The day had been a whirlwind from the moment she’d woken. Josie hadn’t had so much as a moment to breathe. But that wasn’t what had her feeling like she was spinning slightly out of control. It was Malcolm’s kisses, kisses he’d given her all day long. Kisses he’d stolen while pulling her into hallways and closets and bedrooms and behind garden walls. Every time, he’d kissed her until her head had spun and she’d been breathless. Several times, they’d almost been caught by his sisters.
Still, they couldn’t seem to stop.
She should insist that they hold off until they were back on his boat. But how could she possibly resist him? And how could she pretend she didn’t want him as much as he wanted her? It was bad enough that her lips were swollen from his kisses, her cheeks flushed pretty much every minute throughout the day.
But it was the heart that she’d vowed to keep hidden and protected that was proving to be the real shocker. Because with each kiss that he gave her, every time he pulled her close, another little piece of the wall around her heart fell. Every time she heard his laughter with his sisters or one of the workers, another piece fell. And to cap it all off, the day had been warm, and when he’d been helping to patch a broken wall outside, he’d taken off his shirt. She’d barely been able to keep from drooling. She could still hardly believe that she’d had her hands and her mouth all over his gorgeous skin, all those muscles that rippled in the sunlight with a slight sheen of sweat.
It was almost impossible to think straight about the work that she was trying to get through. There had been several times when someone had asked her a question—a question that she should’ve had a ready answer to—and she had to ask them to repeat it. Because she’d been unable to tear her brain, her body, her heart away from Malcolm. It was foolish, the most foolish path she could possibly walk down. She knew better. Again and again, she reminded herself that she was in the UK for two weeks only. Two weeks that would be wonderful. Breathtakingly wonderful. But that was it. There was no future in what they were doing. She would not just be foolish, but downright crazy to harbor any hope there could be more.
The sun was just beginning to set as everyone left, and Josie locked up the cottages for the night. Malcolm had put his shirt back on, but it didn’t really help. She was almost shaky with need for him.
“How did everything go today?” he asked as they headed back to the boat.
“Good.” She should give him a bigger answer than that, but her brain wasn’t working right at the moment.
He gave her a hungry look. “I feel the exact same way,” he said in a low voice that rumbled through every one of her aroused cells. “I can only think of making love to you.”
She should have denied that’s what she felt. She should have been able to act like she could focus on anything but him. But she wasn’t a liar. And she couldn’t have got the words out anyway. Instead, she swallowed hard, and when he reached for her hand and picked up the pace as they all but ran back to his boat, she was almost giddy. Giddy with relief and knowing she wouldn’t have to wait much longer. That soon they could give in to the need that had only ratcheted up higher and higher throughout the day.
They barely made it inside before they were tearing at each other’s clothes. Until they were naked on the couch. She was under him, and he was levered above her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him around his broad shoulders, his mouth lowering to hers, their bodies nearly connected again.
And then he cursed.
“Protection, dammit.” He jumped off her, dashing into the stern and returning triumphant. “It’s the last one. We need to get reinforcements.”
Again, relief bubbled out of her, this time on laughter. “We’ll make good use of this one first.”
“We damn well will,” he agreed as he leaped back onto the sofa with her.
She welcomed him, welcomed him in a way she’d never welcomed any man into her bed, inside of her body. It was as though the whole day had been foreplay. Crazy, desperate foreplay.
She took all of him in, drinking in his kisses, the almost rough caresses of his hands over her skin, her breasts, her stomach, her hips, between her legs. She arched into him, eager for his touch. For everything that he could possibly give her. And she gave him back just as much. Held nothing back, despite all her reminders earlier in the day that she needed to safeguard herself. Or her heart, at the very least.
But when she was with him, and when he was kissing her like this, touching her like this, driving her absolutely wild, making her want more than she’d ever wanted anything or anyone in her life, she forgot about keeping safe, about holding back. And then they came together, both of them wild on the couch, pillows flying off in their haste to have each other, to love each other.
For those moments, everything in the world was right. Everything was perfect. And pleasure had never been more exquisite.
“Wow,” he said when they were still clinging to each other, their skin slick with a faint layer of sweat from the exertion of devouring each other.
She smiled into his neck. “That felt really, really good.”
He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. “Now, that’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.”
She laughed as well. “Okay, it might have been the best thing I’ve ever felt,” she admitted.
He grinned down at her. “That’s more like it.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers, adding, “And I completely agree.” He stroked one hand over her bare hip. “Actually, I planned to take you out in the dinghy tonight. Up the river past Hampton Court Palace, to see it lit up in the evening. Not just to tear your clothes off like this.”
