(Day 11, Tuesday: Philipsburg, St. Maarten)
“Chuck! Will you quit?”
He grinned roguishly, recalling the way she’d said his name last night as he’d filled her body with his.
“Charles!”
“What, sweet cheeks?”
“Quit staring at me as if I were a slice of homemade pound cake,” she whispered.
From Wathey Square they strolled onto Front Street, where the lanes were lined with boutiques. The sun was high overhead, not a cloud on the horizon. It was a picture-postcard day.
“I happened to love the sweet, buttery taste of pound cake,” he teased, watching with pleasure as she blushed prettily. He didn’t dare tell her how he longed to take his time and taste every inch of her soft, delectable body.
Her pulse quickened at the heat in his gaze. Her eyes locked with his. She remembered how he had sampled her... he had licked the soft, full curves of her breasts before he’d licked the hard tips.
Diane felt her nipples pucker against the soft cotton of her sundress. The aching peaks hardened as if eager for Charles once again to take them into the warmth of his mouth and suckle them as he’d done last night. Diane suppressed a husky moan.
He tenderly caressed her cheek. “Why wouldn’t you let me buy that necklace for you? 1 know you liked it.”
Diane was clearly shocked. He was referring to a very costly double strand of long, perfectly matched pearls with a heart-shaped diamond-and-ruby clasp they’d seen in a jewelry shop earlier. “It was far too expensive.”
“You loved it. Besides, I want you to have it. A reminder of our time in St. Maarten.” He recognized the change in himself. He was a wealthy man and could easily afford to indulge himself. He had chosen not to live that way. Yet because of his feelings for her, he wanted to give her things, lovely, expensive things. He wanted to please her.
“I couldn’t.” She shook her head firmly. Becoming a kept woman was not high on her priority list. She longed for his love, nothing more.
“They would have looked lovely next to your skin.” His voice deepened as he visualized Diane wearing the pearls and nothing more.
“Look!” Diane stopped suddenly. “Isn’t that beautiful?” she said, admiring a robe displayed in the boutique window. She didn’t wait for an answer, but grabbed his hand. “Let’s go in. I want to see what they have. I want to get a gift for Heather.”
“You go ahead, sweet cheeks. I’m thirsty. I think I’ll backtrack to that sidewalk cafe we passed earlier. Why don’t I wait for you there?”
Diane smiled, deciding he’d probably be uncomfortable waiting while she shopped for intimate apparel. “Half hour?”
“Take as much time as you need. We’re not due back at the ship until five.”
“But I thought you wanted to visit Fort Amsterdam?”
“There’s no need to rush. Remember, we’re on vacation.” He brushed her lips with his before he turned and headed back the way they’d come.
Determined not to waste a second of their time together, Diane hurried inside. A ceiling fan cooled the interior and whirled the subtle scent of expensive French perfume in the air.
“Good day, madame,” a very lovely older black woman greeted her with a wide smile and a distinctly Dutch accent. Her long braid was twisted into a chignon and she wore a colorful silk caftan.
Diane spent an enjoyable hour examining and trying on an array of fine garments. Even as she attempted to hurry, she found herself speculating on whether an item would appeal to Charles. They were lovers now. Their entire relationship had altered in the space of less than twenty-four hours.
Diane finally selected a red silk lace-edged teddy and matching floor-length robe. They looked as if they had been made especially for her. The workmanship was exquisite. Diane couldn’t resist adding a very short black lace nightie to her purchases. She turned a blind eye to the total as she included a pale blue silk nightgown for Heather. She was so happy, she refused to think about anything other than the wonderful man waiting for her. As she hurried along the walkway, she realized she didn’t want to waste even a minute away from him.
Charles was lounging at the outdoor cafe, joking with several of the local men, when she arrived breathless. There was a shopping bag at his feet.
“Sorry I took so long.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, getting to his feet. His smile was warm and welcoming as he held a chair for her. “What would you like?”
