A Ring To Claim His Legacy. Rachael Thomas

totally out of character. He never gave away his feelings, never said anything to a woman that could be misread as something more. Settling down had never been part of his big plan for life and yet here he was, talking with Imogen as if they shared a secret need to do just that.

      ‘He didn’t let me go,’ she said, looking up at him, that spark of defiance in her eyes once more. ‘He lost me.’

      ‘Then his loss is my gain. And being here has enabled me to find you,’ he said softly, brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

      ‘Yes, our week here has been fun, a real escape, and all I want is to make the most of the last day together.’

      A sense of calm slipped over him. She was as good as telling him that once they left the island she wouldn’t be looking for anything else from him. It was everything he had hoped for when he knew he would go home and inevitably throw himself into his work, the same as he always did. Anything to avoid the pleading of his mother to marry and continue the Silviano family name for his father. But this time he knew her secret. He knew the man lying in hospital with a serious heart condition, the man he’d never been able to please, wasn’t his real father. Knowing that and knowing just who his real father was should have made everything easier, but it didn’t. It made things harder than ever.

      ‘That is exactly what I want,’ he said as he forced his mind back to the present, back to the seduction of Imogen. It would be his last fling. He held her tighter and kissed her lightly once more. ‘What I want is to enjoy our last day together. Our final night.’

      * * *

      Imogen slipped from the yacht into the crystal-clear waters, trying to push aside Marco’s honesty. He didn’t want anything more after they returned home. He didn’t want to see her again, which was probably just as well, because once he knew she was just an ordinary girl, instead of the wealthy daddy’s girl she’d let him believe she was, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her and she couldn’t stand the rejection of that. She’d had enough rejection recently.

      Marco tapped her arm, pointing to a group of brightly coloured fish as they swam over the coral, and she refused to wallow in self-pity. She would take from this moment with Marco as much as she could—and she wanted everything. The passion, the desire. All of it. A shimmer of anticipation washed over her as she recalled his words on the beach: ‘Our final night.’

      He wanted to be with her tonight and for one night she wanted nothing more than to be with Marco. Not the hard businessman she’d caught glimpses of all week, but the kind and caring man who’d been so respectful to her, not forcing her to do anything. It had been like the romance of an affair—but now she wanted the passion that went with it. She wanted Marco.

      When they returned to the yacht she was determined that she would have the entire dream of being here on the island with Marco. By tomorrow evening the real Imogen Fraser would be back and the carefree woman she’d been this week would be nothing more than a figment of her imagination. A memory to treasure.

      ‘That was a wonderful experience,’ she said as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the wet tangle. As she stood on the deck in the sunshine she was aware of Marco watching her, aware of his gaze on her body and all too aware of how her wet one-piece highlighted every curve. She didn’t feel self-conscious, not when he looked at her like that, making her body ache for his touch, his caress. Right at this moment she felt alive. Sexy and full of confidence.

      ‘You are a very sexy woman.’ From where he was sitting, he reached out and held her thighs, pulling her towards him. Emboldened by the way he made her feel, she stood between his legs as he sat.

      She looked down at him, his face still wet from the water as he looked up at her, and that connection sparked to life, dragging her deep under his spell. Did he really think that? She tested him, deploying her new-found confidence. ‘Thin girls are sexy. It’s the slim girls that men go for.’

      ‘Oh, you’ve got that all wrong,’ he said as he caressed her thigh, her skin drying instantly from the contact. ‘Do you have any idea what you do to me?’

      She shook her head, the shyness she’d been trying to hide surfacing once more, almost stopping her from having the one thing she wanted. This moment with Marco.

      ‘Then I am going to have to make sure you know.’ He moved her in closer, so close that if he wasn’t looking up at her he could kiss her breasts. The thought made them tingle with anticipation. The heady pulse of desire started once more, deep inside her. His hands skimmed up either side of her waist, almost touching her breasts, and the real Imogen threatened to return, almost forcing her out of his embrace.

      ‘I... I...’ she stammered, the boldness she’d been hiding behind all week suddenly vanishing as if the sea had washed it all away.

      ‘Tonight is our last night and I want to spend it with you.’ His hands slid back down the sides of her waist and her knees began to weaken as he smiled up at her. Damn him, he knew exactly what he was doing to her. ‘Every minute of it.’

      Her heart leapt. Every minute. He wanted to be with her all night. ‘I want that too,’ she whispered as his hands caressed her waist sensually, and she longed for him to touch her breasts, to finally light the fire which sparked and fizzed inside her, threatening to explode like a wayward firework.

      ‘But I want tonight to be like no other, so I have arranged for something special.’ He smiled, pulling her closer still.

      ‘More special than this?’ She could hardly whisper, her heart was thumping so hard.

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘And what is the dress code for this surprise?’ Thankfully she found just Imogen’s flirty nature, banishing Imogen Fraser from saying or doing anything. She fully intended to remain just Imogen a little while longer and have her night with Marco.

      ‘Dress for dinner.’

      ‘In that case—’ Imogen pulled away from him, not trusting herself to stay in his embrace any longer, the heady need for him becoming stronger all the time ‘—I should get back. Have you any idea how long it takes to tame hair like mine?’

      He laughed. A deep, sexy laugh which sent a shimmer of stars hurtling around her. ‘I get the message.’

      ‘Good, because if you want me to look the part then I will have to get back to the villa.’

      ‘You already look the part as far as I am concerned, Imogen.’ Seriousness had slipped back into his voice and desire in his eyes. ‘Turn up exactly as you are and I will be happy.’

      ‘You.’ She pushed him away. ‘Be careful what you wish for, Marco.’