Chapter Twenty-Nine
Twilight began to descend around them like an indigo curtain, while in contrast the party atmosphere rose considerably with the arrival of a swing band.
The bride and groom had their first dance, and cut their pink tiered cake, which was taller than Hannah – Ellie snapped some photos and sent them to her.
Everyone ate and drank, the tables mixing and mingling with an easy and exuberant mood that made Ellie drunk with possibility.
Here, everyone was equal; there were no self-centred divas – she imagined the Kings would refuse to be close friends with anyone like that anyway.
Instead, a world-renowned singer was prodded to sing a ballad, while an Oscar-winning actor played the guitar.
The crowd and singer laughed good-naturedly when he missed a chord.
‘Shall we go for a walk?’ Alex asked huskily and a tingle of awareness ran down her spine as he offered her his hand. He was incredibly dashing when he wanted to be.
Ellie could do with a change of scene. The party was lovely, but also a little overwhelming with so many famous faces. She was sure she’d bumped into a rock star coming out of the loo just now.
They walked down to the beach, the water glistening in the moonlight. The lapping of the waves grew louder as the sounds of the party faded. Alex’s warm hand wrapped around hers, his thumb idly stroking her skin in a loving caress.
Ellie sighed, wondering how she’d feel when she returned to the city noise of car horns, millions of people and trains.
The island was beautiful, but also unreal. Like she was living in a dream that would inevitably end. She didn’t want it to – not because she didn’t want to leave this island; she was resigned to that fate. Besides, her colleagues and patients needed her, her family needed her.
Most of all, she didn’t want to lose Alex. Her chest became tight when she thought of life without him, even as she worried if she could keep up with this facade. Reality and dreams were blurring into one, and she was afraid she would lose herself.
Alex’s behaviour over the last couple of days – especially in front of his family – had made it seem like his feelings were, at least partially, real. Ellie was worried that he was beginning to believe his own lies – after all, he’d said that was how he’d fallen into the relationship with Savannah.
She sank down to sit on the sand. ‘This has been the best holiday of my life. I’m going to be so sad when it’s over.’
Alex plopped down next to her. ‘It doesn’t have to end.’
‘All holidays end. You can’t hide from the real world for ever.’
‘This is my real world. It could be yours too, if you wanted it to be.’ His hand reached for hers, the brush of his thumb a seductive promise.
The moon was so bright and so low she wondered if she could reach out and take it from the sky as a memento of this whole experience.
She allowed herself the pleasure of staring at Alex.
Admiring his black hair shifting in the gentle breeze like a raven’s feathers, she reached out and stroked it away from his eyes.
She couldn’t decide if she preferred him wearing contacts like today, or with glasses.
His face turned to hers and she smiled. She didn’t want the moon, she wanted Alex, and both seemed within her grasp in this magical moment.
She leaned forward and pressed her cool lips to his heated mouth. A reckless question as well as a kiss.
‘You’re breaking your own rules, Ellie.’
‘Should I stop?’
‘God, no, I couldn’t bear it.’ His hands swept into her hair as he pushed against her, rocking her onto her back into the warm sand beneath. His mouth, hips and chest pressed against hers in a strength of desire that she found thrilling and she returned his passion wholeheartedly.
Drunk on Alex’s kiss, she didn’t hear the commotion to the side until he pulled away from her. Bleary-eyed, she followed his gaze to the rest of the guests making their way to the specially chartered speedboat that would be taking Savannah and Liam to their honeymoon island.
‘Should we go and say goodbye?’ asked Ellie, her breath ragged.
His lips glistened in the moonlight, wet from their kiss.
‘They won’t miss us.’ With a quick glance to the intruding guests, Alex took her hand, pulled her to her feet and led her deeper into the shadows of the gardens towards the house.
A bird flew between the foliage, causing Ellie to jump with fright, scared it might be one of the guests stumbling upon them.
Which was ridiculous – they’d been (fake) dating this whole time. Who would care if they found them walking alone in the gardens? Still, Ellie couldn’t shake the fear that he was secretly embarrassed by her, wanted to hide her away, like some guilty pleasure.