“Anything cold,” she laughed.
That evening they spent a few fun-filled hours in the shipboard casino. Charles was thoroughly enchanted with her. She was breathtakingly beautiful in a cream silk jacket and wide-leg pleated evening pants. She surprised him when she refused to allow him to stake her. Although she insisted that gambling was a complete waste of hard-earned money, she laughed with excitement when he insisted that she play his cards at the blackjack table and they won.
It wasn’t long before the casino paled in comparison to the dance floor ... any excuse was a good one when it came to holding each other close.
The music was slow, romantic, and seductive. Charles held her close to his heart. Diane tried to express what being here with him meant to her, but Charles pressed his fingertips against her lips to halt the words.
“Sweetheart, it doesn’t have to end.”
Diane smiled indulgently. “I’m afraid it does. Next Sunday this wonderful ship will be docking in Miami. I hate to be the one to tell you this, honey, but we have to get off and fly home... to the real world of responsibilities and work.”
Charles’s eyes were far too intense for the light-hearted exchange. “No, you’re wrong. What we have doesn’t have to ever end, not unless we want it to. I’m in love with you, Diane Rivers, and I want you to marry me.”
As the band played “My Girl,” Diane didn’t move so much as a muscle. Her legs were suddenly trembling so badly she was certain she’d have collapsed if he hadn’t been holding her.
“Say something.”
“You can’t...” she stammered.
“I want you to be my wife. Tomorrow isn’t soon enough for me.”
Diane bit her lip, suddenly realizing her mouth had to have been hanging wide open. Had he really said he was in love with her?
“Do you love me, Diane? Or was that something you said in the heat of the moment?”
“Yes... I love you.”
“And I love you. All you have to do is say the word and we can get married as soon as I can make the arrangements.” He smiled down into her soft dark eyes. “The Virgin Islands are the perfect place for a wedding. We can get married in St. Thomas and stay on for a short honeymoon, then fly back to Miami on Sunday.” Charles whispered close to her ear, “It’s up to you, my love.”
Diane shivered.
“Marry me, baby. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Yes…” she said breathlessly, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him right there on the dance floor oblivious to everything around them. She didn’t give herself a chance to think... to worry... to doubt. Charles loved her and was offering her everything she had ever wanted... a home... maybe even a family, someday.
Neither one of them heard the music stop or the band announce they were taking a break. Diane and Charles stood locked in each other’s arms, unable to look further than each other’s eyes.
“As soon as I can arrange it?” he insisted.
“Oh, my love, yes.” Her eyes were brimming with tears.
His own eyes were sparkling with emotion as he took her hand and led her off the dance floor and out into the corridor. They’d barely cleared the door before he pulled her into his arms. He couldn’t wait a second longer to savor her soft, enticing mouth.
“Oh, sweetheart...”
Diane clung to him. Eventually he lifted his head and rested his forehead against hers. They were both laughing when they noticed there were people all around. Lucky for them, no one was paying much attention.
Charles took her hand, tugging her along with him.
“Where are we going?”
“Anywhere we can be alone.”
She had to hurry to keep up with him, but she was too happy to complain. When they reached the elevator, Diane whispered, “When did you know?”
He smiled down at her, asking softly, “How I felt about you?”
She nodded.
“I’ve known for a long time, almost from the first.” Shocked, Diane whispered, “So long?”
“Yeah.”
“That would make it years ago.”
“Yeah... I know.”
“Was that why you were so angry with me? Why we had that terrible argument before you left Lawrence?” she asked, once they were alone in the elevator.
The confrontation had come on a perfectly normal spring day in her classroom at Lawrence. He had given her one choice: either she started dating him exclusively, or he would opt out of her life completely. Friendship was no longer a consideration.
“I couldn’t stomach the idea of you being with other men.” His intentions had not been to hurt her. He couldn’t take it any longer.
