Visiting Paradise

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Visiting Paradise Jess Dee Beth Brown needs a holiday. She’s burnt out, single, and madly in love with the man who pays her salary, Joe Bastion. Much as she’d like to act on her feelings, Beth’s learned the hard way not to sleep with men she works for. Far as she’s concerned, Joe is off limits. Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to chase hard. And Joe wants Beth. He’s organized a trip of a lifetime for her. Beth’s about to set sail into paradise, and she has no idea that Joe’s the one who’ll be taking her there.

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Visiting Paradise Jess Dee

Aspen Mountain Press

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Domination Plantation Copyright © Destiny Blaine This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental. Aspen Mountain Press 18121-C E. Hampden Ave, Ste 221 Aurora CO 80013 www.AspenMountainPress.com First published by Aspen Mountain Press, November 2008 in the anthology Boys Down Under Re-release by Aspen Mountain Press, September, 2010 www.AspenMountainPress.com

This e-Book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction fines and/or imprisonment. The e-Book cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this e-Book can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-60168-318-2 Published in the United States of America

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Visiting Paradise Chapter One Joe Bastion had set the whole thing up. Worked out every last detail before putting the plan in motion. That’s why he now stood, hidden from view, on the upper deck of the company’s luxury yacht, watching as Beth Brown approached the boat from the pier. He was already aroused. Looking at her stirred something in him—and it wasn’t just lust. This went deeper than simply wanting to sleep with her. It had since the first moment he’d met her. At thirty-three, Joe had met enough women to know Beth was more than just a quick lay. In his eyes, she personified forever. She stopped and looked around hesitantly. “Hello? Anybody?” “Up here,” he yelled, taking in the curvy legs she usually hid under long skirts or pants. Beth didn’t know it yet, but before the trip was through, those legs would be wrapped around his waist, and his neck, repeatedly. “Come on board. Don’t worry about your bags. I’ll load ‘em soon as I get down.” Beth shaded her eyes with her hand and looked up, and Joe took a precautionary step to the side. If she realized he was the one who’d be sailing her through the Whitsunday’s, she’d probably never set foot on the boat. “Where are you?”Her grip firm on the railing, she climbed onboard. “Sorting out a couple of last minute details. Why not go inside and have a look around?” Once she got an eyeful of the boat, she’d be far less tempted to

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flee—even when she saw him. “I’ll be down as soon as I’m finished. Cabin at the back, on the other side of the galley is yours. It’s the blue room.”The room where he intended to seduce her. He’d grown tired of her aloof, distant attitude. For some unexplained reason, she’d taken a step back from the subtle attraction that had developed between them five months ago. It was time she confronted it head on. He grinned to himself. Beth was about to set sail into paradise, and she didn’t have a clue who was taking her there. **** Beth raised her eyes upward and mouthed a heartfelt thank you. Someone up there liked her. How else could she explain her presence on this incredible boat? It went way beyond five-star-luxury, all the way to holiday heaven—and it was all hers for a week. In all of her twenty-eight years, she had never experienced such lavishness. The rooms were exquisite, decorated with an understated elegance that probably cost more than what she paid for her entire flat back home. Plush, cream carpets covered the floors, leather couches filled the lounge, and rich cherry-wood cabinets lined the kitchen walls. A beautiful matching table and chairs filled the dining room. She shook off the prickly sensation at the base of her spine, the one she’d experienced as she stood on the pier yelling up to the Captain. It wasn’t exactly a nervous feeling, just a strong sense of…the unexpected. Perhaps it was anticipation of the trip, perhaps awe at the size of the boat. Maybe it was something else altogether. It didn’t matter. What mattered was she was finally here, at the beginning of a journey of a lifetime.

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Far from the claustrophobic, airtight space she’d expected, a fresh breeze and sunlight streamed into the lounge. A sudden rush of freedom hit her. On a whim, she stretched out her arms and spun around. Sydney was hundreds of kilometers away. Gemma was safe in the care of her grandparents, and Gemma’s mum was taking a boat trip around seventyfour tropical islands…alone. For the first time in months—years—Beth had a chance to kick back and relax. She could just be herself. With no worries, no responsibilities, and no maternal concerns. She laughed, flung her thongs off her feet, and spun a little faster. “Watch out you don’t take off, Bethy. The ceiling’s lower than it looks.” Oh. Dear. God. She came to a screeching halt even though the world continued to swirl around her. Only one person called her Bethy in that sultry tone. “It’s the unexpected sense of freedom, isn’t it? Makes you want to do crazy things.” Suddenly, the prickly sensation in her back made sense. That voice. She’d heard it a million times in her fantasies, whispering erotic suggestions in her ear. She grasped the edge of a nearby couch and turned around reluctantly. His tall frame rested effortlessly against the wall, her bag sat at his feet. In his eyes she saw the same lazy, seductive gaze he always regarded her with, the one that spoke of breathless moonlight sighs and indolent breakfasts in bed. The one she suspected hid much more than it showed. The air was whipped from her lungs, and her heart plummeted into her stomach. He took her breath away. In suits and ties, he set her pulse racing. In nothing more than board shorts, he had her blood pressure rocketing into the danger zone. If she continued ogling him, she was going to have a stroke. She could imagine the headlines: Woman found dead on luxury yacht. Sexual frustration considered prime suspect. Police too embarrassed by findings to conduct further investigation.

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“You look surprised.” He smiled, and she struggled to find her voice. She snapped her mouth shut and then forced it back open to speak. “I, uh… didn’t expect to see you here.” “Hayley from Personnel didn’t tell you I’d be on board?” “No…” She swallowed. “All she said was I’d won the office lucky draw, and that this was my prize. A one-week trip on the company yacht. As far as I knew, it was just me and the captain.” He shot her a devilish grin. “Captain Bastion at your service, Ma’am.” Bloody hell, she was gaping again. She just couldn’t seem to keep her mouth closed. Or her tongue in her mouth for that matter. It dragged on the carpet, drool running down her chin. So much for maintaining her previous resolve to be professional and aloof whenever she was around him. She rolled up her tongue and cleared her throat. “You mean it’s just you and me? There’s no one else joining us?” His eyes lit up, and he grinned at her. “That’s what I mean. Just the two of us.” His smile made her so hot, even her toes sizzled. “Oh…” She honestly tried to come up with a rational comment, but couldn’t think of one. “C’mon.” He nodded towards the front of the boat. “I’ll show you your cabin.” “Wait, Joseph. Stop.” Sudden panic needled her belly. She couldn’t do this. Not with Joe. Mid-step he turned to look at her. “I—I’m sorry. There’s been a misunderstanding. I never guessed you’d be here. I don’t want to intrude on your space. This is your boat—well the firm’s boat—and you don’t need me around.” Her face burned with mortification. “I’ll go and check into one of the hotels on Hamilton Island. The last thing I want is to

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be a bother while you’re on holiday. I’ll get out of your hair and leave you in peace.” This was excruciating. In her wildest dreams—and she’d had some doozies about him—she’d never put herself alone on a cruiser with Joe. It was preposterous, way out of her comfort zone and elicited too many forbidden thoughts to allow her to stay. “Beth, relax. There is no misunderstanding. I knew you’d be here. You’re not putting me out at all.” “It’s more than that.” She struggled not to reveal too much. “It’s unprofessional. I mean, you’re my boss. I can’t just go sailing into the sunset with you.” Metaphorically speaking, she’d sailed into the sunset once before with a man she worked for, and look how that had turned out. There was no chance she’d repeat that mistake. “Work has nothing to do with this. You won the trip fair and square.” He smiled warmly. “Maybe I should have told you I’d be here with you, hmm? Maybe then you wouldn’t look quite so alarmed. Look, no worries. Think of it as two friends conveniently sharing a holiday.” Friends? How could he classify them as friends? She worked as his legal secretary in his law firm. How would she define their relationship? Nonexistent? Not quite. Too much sexual energy zapped between them to deny a shared connection. A woman desperately in lust with a man? Definitely. Friends? No. She’d effectively stopped that from happening as soon as she realized she’d developed feelings for him. Never mind the friends issue. How could she possibly share a holiday with him? She wouldn’t be able to limit it to just a holiday. She’d want to share her body and her bed, and that would just be wrong. No question, she couldn’t get involved with another man she worked for. She had to get off the boat. The insight filled her with ambivalence. Part of her wished she could stay.

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She was in dire need of a holiday. Work, while she loved it, was burning her out. Fitting an eight-hour workday into six, five days a week, exhausted her, but she had no choice. Daycare ended at three-thirty and she had to be there to collect Gemma. One more challenge single parents faced on a daily basis. Beth needed serious recharging. Alas, traveling with Joe would more than recharge her. It would get her so charged up, she’d implode. Filled with regret, she shook her head. “I can’t, Joseph. I have to leave.” “Look, Beth. May I speak frankly?” She suppressed a laugh. The man didn’t know any other way of speaking. “Of course.” “You look like you could use a holiday. Hey, I know how hard you work, I know the effort and hours you put in at the office. You need a break. So do I. The company yacht’s available. It’s all kitted out. You’re packed and ready for the trip. It’s absurd to consider leaving.” Maybe so, but Joe had no idea how precariously she held on to her libido whenever he was around. What was it about him? He was everyone’s favorite partner. He elicited delighted smiles from his clients. His easy-going nature made him wonderful to work for. His charm and humor captivated everybody. On the other hand, there was an air about him she couldn’t define. An air that hinted at sadness. The same time she realized there was more to him than just his amicable façade and attractive face, she also realized she’d fallen for him. That’s when she’d backed off from their developing friendship. Erected an invisible wall and adopted an entirely professional persona whilst dealing with him. Falling in love with a man she worked for, put her in an unfeasible predicament. She had to get off the boat. If she spent any length of time with her boss in this confined space, there’d be no feasible way she could contain her feelings. They’d boil over, and once again, she’d get burned in the process.

