Authors: Emma Hillman
easily guessed at. The walls had been painted a dark blue, just like the depth of the
sea, the contrasting color of the bright white linen covering the four-poster bed a brilliant scheme. Blown-up pictures of fish or dolphins covered every surface, each having
obviously been taken by an amateur. Nick, she thought. He’d taken these and had them
printed so they decorated his walls.
Oh, he was so cute. She shook her head at the silly notion. This was Apollo
Hamilton and he was nothing but cute. But look at this! Her mind countered and she
was forced to admit it might have a point. It was a side of him she had never seen
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before, and she felt as if the room was full of secrets needing to be discovered. She
stepped towards a console, her fingers stopping on a weird-shaped object.
“I found it on a dive a few years ago. I’m still not sure what it is, but it’s exciting
that I still haven’t managed to find its origin.”
“What about that?” She pointed to the opalescent figurine next to it.
“That’s a seashell. Or rather a carving made out of seashell. It took a lot of
dexterity to turn something so fragile into a mermaid.”
She looked up at his face and saw the far-away expression in his eyes. He really
did love the sea. She’d never really understood why he’d left his high-flying career, with
all its perks. He’d been a high-ranking football player when he’d announced to the whole
world that he was quitting to study marine biology. Everyone had thought he was crazy,
and she had to admit she had too. He’d been at the top of his game, still young enough
to have a few good more years ahead of him. And yet, he’d left it all and moved to
Florida.
But now she understood. He loved it. Somehow, that made her like him even
more. That he’d had the courage to follow his dreams, even if his road had already been
paved for him.
He smiled at her then and took her hand. “What would you like to do? Do you
want to take a shower or…” He let his voice trail but her response was preceded by her
stomach grumbling. He chuckled, “Or maybe we could have breakfast.”
Leah blushed. “I’m sorry. I’m not that hungry.”
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“Sure you are. I know I’m famished.” He pushed her out of the door and led her
downstairs. “I’m sure my housekeeper will have left some stuff in the fridge. Let’s go,
baby.”
She followed him, her steps slowing as she realized she was going to have to
eat. Shoot, she was supposed to be on a diet!
* * * *
She pushed eggs around her plate, her fork drawing elaborate patterns in yellow
and white.
“Eat up, Leah. I can still hear your stomach from here.” Nick stared at her across
the kitchen table, his eyes daring her to take a bite. “It’s not that bad.”
“It’s fine.”
“So why aren’t you eating?”
Because she wanted to lose weight? Because an omelette made with six eggs
and cream and butter wasn’t the best thing to have when you were supposed to be on a
diet? Instead of saying those things however, she forced a small smile on her face and
replied, “I’m just not very hungry.”
“Is it because of last night?” His voice was low, his face tensing as he
remembered what’d happened. How he’d forced her. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve already apologized a million times, Nick; it’s okay.”
“It’s obviously not, if you’re still not over it.”
She sighed. They were going round in circles, weren’t they? “Fine, I’ll eat.”
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“Good.” Nick watched her take a bite then another one before asking, “What do
you want to do today?”
Leah shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
“That’s not very helpful.” He grinned at her.
“I don’t know what one can do around here, do I?” She snapped her mouth shut
when she realized she was starting to sound like a nagging girlfriend. “I’m sorry, Nick; I
haven’t slept well.”
“Oh.” He pushed his empty plate further down the table and said, “That’s right.
Would you like to take a nap first?”
She shook her head and pushed her plate alongside his, although hers was still
half-full. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
“You sure?” She nodded. “Okay then, would you like a tour of the rest of the
house and grounds?” She was on her feet before he could look at her plate and tell her
off once again. Nick followed her out of the kitchen, his arm wrapping around her waist
making her jump in surprise. “You okay?”
She looked up at him and spotted the amusement in his eyes. “I’m fine. So where
to first?”
