Seven Nights Read online

  Seven Nights

  Jess Michaels

  Copyright Jesse Petersen, 2011

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission. For information address Jenna Petersen, PO Box 6205, Bloomington, IL 61702

  Check out these other books by Jess Michaels:

  Secrets, Volume 11

  Secrets, Volume 12

  Parlor Games

  A Red Hot Valentine’s Day

  Everything Forbidden

  Something Reckless

  Taboo

  Nothing Denied

  Sin

  Chapter One

  Leah’s breasts rose and fell with each panting, needy breath, the dusky nipples darkening and growing tighter the closer Sean inched. Even though it had been so long since he’d touched her, tasted her, he knew it would be the same heaven as it had always been: her skin like brushed velvet, her nipples sweet berries, her pussy the finest wine. He was going to taste every inch of her. Lick her until she shone in the candlelight and sobbed with desire.

  Dropping to his knees, he braced his hands on the arms of her chair, trapping her in an embrace that she arched toward artlessly. Her lip trembled and her breath hitched as he slanted his mouth over hers for a deep, probing kiss. He sucked her tongue, drawing her into his mouth and tasting her need ratchet up a notch, then two.

  Despite her whimper of protest, he drew back, slid down. Her skin was as hot as a furnace when his lips pressed against her throat. Her pulse skittered wildly and her hands clenched into fists as he lapped at her flesh in slow licks and gentle sucks and nibbles. Always he drifted lower, focused on tasting and exploring more of her body.

  That body he’d never forgotten.

  She arched up with a cry when he caught one bud of a nipple between his teeth. He tugged gently, then suckled the nub deep inside the hot, wet cavern of his mouth. She was so damned sweet.

  Her cries increased as his fingers found their way off the chair arms and onto her thigh. As he moved his mouth to her opposite breast and blew a hot gust of steam onto the tip, he glided his fingers up and up. Finally, he found wet curls waiting for him.

  Her pussy contracted as he nudged her outer lips open. She was soaked with cream, arching against him with wild, throaty cries when he thrust his finger deep inside her molten, trembling sheath.

  He surged forward and back as he continued to tongue her breast, loving how her cunt squeezed in time and got hotter with each suck. She was on the edge. Ready to come. And after all their time apart, he wanted to taste her when she did.

  Still gliding his fingers in and out in a relentless rhythm, he licked his way lower and lower. He teased her belly button, he sucked her hip and finally, finally… he drew her clit between his lips and sucked the rigid bud.

  Immediately, she convulsed, sobbing and screaming as a flood of sweet release coated his fingers. Before she’d even stopped trembling, Sean was on his feet, tearing at his belt and shucking his pants down. She spread her legs and arms in a mute invitation. He leaned in and …

  ***

  The buzzer on Sean Dalton’s intercom made him jump. For a moment, he looked around his empty office, dazed. It hadn’t been real. Just a fantasy.

  A fantasy that left his cock rock hard and raging for relief.

  The intercom buzzed again and he hit it with enough force that he was surprised the plastic didn’t shatter.

  “What?” he snapped as he adjusted in his chair to ease his aching erection.

  “Mr. Dalton.” His secretary’s voice was calm and collected, as always. She probably never had hot fantasies at her desk. “You wanted me to let you know as soon as we had word. The charter has just taken off. It should be landing in less than an hour.”

  Sean’s body jolted with nearly as much force as it had in his fantasy. “Thank you,” he stammered before he jumped to his feet and started pacing.

  This was better than his best dream. This was real. Or it would be in a short time. Because she was going to be there in an hour. Just sixty short minutes and he’d have the one thing he’d longed for over the past five years.

  He stopped to look out the wall of windows that overlooked his island. Had it really been five years since she’d walked out of his life? Since he’d come home to find her engagement ring abandoned on the kitchen counter with only a note taped beside it.

  He shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to waste a lot of time reminiscing about the past. It only upset him. It certainly didn’t help him with his plans. For this to work out, he had to be cool. He had to be collected. He had to be in control. No matter what she said or did. No matter what feelings seeing her again evoked in him, he had to keep his eye on his goal.

  And what was his goal? Respect.

  Well, more than respect, as his erotic day dream had proven. He wanted her to see how far he’d come in the time she’d been away from him, sure. But he also wanted to sweep her away and act out his needs and fantasies. He wanted to prove to her that no matter how far or fast she ran away from him, he could still make her want him in a heartbeat. He wanted her to come to his island sure of her choices and leave longing to get back what she’d lost.

  That was why he’d spent so much time preparing this elaborate set-up. Why he’d taken so much time away from his blossoming business to arrange for her to be brought to the island. His island.

  He just hoped once he got her down here she could move past her shock and let him give her what he wanted. Let him give her every fantasy she held in her heart. Every desire she’d tried so hard to hide. Because once she gave in to what he offered, he knew he had a chance to have it all. And he wanted it all.

  He wanted Leah Prescott.

  ***

  The squeak of the puddle jumper’s wheels echoed in the cabin of the chartered plane as they dropped in preparation for landing. Leah Prescott dug her pink nails into the leather armrest and focused all her attention on keeping her lunch down.

