His Duchess [Completed]

Chapter 24- Hard To Get [E]

Patrick's luxurious private jet was grand and spacious as everybody sat in large cushioned chairs while being served refreshments and meals by the stewardesses.

Julien's gaze left a trail of fire on her skin as he watched her greedily. The heat in the plane and his searing silver eyes became too unbearable, and she peeled off her light cardigan, leaving her only in her white sleeveless cotton knee length dress.

Annie smiled recalling her dream last night,  in a similar white dress. When she saw it in her closet as she was packing she knew she had to wear it. Remembering the feeling of being pregnant, stroking her unborn child made heart swell with happiness.

Unconsciously she placed her hand on her abdomen and raises her eyes to Julien instinctively. He quickly looked away from her, a secret smile outlying his strong lips. Annie blushed and trailed her gaze about her father's private plane just incase someone was watching her interactions with Julien.

Everyone was either softly socializing, reading, or napping luckily. Nobody caught him winking, smirking or watching her like a predator to its prey since they've been inflight. Julien was diagonally across from her seat on the other side of the plane. It was hard not to keep looking his way. All she wanted to do is reach out and grasp his hand and pull him next to her. But the distance although short, felt like it was too far.

Annie sighed and leaned her head back looking out the window. The sky was blue and clear, and in a few hours they would arrive to the beautiful beaches of Maui.

She had to agree with her father, it was a much needed getaway. The fatigue eventually caught up, slowly anchoring her down gradually throughout the day since collapsing in Julien's arms in the hospital. Although her strength was slowly returning, it was hard to control what her body craved which was rest.

Annie couldn't wait to enjoy what Maui had to offer. Her father had a beautiful, spacious penthouse in Wailea, where they would be staying. It was a favorite vacation spot for the family and they visited several times a year. The only thing she wasn't looking forward to was celebrating her birthday with them all, especially since witnessing the lack of attention and importance they all seemed to shrug off.

Annie was lounging on the beach in a black bikini sunbathing, alongside her was Cici and Phaedra. The sun's rays were strong and bright as they watched the men play volleyball.

Julien's body glistened with sweat as he served the ball. His six-pack bulged and flexed beneath lightly tanned skin. Packed with thick sinew muscle, he was a very masculine man, attractive, strong, fierce. Shrouding his body like a halo, his aura alone screamed dominance, adding to the graceful power of his movements.

Annie couldn't keep her eyes off him. Her large Chanel sunglasses hooded her eyes as she took in admiring his tanned, well toned body. Julien wore navy blue swimming shorts and Ray Ban bronze aviator sunglasses. His hair was slicked back and covered with a white baseball cap.  Seeing him shed the suits and show off his slicked glistening body sent warm pleasure through her body.

Annie couldn't be sure, but she could have sworn Julien watched her all throughout the game. His attention seemed riveted on the game but from behind his sunglasses, Annie knew without a doubt he was scorching her body with those beautiful silver-gray eyes.

In the background the sound of the waves crashed down upon the seashore and retracted back, repeating itself. The light blue sea was only a few hundred feet away from where they lounged. The sand was golden and reflected the sun's harsh rays.

It was so hot and humid, sweat developed on Annie's skin.  She decided to head into the ocean's cool waters. Standing, she turned to Cici and Phaedra who were listening to their iPods. Cici followed her movements and pulled the speakers out of her ears.