Powerful and Proud: Beneath the Veil of Paradise / In the Heat of the Spotlight / His Brand of Passion. Кейт Хьюит
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wouldn’t see each other after this week.
They were going to have sex.
‘Fine.’ In one abrupt movement she slid her wet top over her head and kicked her way out of her capris. The clothes bobbed and floated on the surface of the sea, and belatedly she realised they were the only clothes she had here. She didn’t relish the prospect of walking down the resort beach in her undies. Lifting her chin, she glared at him. ‘Satisfied?’
‘I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied,’ Chase said slowly, his gaze wandering over her in leisurely perusal. ‘But pleased, yes.’
Millie shivered even though the air was sultry. She felt ridiculous standing there in her bra and panties, both a sensible, boring beige, even though Chase was only wearing a pair of shorts. They were both near-naked and yet...
When had someone last seen her this close to bare? A man? Rob, of course. Rob was the only man who had seen her in her underwear, besides her obstetrician. The thought was both absurd and excruciating.
Standing there under Chase’s scrutiny, she was agonisingly conscious of all her faults. She was too skinny, due to the black-coffee breakfasts and skipped lunches. Her appetite had fallen off a cliff since the accident. And, while supermodels looked good stick-thin, Millie knew she didn’t. Her hip bones were sharp and she’d dwindled down to an A-cup. And then of course there were the stretch marks, just two silver lines below her belly button—would he notice those? Would he ask?
No questions about her past. She’d remind him if necessary, and often.
Chase smiled and reached into the boat, bringing out two dive-masks. Millie eyed them dubiously.
‘Why are we diving, anyway? I thought we were eating lunch.’
‘We have to catch it first.’
Her jaw dropped. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
He arched an eyebrow. ‘Do I look like a kidder?’
‘Well, since you asked...’
‘Seriously, it’s easy. We’re looking for conch—you know the big, pink shells? The pretty ones?’ She nodded. ‘We’ll find a couple of those, I’ll pry out the meat and we’ll have conch salad. Delicious.’
‘Raw?’
‘Haven’t you ever eaten sushi?’
‘Only in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Soho.’
‘Live a little, Millie.’
She frowned. ‘I don’t want to get food poisoning.’
‘The lime juice in the dressing has enough acid to kill any nasties,’ he assured her. ‘I’ve eaten this loads of times.’
And just like that she could imagine him here, looking so easy and relaxed, with the kind of curvy blonde he usually dated. She’d have a string bikini. Or maybe she’d go bare. Either way Millie felt ridiculous standing there in her underwear, having no idea what to do. And, worse, she felt jealous.
Chase tossed her a mask. ‘Look for the shells. We only need one or two.’
Dubiously she put the mask on. This was so out of her comfort zone, which was precisely why Chase had chosen to do it. When he’d said lunch she’d envisioned a picnic on the boat, gourmet finger-food and linen napkins. As if.
Still, she wouldn’t give Chase the satisfaction of seeing just how uncomfortable she was. Squaring her shoulders, she adjusted her mask and followed Chase into the water. He was already cutting easily through the placid sea and with a deep breath Millie put her face in the water and gazed down into another world.
Rainbow-coloured fish darted in the shoals and amidst the rocks, prettier than any she’d seen in an aquarium. The sea water was incredibly clear, so the whole ocean floor seemed to open up in front of her, stretching on endlessly. Her lungs started to burn and she lifted her head to take a breath.
‘You OK?’ Chase had lifted his head too, and was glancing at her in concern.
‘I’m fine.’ She felt a strange stirring inside that he’d asked, something between gratitude and affection, that he was worried. He might be pushing her, but he wasn’t going to let her fall.
And she wouldn’t let herself either.
Chase kicked forward. ‘Let’s swim a little farther out.’
She followed him out into deeper water, and they swam and dove in silent synchronicity, the whole exercise surprisingly relaxing, until she finally saw a conch, pearly pink and luminescent, nestled against a rock. Taking a deep breath, she dove down and reached for it, her hand curving around its smooth shell as she kicked upwards to the surface.
Chase was waiting for her as she broke through. ‘I got one!’ Her voice rang out like an excited child’s, and she gave him an all-too-sloppy grin.
‘It’s always a thrill. I got one too. That should be enough.’
They headed back to shore and Millie sat on the beach and watched while Chase retrieved a knife, cutting board and a few limes and shallots from the boat.
‘You come prepared.’
‘It’s a quick, easy meal. But delicious.’
The sun dried her off, leaving salt on her skin as she sat with her elbows on her knees and watched him at work. She should have known he wouldn’t let her sit back and do nothing for very long. Giving her a sideway glance, he beckoned her over.
‘You can help.’
‘You want me to slice some limes?’ she asked hopefully, and he grinned.
‘I thought you’d like a challenge. You can clean the conch.’
Bleh. Still, she wasn’t going to argue. She eyed her wet tee-shirt drying on the boat, conscious that she was still only in her bra and pants. At least they were both sturdy and definitely not see-through. Chase caught her glance and shook his head.
‘Your unmentionables are more modest than some of the bikinis I’ve seen, you know.’
‘I’ll bet.’
‘Come on, Scary. You can do this.’ He handed her a knife and instructed her on how to insert, twist and bring out the entire conch. Grimacing, Millie tried, and finally succeeded on her third try.
‘Well done. Now we just need to fillet it. I’ll do that, if you like.’
‘Please.’
‘You slice the limes.’
They worked in companionable silence for a moment, the sun warm on their backs. When everything had been sliced and diced, Chase fetched a wooden bowl from the boat and tossed it all together. He divided the salad between two plates and presented one to Millie with a courtly flourish.
‘Your lunch, madam.’
‘Thank you very much.’ She took a bite, her eyes widening in surprise at how tasty it truly was. Chase smiled smugly.
‘Told you.’
‘Don’t rub it in.’ Unthinkingly she nudged him with her foot, a playful kick, and Chase raised his eyebrows. Too late Millie realised it could have looked like she was flirting. But she hadn’t been, not intentionally anyway. She’d just been...enjoying herself.
And when was the last time she’d done that?
‘A penny for your thoughts,’ Chase said lightly. ‘Or how about a bottle cap? I don’t actually have any spare change.’
She glanced up and realised she’d been frowning. ‘This is delicious, but it does seem a pity to eat such beautiful creatures.’
‘They are pretty,’ Chase agreed. ‘They’re actually endangered in US waters. But don’t worry, they’re still plentiful here. And the resort monitors the conch population