He stared at her for a few silent seconds before a wide grin crossed his face. “I
know!” His hand on her lower back, he propelled her towards a small door. It opened to
reveal a wide space, the room once more encircled by wide panels of glass. Except this
time, it was slightly different. “A pool?”
“Indoor pool and Jacuzzi. Isn’t it cool?” He paused a few feet away and knelt
down. “Take your shoes off, babe.”
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Leah watched him kick his trainers off then roll up his jeans. “What are you
doing?”
“Let’s put our feet in the water. It’ll relax you, trust me.”
She sat down on a deck chair and took her shoes off as ordered, wriggling her
toes as they hit the cold tiles. She wasn’t too sure how this would relax her, but what did
she know? It wasn’t as if she’d ever owned a pool before after all. “Okay then.” She
followed him to the edge of the pool and sat down, somewhat laboriously, beside him.
Her skirt was short enough —okay so it stopped right at her knees— that she could
dangle her legs in the water, which turned out to be extremely hot. “Wow, are you sure
that’s not the Jacuzzi?”
“Nah.” Nick laughed. “I just like it hot.” His eyebrows wriggled.
“Is that right?” She leaned back on her hands, kicking her feet a little. This was
nice.
“Yup.” His voice was lower this time and yet he’d moved closer. “Hey.”
She blinked at his face suddenly so near. “Hey yourself. What’s up?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. “I just feel like kissing you. Is that all
right?”
She licked her lips. “Now?”
“Yeah.” His eyes had followed the movement of her tongue, his pants starting to
feel too tight. “Okay?”
Leah opened her mouth to answer but he was faster. His lips melded over hers,
his tongue instantly dipping inside for a quick taste. She moaned, her hands
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automatically moving up to cup his head. Except she’d forgotten she was holding
herself up. She fell onto her back, Nick’s body toppling over hers.
Wincing at his weight, she struggled a little but he was still kissing her. By the
time his mouth left hers, her arms were hooked around his neck and she was softly
panting.
He braced himself on his elbows and looked down at her flushed face. “Hey
there.”
“Hey.”
That was all it took for him to lean down and kiss her breath away. Again.
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They were lying side by side, staring at the ceiling with their feet in the warm
water. It was peaceful in here, Leah thought as she felt her eyes start to close. Nick’d
been right; she did feel much better. All right, so maybe his earlier kisses had something
to do with it.
She’d never known kisses like these. It was as if he could make her lose her
sense of reality with just his lips and tongue. It was quite, quite amazing.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
She opened her eyes and turned to her side, frowning when her legs came out of
the water. “They’re way more expensive than that.”
Nick chuckled at her answer. “Are they now? Does that mean I’d be very
interested in them?”
“Oh yeah.” Her voice had turned husky all of a sudden, surprising her. She licked
her lips and missed the way Nick’s eyes darkened to a deep blue.
“What were you thinking of, little witch?”
Her eyebrows rose. “Little witch?”
“You know what I mean.” He pushed himself up onto his left elbow. “Wanna try
the Jacuzzi?” Unsure at his change of topic, she nevertheless nodded and yelped when
he tugged her up. In two seconds flat, he had her standing beside the tub, her hands
clasped in his. “Strip.”
She started. “What?”
“Strip, baby, you can’t wear clothes in a hot tub.”
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“I don’t think I-”
He cut her off, “Come on, Leah. I’ve seen you naked. What about this?” He took
a step back and pulled his t-shirt off. “I’ll get naked first, okay?”
She didn’t answer, simply stared at him as he took his clothes off. He was
magnificent, all smooth and golden skin. Muscles bunched in his stomach as he opened
his jeans and drew them down his thighs. She hiccupped at the sight of him. He’d pulled
everything off, and he was naked, and…oh my god. “Nick!”
He stopped short, his clothes lying in disarray at his feet. “Yes?”
“You’re…you’re…” She couldn’t find anything to say, her mind blank. He was far
too handsome for her. He looked like a god for pity’s sake! “I don’t think this is a good
idea.”
