The Heat Between us

CHAPTER 2

Arrival in Paradise

Seraphina 's POV

He was standing right inside my villa.

dripping from the sea. A broad chest shining in the dim light. Wet hair that curls a little at the ends. He looked directly into my eyes as if we had been together for years. As if no time had gone by. As if our silence had no significance.

I remained silent. couldn't.

Slowly and deliberately, he took one step forward, his smirk turning into something darker and more serious. My heart pounded frantically in my wrists, in my neck, in the spot where I could still feel his touch.

He whispered, "You still get out of breath when you see me."

I swallowed, straightened up in my robe, and pretended that my legs weren't shaking from desire or heat. Continue to enter women's rooms covertly and without knocking?

He grinned. "You didn't lock the door."

"I didn't ask you."

He took a step forward. "But you don't want me to go."

I detested the fact that he was correct.

Something electric, something heavy, pulsed through the moment. I ought to have pushed him away. slammed the door. demanded responses. However, I didn't. I remained motionless.

Williams glanced at my robe, which was still wet against my body. He continued walking until there was only heat between us. Knuckles grazed the robe's edge close to my collarbone as one hand raised. My breath caught.

"Still soft," he said in a gravelly whisper. "It's still mine."

I was devastated by that.

I took hold of his wrist. "That is not your place to say. You went out. Williams, you vanished. No farewell. No cause. I was broken by you.

His hand remained motionless, but his jaw tightened. "I understand."

"So why are you here in the first place?"

He looked at me as if he were hungry. "Because I've always wanted you." Because I still taste your name when I wake up in the middle of the night. Because I was mistaken to believe that you deserved more than I could provide.

My fingers shook on his flesh.

Then he bent closer.

His mouth did not meet mine.

No, it went beyond that.

The tension between us hung like a held gasp as he paused, just a breath away. Slowly and respectfully, his hands moved up and curled into my hair. Heat on heat, muscle against softness, his body pressed against mine.

I could feel it in every nerve when his lips finally touched mine. It was punishment, not a kiss. For the years that have passed. For the words that are not spoken. Every night I woke up with pain from a dream about him.

He only needed my whimper against his lips to get my consent.

The tongue, teeth, and fire of the kiss intensified. As he devoured me, he tilted my head while his hand gripped the back of my neck. Under his fingers, my robe relaxed and dropped from my shoulder, revealing skin that had yearned for this. For him.

He didn't think twice.

Williams' lips trailed fire down my neck as he gently pushed me against the wall, biting just enough to cause me to gasp. His hands wandered, confident and accustomed. Thumb circling, he cupped my breast through the flimsy robe until I arched into him.

"Really responsive," he snarled.

He pulled the robe open all the way, and I gasped. He stopped to really look at me, even though I was naked underneath.

He spoke in a raspy voice. "You look even more stunning than I thought."

I muttered, "Don't say that unless you mean it."

With his eyes fixed on mine and his voice low, he said, "I mean it." "I mean it, God."

His hand slipped between my thighs as his mouth closed over one n****e, gently sucking and teasing. Heat flooded my core as I let out a cry, arching my back against the wall.

I ought to have prevented him. *This isn't smart* should have been my statement.

However, I didn't.

As if my body still belonged to him, his fingers moved through my moisture as if he owned it. Every deep press and slow stroke made me shudder. I moaned into his mouth while my hands clawed at his back, dragging down scarred muscle with my nails.

His mouth trailed hot kisses up my thigh as he fell to his knees and lifted my leg over his shoulder.

"Don't—" I gasped, "Williams."

"Oh," he whispered, "I will." "I'll remind you of your preferences. how you *feel*. You can then determine whether I still belong here.

All thought disappeared when his mouth found me.

Lost and helpless, my hips bucked against his tongue. He licked me as if I were the only food he could eat, as if he had gone years without eating. His tongue flicked, slid deep inside, and circled while his hands held me motionless.

My body splintered as I repeatedly screamed his name.

I was weak, trembling, and panting when he stood up again.

He laid me down with a gentleness that didn't match the fire in his eyes and carried me to the bed as if I were weightless. With my fingers ripping at his pants' waistband, I dragged him down to me.

I exhaled, "I need you." "Now."

When he finally pressed into me, his mouth smashed mine—hard, hot, and unbelievably deep.

Together, we moved in a rhythm that was a combination of madness and memory. My legs encircled him tightly, and his hands entangled themselves in my hair. I felt pain, pleasure, apologies, and something perilously close to love with every thrust, not just heat.

With a force that left us gasping for air, we united.

For a long time, the only sounds were the crash of waves below, the tangled limbs, and our heartbeats.

However, the moment was short-lived.

Williams brushed a lock of hair away from my face and drew back a little.

Silently, he said, "Seraphina, I'm not here just for the sex." "I'm available to you."

I wanted to think he was real.

I nearly did.

Then the villa phone rang, abruptly and sharply breaking the silence.

I scowled and grabbed it, encircling myself with the sheet. "Hello?"

A woman's clipped, cold voice answered.

"This is resort director Claudia Raines, Miss Hart. I hope you've made yourself at home. I'm phoning to remind you that employees are not allowed to have personal relationships with owners.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Claudia's voice became arrogant as she continued, "And I'm also calling to inform you that your contract is now under review."

Seraphina finds herself in Claudia's crosshairs—and her job at stake—shortly after giving in to the passion she vowed she wouldn't.