The Secret Cove in Croatia

Nick stretched lazily on the sunbed, his muscles nicely aching after the afternoon’s paddleboarding, enjoying the sun on his skin and the rhythmic bob of the boat on the water. The scent of pine and salt filled the air and as far as he could see the sky was pure, deep, glorious blue.

‘Nicky darling, will you put some sun cream on my back?’ asked Tara, unplugging her earphones and putting down the phone, to which she was addicted. She was lying on her front but had undone her bikini top and her bottoms, if they could be called that, covered nothing. It was officially the smallest bikini he’d ever seen in his life, not that he was complaining. That was one very pert bottom but he dreaded to think what his mother would have thought of the thong-style pants.

‘Sure.’ He rolled onto his side, sitting up and spraying the expensive suntan lotion onto her back and then rubbing it carefully into the nape of her neck, her shoulders and down her delicate spine.

‘Mmm, ooh, that is nice,’ murmured Tara, wriggling sinuously under his touch. ‘Can you do my legs … and my bottom?’ Nick swallowed and paused. She lifted her hips in quick invitation, turning her head and saying over her shoulder, ‘Don’t be shy.’

‘Who said anything about being shy?’ he countered. ‘I’m just admiring the view.’

‘Like what you see, do you?’ she purred in a low sultry voice, giving him another sexy smile before dropping her head back onto her forearms to watch him with lazy half-closed eyes.

He sprayed the suntan lotion along the backs of her legs, massaging the fine spray into her calves, working his way up her slim thighs, conscious of her constant gaze. When he smoothed his hands over the perfect globes of her bottom, she murmured, ‘Mmm,’ lifting her hips and wriggling her bottom, squirming at his touch.

‘I think I could get used to this,’ she said in a throaty voice that had his senses humming.

‘So could I.’ He stroked her soft skin, the firm gorgeous flesh filling his hands as he pressed his palms over her bottom. There wasn’t an inch of her that wasn’t absolutely perfect and as he rubbed his hands in small insistent circles, desire tightened his groin. He let it build as he continued to massage her skin, before sliding his hands up her back to rub a gentle finger over the nape of her neck.

He lay down on his side on the edge of his sunbed, his head next to hers, and leaned forward to lay a soft kiss on her pretty pink lips. ‘So beautiful,’ he whispered and she smiled up at him.

He kissed her again, tracing his mouth over hers, and put an arm over her back to pull her closer, longing to feel her stunning body against his.

‘Perhaps we should go back to one of the cabins for an afternoon nap,’ he suggested.

Tara shifted and let out a long mournful sigh. ‘Tempting, darling Nicky, but –’ she patted his cheek ‘– it’s imperative that I get an even tan. I need to do another half hour on my back and then half an hour on my front.’

‘That’s very precise,’ he teased, slipping his fingers under her hairline and caressing her neck, before sliding his fingers down her back, skimming her skin with a gentle touch. ‘Are you sure you can’t be persuaded?’

Her pretty mouth tightened and for a brief second he saw a flash of petulance on her face before she smiled, sincerity filling her rich dark eyes.

‘Darling Nicky, you know how hard it is being a model. You have to be on it all the time. And I don’t want Cory to be browner than me. We’re both up for the same shoot when we get back and they want someone with a good all-over tan.’

‘I’m sure a couple of hours won’t make that much difference,’ said Nick, nipping at her mouth with another gentle kiss as he put his arm around her shoulders, the sneaking thought batting at his mind that he was chasing an elusive butterfly.

‘It will,’ she said, her voice sharp as she shook him off. ‘And I’d have to shower and I don’t want to get my hair wet.’ She reached for her earphones and plugged them back in, tucking her head between her arms, effectively shutting him out.

Nick rolled over onto his back, hot and horny, but at the same time mortification burned his cheeks; he’d never force himself on a woman. He knew what no meant, but Tara had somehow managed to make him feel like some kind of overeager fumbling schoolboy. Embarrassed, as much by the signs of his physical reaction as the worry that he’d come across as some kind of sex pest, he rearranged his swimming shorts, grateful that they were baggy. ‘I think I’ll go for another swim,’ he said gruffly, not that she gave any sign of having heard him.

As he swung his legs over the side of the sunbed he looked up to see Maddie at the top of the steps with a knowing smirk on her face. He flushed and glared at her.

‘I was just coming to see if anyone wanted a drink.’ Amusement brimmed in her eyes, suggesting she’d overheard his thwarted attempt at seduction and thought it highly funny.

‘No, thanks,’ he snarled, his face burning as he walked past her down the stairs. For a moment it was tempting to push the dratted woman overboard. She always managed to catch him at the wrong moment.

As soon as he hit the water, the refreshing coolness calmed his bruised ego and he sliced into the waves in a determined crawl, wanting to put as much distance between him and the boat as possible. He focused on clean strokes, breathing and feeling the water stream over his body, working his muscles hard to burn up some of the antsy, edgy energy threatening to explode. Stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, breathe.

