her embarrassment. With her chin high she met his gaze. ‘Maybe I was one in a previous life.’

‘I’m surprised you don’t have a boyfriend.’

The statement was sudden and unexpected and Lucinda’s eyes widened. ‘Why do you want to know?’

‘Because it’s unusual for a woman as beautiful as you.’

Lucinda shook her head, wishing he wouldn’t keep complimenting her. She knew he was doing it so that she’d feel flattered and fall into his arms. Hadn’t he realised yet that he’d picked the wrong person?

‘I was engaged once,’ she finally admitted.

Blue eyes expressed interest. ‘And?’ he prompted when she didn’t continue.

‘I went out with him for nearly four years.’

Zane’s eyebrows rose and his interest increased. ‘That’s a long time.’

‘Too long, I guess,’ she acknowledged with a hint of irony in her voice.

‘So what happened?’

‘He dropped me for someone else. We’d actually planned the wedding. I was devastated.’ Lord, why on earth was she opening up to him? It was so out of character. And in any case Zane was the last person she wanted to tell her life story to. She couldn’t believe the effect he was having on her. First she’d let him kiss her, now she was revealing confidences. What next?

Zane saw the pain in her eyes, mistook it for unhappiness over her past and immediately pulled her into his arms.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

The hell he was! How could he be when he didn’t know her or Simon? It was another excuse to get close. She should never have told him. She’d actually given him some ammunition. ‘I don’t need your pity,’ she declared, struggling to free herself. ‘I’m over it now.’

Zane released her but he didn’t move away. ‘No, you’re not,’ he declared. ‘You’ve erected a barrier.’

He was right; Simon was her defence. She had only to think about the way he’d treated her to put her off any man who tried to get close. And that included the gorgeous, extremely sexy Zane Alexander.

It didn’t count that his brief kiss of a few seconds ago had aroused feelings that she had thought long since dead. And, if she were honest with herself, they were sensations that went incredibly deeper than any she had ever felt with Simon. Simon had been her one and only lover so she’d had no one to compare him with. Until now!

At this point Lucinda angrily dashed her thoughts away. They were unwanted. It didn’t matter whether Zane was the most fantastic lover of all time; she had no intention of finding out.

‘I don’t want to discuss this any more,’ she declared tightly. ‘I’m going to rest in my room for a while.’ She might even stay there until morning. She’d had enough of Zane’s company for one day.

Zane’s smile told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking. ‘Have you ever sat outside on a tropical night and watched the stars?’ he asked quietly. ‘Have you ever listened to the chirruping of cicadas? Have you smelled the heady perfume of the flowers? Don’t miss out on it all because of a misguided sense of trust.’

Misguided? Lucinda didn’t think so. Zane was forgetting that she knew exactly the sort of uncaring person he was. He might try to romance her, to seduce her even, but once they returned to England and her job was finished she would be just as quickly forgotten. Maybe other girls were into affairs, especially with rich, handsome men, but not this one.

To her relief Zane didn’t insist on an answer. She fled to her room, showered and then flung herself down on the bed. To take her mind off Zane and his kiss, she began planning how she would decorate the room. She had brought several fabric swatches with her as well as paint samples and pages out of furniture catalogues, but it soon became clear that she would be far better going into Castries and seeing what they had to offer there. It needed something with a local flavour. The capital was sure to have a good selection of shops. She would suggest it to Zane tomorrow and hopefully he would put a car and driver at her disposal.

But all thoughts of decorating left her when a tap came on her door. Instantly she thought it was Zane and was prepared to tell him to go away, when the door was pushed tentatively open and the maid popped her head inside. ‘Excuse me, Miss Oliver. Mr Alexander has asked for you to join him,’ she announced with a wide smile.

It was easy to see that she thought the sun shone out of Zane’s eyes.

‘Tell him I’m tired and that I’m staying here,’ said Lucinda.

‘He said not to take no for an answer,’ the pretty dark-skinned girl answered, looking worried. ‘He is ready to eat.’

Lucinda groaned inwardly. ‘Very well,’ she agreed, not wishing to get the maid into trouble. ‘Tell him I’ll be along shortly.’

Her shortly amounted to half an hour and when she opened her bedroom door she was taken aback to see a thunderous Zane about to make an entrance. ‘I was just coming to fetch you,’ he growled. ‘What the hell have you been doing?’

‘Reluctantly getting myself ready,’ she answered, chin high. ‘I rather fancied an early night. You’re forgetting the time difference.’ Her tone was sharp, her eyes growing as angry as his. ‘I would have been in bed were I at home. You’re being unreasonable, Zane.’ But then wasn’t that Zane Alexander all over?

‘And you’re not?’ he grunted, his eyes roving over the coral silk blouse she had donned with a pair of matching trousers. It was loose enough to be cool and also not to show the way her nipples stood to attention under his scrutiny.

