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When Zane had first taken her out on his yacht she had been extremely impressed. He had proudly told her that at sixty-four feet long and weighing twenty-eight tonnes it was the top of its range. The decks were teak and extremely spacious, the cockpit vast, and below, besides four double berths, was a saloon with sumptuous white leather seating. And the galley was to die for. ‘Not that I do any cooking myself,’ he had explained when she had gone into raptures. ‘I have two crew members who do everything. It’s used mainly for corporate entertaining, but I thought it might be fun to bring it out here and make use of it.’
And they had certainly done that!
And today they were out on it again.
‘I thought,’ said Zane, as they sunbathed on one of the decks, ‘that we might stay out for the night. Have you ever been on the water at night with no land in sight? Where a canopy of stars is your whole world? It’s a truly remarkable experience. Will you share it with me?’
What could she say except yes? Lucinda nodded happily. ‘It sounds perfect. I didn’t realise that you were so poetic.’
‘There’s a lot about me you don’t know.’ His voice was soft and low, almost a rumble. It was incredibly sexy and sent a tremor through her veins. Everything about this man was sexy. Even when they weren’t making love he kept her in a state of suspended readiness. One look in his eyes and she could see what he was thinking and her body would surge into life. She even felt disappointed when nothing happened. But when it did—then the whole world rocked on its axis.
Tonight, she knew, was going to be very special. A night to be locked away in the memories of her mind for ever.
‘Do you mind that I’m not getting any work done?’ she asked him idly while he was smoothing sun oil on to her back.
‘Would I have brought you out here today if I did?’ he countered. ‘Would I have taken up so much of your time?’ he asked softly, his fingers kneading her back in a way that he knew melted her senses.
‘I guess not,’ she said, wriggling uncontrollably. ‘You’re paying whether I work or not. But you do realise that your bill will go up for all the time I spend away?’
She had said it half jokingly but when Zane said, ‘So long as I get what I want you’ll get what you want,’ it reminded her very clearly that this was but a game to him. Once home, her job done, she would be completely forgotten.
It made her feel very sad. It also made her feel that she was giving her body to him for his selfish pleasure. But then Zane nuzzled her neck and cupped one of her breasts possessively and all was forgotten except the heady excitement of being with him.
Before lunch they went swimming, diving into the clear waters of the Caribbean and playing like porpoises. And after their light meal, consisting mainly of fruit and fish prepared by one of his very expert crew, they lay down in their cabin for a siesta. At least that was the plan. The heat outside was unbearable, but here in the air-conditioned interior sleep didn’t seem so important.
‘I would never have believed,’ said Lucinda dreamily as she lay at Zane’s side in the superbly fitted master bedroom, ‘that you could take so much time off work. I always thought that you were a real workaholic.’
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve never met a woman as beautiful as you,’ he answered. She lay in his arms, still in the camisole and Indian skirt that she had donned for their lunch. And his fingers stroked wherever the fancy took him. ‘A woman who takes my mind off all other things! You’re a siren in disguise, Lucinda. Do you know that?’
A siren! No one had ever called her that before. Didn’t it mean a dangerously fascinating and sexy woman? Was that what she was to him? The thought pleased her. ‘Am I the most captivating woman you’ve ever met?’ It was a leading question and one that she wasn’t sure she ought to have asked. She waited for his answer with bated breath.
He smiled slowly. ‘Captivating? You’re certainly that. And, what’s more, Lucinda, I’m thoroughly enjoying our time here. Are you?’
She swallowed hard and nodded. ‘It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.’ One part of her hoped that he would say the same, even that she was beginning to mean something to him. Instead he pulled her closer, lifting her skirt and seeking that private place that he had made his own.
All too soon her misgivings faded and she was lost in their lovemaking. And afterwards, while the yacht sailed on when they were both fully sated, they drifted into sleep.
Zane woke with the knowledge that something was wrong. He hadn’t felt well all morning, but had thought it was nothing more than an over-indulgence of food and drink. But his headache had got worse and he felt as though he were burning up.
Lucinda still lay at his side and when he touched her forehead her skin felt quite cool. So it wasn’t the air-conditioning that had failed. He really was ill.
Feeling him move, Lucinda opened her eyes and then did a double-take. ‘Are you all right, Zane? You look very flushed.’
‘It’s nothing,’ he said, unwilling to tell her how he felt. How manly was it to become ill when he had promised her a romantic trip? When he wanted to give her the best time of her life? This sort of thing never happened to him. He was always in control, always in command of every situation. And he had been of this one—until now!
