No Strings... (8 page)

He chuckled and replied drowsily. “Apparently, with you I am.”

She said nothing more, and within a few minutes she felt his body go lax and the rise and fall of his chest deepen. And even though the arm he’d secured around her loosened, her lungs seemed to burn with every breath she struggled to take.

Good Lord, she was going to hyperventilate! What the hell was wrong with her? The crazy temptation to stay the night warred with a deeper common sense. While a part of her liked the warmth and security his embrace provided—it had been much too long since a man had just curled up with her after sex—it was nothing more than a false sense of security. Besides, all this intimate, emotional crap slipping beneath the surface of her skin wasn’t what their agreed upon affair was all about, and she’d do well to remember that.

She waited another few minutes, until he relaxed once again and a soft snore rumbled from his chest before she gently lifted his arm and slowly moved off the bed. Leaving the lights off, she found her clothes and slipped her dress back on, sans underwear, and picked up her shoes from the floor. Then she made her way to the door.

If he heard her slip out of the room, this time he didn’t try to stop her, and she was relieved and grateful.

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
, Aiden strolled into the dining room for the complimentary brunch the resort provided for its guests, surprised to find Chloe already there. She was sitting alone at a table at the far end of the room near a window overlooking one of the tropical gardens outside, eating her breakfast while writing something in a notebook—probably notes for their campaign. That’s exactly how he’d spent the past few hours, working on his own presentation and how to best use Hattie-the-matchmaker as his focal point for the campaign.

His stomach grumbled ravenously, demanding to be fed, and he headed straight for the omelet bar and put in his order, then piled his plate high with bacon, fruit and other side dishes. He filled a large glass with orange juice and added a cup of coffee to his tray, then carried his hearty meal toward Chloe’s table.

He honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from her this morning, not after the way she’d snuck out on him last night while he’d been dozing. The soft click of the door shutting had woken him up, and he’d instinctively known that she was gone. He’d gotten as far as tossing off the sheets and grabbing his pants to put them on so he could go after her, before realizing he’d be chasing after a woman who clearly didn’t want to be pursued.

The thought was a much needed reality check that this thing between them was nothing more than a casual island fling. He had no claim to her other than just sex. But he’d be lying if he said that being with Chloe was nothing more than an itch he’d been dying to scratch for the past two years.

Oh, they’d definitely indulged in a whole lot of pleasure, had finally surrendered wholeheartedly to the lust that had burned bright and hot between them for much too long. But afterward, as he’d pulled her into his arms, he’d been filled with a contentment that wasn’t all related to his physical satisfaction. It had more to do with how good and right she felt in his arms—more than any woman he’d been with since his divorce.

That realization was like a sucker punch to his stomach and definitely got his attention—because his mind had no business contemplating those thoughts with her. Ever. No matter what the island matchmaker, or the stamen of a flower, revealed.

So, while Aiden was disappointed with Chloe’s stealthlike exit last night, he understood why she’d felt the need to leave. She was trying to keep some semblance of normalcy between them, to keep their affair separate from the fact that they still worked together, at an agency that frowned heavily on inter-office romances. It didn’t matter that he intended to leave the company within the next few months, especially if he was the recipient of the five-figure bonus that would be awarded to the St. Raphael campaign winner. He and Chloe were opposites in all the important ways that mattered, which meant they had no future together beyond this week.

As he neared her table, she glanced up while taking a drink of her coffee, her eyes widening ever so slightly over the rim of her cup as she watched him approach. Wearing her hair in one of her sleek ponytails, she looked beautiful and fresh-faced, and he’d like to believe that the three orgasms he’d given her last night had something to do with the pink glow on her cheeks.

Yeah, he was totally going to take credit for that.

She was wearing a pair of white shorts, a pink lace tank top and sparkly flip-flops, trying to blend in with every other woman in the dining room. But to him, she stood out like an exotic fruit he wanted to taste—again and again.

