Standing outside one of the boardrooms in the high-tech conference centre, Angelo shook hands with Basil Makrides. “I am pleased you are satisfied with our agreement.”
The older man nodded. “I want to spend time with Daphne, with our sons. Too much of my life has been lost on building an empire.” There was sadness in his eyes.
Angelo was privy to the tragic situation of Basil’s younger son. “I am sorry about Chris. I hope he will recover.”
Basil sighed. “We will give him all the support we can. At present he’s getting the best care in the world. And Daphne and I will be there at his side when he comes out.”
Angelo’s step was light as he went to find Gemma. The negotiations with Makrides had ended sooner than he’d expected. He now owned a group of small but exclusive resorts in Australia that he was keen to bring in line with the rest of the Poseidon ventures. He was looking forward to taking a couple of days off and relaxing with Gemma.
She delighted him, enthralled him.
Each day, he grew more intrigued by her, discovered yet another facet of her character. Gemma had changed, more than he could ever believe possible. They meshed in a way that they had never done in the past, in a way that he had never fit with any other woman. He was prepared to let the past go…to start over with her.
He didn’t want to think too much about what was happening to him. He simply wanted to enjoy Gemma…her company…and her sexy body.
When he saw her ahead of him, clad in one of the pool’s cover-ups, a tote slung over her shoulder, he lengthened his stride.
“Gemma.” He snagged her elbow, and she jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She turned, her tawny eyes widening when she saw him. Something shifted in the depths, then vanished. “I thought you were busy with a meeting.”
“I finished early. And seeing that the squall that threatened this morning has blown away, I wanted to show you the underwater caverns.”
Fifteen minutes later, clad in wet suits to minimize the coolness of the subterranean winter water, they each hopped into a giant yellow inner tube that would float them through the honeycomb of tunnels. Because of the cold, there weren’t many others in the dimly lit caves, so Gemma pushed off from the wall and scooted across the black water before rebounding off the opposite wall of the tunnel. She gave a squeal of laughter. “This is fun.”
“The current will move us along.” Angelo’s tube bumped into hers, and she laughed again. His gaze lingered on her white smile and pleasure surged within him. “Not scared?”
“Not at all.”
“It gets dark a little farther on,” he warned.
“Ooh, spooky.” She bumped her tube into his, and he rebounded into the wall. Trapped between the cavern wall and her tube, Angelo watched her approach with a wicked smile. Before he could move, she leaned over and scooped some of the dark water into her hand and flung it at him.
Angelo spluttered as the cold spray hit the side of his head. “Is that the way you want to play it?” He growled, using his hands to paddle closer.
“No.” Gemma started to giggle helplessly. “Don’t wet me more. The water is freezing.”
His arm snaked out and hooked around her waist. She shrieked as she slipped off her tube. “Don’t dump me in this water, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Angelo swept her over the divide between the two tubes. She landed, sprawled across him, her front plastered against his. Instantly he was aware of the softness of her body outlined by the Neoprene suit. The tangle of her wet hair brushed his cheek.
She shifted, twisting away. “My tube!” Her bright yellow tube bobbed along in the distance, moving fast without a passenger.
“Hold still. You’re going to capsize us,” he warned, dragging her closer.
She froze. “That’s the last thing I want.”
“Don’t worry, it’s only about a metre deep.”
“I don’t care about the depth. It’s the freezing, dark water I want to avoid.”
“Be adventurous.” Angelo settled her against him. “Live dangerously.”
“This is more dangerous than it looks.” She sounded breathless.
His arm shifted, he could feel her heart beating wildly. From the exertion? The thrill of the ride? Or something else?
He pulled her closer with one arm, the other holding onto the ring moulded to the tube. “Feel safer now?”
“No,” she moaned.
Angelo was smiling when he kissed her. Her lips were cold and wet, but they parted the instant the tip of his tongue stroked hers. The kiss grew wild…deep. He’d never felt this kind of insatiable hunger for a woman before.
Then everything went dark.
He raised his head. “It’s the Midnight Bend. We’ll round the corner and then there’ll be light.”
“You think I’m scared?” There was amusement in her voice.
He kissed her again. But she’d moved so he missed the lips he was aiming for in the pitch black, and had to make do with kissing her neck, the softness behind her ears.
“That’s so good,” she groaned.
He tongued her skin, unbearably aroused.
The tube swung around a curve and they were back in the dim, ghostly light. He pulled away. “Want more?”
“Mmm,” she murmured.
This time he made sure he got her lips. The kiss was deep and very, very hungry. Her hand crept up, caressing his nape, then spearing into his hair and pulling him closer still.
Finally he pulled away, breathing hard. “Hold tight,” he gasped.
Her hands tightened against his head.
“I mean, hold the tube, hold me. There’s a bit of a rapid ahead.” He saw her eyes widen, then she was shrieking as the tube started to speed up and go downhill. The tube jerked and shook as the current swept it forward. Angelo braced himself, holding her close against him.
Faster and faster they went.
The last part of the descent was the steepest. Gemma was shaking under the weight of his arm.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s great!”
She gave a whoop of excitement. And that’s when he realized she was laughing, that she was high on enjoyment, not shaking with fear. They came careening down the final slide and surfed onto the wide pool at the bottom.
Gemma shifted in his grip, twisted her head around and beamed incandescently up at him. “That was fantastic! Can we do it again?”
And right then Angelo knew why she was different from every woman he’d ever known. She was so transparent, so intensely warm and joyous.
Gemma was one of a kind.
The next day passed in surges of adrenaline, moments of apprehension and utter pleasure in Angelo’s company.
In the morning they spent time feeding the fish in the huge tank and then they went for a walk marked along the island. After lunch, Gemma insisted on trying out ride after ride in the theme park. Protected by the wet suit and high on excitement, Gemma didn’t feel cold until several hours later, when Angelo said, “Time to call it a day. We’ve got guests coming for dinner. You’ll like them-the Makrideses are nice people.”
Wet and suddenly weary, Gemma allowed Angelo to drape an oversized towel around her and usher her back to the resort.
Back in his penthouse, she stepped gratefully into the shower and let the heat beat against her skin. She lathered her hair, combing the tangles out with her fingers, and afterwards she took her time blow-drying the curls