  “I never knew a travel writer who got air sick before.” Her photographer, Danny Anderson gave her a crooked grin before he placed one large, warm hand over hers and squeezed. “Breathe, honey.”

  Leah smiled and took his advice by drawing a long breath through her nose. She held it momentarily, then slowly expelled it between her lips. Danny was right, as always. The simple act of breathing did wonders for her dancing stomach. Good advice, loyal friend and easy on the eyes. Danny was a Colin Farrell look-alike and every woman Leah knew bemoaned the fact that he was gay.

  Except for her. She was more than happy not to mix business with pleasure. When she wrote an article that required an overnight stay, she always asked for Danny as her photographer for just that reason. No romantic entanglements.

  “I shouldn’t even be here, Danny Boy,” she muttered as the plane’s wheels finally jolted down on the small landing strip just feet from a white sandy beach.

  He laughed as he began to gather up his camera equipment from beneath the seat in front of him. “It’s your own fault, so don’t go complaining to me. You should have known that writing a scathing article about fantasy resorts would only cause you problems and headaches.”

  Headaches was damn right. At the moment, she had a splitting one starting over her left eye.

  “Well, I never imagined writing my opinion on the false promise of fantasy resorts would cause threats of law suits and make our publisher send me down to this Escapades resort for a week.” She rolled her eyes. “A week, Danny!”

  “Ah yes, dear old Dad.” Danny arched a playful eyebrow. “How is he?”

  She sighed, but it was more theatrical than full of real exasperation. “My father is peachy. To him, any publicity for Get-Aways Magazine is good publicity. Though he did warn me not to incit
e any riots while I’m down here.”

  “There’s a tall order,” her photographer said with a smile as the plane finished its taxi and came to a full stop beside a silver Land Rover SUV. A scantily clad woman stood beside it with a serene smile on her calm face.

  “A week in paradise,” Leah muttered as she jammed her laptop into its slender case and slung it over her shoulder.

  “Don’t sound so excited.” Danny winked as he headed down the aisle toward the door.

  Leah snorted. Excited? No, that wasn’t the word for it. Frustrated fit better. A week on an island having some stuffed suit tell her what her fantasies were? The whole blasted assignment sounded more like hell than heaven.

  She’d honestly believed every word she’d written in her article. Fantasy resorts provided false hopes to couples whose marriages were on the edge of extinction. They sold fake dreams and dumbed down desires.

  And Escapades was the newest and hottest one of that breed of vacation spots. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. No week or even year here was going to change her mind. Still, she forced a smile for the woman by the SUV. It wasn’t her fault.

  “Welcome to the island and to Escapades, Miss Prescott, Mr. Anderson,” the woman said with a broad smile. Her English was perfect, with only the barest hint of an accent. Leah arched an eyebrow. So much for a genuine island experience.

  “Thank you,” she replied with a side-glance for Danny. Like her, he looked incredulous about this whole situation. “And you are?”

  The girl laughed. “My name is Anita, but it’s inconsequential. Don’t feel as though you have to remember it. This week is about escape and fantasy, not the stresses of every day life like names and titles and meetings.”

  Leah exchanged a long glance with Danny as she sank her teeth into her lip to hold back a response. This was definitely going into her article. Maybe something like, ‘the only fantasy this island really fulfills is that of a dominant class…’

  Yes, that was nice. She’d have to jot that down once they were on the road to the resort.

  “Come.” The girl motioned to the vehicle. “The resort is just a few miles away. And there are people anxious for your arrival.”

  Leah nodded as she clamored into the backseat. It smelled like expensive leather and new car. Very swank.

  “I’m to speak with Will Todd, right? Will I meet with him when I arrive?”

  Will Todd was the handsome owner of the island. Older, distinguished, he fit the “Fantasy Island” profile to a tee. It was almost ridiculous.

  Anita smiled as she shut the SUV’s door and came around to the driver’s side. As she buckled up, she said, “The journey to the resort will give you a beautiful view of the ocean and the rainforest. We’ll be there within a quarter of an hour.”

  As the SUV traveled down the red clay road, their hostess chatted amicably about the island. While Danny took pictures from the window and talked with the girl, Leah neatly blocked out their chatter about history and culture as she stared out at the landscape.

  The island was aesthetically pleasing. The long stretch of beach to her left met with sparkling blue Caribbean waters. Since it was a private island, there was no crush of people laying out tanning or listening to loud music. No litter or pollution marred the perfection of the view.

  “Of course what resort island isn’t beautiful?” Leah muttered.

  She’d been to plenty during her years as head travel writer for her father’s magazine, Get-Aways. But this one was different somehow. She couldn’t quite place why, but a thrill of nervousness had her stomach dancing. Almost as if she were… anticipating something. But what? She had no reason to be worried or anxious. This was just another assignment.

  The Land Rover came to a gentle stop on a packed rock circular driveway. Anita hopped out and held Leah’s door for her. “And this is the main building of Escapades.”

  Leah got out, shading her eyes against the sun as she looked up at the building. It was fronted by a massive garden, filled with indigenous flowers and plants that let off a delicious, heady smell.