Not wanting to risk a rejection until he got a feel for her mood, he didn’t bother asking if she wanted company, just set his tray down on the table and took a seat across from her. She said nothing, but the wary look in her gaze told him that she fully expected an interrogation about giving him the slip after last night’s sexcapades. Lucky for her, he wasn’t going to complain about it. Hell, he wasn’t even going to mention the issue because it was a discussion they didn’t need to have.

His plan was to keep things between them light, casual and fun. No morning-after angst necessary.

Scooping up a forkful of his omelet, he nodded toward her notebook. “Already hard at work?”

She shrugged and relaxed somewhat, her obvious relief softening her features. “I had some ideas about a catchy slogan running through my head that I wanted to get on paper before I forgot the words. I always swear I’m going to remember a brilliant idea because it’s so ingenious, but if I don’t write it down, it slips right through my mind.”

He caught the small inkling of a smile teasing the corner of her mouth, a positive sign that things were getting back to normal between the two of them. “I hate when that happens.”

She eyed the massive amount of food on his plate. “Somebody is hungry this morning.”

He finished eating a piece of bacon and chased it down with a mouthful of coffee, seeing in her eyes that she was teasing him. She clearly had a knack for compartmentalizing sex and work—maybe better than he could because when he looked at her mouth, all he could think about was how he enjoyed kissing her. And not just on the lips, because she tasted sweet
everywhere.
He knew that for a fact now.

He grinned wolfishly and waggled his brows at her. “What can I say? I worked up an appetite last night.”

She laughed and dropped her gaze to the slice of cantaloupe she’d picked up with her fingers, examining it more than necessary before taking a bite. She chewed, then spoke. “Speaking of last night, I think we need to establish some rules.”

“Okay,” he said, and waited for her to steer this conversation in whatever direction she felt necessary.

She licked the remnants of fruit juice off her fingers, making his gut clench with that familiar burn of desire for her. “I just want to be sure that we’re on the same page with this temporary affair.”

It was a legitimate enough request, and he simplified things for the both of them. “How about what happens at this resort, stays at this resort?” It was a clichéd line, but so appropriate to their situation. “Once we’re on the plane back to Boston, we leave it all behind and chalk it up to one helluva good time together. Then we go back to the way things were. Simple, easy and uncomplicated.”

Something that looked suspiciously like disappointment flashed in her eyes, then was quickly gone. “Agreed,” she said with a succinct nod of her head.

Rules were good, he told himself, and the one he’d just established put things between them back into proper perspective and gave them free rein to indulge in their desires and fantasies. “So, that still gives us four more days to enjoy each other, including today,” he said, even as a tiny part of him wondered if he’d be able to get enough of her in that short amount of time.

She flashed him a seductive smile full of promise. “I’m looking forward to it.” Finished with the rest of her fruit, she wiped her hands on her napkin. “I have a full schedule of things I need to do today to prepare for my campaign, including meeting with the photographer and the couple he hired for us to use in our shots, but tonight we have a choice between attending a toga party or a masquerade ball. What’s your pleasure?” she asked, her tone flirtatious.

“You,”
he said without hesitation, infusing the one word with erotic intent. “Any way I can have you.”

She bit her bottom lip, her gaze flaring with reciprocal lust. “Well, since you had your way with me last night, I think it’s only fair that I get my turn this evening.”

Oh, hell yeah.
Her invitation sent a rush of heat and anticipation through his veins, the kind that would undoubtedly have him spending most the day in a mild state of sexual frustration. “I can’t wait.”

“Me, either,” she practically purred as she rested her chin in her hand. “So, what’ll it be. Toga or masquerade?”

Since a toga party reminded him too much of his college fraternity days, he opted for something more low-key. “I vote for the masquerade party.”

“Mmm. That would be my choice, as well,” she said, her voice laced with approval. “It’s perfect for a little mystery and seduction.”