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It was impossible to explain all that to Joe without giving away her true feelings. He took advantage of her silence. “I can see you’re hesitant. Okay, here’s the deal. Spend a day and a night on the boat. If you still feel uncomfortable, I’ll drop you off at one of the inhabited islands and you can make your own way back here. You won’t have to spend a minute longer than necessary on the yacht. However, if by then you’ve forgotten all about the work thing and you’re having, say, the best time of your life, you’ll stay. Deal?” Bless him. He’d given her a way out without her having to tell him the truth. She could plead motion sickness; use it as an excuse to leave. She could head back without any embarrassment or true confessions. Her relief was so intense she could have kissed him. Okay, so she could have kissed him regardless, but that would be seriously counterproductive. “Sounds fair,” she conceded. “If it’s okay with you?” “’Course it’s okay with me.” His eyes twinkled. “Now come and get settled so we can leave.” He walked through the lounge, leaving her no choice but to follow him into the cabin. “Joe wait. I can’t—” She forgot what she wanted to say when she saw the enormous bed in the middle of the beautiful room. How many times had she wished to be alone in a bedroom with him? How many fantasies had begun with him carrying her to bed, laying her down on the firm mattress, and unbuttoning her top? How could she deny the sweet pull between her legs as she stared at Joe standing beside the bed? “Can’t what?” he prompted as he turned to set the case down. She couldn’t answer. Her words were lost as she took in how good he looked in those shorts. Sleek and streamlined. The muscles in his shoulders flowed down his back and rose slightly with the flare of his butt. And what a butt. Usually covered by a jacket, she could now see it was firm and toned. She itched to run her fingers over it. Bugger. Forget the fingers. She

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wanted to take an enormous bite, and then keep on nibbling all the way around until she found other tasty tidbits to feed on. She hungered for him. His understated potency was wildly attractive. He was lean and hard, not an ounce of fat in sight, and he did crazy things to her body. Things she tried to ignore but couldn’t. What would he say if she knelt before him and licked the spot beneath his belly button? Would his skin taste salty and warm? Heated by the island sun? Would he object if she tugged down his shorts? Slid them over his hips and exposed that hidden part of his body? The part that would twitch and rise beneath her chin as she kissed his flat stomach. What if she licked a little lower, inhaled his musky male scent, and then covered him with her mouth? Would he be surprised? Would he let her trail her tongue up his length and back down again? Her eyes closed, the image so real she could almost feel his dick filling her mouth. She couldn’t hold back her soft whimper. “Bethy? You okay?” She swallowed hard and her eyes flew open. Blast, it was one thing to dream about him in the privacy of her home, fantasizing about him in the intimate confines of a yacht’s cabin was asking for trouble. The kind of trouble she didn’t need again. “Fine,” she lied. “Just impressed by the room.” He raised an eyebrow and Beth was sure he hid a knowing smirk. “Why don’t you take a little time to unpack and get to know your way around the yacht? We’ll leave in about half an hour.” Blood raced to her cheeks as she asked, “Where are we headed?” “Heard of Whitehaven?” “The world’s most beautiful beach? Sure. But I’ve never been there.” “We’ll reach it around sunset and drop anchor there for the night. Prepare yourself, Bethy. Tomorrow morning you’re going to wake up in heaven.”

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Chapter Two

In retrospect Beth realized she’d forgotten to be seasick. She’d planned on faking a few emergency dashes to the bathroom to throw up, and a couple of groans of agony to convince Joe she didn’t possess sea legs. So captivated was she by the sheer splendor of her surroundings, all her carefully laid plans went to waste. She even failed to remember to keep her distance from Joe. Instead, she reveled in his proximity. Took pleasure in his company, his quick wit and charming conversation for three solid hours as they sailed through the sparkling aqua-blue ocean. With the sun beating down on her shoulders, and enough fresh air to make her drunk, she chilled out completely and enjoyed herself. Something she hadn’t done in four long years. Dinner was a simple affair. A couple of steaks sizzling on the grill, cooked to rare perfection by Joe, while she threw a salad together. Washed down with a little too much wine, the evening was enchanting. Joe was an ideal dinner companion. He regaled her with stories about work and friends, and she laughed at all his jokes. Only once did she catch a glimmer of sadness flicker across his face. He was quick to replace it with something less definable, something more… hopeful. She would have rated dinner ten-out-of-ten, except for one glitch. One muscular, broad-shouldered glitch, with a flawless six-pack running from chest to stomach. 13

Darn, why couldn’t he have put a shirt on? Sure, it was a blistering hot night, but the boat had air conditioning. Besides, wasn’t it considered proper to dress for dinner? She wasn’t expecting a collar and tie; a simple t-shirt would have sufficed. Joe hadn’t even bothered with that. Instead of tasting the prime fillet, Beth fantasized about snacking on various parts of his chest. To be fair, it wasn’t just dinner that had her distracted. Her concentration had been shot the entire day. All she’d focused on was Joe’s halfnude body. The body that bred passion and desire, and an ache that just would not settle. An hour earlier she’d said goodnight and left Joe watching TV in the lounge. Instead of going to bed like any sane person, she now paced the length of her cabin. Need sparked through her belly, kindling a craving she tried to ignore. She was a wreck—an aroused wreck. Her breasts were tender—over-sensitized with longing—and her breathing had been abnormal the whole day. Every time she pictured Joe in his shorts—and then not in his shorts—she felt another gush of warmth between her legs and a hollow ache in her stomach. She was treading on eggshells. The impulse to yield to her desire and seduce him sliced through her. However, previous experience cut even deeper. Work and sex don’t mix. Remember Michael. Her previous boss had wooed and charmed her, and before she’d stopped to consider the consequences, she’d become involved with him. Two months later, he’d told her he was married. The news had devastated her. Unable to continue working for him, she’d quit her job. Less than a month after that, she’d discovered she was pregnant. Granted, the circumstances this time round were different. For one, Joe wasn’t married—she’d established that fact almost immediately. Two, she was on the pill—she’d never risk another unplanned pregnancy. Even so, if she did get involved with him and things did sour between them, where would that leave her? Out of work and heartbroken again?

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Never! She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let it happen. Yet her body refused to heed her warnings. Her restlessness amplified. Being apart from Joe did not decrease her awareness of him at all. Whether she lay in an empty bed or paced the carpet, Joe was only meters away, and the knowledge made her fantasies soar. She threw up her arms in defeat, opened the door and padded into the darkened lounge. All was quiet. Disappointment coursed through her. He’d gone to bed. She swore and returned to her cabin, giving the door a listless push. Without bothering to turn on a light, she curled up on the bed and switched on the telly. She tried to ignore the throbbing between her legs and the aching in her breasts. Mindlessly, she flipped through the channels, looking for something to watch, anything to distract her. She settled on a Frasier rerun. Niles had walked into the flat, but she hardly noticed. Her mind wasn’t on the program. She pictured Joe cooking supper, watched as he grilled the steaks, the muscles in his arms contracting and relaxing. She wanted those arms wrapped around her. She saw him sit at the helm, his legs stretched out, his arm draped over the wheel. Sweet Lord, she wanted to be that wheel. Wanted him to handle her with the same confident touch he steered the boat. He wouldn’t have to put in much effort. One steady stroke would be enough to steer her in any direction he wished her to go. Was he asleep? Did he sleep in the buff? Did he use any covers? A doona perhaps? Did he kick them off in the middle of the night, or did he wake up in a tangled mass of sheets in the morning? Beneath her nightshirt her breasts tingled. The images of Joe, naked in bed, made her hot. Her nipples hardened and when she moved, the silky fabric caressed them, sending tingles down her arms. She imagined it was Joe’s fingers

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brushing the tender peaks, his tongue laving them. Before she knew it, her breathing had deepened. He was so close. A couple of meters away and yet unreachable, separated by walls and necessity. She stretched her legs out. Her robe fell open with a tug of the belt. She couldn’t have Joe, but at least she could find a release for her frustration. Beth ran her palms over her breasts, shivering at the sensation. Her hands were Joe’s hands. He caressed her breasts; pushed her top up so he could cup them without interference. “You have beautiful breasts.” His voice was a whisper. His mouth closed over one nipple and she moaned as she pinched the tip, felt his warm breath and hot tongue. A spiral of desire chased its way down her belly and lower. His gaze seemed to follow its path. “You’re not wearing any panties.” His voice was hoarser than before. What point was there in wearing panties? They’d just get wet. She ran her other hand over her belly until it rested on her mound. “Shift your leg to the right.” She did, allowing him a glimpse of her nether lips. “Beth…” She moved her hand lower, pressed against her lips and warm moisture coated her finger. Joe ran his now wet finger over her swollen nub and then dipped it inside her, just an inch. She bucked and moaned his name out loud. **** En route to the galley to get a drink, Joe heard her call his name. He turned toward her cabin. The door was slightly ajar and he hesitated as he lifted his

