And then the minister cleared his throat and the spell was broken.
The organist struck the chord for Mendelssohn's Wedding March and as she walked down the aisle and out of the church, her new husband holding her hand, she saw her family beaming at her and her mother had tears in her eyes.
And so it was that she came to the end of step one in her baby-making plan. Now it was on to step two.
But with all her past hang-ups, she just prayed she wouldn’t make a darned fool of herself in bed.
CHAPTER SIX
“It’s…beautiful.” Melanie stood in the middle of the huge and airy living room and turned around and around, taking in the rustic charm of Ian Fleming Villa with its furniture made of bamboo and reddish brown mahogany beams. An entire wall seemed to have been removed as the room opened out onto a lush and colorful tropical garden.
Sloane shoved his hands into his pockets but he was smiling at her. “I knew you would. That’s why I chose this place. Exotic, comfortable, and best of all, private.”
“But…it’s so lovely and yet I’ve never heard of it before.” Melanie crossed the room and went to stare past the palm fronds and green leaves of the almond trees to the brilliant blue sea stretching out before them. “This is a part of Jamaica I’ve never seen.”
Sloane came to stand beside her, taking in the tranquil scene before them. “Most visitors hit the popular tourist centers like Montego Bay or Ocho Rios but that’s not my style. I go for a more relaxed, personal experience.”
“And it’s on this property that Ian Fleming created James Bond.” Melanie turned toward Sloane. “That’s what they said when we checked in, right?”
He chuckled. “I see we’re paying attention. He wrote several of his James Bond novels right here in Oracabessa, at GoldenEye. I guess he bought the place because it stimulated his creativity.”
Melanie nodded. “Hey, if I lived in a place like this I’d be creative, too. Look at it. It’s like we found the Garden of Eden.”
And, looking out onto all that greenery, it made the early morning flight worth it.
She’d gotten up at the ungodly hour of four o’clock and met Sloane at the airport at five. At first she’d grumbled when he insisted on heading out that early but now she could see why. They’d arrived at the villa just about lunchtime, with lots of daylight left so they could start exploring and enjoying the island right away.
She’d been grateful when Sloane told her he would handle the honeymoon plans. Her only responsibility, he’d said, was to make sure she’d planned to take at least five days off from work because it was important that they used this time to get to know each other. He was right, of course. After all, how could you call a man your husband when you knew practically nothing about him? And having all the details of his professional life did not count.
So here she was, in one of the most idyllic places on earth, with Sloane Quest by her side. She would spend the rest of the day getting to know him, probably relaxing on the sparkling white sand, and then later when the night fell and the ocean turned inky-blue, she would get to know him even better. Because that was when they’d make love.
At the thought her breath caught in her throat and she stole a furtive glance at Sloane. Was he as nervous about tonight as she was? But Sloane looked one hundred percent relaxed, like he did this sort of thing every day – marrying a woman he hardly knew, taking her away on a honeymoon, getting ready to make love. Well, the making love part was definitely ‘old hat’ for him. Unfortunately, not so much for her…
“Why don’t we grab some lunch then hit the beach?” Sloane turned away from the verandah and walked back into the living room. “Or do you prefer the pool? The villa comes with its own pool and private beach.”
Melanie followed him into the room. “The beach, I guess. I like lying in the sun and digging my toes in the sand.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her cargo pants. “So what’s for lunch?”
“We can stay here. We have a private staff who will cook a meal for us. Or, if you don’t want to wait, we can always walk over to the Bizot Bar and grab something there.” He shrugged. “It’s up to you.”
“Let’s go to the Bizot Bar. We’ll see other people there, right?”
“Sure.”
“Then let’s go.”
He seemed amused by her eagerness but Melanie had a very good reason for wanting to get out of the villa. As spacious and open as it was, being there alone with Sloane, it was still too intimidating. It was too private, too intimate, and just then she did not want to be reminded about what was to come.
At the Bizot Bar they sat down poolside and enjoyed a meal that featured samplings of the local cuisine – jerked chicken and spicy escoveitched fish with ackee and salted codfish in flaky pastry cups. As they ate they enjoyed the sounds of France’s Radio Nova playing in the background.
Soon, though, it was time to head back to the villa and to their own little world. “Ready for the beach?” Sloane asked as he strolled toward the master bedroom. “Let’s get changed. We can do with some sun.” He didn’t even look behind to see if she was following.
And so she hesitated. Sure, the bellhop had taken both their bags to the same bedroom. They were man and wife, after all. But the villa had all of five bedrooms. Why did they have to share the same one? If she could avoid changing in front of Sloane she would feel so much better.
But then his voice broke into her thoughts and she realized she was being a perfect idiot. You’re planning to have sex with the man. He’s going to be seeing your body anyway, so why hide it now?
“Where are you? Come and change.”
It sounded more like an order than a request and Melanie frowned. She did not like being bossed around. But then she sighed and headed for the bedroom. She was the one who’d said she wanted to try the beach so she might as well get moving.
When she walked into the bedroom Sloane had already stripped off his shirt and trousers and was wearing shorts and sandals. And his chest was bare.
Melanie could only stare. Talk about sexy. The man was in perfect shape, and not just for a thirty-six year old. Anyone looking at his taut muscles, broad pecs and narrow waist would swear they were looking at the body of a guy in his early twenties, he looked that good.