An odd thrill raced through her, but she still couldnt let her anxiety go. Yes, but women must throw themselves at you all the time.
His brows drew together, then understanding dawned. Im not like your ex-husband, Olivia. Just because women offer doesnt mean I accept.
Still, she couldnt let it be. Yes, but you must have accepted sometimes.
Suddenly his eyes hardened. Theres only room in this bed for two people. You and me. Not your ex. Whatever happened between you two shouldnt be brought here.
His words were the mental slap she needed. Yes, youre right.
He held her gaze for a few heartbeats, then his eyes softened. Let him go, Olivia. Dont let him spoil what we have.
Her stomach quivered. I dont know that we have anything.
You dont? He gave a throaty chuckle and the sound slithered down her spine like warm silk. Maybe I need to refresh your memory.
Without giving her a chance to argue he slid her across the sheet and pulled her under him. Their bodies touched and thats all it took for flames to spark between them.
And then he took her higher and higher, out of control, until she went up in smoke, leaving an afterburn that continued to glow long after hed brought her to fulfillment.
When she next awoke she found herself alone amongst the sheets, all that was left of their night together. Then she moved her legs and winced a little.
All?
No, there was this reminder, she thought, thankful Alex wasnt there to see her blush. Her body was so pleasurably sore, so very conscious of their lovemaking. Shed used muscles she hadnt used for years.
Remembering, she threw back the sheet and hurried to the bathroom. If she stayed in bed shed be thinking about last night, and right now she didnt need that. Alex might have made her forget all about Eric during their lovemaking, and he might have made her forget herself, but now it was time to keep moving. Otherwise she could be tempted to lie in bed and wait for Alex to come back and join her.
And if he saw her like this then hed think he held her in the palm of his hands.
No way.
Shed given him a year of her life. She wasnt giving him her soul, too.
After showering, she went downstairs and found her way to a huge sunroom which ran the full length of one side of the house. A table was set for a late breakfast, but there was still no sign of Alex.
Then Harriet appeared, clicking her tongue. Hes in the study catching up on some paperwork, though what paperwork there is to do on the first day of his honeymoon is beyond me. She showed Olivia her seat then started fussing around the table.
As a businesswoman herself, Olivia knew the paperwork never ended, honeymoon or not. And she was rather grateful that Alex was busy, even if she couldnt say that to the other woman. She was supposed to be a blushing bride, after all.
Oh heck. She was a blushing bride. She just wasnt a blushing bride in love with her husband.
Thats okay, Harriet. Im not feeling neglected. She gave a smile. Not with all the attention Im getting from you.
Harriet stopped her fussing and smiled at Olivia. Were so happy that you married Alex. He needs someone of his own.
This was news to Olivia.Alex had familya father, a mother, two brothers. He must have plenty of friends.
Of his own.
Yes, there was a difference, she silently admitted. Apart from her mother she had no one of her own. Oh, shed thought shed found that special person when shed married Eric, and for a short while shed believed it. She sighed. Ignorance was sometimes bliss.
Of course, she wasnt ignorant about this marriage. This time she had gone into it with eyes wide open. This was a marriage of convenience. Their work came first and rightly so.
The housekeeper offered to cook up some eggs but Olivia declined and said that cereal was fine. Harriet nodded and left the room.
For the first time Olivia got to look at her surroundings. The room was decorated in soft yellows, pale greens and creamy whites. A fountain stood in one corner, close to wicker chairs and a sofaa place to sit and relax. Potted plants and paintings filled the room. The large glass dining table she was sitting at was no doubt where Alex had enjoyed many a meal. The view of the ocean from here was unsurpassed.
Just as she finished eating and was drinking her coffee, Alex appeared. She ignored the fact that his sheer presence took her breath away as he walked straight over to her, cradled her face in his hands and brought his lips down to hers.
What a kiss!
Then he eased away, the look in his eyes filled with complete satisfaction before he walked around the other side of the table and sat down.
Sorry Im late, he said casually, as if he hadnt just made her tremble. I got caught up on a telephone call.