Her eyes—dark, sultry and teasing—told him that she was already thinking about all the ways to use that to her advantage.

“In the meantime, I have work to do.” She stood up, grabbed her notebook and smiled at him. “I’ll see you later, Landry.”

He watched the sweet sway of her ass as she walked away, his incorrigible mind filling with the arousing memories of how he’d taken her last night. He groaned to himself and was grateful when she finally disappeared from his view.

He finished his breakfast and decided to use his time wisely and get some work done, too. He had a meeting with Ricardo, the photographer, after Chloe’s appointment, and he wanted to find the most opportune places to stage some pictures that would best elevate his visual presentation and showcase his marketing ideas for the St. Raphael Resort.

But first, he wanted to talk to Hattie again, to see if he could figure out the best way to merge her traditional matchmaking methods with the resort’s current contemporary approach. Five minutes later, he entered the humid greenhouse and found Hattie talking to another young couple, and he hung back so as not to interrupt their conversation.

Hattie was dressed in yet another cheerful caftan dress, but today she’d worn her long braids down. They were entwined with tiny red flowers, and the length of them nearly reached her waist. As soon as she saw him, her eyes lit up with pleasure, though she didn’t approach him until after the other man and woman left the greenhouse.

“You came back, but where is the pretty woman you were with yesterday?” she asked, tipping her head curiously. “Did I scare her off with my bold prediction that the two of you belong together?”

He chuckled. Chloe didn’t scare easily, and despite the other woman’s claims, he knew the only way he and Chloe would ever be
together
was between the sheets. And as he’d discovered last night, that wasn’t a bad place to be with a woman as passionate as Chloe.

“Chloe had other things she needed to do,” he explained easily. “I’m here because I’d like to talk to you about your matchmaking abilities. I think the resort’s advertising could really benefit by utilizing you and that hybrid flower as an added draw, to romanticize the island and give guests an extraordinary experience they can’t get elsewhere. It’s a great marketing angle.”

Hattie’s brows furrowed into a frown. “Tell me something. Do
you
believe I have the ability to know when two people are meant for one another?”

Not wanting to offend the older woman, Aiden thought carefully about his answer before he spoke. “I think your intentions are honest and real, and I think that most people want to find that one special person, which makes it easy for them to believe in your intuition. When it comes to marketing and advertising, that’s all that matters.”

“What made you so skeptical when it comes to love?” she asked, her tone softening as she tended to the potted plant between them.

He shrugged, not wanting to get into a discussion about his failed marriage and bitter divorce with a woman he barely knew. “I’m just practical when it comes to certain things.” Like his feelings for Chloe, which did not include love or a future together. “But that doesn’t mean others wouldn’t benefit from your knowledge and instincts.”

She considered that for a moment as she watered the plant, then met his gaze, a secretive type smile on her lips. “I’ll agree to be a part of this marketing angle you want to use for your campaign, and maybe, by the time you leave the island, you’ll see for yourself that my prediction about you and Chloe is true, that the two of you are meant for one another.”

“Fair enough,” he said, though he already knew that Hattie was going to be sorely disappointed, because despite him and Chloe being sexually compatible, that’s all there would ever be between them.

8

A
WHILE
LATER
, when Aiden met up with Ricardo at their designated time, Chloe was nowhere to be seen. Aiden discussed the shots he wanted with the photographer, and they started their session with candid pictures of the different activities the resort had to offer. He arranged shots of the professional couple having drinks at the underwater bar at the pool, then on to a more romantic setting of them in one of the upgraded bungalows away from the main hotel. Lastly, they did a fun, playful session of the couple at the beach and frolicking in the ocean.