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hand to knock. When he heard her call out again, he pushed the door open a couple of inches and stuck his head inside to answer. His words died on his lips. Beth lay on the bed with her eyes closed. She’d pushed her nightgown up above her chest, leaving the rest of her body exposed. He froze, convinced he’d burst a major blood vessel. If the actual sight of Beth masturbating hadn’t given him the hugest erection in the history of mankind, the erotic sigh that escaped her lips would have. Beth fingering herself was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. God praise the thirst that forced me out of bed. He’d known all along her cool, aloof act at work was just that—an act. The woman on the bed was on fire, so hot she was practically smoking. She had him smoking too. He knew he should reveal himself, should cough or something. If Beth opened her eyes now…. However, at that moment, he would have chosen seven years of torture over disturbing his sweet Bethy. The light in the cabin was subdued, flashes of color flickering from the screen the only source of illumination. It made the scene seem surreal, unbelievable, and completely inflaming. A burst of laughter from the TV sounded abnormally loud and he held his breath, praying it wouldn’t disturb her. It didn’t. One hand teased her rigid nipples; the other stroked her wet folds. The flashes of color accentuated her dewy lips. He would gladly have given his left testicle to replace her hand with his. She trailed her finger up past her lips and stopped to twirl it around. Her back arched and another moan escaped her. He struggled to breathe. She was playing with her clit. How many times had he dreamed of licking her there? Of drawing his tongue over her engorged bud until she screamed from sheer bliss? Christ, he couldn’t think clearly. His dick was so stiff he could have run a sail from it. She slipped a finger between her lips and moaned. “Joe…”

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He nearly tripped over his chin. She was fucking herself and moaning his name. That was what he’d heard earlier, when she’d called to him. A wave of hunger blasted through him, so powerful he was sure he’d come on the spot. Without even touching himself, he’d belt his load clean across the dining room. It wasn’t his imagination. All those looks she’d cast his way when she thought he hadn’t noticed, all those loaded moments when she seemed to want to say one thing but said another instead. She felt the same way he did. Here was the proof. Living, breathing, masturbating proof. He bit his cheek and tasted blood. Which was good in a sense, because it dampened his desire just enough to stem his orgasm. “Oh, Joe,” she whispered again. Her finger moved rhythmically in and out. Her hand set the pace, moving leisurely at first, but gaining momentum after a couple of minutes. Joe knew he was a selfish bastard, observing her in this most private of rituals. What option did he have? Every man’s fantasy played itself out before his very eyes. He would not move an inch until the woman he loved peaked beneath her own touch. Her breathing was audible—shallow gulps followed by low moans. “Joe, don’t stop.” She pulled her knees up and slipped another finger in, increasing her speed. Joe ceased breathing altogether, watching in suspended animation as Beth’s entire body went rigid and then seemed to lift off the mattress before collapsing back down as tremors engulfed her. She rode her orgasm in silent pleasure, her head thrown back, her mouth open. When it was over she lay there, panting. Her eyes were still closed. Joe hadn’t tiptoed since he was a boy. As best as he could with a massive hard-on, he silently pulled the door shut and tiptoed back to his cabin. Closing

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his door behind him, he knew this would not be the last time he’d jerk off to the image of Beth fucking herself.

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Chapter Three

“I have never seen anything this exquisite.” Beth’s eyes were full of wonder as she took in the extraordinary beach. This early in the morning, Whitehaven Beach was deserted. None of the tourist boats had arrived yet. Joe agreed. Although he wasn’t thinking about the dazzling-white sand and crystal-clear water. His sole focus was on the woman. Up until last night, he’d contemplated going slow, seducing her over time. Now that he knew she was as hot for him as he was for her, he could not wait a single minute longer. Temporary relief was all he’d found when he returned to his room the night before. His hand could never be an adequate substitute for what he’d witnessed. The only thing that could ease the constant pain in his groin now was Beth. She knelt down and dug her hand in the sand, watching as the fine grains drizzled through her fingers. Joe cursed silently. The next time she dropped to her knees in front of him, it would not be for the purpose of tunneling into sand. “It’s like powder,” she said in awe, oblivious to his torment. From this angle, he had an incredible view of her cleavage. The black bikini top covered more than it revealed, but it made her full breasts appear more voluptuous. Christ, he was horny. If Beth lifted her head now, she’d come face-to-face with his raging erection. He twisted his shorts slightly to the left. “This has to be the most beautiful place on earth.” 20

“Glad you decided to stay?” During their quick breakfast, which they’d eaten on deck overlooking the panoramic white beach, she’d told him she was having too good a time to leave. “Not as glad as I am that we came here,” she answered, looking up at him with a smile. Fuck. Joe was winded. Why didn’t she smile more often? More to the point, why didn’t she smile at him more often? What was it with her polite-yet-distant routine? Why the hell was he the only one she acted standoffish with? It hadn’t been like that in the beginning. The first couple of months, things were great between them. There was always time for a laugh, for a coffee in the morning. Then everything changed and he didn’t have a clue why. To his relief, it was the old Beth who agreed to stay on the boat. The Beth he’d fallen for. He was having a blast with her. Everything was going according to plan. She was relaxed and obviously having a good time. “Even though I made you swim from the boat?” “Yeah—” she laughed “—tough swim that. Damn waves kept dunking me. Thought I wouldn’t make it out of the water alive.” The sound of her laughter echoed through his stomach and he turned to look at the still waters of the ocean, knowing if he stared at her another minute he could not be held responsible for his actions. Joking with her again felt good. Damn good. When he felt he had a grip on his libido, he asked, “You know what? You look happy. I haven’t seen you smile and laugh like this in a while.” He hesitated and then added, “At least not with me.” Something like guilt flashed across her face as she looked up at him. “I’ve been a little unfriendly the last few months. I know.” He raised a dubious eyebrow and grinned. “A little?” She smiled. “Okay. A lot.”

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“Was it something I did?” He kept his tone light, reluctant to let her know how much her answer meant. She looked pained as she closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.” “Something I didn’t do, maybe?” Again she shook her head. A lock of damp hair hooked over her shoulder and clung to her breast. He watched a bead of water slip off the end, trail over the full curve and disappear into her top. He had no idea how he controlled the instinct to yank her up and chase the droplet with his tongue. His dick tightened painfully. “It’s not you,” she said at long last, and then she opened her eyes. “Well, not really…” Her words trailed off as her eyes widened. She stared at his groin. It was too late too shift to the left again. He heard her sharp intake of breath and knelt before her. “Does it bother you?” “What?” She sounded confused and he noticed her gaze had dropped with him. She gawked at his lap. “My erection?” “I…no. Yes. Maybe.” She didn’t lift her gaze. Should he tell her? Should he be honest? Ah, screw it, he had nothing to lose. “I always have an erection when you’re around.” She nodded tentatively and met his gaze. “Yes. I… I know.” “You do?” Jesus, he thought he’d done a better job of hiding his attraction. She wrinkled her nose. “It’s the way you button up your jacket whenever you see me. The way you say my name. Also—” she bit her lower lip “—you get this look in your eyes.” “That obvious, huh?” he asked with a self-deprecating smile. “It’s lust, Bethy. You make me so damn horny, I can hardly stand straight.” He could hardly talk either; his mouth was so bloody dry.

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Her eyes held a gentleness that touched him. “No, Joseph. It’s not just lust.” She took a deep breath. “When…when you see me, your eyes seem to fill with something, an emotion I can’t begin to define.” Her insight threw him. Beth hadn’t just recognized his physical attraction to her. She’d spotted his deep-seated psychological need for her as well. “It speaks volumes, but I don’t understand it. And so far, I haven’t…tried to.” She hesitated. “I’ll tell you something else. It’s part of the reason I’ve been acting so aloof.” His heart skipped a beat. “You’re repulsed by my attraction to you?” “Repulsed?” Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. “No, I’m totally turned on by it.” For a moment he couldn’t speak. “So you deal with it by ignoring me?” “It’s not you I’m ignoring. It’s that look in your eyes.” She shook her head and sighed. “It’s complicated.” “Yeah.” His voice was loaded with sarcasm. “Mutual attraction is a real complex issue. Nothing straightforward about it.” “Oh, please, Joseph.” Beth jumped up. “We both know it’s more than mutual attraction. That expression you get on your face? It scares the hell out of me. I…I don’t understand it. I don’t know what you’re hiding and I’m not sure I want to know. You obviously have…issues. Well, so do I.” She began to pace. “I have my own baggage, my own stuff to deal with. Things you don’t know about. Don’t talk about mutual attraction being straightforward. There is nothing straightforward about…us.” Her cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed. She was upset, but he wasn’t sure why. He pushed himself back up onto his feet. “What is it, Bethy? What’s got you so distressed all of a sudden?” And what baggage did she have? Sure, he knew she didn’t speak much about her private life. All their conversations over coffee had focused on work,

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on cases he was dealing with, or on general issues. Nothing too personal. He’d never suspected she might have problems. “What did you expect? That you’d reveal your erection to me and, hey presto, I’d fall into your arms and we’d make wild, passionate love?” Well… “There’s something between us, Bethy. A spark. It’s been there all along.” Her face clouded over. “You can deny it all you want, but we both know you’d be lying.” She stood a little straighter and pulled her shoulders back. “I’m not going to deny it. But it’s irrelevant. I’d never act on it.” “Why?” He was at a loss for any reasonable explanation. “Because I work for you. I’m trying to maintain a professional distance, is all.” “Why?” he asked again. “What’s so important about keeping me at arm’s length?” Indecision flashed across her face. “I’ve already explained that. I have my own issues. Issues I haven’t told you about.” Nothing they couldn’t get through together, he was sure. “So tell me now.” She shook her head. “It’s not that simple.” “It’s as simple as you allow it to be. Talk to me. Help me understand.” She sighed. “I… You see… It’s…. No. No, I can’t. I’m sorry. Not yet.” Her gaze wandered off. “Maybe you could show me the rest of the island? Could we explore a little?” She turned slowly and trudged towards the thicket of greenery lining the beach. Only he wasn’t ready to let her go. He grabbed her hand and yanked her back. “What are you doing?” He tugged again and she lost her balance. As she toppled over, he twisted her around. He braced himself to catch her weight and she landed with a gentle thud against his chest.