“Well, I’m not complaining about the clothes, obviously, since I was tearing yours off too. But if there’s still time for the boat ride, I’d love that.”
With some reluctance, he got up off the couch and pulled her with him. “I need to get the dinghy ready.”
“And I’ll make something to bring aboard for dinner.”
They kissed again, and then they put their clothes back on, and each of them went to do their part.
She felt like she was floating. Flying again. It was like the sweetest treat she’d ever tasted. Like she’d somehow found nirvana with him. With the last person on earth that she would have thought to find it with.
In as stern an inner voice as she could muster, she reminded herself, This is just temporary. By all means, drink in every moment of the joy of being with him and the pleasure, but don’t ever kid yourself that it’s forever. Because it’s not. He’s not looking for anything permanent, and neither are you. You both have your reasons.
Her reasons, however, made more sense than his. At least to her. She had been betrayed, lied to—of course she wasn’t about to go trusting a guy to promise her forever anytime soon. But for Malcolm, she wasn’t exactly sure why he seemed to hold himself back from relationships. After all, he had such a close relationship with his own family. It sounded like his parents had a wonderful marriage. So what had happened in his past that could have turned him against the idea of falling in love? Was it simply that he was a workaholic who always put the deal first? But he was giving his time freely to her and Mari, helping to clean and restore the cottages.
Was what had happened with his father when he was a teenager somehow a part of it? Something inside her felt it must be, but she couldn’t quite figure out how the two things would have played off each other.
She would have loved to have asked him. But while having hot sex with him seemed it would make the question okay, since they’d put up the boundaries around it, there was a part of her that thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to ask him to explain to her why he was so shut down about love. Maybe he’d think she was desperate, asking him to love her. And asking him why he wouldn’t. No, she wouldn’t give him that impression. Because that wasn’t what she was asking for. Even if the little voice inside her head seemed to think it wouldn’t be a terrible idea at all to be loved by Malcolm Sullivan.
It was another beautiful night. Yet again, Josie wanted to pinch herself, hardly able to believe that she was out on the Thames, floating under the twinkling stars, headed toward Hampton Court Palace. And all of that, with Malcolm at the helm.
He’d called his smaller boat a dinghy, but she was certain this was no dinghy. The boat was twenty feet long by her estimation, made of a gorgeous, highly polished wood, with leather seats. It was an antique boat, and she could see that he took pride in it.
“You rebuilt this yourself, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “It was completely trashed in a junkyard, but I could see its potential. I could see what it once was and what it could be again.”
“You said I was the one with the bright outlook,” she noted. “But you do too. Whenever you see something that most people would write off, like a broken-down boat or a cottage that’s been neglected for years, you use your imagination and your hands and your skill, and you bring it back to life.”
He wasn’t someone who ate up praise. It was more like he never seemed to think he deserved it. Which he proved yet again when he said only, “I enjoy doing it.”
“Have you ever thought of doing it more?” The question fell from her lips before she could stop it. “Of transitioning from the work that you currently do to working with your hands?”
“If I gave up my career to rebuild old boats and cottages, everyone would think I was crazy. I don’t like to boast, but what I do is quite lucrative.”
“Just because you’re good at one thing doesn’t mean you have to do it forever, does it? I mean, look at me. I think I was a pretty good freelance editor. I still am, with a couple of clients who I still work with from time to time. But just because I’m good at that didn’t mean it was wrong for me to transition into setting up reading retreats. I think people can be good at a lot of things. And I also think that we’re not just here necessarily to live one specific life. I mean, we are only here for a limited time, but while we are, we should experience as much as we can. I’m not sure money is the only reason to do something. Is it?”
Belatedly, she realized she was almost lecturing him. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. It’s just that all the books I’ve read over the years filled me with a longing to experience more and see more of the world. It’s partly why the reading retreats made sense. Because it meant I could go and see things and do things and experience some of the things that I read about. Some of the places. Smell the smells in the marketplaces in Morocco. Haggle over a gold leather jacket at a flea market in Paris. See the northern lights in Norway. When you read about places and experiences, that’s one way to experience them, but there’s nothing like going there in person.”
She’d never been to England before, but every book from The Secret Garden and those by Jane Austen to modern romances set in Cornwall had had her longing to come here. And now that she had arrived, this country felt like a second home—that’s how familiar it was.
He didn’t reply for a few long moments. She started to worry that she’d offended him.
