of brightly coloured beaded sandals, did a twirl in front of the mirror. Glancing at her reflection, she gave a small, satisfied smile before turning and heading downstairs.
There was no sign of Malachi in the kitchen, but breakfast was indeed laid out on the wood-topped counter and, stomach rumbling, she picked out an almond croissant just as there was a knock at the front door.
Her first stupid thought was that it was Malachi. But why would he knock at his own door? And then, remembering his note, she realised it must be Terry. Feeling suddenly shy, she walked hesitantly into the hallway and pulled down on the handle.
Nothing happened.
‘Sorry, Miss Farrell...’ Terry’s voice floated through the door. ‘You need the code.’
‘Oh, yes, of course. I forgot,’ she said, hastily punching her wedding date into the keypad and mentally cursing Malachi for his malicious choice of number.
Her irritation was forgotten, though, as she saw Terry’s broad smiling face beaming down at her.
‘Good morning, Miss Farrell! And how are you today?’
Taking his hand, she smiled back at him. ‘I’m fine, Terry. Thank you.’
‘I saw Mr King this morning and he told me to drop in and make sure you have everything you need.’
‘I do—but while I remember, would you please thank Leonda for the wonderful food?’
Terry grinned. ‘I will, Miss Farrell. She’s real happy, having you and Mr King stay for all this time. Normally he’s only here long enough to read the morning paper—which reminds me: Mr King asked me to drop off today’s newspapers.’ Reaching down, he picked up a bag. ‘There’s some magazines in there too. Let me put them inside for you, Miss Farrell.’
Inside the kitchen, he glanced out of the window and up at the sky.
‘Weather’s looking fine. We might even get some turtles next week.’
‘There are turtles?’ Addie said excitedly. ‘Do they come into the lagoon?’
He shook his head again and laughed. ‘No. Turtles like to nest near open water, so their babies can reach the ocean real quick.’ As though sensing her disappointment, he smiled. ‘But they do nest on Finlay’s Island. You won’t have seen it from the boat, but it’s only thirty minutes away. I keep an eye out at this time of year, so I’ll let you know if I see any sign of them. Now, is there anything else I can do?’
Addie nodded. An idea had just occurred to her. ‘Actually,’ she began tentatively, ‘there is one thing...’
Ten minutes later, Addie was relaxing on a sun lounger, a glass of iced tea in her hand, thoroughly enjoying a celebrity gossip magazine. Having arranged for Terry to take them on a tour of the island, she felt calmer—more in control.
More like herself.
She took a sip of her tea. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a sexy side, but she wasn’t comfortable about it being her defining quality. And now it wouldn’t be.
A shadow fell across her face and her thought jammed inside her head as, looking up sharply, her eyes collided with Malachi’s cool, assessing grey gaze.
‘Good morning,’ he said slowly, his eyes roaming over her in a way that made her whole body twitch restlessly.
Dressed in a pair of linen trousers and a navy polo shirt that clung to the muscular outline of his chest and arms, he looked relaxed and cool despite the heat of the morning.
‘Morning!’ Putting her glass down on the table beside her, she gave him what she hoped was a casual smile. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I did have some breakfast.’
‘Not at all.’ He glanced back into the villa. ‘I might just grab some fruit. Can I tempt you with anything else?’
‘Like what?’ Her eyes flicked up and he smiled at her mockingly.
‘I meant some more iced tea, or something else to eat.’
Licking her lips, wondering how he managed to make such a mundane suggestion sound so enticing and decadent, she shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I had a...thing...you know...’ Her mind was suddenly a total blank, his proximity playing havoc with her brain. ‘A pastry—almond—almond croissant,’ she managed finally.
‘Then I’ll be right back!’ he said softly, his clear, teasing gaze leaving her in no doubt that he knew the effect he was having on her.
Gritting her teeth, heart pounding, she watched his broad retreating back with a mixture of longing and relief. Moments later her breath seemed to punch out of her lungs as he dropped down lightly beside her on the lounger, the warm length of his thigh pressing against her naked leg.
‘Why does everything taste so much better here than it does back on the mainland?’ he murmured as he licked juice from his fingers. ‘I know sugar’s bad for you, but sometimes there’s nothing better than that rush.’ His eyes slid slowly over her face, fixing on her mouth. ‘Almost nothing anyway.’
Addie felt her stomach drop, and then a slow, prickling tension crept up her spine as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. Helplessly she arched against his body, feeling a quivering, featherlight pleasure steal over her skin, and then she breathed in sharply as Malachi lifted his head.
‘Now, that is the correct way to say good morning!’
Staring down into Addie’s dazed blue eyes, Malachi forced himself to blank off his mind to the clamouring of his body. His pulse was racing, and a fierce hot pressure was building in his groin. He had planned simply to kiss her, thereby reminding her of why she was sitting there, on his lounger, by his lagoon, looking so damn tempting. But now, with that red hair tumbling across her shoulders, her lips parted invitingly, it took every ounce of willpower he had not to scoop her up into his arms and take her right there and then.
Looking past her, he gritted his teeth, hating how stirred up she made him feel. He wanted her badly—so badly it felt like a toothache. But taking her now would only demonstrate that fact, and he’d arranged a little surprise for her that would be far more effective at enticing her into his arms.
He breathed out. Yesterday, after she had gone upstairs to lie down, he had fully intended to follow her. To give in finally to the hunger that had been growing inside him since the moment he’d heard her voice again.
Only he hadn’t.
Oh, he’d wanted to. But he couldn’t. His legs simply wouldn’t move; it had been as if he was trapped inside his own body as once upon a time he’d been trapped as a unwilling onlooker at his parents’ parties. How could he possibly have gone upstairs to Addie with that thought uppermost in his mind?
As for mentioning his parents to Addie—what had he been thinking? He shifted uncomfortably on the lounger. He’d worked so hard to suppress the hurt, to bury the memories. Now wasn’t the time to let that darkness seep back into his life.
‘Are you okay?’ Looking up, he found Addie watching him warily.
He