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She gaped at him. “Joe−” There was no time for explanation. Her breasts cushioned his ribs, her legs were pressed against his and her mouth was open, exposing flashes of pearlywhite teeth and the tip of her pink tongue. For the life of him, he couldn’t answer. He lowered his head to hers. “Joe,” she gasped again, just before their lips met, and it did him in. She said his name in the same breathless, fuck-me voice she’d used the night before. He molded his lips to hers and slid his tongue into the hot, wet cavern of her mouth, taking full advantage of her open-mouthed astonishment. The shockwave of awareness that jolted between them almost bloody electrocuted him. The instant his tongue touched hers, she melted. Collapsed against him. Tiny purring sounds escaped her as her body relaxed. Her lips softened and she responded to his kiss with a hungry acceptance of inevitability. This was where their relationship had been heading from day one. Her kiss reverberated through him. Heat curled through his stomach and inched lower, its fire consuming his oxygen. He couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just his physical response to her. Something else was at play here, something deeper, something more personal. Much more personal. The loneliness that had been his lifelong companion began to crumble, and Joe, unused to experiencing anything beside the dull hollow in his heart, registered surprise as emotion began to churn in his chest. This was right. This was meant to be. He pulled back, needing to look at her, to see if she felt the same way. Her eyes were dazed; her chest rose and fell unevenly. “Joseph…” She breathed his name. “Jesus, Beth. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” “You shouldn’t have.” Had she not been so languid in his arms, he might almost have believed she meant it. But her fingers toyed with the nape of his

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neck and her nipples had pebbled into tight beads beneath her damp top, her response at odds with her words. “I can stop.” His offer was reluctant, especially so as her luscious lips parted and her eyelids drift shut. “You should.” There was ambivalence in her voice. She took a deep breath. “Please…don’t.” She reached blindly for his mouth and pulled herself into him. As their lips touched, he groaned. Why had it taken so long to reach this point? All that wasted time. He’d waited his whole life to meet the woman who could end his solitude, and when he finally did—she made him wait more. Made him suffer under the assumption she didn’t care, didn’t want him. But she did. He kissed her harder, crushed his mouth against hers, allowing all his suppressed passion to surface in his kiss. She whimpered in response and before he realized it, he’d untied the straps of her bikini top. It dropped to the ground between them and Joe pulled her closer, relishing her naked flesh against his, the soft, round breasts nestled against his chest. The kiss was so sweet, and so hot, it twisted his gut and played havoc with his balls. He groaned out loud. “You’re tormenting me, Bethy.” He was ready to declare his feelings for her there and then. Ready to admit his love for her and beg for hers in return. The look on her face stopped him. It wasn’t fear he saw there, but regret, and it hit him like a blow to the gut. There was nothing like seeing the woman you love openly rue the kiss you just shared. A real confidence booster. Yet the regret warred with another emotion and he watched as Beth battled within herself. She was fighting her reaction to him. Why? Couldn’t she just accept what was happening between them? He cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples until she groaned and bucked beneath his touch. The time would come when he’d use words to convince her they belonged together. For now, there was only one

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argument he could employ effectively. He lowered his head to her breast and pulled a rosy-pink nipple into his mouth. She writhed and moaned above him, called his name repeatedly. Releasing her breast, he repeated the question that went against every instinct in his body. “Beth, do you want me to stop?” The war in her eyes lessened as the last battle played itself out. After what seemed like an eternity, her face cleared and she shook her head. “No, Joe. I don’t.” “Even though we both have…,” what was the word she used? “…issues?” He’d find out what demons she battled—later. Right now, if she gave her consent, he was going to show her how good they could be together. “Please, don’t stop,” she whispered. He sunk to his knees, relief washing through him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he laid his head against her belly. Her bikini bottoms were still damp and he nuzzled his nose into them, inhaling her sweet, feminine scent. “Joe!” she gasped as he darted out his tongue and licked her. She was aroused. The scent of her desire clung to her swimsuit. He fixed his mouth over her and kissed her. Through the fabric, he could make out the swollen little nub that was her clit. Beth yelped. Salty, cool seawater filled his mouth, mingling with the subtle promise of her warm juices. He dragged the bikini over her hips, leaving her sweet, wet core exposed to him, and then took a minute to compose himself. All he could do was breathe heavily, inhaling her womanly fragrance as he took in what he had wanted for so long. She shuddered in his arms, quivered every time he exhaled, and he knew his hot breath teased her. A trickle of cream slid down her inner thigh, and he reached out with his tongue and licked away the telltale desire.

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“Mmm.” He left his lips on her so they would vibrate against her swollen flesh as he spoke. “You taste like sweet honey and liquid sex.” He wanted more, but in this position it was impossible. Whipping his shorts off, he lay them on the sand. “What are you doing?” Her voice was throaty and her eyes were glued to his dick. He couldn’t talk. Instead, he lifted her up and laid her down, her butt resting on his shorts. Her legs stretched before her and he nudged them apart, spreading them until her core glistened the sunlight. She squirmed and before his eyes, got wetter. Once again, he dropped to his knees. Clasping her hips, he leaned forward and swept his tongue over her folds, and then higher so he could taste her moisture and use it to lave her clit. Beth went wild. “Joe!” she screamed. “Oh my God. Joe.” She bucked her hips violently, pushing herself against his mouth, mimicking his movement. He pressed his tongue between her lips, licking her from the inside. Fuck—what this woman did to him. His groin tightened painfully. He couldn’t see her face. It didn’t matter; the screams of pleasure told him what he needed to know. Again and again he licked, sweeping his tongue over her and in her, thoroughly enjoying her wild, uninhibited response. This was the Beth he’d waited to see. This was the Beth he intended to lure out to play more often. This was the woman who would eventually share her secrets with him, so together they could resolve them—just like they’d resolve his. This was the Beth with whom he could build a future, a family. He sensed the tensing in her thighs and applied a little more pressure with his mouth. She screamed and twisted, ground down against him, her thighs squeezing his head. And then she shattered. When at last her spasms subsided—replaced by tiny tremors—and the wordless screams turned to unsteady panting, he gave her one final lick and stretched out next to her, smiling.

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“Perhaps, Bethy, that helped put our issues to rest?” Although her eyes were glazed, uncertainty flickered through them as she answered. “Perhaps, Joe. But I doubt it.”

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Chapter Four

The turquoise waters lapped gently against the side of the boat while the engine purred beneath her. Endless kilometers of blue ocean stretched before them, sprinkled with green clumps of islands. Beth lay on a hammock on the upper deck while Joe sat behind her at the helm, guiding the vessel. How she’d made it back to the boat earlier was beyond her. Every muscle in her body had loosened up to the point of dissolving. Even now, she trembled as she relived the soft, hot caresses. A man who could use his tongue like that deserved to be boxed and sold. No, a man who could use his tongue like that deserved to be rewarded. She’d accepted his mouth greedily, yet given nothing in return. Which didn’t seem fair. Perhaps she should bestow his reward on him now? As she climbed off the hammock, the battle raged inside her once again − basic instinct warred with common sense. Basic instinct said nothing. Words weren’t necessary when lust smoldered in her belly. Common sense spoke aloud, demanding she lie back down and forget about Joseph Bastion. Joe didn’t know about Gemma. Since Michael, Beth had made it a policy to keep her work and home lives separate. Sure, her personnel files mentioned her daughter and her contract allowed her to leave earlyif all her work was done. But aside from a couple of people in personnel, no-one else knew. Several times, in the early days, she’d been tempted to tell Joe about her. 30

In the end, her cautionary nature had got the better of her. Work was work and home was home. Joe was work. Gemma was home. She couldn’t mix the two. She headed downstairs to the bathroom. There was too much at stake for her to go to Joe. Not just her job, but Gemma as well. Finding work when she was pregnant had been a challenge, and working with a young baby had been virtually impossible. Fortunately, Gemma was now old enough for daycare and with the additional help from her parents, Beth could hold down a full-time job. A job she’d come to love in a very short time. The income, stability and stimulation were vital for her and her daughter. If she got involved with Joe, she could lose all of it. Once in the bathroom, she rummaged through a cupboard and found the box she’d noticed the night before. She didn’t question it, just took it and headed back upstairs. For months, common sense had dictated she stay away from Joe. Protect herself. Protect her daughter. For months she’d listened. Now instinct took over. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun, felt so free, or been so attracted to a man. Joe was irresistible and he made her feel like the sexiest woman on earth. Her body led the way; her legs took steps her mind warned against. He watched her approach, his gaze intense as it swept over her. It burned into her flesh, making her heart flutter and her stomach lurch. There was that look again. As threatened as she felt by it, she also found it compelling. She couldn’t drag her eyes away. Common sense, knowing it fought a losing battle, tried a new tactic. It insisted she voice her reservations, let Joe know what happened earlier was a mistake. A mistake that could ruin her life—for a second time. She took a deep breath. “Joseph, we need to talk.” Oh God, talking was the last thing she wanted to do. She was hyper-aware of the electric buzz snapping between them.

