Chapter 15

Over the next couple of days, Lea was left in no doubt about Dave’s skill as a tour guide. He organised a tour of Haleakala National Park, located on Maui’s inactive volcano, as well as visits to the Seven Sacred Pools of the Oheo Ravine and Makahika and Waimoko waterfalls. The lush rainforests with their towering, tumbling waterfalls were breathtaking, and Dave organised a private helicopter tour of the summit of the volcano, which gave stunning views over the crater and the whole island. He was sensitive without being patronising over the walks they took through the rainforest, and he always had a steadying hand at the ready if she gave any hint of losing her footing.

In the evenings, they dined out at various restaurants, chatting over the day’s sights, and then returned to the villa and retired to their separate quarters. It was clear Dave was doing everything he could to ensure their relationship remained platonic, but every now and again, when he touched her as he helped her out of the car or took her hand over a rough part of a walk, her senses went into a frenzy.

The morning after their trip to the volcano, Lea joined Dave for breakfast, but instead of a day of touring, he suggested they stay at the villa for the day.

“It’s going to be quite warm today, and I thought you might appreciate a quieter day, relaxing around the pool," he said, refilling her glass with fruit juice.

Lea had been pointedly ignoring the sparkling blue infinity saltwater lap pool on the seaboard terrace. Just like she ignored the beautiful indoor pool Angus McLaughlin had installed at Brathellae to help him recover from a hip replacement a few years ago, “I don’t really enjoy swimming that much,” she said, picking up the glass of orange juice. “But I’m happy to watch you do laps.” More than happy if she were to be perfectly honest. Hadn’t she found secret pleasure in watching him for months?

Dave’s gaze searched hers. “Does it hurt your leg to swim?”

“No, it’s just I…” She lowered her gaze back to the frothy juice in her glass. “I’m a bit self-conscious about my scars.”

And I feel weirdly grateful I have them instead of my parents.

Of course, she could never tell him. She couldn’t tell anyone. It was too shameful to admit it out loud.

“It will only be us here, and you don’t need to be shy around me.” His tone had a gentle note that ambushed her emotions. Could she do it? Could she reveal the marks on her body that signified the biggest turning point in her life?

Lea brought her gaze back up to his. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the water.”

Warmth shone in his eyes, and his smile made her stomach do a somersault. “I’ll be there to help you.”

A short time later, Lea came out to the pool area dressed in her green swimming costume, with her sarong wrapped around her body and her hair tied back in a high ponytail. Dave was already in the pool, doing laps, and she stood in the shade of the shrubbery, watching him carve through the water with effortless grace and efficiency. He performed fluid tumble turns at each end, the water glistening on his tanned back and shoulders.

He stopped at the end closest to where she was standing and scraped his hair back away from his forehead. “Hang on—I’ll help you down the steps.” He placed his hands on the edge of the pool and launched himself out in one athletic movement that showcased his powerful biceps. He held out his hand, an encouraging smile tilting his mouth. “You can do it, Lea. I won’t let you slip.”

Wasn’t she already slipping? Slipping into the dangerous waters of developing feelings she had promised she wouldn’t feel. For anyone. How could she dare hope to be loved when even her own parents hadn’t truly loved her? Their first love had been their addictions. But the more time she spent with Dave, the deeper her feelings grew. How could they not? It was like asking a flower not to bloom under healing, restorative sunshine.

Lea took a deep breath and let go of her sarong. It slipped to the pool deck at her feet, leaving her in nothing but the green costume. Her leg was criss-crossed with vivid white scars and dents where muscle had been grafted from her thigh to her calf. Her leg had been through a long, hard battle to avoid being amputated and had only just won. And it showed.

She waited for the look of distaste, for the screwed-up expression of horror she had seen too many times to count. But Dave didn’t show any of that. His eyes did an appraising scan of her body, lingering a little longer on the upthrust of her breasts and the cleavage its design highlighted, but there was no disgust in his gaze. There was desire. Desire that made her feel more of a woman than she had ever felt.

