Capelli’s Captive Virgin Page 13

  Unable to stop herself, Lindsay risked a sideways glance at him and immediately her eyes collided with his penetrating dark gaze. Her insides tumbled, flames licked through her body and she turned away quickly, knowing that she’d embarrass herself if she looked at him any longer.

  No clinging, no sighing and no long, desperate looks, she reminded herself desperately. She’d known it was just for one night.

  But when they’d finally connected in the most intimate way possible, she’d wanted it to be for always.

  And she knew it was because she was in love with him. She’d known it the moment she awoke and found herself in his arms. For her, it had always been so much more than chemistry. Perhaps she’d always been a little bit in love with him, ever since that evening when he’d come to her rescue.

  So in the end, she’d been true to herself, hadn’t she?

  Her choice had been sex with love, even though that love wasn’t returned.

  Love.

  Horrified that he’d see something in her expression, Lindsay kept her eyes fixed on the horizon, desperately hoping that his expertise with women didn’t run to reading minds.

  ‘Are we going to talk about this?’ His voice was a deep, dark drawl and she kept her eyes on the water, trying to forget the way he’d sounded when he’d breathed soft words of encouragement to her during the night.

  ‘Talk about what?’

  ‘Oh, well, let’s see—perhaps because you spent the night having wild sex with a wicked divorce lawyer who you don’t approve of. That might give most women pause for thought.’

  ‘I made my choice.’

  ‘You made your choice when you were in an extremely emotional state. Those circumstances frequently lead to regret.’

  ‘I don’t regret anything.’ And it was true. She would have done the same thing again. Yes, she’d been upset. Confused. Emotional. But for that one night she’d also been—curious. She’d wanted to give in to the amazing chemistry between them and see where it led.

  She’d wanted to have that one moment. And now, for the first time, she understood what made other people act in a reckless fashion.

  She really understood.

  Was this how her mother had felt?

  Lindsay stood still, thinking about her mother as a woman for the first time. A sexual woman.

  ‘Lindsay?’

  She dragged her mind back from the confusing mists of her childhood and realised that Alessio was watching her intently. And she knew that even if nothing but pain was to follow, she would have done exactly the same thing again if she’d been given the choice. ‘I’m not blaming you, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

  Suddenly she was relieved that she’d made the decision to get up before he awoke. It had removed the temptation to snuggle against him and initiate the type of intimacy that she knew he hated.

  It had also removed the utter embarrassment of having to face him for the first time in the revealing spotlight of the morning sunshine.

  ‘Lindsay—’

  ‘Can we talk about something else?’ She interrupted him quickly, adjusting the hat again simply because she needed to do something with her hands. Something other than sliding them round his neck. ‘I completely understand that being trapped on a boat with the woman you spent the night before with must be your idea of a nightmare. But you really needn’t worry. I don’t want to talk about it either.’

  She waited for him to give some indication that he was grateful for her sensitivity, but he simply studied her in brooding silence until the longing inside her became so acute that she knew that if she didn’t move away she’d do something that would embarrass both of them.

  Alessio Capelli has taught me everything about passion, she thought desperately, but what he hasn’t taught me is how to walk away afterwards.

  Three hours later Lindsay lay in a luxuriously scented bath, staring at an unbroken view of smooth white sand and palm trees.

  She felt drained after the emotional battering she’d received over the past twenty-four hours, but, strangely enough, she also felt calmer than she’d felt in years.

  For the first time ever her heart rate stayed steady when she thought about her mother.

  And when she thought of Ruby it was with resignation rather than desperation.

  And as for herself—

  On the bed next door was her dress, laid out ready for the evening. It was the simplest dress in her new wardrobe. Powder-blue and summery rather than sexy. And that suited her.

  The last thing she wanted was Alessio thinking she was trying to engender a repeat performance.

  She was painfully aware that if they hadn’t been trapped on an island, she wouldn’t be seeing him again. And clearly he was finding their continued proximity a major cause of irritation.

  They’d arrived back at Kingfisher Cay just before lunch. Alessio had immediately leaped from the boat onto the narrow wooden jetty, paused to exchange a few words with the staff member hovering ready to take the boat, and then strode off to his villa without so much as a single smouldering glance in her direction.

  It was obvious from his body language that he had no desire to spend another moment in her company.

  And had that hurt?

  Yes. It had been agony, because no matter how many times she told herself that this was what she’d expected, she’d still wanted something entirely different.

  Lindsay sniffed and slowly rubbed the bubbles over her skin. Even though she knew exactly who he was and the rules he played by, she was still human enough—female enough—to have wished that he’d swept her into his arms, carried her to the nearest private place and demanded a repeat performance.

  But Alessio Capelli didn’t do repeat performances, did he?

  She slid farther under the bubbles, trying to ignore the recurrent buzz of electricity coursing through her body. It was as if he’d flicked a switch, but hadn’t bothered to turn it off again afterwards.

  And now she had to live with the consequences.

