Chapter 16

Starlet walked hand in hand with her husband as they made their way back to the hotel. She was hungry and Lucien wanted to test out the hotel's food services.

She looked up at him and admired his good features. His face was relaxed into an easy smile and he passed her a soft look before returning his gaze to where they were walking.

Star wondered and then decided to test her luck. She wrapped her free hand around his arm and he looked down at her in surprise. He smiled at her and placed his free hand over the one on his biceps. Star tensed thinking he was going to remove it but he lovingly patted her hand and they kept on moving like that.

As they neared the hotel, Starlet noticed that there were dark clouds on the horizon. She paid them no mind. She had not had breakfast and it was a little after noon, she was too hungry to give thought to trivial things like changing weather.

Lucien guided his wife to the hotel's restaurant and the two got a table near the window. Starlet ordered coconut rice and Lucien ordered steak.

Starlet told Lucien about all the things she had brought and he listened indulgingly. Their food arrived and they started to dig in.

"Is that any good?" Lucien asked as he eyed his wife's plate.

"Yeah," Starlet said and put a spoonful into her mouth. She filled out another spoon and she held it to him playfully. He surprised her by leaning in and accepting her offer and then grinned at her gaping face.

"It's good," he said as he cut a piece of his steak and forked it then held it out to her, "want to compare?" he dared her seductively.

Starlet looked into his eyes and leaned forward. She took the offering with her mouth and leaned back chewing without breaking eye contact.

"I don't know…" she said slowly after swallowing, "I think mine is better."

Lucien threw his head back and laughed.

"The ways that can be interpreted," he said playfully.

"You dirty-minded louse," Starlet teased.

"I wasn't referring to anything dirty," Lucian told her with a smirk and she blushed.

"Although," he leaned towards her and lowered his voice, "I can be dirty if you want."

Star could feel her face burning and fought the urge to bury her face in her hands. Instead, she focused on putting more food into her stomach and looked out the window.

"I'll take your silence as agreement," Lucien said cheerfully and Star made a protesting sound that was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. He held out a finger to silence her and answered the phone.

"Hello," he said and then listened intently his playful mood being replaced by a more serious one. He put his finger down and looked out the window and scowled at the stormy clouds that were now almost over the island.

"Okay, I understand. We'll wait for it to clear." He said and hung up.

"What's wrong?" Star enquired.

"We can't fly in that storm," Lucien said as he waved a hand to the morphing sky outside the window, "We have to wait for it to clear but it will run through the night."

"It's good we got a room then," Star said unconcerned.

Lucien smiled at her easy manner, "I guess it is," he grinned at her and they went back to their meal.

When they were done eating Lucien signalled the waiter over and told him to put the bill onto their room tab. He got up and lifted his hand to Star who took it with an embarrassed smile.

The sky outside was filled with dark angry clouds. Starlet could hear thunder in the distance. Star suspected if she stood to watch the horizon, she could spot lighting occasionally rushing down to meet the sea.

The two walked together to the elevator. As usual, Starlet was aware of people watching them. Especially the women eyeing her husband. If he had looked at any one of them, Star was sure she would have lost it but he only had eyes on her and where they were going.

He pressed the button to call the elevator and stood back with his hand in hers. Star stole a glance at him and blushed when their eyes met. He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow playfully. She smiled at him and they both looked away when the elevator dinged as it reached their floor and began to open.

They stepped into the elevator and some other people joined them. Star and Lucien were going all the way to the top and so they were they as the little up-and-down-box made some stops to pick up and drop off passengers. When it got to the top Star and Lucien got to their floor and they walked to their suite. Lucien was still in his business suit so Star let him use the bathroom to wash off the grit of the day and change into something comfortable.

Starlet stood on the balcony and let the wind whip through her hair and ripple her dress. The sky was dark now and the once blue sky was now dark angry clouds. On the horizon, she could see the clouds light up and hear the rumbles of thunder.

"Come inside and close the balcony doors behind you," Lucien instructed as he got out of the bedroom.

Starlet startled and turned around. Lucien was dressed in jeans and a shirt that showed off his biceps, his shoulders, and the fine outline of his torso. She lifted her eyes to meet his eyes and noticed that he was aware of her roaming eyes. His knowing smirk said it all.

"You'll catch a cold out there," he told her as he took deliberate steps towards the balcony.

His steps were slow and deliberate. Star who never thought she would ever admire bare feet decided there and then that she had a thing for her husband's sexy feet. Who knew that she'd ever put feet and sexy in the same mindset?

Starlet flushed and stepped out of the balcony. Once in the room, she closed the sliding doors behind her. Lucien reached her and boxed her in between herself and the door. Star, who was facing the door loved the feel of his warm body on her back. She turned around so that she was now facing him and looked up at him. His mouth was arched in a little playful smile and his eyes held seductive humour.

"I have you to ward off the cold," she dared to say to him playfully.

"Of course," Lucien said with a winning grin, "anytime you feel a chill, you have my permission to use my body for warmth."

"Or you could just get me a blanket," Star teased easily.

"What's the fun in that?" Lucien asked as his face leaned close to her so that their brows were almost touching.

"Not fun at all," Star said her voice low as if trying not to startle her husband away.

Her heart was beating so fast and hard in her chest that she wondered how he couldn't hear it. Never mind that, she wondered why she wasn't having a heart attack. She lifted her hand to caress his cheek and Lucien manoeuvred his head so that his mouth was a breath away from Star's.

"Are you feeling cold yet?" he enquired.

"I could use some warming up," Star shivered and their lips touched.

Starlet let herself into the kiss. Lucien's lips were hard and gentle against hers. She felt his warm tongue brush against the sealed parting of her lips and his hands grasped her hips firmly. She gasped and his tongue roamed past her lips and into the warmth that was her mouth. She got over the initial shock and felt bold enough to brush his tongue experimentally with hers. A jolt rushed over his body and his kiss became more demanding. Whatever passion he put into her she returned with the same intensity and enthusiasm. She lifted her hands and roamed them up his back and to the base of his head where she grasped a handful of his hair. She pulled and the pain made him break the kiss.

They looked at each other. Lips bruised, eyes filled with passion and chests heaving. Neither knew who moved first but Star was suddenly fighting the buttons on Lucien's shirt and he was covering her neck with kisses and roaming his hands under her dress. Star managed to open Lucien's shirt and Lucien backed off to lift Star's dress over her head. As soon as the dress was gone, they were onto each other again and Lucien carried his wife to the couch.

Neither noticed the storm right out their window they were too wrapped up in each other. Hands exploring and mouths imploring. They exchanged caresses, kisses and hushed whispers. They stripped each other bare and melted into each other's arms.

When Lucien sank into his wife's warmth, her toes curled and her back arched. Her moans of pleasure were lost into the storm along with his words of endearment.

They explored each other until they collapsed in exhaustion several hours later.