But then he finally said, “You’re right. We shouldn’t be locked into anything in life. After all, I’ve been saying the same thing about Fiona. That she should try another life on for size. Leave her unhappy marriage and see what else is out there waiting for her. Owen did that, when he left the law and went to work for my grandmother. Alice wants to do that. Tom too.”
They motored slowly up the river, but he didn’t seem to be seeing it. He seemed to be chewing things over in his head. “I do really like working with my hands. I’m not going to deny, though, that there is a thrill in what I do now, taking a product I believe in and expanding its horizons.”
“And that’s great, if you love what you do. I’m not trying to convince you to do anything else.”
“But I’m not sure I love it anymore,” he admitted. “In fact…” He frowned. “I don’t. That high I used to get from closing a big deal, it’s barely a blip now. Barely even ends up on the radar screen. It’s just more of the same old thing. But today, working on the broken wall, fixing it so it looks good and is safe again, that felt good. Really good.”
When his frown didn’t lighten, she felt she should apologize for upsetting him. “I didn’t mean to make everything so serious.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said. “I’ve spent enough of my life making pointless small talk.” He held out his hand, and she intertwined her fingers with his. “That deal I’ve been chasing for years seems like the one I really have to complete, and then maybe I’ll take some time, think things through. Genevieve, my second-in-command, and I may need a quick trip to New Zealand to sort some things out.”
She sensed he was talking to himself, so she didn’t comment, but wow, did she feel a clutch of alarm when he mentioned New Zealand. Maybe they had only two weeks together, but she wanted every single one of those days. If he suddenly jetted off to the other side of the world, she’d be brokenhearted, and that scared her, because she had to admit she was developing feelings for Malcolm Sullivan. Feelings that wouldn’t just disappear when their two weeks were up.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said softly. “Not just here in England, but with me. I like being with you, Josie.”
His words made her feel all fluttery inside. “I like being with you too.”
Holding hands, they glided up the river, past a number of locks, which she enjoyed helping him with, and then finally they reached Hampton Court Palace.
“I know I keep saying this,” she said, “but I feel like my breath has just been taken away.”
The brick castle that had once been the home of Henry VIII was absolutely stunning from the river at night. They could see through the back garden to the lights, and to the lit-up trees.
“I’ve always loved living in Coeur d’Alene,” she said. “And even though I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years, there’s nowhere else I ever thought I could move to that would feel like home. But here, all I can think is how hard it’s going to be to leave at the end of the two weeks. Everything is so beautiful. So awe-inspiring. I could explore forever in England. Maybe it’s because I’ve read so many English novels, but this feels like a second home.”
“And hopefully,” he said, “the company isn’t too bad either.”
She leaned forward to kiss him softly. “The company is great.”
He lowered the anchor so that they were able to float in place, then put his arms around her so that they could take in the beautiful night sky, the stars twinkling, and the moon shining above.
He kissed her again, and she realized that if she didn’t pull away, they’d never eat dinner. “I think it’s time to eat,” she said on a laugh.
He helped her set out a mini feast of cold roast chicken, French bread and cheese, and sausage and fruit. Again, the galley had magically produced all the makings of a delicious meal, though she knew it wasn’t magic but Malcolm’s delivery service that had brought the food.
Clearly, there were some benefits to being a billionaire. Not that she would ever want that kind of stress or pressure for herself. Because even though he said he had once really liked his job—and she was glad that he had—she could imagine how stressful it must’ve been. How stressful it still was.
She sent a silent wish out into the night that he would find true happiness and pursue it. That he wouldn’t let anything hold him back. It was what she wanted for all of her friends. Especially for Malcolm, who felt like so much more than a friend after only this short time they’d spent together.
When they were finished and had packed up the remaining food, she yawned. “I think I’m about to turn into a pumpkin.”
“You stayed awake a lot longer tonight,” he noted. “But between jet lag and hard work, it’s no wonder you’re exhausted.”
He pulled up the anchor, then turned the boat around so that they could head home.
Funny, River Star truly did feel like home already. Just as she truly felt like his river goddess, at least for now. “I think my jet lag might be waning.” Then she smiled at him. “Thank you for the date.”
“This is the best date I’ve had in… ever,” he said once they were back at the riverboat, and she was helping him tie up the dinghy.
“Me too.”
They smiled at each other in the moonlight, and then with one more kiss, he stepped out of the dinghy and offered her his hand. It felt so natural to take it and walk into his arms, and then to walk up the stairs and into the houseboat. It was so easy, too easy, to imagine this being her life. To imagine actually being a local on Elderflower Island. And to imagine being in a relationship with Malcolm.
One that lasted not just two weeks, but forever.