‘You’re right.’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘Maybe we should try a kiss, then?’
* * *
She didn’t care that she was being forward. Micah’s actual proposal had been clumsy—romantic, but clumsy—but this? This admission of what he thought his life would be with her in it? It was swoon-worthy. It was movie-worthy. It was romance-novel-worthy, kiss-you-until-you’re-breathless-worthy. She wanted to be breathless.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, though he’d already shifted forward, bringing their lips close together.
‘I wouldn’t have suggested it if I weren’t.’
‘Ah, yes. I forget you say what you mean.’ He put his hand at the base of her neck. It sent a shiver through her. ‘It’s refreshing.’
‘So you keep saying.’
Now she moved closer, running her index finger around the button at the top of his shirt. It was another white shirt, like the day before, except this one was short sleeved instead of rolled up. It revealed round biceps, and, before she’d fully thought it through, she was running her finger along the veins she could see there.
‘You know what would be refreshing?’ she said lazily. ‘If you stopped talking and kissed me.’
She only had a flash of his smile before his lips met hers.
The sensation was other-worldly. A foolish description. A fanciful description. It fit. Not once in her lifetime on earth had she felt so consumed by a kiss as she did now. The world around them ceased to exist. Only the heat that went from her lips down to her core, trailing a path that pulsed with desire, existed.
Then he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and she realised that existed, too.
It was probably a good idea to establish that both their bodies existed on this plane she was on. Her hands had somehow found both his biceps, and were holding on for dear life. His hands were resting on her thighs, squeezing her flesh as if anchoring his fingers there. Their mouths moved in union, giving and taking, enjoying and lusting.
There was more to the lusting than the physical. It felt deeper. It felt as if it touched her heart. It raced as Micah kissed her; a testament to his skill and his words. He kissed as intensely as she’d imagined he would, but with a hesitance that told her he was paying attention. To her responses, to her body. To what gave her pleasure so that he could continue to give it.
All of it told her he was a good man. And that, really, was what her heart was reacting to. He made sure she wanted to kiss him before acting on her suggestion. Even now, he was being careful. If his hands ever moved from her thighs, it would be after a question. Either verbally, or through a subtle touch that asked for permission. When she gave it, he would pay attention to her body as thoroughly as he was currently doing to her mouth. He would ask her for guidance, she knew, and would obey when she offered it to him.
He would torture her in all the right ways. His kiss—this simple kiss—told her so. Now, more than ever, she was glad she’d broached the topic of sex with Micah. The sooner they clarified their positions on it, the sooner they could act on those positions. She was certain of what he wanted. She knew what she wanted, too. She had never been as eager to sate her needs with anyone else.
‘Micah,’ she said, the shock of it forcing her to pull away.
Her breath took a long time to catch up to that shock. As it did, she lifted trembling hands to her mouth. It felt swollen. It felt used. Both felt like triumphs.
‘It was too much too soon,’ Micah said hoarsely. He reached for his water and emptied the glass in seconds. Then, seemingly having a handle on himself, he poured another glass and handed it to her.
‘No, that’s not it,’ she said, accepting the water.
‘Then what?’
Or maybe that was it. Not the kiss, but the realisations. The emotions. Too many too soon. But she couldn’t tell him that.
‘I was just thinking... I’m glad it’s you. Not Jameson, I mean.’ She tucked a stray curl behind her ear. ‘We wouldn’t share that.’
‘Did you...er...?’ He cleared his throat. ‘Did you try?’
She gave him an amused look. ‘Did I try to kiss a man who saw me as only a business arrangement? No.’
‘Good.’
‘Is it?’ she asked casually. Colour touched his cheeks. It was the first time she’d ever seen him blush. He shifted, telling her he didn’t like it as much as she did, and she took mercy on him. ‘Honestly, I don’t think Jameson would have ever been interested in me. I don’t think I’m his type. Too mouthy.’
She’d been joking, but he didn’t crack a smile. He didn’t even reply. It wouldn’t have been a conversation if he didn’t shift, avoiding her gaze.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ he said quickly. Too quickly.
‘Then why are you acting so weird?’
‘No reason.’
‘Micah.’
‘It’s not relevant any more.’
‘So you should have no problem telling me then.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re just as formidable as you say I am, you know that?’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Now spill.’
After a long pause, he answered. ‘I had Serena send me over some information about the man you were going to marry.’
‘Did you?’ she asked lightly. ‘Any particular reason?’
‘I was...interested.’
‘Hmm.’
‘In any case,’ he said quickly, ‘there was a story from this week that... Well, I’m sure you’ve seen it. You’re a journalist.’
‘I don’t see every story.’
‘No, I suppose not.’ He cleared his throat. ‘You probably have an alert for the man you’re thinking about marrying though.’
‘Surprisingly, no. But,’ she said conversationally, ‘if you keep stalling, I might reconsider marrying you. Or spill this glass of water on your pants and tell everyone you’ve had an accident. Probably the latter. Less dramatic.’
Micah frowned. ‘Those are both dramatic options.’
