She wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips, greedy for the pleasure she knew he could lavish. Chuckling at her eagerness, he accepted the invitation with male enthusiasm that made her head spin. She moaned at the sensation of his tongue inside her mouth, flirting with hers. Desperate to deepen the kiss to a higher level of intimacy, she dared the slightest touch in return.
He broke off the kiss with a gasp. " Piccola, you will kill your poor husband." Dark eyes glittered.
Then before she could protest, he took her lips in a kiss that was undeniably intimate, unquestionably possessive and incredibly tender. He tasted and licked and nibbled like a man who knew his woman's every desire, the quick jabbing of his tongue inside her mouth letting her know that while he'd wait for her passion, he wasn't averse to persuading her. She wasn't averse to being persuaded.
Waves of heat and almost painful desire rode her body, inciting her to cling to his male bulk, silently asking for more. In response, he gave her such arawly sensual kiss that had she been standing, her knees would have buckled.
This time, when the kiss broke, she lay her head down on his chest, breathing hard, trying to find her feet again. Maybe, her mind whispered, if this felt so good, the rest would be even better? Fighting to find something less inflammatory to break the tension, she recalled his earlier preoccupation. "I haven't forgotten you know." She sat up.
"What?" His tone was very male, pitched to send her sensitized nerve endings skittering.
Struggling against her reaction, she realized that she was stroking the bunched muscles under the edge of his sleeve. Because she adored touching him, she didn't stop. "That you didn't answer my question about what it was that took you so far away from me."
"Taylor." He said her name as he always did when annoyed with her, a bit exasperated, a little stubborn.
"Where?" she repeated, determined to find out what was haunting him. This marriage would only work if he trusted her as she was being forced to trust him.
He looked at her for a long moment. "Your speaking of Nick reminded me of my own childhood."
"What was it like, being the child of a director and an actress?" His parents were both winners of awards atCannesand the Oscars. His half sister, Valetta, looked to be following in their illustrious footsteps, while his two half brothers, Mario andCarlton, were having a somewhat rockier road to fame on the silver screen.
"Lonely." The honesty was raw. "I was the only child from their brief union, nine years older than Mario.
My parents were very young when I was born. My half siblings are strangers to me. My mother kept Carltonafter her marriage to his father, her third husband, broke up, and my father decided to build Mario and Valetta's mother a home next to his. I grew up with nannies and then boarding schools - aside from my name, all they ever gave me was the best care money could buy. Nothing more. Nothing less."
There was, she realized, no self-pity or anger in his tone at the injustice of being emotionally abandoned by his parents. JacksonSantorini's past had shaped a strong man, a man who would not easily break.
"I began boarding school at age five," he continued. "I saw my mother twice that year."
"And your father?"Taylorasked, hurting at the intense loneliness she heard behind the calm words.
Despite everything, she'd never really been alone.Helenahad not been the best of mothers but she'd never abandoned her children, and sometimes she'd even helpedTaylorthrough the things a girl needed her mother for. Then there had been Nick to love and he'd loved her back.
"Once that year." His mouth quirked. "To introduce me to Amber or was it Mandy? Another big-breasted blonde. They get younger with each wife."
"They sound like absolutely terrible parents," she declared, without thinking that it might not be politic.
He stared at her for a moment and then started to chuckle. "I guess they are."
"Sorry." She was abashed by her rude words.
"No, you're right." He kissed her neck, as if hewas tasting her. His lips were soft, his breath hot. "I was determined to never be like them."
"And you're not!" Snapped out of the sensual fog he could spin so easily, she sat up, scowling at the self-disgust she heard in his tone.
"I am my father's son."Jacksonacknowledged the awful truth. "I may have inherited his frailties."
Taylorrolled her eyes. "Don't be silly."
"I once married a young blonde."
"You and the blonde both happened to be the same age at the time. Your father tends to go for the cradle." Her quick response was accompanied by a dry smile.
"I can't promise you loyalty." He didn't trust himself, not when his father's philandering genes ran in his veins. He'd never once cheated on Bonnie, but who knew when the badness would kick in.
"You're not a dog."
He scowled at her. "Stop being flippant." He knew how hurt she'd been at being abandoned by Lance, and yet he couldn't help himself from telling her the truth, needing her to accept him despite his flaws. It was an impossible situation because once she knew thetruth, she would never trust him with the love he wanted. The love he needed.