It was a long, hard look he gave her before he swung on his heel and she had no choice but to follow him through to the dining room. Someone had done their best to make it look cheerful with tastefully arranged urns of flowers but Lucinda’s professional eye was soon making changes. Like all the other rooms, it was spacious and light and it had the most wonderful views, but it was badly in need of a makeover. The furniture was old and jaded and the curtains at the windows had certainly seen better days.

Their table was placed so that they both sat looking out through the open window with its glorious view. By this time the sun had gone down and the sky was filled with stunning colours—gold and scarlet, the inkiest of blacks and the richest purples, all reflected with even more intensity in the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Her mood mellowed as she sat looking at it.

And when dishes of food were placed in front of them she discovered a hunger that she hadn’t suspected. Fish broth, Creole baked chicken, fresh fruit. She tasted them all. She enjoyed them all. They hardly spoke; such was the enchantment of the evening. Or was it because Zane was still angry with her that he didn’t say much? Lucinda couldn’t be sure.

Afterwards, as they sat outside on the terrace sipping wine, listening to the sounds of the night and gazing at the stars that were surely more brilliant than they ever were in England, she felt amazingly content. This was an experience that would stay with her for a long time.

Until suddenly she became aware that Zane was watching her and not the darkening sky, and although the night air was cool her skin grew moist with sudden heat. This was truly a place made for lovers—and he was looking at her as though that was his intention.

‘You’re very beautiful, Lucinda,’ he said roughly. ‘Far more beautiful than I remember.’

‘That’s because when I was babysitting Tim you were never there,’ she reminded him, unable to keep a note of censure from her voice. ‘You hardly had time to notice me.’

‘I guess I did have other things on my mind,’ he agreed. ‘But not so now. This is one of those rare occasions when I can relax. And I have you to keep me company. What more could a man ask for? A beautiful lady in a most beautiful part of the world.’

‘I’m here to work,’ she reminded him. She didn’t like the way he was talking—as though their time here was for his pleasure alone.

‘You know what they say about all work and no play,’ he reminded her, his eyes a dark blue in the light that spilled out from the dining room. It gilded his features with bronze. His face was beautifully sculpted with an almost Roman nose and chiselled cheek bones and a mouth that was fluent and kissable and…She stopped her thoughts right there.

What he looked like was of no interest to her whatsoever, and she’d do well to remember it. Except that he’d set light to a fire inside her and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be kissed by him again out here in the moonlight.

That earlier brief kiss, no matter how much she had resented it, had opened up her defences. She was susceptible to him now. And, judging by the look in his eyes, he knew it! They were narrowed and intent on hers, reading her dilemma, knowing exactly how she felt. It was time she left. But when she pushed back her chair and stood up a hand shot out and caught her wrist.

‘Don’t leave yet,’ said Zane. ‘The evening is still young and I have no wish to spend it alone.’ And all the time he was speaking he was pulling her inexorably towards him.

The air between them crackled with tension, warning her that if she didn’t escape now it would be too late. But did she want to escape? Wasn’t this devastatingly attractive man setting alight fires inside her that had never been lit before? Wasn’t he arousing passions that no one else but he could quench?

Yes, but…

But what? asked an inner voice.

But nothing! There was no but about it. She was being foolish. If she didn’t put a stop to things now she would hate herself later. ‘I want to go to my room,’ she told him firmly, trying to no avail to tug her hand free. ‘I really am very tired.’

‘And I’d like you here with me. Please stay.’

Their eyes met and held, his fingers relaxed and suddenly her hand was free, but instead of turning and running Lucinda amazed herself by slipping quietly back on to her chair. It was the way he’d said ‘Please stay’ that had done it. It had been an unexpected ‘please’. Not what she was used to from this man. Perhaps he was lonely? After all they were both in a strange place with no one else to turn to for company.

‘Very well,’ she agreed quietly, ‘but not for long. I should go to bed.’

Gradually she relaxed. Zane seemed to be in a mood for not saying very much and she too was content to sit quietly. Nevertheless his nearness could not be ignored. The heady scent of him invaded her nostrils and if she closed her eyes and listened intently she could even hear him breathing. There were so many other night sounds around them and yet Zane’s breathing and the constant thud of her heart were the only ones that she heard.

‘What are you thinking?’

His voice broke the silence and made her jump. ‘How beautiful it is out here,’ she lied.

‘But not as beautiful as you.’

Her eyes shot wide and her heart rate increased. ‘You shouldn’t be saying that, Zane. We’re here on business. Or at least I am.’ But never had a job taken her to such a faraway magical place. Everything here was beautiful.

He inched his chair nearer to hers. ‘I’m glad you said that you’re here on business and not me, because I don’t normally like to mix business with pleasure. As things stand, I have no such dilemma.’ Again he edged his chair closer, so close this time that there was but a hair’s breadth between them.

