slowly. ‘I meant what I said, sweetheart. About starting again.’
She watched in silence as, hesitantly, he reached out and touched her face.
‘I want it to be good between us here.’
She bit her lip. ‘Think about what’s happening here, Malachi. I sold myself to you.’
Shaking his head, he stroked her cheek gently. ‘Look at it this way: I can only afford you for a month.’
She gave him a tiny smile. ‘Nice try! But I know a bluff when I hear one.’
‘I’m not bluffing. You’re a Royal Flush, sweetheart.’
He watched her face shift, the hurt showing through, and feeling a spasm of panic he reached out and grabbed her hands.
‘I’m sorry. That was crass. I know you probably find this hard to believe, but not every thought I have is about poker.’ He hesitated. ‘Some are about you. Quite a lot, actually.’ He felt her hands stiffen and, curling his fingers more tightly, he shook his head. ‘I don’t mean those kind of thoughts. I mean about you. The person you are.’
Addie stared at him in confusion. Was this really her uber-cool husband? He looked anything but cool. In fact he looked nervous, almost as though he didn’t quite know what he was saying or doing.
She bit her lip. ‘And who am I?’
His hands tightened around hers. ‘You’re a fighter. And a dreamer. Look at how you came back stronger after your accident.
‘It stopped you from doing what you loved most but you didn’t stop. You started a charity. Most people would have given up.’
Addie eyes him wearily. ‘You wouldn’t.’
Her voice was quiet, but steadier, and he felt his heart lurch with hope. Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything between them.
‘No. It wouldn’t have made me stronger. Or kinder.’ But this wasn’t about him. It was about Addie. ‘I think you’re one of the bravest people I know, sweetheart,’ he said gently. ‘And I’m really sorry for being such a jerk.’ Tentatively, he slid his hand over her shoulder. ‘Truly. I know it’s not enough, but it’s a start, isn’t it?’ He breathed out slowly. ‘Please, can we try again? Please?’
His eyes met hers and finally she nodded mutely.
He made as though to pull her against him and then, breathing out slowly, he turned and, reaching round, picked up her clothes from the floor. ‘Here. Put these on.’
Averting his gaze, he waited until she was dressed and then slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
‘Thank you.’ Gently, he kissed the top of her head. ‘And now, how about we go and take a look around this island?’
‘SO—DO YOU have anything particular you’d like to do today?’
Leaning across the table to spear a piece of pineapple from a huge platter of fresh fruit, Malachi smiled at Addie. She held her breath. He was wearing a pair of dark blue swim shorts, and his long, muscular legs were sprawled out temptingly towards her. With his face tipped up to the sun and his dark hair falling loosely across his forehead, he looked impossibly glamorous, and intensely male, his lush beauty easily rivalling the tropical perfection surrounding them.
His eyes bumped into hers and he held her gaze so that she shifted restlessly in her chair. Her heart gave a twitch as he leaned forward, and for a moment she thought he was about to kiss her, but instead he picked up the coffeepot and topped up their cups.
‘Actually, I do have something in mind. I just need to make a couple of calls.’
Picking up her cup, Addie wished that it was her hands and not the sunlight caressing his smooth golden skin. That she could reach over and loop her arm around his neck, press her hot, hopelessly overexcited body against his—
But wishing was all she was likely to do.
Skin prickling, she sipped her coffee. Yesterday she had felt so unhappy, so diminished by the way he was treating her. Only then they’d argued, and he’d pushed aside his obvious desire to comfort her, and his tenderness had shifted something inside her, opened her up to him. But now Malachi seemed to be on some kind of mission to prove that sex was the last thing on his mind. Oh, he kissed her, and curled his arm around her waist, but whenever she leaned into him, hoping, longing, wanting more, he merely let his hands drift over her back or arms.
Breathing out, she sat up straighter and forced herself to smile, hoping that her face appeared more composed than her body felt. ‘Great. That sounds great.’
He stared at her thoughtfully. ‘I haven’t told you what it is yet.’
Her fingers spasmed involuntarily against the cup.
‘I know,’ she said quickly. ‘But I’m sure it’ll be great—whatever it is.’
Leaning forward, he grinned at her—a long, slow, curling smile that made her heart flutter in her chest and her breasts ache.
‘How very trusting of you. Then I think I’ll keep it as a surprise!’
An hour later she was regretting that trust as they skimmed across the water in the speedboat towards—who knew where?
‘Can you please give me a clue?’ Turning round, Addie gazed up in frustration at Malachi.
Grinning, he shook his head, his arm curving around her waist. ‘I don’t want to spoil the surprise,’ he murmured, squeezing her hand.
She glanced up at him, her blue eyes wide and wary.
He laughed. ‘Trust me, sweetheart. I know what you like and you’re going to love this.’
His fingers lightly caressed her belly through the thin fabric of her dress, and eyes half closed, she feverishly imagined what she liked doing with Malachi, her skin quivering at the thought of the two of them moving slowly together, bodies entwined—
Her pulse gave a jolt and realising she needed to get a grip, she glanced past him to where a mass of greeny-brown was slowly growing larger. ‘Is that Finlay Island? Is that where we’re going?’
Smiling, he shook his head. ‘Two more minutes and all will become clear.’
At that moment, the boat curved around the island and Addie felt her mouth fall open. ‘Wh-what is that?’
He was watching her, gauging her reaction.
‘That is the Pearl Diver. She’s a submarine and my most recent acquisition. I thought you might like to join me on her maiden voyage.’
Too jolted to speak, Addie gazed in disbelief at where the submarine lay in the water. Finally she recovered and, looking up at him, she shook her head slowly. ‘Let me