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Joe pulled back on the throttle and the boat slowed to a stop. He spun his chair around. “You have my full attention.” Where to begin? “This morning, on the beach? It shouldn’t have happened. It was…wrong.” Her voice was breathless. She had a hard time concentrating. He smiled, a slow sexy smile that melted her resistance. “Felt pretty right to me.” By God, it felt right to her, too. Right enough that she’d gladly bury his head between her legs now. “Please, you don’t understand. I have obligations and responsibilities at home that don’t allow for such…irresponsible behavior.” Yet here, on the boat, the borders were blurred. She had trouble classifying Joe as work. She had trouble classifying him as anything other than irresistible. Even as she spoke out loud, reminding herself of her obligations, her body refused to listen. She raised her arms and untied her bikini top, just like Joe had done earlier. It dropped to the floor with a soft whoosh. His eyes dilated. “We weren’t—” he cleared his throat “—irresponsible. Twice you had time to reconsider your actions.” The look on his face reached out to her, bore into her. “I let attraction get the better of me,” she admitted. “I couldn’t stop myself.” She had tried to stop. Silently yelled at herself to stop, but hadn’t been able to. Just like now. She couldn’t stop as she slid her bikini bottoms down her legs and kicked them off. “It can’t happen again.” His gaze dropped to her hips, his breathing deeper. “Not ever?” “Never.” Leaning forward, she placed an arm on either side of his chair. “Like I said, we both have issues.” “We can discuss them, sort them out. They don’t need to come between us.” He cupped a breast with his hand, kneaded it, and a slow moan slipped out as sensation ripped through her chest. “But they will, Joseph. I don’t know what you’re hiding, but I know there are…things I need to protect. If I sleep with you, I’ll be jeopardizing everything I

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worked so hard to achieve. Please, please understand. We can’t happen.” The last word came out as a squeak. As she said it, he reached between her legs. “No.” His voice was rough. “I don’t understand. We’re good together.” Moisture seeped from her as he thrummed her clit. “We have to try and maintain our professional relationship.” She could barely talk. “By professional, do you mean I can’t touch you like this?” His finger slid inside her and wreaked havoc with her logic. Common sense persisted, even as she heated to boiling point. “No. This definitely falls outside of the realms of a professional relationship.” She spread her legs a little wider, allowed him deeper access. “And I can’t kiss you either?” His mouth was close, so close his breath warmed her lips. “No kissing,” she confirmed. “It’s way too intimate.” She pressed her lips against his, hungry for his mouth. Crikey, the man could kiss. He turned her insides to jelly, her thoughts to mush. All she could focus on was the sweet flavor his mouth, the tantalizing expertise of his tongue, and the flames blazing between her legs. She clenched her muscles around his finger and groaned against the swirling sensation in her stomach. Wait! Instinct spoke at last. This wasn’t why she was here. She’d come to reward him for his efforts earlier. Not accept his gifts, again. With great reluctance, she pulled away and his finger slid out, leaving a hollow emptiness in its place. “I told you before. Kissing is off limits.” What was he thinking, what was going on behind that soulful gaze? Why did it make her want to take care of him? She knelt before him and tugged at the waistband of his shorts. “Considering all these restrictions you’re placing on our…relationship”—he lifted his butt up off the chair so she could pull his shorts off—“I guess a blowjob is completely out of the question.” 33

Free from the confines of his clothes, his dick sprung up proud between them. It was thick and hard, and a long vein pulsed under her gaze. She licked her lips in anticipation. “A blowjob is an absolute no-no.” Placing her mouth around his penis, she sucked gently and he swelled beneath her touch. “Well…,” he groaned. “I’m…glad we’ve… got that sorted out.” “Me too,” she replied with her mouth full, and sucked him in a little deeper. “Christ, that feels incredible.” He groaned again. Swirling her tongue around his tip, she tasted a few drops of salty pre-cum. “Mmm.” “So I…suppose…fucking you is…ah…forbidden too.” Reluctantly she released his dick, replacing her mouth with her hand. She looked him in the eyes while she worked her hand up and down and around. “You supposed right. Sleeping with me would only complicate things at work.” “If we let it.” He refused to drop her gaze. “It would happen.” She spoke with confidence. “That’s why I can’t touch you.” No matter how compelling his chocolate-brown eyes were, and no matter how much she wanted to stare into them forever, her mouth itched to taste him again. She dropped her head back down and licked him from his tip to his balls. She stopped there to draw first one testicle into her mouth and then the other. Above her he muttered incoherently and she devoured him—sliding her lips up and down his shaft, sweeping her tongue around him, using it to tickle his tip and his head. His loud groans encouraged her and she bobbed a little faster, sucked a little harder. The sound of his pleasure touched something deep within and a vacuum-like emptiness gripped her between her legs. The scenario could play itself out in one of three ways. She could finish him off now, suck him dry and swallow every last drop. She could protract his

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pleasure and add to her own. Or she could get up and walk away. End this absurd behavior. With a pop, she released his cock and stood up. “Bethy?” He sounded disoriented. “It’s important you understand that sex between us just wouldn’t be right.” She lifted the box she’d dropped beside his chair and removed a condom from it. “Oh yes, it would. Believe me.” “No.” She tore open the packet with her teeth. “It wouldn’t.” She rolled the condom over his shaft. “We can make it right,” he said as she placed a knee on either side of his lap, squeezing her legs between the chair arms and his thighs until she straddled him. “It’s unprofessional.” She positioned herself so her hypersensitive lips touched the head of his cock and arched her back, offering him her breast. He licked her nipple and she shuddered, causing vibrations all the way into her groin and through his. “We wouldn’t be able to work together.” She gyrated her hips once and he gasped as he penetrated her a little deeper. “Says who?” He pulled her nipple into his mouth and suckled. Heat shot through her. “Says me.” He didn’t seem to hear her. Common sense seemed to have floundered altogether. For a minute, Beth thought she heard it suggest that a different job may be more stimulating for her. Perhaps, it reasoned, it wouldn’t be so hard to give up the law firm and find something else. At least that way she could enjoy Joe without feeling guilty. “Joseph, look at me. We need to talk about this.” He released her nipple and looked into her eyes. “Do you…?” She lost track of what she wanted to say. His eyes were black with desire. “Do you, uh…?” She could barely breathe. His penis hadn’t moved

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any deeper, but it twitched and swelled, driving her nuts. Or maybe that was her swelling. She couldn’t tell. “Do I what, Bethy?” She shook her head, helpless. “I have no idea.” In one quick movement, he captured her hips with his hands and her mouth with his, and kissed her stupid. She gasped from the devastating impact of his lips. With a little help from his insistent hands, she pushed down, impaling herself on him. Had her mouth not been otherwise involved, she would have screamed at the exquisite torture. He was thick and long. He filled and stretched her, and for a moment, she thought he’d been created solely for her pleasure. She rose up and sat back down. Then she did it again and again. She couldn’t stop, because the sparks it—he—ignited were addictive. Blissful torment. Each joining a study of rapture, and an exercise in agony. He satisfied her completely and left her craving the ultimate release. As his strokes became more urgent, she moved a little faster. He urged her on, pushed her until she rode him in wild abandon. Not once did his mouth release hers. As he plunged into her, over and over again, he kissed her. As she started to tingle and shiver, their lips clung to each other. The tingling seemed to both spread out and grow more concentrated at the same time. Her muscles clenched around him and sensation took over. She moaned into his mouth as he tensed beneath her. He stilled for just a second before his orgasm ripped through his body, straight into hers, sending her over the edge. Violent tremors overwhelmed her and she gave in to them, climaxing on his lap. Their rapture was accompanied by the sound of her name echoing through the boat and across the still water.

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Chapter Five

Before the aftermath of their pleasure receded altogether, Joe lifted Beth and carried her to the hammock. He fully intended to get to the bottom of her ‘issues’. To hash out whatever worried her so they could move forward. Together. But the sight of her lush, round curves and glistening thighs had him hungering for her again, before he’d settled her in place. Instead of positioning himself beside her and holding her tenderly in his arms, he lay behind her and eased her legs apart. Far from objecting, she wriggled her butt invitingly and raised one leg. Paying careful attention to his actions so as not to jerk them both off the hammock, he grabbed another condom. Her body was warm and inviting, slippery from their lovemaking, and he glided in. This time around their coupling was slow, leisurely. Neither of them was in any hurry. She met every one of his languid thrusts with a lazy twist of her delectable behind. This time she didn’t argue, didn’t try to justify her reluctance. This time there was no reluctance. She sighed as his hand found her breast and caressed the taut nipple. Yes, they would talk. He would find out what triggered her reluctance. But not now. For now he just wanted to be with her, wanted to hold her and make love to her.

