it with you.’ His hands slid back down the sides of her waist and her knees began to weaken as he smiled up at her. Damn him, he knew exactly what he was doing to her. ‘Every minute of it.’
Her heart leapt. Every minute. He wanted to be with her all night. ‘I want that too,’ she whispered as his hands caressed her waist sensually, and she longed for him to touch her breasts, to finally light the fire which sparked and fizzed inside her, threatening to explode like a wayward firework.
‘But I want tonight to be like no other, so I have arranged for something special.’ He smiled, pulling her closer still.
‘More special than this?’ She could hardly whisper, her heart was thumping so hard.
‘Yes.’
‘And what is the dress code for this surprise?’ Thankfully she found just Imogen’s flirty nature, banishing Imogen Fraser from saying or doing anything. She fully intended to remain just Imogen a little while longer and have her night with Marco.
‘Dress for dinner.’
‘In that case—’ Imogen pulled away from him, not trusting herself to stay in his embrace any longer, the heady need for him becoming stronger all the time ‘—I should get back. Have you any idea how long it takes to tame hair like mine?’
He laughed. A deep, sexy laugh which sent a shimmer of stars hurtling around her. ‘I get the message.’
‘Good, because if you want me to look the part then I will have to get back to the villa.’
‘You already look the part as far as I am concerned, Imogen.’ Seriousness had slipped back into his voice and desire in his eyes. ‘Turn up exactly as you are and I will be happy.’
‘You.’ She pushed him away. ‘Be careful what you wish for, Marco.’
MARCO’S BREATH WAS snatched away as Imogen opened the villa door to him. Gone was the sexy water nymph of this afternoon, with wet hair clinging to the sides of her face and that so very sexy red one-piece. In her place was the seductress who’d first captured his attention at the bar ordering champagne.
The kick of lust in his groin only added to the anticipation of what this evening would bring. Tonight, she would be his. For one more night he would live in the moment of total escape and forget the reality which would all too soon intrude, if his sister’s latest text messages about his father were anything to go by. He pushed the thought aside. Now was not the time for those thoughts. Now was the time to lose himself, one last time, with Imogen.
‘You look stunning.’ Already his voice was hoarse with desire, but, from the look in her vibrant blue eyes, it was no different to how she was feeling.
She smiled and coyly pulled her hair forward over her shoulder, bare apart from the thin strap of the black dress which looked like ink and moulded to every curve he was impatient to explore. Tonight they would be in his private part of the island, and once the meal had been served they would be totally alone, and his plans to give Imogen a night to surpass any other she’d had with a man before could begin.
‘And you look very handsome. A tuxedo suits you.’ Even though she gave him a shy look, the anticipation of what was to come hung around her like the stars in the night sky. She sparkled and he knew without doubt that she felt the power of the attraction too. Imogen was as aware of the explosive tension between them as he was, and their conversation on the beach was enough to tell him she wanted this moment of escape to be special. Just as he did. A moment in which to lose themselves completely. A time to savour what they’d found before returning to reality.
He took her hand, lifting her fingers to his lips, kissing the tips of them. Her nails were a deep red and her skin delicately scented. He’d never known this anticipation, this sense of belonging before. ‘Only the best for tonight,’ he whispered softly as he looked into her eyes.
Her deep drawn-in breath gave away far more than he was sure she wanted to. ‘More of your special arrangements?’ she jested with him, that playful, teasing light in her eyes. ‘You seem to have a lot of influence on the island.’
He wasn’t about to tell her that he owned the entire island, not when she’d spent the week being with him simply because it was what they’d both wanted. He knew very little about her, but he did know that she wasn’t at all like the kind of spoilt societal ladies he usually encountered as billionaire Marco Silviano. She seemed so in awe, so in wonder of everything his island offered, as if she was unused to such luxury. But Julie’s words about ‘Daddy suggesting they take a luxury break’ warned him she must be accustomed to such a world. Neither of them had talked much about their real lives and maybe that was for the best. She would linger in his memory, the perfect antidote to the constant friction between him and his family.
‘I guess I do.’ He smiled at her. ‘And to prove it I have arranged for somewhere special for us on our last night. It’s just a short ride in the utility vehicle.’
‘Now I am intrigued.’ She laughed and the way she reached out, placing her hand on his arm, sent a frenzy of fiery need hurtling through him, so fast he was in serious doubt if he could get through the meal he had planned without giving in to his desire for her.
‘Then let us go,’ he said as he held out his hand to help her in, trying not to think too much about where his thoughts had just led him. All he wanted was to enjoy the escape of tonight and be nothing more than Marco enjoying Imogen’s company. Who they really were, what their lives really entailed, didn’t matter one bit.
Imogen settled herself next to him and looked around her with interest as he manoeuvred the small buggy down the track which led to his private part of the island. He’d liked the place so much that during renovations he’d sectioned part of it off for his exclusive use. His own private retreat from his family and the constant pressure to be what he didn’t want to be.
‘And how many other ladies have you bestowed this kind of special treatment on?’ There was laughter in her voice, but the nervous glance she cast him made him question if she wasn’t as experienced as she’d had him believe all week. Like the moon slipping out from behind a cloud, innocence shone from her briefly, before being cloaked once more in the cloud of the seductress.
‘None.’ He stopped the vehicle at the top of his private beach where a table, set for two, was waiting. ‘Now, if you have finished quizzing me, here is our table for us to enjoy dinner as the sun sets.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Imogen whispered as she stood beside him looking at the trail of lanterns lighting the way to the intimate table.
The sun was beginning to slip towards the horizon as he took her hand. ‘I want this night to be special. A final night of escape with a beautiful woman in beautiful surroundings.’
‘This truly is a night of escape, Marco. You have no idea how different this is from real life for me.’
Marco ignored the slight opening of the door to the real Imogen, not wanting anything to intrude. He took her hand and led her to the table, pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit down. As she sat on the chair, the temptation to kiss the soft skin of her neck, exposed because of the sexy way she’d piled her hair up, was too much. He leant down and traced a trail on her skin and a jolt of satisfaction shot through him as she trembled slightly.
