Page 49 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

‘Trust that it’s taking us in the right direction.’

All Mia knew right now was that there was only one direction she could go.

Towards the fire.

She stepped forward and reached up, wrapping her arms around Daniel’s neck. Eyes fixed on his mouth. Firm and sensual. Anticipation mounted.

‘Take me to bed, Daniel.’

He bent down slightly and suddenly Mia was being lifted into his arms. He carried her through the stunning house perched on a hill between the sea and the tropical forest and laid her down on his bed as if she was made of china.

He stripped himself bare and then, oh, so slowly, undid the buttons on her dress, one by one, kissing each piece of flesh as it was revealed, lavishing long moments on her breasts, until Mia was begging and writhing and panting.

Only then did he remove the rest of her clothes and, after donning protection, join his body to hers with such a powerful thrust that she was helpless against the spontaneous waves of pleasure that exploded from her core, wrenching any sense of control out of her grasp, making a mockery of her attempt to feel as if she’d been the one in control last night.

When Mia woke up, the first thing she noticed was the lingering sense of Daniel’s arms around her, even though she knew she was alone in his bed. She stretched luxuriously, her limbs deliciously heavy and a sense of deep satisfaction flowing through her blood.

She couldn’t even begin to analyse what had happened last night; she just knew that on some level she’d trusted Daniel enough to capitulate.

Trust. She’d thought she’d never trust anyone ever again after her first boyfriend. But she did trust Daniel. With Lexi, at least. His growing bond with her was genuine. Mia was sure of it.

As for herself, physically what they had was more than tangible. It was explosive. Last night had proved that. But emotionally... Mia knew she’d be very naive if she thought for a second that sharing confidences meant that things had changed.

She heard Lexi’s babble and got up, not wanting to think too much about what Daniel had meant by moving forward as a family. She blushed when she picked up her dress and pulled it on, recalling Daniel undoing each button so slowly.

‘Morning.’

She looked up from doing up enough buttons to be decent to go back to her room and take a shower. No underwear underneath. Daniel was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, no shoes, and he looked rested and...smug. Too smug for Mia’s liking.

Her hair felt like a rat’s nest, tumbled around her shoulders. She must look a sight. She’d been so weak...

As if reading her mind, he said, ‘Don’t be hard on yourself. I’m quite irresistible, you know.’ He handed her a cup of coffee and Mia’s heart lurched at this side of him she hadn’t seen since they’d been lovers the first time. Flirtatious. Playful. Funny.

She took the coffee and resisted the urge to throw it over his head.

He said, ‘I’ve told Odile to take the rest of the day off. Lexi has had breakfast and I’m going to take her down to the beach. Join us when you’re ready.’

Once again, the ease with which Daniel was becoming a part of their lives was disorientating. Feeling prickly and exposed, Mia said, ‘Make sure she’s got sunscreen on, and a hat.’

Daniel’s smugness increased. ‘Of course. And Odile has packed a bag with essentials.’

He disappeared, and Mia stood staring stupidly at the empty space he’d left behind for a long moment before she finally moved.

A little later, feeling somewhat refreshed after a shower and some breakfast, and dressed in cut-off jeans and a T-shirt, Mia made her way down to the beach. She spotted Daniel and Lexi and walked towards them. They were building a sandcastle and there were various items strewn around them. Toys, buckets, shovels.

Daniel looked up, shades covering his eyes. He should have looked ridiculous, cavorting with a toddler, but he didn’t. Damn him.

Lexi stood up and came and grabbed Mia’s hand. ‘Mama, play.’

Mia dutifully let her daughter drag her down to the sand. Lexi handed her a bucket and said something incomprehensible.

Daniel said, ‘I find it’s best to pretend you know what she’s saying.’

Mia’s heart clenched at this further evidence of Daniel and Lexi bonding, even as every self-preserving instinct she had urged her to grab her daughter and run, far away. Which obviously was not an option.

Growing tired of bossing them around, Lexi wandered off a little way to fill her bucket with sand.

Daniel caught Mia’s arm when she moved to follow. ‘Wait a second. I want to say something.’

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