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This wasn’t just sex. Nothing as slow and as sensual as this could be defined as purely physical. Her contented purring and tranquil movements suggested she felt something for him. There was no way on earth she’d allow him this level of intimacy if all that existed between them was mutual attraction. “Joe…” she breathed as he pulled back and shifted, so he could drive in a little deeper. “Beth.” He nuzzled her neck, loving the way his name sounded on her tongue. Joe. She never called him that at work. And never in a voice rasped with passion. “Joe…” she whispered again. “Yeah?” Damn, just the sound of her voice had another rush of blood flooding his dick. She wriggled and squirmed, adjusting to his increasing size. “Is it just me or does it feel like we were made to fit together?” It happened again. Emotion churned in his chest and it took a few seconds before he could answer. “It’s not just you, Bethy.” The hollowness in his heart retreated further. He moved his hand down from her breast, found the tight little bud nestled between her legs, and stroked. She arched her back into his chest and mewled. Liquid heat spilled from her. “You just got wetter,” he growled. “Your touch just got hotter,” she groaned. He spread her cream over her clit, used it to increase her pleasure. “Joe….” She said his name again; only this time it was a low moan and her lazy rocking suddenly grew more forceful, more focused. His dick grew thicker, fuller, her heightened awareness increasing his own. “Show me how good my touch makes you feel,” he murmured in her ear. She pushed down on his cock, ground against his finger. “I was made to pleasure you,” he told her.

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She writhed against him and he stroked a little more firmly, thrust a little higher. He felt ready to burst, but he clamped down on the urgency. “Come on, Sweetheart, I want to feel those glorious shudders reverberate through your body.” She cried out wordlessly and began to shiver. Jesus, what this woman did to him. “That’s it, Bethy. Let go.” The shivers increased until full-blown shudders wracked her body. Her muscles clasped around him and she shattered. The hammock swung wildly from the intensity of her pleasure as wave upon wave of climax hit her. “Joe…” She sobbed in his arms. “Oh God, Joe!” Although his instinct was to buck wildly beneath the rapture, he held back, knowing his slightest movement would toss them both from their cozy nest. But he couldn’t stop his orgasm. It belted through him, wrenching out all he had to give. She clenched around his cock, milking him over and over again. When the tide of passion finally ebbed and rolled away, he lay behind her, holding her, secure in the knowledge that their relationship had just experienced a significant transformation. Beth was his. All he need do now was convince her of the fact.

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Chapter Six

One of life’s greatest pleasures, Beth thought as the sea swirled around her, was swimming naked. The freedom of cutting through the water was as close to connecting with the elements as she could get. Swimming nude with Joe took the experience to a different level. But then, her entire experience over the past four days had been on a different level. The time had passed in a blissful haze of sun, sex and laughter. They spent hours chatting about everything and anything. Even the silences between them were comfortable, natural. As if by mutual agreement, they’d chosen to avoid their issues in favor of harmony. Sweet, physical harmony. Hot, heavy harmony. Harmony in her cabin, and his. On the deck, in the galley, in the lounge, and even under the dining room table. She and Joe were completely alone, blissfully cut off from the rest of the world. Neither had seen or spoken to another person since leaving Hamilton Island. They were encapsulated in a paradise of their own making and Beth relished every second of it. Her gaze followed Joe’s finger. A turtle swam below them, close to the coral reef, unfazed by the two human snorkelers. When they resurfaced, she said, “Incredible. I’ve never been so close to a turtle before. I couldn’t stop staring.”

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“Neither could the turtle,” was Joe’s bland reply, his face straight as he spoke. “I don’t think he’s ever been so close to human breasts before.” She flicked water at him. “She wasn’t staring at my breasts. She was simply surprised at the human male’s ability to sustain an erection underwater for so long.” He shrugged, unabashed. “You’re naked. Of course I had an erection.” “You’re incorrigible.” She grinned and felt the stirring of excitement once again. “C’mon. Let’s get back on the boat. I’m starving.”For food and for him. They threw their snorkels and goggles on the deck, and Beth swam to the boat’s ladder and pulled herself up onto the second rung. Joe climbed up right behind her, his feet a step below hers. His arms brushed hers as he grabbed hold of the handrail. He was taller than her, so in this position they stood shoulder to shoulder. Water streamed from her hair as she turned her head and caught his eye. The heated expression on his face stopped her from climbing higher. Beth’s pulse shot up and her blood began to simmer. “Joe?” she said, her voice throaty with a sudden rush of desire. “Yeah,” he answered, the word loaded with a thousand unspoken promises. “You ever made love on a ladder before?” In response, he pressed his body against her until his chest lay flush against her back, his thighs touched hers, and his rigid erection pushed into the cheeks of her ass. “Never, Bethy.” He nuzzled her cheek. She arched her back into him and broadened her stance, so his cock slipped between her legs and came to rest snugly between her thighs. “Me neither,” she breathed, “but there’s a first time for everything.” Joe growled in her ear. “No condom.” “No need.”Beth rubbed herself along the length of his erection and trembled at the exquisite torture. “I’m on the pill.”Thank God for that. Already she was so

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aroused she doubted she could wait for either of them to make a mad dash for the bathroom cupboard. At least she had Michael to thank for something. The belated good sense to use birth control all the time. He shuddered behind her and dragged in a deep breath. He felt it too, the urgency, the need, the pressure to come together as one. “And you’ve waited this long to tell me?” It wasn’t just about pregnancy. “There are other risks…” It was his turn to rub against her and he did so, sliding himself against her lips, wet with her own juices and excitement. “Not with me, Bethy. I swear it.”He pressed harder against her, trapping her completely between his body and the ladder. Her breasts pushed against a step, and the contrast of the cold aluminum against her nipples and the warm flesh against her back had her shaking with hunger. She nodded, even as longing engulfed her. ”I swear it too.” Joe‘s answer was a wordless groan. Behind her, he shifted and twisted, and Beth whimpered in relief, knowing the interminable wait was over. And then he was pushing into her, sliding through her waiting warmth, invading her body with every delicious inch he had to give. Suspended between the boat and the sea, with the sun warm on her shoulders and cool water splashing against her calves, she opened herself to him, greedily accepting everything he offered. His arms tensed and his fists turned white as he gripped the handrail. She trusted him completely, knew she was safe, so even when she bucked back into him, Joe’s strength kept them both firmly grounded on the steps. It didn’t take long. The new sensation of his bare skin touching her so intimately, stroking her with no barriers, sent tendrils of pleasure and satisfaction curling through her body. The shudders started in her core and then spread out, fast, blinding her with exquisite rapture. Joe tensed behind her, inside her. For less than a second. And then he gasped and exploded.

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She could feel it. Feel his release as it burst from him, spraying deep inside her. Her shudders turned to full-blown convulsions and together they came, sharing the most private of pleasures in the most unusual of places. When it was over, and her legs had stopped shaking, they scrambled up onto the boat, and shared a long, salty kiss. A kiss borne of desire, familiarity and content. A lover’s kiss. That’s what he was: her lover. As hard as she had tried to avoid reaching this point, their coming together was inevitable. Especially after she elected to remain on the boat. In all likelihood, it was the very reason she stayed. She’d given up the fight. The mutual attraction overpowered her. She didn’t regret the course their relationship had taken. Couldn’t. She felt too happy. But things were about to take another major turn. Beth had made a decision. She was finally going to speak honestly with Joe. It was time to tell him why she’d been so reluctant to get involved with him. It was time to speak about Gemma. A daughter wasn’t the kind of secret one could hide indefinitely. Besides, she didn’t want to hide Gemma. She was her reason for living. If Joe would be prepared to get to know her child, to give them both a chance, perhaps their relationship could blossom into something more than fantastic sex in a tropical paradise. Perhaps they could have a real relationship, in the real world. If he wasn’t interested in Gemma, Beth could cut her losses immediately and end their affair. Before she let herself fall in love with him. Perhaps leaving Joe and the firm behind wouldn’t be so terrible. Perhaps there was another job out there waiting for her, a job she’d learn to love as much as she loved this one. She had made her peace with the decision to sleep with Joe. If it cost her, her job, so be it. She’d survived before, she could do it again. While she fixed sandwiches for lunch, she pondered what to say. There was no more avoiding the issue. Not if she wanted their relationship to progress any further. The question was; how would she broach the subject?