Aiden figured in the next few days he’d have Ricardo take some pictures of Hattie for him to add to his presentation, and he planned to tape a short video interview with her, too. The more the idea of focusing on the sentimental notion of a traditional matchmaker took shape in his mind, the more enthusiastic he became about the entire concept. Aiden didn’t yet know what ideas Chloe was considering for her presentation, but he was confident that he’d be giving the resort a unique and distinctive point of view that would ultimately award him the account. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have to personally believe in Hattie’s intuitive nature in order to pitch a convincing and effective campaign.

A few hours passed to midafternoon, and just when Ricardo called the final session a wrap and his crew began packing up all their equipment, Aiden caught sight of Chloe making her way down the pathway to the beach, clearly intending to enjoy the rest of her day now that her work was done. She was wearing a white cover-up and flip-flops, and was carrying a canvas tote bag. She headed toward the private cabanas set up on the sand, not even noticing him standing beneath a large palm tree with Ricardo, in the opposite direction.

As he waited for Ricardo to finish talking to the models, Aiden’s gaze strayed back to Chloe, who’d found a vacant cabana with two lounge chairs. She was peeling off her white frock. He nearly swallowed his tongue when she revealed the itty-bitty turquoise bikini that showcased her amazing figure. The top drew his attention to her full, pert breasts, and the tiny bottoms accentuated her slim hips and long, slender legs. She bent over to retrieve her suntan lotion from her bag, then began rubbing the silky oil along her shoulders, arms and chest, over her flat stomach, her thighs, her calves—making him wish he was with her to do the deed himself.

Once she was finished, she angled her chaise so it was in the sun, then reclined on the chair, her entire body glistening in the sunlight like a tempting offering to all mankind.

He bit back a groan of appreciation, and noticed a few other guys in the area casting surreptitious, lust-filled glances her way, too. A possessive emotion spiked through him, along with an unwanted urge to head over to Chloe to establish ownership of a woman that wasn’t his—other than sexually, and for only four more days.

You are such an idiot, Landry.
Annoyed with himself and his barbaric, antiquated thoughts of claiming Chloe, he scrubbed a hand along his jaw and released a tension-filled breath, which did nothing to ease his internal frustration.

“You’ve got your hands full with that one.”

Ricardo’s comment snapped Aiden out of his silent thoughts and he redirected his attention back to the photographer. “Excuse me?” he asked, unsure what the guy meant.

Ricardo grinned in an all-knowing male way. “She has a lot of drive and ambition, in a way that’s going to keep a guy on his toes.”

Didn’t he know it.
Professionally, the competition between them had always pushed him to excel, and now personally, he was beginning to feel challenged, as well. And not in a good way. “I’ve worked with her for two years and she definitely makes me bring my A-game to the table.”

Ricardo chuckled as he removed the long lens from his camera and packed it gently in a padded bag. “I bet she does. She said the two of you are competing for this account.”

“Yep.” He nodded, though it was hard to forget that another ad agency also had a hat in the ring. But for Aiden, his only true competition was Chloe. “The end results should be...interesting.”

“Well, good luck with the campaign. And Chloe,” Ricardo said meaningfully, a man-to-man look in his eyes. “Having an exciting woman in your life to keep you from becoming complacent isn’t a bad thing.”

Obviously the other man had seen the way he’d looked at Chloe just a few minutes ago, but Ricardo didn’t know his history when it came to women. One in particular—the one he’d chosen to marry. A woman who’d been vibrant, exciting and had provided enough challenges to always keep him guessing. A woman who’d completely destroyed a part of him with her selfish decision to put her career aspirations before anything else in her life, including their marriage vows to honor and respect one another.

Paige had completely shattered his trust, and putting that kind of faith in a woman again was a huge issue he’d carried with him since the divorce. While Paige had walked away without looking back and had gone on to climb the corporate ladder with a high-ranking firm in New York, she’d left Aiden questioning his judgment.

“Looks like a vulture is circling,” Ricardo said in amusement, his gaze trained in the direction of Chloe once again.