He had been enjoying his education of Lucinda. Although she had never said anything, he was aware that he had taught her lots of new and wonderful things. And she had responded in a way far beyond his wildest dreams. She was a woman to surpass all women where making love was concerned and he would be sorry when it ended. As of course it must. Lucinda Oliver was not for him. No woman was. Not long-term. Of that he was very sure.
‘It looks more than nothing to me. How do you feel?’
He swallowed with difficulty. ‘I have a raging headache and I’m burning up. Probably sunstroke. But it won’t last. I feel all right.’
‘But you’ve always been careful!’ exclaimed Lucinda. ‘We both have. If it’s sunstroke, though, it could be serious. I’ll ask Fabian to head back to shore. You need to see a doctor.’
‘I don’t want to spoil your day,’ he said, struggling to his feet, feeling extremely mortified when dizziness forced him back down on the bed. ‘Maybe you’re right,’ he agreed reluctantly. ‘But let’s get a doctor out here. I don’t want you to miss out on your star-spangled night.’ Except that he wouldn’t be able to share it with her in quite the way he had imagined!
‘And I don’t want you to be a martyr,’ she retorted crossly. ‘What is it with men that they won’t admit defeat?’
He managed a smile. ‘It’s not good for our image.’ Especially in front of a woman he was trying to impress. No sooner had the thought entered his head than he asked himself whether it was true. Was he trying to impress Lucinda with his sexual prowess, with his private yacht and his Caribbean villa? And, if so, why?
In point of fact she gave the impression that she thought they were unnecessary appendages. Money simply didn’t interest her. So long as she had enough for her daily needs she was happy. And he admired her for that. In fact there was a lot about Lucinda that he admired.
He closed his eyes and tried to shut out both his thoughts and the heat in his body. Perhaps Lucinda was right. He ought to go back. He certainly wasn’t any good to her here. But they had been sailing for hours and unhappily he didn’t feel that he could go that long without medical attention.
‘Ask Fabian to phone for a doctor,’ he croaked.
Lucinda shot up on deck and explained Zane’s predicament and immediately arrangements were made. Money spoke, thought Lucinda as she went back to Zane. There was nothing that couldn’t be acquired. It didn’t make her feel happy. Her mother might be a slave to money, but she definitely was not.
‘The doctor will be here as soon as he can,’ she told Zane, alarmed to see that his fever had increased. She wet some towels and pressed them to his face and his skin, all the time murmuring words of comfort. He seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. Or was it her imagination? Was he just closing his eyes?
And as she sat there watching him, doing all she could to make him feel comfortable, Lucinda made an alarming discovery. She was falling in love with Zane. Properly in love! Not just a sex thing. She wanted to spend the rest of her life—or at least a large part of it—with him. How stupid was that? Zane had made it clear that he didn’t intend to settle down with anyone. He enjoyed playing the field. He would probably do it until he was too old or too tired!
And, besides, she didn’t enjoy the trappings of wealth. She could see no point in them. So why would she want to bind herself to Zane? She was out of her head. Probably going down with the same illness. She touched a hand to her brow. Perfectly normal! She wasn’t ill, no, just plain crazy.
Perhaps Zane’s illness had come in the nick of time. Before she made a complete fool of herself and told him how she felt. As she continued to mop his brow, to try to cool his fever with wet towels, she knew that she had gone far beyond the point of no return. She loved him to distraction, and probably always would, even though she knew without a shadow of doubt that once they returned to England and her job was finished she would never see him again.
In less than an hour a doctor arrived by helicopter and was lowered on to the deck. He confirmed that Zane was indeed suffering from a mild case of sunstroke.
‘You must get him into a cool bath straight away,’ he told Lucinda. ‘And you must gently massage his skin and keep taking his temperature. Can you do that?’
Lucinda glanced at Zane, who looked anything but happy about the situation, and then back at the doctor. After all their lovemaking, when there wasn’t a part of his body that she hadn’t explored, it should be an easy task. She nodded.
‘After that you must put him in a cool room, still checking his temperature—because if it should continue to drop then you must keep him warm. Have you got that?’
‘Yes,’ agreed Lucinda.
‘Massaging must continue, to encourage circulation. He may need to stay in bed for several days.’
Lucinda couldn’t see Zane agreeing to this, but she nodded anyway. ‘I’ll see to it, doctor.’
‘If you don’t follow my instructions there is a danger that he will get worse and have to be hospitalised. But hopefully he will recover quite quickly. How did he get in this state?’