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“I thought we’d do something different tonight,” Joe said as they ate in the sunshine on the upper deck. She smiled. “You mean we might actually get some sleep?” “Not a chance.” He grinned back at her. “I mean, we’re close to Hayman Island. I took the liberty of radioing ahead and booked us a suite for the night.” “Hayman Island?” She raised an eyebrow. It was every lover’s dream destination. A luxurious hotel on a secluded island. Oh, she could so see herself spending a night there with Joe. Except for the prohibitive cost. She frowned. “Joe, it does sound wonderful, but I…” Shit, this was awkward. “I can’t afford to stay in a hotel like that.” “Bethy, you deserve to be pampered. To spend a night in a fancy hotel, with an adoring man at your feet. Please. Accept tonight as my gift to you. To both of us.” There was no arrogance in his voice, just a sincere request to spend some time together. She relaxed back into her seat. “Thank you, Joe. I…I’d love to.” They shared a tender smile and Beth felt connected to him in a way she’d never felt connected to a man before. “You like the good life, don’t you?” she teased. He nodded. “I’ve learned to.” “Learned to? You mean you haven’t always lived like a king?” His eyes clouded over and filled with an intense longing. She sensed his sudden sadness as tangibly as if he’d wrapped her in it. “Joe, did I say something wrong? Are you okay?” “No, Bethy. I haven’t always lived like a king.” He checked his watch and stood up. “Tonight I’ll tell you about my life before I met you. Right now, if we’re going to make it to Hayman before sunset, we’d best get moving.” He

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winked then, his humor restored. “Besides, I have a confession to make, and I’m not making it until we get to the hotel.” “I’m still not sure why you want me to do this.” Beth lay on the bed in the world’s most romantic hotel suite, wearing nothing but the nightshirt and dressing gown Joe had insisted she bring along. He leaned against the doorframe, regarding her with eyes so darkened by desire she couldn’t tell where his pupils ended and his irises began. “I told you. I have a confession to make and this is the only way I know how.” “Okay.” The look on his face made her smolder. Whatever the confession, it was making him hot, and watching him getting turned on was very, very arousing. Her nipples tightened beneath the silky nightgown. “Undo your robe,” he said. She did, allowing it to fall open. “Now—” He faltered, cleared his throat and tried again. “Push your nightie up over your breasts.” His rough voice had her liquefying as she followed his instructions. His eyes devoured her almost naked form. “Christ, you’re beautiful.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the action. “And wet.” His erection grew a little prouder. She moved her leg a little, offering him a better view. “So wet,” he muttered. “Just like the other night.” “What night?” Her gaze was fixed on his cock, her mouth watering with the desire to taste him. But he was too far away and wasn’t making any effort to get closer. “The night I found you lying just like this, on the yacht.” Her heart began to pound. “Only your hands weren’t resting on your stomach.” Oh…God!

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“One was on your breast and the other was between your legs.” He’d seen her. Heat flooded her cheeks. “I heard you call my name,” he explained. “Your door was ajar, so I pushed it open.” He swallowed hard and groaned. “But you weren’t calling me. You were moaning my name.” He looked awed. “While you touched yourself.” She was mortified. He caught her eye. “Bethy, don’t be embarrassed.” Embarrassed? She was dying. “It was the sexiest thing I ever saw.” Was it? “It made me so stiff I couldn’t walk. Couldn’t breathe.” “It did?” “You have no idea. After, when I went back to my cabin, I jerked off three times in an hour.” “Really?” A spark flared in her belly as she pictured him in his cabin. “Really.” His eyes were back on her hands. “Touch yourself, Beth.” She hesitated, not sure she could do it. “Please.” The hot look in his eyes did her in and she inched her hand down, until she touched the slick folds of her femininity. She watched his face the entire time, saw the hunger in his gaze. A flame ignited in her belly. She drew her finger over her clit and jerked at the exhilarating sensation. “Joe….” His strangled gasp made her groan out loud. “I’m here, Bethy. I’m watching you.” “What do you want me to do?” “Pleasure yourself.” She circled her bud and sucked in her breath. “What about you?”

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“Believe me when I say I’m getting my pleasure from watching you.” He was. His dick was huge, pulsing. She fixed her gaze on it as she caressed herself. “If you carry on staring at me like that, I won’t last another minute.” “Good. Because I’m not sure I’m going to last much longer than that.” His words flowed over her, branding her like his kisses did. She circled her finger a little faster, felt the pressure build beneath her touch. His gaze fastened on her hand. He panted and palmed his dick. Oh, sweet lord. The very action made her hotter, more aroused. “Do it, Beth,” he ordered. “Make yourself come.” She did. Her orgasm spilled over her, tiny ripples of pleasure undulating through her. “Joe,” she gasped. “It’s you. It’s all you. You make me so hot, so horny.” “Jesus, Bethy.” His voice was tortured. “Come here,” she demanded though her haze of pleasure. “Beth….” “Now, Joe. I need you now.” As good as she felt, she was incomplete. “Make love to me, Joe. Please.” He was there, on the bed with her, filling her. His cock, his glorious, swollen cock, was in her, taking her on the journey they’d begun four days ago. He was taking her to paradise. It didn’t last long, a few frenzied strokes and she convulsed again. This time the rapture was complete. This time, Joe came with her. She loved him. She had to. There was no way she could ever do what she’d just done with a man she didn’t love. She’d exposed herself, pleasured herself, and relished every single minute of it. More than loving him, she trusted him. Implicitly. If she didn’t, she’d be feeling very vulnerable right now. Instead, she felt cherished, satisfied and extremely happy.

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She snuggled into his chest and ran her fingers over the grooves of his pectoral muscles. It was almost time to tell him how she felt. Almost. First she had to clear up a few things. “It’s your turn.” “For what?” His voice was drowsy and delicious. “To expose yourself.” “You want me to jerk off in front of you?” he asked with a quirky smile. “No.” She considered the idea. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I meant. I’d like to hear about your life…before you met me.” He tensed beneath her hand. “You sure you want to know?” “Positive. Tell me what you’re hiding behind that secretive gaze of yours.” She hungered to know everything about him. He pushed himself up and leaned back against the headboard. “It’s not pretty.” She sat up too. “I can take it.” He stared straight ahead for a long moment. Then he nodded, a grave expression on his face. “When I was five, my mother abandoned me. I’m the proverbial baby in the basket, left on the steps of a church.” Beth blanched. “Dear God!” “They found my mother a couple of days later. Dead. She died of a massive drug overdose. The autopsy could not determine whether it was accidental or suicide.” His tone was bland and he held his spine ramrod straight, tension rippling through the muscle in his shoulders. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to not moan out loud at his tragic circumstances. “What…what about your father? Where was he?” She searched for some sanity within the unfolding madness that was his childhood. He shrugged. “My birth certificate registers him as Unknown.” So who did he have to turn to? “Grandparents? Aunts and uncles?” Surely there was someone?

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“My mother was an only child and my grandparents were both dead. I never met them.” Tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t blink them away. “Then…then who looked after you? Where did you live?” She needn’t have asked. Joe specialized in family law. Through working in his department she knew what happened to children in his situation. They became wards of the State. “Foster care. I lived in three foster homes in total.” All her life she’d taken her parents and brothers for granted. Assumed their love was standard issue for any child. Yeah, she’d seen some bad things at work —dysfunctional families, families in crisis, sick families. But everything she’d seen had happened to Joe’s clients, to people she had no connection with. Bad things did not happen to people she cared about. Yet very bad things had happened to Joe. No wonder her earlier comment had evoked the response in him that it did. “I’m so sorry, Joe. My comment earlier, about you living like a king was thoughtless.” She felt awful, tactless. He shrugged. “You couldn’t have known, Bethy. Besides, I never starved. There was always a hot meal on the table. Clothes on my back.” “But it wasn’t enough.” How could it have possibly been enough? “The homes? What were they like?” “Mostly decent. The foster parents were good enough people, but they weren’t my family.” Joe had grown up with loneliness and solitude. Beth’s throat clogged and she swallowed down hard, determined not to cry no matter how much her heart ached for him. “You’ve never known a real family?” “Not until I was fourteen, no.” “What happened then?” “I met Simon.”

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Simon Sieves, Joe’s partner in the firm. He spoke often of Simon. Beth knew he was more than just a business partner. He was a close friend too. He smiled for the first time. “He introduced me to a real family. Made me a part of his.” “He did?” Beth was surprised. Not knowing him well, she’d always perceived Simon as quite a formidable character. “I met him in high school. He was my first real friend.” “Your first friend?” The thought of a teenage boy not having friends had her dumbstruck. He shrugged. “It’s hard making friends when you can’t trust anyone to hang around.” Beth turned cold. Christ, no child deserved that. Joe didn’t deserve that. He should have been surrounded by friends and family. He should have been loved. “Simon must have really liked me. He hung around, refusing to accept any of my usual crap. Neither would his parents. About a year after we became friends, the Sieves put in an application to become foster parents. I went to live with them when I was fourteen. They’re the only real family I’ve known.” She’d heard him say Simon was like a brother to him, but had always assumed he’d spoken metaphorically. He hadn’t. Simon Sieves was like a brother to him. Thank God! Beth’s fingers began to prickle. She released the sheet she clutched in a death grip and took his hand in her own. It wasn’t enough. She needed to hold him, to comfort him. Moving his hand to her shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his neck and curled onto his lap. He had lost ten years of a family’s love. Probably more. She couldn’t make up for those lost years, but at least she could hold him, encompass him in her love. He folded his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. Joe stroked her hair and for the longest time they sat together, neither one speaking.

