Island for Two: Hawaii MagicFiji Fantasy Page 14

  Using his arm, he lifted one leg and entered her body, pushing her firmly against the wall, he drove into her repeatedly. Wanting the exquisite experience to last, he slowed his movements, but when she laid her head back against his shoulder, expressing her pleasure with a soft whimpering, Michael knew he would not be able to hold out much longer.

  He pushed deeper inside her with each thrust until, just as he was about to come, he felt her whole body go rigid in his arms and realized she was there, too. Using every ounce of strength he possessed, he fought to hold them there together—one single perfect moment in two lives.

  * * *

  Contessa soon had her suspicions confirmed. In addition to being a fantastic lover, Michael was pretty fantastic at everything else. Against her better judgment, Contessa had allowed him to talk her into spending some time together. It was supposed to just be breakfast at a nearby restaurant that sat on a hill and overlooked a bluff. But as they were leaving the restaurant, they noticed some surfers off the shore and walked down to the beach to watch them for a while.

  Connie was surprised to find that Michael had apparently toyed with surfing a little in his youth and he was able to explain some of the maneuvers of the surfers, things she would’ve never understood without someone insightful to explain them.

  Connie thought that was where she should leave their morning, promising to meet him later that night for drinks. But when she mentioned she was taking her first scuba diving lesson that morning, Michael asked to come along.

  An hour later she discovered that like everything else in his life apparently, Michael was also good at scuba diving. In a class of ten people and one instructor trying to coach everyone at once, Michael soon took over her instruction. Gently guiding her deeper and deeper. Behind her goggles her eyes widened at the colorful array of sea life in the turquoise waters.

  Later that afternoon, they returned to his yacht and Connie met George, who turned out to be an older man who’d spent his whole life sailing in one form or another. Apparently George had known Michael since he was a young man growing up in Connecticut.

  That was something that had disturbed Connie from the first. What were the chances that her island lover would be from Connecticut? It was a strange coincidence, and even as George regaled her with stories of a younger and much wilder Michael, she kept her questions to herself, fearing if she asked personal questions, Michael would feel free to do the same.

  They took the yacht out of the harbor for a few hours, and as they sailed just off the coast of Malolo, Connie was once again struck by the beauty of the place. All these small islands, each unique and so scenic in their own way, it was surprising that they’d remained for the most part in their original form for so long.

  George fixed a small Greek salad for lunch and the threesome ate and chatted about any number of topics, but Connie studiously avoided letting the conversation move toward the too personal. By the time they returned to the harbor, Connie knew she was in trouble.

  The pink sunset in the distance was like something out of a picture frame, she was gliding through tropical waters aboard the yacht of a handsome man, who currently had eyes only for her. And somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind, Connie understood she was already lost. By now she had fully intended to be on to her next conquest, but the problem was she didn’t want to move on. She wanted to continue to spend the rest of the day with the fascinating, gorgeous man sitting across from her and that was a problem.

  She’d known that morning—just looking at him—she had known that this was the kind of man women fell in love with. He probably had never met a woman he couldn’t melt with his smile alone. This man was a highly skilled player, and a proficient heartbreaker—but he was not the future, at least not hers. And she had not spent an astronomical amount of money to travel halfway around the world just to go home lovesick. This trip was supposed to be about sowing her wild oats, not meeting the love of her life.

  Connie recognized and understood all these things from an intellectual point of view, but Contessa…well, she was another story. Contessa recognized Prince Charming when she saw him. And right now, Prince Charming was sitting across the table from her laughing at something his cabin man had said. It was a rich baritone laugh, full of life and perfect, like every damn thing about the man. Yes, she thought with a heavy sigh, she was already lost.

  * * *

  Intentions aside, she ended up spending the evening with Michael. She returned to her hotel long enough to get dressed for an evening on the town. He picked her up a couple hours later and took her to the island of Suva where they spent the evening barhopping along the street named Victoria Parade. They did not stay longer than forty-five minutes in any one place, but the vibrant, festive atmosphere of people and nightclubs was intoxicating in itself.

  After midnight, they walked down to Tiko’s Floating Restaurant on the water and had a late dinner, consisting of the best crab legs Connie had ever tasted in her life. Then they sailed back to Paradise Island and Connie’s underwater suite.

  Hours later, Connie lay curled against Michael’s body, cocooned in the warmth of his strong arms watching the fish float by her window. They’d made love twice that night and she could hear from his steady breathing that he had finally fallen asleep. But it was too late.

  It was after he’d told her part of his life story. Despite her attempts to dissuade him, Michael had been determined to share some of who he was with her. He told her about his life in Hartford, and named so many places she knew well. But she never let him know that.