“It was very disturbing at the time. It forced me to see your viewpoint. I’d become too comfortable with our friendship,” she said, as the elevator doors opened. When they reached the outside deck, it was crowded with people. It seemed like everyone had had a similar idea. Seclusion was hard to come by, especially on such a glorious night as this.
“Thank God it’s all behind us. Perhaps I should warn you, I’m a bit mule-headed. A Randol family trait.”
Diane giggled, holding onto his arm.
“You like babies, don’t you?”
Diane stopped suddenly. They had been circling the deck. “What’s wrong? Am I taking you too fast?”
“Yes! My head is spinning. I still haven’t gotten used to the idea that you’ve been in love with me all this time. Honey...” her voice trailed away. She stood on tiptoe, her arms around his neck. “Pinch me so I’ll know I’m not dreaming.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “I’d rather kiss you. That is, if I can find a place to do it privately.”
“Let’s go to my cabin.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“I just thought... you might want to…” She stopped, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Make love?” he said, his voice thick with desire.
“I didn’t say that!”
“You don’t want to?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Sweetheart, I’m trying to use my head and not the other part of me that is hard and hungry.”
“Oh!”
“Did you think one time would satisfy me?” His laughter was deep and sensual. “Baby, you have a lot to learn about your man. I have a hearty appetite where you’re concerned.” He pressed her mouth briefly to hers. “Come on.”
They finally found a secluded corner. They claimed side-by-side lounge chairs before sharing a long kiss.
“Well?”
“Huh?”
“You interested in babies?”
“As long as they’re yours... yes.” Her heart fluttered with excitement. More than anything, she wanted to have a family with him. “I hope I get pregnant right away.” Charles smiled, warmed by the possibility. “I’d like that, too. We’ve wasted enough time already.”
Diane sighed happily.
He squeezed her. His voice a seductive whisper, he said, “I’d like to make love to you every night... make you climax like you did last night.”
Diane found herself blushing like a young girl. She buried her face between his shoulder and his neck.
Charles, his gaze filled with longing, asked, “Are you interested?”
“Very much so.”
His kiss was deep and enticing; his body throbbed with unfulfilled need when it finally ended.
Diane was clinging to him when she whispered “Let’s go to my cabin.”
He shook his head. “I don’t trust myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want the next time we make love to mean forever. I want us to be married.”
“But why?”
“I don’t want you to have any doubts about me or how I feel about you. It’s too important. So tonight you’ll sleep in your bed alone and I’ll do the same in mine. Then, in the morning, we’ll talk.”
“So you think I’m going to change my mind?” She didn’t wait for his response, but rushed on, saying, “Well, I’m not. I love you. I want forever, too.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Stay with me tonight,” she urged. “We don’t have to...”
“Uh-uh. I can’t sleep with you without wanting to make love to you. Besides, aren’t you tender from last night?” Charles was charmed by her innocence as she hid her face against his chest. “Baby, I’m already your lover, and soon I’m going to be your husband. There’s nothing we can’t talk about.”
Diane loved the feel and the strength of him. He was her world. She would do anything to make him happy. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be the kind of wife he deserved. She had made a new life for herself. The street life of her past couldn’t touch her now. It was finally over, and her future was rich with promise.
“I have something for you.”
Her lashes went wide with surprise. “You don’t have to give me anything. I’ve never been happier.”
“Diane, now is not the time to refuse.” He reached into his dinner jacket and pulled out a small white velvet box. “I hope you like it.”
“Oh, Chucky!” She threw her arms around his neck, placing a series of kisses against his throat. “I love it.”
He chuckled. “You haven’t opened it yet.”
“I love it because you gave it to me.”
Charles was thrilled. He had met enough materialistic women to last him a lifetime, women whose number-one interest was his family background and his net worth. Diane was the only woman he’d given his heart to, years ago. She was worth the wait... more than worth it. He was looking forward to spending his life attempting to make her happy. Impatient with the way she was staring at the box resting in her palm, he used his thumbnail to lift the lid.