His casualness made her elation disappear. No doubt he was used to women being accommodatingto both his kisses and his work demands.
Couldnt he be a little considerate of her sensibilities? What if she had really been in love with him? His treatment would crush her. It was just as well she was a working woman, and could give as good as she got.
She placed her napkin on the table and stood. Thats okay, Alex. Ive got a couple of business calls to make myself. She started to leave the room.
Olivia?
She stopped to look at him. Yes?
The studys the fourth door on the right.
Was that a gleam of humor in his eyes? Had his mouth just twitched? She inclined her head. Ill find it.
Once in the study she sat down at the desk, feeling quite proud of herself. Even if he had found her little protest silently amusing, shed still scored a point.
Then she picked up the telephone, but felt rather silly when she realized she had no one to call. Having cleared the decks at work for the week, and with Lianne insisting she only call under dire circumstances, who else was there to phone?
Her mother.
Felicia wouldnt think it strange for her daughter to call and see how she was. Only, when she called the Valente estate in Sydney, the housekeeper said her mother had gone out for the day with Alexs parents.
Sigh. There was no one else she dared call. She knew a lot of people in the States, but theyd think her mad checking in on the day after her marriage.
Finished your calls yet?
She looked up to see Alex standing in the study doorway. For a moment she suspected he was being sarcastic, but then she saw that he was serious.
Okay, so he may well have been amused by her antics when shed left him in the sunroom, but he hadnt actually been disparaging of her work ethic.
Yes, I have.
Then lets go for a walk down to the beach.
All at once she realized hed changed from trousers and a polo shirt into something much more informal. Her eyes slowly slid down the length of his lean body, now clothed in a white T-shirt and tan-colored board shorts, with leather sandals on his feet. He looked like a sun-worshipping surfer ready to tackle the waves.
Wheres your surfboard? she quipped, not really meaning to be funny.
He grinned. It dumped me years ago.
Olivia couldnt help but chuckle even as she gathered her breath. Lord, that grin made him look young and carefree, and she had trouble associating this man with the same CEO shed married.
Olivia couldnt help but chuckle even as she gathered her breath. Lord, that grin made him look young and carefree, and she had trouble associating this man with the same CEO shed married.
Quickly, for something to do, she glanced down at the slacks she was wearing. Give me five minutes to change into something more casual.
Like some help?
Her heart bumped against her ribs. No, thanks. Ive been dressing myself a long time now, she said, walking toward the door, trying to appear nonchalant.
It was the undressing I was more interested in, he teased, moving aside from the doorway, allowing her to pass him.
She hid a smile, otherwise he might think she was encouraging him to come up to the bedroom and make love to her.
She wasnt.
No, definitely not.
Ill meet you on the front veranda in five minutes, she heard him say as she headed for the stairs.
Fine.
Olivia deliberately took ten minutes to change into Bermuda shorts and a sleeveless top. Then she applied sunscreen to her exposed areas, and grabbed her sunglasses from her purse and put them on.
That was a long five minutes, Alex said, his own sunglasses not hiding his scowl as she pushed open the front screen door and stepped out onto the veranda.
I didnt know we were clock-watching.
Were not. He glanced at his Rolex, then grimaced. Habit. Taking off the watch, he placed it on the table behind him. Now, lets go get some fresh air. He held out his hand.
For some reason she found herself hesitating.
Harriets watching from the window, he drawled.
She is? She went to turn around but didnt get a chance to look before he stepped forward and slipped his hand around hers, tugging her down the front steps and through the short grass to the side of the house. Hand in hand they started walking along a dirt path leading to the beach.
He slanted her a mocking smile. See, we actually look like lovers now.
Oh, but
What? Were not lovers? He stopped and faced her. Then who was that gorgeous woman in my arms last night? Suddenly his smile disappeared, his dark glasses hiding his eyes but not the huskiness in his voice.
She could feel her cheeks warm. Maybe she was a dream?
Oh yeah, he murmured. She was that.
