Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (5 page)

Confused, Erin bit
her lip.  Why had he asked her to dinner?  He was acting like she was an
annoyance.

She dropped the
napkin onto her lap, lifted her head and looked him squarely in the eyes. 
Enough was enough.  “You didn’t really want to invite me out, did you?”

“Excuse me?” He
straightened, obviously caught off guard by her direct question.

“This…date, if you
can call it that.  Clearly, you don’t want to be here so why did you invite me
out?”  Erin gave him her coldest stare.

“I’m…sorry,” he
said, his voice low.  He had the decency to look contrite.  “I’ve had a rough
day and was a bit…distracted.”  He leaned forward and for the first time that
evening he gave her a smile that could be described as warm.  “That’s no excuse
for my behavior and I’m sorry.  Forgive me?”  He gave her a puppy dog look that
melted her heart. 

How could she say
no?  She smiled back at him.  “Of course,” she said with a slight nod of her
head and when he reached out and took her hand she did not pull it away.

After that the
rest of the date went smoothly and soon Erin began to relax in Dare’s company. 
He was charming and witty, and she found herself laughing at his insightful and
satirical observations on life.  She was seeing another side to this man she’d
branded as too domineering and too bold.  He actually had a sense of humor.

She’d just
finished her second glass of wine when the server approached the table, bottle
at ready.  This time she quickly covered her glass with her hand. 

“I’m fine, thank
you,” she told him with a smile.

“Are you sure?” Dare
asked and a mischievous smile played on his lips.  “You’re on vacation,
remember?  No time like the present to let your hair down.”

She thought about
it.  He was right.  It was not like she had to drive a car afterwards so no
fear of DUI.  And she didn’t have to get up next day to head out to work or
classes.  What harm could one more glass of wine do?  Besides, she liked wine.

She began to slide
her fingers away, her lips slightly pursed in anticipation of the tangy liquid,
but then her better self, good old cautious Erin, came to the rescue.  “No,”
she said, shaking her head.  “I rarely drink so two glasses of wine is enough,
I think.  I’ll have to walk back to the villa, remember?”  She was looking at Dare
and gave a little laugh as he gave her an exaggerated look of disappointment. 
Then when he gave her a pout and wiped away a fake tear she laughed out loud.  Dare
DeSouza was actually a funny guy. 

Seeming satisfied
that he’d made her laugh, Dare turned to the server.  “Just one glass, please. 
We’ll share it.”

At his words Erin’s
eyes widened and she felt the warmth of a blush rise to her face.  We’ll share
it?  Whoa, hold on.  Wasn’t that much too intimate for two people who hardly
knew each other?  She continued to stare at Dare, trying to look composed, but
she could feel her smile faltering.

Within an instant
a fresh glass of white wine was placed on the table between them and the server
slipped discreetly away.  Erin tore her eyes from Dare’s face and looked
instead at the sparkling liquid.

He chuckled and
reached out a hand to slide the glass closer to her.  “You first,” he said and
the way he said it was both commanding and seductive at the same time.

For a moment Erin
hesitated.  Then the tension in her dissipated.  She relaxed and reached for
the glass.  She wasn’t going to have all of it, after all.  She picked it up by
its delicate stem and lifted it to her mouth, her eyes never leaving Dare’s
sharp gray ones.  She took a small sip then another and another until Dare
stopped her with a laugh.

“Hey, leave some
for me.  We’re supposed to be sharing, remember?”

She laughed too,
and lowered the glass to the table then slid it across to him.  She was staring
at him, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.  His smile so transformed his face
that she could hardly believe he was the same man, the cold, hard brute she’d
met the day before.  He now looked something very close to a naughty boy
planning some devious trick.

This time it was Dare’s
turn to put the glass to his lips.  He gave it a slight turn with his fingers,
seeming to deliberately position it so that his mouth would fall precisely where
hers had been just moments before.  Then, before Erin could guess what he was
about to do, his tongue darted out to taste the memory of her lips.