“Oh!” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Do you like it?”
She nodded, brushing at her damp cheeks. “You’re so good to me.” She loved him so, yet she still couldn’t quite believe that he wanted her to be his wife.
Charles’s heart was brimming with emotion as he removed the ring, a heart-shaped ruby surrounded by marquise-cut diamonds. He placed it on her finger. “I love you,” he said huskily as his mouth settled over hers.
He shivered from the sweetness of her lips. She pressed her breasts against him, running her hands over his arms and back.
“Oh, Diane...” he groaned, deepening the kiss.
Diane opened her mouth for him, sliding her tongue over his fleshy bottom lip. Charles shuddered as she invaded his mouth, her soft tongue doing marvelous things to his senses and destroying his equilibrium. He craved more... much more. He suckled her tongue, intensifying the exchange. He was soon shaking with the force of his need for her.
He wanted her... every delectable inch of her. He consoled himself with the thought that once they belonged to each other he would take her over and over again.
Diane whimpered in protest when he broke the seal of their mouths. Charles would have laughed if he hadn’t been so painfully aroused... thrilled that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
“Why did you stop?”
Charles did laugh then, a deep, throaty sound. “I only have so much control, baby. Soon... very soon,” he promised. “Love me?”
She smiled against his lips. “Very, very much.”
“Good,” he whispered. “If I can arrange it, we can be married tomorrow night.”
“So soon... ?”
“Too soon?”
She shook her head. “I’d marry you tonight if I could.”
Satisfied, he said, “And once we’re married, nothing can keep me out of your bed . . . flood... famine... nothin’.”
They shared several hot, sweet kisses.
“If we keep this up, I won’t get any sleep tonight.”
“I can’t wait to sleep in your arms. ‘Mrs. Charles Alexander Randol.’ I love the sound of it,” she sighed dreamily.
For a time they sat quietly relishing the night and each other. Diane shivered with sweet expectation.
“Come on. It’s time we got you inside.”
Arm in arm they left the smell of the deep, fragrant sea and the beauty of the night.
“Have you ever been to St. Thomas?”
“Nope.”
“Good!” She smiled up at him. “We can discover the island together.”
Charles seriously doubted there was a thing on the island he wanted to explore more than his future bride. He wanted to learn all of her sweet secrets. He longed to become a master at pleasuring her.
They’d barely closed the door to her cabin when she asked, “Last night,” then hesitated.
“Aw, last night,” he echoed, his breath warming her neck. “It was...”
“What?”
“Pure magic,” she said, flushed with embarrassment, but needing to know more. “Was it enough to keep you satisfied?”
Charles gazed into her eyes, which brimmed with uncertainty. “You are more than enough to keep me sated. Where are these doubts coming from?” His large hands cupped her shoulders.
“I know you’ve been with other women. And marriage is for a lifetime. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“On that score you have nothing to worry about. Yes, there have been others. But I’m in love with you. That’s what makes it special between us—our love.”
She smiled. “I’m so glad you feel that way.”
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
She held him, her arms around his waist, her cheek pressed against his chest.
“I know it hurt last night,” he surprised her by saying. “I promise I’ll make it better for you the next time.”
She quivered in his arms, her body tingling with excitement. “Chucky.”
“Oh, baby. That’s how you said my name when you climaxed. It sends shivers all through me,” he whispered, his large hands caressing her back. He gave her a soft, tender kiss. It ended much too quickly, to Diane’s way of thinking. Charles’s hands dropped to his sides. “Start packing, darlin’. We want an early start.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“No doubts?”
“None.”
He said, close to her ear, “Very soon, my love, we will belong only to each other. On our wedding night, I’ll show you how much you mean to me. Sleep well.” He closed the door silently behind him. Diane stood with her hands pressed to her lips, wondering what she’d done to deserve such joy.