friends I was gay and your colleagues I was sexually deficient. Anything else?”
“I might have mentioned Viagra.”
“Okay, that’s it.” He hauled her to her feet so fast she squeaked.
“What are you doing?”
“Obviously, I have to remind you that I’m not gay, all my impressive parts work, and medication will not be required.”
“You’re not mad?”
He shoved a shoulder into her belly so fast the air oofed out of her and hoisted her over his shoulder. “I am extremely mad. And you are about to be punished.”
She sighed with pleasure, hanging on upside down to his waist as he walked her to his bedroom.
“The Whitsunday Islands are near the Great Barrier Reef,” she said to his swaying butt. Nice butt. “We can go snorkeling and diving and see all sorts of things.”
“The only thing you’re likely to see is the ceiling of our hotel room,” he warned her as he tossed her to the bed.
Chapter 9
After he’d treated her like a disposable toothbrush for the first couple of weeks of their acquaintance, and she’d still fallen for him, Bron was helpless to resist Mark when he treated her like the most important woman in the world. They flew to Brisbane and then changed to a smaller plane which took them to Hamilton Island, where a motor yacht ferried them to their island. She’d been to the reef once on a scuba trip, but she’d never been to the scatter of tropical islands that edged the Great Barrier Reef.
While uniformed waiters served them champagne and hors d’oeuvres, the sea sparkled around them and ahead she spied a half-moon of the whitest sand she’d ever seen. The resort was populated with young, well-to-do couples, and there were few children. The entire place was geared to romance and hedonism. She’d never stayed at a resort as swish and dreamy as this one. Perfect. Except that they seemed to be the only pair who weren’t newlyweds.
“Are you honeymooners, love?” asked the woman handing out towels by the pool.
“Not yet,” Bron said bitchily.
“We’re still practicing.”
And practice they did, but still it seemed they couldn’t get enough of each other. Funny, tender, uncomfortably contorted or slow and easy, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t get her fill of him and Mark, it seemed, couldn’t get enough of her. He’d said nothing about going out to the reef, so she decided to surprise him with tickets. After a dinner of fresh seafood they’d sat out and listened to the waves for hours, talking about everything from the politics of their two countries to first boyfriends and girlfriends to sports they’d excelled in and trophies they’d won, should have won, or lost ignominiously.
“Hey,” she said when there was a lull, “I bought us a present today.”
He glanced at her with a gleam in his eye she knew well. “Did it come from the sex shop?” There was a well-stocked one in the main building, but so far they hadn’t felt the need for any extra excitement.
“No,” she said, and handed him the envelope. The excited gleam in his eyes died when he read the tickets and the brochure she’d included.
“Great,” he said with enthusiasm so false she wished she’d discussed it with him first and hadn’t surprised him.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Did you once have a near-death experience with a sea turtle?”
“No.”
“Allergic to coral?”
“No. But it’s nice to know you’re still using your gifted imagination to make me look foolish.”
“Scared of sharks.”
“N—” His eyes widened. “There are sharks out there? People pay to snorkel in shark-infested waters?”
She snickered. “If you worried about everything in our waters that can kill you, you’d never dip a toe in.”
“I get seasick,” he admitted as though it were a shameful secret.
“Oh, that’s nothing to worry about. They hand out Dramamine and sick bags when you get on the boat.”
He swallowed. “This is not inspiring me with greater
“I might have mentioned Viagra.”
“Okay, that’s it.” He hauled her to her feet so fast she squeaked.
“What are you doing?”
“Obviously, I have to remind you that I’m not gay, all my impressive parts work, and medication will not be required.”
“You’re not mad?”
He shoved a shoulder into her belly so fast the air oofed out of her and hoisted her over his shoulder. “I am extremely mad. And you are about to be punished.”
She sighed with pleasure, hanging on upside down to his waist as he walked her to his bedroom.
“The Whitsunday Islands are near the Great Barrier Reef,” she said to his swaying butt. Nice butt. “We can go snorkeling and diving and see all sorts of things.”
“The only thing you’re likely to see is the ceiling of our hotel room,” he warned her as he tossed her to the bed.
Chapter 9
After he’d treated her like a disposable toothbrush for the first couple of weeks of their acquaintance, and she’d still fallen for him, Bron was helpless to resist Mark when he treated her like the most important woman in the world. They flew to Brisbane and then changed to a smaller plane which took them to Hamilton Island, where a motor yacht ferried them to their island. She’d been to the reef once on a scuba trip, but she’d never been to the scatter of tropical islands that edged the Great Barrier Reef.
While uniformed waiters served them champagne and hors d’oeuvres, the sea sparkled around them and ahead she spied a half-moon of the whitest sand she’d ever seen. The resort was populated with young, well-to-do couples, and there were few children. The entire place was geared to romance and hedonism. She’d never stayed at a resort as swish and dreamy as this one. Perfect. Except that they seemed to be the only pair who weren’t newlyweds.
“Are you honeymooners, love?” asked the woman handing out towels by the pool.
“Not yet,” Bron said bitchily.
“We’re still practicing.”
And practice they did, but still it seemed they couldn’t get enough of each other. Funny, tender, uncomfortably contorted or slow and easy, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t get her fill of him and Mark, it seemed, couldn’t get enough of her. He’d said nothing about going out to the reef, so she decided to surprise him with tickets. After a dinner of fresh seafood they’d sat out and listened to the waves for hours, talking about everything from the politics of their two countries to first boyfriends and girlfriends to sports they’d excelled in and trophies they’d won, should have won, or lost ignominiously.
“Hey,” she said when there was a lull, “I bought us a present today.”
He glanced at her with a gleam in his eye she knew well. “Did it come from the sex shop?” There was a well-stocked one in the main building, but so far they hadn’t felt the need for any extra excitement.
“No,” she said, and handed him the envelope. The excited gleam in his eyes died when he read the tickets and the brochure she’d included.
“Great,” he said with enthusiasm so false she wished she’d discussed it with him first and hadn’t surprised him.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Did you once have a near-death experience with a sea turtle?”
“No.”
“Allergic to coral?”
“No. But it’s nice to know you’re still using your gifted imagination to make me look foolish.”
“Scared of sharks.”
“N—” His eyes widened. “There are sharks out there? People pay to snorkel in shark-infested waters?”
She snickered. “If you worried about everything in our waters that can kill you, you’d never dip a toe in.”
“I get seasick,” he admitted as though it were a shameful secret.
“Oh, that’s nothing to worry about. They hand out Dramamine and sick bags when you get on the boat.”
He swallowed. “This is not inspiring me with greater
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