  The next time she chose to have a wild fling, she was going to make sure that she’d planned her escape route. Instead of both being able to go their own ways, pretending that nothing had happened, they were both trapped here in paradise—forced to confront each other. And everything about the setting was designed to make that as hard as possible.

  Kingfisher Cay was designed for romance. From its curved soft beaches, to the privacy of its coves, it was a place for lovers.

  Exasperated with herself, Lindsay stepped out of the bath and reached for one of the large, soft towels that had been laid out ready for her use.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  She’d known what he was like.

  She wasn’t going to turn into one of those sad, deluded women who thought they’d be the one to make a bad boy change his wicked ways.

  Wrapping the towel around her body, she sat on the edge of the bath, staring blindly at the smooth, tiled floor.

  So that, she thought numbly, was that.

  One night with Alessio Capelli.

  And now she had to play the game until she could escape from Kingfisher Cay and back to her old life.

  A tap on the door made her heart rate double, but it was just Natalya, smiling an apology for having disturbed her.

  ‘Signor Capelli requests your presence for drinks at the Beach Club at seven.’

  Lindsay’s heart performed a series of leaps, but she somehow managed to nod. Horrified by the sudden flash of excitement that came from the realisation that she was going to spend an evening in his company, Lindsay watched Natalya go and gave herself a sharp talking-to.

  But despite her best efforts to rein it in, her mind was racing ahead.

  He couldn’t be that anxious to remove her from his presence, could he? Not if he was inviting her to join him at the Beach Club for the evening?

  The Beach Club at night was the most romantic setting. Built on stilts, the glass floor extended over the shallow water of the cove, allow
ing guests to feel as though they were walking on the clear, illuminated water. During the day, guests swam up to the bar for a drink; at night it was transformed by flickering candles, soft music, food designed to take the palate on a rollercoaster ride of gastronomic bliss. It was a lovers’ paradise.

  And he wanted her to join him there.

  She was going to have another night with him.

  All right, so another night wasn’t a lifetime, but it was something and it was now.

  Lindsay dried her hair and walked past the powder-blue dress on the bed. Heart thumping, she reached into the wardrobe and pulled out the sexy red silk dress that she’d fingered in awe on the first day.

  The old Lindsay would never have worn that dress. But she wasn’t the old Lindsay anymore, was she?

  She felt—different.

  She felt like seizing the moment. Even if it was only one more night, she wanted to make the most of it.

  Her hands shaking, she slid it over her scented skin, smoothed it over her hips and then looked at herself in the mirror.

  Yes. Oh, yes.

  The dress was desperately sexy. Feminine, confident—totally unlike anything she’d ever worn before.

  And that was fine. Because she didn’t feel the way she’d ever felt before.

  She was going to spend an evening at the Kingfisher Cay Beach Club with Alessio Capelli. It was right that she should look glamorous.

  Lindsay applied her make-up, slid her feet into a pair of amazing red silk shoes and took a last look in the mirror.

  She barely recognised herself.

  On impulse she leaned forward and removed one of the scarlet flowers from the vase on the table. Snapping off the stem, she slid it into her hair and secured it with a pin.

  Feeling confident, sexy and excited, she picked up her bag and walked along the path that wound its way towards the Beach Club, smiling as she anticipated Alessio’s reaction to her transformation.

  Her excitement lasted right up until the moment she saw him.

  He was leaning on the bar looking every inch the billionaire tycoon. Broad-shouldered and powerful, he was deep in conversation with a tall, handsome man who looked extremely familiar.

  Lindsay’s heart lurched.

  Oh, no—

  She knew instinctively that this man must be Alessio’s mysterious and elusive client and the reason he looked familiar was because he was a major Hollywood film star whose films she’d seen on many occasions.

  And it was immediately obvious to her that Alessio hadn’t invited her for a romantic evening at all.

  He’d invited her because his client had arrived.

  Lindsay stopped dead, wanting to slink back to her villa, but knowing that if she moved they’d see her.

  What was she supposed to do?

  It felt surreal, seeing such a famous man in person, when she was used to seeing him on the big screen. Remembering that guaranteed privacy was one of the many benefits of Kingfisher Cay, Lindsay felt a flash of panic and wondered whether she’d better leave.

  The rich and famous obviously had a silent pact not to betray the whereabouts of their set, but she wasn’t one of them, was she?

  Uncertain and uncomfortable, she was just about to retreat when Alessio lifted his dark head and saw her.

  For a moment his eyes locked on hers, then they slid slowly down over her bare shoulders and down over the dips and curves of her body accentuated so lovingly by the bold red dress.

  Heart thumping, Lindsay waited in breathless anticipation for his reaction, but when he finally lifted his eyes back to hers they were blank of expression.

  Nothing.

  Instead he lifted a hand and beckoned her over and she went, of course, because the delicious red dress was already drawing attention that she didn’t want, and because he wasn’t the sort of man you said ‘no’ to.

  It was ironic, she thought miserably, that the only man she’d wanted to notice her didn’t appear to be noticing her.

  She’d got it so, so wrong.