Erin’s breath
caught in her throat.  A simple gesture was all it had been but never had she
seen anything more erotic.  He’d sent her a clear and unmistakable message
without saying a single word.  Dare DeSouza wanted her in no uncertain terms.

Her pulse racing Erin
watched, mesmerized, as Dare took a sip and another, then his tongue slipped
out again this time to catch a stray drop of wine from his lips.  But he did it
so slowly, so sensually, she knew it was all for her.

He was obviously
intent on seducing her and it was working.  She drew in a deep breath, trying
her best to calm her racing heart, but it was difficult to stay serene when the
sexiest man on the island was coming on to her.  Goodness, nothing she’d
experienced in the past had prepared her for this.

Another sip and Dare
had finished the glass of wine.  Now he turned all his attention on her.  He leaned
forward and took her hands in his big strong ones.

When he looked
down at them she closed her eyes, willing her hands not to tremble. 
Come
on, Erin, you’re a big girl.  You can handle this
.  The best way to handle
it was to distract him in some way.

“Umm, why don’t we
go for a walk?  It’s a nice balmy night.”  She glanced at him, hopeful that he
would take the bait.  She needed to get away, out of this intimate space where
they were all alone and he could seduce her wickedly without prying eyes.  Out
in the open he would have to behave.  She hoped.

He did not
object.  “We might as well walk off some of this food.  Come.”  He quickly
signed the bill and rose, and as he’d done before he gave her his arm.

Erin stifled a
smile.  The consummate gentleman when he wished to be.  But she was not
fooled.  Underneath that polished exterior was a man who could be as hard as
iron.  She’d seen it in his unforgiving response to her blunder in the pool. 
She’d felt it in his punishing grip when he’d thought she was about to flee. 
And she could sense it now, as he stood tall and imposing, looking down at her
with those steel-gray eyes.  She took his arm, thankful to be leaving the
romantic atmosphere behind.  She needed all her wits about her when dealing
with this man and the combination of the fragrant candlelit room and two and a
half glasses of wine were not helping.

She sighed with
relief as they left the restaurant behind and set off along the cobbled
pathway.  For a while they walked in silence under the moonlight, breathing in
the perfume of the frangipanis that lined the pathway and listening to the
sounds of music and laughter in the distance.  It was a romantic night, with
stars winking in the deep velvet of the sky, and Erin could almost imagine they
were lovers enjoying the night and each other’s company.  If only it were true.

They’d been
walking almost aimlessly for some time before Erin realized they’d left the
cobblestones and were now on sandy soil.  Her stiletto heels had begun to sink
into the soft earth and she suddenly found herself toppling over.

With a laugh Dare
caught her to him and then without warning his mouth descended and he was
kissing her with a passion that left her clinging to him, breathless. Before
she could recover Dare bent and swept her legs from under her, lifting her up
into his arms.

Erin squealed in
shock and then in delight as he swung her round then strode purposefully along
the dirt path.  When she looked over his shoulder she realized he’d taken her
down to the beach where the waves were rolling in to break against the shore.

“Dare,” she
whispered, almost afraid she would disturb the steady rhythm of the ocean, “what
are you doing?  We can’t be down here.”

He chuckled, a low
throaty rumble that echoed in her ear as her cheek pressed against his chest. 
“We can, my precious, and we are.  It’s the perfect night to be on the beach.”

They got to a
long, low palm that stretched toward the ocean and in its shadow Dare laid her
on a soft bed of grass.

And there he began
his sweet, sensual assault.

He started with a
kiss that made her tingle all the way down to her toes.  Then his lips were
sliding down her neck to the valley between her breasts.

“Dare,” she gasped
and she could say nothing more, her nipples so eager for his lips that they
ached.  What was this man doing to her?  He was being deliberate and slow,
teasing her to a degree of desire she had never felt before.

