Five Stars Five Stars (Desire Island #5)- Claire Thompson Page 0,3

feet. She did neither, preferring to let him take the lead.

After all, they’d only spent four days together, and even then, only when she could get away from her duties. Just because she’d fantasized nonstop about him since he’d been gone didn’t mean he was necessarily ready to pick up where they left off.

She hadn’t expected her strong reaction to Adam Hawk. In the year and change since she’d worked on Desire Island, she’d scened with dozens of guests as part of her job. But in all that time, she’d never, not once, felt the instant and passionate connection she’d experienced with Adam.

To her delight, he’d seemed to feel it too. Most of the dominant male guests on the island liked to sample the submissive staff slaves as if they were chocolate candies in a box. But for some wonderful reason, Adam had only seemed to have eyes for her.

He was every inch a Dom, and he never bullied or pushed her past where she felt safe. Yet, unlike any other guy in the scene she’d gotten close to, he not only didn’t demand, but wouldn’t even allow her to call him Master. He’d explained that while he understood it worked for some people, for himself, he found it pretentious.

He’d taken to calling her Princess, claiming she had the regal bearing and stately reserve of royalty. While the rather lofty endearment had embarrassed her at first, she now found she quite liked it. It made her feel special and reminded her of a happy time in her past.

“So, was it a surprise to find that it was me behind you?” Adam asked, grinning. “I kept expecting you to turn around, what with the all the commotion when I finally showed up. I should have remembered you’re too well trained for that.”

Shani laughed. “It was a crazy, wonderful surprise! I was dying to turn around, but yeah, I caught myself in time. Even when I smelled you, I didn’t believe my own senses.

Adam scrunched his nose, making a funny face. “You smelled me?”

“A good smell,” Shani hastened to add, still laughing. “Your leather balm. The particular clean scent of your skin. I thought I was hallucinating. You know, an olfactory hallucination because I so wanted you to be here. Even then, I still thought I had to be imagining it. But when I saw your hands…” She trailed off, still not quite believing he was actually there.

“These hands?” he asked softly, lifting them to cup her face as he leaned down to give her another long, deep kiss.

“Yes,” she breathed as he let her go. “Those hands. Those beautiful hands that craft beautiful things.”

A world-renown whip maker, Adam had given her a parting gift of a pair of gorgeous wrist cuffs he’d made from leftover strips of leather dyed in shades of russet, umber and gold, intricately braided together to form impossibly soft but sturdy restraints.

Adam smiled, taking her hands in his. “I work in leather. You work in metal and gemstones to make that beautiful jewelry with these lovely hands.” He lifted them one at a time to his lips, kissing each palm.

Shani shook her head, embarrassed he’d compared the two of them when in her mind, there was no comparison. “I don’t work in it,” she protested. “It’s just a hobby. Something I do for family and friends.”

“Come on, Shani,” Adam protested. “I can’t be the only one who’s told you that you could do it professionally, if you were of a mind. Your creations are really unique. In fact—”

He cut himself off, turning away. “No. Not yet.”

“What?” Shani replied, confused. “In fact what? Not yet what?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly. “We can discuss it later.” He reached for a bottle of the island’s special welt lotion from the supply bench. “Let’s give your skin some aftercare so it doesn’t blister. You took quite an intensive fire whipping.” He gently removed the towel from her shoulders and set it aside. “I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.”

His hands felt wonderful on her skin. She sighed with pleasure as he smoothed the soothing balm over her shoulders, back and ass.

“I should have been here two hours ago,” he said as he worked, “but the boat guy apparently had engine trouble and was late picking me up from the mainland. I haven’t even been up to my room yet. I just threw my bags in the lobby and raced out to the beach.”

“I thought you weren’t coming