She rolled away before he could get a good grasp on her. “No. Nope. Not happening.” Standing, she swayed with a bit of dizzy exhaustion. They’d stayed up too late last night, making love in far too many locations in and around the bungalow—the porch, the hammock, the bed, the tub, the floor. She was satisfied—so satisfied her muscles felt like overcooked noodles. It was a wonder she was able to stand without support. Not that she was complaining. At all. But the time she’d spent in personal indulgence was time that hadn’t been spent working on the wedding.
Snatching up her cell, she thumbed to the messages and read the transcription of Arvin’s voice mail.
Birds located. Aviary only had one dozen available. Breeder recommended another aviary on neighboring island. If the expense is acceptable, let me know and I’ll have the doves delivered. I need to order them today in order to receive them in time for the ceremony. Arvin.
Ella pinched the bridge of her nose and focused on taking slow, deep breaths. This was another expense she hadn’t planned on. Every change Liam made came with a new cost. Like using flowers flown direct from Holland. She had expressed her concerns, but Liam dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He’d insisted that his sister had given him free rein to go over the budget. Ella had asked him to send her an email confirming that the additional costs were acceptable. He’d pulled out his phone and written the email on the spot, going one step further by promising he’d cover any cost to which his sister objected.
But Ella was still anxious. The energy drinks, the doves, the excursions...additions and subtractions to the welcome baskets. If Liam failed to honor his word to cover costs, the bride and groom could come after her and demand she pay out of pocket.
Driven by caution, she figured she’d improvise. Somehow. Maybe hold a less expensive group activity than the private sail and scuba dive currently scheduled for the bride, groom and their guests the day prior to the ceremony. That would be one place Ella could cut a few corners.
Leaving Liam lounging in bed, she went into the living room and opened her computer, pulling up the resort’s activities website. She traced a finger along the keypad, scrolling—scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, hiking. She paused.Parasailing and horseback riding.Each activity was easily one hundred and fifty dollars less per person, and she’d bet she could negotiate a better rate.
“Liam?”
An inarticulate sound was her only response.
“What do you think about parasailing and horseback riding?”
“I’d never recommend trying the two at the same time.”
“I’m sure that’s sound advice, smart-ass. I’m asking if you think either of those activities might be a better choice for the guests instead of the sail and dive.”
Covers rustled followed by the sound of bare feet padding across the hardwood floor. Liam appeared in the doorway, a sheet wrapped about his waist. Sunlight came down from the skylight, showcasing the hard planes and muscles of his torso, making him look like a chiseled work of art. Natural highlights in his hair softened his features. But his eyes—they were infinitely deep and far more sensual than she’d ever seen them.
Ella wanted to abandon all attempts at work and take this man back to bed. He might frustrate the hell out of her, but he had learned his way around her body in no time at all. He could dissolve stress better than a stiff drink, relieve anxiety better than any prescription. Yeah, she’d take one of him to go, thanks.
Blinking rapidly, she shook her head. “Stop distracting me.”
He smiled then, slow and suggestive, and tilted his head toward the bedroom. “We still have ten minutes before breakfast gets here. Enough time for a quickie.”
The problem was, she didn’t want a quickie. She wanted more time with him, wanted more time than this event would afford them. Already she’d begun dreading the day they’d part ways. This wasn’t like her. At all.
But the truth was what it was.
The only practical solution was to keep things between them light. Fun. Relaxed. She needed to keep her head in the game and her heart off the table. Period. And there was no better time to enforce her “no emotional connections” pledge than the present.
Closing her computer, she set it aside and stood, stretching her arms above her naked body.
Liam’s eyes grew hooded as he pushed off the door frame he’d been leaning against.
She started toward him. “What can you do with six minutes?”
He reached out and pulled her close, his erection prodding her belly. “More than enough, Ella.” His lips brushed hers and he smiled, the look utterly wicked. “More than enough.”
Liam spread out the newspaper and read through the financials before opening his computer to do a little catching up with the London office. He answered a handful of critical emails and delegated the rest to his personal assistant. He was in the process of reviewing a high-profile client’s returns, making notes on changes and calculating potential returns on amended investments when his cell rang. The ringtone was a snappy show tune, one he’d set for his sister after taking her to see a live performance on the West End for her sixteenth birthday.
He reached for the phone and swiped to answer the call, silently thanking the powers that be for getting Ella out of hearing distance so he could speak freely. “What’s going on, squid?”
Jenna laughed. “How long are you going to call me that awful nickname?”
“Until I can forget you clinging to me, afraid to jump off the diving board unless I went with you.”
“I was being cautious!” she retorted.
“You nearly drowned the both of us,” Liam groused, though even he could hear the undiluted affection in his voice.
“Whatever. How’s the wedding stuff going?”