Her heart flipped over. Alex, I All at once the ocean breeze picked up and swirled around them like a small whirlwind, snapping her out of the moment. Umthat breeze is pretty strong, she said quickly, then turned and continued to walk, surprised when he let her drop her hand from his. She half expected he would tug her back around to face him, pull her up close and
He fell into step beside her, not touching her now. Yes, that breeze is good for clearing out the cobwebs, was all he said.
She ignored a stab of disappointment, but it was her own fault. She could have chosen to stay where she was and let him kiss her. Yet she knew why she hadnt. Despite them being lovers, she wasnt in love with him. For her to initiate making love with him would be the equivalent of walking down the main street of Sydney naked. Shed feel totally exposed.
Ahead, the path looped over a small sand dune and down to a sun-kissed beach, scattered with couples lying on towels or parents playing in the shallows with their children. An older man jogged along the waters edge. A couple of surfboard riders bobbed out in the sea, their wait for larger waves appearing to be in vain today.
She sighed in appreciation. Its beautiful.
Yes.
She kicked off her sandals, enjoying the feel of soft sand trickling through her toes. Its been ages since I walked along a beach.
He stepped out of his own sandals. Then what are we waiting for? When she went to pick up her sandals, he instructed, Leave them. Well get them on our way back.
She blinked in surprise. But wont someone steal them?
He gave a dismissive shrug. If theyre that desperate then theyre welcome to them.
Oh. She shrugged. Well, I guess a man like you doesnt need to worry about the cost of things.
A muscle tightened at the edge of his jaw. A man like me?
She hesitated, realizing shed said the wrong thing. Its just that I noticed you left your Rolex back on the veranda.
So?
No getting around it now. Admit it, Alex. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You take some things for granted.
I seem to remember youve got one of those silver spoons, too.
Yes, she admitted slowly, but I was raised frugally by my grandmother. And while Olivia wouldnt call herself in the least frugal, she still couldnt be so cavalier about things like leaving expensive watches out in the open, or even sandals on the beach.
A mask came down over his face. I keep whats important.
Chapter Five
Olivia stood and watched Alex turn and walk along the sand. His words had been steely and totally no-nonsensethe tough CEO coming to the fore. The hard-hitting man was such a part of him. A woman would be incredibly lucky to have him love her. To be so fiercely protected by him. And he would be fiercely protective. She knew that instinctively.
He turned back to her. Coming?
His words jarred her from her thoughts and she fell into step beside him. She didnt want to think about Alex and another woman, so she changed the subject to try to break any tension between them. Do you come here often?
A moment crept by before he glanced at her from behind his sunglasses. I usually make it for Christmas with the family. Its good to get away from the city and the December heat.
She nodded. Sounds wonderful. Oh, how she remembered those long, hot summer Christmases. Her mother had always come home to spend the holidays with her and Nanna and theyd had a great time as a family. Then Nanna had died and the last few years she and Felicia had spent Christmas in LA, and nothing had been quite the same. She supposed that was all a part of growing older.
Youll get to find out yourself this year, Olivia. Christmas is only a couple of months away.
His words startled her. But I usually spend Christmas with my mother.
Well invite her here then. It was more an order than a suggestion.
But
It would look odd if you take off for the States and leave your new husband here during the festive season, he pointed out.
You could always come to LA, she said, not even sure she wanted him there, though she knew it would seem strange without him. Good Lord, and shed only been married a day.
No. His voice was firm, his chin stubborn. My parents will be here and my two brothers. I wont break family tradition.
Something in his tone roused her curiosity. This man was deeper than shed first thought. And much more family-oriented than he let on. No wonder his father had been able to blackmail his son into getting married.
Marriage to a man like this would have been a dream come true for her if it had been a real marriage. A permanent marriage. She sighed. It was just as well it wasnt a real marriage because then hed want a real family with her and
Suddenly he stopped, put his hand on her arm and spun her toward him. She was in his arms before she knew it, his lips against hers, taking her by surprise with a kiss that made her forget they were on a beach for all to see. All that mattered was his kiss. And the next.