Bound By Her Ring (8 page)

A quick look at the clock told Jasmine she still had a few hours to wait until Lukas arrived back. Stifling a yawn, she could no longer ignore the allure of the bed. The past couple of nights had proved to be sleepless and they’d finally caught up with her.

With her bottled water in her hand, she walked into the bedroom, pulled back the covers and collapsed onto the bed. Her head sank into the soft pillow, using her remaining energy she pulled the covers up and fell into a deep sleep.

Satisfaction filled Luciano as he opened the door to the villa. The deal had gone through without any hitches, now Morelli Corporation had a resort under its new umbrella of Regency Hotels.

Orchid Hill Retreat.

With the deal completed he could push business from his mind and focus totally on Jasmine now. As much as he wanted to deny it, she still made his blood sizzle. Their short kiss as they were checking in was only an appetizer as far as he was concerned. He planned to make use of the next two weeks to seduce her back into his life. Then he was going to walk away from her.

Would her amnesia prove to be a problem or would Jasmine fall into his arms as she had when they’d first met?

Luciano recalled the heady early days of their romance as if it were yesterday. She’d caught his eye the moment he’d walked into the hotel. An air of innocence surrounded her like a cashmere cloak, drawing him like a siren’s call lured sailors on the high seas. Luciano hadn’t been able explain it. He’d never experienced feelings like that before, his instincts screamed at him to ignore them to concentrate on business only. But something stronger banished the negative screaming, telling him to find out who she was and make her his.

In hindsight if he’d trusted his first instinct and walked away, he would be in a different place now. But he hadn’t. For the first time in his life he’d fallen hard and fast for a woman. And look what that had given him—pain and the loss of a child he never got the chance to know.

The time to dwell on the past was over. The future was all that counted and he planned to re-write his future with Jasmine. Beginning right now.

“Jasmine?” Silence met his call. Had she left while he’d been attending his meeting? No, she wouldn’t have been that stupid. Her father meant too much to her.

Tossing the file he carried onto the table, he strode through the main room. Reaching the bedroom, he pushed the door open. He’d taken two steps into the room, before stopping abruptly, releasing the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

Curled in the middle of the bed, a sleeping beauty lay. He wandered over to where she slept. In repose the innocent look which initially tempted him was back. Her hair spread damply against the pillow, indicating she’d had a shower while he’d been out.

Her delicate features called to him, she was so beautiful and he could no longer fight the desire to touch her. Reaching out he lightly stroked her cheek, her skin silky soft under his touch. He stilled as she murmured in her sleep, reminding him of the soft sounds she used to make when they’d made love. He waited breathless moments to see if she would wake, continuing his exploration when she slept on.

He trailed his fingers down her neck and across her shoulder. Memories of their past lovemaking assailed him as her subtle scent wafted over him. He recalled the soft vulnerable spot on her neck, finding it again, he nipped at it gently. His efforts rewarded with another moan from her.

He couldn’t wait any longer, the need to sample her lips strong. Raising his head he saw a soft smile on her face. It was all he needed. He lowered his head to take possession of her lips.

Just one more taste.

One quick taste and then he’d walk away. He wouldn’t let himself fall into her trap again. The kisses they’d shared in the last few days had been for a purpose. He had needed to prove he was immune to her. He had needed to punish her for taking from him and then leaving. He now needed this one kiss to be for him.

He touched his lips to hers. He sipped at their fullness and when she opened up under him he deepened the kiss. They danced a slow dance, lips touching then retreating. He gathered her close, his body heating and hardening as he felt her breasts brush up against his chest.

His hand reached down, hovering above the tempting curves.

“Lukas?”

He pulled away, the softly spoken word enough to drag him out of the trance he’d fallen under.

He pushed her away as if he’d burnt himself on a sizzling hotplate. She fell against the pillows and he heard her soft cry of surprise.

