“To paradise,” he said, and she tapped her glass against his and took a drink.
“This is what I love about the ocean,” she said, gesturing to the view. “Nothing back there in the restaurant matters out here. No matter how beautiful or wealthy we are, no matter how much influence we have on land, in the water we’re just mammals trying to swim and breathe, nothing more.”
Max nodded slowly. The sentence was a little window into her, a gift, one he sensed she didn’t give often. For all their differences, they weren’t so unalike. As strange as it sounded, this was the same reason he loved playing rugby, because he knew that no matter how much influence his family name had, the rugby teams wouldn’t have put him in the starting lineup unless he could play the game.
Natasha picked up a piece of a maki roll and popped it into her mouth. She was such a pleasure to watch, sandy feet, loose hair and red lips. That line of thought was going to give him a hard-on. Max scanned the empty beach. Could they get away with sex out here? He had slipped a condom in his pocket, just in case. Shit, he had a whole box of condoms back in his room and they hadn’t even used one yet. And the trip would be over soon.
He frowned. They were just getting started, and this fling sure as hell didn’t feel like it’d be done anytime soon. But his life was changing, and any woman he was with would not only be plagued by the media but would inevitably become frustrated by the restraints on his time. If rumors of infidelity didn’t chip away at their relationship, unmet expectations and feeling second-best would. Wasn’t that the case with his parents, until they’d retreated to Western Australia in search of privacy? His mother had been so gun-shy of the tabloids by that point that she didn’t even return to Sydney for last-ditch cancer treatments. After watching his mother crumble under the weight of media pressure, he’d never put Natasha in that position. But that wouldn’t start until after next Saturday’s announcement. He just needed to broach the topic of the fundraiser with her.
“What comes next when we return to Sydney?” he asked.
Natasha shrugged. “I’m on holiday, but I’ll probably start setting out my research plans for my new grant.”
“And back to the dating scene?”
She sighed and took another sip of champagne. “I suppose. But I’m not really the casual sex type, and I don’t make a very good girlfriend in most men’s eyes.”
“I’m not sure about that,” said Max. He leaned forward and playfully nipped her shoulder. “I think a whole lot of men would disagree.”
She laughed. “You’re just thinking about sex.”
“Of course I am.” Yes, he was, but he was thinking about more, too. About the way she made him laugh. And about how magical it was to just sit here by the ocean with her, the moon reflecting off the water.
“But most of the day isn’t spent in bed. And at some point, I find that men want extra services.” She glanced over at him. “Not just the sexy kind. I mean the I’m-so-busy-can-you-just-help-run-my-life kind. And if that comes up, I can’t even think about the M word.”
“What M word?”
“Marriage,” she said, then laughed. “What M word did you think I was talking about?Max?”
He snorted. “You said it. Not me.”
She rolled her eyes and took another bite of a maki roll. Her smile faded. Was she thinking about Wayne or one of the other assholes she had dated? Max had plenty of faults, but he definitely wouldn’t treat a girlfriend like his administrative assistant...though that could make for some fun bedroom play. Back to the point: if those were the kinds of men she was dating, then there was no reason not to extend their arrangement for a little longer after they left Green Island.
Max set his plate aside and took hers off her lap. He tugged her gently and gave her a suggestive smile. She took the hint, turning and climbing on top so she straddled him. Her dress was hitched high up her legs, and he ran his hands up the soft skin of her thighs.
She relaxed in his embrace. This was everything he could want. His blood was running south fast, and he had the urge to unzip, pull it out and ask her to ride him hard. Goddamn, it was hard to resist. But for now, he wanted her in his arms, just like this. He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. There was so much heat.
He wasn’t ready to let Natasha go, but if this was temporary he wanted to leave her with something. That must have been why the next words came out of his mouth, so much more intimate than sex.
“I think any man with an ounce of sense wouldn’t give a fuck about running errands or housework or any other thing like that. Not when he has someone like you,” he said. “And outside the bedroom, every touch should be a reminder that he’s the person in the room who makes you truly happy.”
Right now, Max hoped like hell he was that man. And he had to figure out how the hell he was going to keep being that man for just a little longer.