As his breath
warmed her flesh Erin moaned and shifted on her bed of grass, wanting to give
him more access to her body.

Dare needed no
further invitation.  To Erin’s relief and delight he slipped his arm behind her
arched back and as her breasts thrust upward he slid her top away and captured
a turgid nipple between his teeth.

Shockwaves of
ecstasy rippled through her and an involuntary moan escaped her lips.  She
reached up with trembling hands and slid her fingers into the dark thickness of
his hair then she was clinging to him, pulling his head down, and begging him
for release from his slow, sweet, torture of her breast.

Dare took pity on
her when he released her tingling nipple and replaced his teeth with his lips,
suckling and soothing until she writhed with want.

Under his expert
hands Erin felt like her very bones had melted.  She was without the power to
resist his hands, his lips, and his tongue.  There on the warm sand under a sky
filled with perfect stars she was lost to him.

“Come.  Let’s head
back to the villas.”

His words jerked
her out of her heavenly trance.  What?  Was he stopping?  Now?  Her eyes fluttered
open.  She stared up at him, confused, but with his face hidden in the shadows
she could find no answers there.

Then he was
reaching out his hands to her and helping her to her feet, and as she was
rising to stand beside him her heart was sinking down to the sand.

She kept her head
down, unable to meet his eyes.  For some reason she could not understand he’d
changed his mind.  He didn’t want her anymore.  He would walk her back to her
villa and that would be that.

Maybe it would all
be for the best.  She’d been out of her depth, anyway.  Then why did she feel
so devastated?

Even though Dare
continued to hold her hand for the entire walk back to the villas Erin kept her
face averted, determined not to let him see her disappointment.  She was so
caught up in her own feelings that she was surprised when they came to a halt. 
Were they at her villa already?  She looked up then lifted her brows in
surprise.  This wasn’t her villa at all.  This one was huge, the largest she’d
seen at the resort, and it was magnificent with tiles of black marble gleaming
in the light cast by the lamps at the entrance.

Erin hung back,
hesitant.  “Where…are we?” she whispered, looking around.

“Come,” Dare, said
with a reassuring smile.  “We’ll be more comfortable here.”

He slid his card
into the slot and pushed the door open.  Then right there in the open doorway
he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with an ardor that left her panting.

His kiss wiped all
thoughts, all concerns from her mind.  All she wanted was to lose herself in
the powerful arms of this man whose charm had swept her off her feet.  Then,
just like he’d done before, he lifted her off her feet, slammed the door shut
with his foot and headed across the foyer and down the hallway.

Erin’s heart
pounded in her chest.  She was no idiot.  She knew what Dare wanted and God
help her, she wanted it, too.  She bit her lip and pressed her face to the soft
fabric of his shirt.  She could feel the blood rush to her face, she could
almost taste the fear, but she would not stop him.  Tonight she might be making
the biggest mistake of her life but she wanted this too badly to care.

Still holding her
close, Dare reached down and opened the door to a massive bedroom lit by a lone
lamp standing in the far corner.  He strode across the room and laid her on the
bed then before she even had a chance to move he’d caught hold of the hem of
her dress and was sliding it over her hips and up till she had to shift so he
could pull it over her head.  Left in only black lace bra, matching panties and
stilettos Erin could only shiver under his heated gaze.

To her shock and
her body’s delight Dare leaned over to plant a kiss on the softness of her
belly then he was sliding his lips down, down until she gasped in anticipation.

He lifted his lips
then, and there was a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.  “Not yet,
my sweet,” he whispered.  “Patience.”

He straightened
and, with deft fingers, he unbuttoned his shirt, never once taking his eyes off
her.  His bare chest, so broad and muscled, gleamed golden in the light of the
lamp.  Next to go was his belt then his shoes, socks, and trousers until the
only thing hiding his nakedness from her was thigh-length briefs that did
little to conceal his straining bulge.