  He told her about going off to Purdue University, and she found herself slightly envious of his college experience. He’d enjoyed all the pleasures of a good-looking, wealthy young man on his own for the first time, including the fraternity he had joined, members of which still comprised his inner circle of friends. He told her how he’d spent his life basically enjoying life. It was exactly the kind of life she’d imagined he’d had…charmed. With his words, he shared his experiences with her and by the time he began to make love to her for the second time, she knew she was in love.

  * * *

  The next morning, Connie was just getting out of the shower when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find a large bouquet of roses being held up.

  “Where did you find those?” she asked in stunned surprise.

  He laughed. “Where else? A florist.” He followed her inside and placed the bouquet on a nearby table. “I was hoping to catch you before you went to breakfast.”

  He turned to face her and only then noticed that she was wearing a towel and nothing else. “Well, well, what have we here?” His dark eyes roamed over her body as if the towel did not exist. She smiled in return, wondering at how comfortable and at ease she felt with him.

  He crossed the room to stand before her and lightly touched his finger to a spot of water on her shoulder. “Hmm… Seems I came a few minutes too late.”

  Her smile widened as she dropped the towel, letting it fall to the floor. “That look in your eyes is dirty enough, guess I’ll have to wash again.” She turned and darted back into the bathroom with Michael quickly pursuing.

  An hour and a half later they were having breakfast in the hotel’s underwater restaurant. The entire room was one big glass dome, and the sea life surrounding it swam over and around them. The turquoise water gave the room a neon glow. Although they were finished eating in less than an hour, they sat there for the next three hours, talking while diners came and left.

  They spent the day exploring the island shops and sites hand in hand, and by that night, Connie had pretty much given up the fight to protect her heart and drenched herself in the novelty of pure, unadulterated happiness.

  The next two days felt like a whirlwind as Michael pretty much moved himself from his yacht and into her underwater hotel suite and they never spent more than a few
hours apart.

  They took most of their meals in the hotel restaurant and spent hours talking about various aspects of their lives. It was during one of these discussions, that Connie accidentally mentioned that she was from Connecticut.

  “Really?” Michael tilted his head to the side with a slight frown on his face. “Why didn’t you mention it the other day? You know, when I told you that was where I was from?”

  She poked at her garlic potatoes with her fork and shrugged. “I didn’t know you that well.”

  His eyebrows rose slowly and he chuckled. “And you do now?”

  “At least now I know enough about you to assume you’re not a serial killer.” She laughed and eventually the conversation moved on to new topics, but Connie was glad for the breakdown of that particular barrier because now she could tell him about her childhood. She’d never before considered how much her youth had influenced the woman she had become.

  With Michael’s competence in seemingly everything, Connie had found herself doing things she never would’ve tried alone. Snorkeling, paragliding, and he had even taught her how to drive his yacht, as they tooled around the smaller islands.

  And the nights…the nights were incredible, as they held each other and loved well into the morning hours. Often they would fall asleep in each other’s arms and awaken in exactly the same position. As if they were both too afraid to move throughout the night, too afraid to break their fragile connection.

  She knew it would eventually end, and when it did she would end up nursing the heartbreak of a lifetime. What she was feeling for Michael after only four days was stronger than anything she’d felt for Nathan during the entire time they’d been married. But even knowing that, she could not regret one moment of the time they spent together. Not one single moment.

  Chapter 5

  For the first time in his life, Michael realized he was in love, and with an incredible woman. Contessa was amazing. She was beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated and yet she still radiated a sweet wholesomeness that was equally attractive.

  Not to mention her sense of taste and style was something straight off the runways of Paris. She always knew exactly what to wear for whatever occasion they had attended and she could affect any look from careless schoolgirl to regal princess. Whenever they went out, her unquestionable sense of style caused people—both men and women—to stop and stare, to compliment her appearance, to ask where she bought her clothes. Michael couldn’t help the sense of pride he felt in her already, even though they were in no way committed to one another.

  If someone had asked him to create a list of all the qualities he wanted in a woman, and then he’d compared that list to Contessa, he was certain he would mark off every category. She was perfect and somehow by a strange twist of coincidence, she had landed right in his lap.

  They had so much in common. They shared so many interests. Although Michael knew a lot of the things she was doing with him were new experiences for her, she was game for anything. Willing to try and willing to laugh at herself if things didn’t work out exactly as either of them had planned.

  He’d dated a lot of women in his lifetime, some of the most beautiful women in the world. But never had he felt this connection—this oneness he felt every moment of every day when he was with Contessa. She gave him a peace he had not even realized he was missing.

  And when they lay together at night and he pulled her against his body, she molded against him like she was designed just for that purpose. There was nowhere he could touch her that she did not respond. And he knew it was not just his own vanity that told him she had never responded to another man like she did for him. It was also some bone-deep feeling. The same feeling that told him this was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

  He was thrilled to realize she lived in Connecticut. Since he was moving back home at the end of this little mini-vacation, they could continue their relationship easily instead of trying to communicate long-distance. He started to tell her so more than once, but some instinct told him to hold off. He would save it for their last night together, he thought, and surprise her.