One eyebrow rose. "Why not? You're being overdramatic. Must come from working in the movies."
"Taylor." Nobody else ever reduced him to growling.
"That doesn't work anymore," she said, gleefully.
"It never did." He was undone by her irreverence. "Don't you want to know the truth?"
"I know all I need to know. You'll care for me and you'll care for Nick while we're yours and afterward, you'll make sure that we have what we need." Her words were practical, her tone even. Implicit was an acceptance that this marriage would end in a year. He wanted to shake her out of her blithe assurance that she could walk away from him, force her to accept his claim. "That's more than anyone's ever done for me. It's enough."
It wasn't enough for him. He should have been glad at finding such a sensible woman. Yet he kept thinking that he was being shortchanged, if he accepted that this was allTaylorhad to give him. Taylor, who had so much spirit and courage and hope. Taylor, whohe'd thought would lead him out of the darkness into which he'd tumbled after years of cold loneliness.
He supposed he deserved it. After all, a practical arrangement was all he'd asked for and she'd promised to deliver - Nick's safety in exchange for a baby. His eyes narrowed. He had a year to make Taylorpregnant. Once he had her carrying his child, he'd teach her to trust him with her love, even if it took a lifetime. PoorTaylor, she had no idea who she'd struck a bargain with.
"I think we have to at least show up at this party," he toldTaylorlater that day. They'd spent most of the previous hours working on legal documents, taking only a short break to explore the nearby coral reef.
The excursion had been worth making time for, if only to see the wonder onTaylor's face as they snorkeled through the reef's colorful and fearless inhabitants.
Though he was aware that after their returnTaylorhad spent time on the phone with her therapist, Maggie, he hadn't asked her about it. It was enough that she'd found someone who was able to help her.
"It's being hosted by the resort owners." Knowing them was the reason he'd been able to get a spot on the exclusive paparazzi-free island on such short notice.
Scowling,Taylorsaid, "No, we're not going."
He was so used to her sunny nature that he was momentarily stunned by the determined denial. "Why not?"
He heard her gritting her teeth. "I was poor,Jackson. I won't know how to fit in there. It'd be different starting out in our home because it would be my territory."
Her response astounded him. She was usually so self-contained and confident that occasionally he wished she'd show a little more need for him, but he'd never wanted her so vulnerable that she was hurting.
"You've worked in the industry..." he began, at a loss. And yet, the primitive part of him was exulting that she'd forgotten herself enough to share her fears with him.
"As a secretary!" Her eyes glittered. "They'll look down on me."
He walked across the verandah and clamped his hands on her shoulders. " Cara mia, I would never let them hurt you."
She bit her lip. He knew about her lack of trust in men and their promises, and could even understand it, but it still hurt when she didn't immediately believe in him.
"I won't let the vultures near you." He wanted to show her the tenderness she needed, but his voice came out rough, almost a command that she trust him.
To his surprise, she reacted favorably. Her back straightened and she threw him a glare for daring to give her an order. "I don't have anything to wear."
"We can go shopping in the resort boutiques. Whatever you wear, you'll knock 'em dead."
Her smile was brilliant, far more like the woman he was used to. "Thank you. You're a kind man."
When she pecked him on the cheek, hegrit his teeth against the urge to haul her to the floor and indulge his starving senses. Kind? If he'd been a kind man, he'd have tried harder to think of a way to help her without marrying her. The truth was, when the idea had come, he hadn't looked any further, because he'd wanted sweetTaylorfor his very own. And he would fight to keep her.
Santorinimen weren't known for their sharing nature.
Taylorfound a long, electric-blue gown in a shimmering fabric that was light enough for the tropical weather, but had a shine to it that meant it would do for an evening gown. It had no sleeves, and the soft curves of material at the neckline emphasized her breasts. The only things holding up the flimsy creation were two small diamante clasps on the shoulders. Up to that point, the dress was lovely. It was the fact that it had practically no back that had her biting her lip in indecision.
Looking over her shoulder into the dressing room mirror, she found the curved line of her spine framed in blue. She knew that if she went out in this dress, her husband's big hand was going to be on her bare skin for long periods of the night. She'd always known thatJacksonwould be very, very possessive about his woman. So, he would touch her in public, make his claim, make certain no one had any doubts about the fact that she belonged to him.