‘I don’t know,’ answered Lucinda. ‘We’re always careful in the sun.’
‘Obviously not careful enough!’ he admonished. ‘And it’s not always the sun itself. Any prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause it. You might feel you’re safe sitting on the deck in the shade but, believe me, it can be just as dangerous. Or playing energetic games. They all add up. I fear your friend has overdone it. You’ll need to keep your eye on him.’
Zane had hardly spoken, except to thank the doctor for coming, and once he’d gone he glared at Lucinda. ‘The man’s exaggerating. I’m not that ill.’
‘Oh, yes, you are,’ answered Lucinda firmly, ‘and you know it. Thank goodness there’s a bathtub on board. Excuse me.’ She went through to the en suite bathroom and filled the tub with cool water.
Zane looked very sorry for himself as he lay in the bath and allowed Lucinda to massage him. But eventually he gave a wry smile. ‘I’m not so ill that I’m unaware of what you’re doing. In fact I rather like it.’ And he thrust out a hand and brought her face close to his. ‘I’ve half a mind to pull you in here with me.’
‘Don’t you dare!’ laughed Lucinda. ‘It’s freezing.’
As she continued to massage him after he’d left the bath and lay on the bed, Zane in turn continued to turn the whole exercise into a sensual experience. She knew that he still wasn’t feeling well, but it didn’t alter the fact that he didn’t want to spoil her time out here and he made a tremendous effort to keep her happy—and excited—and aroused!
Oh, how she loved this man, Lucinda thought. It would break her heart when the day came for them to part company.
By the end of the day Zane was feeling much better—well enough, he said, to lie out on the deck with her and watch the stars. The air had cooled by then and, although she didn’t agree with him being outside, he insisted.
The yacht had dropped anchor and the crew had discreetly disappeared. On a table beside them was a bottle of vintage champagne and some nuts and fruit. ‘The cashew nuts are grown here on the island,’ Zane informed her when he saw her nibbling them. ‘And did you know that they’ve made many films on St Lucia?’
Lucinda didn’t but she could see why. It was such a magical island. So lush! Such gorgeous white beaches! It was really beautiful.
Zane had taken her to the Botanical Gardens one day, where she’d seen incredible plants growing and a Japanese water garden. And they’d been to a lovely warm waterfall where they sat in the pool beneath the falls and drank bubbly. In fact she’d never drank so much champagne in her life, thought Lucinda now as Zane refilled her glass.
He wasn’t touching the stuff himself. All he had beside him was a glass of iced water and Lucinda was fearful that he wasn’t really up to this.
When she’d had enough to eat and drink Lucinda edged herself on to Zane’s lounger and, locked in each other’s arms, they lay back and looked at the stars. It was as though there were only the two of them in the whole universe.
‘I did want to make love to you out here,’ he confessed. ‘It was my initial plan. But I’m not sure now that I have the strength.’
‘And you’d be going against doctor’s orders,’ Lucinda warned him. ‘He says you’re to rest.’
‘And that’s exactly what I’m doing,’ he said. ‘But there’s nothing stopping me touching you.’ His voice had dropped to a low sensual growl.
Lucinda wore a thin cotton shift dress with nothing beneath and when he touched her breasts they reacted immediately. She was unsure how wise it would be to reveal the sensations he was arousing. She was so afraid he would push himself too far. He looked a hundred times better than he had earlier, but even so…
‘You’re a naughty girl dressing like this when you know I haven’t the energy to do anything,’ he admonished.
‘I thought it would give you pleasure.’
He groaned loudly. ‘You’ve no idea how much. I’ve never met a woman quite like you before. You’re ready to try anything at any time, aren’t you?’
She nodded, suddenly shy.
‘I curse this illness that means I can’t take control.’
‘Maybe I ought to take advantage of you,’ she suggested with a cheeky smile.
He groaned loudly. ‘You have a cruel streak, Lucinda Oliver. No woman’s going to seduce me if I can’t do anything about it.’
‘Then we’ll just hold each other,’ she said. And they lay there and he pointed out some of the stars. It was a truly magical night. The sky was so big, the stars so bright—they filled it like glittering diamonds.
How long they lay there she wasn’t sure. At one stage Zane fell asleep, and then she did too. And when she awoke he was gently stroking her breasts. It made a change to be held by him and not make mad passionate love. This was a different kind of lovemaking and if it was all he could manage then she was content.
It was past midnight before he suggested they go to bed and as she helped him down into their cabin Lucinda felt her love flowing fiercely. ‘Thank you for a magical few hours,’ she said.