Lucinda drew in a swift breath, trying to ignore the alarming sensations that were pulsing in every single one of her cells. He was going to kiss her; she was very much aware of it, and if she had any sense she would flee. But sense and sensibility didn’t show their heads; instead she felt an aching need that only he could assuage and when he tipped her chin with a firm finger she willingly parted her lips.

Zane had wanted to do this ever since Lucinda had walked into his office just over a week ago. She had transformed herself into a stunningly beautiful businesswoman. Not only beautiful but hellishly sexy as well.

But he was aware, very much so, and she was driving him crazy. He had begun to think that he would never get anywhere with her—and he had taken a huge gamble when he’d kissed her earlier. Brief though that kiss had been, he had become immediately aware that she wasn’t immune to him. It had given him the encouragement he needed.

He had heard it said that St Lucia was born beautiful. That was true of Lucinda as well. Just as the beauty of nature enhanced the island, an inner beauty made Lucinda one of the most striking women he had ever met. She was completely unaware of it but to him it was like a beckoning beacon. He wanted her so badly that it hurt.

And when she showed no sign of resisting him, when she seemed to melt into his arms, he groaned deep within his throat and, pulling her on to his lap, he deepened his kiss.

He traced her lips with his tongue, he tasted the nectarlike sweetness of her, he explored the intricacies of her mouth, and all the time he could feel the throb of her heart getting stronger and stronger. And the soft warmth of her body growing hotter and hotter.

His own desire surged and when Lucinda wriggled against him he knew that she was aware of his arousal. The beauty of it was that it didn’t frighten her away. On the contrary, she sucked in his kisses like a drowning woman, letting her tongue play with his, her hands shaping his head, fingers twisting in his hair, her passion growing with each second that passed.

What he wanted to do, what he really wanted to do, was pick her up and take her to bed. But he knew that it was far too soon. So he continued to kiss her and slowly he let his hand glide over one of her breasts. When he discovered that she was not wearing a bra beneath the coral silk it nearly drove him wild.

He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her nipple until it tightened into a hard nub. And then he did the same to her other breast. And all the time she said nothing. Not that he wasn’t aware of her heightened excitement. Her breathing came in much shorter gasps and her fingers tightened in his hair until he felt that if she wasn’t careful she would pull it out by the roots.

Very slowly he released his mouth from hers and with even more painfully slow progress he nibbled his way down to her beckoning breasts, at the same time flipping open her blouse buttons so that they were revealed in all their naked glory to his greedy eyes.

Then he sucked each burning nipple in turn into his mouth, exulting when he heard her moans of pleasure, when she held him against her as though she never wanted him to stop. She tasted as sweet as she smelled and he knew he ought to call a halt before he came to the point when he couldn’t.

It was a tiny noise that did it. The sound of something shattering inside the house! A dropped plate perhaps, or a glass! Followed by a smothered cry. And it broke the spell.

He lifted his face to look at her. He saw sweetness and softness and wonderment. Lips that were moist and slightly swollen. Eyes that were glowing orbs of pleasure but with a question in them too. She was asking herself how this could have happened.

And he wanted to ask the same.

Was it the sweet night air that had seduced their senses? Was it their exotic surroundings? Was it the magic of the island? Or was it simply that when push came to shove she couldn’t resist him? He’d really given her little choice. She had wanted to retire to her room. Instead he had insisted she join him. What had happened next was inevitable. Except that for some reason his conscience bothered him. It didn’t normally. Most women he knew enjoyed his kisses. But Lucinda was different.

‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ he growled, but he said it so quietly that it was possible she hadn’t heard.

‘No, you shouldn’t,’ she agreed, also very quietly. ‘It went beyond the bounds of our contract. However, I’m prepared to forget it, provided it never happens again.’ And with that she pulled her blouse together and walked away with her head held high.

Lucinda could not believe that she had let Zane kiss her again. And not only on the lips! She’d let him undress her and taste her breasts, and touch them, and arouse them, and make her lose her mind. Oh, God, the pleasure he had given her! Even thinking about it recreated the sensations.

Indoors in her room she touched where he had touched. She looked at herself in the mirror. Saw the dreamy arousal in her eyes, the soft glow to her skin, and when she grazed her thumb lightly over her nipples the full sweet sensations winged once again through the very heart of her.

What was she to do? Amazingly he had apologised so perhaps he wouldn’t touch her again. But Lord help her—she wanted him to. He had given her a taste of what it could be like between them and she wanted to feed from it like a starving animal.

It was this island that did it, she felt sure. It was an exotic paradise just made for lovers. Had Zane known that when he brought her here? Or had St Lucia woven its spell over him too? He struck her as a man well able to control his emotions—so what had happened?

He needed a woman, that was what had happened. And she had been the only one available!

Looking at it like that made Lucinda tighten her lips. The magic was over, the spell broken. It didn’t have to be her; it could have been anyone. Zane Alexander had an insatiable sexual appetite. She must never forget that. He was used to a whole coterie of women sitting at his feet, waiting for his favours. He’d probably never been turned down.

What a shock he had in store!