He strode away from the enticing siren on the bed towards the open bathroom door, shedding clothes as he went. The subtle scent of Jasmine’s shower gel assailed him. The desire he thought he had under control roared back into life, like an express train.

He had to remember what she’d done to him. How she’d betrayed the trust he had given her. He couldn’t still be attracted to her. It had been months since he’d last been with a woman and he didn’t want to think about the fact that the last woman he had been with
had been Jasmine. Her betrayal should’ve been enough for him to move on, but the vows and the ring he still wore reminded him he had unfinished business. His enforced celibacy was the only reason his body craved the feel of her soft, feminine flesh.

He turned the shower dial to cold and stepped under the spray, letting the water wash away any evidence of the desire he had felt.

He would not allow himself to weaken against her charms. This time he would make her fall under his spell but he wouldn’t fall under hers.

Jasmine closed her eyes against the searing memory of Lukas’s tanned back as he retreated away from her into the bathroom.

Her hand rose to press softly against her lips, feeling their fullness from Lukas’s kiss. She could almost imagine them back there. Teasing her into wakefulness, making her ache for his touch and then discarding her like a piece of trash.

She should feel humiliated at being used but all she felt was bereft. She wanted his touch. She wanted to surrender to him. She wanted to feel again. For so long she had been walking around aimlessly, lost with no hope of finding a way to go on. She’d been in a wilderness of coldness. But Lukas had rocketed into her life and the coldness had seeped away. Replaced by a slow burn that each time it got ignited, was snuffed out before she had a chance to fully grasp it.

She should reject him, should demand to be on the next commercial fight back to Perth. But if she did, her father would be ruined and she couldn’t live with herself if that happened. She had to be strong and resist Lukas if he tried again to seduce her.

Jasmine heard the shower shut off and quickly scrambled off the bed. She wanted to be dressed and looking relaxed before Lukas came out.

She shed her robe, fluffed out her hair and hurriedly pulled on her trousers and shrugged her arms into her blouse all the while trying not to imagine Lukas’s naked body, glistening with residue from his shower.

She was about to step out on to the balcony when she heard the door open. Turning in the direction of the sound she realised her imagination was way off base. In real life, Lukas was so much better. The white towel stood out starkly against his Mediterranean tanned skin. Droplets of water still clung and sparkled like tiny diamonds in the midnight black hair on his chest.

He lifted his head towards her, and she met his dark gaze. She had no idea what was going on behind the look and it was only when he raised his eyebrow in question that she turned away. Heat suffused her face and she clenched her fists so as not to place her hands on her hot cheeks, letting Lukas know how much he affected her. She walked out to the balcony without saying anything to him.

It was pathetic really. She was acting like a teenager on her first date with the star quarterback not a grown, married woman.

Jasmine sighed as she realised she was a combination of both, married woman and on her first date. As far as she could remember this was the first time she had spent any time with Lukas. But the way her heartbeat quickened when he got near. The way her lips tingled in anticipation of his touch, all told her something else. Her body knew him. It was telling her they had a history.

Lukas was definitely the key to unlocking her memory. The flashbacks she experienced over the last couple days proved to her he was the catalyst. She had to figure out a way to get him to work the memories free, but keep her heart and emotions intact.
She could succumb to his touches and fall for him without much effort. With one touch of his lips and hands, she had all but thrown herself at him.

Why had he kissed her when, the moment she mentioned his name, he threw her aside? He obviously found being called Lukas offensive now whereas before he had liked it.

Luciano.

She had to remember to call him that.

She gazed out at the ocean and hit the side of her head. “Why won’t you return? Why can’t I remember?”

How was it possible she could only lose a few months of her memory? The most important months of her life, when she’d met and married Luciano Morelli.

Why didn’t she have any wedding photos? Was there a reason for that? Was she ashamed of Luciano?

She didn’t think so. She only had to see how he commanded everyone’s attention at the opening to know he was a well respected businessman. Not to mention he practically oozed money. So why didn’t anyone know she had married him? How could they have possibly kept it a secret? And if it was a secret, why? Why hadn’t they wanted anyone to know about them?