‘The pleasure was all mine,’ answered Zane, his smile weak. ‘And never fear, I’ll make this up to you.’
He had nothing to make up, thought Lucinda. She would remember this night for the rest of her life.
Early the next morning they headed back to shore, but it was still a few days before Zane was his old self. They spent their time sitting quietly, talking, lighting fires within each other but doing nothing about it, which Lucinda found an incredible experience. She would never have dreamt that they could make love without touching each other—but in some strange way that was what they managed to do.
And then came a phone call which changed everything.
‘Tim’s grandmother’s been taken into hospital,’ Zane told her. ‘I have to go home.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ asked Lucinda. ‘My work here’s not finished.’ Spending all her time with Zane, she’d done precious little during the last few days.
‘You should come back with me. There’s no point in you staying,’ he said. ‘I’m sure you have done everything you need to for the time being. In fact I don’t think you’ll even need my approval because you know me better than anyone else does. And I certainly trust you.’
Lucinda’s eyes widened. ‘That’s quite a compliment.’
During the flight back Zane asked himself whether he was falling for Lucinda. He had never felt quite like this about any woman before—but, dammit, he didn’t want to fall in love. Love had no part to play in his life. The best thing he could do when they got home was to not see her again.
It might even be best to forget the interior design project. He’d get someone else to do it—someone in St Lucia! Serafine would help him find someone.
It was going to be hard walking away from Lucinda. But he daren’t give way to the feelings burning inside him. It was far too dangerous. He didn’t want to believe that Lucinda was like other women, but how could he tell?
His lifelong friend had had a bad experience—his marriage had broken down and his wife had all but ruined him with her demands. And yet she’d seemed like a lovely woman. No one would have expected it of her.
Prenuptial agreements were the way to go these days, but that was being cold and calculating and, although he could be both of these things in his business affairs, it didn’t seem right to bring it into the realms of love. Best not to love than be hurt.
He enjoyed his playboy image, though he didn’t date half as many women as had been suggested by the press. And Lucinda was the first one to really get through to him. He had to ask himself why. How was she different?
Maybe because she’d shown no interest in him initially. It was something that had never happened to him before. Once she had let herself go, though, the world had rocked. Lucinda was incredible.
Perhaps she wouldn’t expect to continue the relationship once they were back in England? Her ex had put the fear of hell into her where commitment was concerned. Perhaps she’d decided on a good time, knowing that she could leave it behind when her job was finished.
The thought should have pleased him but, for some reason, it didn’t and when they eventually landed his mood was black.
CHAPTER EIGHT (#ulink_7265cf48-fe2a-5f3b-80cb-257a599aed2d)
LUCINDA couldn’t work out why Zane’s mood had changed so dramatically. Unless he was telling her that their affair was over. That it had been good while it lasted but now it was goodbye. He’d hardly spoken during the flight, shutting himself in his on-board office for most of the time.
It should have been a relief, so why wasn’t it? It was clearly back to business for him and it should be the same for her. But women weren’t programmed the same as men. It wasn’t so easy to shut out what had happened between them during the last couple of weeks. But by the time they touched down in England she’d accepted that this was what she’d have to do.
She felt utterly miserable and when he put her into a separate car at the airport and didn’t even say whether he would see her again, Lucinda felt like breaking down in tears. Of course she didn’t; she lifted her chin and pretended that she wasn’t hurt.
It could be that he was worried about his little nephew’s grandmother, but somehow she didn’t think so. It was something she had said or done. Perhaps he’d been afraid that she was the clinging type, that she wouldn’t want to let go? Which was ridiculous, because she’d known from the beginning that there was no future in their relationship. Even if that really was the case, he needn’t have cut her out of his life quite so abruptly.
During the next few days Lucinda threw herself into her work. There was a lot to catch up on and she pushed Zane Alexander to the back of her mind. Or at least she tried to. It was practically impossible, especially when she lay alone in her bed at night. They’d had so many nights of passion that it killed her. She wanted Zane with her for ever more.
Then her secretary put a call through. ‘It’s Mr Alexander,’ she declared in a hushed voice.
Lucinda was aware that Amanda had been curious about her visit to the Caribbean, but she’d kept deliberately quiet, saying only that the project hadn’t materialised, not wanting to tell anyone what had happened. She hadn’t even told her mother, even though Ruth had questioned her time and time again.
Now her heart raced erratically. ‘Lucinda Oliver,’ she announced, keeping her tone brisk and businesslike. ‘How may I help you?’