Aiden turned his head so quickly he came close to giving himself whiplash. Sure enough, a young guy—shirtless, buff and cocky-looking—was walking up to where Chloe was laid out like a gorgeous, glistening goddess. It was then that he noticed that she wasn’t wearing her red wristband, making her free game for the single men at the resort.

Nope. Not gonna happen. She was his...at least for a few more days and nights. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.

“Thanks for today, Ricardo,” he said, and shook the other man’s hand, eager to be on his way. “I’m looking forward to seeing the proofs.”

“We got some great shots,” the other man said, clearly enjoying Aiden’s sudden interest in getting to Chloe. “I’ll get them edited and to you on a flash drive by tomorrow afternoon so you can use them for your campaign.”

“That’s perfect.”

Finished with his own work for the afternoon, Aiden followed the pathway to Chloe’s lounge chair, his irritation growing as he watched her smile at the other man as he talked to her. She said something to make him laugh, and Aiden thought he’d pop a blood vessel.
Shit.

Trying not to grind his molars, he stepped up to Chloe’s cabana, determined to send her admirer on his way as quickly as possible. The guy frowned at him, as if
Aiden
were the interloper, and not him.

Aiden assumed an assertive stance next to Chloe’s chair. “She’s already taken.” The tone of his voice was equally brusque.

The other guy dropped his gaze to Chloe, waiting for her to confirm or deny Aiden’s statement. After a moment she sighed and offered her Romeo an apologetic smile. “Yes, I’m with him.”

Immediately, the man held up his hands and backed away, looking contrite. “I didn’t know. She wasn’t wearing a red band.”

She glanced up at Aiden from her reclining chair, her expression reflecting a hint of humor. “I didn’t want a tan line.”

As soon as the other man was gone, a smile twitched at the corner of her lovely, sensual mouth. “What was
that
all about?” she asked.

Hands on his hips, he shrugged, trying to keep his gaze on her face, instead of leering at her gorgeous breasts, barely concealed by a scrap of bright blue fabric. “Just trying to save you from the buzzards.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need saving. I’m not some damsel in distress who needs a white knight to rescue her.”

Of course she didn’t. “When I’m with someone, I don’t share.”

She laughed at him, the sound light and teasing. “That’s a bit of a caveman mentality, don’t you think?”

“Caveman?” He smirked, recalling just how she’d liked being manhandled last night. “I’ll show you
caveman.
”

He pulled off his shirt, then scooped her off the lounge chair and up into his arms. She squealed in surprise, and he grinned as he bounced her and shifted her quickly so that she was slung over his shoulder—caveman style.

A shocked gasp escaped her. “Are you kidding me?”

She squirmed against his shoulder, her slippery, oil-slicked body making it more difficult for him to keep her in place. He locked his arm tight across the back of her knees so she couldn’t slide off him, and started down the beach to the ocean. “Does it look like I’m kidding you?”

She tried to kick her feet, all to no avail. Then she smacked his ass. Hard. “Put me down, Landry!”

“Oh, I will,” he drawled as he wrapped a hand around her smooth, supple thigh and gave it an affectionate squeeze. He’d release her just as soon as she had a soft surface in which to land.

“Oooh, you are so going to pay for this!”

Considering she was laughing, her threat lacked any true animosity. “I’m sure I will, and I’m looking forward to it,” he said, just as he reached the water—and continued wading in until the gentle waves lapped around the hem of his shorts.

“I’m warning you, Landry,” she said, exasperation and defiance mingling in her stern tone. “Do not do this!”

“Sorry, babe,” he said as he maneuvered her body so she was once again in his arms and he was grinning down at her. “But I really can’t resist.”

Effortlessly, he tossed her into the clear blue ocean—her arms flailing, eyes wide, and a garbled “arrghhh!” rending the air before she dropped into the water with a satisfying splash, then sank below the surface.

She came up sputtering, wet strands of hair in her face, and he couldn’t restrain his deep, throaty chuckle as he started back out of the water. Damn, but that felt good.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she said from behind him. “You’re not getting away until you get dunked, too.”