The questions bombarded her mind. It was like this every time she wondered about her marriage. Why couldn’t she stop them?

“Are you ready?”

She jumped slightly, but took a deep, calming breath to banish the questions scurrying around her mind. She turned and faced him.

Could the man ever look scruffy? A man of Luciano’s calibre would never look incomplete. He had taken her breath away in a tuxedo. In a towel, he’d increased her body
temperature tenfold. Now, her mouth was so dry even a gallon of water wouldn’t moisten it. In his casual clothes, it was as if he’d just stepped out of a GQ magazine.

He’d teamed a camel coloured polo shirt with black chinos. The butter-soft leather jacket, also black, slung casually over his arm reminded her of his earlier comment about how the evening would cool down.

“I’ll get my jacket and purse then I’m ready.”

She brushed past him and his crisp, spicy aftershave tickled her senses, reminding her of a fresh, snowy, winter’s morning in the mountains. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine the feather-soft snow crunching loudly underfoot and the scent of pine needles filling the air. She’d loved those family holidays in the mountains.

Scooping up her jacket and purse, she waited until Lukas had joined her before asking, “So, where are we going for dinner?”

“Dinner is a surprise.”

“A surprise? Somehow you don’t seem to be the surprise type of guy.”

“Really?” he took her by the arm and led her towards the door. “So what type of guy am I?”

She waited until Luciano had closed the door before answering, conscious of the warm hand on her lower back. “Well I’d say that everything you do is planned to a ‘T’. Every angle is looked at and analysed before proceeding. Am I close?”

“I’m impressed. When it comes to business deals yes. When it comes to my personal life, I’m anything but analytical. You, for one, should know that, Jasmine.”

Another barb, would he ever give up.

“Do you think, even for tonight, you could leave out the constant innuendos about my memory loss?” she asked. “It’s clear you don’t believe me and I don’t know what I can
say or do to change your belief. But I would like to eat without the need to watch everything I say or do.”

She waited for an answer, his face a blank canvas giving her no indication of what he was thinking or what he was about to say.

He inclined his head as he touched a finger to the end of her nose. “I think I can manage that.”

She folded her arms across her chest, hiding the effect his soft touch had on her body. It seemed so out of character “You still sound condescending. Somehow, I don’t think you can ever take that tone out of your voice.”

He laughed. “I think I like this new feisty Jasmine much better than the meek and mild one of before.”

His words puzzled her, but any train of thought blurred in her mind as he pried her arms apart and slipped his fingers into hers, holding them lightly. Her heart skipped a beat at the warmth radiating up her arm. He led her towards the resort foyer again and disappointment coursed through her. It looked like they would be eating in the restaurant. Why would he say it was a surprise? There was nothing surprising about eating in a resort restaurant.

Lukas stopped and turned towards her. “Stay here, I won’t be a moment.”

He made his way over to reception, she relaxed when she noted the receptionist from the afternoon wasn’t manning the desk. After a brief conversation with the clerk, he headed back to her. She couldn’t help but notice the way he moved, his sure, confident steps mesmerising. Though the reception area wasn’t crowded he commanded the attention of the small number of people milling around, herself included. It reinforced her
earlier thought there was no way she would’ve been ashamed to be married to him. There had to be another reason why no one recalled them being together.

Reaching her side he took her hand, raising it to his lips to place a soft, short kiss on her fingers, as if claiming possession. His gaze didn’t meet hers but appeared to be directed to someone off to her side.

Confusion, mixed with desire generated from his touch, swept through her. Turning in the direction of his look, she noticed a man making a swift exit down the hallway.

What was that all about? Surely Lukas couldn’t be jealous
.

She let the thought fester momentarily and was secretly thrilled to think it was jealousy motivating Lukas’s actions. Maybe he wasn’t so immune to her after all. A soft smile formed and she let herself bask in the light of the small victory.