When his shoulders started to burn he slowed and eased into a more leisurely breaststroke, taking the time to look around. Maddie was probably still laughing her head off. Why was it she had the ability to make him feel even more out of his depth than he already did? It always seemed as if she saw too much. He flipped on his back to gaze up at the sky and let out a long sigh. Tara confused him. She made him feel heavy-handed and gauche sometimes, but then there were other times, when she gave him that dazzling brilliant smile, that he felt he could conquer the world and fell armies for her. They came from such different worlds; there were bound to be teething problems but they could get through those, he could adapt. She was so beautiful; she was worth it, wasn’t she?

He frowned; perhaps part of the problem was that he wasn’t used to all this inactivity. At home, by this time he’d have already put in a full day’s work, been for a run, walked several miles and put in some hard physical labour, shifting sacks of feed, building fences or wrangling sheep. Every day was different, although there was a constant reassuring cycle of familiarity. Looking up at the sky and the land in front of him, the dark green, the azure blue above and turquoise sea, he shook his head. How could he even think he was missing home when all this was on offer? He could hear his mother’s amused voice telling him, ‘You must have turnips for brains’. He smiled. He missed his family, that was for sure, but that was allowed, wasn’t it? Knowing his place, the banter with his brothers, the unconditional love and the sense of community. Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes. Surely he wasn’t homesick. He was a grown man, for goodness’ sake, having the holiday of a lifetime. His brothers had been green with envy when he’d told them how amazing the boat was. How many other people were invited on a millionaire-style boat trip?

Come on, buck up, Nick, he told himself as he started to swim back to the boat. So your girlfriend didn’t fancy a shag; it’s not the end of the world.

‘Hey, Nick,’ called Siri, who was bobbing about on one of the ridiculous flamingo inflatables when he reached the boat again. ‘We’re going to get the jet ski out, fancy a go?’

‘You bet,’ he called back. Yeah, his brothers would be seriously envious when he told them about that.

Chapter 8 (#ulink_28db7c4e-f71b-5507-8693-6e28df290b64)

As they puttered towards the quayside, the engine humming and throbbing, Maddie wiped the breakfast table, rounding up all the dishes in record time, dashing backwards and forwards between the galley balancing as much in her hands as she could with each trip. Already in her head she was working out how quickly she could get the rooms cleaned and finished.

It was day three of the trip and just before breakfast was served this morning Ivan had weighed anchor and they’d left another of the pretty bays where they’d stayed the night and were now heading to their first port in the town of Bol on the other side of Brač. There was a distinct buzz of excitement among everyone as they neared land.

Over breakfast there’d been much debate on the plan of action for the day.

‘We have to go to Zlatni Rat,’ declared Tara.

‘Yes, we absolutely must,’ said Cory in immediate support.

‘What the hell is that?’ asked Siri. ‘Sounds awful. Like a rodent zoo or something. Doesn’t sound like your kind of thing at all, Tara.’

‘Don’t be silly, Siri,’ giggled Tara. ‘It’s a very famous beach. Voted one of the ten best in Europe. I need to get a picture of me there.’

‘The third best beach in Europe,’ added Cory. ‘It looks divine.’

‘It is a very fine beach,’ interjected Ivan from his position at the wheel. ‘One of the best in Croatia. You should definitely visit. You can take the snorkels and fins; the water is very clear. You can hire windsurfing boards. I would recommend you spend the whole day. There is an excellent promenade to the beach with plenty of bars and places for lunch.’

Tara clapped her hands. ‘It sounds perfect. We have to go.’

Douglas gave one of his good-natured shrugs. ‘I’m easy.’

‘We know that, sweetie,’ said Cory, her smile not quite meeting her eyes. Maddie narrowed her eyes; the girl didn’t know how lucky she was. Douglas absolutely adored her and she wasn’t always very kind to him.

‘As long as I can be a complete slob, sounds good to me,’ said Siri, stretching. ‘Give me a good book, sunshine and the sea and I’m a happy bunny.’

‘It’s been a while since I did any windsurfing, but I wouldn’t mind another shot,’ said Simon, glancing at Nick. ‘You ever done any?’

‘A bit,’ said Nick, with that bland look which Maddie had quickly clocked was his defensive don’t-give-too-much-away expression. Simon seemed determined to challenge him at every turn, almost as if he wanted to show him up in front of Tara.

‘There is also a very good winery, Stina, just here on the quay.’ Ivan pointed to a large square building over to the left. ‘They produce some fine Croatian wines and in the evenings at five and six they do a very good tour and tasting for visitors. I could arrange for you to visit, perhaps before dinner.’

‘That sounds like a very good idea,’ said Douglas. ‘We could stock up on some wine for the rest of the trip.’ They’d already made inroads into Ivan’s demi-john and Siri and Douglas were big fans.

‘Let’s hope they sell decent stuff, then,’ said Simon, folding his arms. ‘Sometimes the local stuff can be a bit earthy. No offence, Ivan, but I’m something of a wine connoisseur.’

Douglas wrinkled his nose. ‘Yes, he is.’

‘That’s why you should listen to me. Remember the last time you got carried away. Bought that case of bloody Beaujolais Nouveau.’

‘Oh, Lord, yes – still giving it away to the lower end clients.’ Douglas rolled his eyes. ‘Got a bit carried away at the chap’s tasting. He assured me it was decent. Ruddy well should have been at the price.’