The next thing he knew she’d jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms and legs around him like a monkey. And while he could have kept on walking, he decided to have some fun instead. He let her take him down to the water, just so she felt as though she’d gotten even. When he came up for air, she was trying to swim away, and he went after her for a playful game of chase—giving her a bit of leeway before he caught her in his arms once again.

This time, she came willingly, her carefree laughter making him chuckle, too. He was chest deep in the water, and she entwined her arms around his neck and secured her legs around his waist, clinging to him for support as she fisted her fingers in his damp hair and settled her mouth over his and kissed him...slowly, deeply, thoroughly.

Beneath the water, he cupped her bottom in his hands and pulled her closer, so that his growing erection rubbed between her legs. She groaned blissfully against his lips before ending the heated, lust-fueled kiss and stared into his eyes.

“God, you are so hot and sexy,” she breathed. “I can’t wait to do you tonight.”

He raised a brow. “Do me?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said with a nod, her bright green/brown eyes promising all sorts of wicked pleasure. “I’m going to
do you
in ways that are going to make you forget every other woman.”

It was quite a claim, but he believed her...because right now, just being with Chloe like this, so playful, flirtatious and incredibly sexy, no other woman existed for him. He wanted her, any way he could have her. For as long as their time together allowed.

“How about a preview?” he teased, wondering if she’d be that bold and brazen, even with them submersed in the ocean.

She shook her head, the long, wet strands of her hair tickling across his bare chest. “I don’t want to get kicked off the resort for public indecency.”

She was so fun and uninhibited, and he loved seeing this lighthearted side of her, outside of work and all the rules and restrictions that had forced them to suppress their attraction for way too long. “Then give me a hint of what I can expect.”

“It will include a lot of licking,” she said, as she dipped her head and dragged her tongue along the side of his neck. “And probably some biting...” Her teeth gently nibbled along his jaw to his mouth. “And especially
sucking.
”

He groaned like a dying man as she rolled his bottom lip between her teeth and applied enough of a soft, wet suction to inspire all kinds of provocative images in his head. His cock, already standing at attention, grew hard as stone, and there was no doubt in his mind that she felt every inch.

She pulled back and blinked at him guilelessly, as if she hadn’t just elevated his internal temperature by ten degrees. “Is that enough of a hint for you?”

“Oh, hell yeah,” he said huskily. “You had me at licking. Though biting and sucking are good, too.”

She laughed. “You, Mr. Landry, are so
easy.
”

He couldn’t argue with that, because he was coming to realize that when it came to her, he was easily persuaded, influenced and seduced.

* * *

D
RINK
IN
HAND
, Aiden casually strolled through the crush of people at the masquerade ball, searching for Chloe in the sea of singles and couples attending the formal affair. Like most of the other men at the party, he’d worn a black suit, while the women were dressed in an array of formal cocktail dresses and elegant gowns ranging in color from basic black to bright jewel tones.

Upon entering the ballroom, everyone had been required to choose a mask to wear for the evening, and there had been a wide selection to pick from—ones with glitter and jewels, some that looked like butterflies, and others decorated with elaborate feathers, ribbons or lace. Not one for frills, he’d opted for the simple black gentleman’s mask, which concealed the upper half of his face.

Music played and a huge buffet of food and desserts were on display for guests, but the only thing Aiden was interested in was finding Chloe. Considering how difficult it was to identify the women wearing masks, he questioned the wisdom of agreeing to meet her here, instead of them coming together.

“Hey, sugar, care to dance?”

Aiden turned toward the petite brunette who’d come up to his side, her blue eyes inquiring beneath the pearl-and-sequin mask hiding her face. She appeared pretty enough, but seemed to be trying overly hard to attract a man in the skintight, strapless, bust-enhancing purple dress she was wearing that screamed
look at my breasts.