Lea took his outstretched hand and drew comfort and courage from the warm press of his fingers around hers. "Okay, let's do this." She walked with him down the slab steps of the pool into the silky embrace of the water. She was conscious of his strong male body right beside her, conscious of the fact that he was wearing even less than she was. She was conscious of the way her body responded to him in secret—the subtle increase in her heart rate, the little flickers of lust between her thighs.

Dave let go of her hand once she was standing waist deep in the water. “Let the water support you. Don’t fight it. Go with it.”

“Shit!” Lea bounced her feet off the bottom of the pool to put herself in a floating position, allowing the water to carry her weight. It was nothing short of bliss to be supported, and she started swimming a slow freestyle because the gentle kicking motion was a little easier to manage with her leg. Tumble turns were beyond her capability, so she stopped at the end instead, caught her breath, and then turned around and came back.

The sun was warm, and the water shimmered as she passed through it. She was aware of every inch of her body the water touched, her muscles enjoying the pull and tug of exercise, and her skin enjoying the caress of water.

She stopped at the end, where Dave was waiting for her. She stood upright and smiled, flicking wet hair out of her face. “I’m not quite up to your standard, but thank you for encouraging me.”

“You look very at home in the water. Like a mermaid.” His tone had a husky edge, and his dark blue eyes did another slow appraisal of her cleavage.

Lea knew she should turn around and keep swimming, but something kept her frozen in place. Well, perhaps not quite frozen, for smouldering heat was travelling to every part of her body. Dave’s gaze met hers, and suddenly there wasn’t a foot of space between them anymore. They were practically pelvis to pelvis, with only a millimetre or two of water separating them. The magnetic pull of his body drew her inexorably closer until her breasts met the hard wall of his chest. His hands settled on each of her hips, his taut abdomen close enough for her to feel the jut of his growing erection.

Time stood still for an infinitesimal moment, as if an invisible hand had blocked the ticking hand of a clock. Tick. Tock. Stop.

Dave’s head came down, and his mouth met hers in a kiss that tasted of salt water, sun, and male sensuality. Her mouth flowered open under the passionate pressure, her tongue meeting his in a sexy tangle that made shivers course down her spine. He moved against her, and the hard nudge of his aroused body made her legs almost fold beneath her. He brought a hand to the small of her back, pressing her even closer to the throb of his flesh, his kiss deepening with a thrust of his tongue that was blatantly erotic.

Lea made a whimpering sound of encouragement, one of her hands sliding up to caress the back of his neck, the other his lean jaw. Escalating need pulsated through her entire body, her legs trembling with the sheer force of its unstoppable tide.

Dave’s hand came to her swimsuit-clad breast, cupping it through the ruched fabric, but his touch still sent a shockwave of longing through her flesh. His arousal jutted against her feminine mound, and he gave a deep, rough-sounding groan against her mouth before finally lifting off.

He kept hold of her by the upper arms, his breathing heavy and his gaze hooded. “I’m sorry.” His tone was full of self-reproach, and he released her from his hold and stepped back with a brooding frown between his dark brows.

Lea licked her lips, relishing the taste of him still lingering there. “You don’t have to apologise. I—”

“I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” He dragged a hand over his face as if wanting to reset his features. “It’s not fair to confuse you by saying one thing and then doing another.”

“The impression I got was that you wanted to kiss me and enjoyed it as much as I did,” Lea said, challenging him to deny it with her unwavering gaze.

His gaze slipped to her mouth, and he drew in a harsh-sounding breath, releasing a whoosh of self-recrimination. “I enjoyed it too damn much, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again.”

He turned and launched himself out of the pool, spraying water droplets in an arc around him. “I’m going to go for a run. I’ll see you later.”

Lea sighed, sank under the water, and began swimming again. Maybe a few punishing laps of the pool would tame her own frustrated desire.