‘Micah.’
‘Fine.’ He cleared his throat for the millionth time. ‘There was a photo on a gossip site. It was purely speculation, in light of, I think, the news of your impending engagement. They claimed the man was Jameson St Clair.’ He paused. ‘With another woman.’
Elena took a second. ‘Do you have the link to the story?’
He studied her, but took his phone out, typed on it for a moment, then handed it to her. The headline was salacious, which she expected, but she focused on the picture. It showed a man walking into a hotel with a woman. She was dressed in a sophisticated black dress that was tight and ended above her knee. The man wore a distinctive suit—bright blue, with white pinstripes. It was what Jameson had worn the day her father had suggested their marriage. The shock of the suggestion had every detail embedded in her mind.
Jameson had been with another woman the same day he said he would marry her.
‘Well. I guess mouthy has nothing to do with it. It’s because I’m brunette,’ she said, handing the phone back to Micah.
‘It’s him?’
‘It is. And that’s the same day he and my father said they wanted us to marry. The suit,’ she answered when his brows rose. ‘It stuck in my mind.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be.’ She shrugged. ‘This would have been the reality of my life. You’ve given me another option.’ She reached for the coffee they’d both forgotten, finding it lukewarm. Still, she drank it. She needed the kick for the question she was about to ask him. ‘Unless there’ll be pictures of you coming out like this?’
His gaze didn’t waver. ‘Heavens no. I prefer brunettes. Mouthy brunettes, to be specific.’
She sat back in her chair and grinned. Couldn’t help it. ‘We should probably start planning our wedding, then, huh?’
; CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THEY LEFT SAN GIMIGNANO that night. They’d spent the afternoon discussing their plan, and they’d both decided going back to South Africa a day early would only benefit them. They could go to Micah’s lawyer’s offices, sign a prenuptial agreement, and tell her father.
At least, that had been Micah’s suggestion. Elena’s was more radical.
‘We should get married before we tell my father,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘There’s no point rushing on the pre-nup unless we’re getting married soon. And getting married soon will put us in a better position when we see my father.’ She glanced at him. ‘If you need to buy the parent company of my paper, you can do it for your wife, not your fiancée.’
‘I trust you,’ he said once he could form a coherent reply. ‘I’ll do it for my fiancée, too.’
‘Yeah. Yeah, it’s too fast,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Sorry.’
The expression in her eyes had him saying, ‘There’s more to this, isn’t there?’ She bit her lip. It tugged at his heart. ‘Elena, you can tell me.’
It was a while before she did. ‘I’d feel safer—more protected—if we were married when we speak to him.’
It did him in, her vulnerability. He nodded. ‘So let’s get married before we see him.’
The first half of the plane ride, they spoke about every possible condition they wanted in their pre-nup. Elena’s professional independence was assured—at Micah’s insistence—as was Micah’s wealth—at Elena’s insistence. They added clauses about business commitments and personal functions, birthdays and special occasions. They stipulated that neither of them wanted children, and if they did it, both parties would have to agree on it and put it in writing. There would be a probationary period where both of them would have to display the behaviour they wanted to see in a parent. Essentially assuring the other they could do work/home balance.
‘Just in case,’ Elena said.
‘Just in case,’ he agreed, but he was sure it wouldn’t be necessary.
After they repeated all that and more to their lawyers, who recorded it with their permission, they ended the call and sat staring at one another.
‘That was interesting,’ he said.
‘It was.’ There was a beat of silence. ‘We didn’t talk about sex.’
He paused as he reached for his drink, but continued when he realised he couldn’t delay any longer. ‘No, we didn’t.’
‘We’ll need to tell them if they need to put an infidelity clause in the contract,’ she said nonchalantly. ‘I know what you said after the Jameson thing, but if you’ve changed your mind, we should be prepared for that.’
The way she was picking at her trousers told her she wasn’t as relaxed as she was pretending to be.
‘I haven’t changed my mind,’ he said, watching her. ‘But I’ve already had the clause inserted.’
‘Yeah?’ Her fingers stopped moving. ‘What did you say?’
‘If I cheat, you can leave.’
She frowned. ‘What about me?’
He cleared his throat. ‘I told them I would confirm later.’
There was a long pause. She reached over and took the drink from his hands. Unlike him, though, she drank it. He watched her swallow. Only she could make it seem like an action that belonged in a seduction. She pressed the glass to her lips before handing it back to him, as if she’d realised it wasn’t hers.
‘You know, it’s not cheating if we both agree we can go outside the marriage for sex,’ she said, watching him closely.
‘No, it’s not.’
He drank the remaining liquid in one quick gulp.
‘We haven’t made any decisions about that. Why would you involve the lawyers?’
‘I went into this knowing that I didn’t want to—’ He broke off to clear his throat. Actually, he was giving himself time to figure out what he wanted to say. It wasn’t working, so he stopped trying. ‘I don’t want to go outside our marriage. I know it’s not strictly a real marriage, but it feels disrespectful. What if someone saw me and this other woman? The speculation in the media would be as bad as with Jameson.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not him.’
