several years now, so we’re definitely not strangers. It’s ideal.”
“It’s preposterous!” she exclaimed.
“No, it’s perfect,” Jake announced, taking her hand in his. It was soft, her skin smooth as satin. Feeling more certain by the minute about his decision, he gazed into her blue eyes. “Emily, will you marry me?”
One
Seventeen months later
Palm fronds swayed in the gentle breeze as sunlight splashed over Jake’s sprawling white stucco villa. Standing on the veranda, Emily gazed at the sparkling jewel of a blue swimming pool with its waterfalls and fountains. Lavish landscaping with a velvet green lawn and exotic tropical flowers in immaculate beds surrounded the pool. The beach and blue ocean lay farther out. Back home in Dallas, September meant summer was still hanging on, but here the ocean breezes cooled the late afternoon. Her husband’s private island should have been a paradise, not a prison. Yet Emily wanted to get back to Texas. Jake would be home any minute and she would have to confront him with her plans.
The beauty of her surroundings was lost on her while she mulled over her options. For seventeen months she had been locked in a marriage of convenience. But now she was ready to break her vows. She couldn’t be the woman Jake needed. Yet reluctance tore at her.
She’d had enough of island life. Jake was flying off the island to work every day, so he probably hadn’t missed Dallas or even noticed the difference. But this leisurely life of doing nothing wasn’t for her. Any more than it would have been for Jake.
The roar of one of Jake’s sport cars announced his arrival. Emily turned, stepping inside the house to wait. Ceiling fans revolved lazily above the casual bamboo furniture. A floor-to-ceiling mirror showed her reflection and she turned to check out how she looked.
Her long brown hair was tied with a silk ribbon behind her head and she wore a bright blue cotton sundress and sandals. She’d lost weight. Jake hadn’t noticed, but that didn’t surprise her.
As she waited, she heard the front door and the click of Jake’s shoes on the polished hardwood floor. She called to him and he strode into the room, tossing his cell phone and keys onto a table. Her pulse jumped at the sight of him.
This intense reaction to him had developed during the whirlwind courtship before their wedding. When she’d worked for him, she’d known that her boss was a handsome, sexy man. But once he focused his attention on her, her response to him had intensified, something she was less than happy about. She didn’t want Jake capturing her heart as he had so many other females’.
She remembered the calls he used to get at the office, the women who’d stop by unannounced, trying to get him to take them back into his life. She’d hoped she would never act that way with any man. That she’d never act that way with Jake.
He was tall with perfectly trimmed black hair. But it was his thickly lashed, smoke-colored eyes that set her heartbeat racing. His firm jaw, straight nose and high cheekbones added to the rugged, appealing face that turned heads everywhere he went. It would be impossible for him to enter any room and not be noticed. Dressed in one of his brown tailor-made suits, which she had been appalled to discover cost two thousand dollars, he exuded success and self-assurance. She tried to keep banked a smoldering flame of desire because she’d reached a turning point in their unstable marriage. She dreaded the next hour, but she had to face the future.
“You look wonderful. It’s so nice to be home,” he announced, striding up to embrace her. His aftershave was faint, but masculine and tempting. It reminded her of the muscled body beneath the elegant suit. “Hey! Why the long face?” he asked, tilting up her chin.
“Jake, I want to talk,” she said. She heard the breathless note in her voice and wondered if she could go through with her rehearsed speech. His arms were strong, holding her pressed against him and as usual, her determination began to waver. He was gorgeous. He had all sorts of wonderful qualities, yet she was miserable every day. She felt as if she was failing him because she couldn’t give him the baby he wanted.
“So do I. Although I thought we could talk later and make love now,” he said in a husky voice. He caressed her neck and throat, stirring sizzles of pleasure through her, increasing her racing heartbeat. He fished in his pocket. “I brought you a present.”
She inhaled and stared at a long slender black box tied with a red satin ribbon. “You shouldn’t get these gifts for me,” she said.
“I don’t know why not. I want to. Open it,” he commanded with a note of eagerness in his voice. She gazed up into his eyes and saw dancing flames of desire in their depths.
Wriggling out of his embrace, she tugged the ribbon free, opened the package and lifted out a black velvet box. When she raised the lid, a dazzling diamond-and-sapphire necklace sparkled in the afternoon light. “It’s gorgeous,” she said flatly, disappointment washing over her.
He tilted up her chin. “What’s wrong? You sound as if I’ve given you a bunch of weeds.”
“It’s beautiful, Jake. It’s not the necklace. We have to talk. There’s something wrong here. Not the necklace. It’s other things—this marriage we have.” She inhaled deeply, gazing into his unfathomable eyes. She knew most women would never do what she was about to do. Her sister, Beth, had spent hours on the phone arguing with her about it. “Our marriage, our…deal—it’s not working.”
Jake frowned. “Give it a chance. We’ve only been married for a little over a year and a half. What exactly aren’t you happy about?”
“We agreed we wanted a baby. We’ve been to doctors who’ve said we’re both healthy, but I’m not getting pregnant. I feel as if I’m failing you.”
“Relax. Give it time,” Jake said, his voice lowering and his frown vanishing. “In fact, we can work on it tonight,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
She almost closed her eyes and succumbed as she had so many times before. Jake was passionate, understanding and constantly trying to please her—he was impossible to resist. But for once, she clung to her sanity, grasped his arms and leaned away from him.
“Jake, listen to me!” she demanded. “You know you can distract me, but we need to talk about this.”
Jake stroked her cheek lightly. “Darlin’, I’ve tried to give you everything you want. You can spend your time as you please. I’ll tell you what—go change and we’ll fly to Grand Cayman for dinner and dancing. You’ve been on this island a month, and it’s time to get you out. While you dress, I’ll have the plane readied and we can talk all evening.” He walked to the hall table and picked up his cell phone. “I’ll make dinner reservations,” he called over his shoulder.
“Jake, we can stay right here…”
“I know we can, but I want to take you out. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Ten minutes,” she said, shaking her head, wondering how a man who was so brilliant in business could be so dense about relationships.
“Make it fifteen so I can shower and shave.” He turned, flipped open his phone and started talking as she stared at the empty doorway.
“This is part of what I’m talking about,” she said to no one. “You aren’t listening. You’re just doing exactly