A cool breeze made her shiver and she stopped, letting go of his hand.
‘Maybe this is a mistake… The wedding, the romantic setting, maybe we’re getting a bit too carried away.
’ She wrapped her arms around herself. The ferns that looked so beautiful in the light of day were suddenly black serrated blades in the dark, poised to strike at any moment.
He shifted towards her, and she swallowed the sudden dryness in her throat.
She stepped backwards, but he kept coming.
His arms came up, caging her against a palm tree as he pressed his body into hers, surrounding her with his heat, his broad shoulders blocking out the lights of the stars and the party.
Cautious thoughts scattered like half-remembered dreams into the tropical night.
‘There’s nothing wrong with romance,’ he whispered against her lips, his voice rough and deep. ‘I’ve been going crazy for days wanting you, needing you. Thinking about every way I want to make love to you.’
He kissed her deeply and she clung to him as if he were her anchor to this world.
His hands gripped her hips as he pressed himself against her.
The hard length of his erection rubbed against her inner thighs and she moaned into his mouth, desperate for more.
More of his passion, his weight, his words.
More of everything. What did it matter if it didn’t last?
At least she would have these memories to treasure.
‘Well, I am on holiday,’ she managed to gasp out between kisses. It was a happy surrender though; she had never craved anything more in her life than Alex’s sexy voice and drugging kisses. With dizzying speed, he threw off his linen jacket, as if he couldn’t bear the fabric separating them.
She took a step back, breathless, her naked back pressing against the rough trunk of the palm swooping above their heads.
‘I’ve wanted to do this for so long,’ he groaned, his breath coming out in hot pants against her neck as she tugged at his trousers and his hands traced up her thighs.
Their fingers fumbled in the darkness, pulling at buttons and ties, impatient for heated flesh to meet with heated flesh. A small, vulnerable part of Ellie was grateful for the darkness; she could allow herself to drown in the sensation of Alex’s body claiming hers without fear.
The clouds rolled away from the moon and a pool of silvery light opened around them. She had one curvaceous thigh wrapped around his waist, her skirt indecently hitched around her hips and her halter-neck undone, exposing the globes of her breasts.
Had the moon shone a light on her faults to punish her for daring to reach for the stars?
Flinching, she pushed away from him, covering her breasts with both arms, and turned away from him.
The same burning humiliation she’d felt after the lido incident the other day rushed through her.
Fear churned with self-doubt, becoming something darker and crueller.
He’d said security was always watching, were they watching her now, laughing at her?
‘Don’t.’ Alex’s voice was gruff, raw. Carefully, he pulled her arms away. ‘Don’t hide yourself from me. You look gorgeous in your dress. You’re beautiful.’
‘Are there security cameras here?’
‘No, not here,’ he reassured her.
Unwrapping her slowly, he eased the dress down her body and over her hips to puddle on the ground.
She fought the urge to suck in her belly or make a joke. A part of her needed to know if he really meant what he said. He took a step closer and stared at her hard. Black dilated pupils shone in the moonlight, and his breathing was ragged.
A male huff of pleasure was enough to get her pulse back into racing gear. ‘Gorgeous… you look even better out of your dress. Christ, that was worth the wait.’
One hand went to the curve of her waist, the other tentatively reached and then cupped one large breast. His thumb smoothed over the tight bud of her nipple and she bit her bottom lip to stop herself crying out from the shuddering pleasure of it.
She’d never wanted a man so badly in her life.
Heat radiated from the palm of his hand as it lowered from the dip of her waist to the flare of her hip. His thumb snagged under the band of her lace knickers and he tested the elastic with a light tug.
‘You’re so fucking sexy,’ he growled against her lips, gloriously carnal and filling her with powerful feminine confidence.
He pulled her close, reaching around to her bottom and squeezing it gently.
The hard jut of his erection pressed against her groin and she moaned.
She adjusted her legs slightly to press him closer to her core, but wobbled precariously.
Belatedly, she realised she was still wearing her heels, her knickers and nothing else.
Despite the unsteadiness of her heels, she knew she was safe in Alex’s arms. Cupping the sides of his face, she pulled him down towards her for a brief, passionate kiss that made her toes curl.