  He stood behind her on the deck of his yacht guiding her hands as she learned how to maneuver the wheel, and he found himself daydreaming about the children they would undoubtedly one day have. Of course he couldn’t just ask her to marry him now, even though he considered it. It was too soon, she needed time to get used to the idea and get used to him. It was easy to fall in love in the magical romanticism of Fiji. But he was coming to understand Contessa. And he knew she would need to spend time with him on the mainland before she would even consider it. For all her practiced nonchalance, his Contessa was a pragmatic woman. He smiled realizing he even liked that about her.

  Michael didn’t even try to hide what he was feeling. She may’ve felt he was coming on too strong, too fast, but he only had a few days to bind her to him. And he still remembered how he’d met her. She’d been trolling the bar looking for a bedmate. But what if he’d decided not to go to the bar that night? Would some other man be lying with her right now? Would some other man be plotting how to keep her in his life?

  On the fourth day of their interlude, Michael awoke to cold reality. His eyes popped open but he did not move right away. He could feel the weight of Contessa’s head on his stomach and had no desire to disturb her. He turned his head to stare out the window at the fish swimming by in the turquoise water. What trouble-free lives they lived, he thought.

  In another two days he would be returning home for the first time in several years. And he was expected to take over his family’s business. It would be good to be back home, to see old friends and reconnect with his dad. But since he’d deliberately avoided anything that looked like work for several years, he was doubting his ability to take over the day-to-day managing of their family’s airplane manufacturing business. And this probably would’ve been okay. Leadership would’ve moved on to one of his more capable siblings. Except… He was an only child.

  There were no other siblings. Which in turn meant all his father’s plans and hopes and dreams were riding on his shoulders. Honestly, he didn’t know if he was up to the challenge, but somehow knowing he would have Contessa at his side made it better.

  They only had two more days together and, as if by silent consent, neither of them brought up the fact that they would be leaving soon, fearing an uncertain tomorrow would intrude on their little piece of heaven.

  But Michael could not hide his anxiety as time went on. The closer it got to the time to leave, the more noticeably nervous he became until Contessa finally said something.

  They were walking down the long corridor leading back to her suite, holding hands and walking at a leisurely pace. To anyone passing by, they would appear for all the world like a happy couple taking a stroll.

  But Connie knew something was troubling Michael. She didn’t know how she knew, or even what the problem may be, she just knew he was incredibly tense which was not at all like him.

  “Anything you want to talk about?” she asked, glancing up at his handsome face.

  He shrugged indifferently. Taking the door key from her, he opened the suite entrance and followed her in.

  Contessa headed to the bedroom, her mouth pursed thoughtfully. She’d offered a sympathetic ear, and he’d said no, which meant she should leave it alone, right? She kicked off her heeled sandals and went back into the other room where he was sitting on the couch. His head was back against the cushions, he looked exhausted and her heart went out to him. She sat down beside him and took his closest hand between her own. “Tell me.”

  He turned his head to look at her and smiled. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?”

  She arched a eyebrow. “Are you trying to distract me? Come one, something is obviously bothering you.”

  “You remember me telling you I was from
Hartford?”

  “Yes, but you’re currently staying in your family home in the Hamptons right?”

  He nodded. “The good news is that when I leave here, I’m heading back to Hartford. The bad news is that it’s to take over my family business.”

  She frowned. “Why isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Because I don’t know the first thing about it.”

  “But you’ll learn.”

  “Yeah, but that takes time and quite frankly, I’m not certain I will. I’m an only child and I’ve always known eventually I would have to do this. I guess I’m just angry with myself for not doing anything about it. I could’ve been preparing for this all my life, but I didn’t, and now here I am at the eleventh hour wishing I knew more than I do.”

  She laid her head against his shoulder, still holding his large hand between her much smaller ones. “Don’t do this to yourself. Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve never helps. All you can do at this point is move forward. When you get there, try to learn everything you can as fast as you can. And I can personally vouch for your learning curve. You’ll do fine.” She smiled.

  “I’m just terrified I’m going to make some terrible mistake and cost the company millions of dollars during that learning curve.”

  “Michael, I don’t know him but I can’t imagine your father would bring you to work for him—only child or no only child—unless he thought you could do the work. This is his company, he’s spent his life building this enterprise, he’s not going to knowingly put it in jeopardy.”

  He smiled back. “That is him to a T. I know he loves me and he loves his company, but I’ve never doubted the pecking order. Sure you don’t know him?”

  “No, but I know the type. My boss is exactly the same. The company is like a child in itself. After investing a lifetime in it, I guess it would be hard to let go. So, try to see it from his point of view.”