  Behind the garden, a large five-story building stretched up before her. It had been designed in an older world style, with stucco walls made from the red clay like the kind on the road they’d driven in on. It made her think of Italy. Of paradise.

  Leah followed Anita up the walkway to the main entrance. “I thought this place was made up of private villas.”

  “It is.” Anita pushed open the glass double doors and motioned for Leah to enter. “But this main building houses the resort’s lobby, the recreation room, exercise lounges, public pool, and of course, our business offices.”

  Leah nodded as she looked around her. Any Old World style outside didn’t cross over to the interior. Instead, the lobby was cool and open, like any luxury hotel in any major city.

  Anita continued, “We’ve been expecting you, so you’ve no need to check in. Your bags will be taken to your villas and you’ll be shown there as soon as you’ve finished with your meeting.”

  “Great. Danny, why don’t you drop everything but your camera. I’m sure Anita-” She stressed the woman’s name as proof she had remembered it. The girl looked amused. “Can make sure it’s delivered to our villa.”

  “Actually, Mr. Anderson is not to accompany you to the main office,” Anita said with an apologetic smile for Danny. “Although he’s perfectly welcome to wait for you in the pool area if you’d rather travel down to your villas together. We’d be happy to provide him with refreshments.”

  Leah stared at their driver. “What do you mean Danny isn’t welcome in the meeting? We’ll be talking about the article and he’s my photographer.”

  Anita didn’t seem fazed by Leah’s sharp tone. If anything she grew even calmer to combat it. “And Mr. Anderson will certainly be free to go anywhere else with you after this afternoon. But I have my instructions. You’re to go upstairs alone. Will you come with me?”

  Leah glanced over at Danny. He met her eyes and shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll wait for you by the pool,” he said. “With refreshments.”

  Leah briefly considered digging in her heels and demanding to have her photographer come along, but finally decided against it. The girl was only following orders. She could take up her complaints with Mr. Todd.

  “Very well,” she said. “Lead the way.”

  Anita nodded with an apologetic smile for Danny, and led Leah toward a bank of three elevators. The air conditioned cool of the car soothed Leah as they traveled up the five stories to the top floor. Once the doors opened, Anita led her down a quiet hallway to an door.

  “Someone will be with you momentarily,” she said as she motioned Leah inside.

  The room was huge. There were two desks, one on each side of the room and a wide expanse of cool Italian marble in between. But the most stunning thing about the place was that it was round and every side but the one by the door was covered in windows. Sunlight streamed in, bathing every corner with a soft, beautiful glow.

  She stepped to the window, her sandals slapping against the marble floor. She drew in a sharp breath as she looked outside. The view was magnificent. She could see the beach, the ocean, a long stretch of tropical forest and a few of the outdoor amenities the resort offered. That included the pool deck just below her where Danny lounged in a woven pool chair as he waited for her return from her mysterious, private meeting.

  Seeing him reminded Leah why she’d been pissed when she got on the elevator. Steeling herself to the beauty around her, she slowly put on her reporter’s skin. She would be cool, fair, balanced, but she wasn’t about to take any crap from anyone. Certainly not some stuffy resort owner. After all, this man had demanded she come to his island because he was angry about her review of the entire fantasy portion of the travel industry. If he thought he could intimidate her into giving him a good review, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

  She had herself worked into a very nice indignant state when the door behind her opened
. Taking a deep breath, she turned. “Mr. Todd, it’s a pleasure-”

  Stopping short, Leah blinked.

  No.

  This wasn’t happening. Her head spun and her eyes clouded as she looked at the man leaning in the doorway. He wore beige khaki pants and a casual white shirt, undone at the collar to reveal a light sprinkling of crisp chestnut chest hair. His skin was tanned and it was clear he was toned beneath the clothes.

  But he most certainly wasn’t William Todd. No, this was someone she knew all too well. Someone she never thought she’d see again.

  Her ex-fiancé.

  “Sean,” she whispered.

  She’d hoped his name would pass her lips on a strong, sure voice. Instead, it came out as little more than a squeak that hardly made it through the cool, echoing room.

  His answer was a half-smile. The one Leah remembered oh, so very well. The one that had melted her the first time she’d crashed into him at the library on the University of Pennsylvania campus, depositing both herself and her books across that strong chest.

  She shook her head as if denying he was there would make him disappear. It didn’t.

  He closed the door without ever removing his gaze from hers. He came across the room in slow, even strides. A walk full of purpose. Promise. Leah had the strangest feeling like she was going to pass out, just collapse into a heap like some Victorian woman wearing a tight corset.

  Did that actually happen to modern women?

  She swallowed as Sean finally reached her. She hadn’t realized she’d been backing up until her rear end bumped into the cool glass of the window. A little cry burst from her lips, the first noise she’d been able to make since she said his name, but still she couldn’t find any words.

  Especially when Sean leaned forward, placing one hand on either side of her head, imprisoning her as he bent toward her. His lips, the ones that had kissed her, glided over her skin, argued with her not five years before, came toward her own. She was powerless to stop them in the unbearably silent room because she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but shut her eyes and let his lips brush hers.