‘Yet you’re telling me I can choose that?’ She stood and came to sit down next to him. His seat wasn’t meant for two, so he ended up half sliding off it. It didn’t help; Elena still ended up sitting on him. ‘What about the speculation if the media sees me with another man?’
He tried to ignore how wonderful she smelled. How his skin was getting hot and every cell was becoming more aware of her proximity.
‘There wouldn’t be as much attention on you if you wanted to do that.’
She studied him. ‘Stop being so careful, Micah. Tell me what you feel.’
What would it be like to trail a finger over the skin near her collarbone? It looked so smooth, so silky. When they’d been kissing, he hadn’t had the benefit of touching her the way he wanted to. He wanted another chance, but in the same breath, he wanted—
‘Micah.’
Oh, yes. She was talking to him. ‘What?’
She snorted. ‘You’re being so careful. It’s working on my nerves. I’m sure my questions are doing the same for you.’ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘I’m going to tell you what I think. Honestly. You might not want to hear it.’
She waited for an answer now, as if he would have one. Should he have one? He tried to ignore the allure of her skin, her collarbone, the memories of that kiss with her, and thought about what she said. She wanted to tell him what she thought about fidelity in marriage. Right. And she wanted to do so honestly because she thought he was being cautious.
He frowned. ‘I’m not being careful.’
‘You’re not saying what you want to say either,’ she countered easily, unsurprised by his delayed response.
‘I... Elena, I don’t know how to say what I want to say.’
‘Because you’re trying to think like a businessperson. Don’t. Think like you. A man, a husband, or whatever the hell role will help you to be honest.’
‘You really want that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Fine.’ He didn’t let himself think. ‘I don’t want to go outside our marriage for sex for a number of reasons. I’ve given you a lot of them. The most important is that I find you incredibly attractive, Elena.’ His voice dropped. ‘I feel...something for you that I have no interest in feeling with anyone else. I doubt I could.’ He couldn’t help the caress he gave her, starting at that pulse in her neck, tracing the soft skin to her shoulder. ‘I don’t want to cheat because I don’t think I’d want anyone as much as I want you.’
Elena’s lips parted, but he didn’t think it was only surprise. He had been terribly candid. But the quick breath that pushed through her lips when he skimmed her collarbone told him it was lust, too. She cleared her throat.
‘Why would you want me to find someone else then?’ Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He put an arm around her waist. When she leaned into him, he pulled her onto his lap. She immediately locked her arms around his neck.
‘Did I give you the impression I wanted that?’ With her closer now, he could let his lips do the work his fingers had done. He brushed them over that spot at her collarbone. She arched her neck. He kissed the exposed skin. ‘Elena, what I want is for you to come to me for your physical needs. But I believe in your independence and your ability to choose what’s right for you. If you don’t believe in what I believe, I can’t fault you for that.’
‘Hmm.’
It was all she said. He didn’t blame her for the lack of response when he was the reason she wasn’t responding. He assumed. His hands were skimming the sides of her breasts now, his thumbs brushing over the light padding of her bra. He didn’t linger there—he would lose his mind if he did—but there was no lack of places to touch. She wore a w
raparound shirt with her trousers, perfectly respectable as it ended right where her pants started. It was less respectable if someone pushed the end of the shirt up to expose her skin.
He was up for the task.
Her skin was glorious. Soft beneath his touch, the faint strip of brown he’d revealed. She shivered as he touched her, all around her waist, and when he looked at her again, she was watching him with hooded eyes.
‘You know,’ she said lazily, ‘I was going to tell you pretty much the same thing. Not the things about finding you attractive—’ she paused to give him a saucy smile ‘—but that I don’t think going outside our marriage for something we could get inside it would be productive for either of us. Of course,’ she continued, shifting so that she was straddling him, ‘there’s an argument that could be made for sex making things murky between us.’
Plump flesh peeked out at him from the V at her chest. He dragged his eyes up.
‘Will you be making that argument?’
‘I can keep a clear head when it counts,’ she told him.
‘So, no?’
Her lips curved. ‘No. How about you?’
‘Please,’ he said with a snort.
‘Wonderful. Personally, I don’t think we should include lawyers in this.’ She opened the buttons at the top of his shirt. ‘They already know too much about our relationship as is.’
‘If you’re sure.’
Quite frankly, he didn’t care. Not when she was kissing the skin she’d exposed in some sensual tit for tat that he was looking forward to exploring. She sat back at his answer though.
‘The way you’ve handled this whole thing...makes me sure,’ she repeated. ‘I believe what you say. And I promise I won’t cheat on you. I won’t break your trust.’ She shimmied off his lap, giving him a mild look when he made a noise of protest. ‘We should keep things respectable between us until we’re married.’
He smiled despite the lust travelling through his veins. ‘Should we?’
‘Yes.’ She sniffed. ‘I’m a respectable woman.’ She straightened her top and then her shoulders. ‘A respectable woman who knows the value of delayed gratification.’
Marrying His Runaway Heiress Page 11