Jerome swirled the champagne in his glass in a relaxed twirl of his hands as he watched the woman across the room toss back her gorgeous hair while laughing at something her companion said. He could tell it wasn't anything truly amusing; he had always been able to read her that way.
Besides, her companion didn't look like the sort who could make her laugh. The way he kept running his hands over his suspenders was evidence enough, Jerome thought with more than a little distaste. But who cared about him?
It was her, Jerome was mesmerized with. Her dark skin practically gleamed in the superior lighting of the large ball room. His own skin was naturally fair because of his Eurasian heritage.
Ah, but he still remembered how obsessed he had been about the contrast of their skins even when he had stroked her arm casually while talking to her. He could never pull his eyes away from the path his hands took over her smooth skin.
And her eyes, god.....those swirling depths could pull him in and never let him go. Would she still be the same? That expanse of smooth, soft skin, those eyes, that husky laugh that used to drive him insane whenever he heard it...
Jerome sipped his champagne, his masculine lips closing over the rim of his glass, and he hoped.
* * *
Amara laughed politely at yet another of Brian's jokes. They weren't that funny really, but was she to do? Brian was the boss's son, she had to be polite. But did he have to keep running his hands over his suspenders for god's sake? She still couldn't believe he even WORE suspenders. It wasn't like he was much older than herself, really. Hoping for a distraction from Brian's incessant chatter, Amara glanced around the room.
That's when Amara saw him, leaning casually against the fire mantel. It looked as if he was looking straight at her but he was too far to tell for sure.
Just then someone moved into her line of vision, blocking her view of him. she barely restrained herself from craning her neck to steal another look, even from this distance he had looked dangerous and exciting in his dark suit.
Inconspicuously she tried to turn her head and steal another look, but to no avail. Sighing inwardly, she resigned herself to a night of laughing at Brian's jokes. Every. Single. One. She'd better be getting a pay rise soon.
* * *
All through dinner she kept trying to steal another peek at the man she had seen earlier, but he was nowhere to be found. It was strange but she felt as if she had seen him somewhere before. No matter, he must have already left the party.
After dinner, she escaped to the balcony on the second floor, away from Brian and all the other guests. She just needed some time to herself, she thought as she sipped her champagne with a quiet contented sigh.
'Hello Amara", a deep voice came from behind her. Amara turned, startled to see the man inn the black suit standing right behind her. Her gaze traveled over his designer suit which did nothing to hide the obvious masculine power in the breadth of his shoulders and mouth-wateringly muscular build. Then, she looked at his face and felt a jolt as familiar blue eyes stared intently back at her.
"Oh my god. Jerome?!?"
Amara stared at him gaping, yes, it was Jerome from her old junior college. Those same blue eyes and grinning mouth, but everything else had changed. Age had sharpened his features making him look leaner and more handsome than ever. His tousled brown locks only accentuated his masculinity, making him look very dangerous. His body looked hard and unyielding and ultimately delicious.
Jerome moved forward and enveloped her in a warm hug, pulling her flush against his. hard body. Strong hands stroked the bare skin of her back in a tingling caress before he pulled away. 'It's been a long time Amara' .
'Yeah, too long. How have you been Jer?"
'I've been doing okay, I went into architecture...that's what I'm doing here actually, the owner of the island wanted me to see if the terrains okay to build an ice rink'
Amara looked out, the wind was light and tropical, stirring the evergreen lightly as it passed over the small island that they were on. 'An ice rink, umm....well that's interesting I suppose.'
Jerome chuckled, 'Hey, I'm being paid to see if it's possible. I didn't say I thought any of this was sane.' Amara smiled.
'So what are you doing here?' He asked, leaning casually over the balcony railing.
'Well, my company sent me here on a sort of a learning getaway. So far the only thing I've learned is to stay as far away from Brian as possible.
'Brian..... And that would be the guy with the suspenders right? Man, what a geek.'
'Jer, Brian's not a geek. He's just very serious about following in his dad's footsteps.'
'Oh, god you're not going out with him are you?'
'No, we're just friends. And besides he's married to his job"
'And if he wasn't?'