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Then she pulled her face away slowly. She placed her hand on his cheek, compelling him to look into her eyes. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know it can’t have been easy.” His face was deadly serious as he answered. “I had a reason for telling you.” “You did?” “Yeah, Bethy.” He nodded and nuzzled his cheek against the palm of her hand. “I want you to understand how important family is to me. How much having a family of my own means.” She knew her eyes were bright with unshed tears when she answered. “How could I not understand? You crave the very thing you were deprived of.” He nodded. “I need to be surrounded by children—my children. I need the security of having a wife and a family all of my own.” Of course he did. More than anyone, he deserved a family of his own. One he could love and be loved by. “Beth, I want you to start that family with me.” She gasped out loud, staggered. She would have dropped her hand, but he covered it with his, holding it to his face. “I love you, Beth. I have since your first day at the office. I’ve spent my whole life searching for the right woman. The woman who would understand me, who would know why I need to be surrounded by family. The minute I saw you, I knew you were that person.” There was no holding back the tears now, no clamping down on that lump in her throat. She started to cry. “I love you too, Joe. I think I fell in love with you that same day. But I’m only just admitting it to myself.” “Christ, woman!” He hauled her against him and held her so tight she could barely breathe. “What were you thinking, freezing me out like that? All that wasted time.” He growled, his frustration audible in the sound and in the shudder that wracked his body. “We could have been married by now. We could

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have been well on our way to starting that family. Our very own family.” His voice cracked. And just like that Beth’s heart snapped in two. For one moment she’d let herself get caught up in his dream, his fantasy. She’d imagined herself married to Joe, the two of them sharing their family. It was the happiest moment of her life. The most perfect. But it wasn’t real. She couldn’t give Joe what he wanted: a family of his own. She already had a family. She had a child and Joe was not Gemma’s father. Michael was. The disappointment was crushing. It squeezed the air out of her lungs and the strength out of her legs. To have heaven offered to her on a silver platter and then whipped away was excruciating. Beth tried to shake off the sense of foreboding that overcame her. Shit. Why did she always have to fall for the impossible ones, the ones she couldn’t have? “No, Joe. We couldn’t have.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I’ve really screwed things up for both of us. I should never, ever have gotten involved with you. Right from the start I tried to warn you. Warn myself. But I didn’t listen. I didn’t want to.” She stared at him, helpless. She still didn’t want to listen. All she wanted was to press her lips to his, feel his hands on her breasts and her hips beneath his. Even now, when her world was falling apart for the second time, all she wanted to do was take him in her arms and love him. But she couldn’t. Not anymore. “Okay, enough.” Joe suddenly lost his cool. “I’m tired of the riddles. I’m tired of hearing about these huge issues. If there’s a problem, tell me what it is.” Well, she’d waited for the right opportunity to introduce Gemma…. She took a deep, fortifying breath. “I can’t give you a family of your own. I already have a family, a child! A daughter named Gemma.” Joe’s face dropped. His mouth gaped open and his eyes glazed over. “What?”

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She tried to explain. “Four years ago, I had an…affair”—she spat the word out—“with my boss. A couple of months after I started seeing him, he told me he was married. I left him immediately. I left my job as well because I couldn’t bear to be in his company everyday. Then I discovered I was pregnant.” Joe stared at her as though her words were incomprehensible. A tight fist grasped her heart and squeezed out any hope she might have had. “Your dream to have your own family? God knows I would love to share it with you. I would dearly love to be the one to start that family. But I can’t give you what you need, Joe, because I already have a family.” He said nothing, just stared. “My child already—” She tripped over the words. “Already has a father, and its not you.” Sweet Lord, she wished it was. Any child would be blessed to have Joe as a father. Gemma would be blessed. Instead, she was landed with Michael. “You have a daughter.” He shook his head, disbelief etched in his face. “She’s three and she’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Joe would have been the second best, but there was no point telling him that now. From his expression, she could see that she’d crushed all his fantasies about her. She was not who he thought she was. She could never give him what he wanted. Already he must be thinking of ways to move on, to find a more appropriate partner. “Lucky bastard.” “Who?” “Gemma’s father.” “Not lucky,” Beth corrected. “Just bastard. He’s never acknowledged his daughter.” A cloud of thunder rolled over Joe’s face, and for a minute, he looked so furious he shook.

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Then something totally unexpected happened. A kind of calm settled over him and he smiled. A huge, exultant smile. A smile so at odds with the desolation in her chest, she thought she might be hallucinating. “Okay then.” “Okay what?” She was bewildered; this was not the response she expected. “Okay then, it’s all good.” “What’s all good?” Hadn’t he heard a single thing she’d said? She’d just taken all his dreams, all the hopes he’d pinned on her, and crushed them. “Everything.” He leaned forward, planted a jubilant kiss on her forehead, and stood up. “I’m going to hop in the shower. You might want to join me because once I come back, I’m not letting you out of this bed again until morning.”

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Chapter Seven

Had the man completely lost his mind? Had he not heard one word she’d said? She’d fully expected him to tell her to pack her bags and leave, not prepare for another night of hot sex. A rush of water hit the floor as Joe turned on the shower, muffling his whistles on the other side of the door. She threw that very door open and stepped into the bathroom. “Joe?” He didn’t hear her, and for a moment, she just stared at the frameless glass shower. His back was to her and the sleek muscles in his shoulders and arms shifted as he shampooed his hair. Water streaked down his back and over his butt, molding his legs before slipping onto the shower floor and down the drain. He was beautiful. When she found her voice, she called his name again, this time loud enough so he heard. He turned around to her and smiled the broadest, happiest smile she’d ever seen. What the hell was going on with him? He pushed open the door. “You coming to shower?” That hadn’t been her intention, but she wasn’t about to scream above the noise of the spray and the glass partition. She stepped into the cubicle and was immediately caught in a cascade of hot water.

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Now that she faced him, she wasn’t exactly sure what to say. “Uh, are you okay?” He grinned. “Never been better.” “I don’t understand. I thought you’d be…upset.” Upset? She’d thought he’d be distraught. Had she misread his feelings completely? Was he not that interested in her after all? Then why the declaration of love? Why the confession that he’d picked her to start a family? It didn’t make sense. “Why would I be upset?” His face was anything but. In fact, his eyes twinkled. “Because I just destroyed all your carefully-laid plans.” “You did? How?” “Joe! Can you please stop being so obtuse. I just told you I have a daughter, from another man, and you’re…I don’t know—elated for some reason.” “I am.” He grinned again. “I’m on a high.” “Because I can’t give you what you want?” “No, Bethy.” He took her by the waist and lifted her up. “Because you can give me more than that.” She grabbed onto his shoulders for balance. “What are you talking about?” “Don’t you see? You can give me the one thing I’ve wanted my whole life. You can give me a family. I don’t even have to wait the usual nine months to start one. You already have a daughter, a child whose father won’t acknowledge her.” His eyes sobered. “If you’ll have me, and if your daughter will have me, I promise to be the best father I could be to Gemma.” He lowered her feet back to the ground, but did not release her. She left her hands on his shoulders. “But biologically she’s not yours. She never will be. Doesn’t that bother you?” She stared into his eyes, trying to determine if he truly was as jubilant as he claimed.

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Oh, there was jubilation in his eyes alright. There was also fear and longing. On the one hand, he was excited by her news. On the other hand he was terrified. Of what? Rejection? “Biologically, I was my mother’s. That didn’t stop her from abandoning me. Biologically, I was not a Sieve. That didn’t stop them from taking me in and making me a part of their family. That doesn’t mean I don’t see them as the closest thing to parents and a sibling I ever had. I love them. They love me. They became my family. If you and Gemma give me half a chance, you could become my family, too.” It was her turn to gape. She assumed he wanted his own biological family. Yet, as far as Joe was concerned, a family didn’t have to have the same genes. A family had to have strong emotional connections and ties. It had to have love. He loved her. She didn’t doubt it for a second. The love shone from his eyes and pierced every pore in her skin, penetrated every nerve ending. Joe loved her and she loved him. She had no doubt Gemma would fall in love with him, too. She’d seen the way Joe acted around the kids who came in to the office. They were all crazy about him. If he loved her and if he could love Gemma, they could be a family. They really could be a family. “You mean it, don’t you?” she asked in wonder. The dream that had fallen in shreds at her feet not ten minutes ago was suddenly real again. “You honestly think we can be a family?” “Bethy, not only do I think it, I pray you’ll give me the chance to prove it. Let me meet Gemma. Let me show you that if I can love you, I can love your daughter too.” She smiled, reflecting the jubilation she’d seen in his face. “Of course I’ll give you the chance. There’s only one thing that would make me happier than introducing you to my daughter.” She rubbed the tip of her nose against the tip of his. “Introducing you to the world as my daughter’s father.”

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In a flash he backed her against the wall and lifted her up again. “Joe?” The cool glass against her spine, his warm, wet flesh pressing into her breasts and the hot spray of water cascading over both of them, combined with the tantalizing rigidity of his hard cock between her thighs threw her into sensory overload. She could hardly think straight. “I have to take full advantage of this time. With the huge family we’re going to have, it’ll be our last holiday alone for a very long time. Now wrap your legs around my waist.” She did as he requested and his cock pressed against her sensitized lips. “Do it,” she urged as flames licked at her belly. “Show me heaven. Take me all the way to paradise—just like you promised.” And then he kissed her. The last thing she saw before his mouth consumed hers and their bodies melded was the tiny scrap of fear and yearning in his eyes flicker and vanish.

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Thank you for your purchase of Visiting Paradise by Jess Dee. If you enjoyed this story you may want to pick up the original anthology this was released in — Boys Down Under. Please stop by our website www.AspenMountainPress.com and take a look at our other releases. While you are there, be sure to join our newsletter and stay up-to-date on reviews, new releases, specials, contests and more.

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