Panting, she pushed him gently away. ‘Your turn. I want to see your body now,’ she said, her voice a husky promise.
She took her time unbuttoning his shirt, delighting in how his tense muscles twitched with every brush of her fingers, how his heart thundered beneath her touch and a moan slipped between his lips when she grazed his nipple.
Once she was done, she trailed her palms up his torso, from the dusting of rough hair in the centre of his stomach up to the broad plates of his chest.
Her core clenched with arousal. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, and that was the greatest aphrodisiac of all time.
She pushed the shirt over the peaks of his wide shoulders and the fabric slumped down in heavy folds to gather at his wrists.
‘You’re so lush,’ she sighed, her fingers scoring lightly down his chest.
Alex chuckled, the sounds strained, and there was a rustling sound as he shook off the sleeves of his shirt. ‘Lie down. I can’t wait any longer.’
An irrational blush burned her cheeks. This wasn’t the first time she’d been with a man.
This wasn’t even her first attempt at casual sex; not that she would describe this as casual – spontaneous, yes, but not casual.
Sex had never been casual for her, and that was part of the problem.
But she’d never felt so vulnerable or so excited in her life, and she knew that, if she lay down and surrendered to the moment, there would be no going back.
As she lay down on his clothes, she kicked off her heels. Alex lowered himself over her, taking the brunt of his weight on his thick arms. Her hands glided up them, revelling in the knots and cords of his muscles.
Alex wasn’t just muscular, he was solid, stocky, huge. The fine dusting of his dark body hair tickled her skin and, unable to resist, she buried her nose in the gorgeous sandalwood smell of him, licked and mouthed at his skin, desperate to feel him on her tongue.
One of his hands smoothed down her leg, and began to stroke behind her knee, and she gasped in surprise as goosebumps sizzled up her thigh.
Who would have thought that was an erogenous zone?
Or maybe it was simply because she was with Alex, and her entire body was naturally sensitive to his touch.
She squirmed beneath him and with a harsh groan he pressed his hips against hers and silenced her movements with the weight of his desire.
She moaned in pleasure, her body having just enough common sense left to spread her legs wider in welcome.
Alex cursed under his breath and began kissing her with furious need, his lips sweeping down her neck and latching onto her nipple.
After he’d sucked it into a stiff peak, he moved his dark head to bathe the other nipple in similar affection.
Ellie was lost in sensation as she ran her hands through his hair and rubbed her aching body against the ridge of him with longing.
‘More,’ she whispered in a daze.
His head dipped lower and she bit her lip in anticipation.
Strong rough fingers wrapped around the black lace of her underwear and pulled.
She raised her hips to help him, not caring any more about her stupid hangups and insecurities.
Only that she needed whatever intense pleasure he could give her.
The lace scratched lightly down her thighs and calves until he was able to slip off the scrap of fabric and toss it aside. His blue eyes caught in the moonlight, a smug smile on his handsome face.
He lowered his head to her leg, kissing his way to that special spot he’d found behind her knee, and she jerked a little at the overwhelming sensitivity of his tongue as it swirled over her skin.
When she was panting with needy moans, he moved higher, licking and teasing the inside of her thigh until she thought she couldn’t take it any more.
‘Please,’ she uttered on a guttural moan.
He took pity on her, moving his head and shoulders between her thighs.
Easing her legs wider with a nudge of his arms, she complied eagerly and draped her thick thighs over his equally thick shoulders.
He laved his tongue against her clitoris with eager abandon, her hips pressing against him with each swirl of his mouth.
She was so ready for him she cried out in pleasure the first time his tongue dipped inside her. He gave a satisfied chuckle and kept moving with an enthusiasm she found liberating.
In only a handful of moments, she was riding wave after shattering wave of climax. Shocked by the force of her release, she cried out again, her hand gripping his hair and tugging him closer as the tension within her burst into a thousand falling stars behind her eyes.
Afterwards, she was nothing more than a boneless pool of satisfaction, her skin still tingling and her heart still racing.
Never had it been like this.
Never.