  He hadn’t invited her to spend a romantic evening with him. He was expecting her to join in a meeting with his client. But what was still more embarrassing was the undeniable fact that he was aware of her mistake. That one single glance had told him that she was dressed for sex and passion, which accounted for the tightening of his hard mouth and the sudden cooling of his gaze.

  Alessio knew.

  In her mind she could hear him saying, ‘You should be so lucky, tesoro. You had your one night. That was it.’

  Mortified, Lindsay was too busy wishing she could crawl back to her villa and hide to feel remotely star struck by meeting the famous actor.

  Telling herself that the presence of another person would make the whole difficult evening a great deal easier, Lindsay joined them, noticing that if anything this huge star was even more handsome in real life than he was on the screen. His eyes were bluer and shone with a hint of humour that was usually absent in the roles he played.

  Lindsay glanced around her, expecting the other guests to be staring, but then she realised that the people who came here were all similarly famous. She recognised the lead singer from an extremely famous rock band, a supermodel and a billionaire industrialist who was never out of the news.

  In this company, the ‘A’ list actor blended comfortably.

  She was the odd one out.

  It felt surreal, sipping her drink next to a man whose love life had been played out across the pages of the world’s gossip magazines.

  Desperately miserable, Lindsay glanced briefly at Alessio, and then wished she hadn’t because once her eyes rested on the sharp lines of his profile it was impossible to look away.

  The actor was outlining his personal situation and Alessio angled his dark head, his gaze sharp and acute as he sifted through the facts. You can almost see his brain working, Lindsay thought helplessly, watching his unwavering focus on his client. His astonishing intelligence was evident, not only in the observations that he made, but also in the sharp glitter of his eyes and in every line of his hard, handsome features. He was clever. Clever and strong.

  Lindsay’s eyes drifted to the dark shadow of his jaw. He was a man to whom decision-making came easily. Not for him the agonies of ‘shall I shan’t I’ suffered by lesser mortals. No wonder people trusted him with their darkest secrets and their biggest problems. He was coldly analytical and decisive, which explained why he wasn’t remotely impressed or intimidated by the presence of Hollywood’s favourite film star.

  Most men would have faded into the background.

  Not Alessio.

  Lindsay smiled politely as Alessio introduced them, fighting down a spurt of panic as she realised that, although she was with one of America’s biggest film stars, the only man she wanted to stare at was Alessio.

  The Sicilian lawyer was actually more startlingly handsome than the man whose presence on the screen had made him the object of fantasy for millions of women worldwide.

  Deciding that the only way she was going to make it through the evening was to not look at him, or think about him, Lindsay focused all her attention on the actor and his situation.

  So he was the one contemplating divorce—

  Does his wife know? she wondered. Or was this just an exploratory meeting to ascertain how much a divorce was going to cost him?

  ‘I should have listened to the old saying—marry in haste, repent at leisure.’ He drained his glass of champagne. ‘Good sex is never a reason to get married.’

  ‘You sound uncannily like Lindsay,’ Alessio said in a cool tone, a sardonic gleam in his eyes as he glanced at her. ‘She doesn’t approve of relationships based on sex.’

  ‘On the contrary—’ she lifted her head and smiled ‘—I have no problem with relationships based on sex, providing the parties involved understand that physical chemistry alone isn’t a good basis for marriage. If sex is all you have in common, then fine. Just don’t get married.’

  ‘That’s the best a
dvice anyone has ever given me. I only wish I’d met you a couple of years ago. You would have saved me a fortune.’ Draining his glass, the actor looked at her thoughtfully. ‘I take it you’re not married?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘And you have no problem with relationships based on sex.’

  Was it her imagination or was this gorgeous man who was famed for his liaisons with equally gorgeous women actually smiling at her? Flirting with her?

  ‘I think it’s important to be realistic.’

  ‘Where have you been all my life?’ The actor was laughing now, a look of sexy invitation in those famous blue eyes. ‘How long are you here for? Come and spend some time with me in Los Angeles after you leave. I’ll show you the sights.’

  ‘I might just do that.’ Desperately miserable about Alessio and feeling suddenly reckless, Lindsay smiled back at him. Reckless? Since when had reckless been an adjective that applied to her? A week ago she’d never done anything reckless in her life. Now she seemed to be doing nothing but reckless things.

  And on top of that it suddenly seemed desperately important to show Alessio that she wasn’t pining. He’d barely glanced in her direction and the message he was sending her had come across loud and clear.

  Not interested.

  Unlike the actor who barely seemed able to drag his eyes away from her face and body, Alessio seemed hardly to notice her presence. He didn’t address her directly, his gaze didn’t once linger on her bare shoulder or her cleavage and he seemed totally relaxed.

  Clearly whatever wild chemistry had possessed him before last night had been extinguished by the heat of that one single encounter.

  For him, there was nothing left.

  Suddenly it seemed incredibly important for her pride and self-esteem that he didn’t realise just how bad she felt.

  And to be fair, it wasn’t exactly his fault that she felt bad, was it?

  He hadn’t once lied to her. He hadn’t promised her anything.

  He’d been completely true to his nature, which was to keep relationships light and easy.