“Why not?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
She felt frozen into place. He was hard! She wasn’t imagining it. It really was
there, waving at her in all its glory. “Oh.”
He followed her gaze and smirked. “Yeah, that’s what kissing you did to me.”
“Really?” She licked her lips again, her hands clenching at her sides.
“Yep. So, Leah, why shouldn’t we be doing this?”
“Uhhh.” She tried remembering why she’d thought it was a bad idea, but she
couldn’t stop staring at him. He was just so handsome, and his erection looked very
nice too. Shit, what the hell was she thinking? She took a step back. “I should go.”
“Why?” He leaned forward and grabbed her right hand, straightening her fingers
so he could hold onto them. “We don’t have to do anything. I mean, we can just sit in
the water and relax. Nothing has to happen, baby; you know that, right?”
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She didn’t know that actually. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Come on.” He tugged her forward until she stood beside the tub. “You’re in
control, Leah.”
“What does that mean?” She frowned up at him.
“From now on, you’ll be the one to decide what we do or don’t do. We can stay
here together or we can leave. We can go out, we can do whatever you want. This
weekend is for you, okay?”
“For me?” she repeated, her voice sounding strangled.
“Just for you.” Nick smiled as he lowered his head and brushed her mouth in a
soft kiss. He leaned back and asked, “So, what will it be?”
Leah stared up at him, her mind in shambles. She wasn’t ready for him to see
her naked. He might say that he had already seen her the night before, but it’d been
different. He’d been out of it and he’d thought she was someone else, and… No, it
wasn’t the same.
And yet, she really wanted to try out the Jacuzzi. She’d never been in one and it
looked so inviting. Argh! “I don’t know.”
“Clothes off or on?”
“On!” Her response shot out.
He rocked back at her abrupt answer. “Okay, okay. Uh.” He looked down and
gestured to his clothes. “That means me too, right?”
“Oh.” She didn’t want him to get dressed again. He looked too good like this. “I
don’t know?”
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He sighed. “I know I’m not making it easy, Leah, but what do you want to do? Do
you wanna stay here? If yes, should I get the blinds down so it’s dark in here? Should I-”
“Hold on!” she interrupted him. “What did you say? About the blinds?”
“Let me show you.” He walked to the nearest wall and opened a box, revealing
several dials and buttons that went green at a single push.
His butt was facing her and she fought the need to run up and touch it. Such
smooth skin should be illegal on a man. Really, it so wasn’t fair. Her musings were
interrupted by a whirring sound, and she looked up to find black blinds slowly making
their way down the glass panels. “Blinds.”
“Yup,” Nick said as he walked back to her. “They’re everywhere in the house.
You never know when you might need more privacy.”
“I see.” And she did. It was ingenious. It was even better than that, she realized
as the blinds finally stopped. The whole room was dark, the only lights remaining the
ones inside the pool and at the bottom of the hot tub.
“Here,” Nick’s voice rang close, just before his hands clasped her hips. “Is that
better?”
“Yes,” Leah breathed out as she felt him pull her closer. His mouth found hers in
the dark and she shivered. Her arms looped around his neck, she hung on tight and
smiled inwardly when she heard him moan. His cock pulsed against her stomach, and
she moved onto her toes in a vain effort to feel it press against where it felt good. Nick’s hands slid down her back until he was cupping her butt in both hands, pulling her even
higher. She lost her balance, and would have sent them both flying into the tub if he
didn’t have quick reflexes. They broke the kiss, laughing as they righted themselves.
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“Can I undress you?” he said, his right hand finding the hem of her top.
“Why?”
“I just want to. Please, Leah?” His lips found the side of her neck, nipping at her
skin as if they had all the time in the world. But then, maybe they had…
She found herself agreeing to his request, the darkness helping to assuage her
fears. She couldn’t see anything but his silhouette so he couldn’t see her either. It was