by Penny Jordan
It was ten minutes past midnight when he heard Sabrina’s key in the door. Staring at his long empty brandy glass, the strains of a violin concerto playing softly in the background, Javier waited for her to come and find him. To tell the truth, he needed the extra time to compose his anger. What was she thinking, staying out this late? A woman alone? He hoped her colleague, whoever it was, had either seen her home or put her safely into a taxi.
‘Hello. I didn’t expect you to still be up.’ She put her bag on a chair, kicked off her shoes and undid her jacket. Her honey-brown hair was drifting loose from its clip and there were faint shadows beneath her amazing eyes. Drumming his fingers on the table, Javier fought the sudden wave of desire that engulfed him.
‘Did you think I would go to bed knowing you were still out?’
‘Please don’t take that high-handed, superior male tone with me. I’ve had a long day and I’m not in the mood.’ Even as she gave vent to the need to reassert her position, Sabrina sensed the tension coil in the man seated just a foot away from where she stood. She threw him a brief glance from beneath her golden-brown lashes, and a prickle of heat radiated all the way down her spine at the sight of him. He was so blatantly, unashamedly male, she thought. With his darkly smouldering good looks, he might have been one of those very conquistadores she had fantasised about. His sleek, midnight hair sexily mussed by impatient, perhaps angry fingers, a faint shadow of beard studding his lean, hard jaw, long, tautly muscled legs in black jeans stretched out in front of him, he was a force to be reckoned with.
‘Dios!’ The noise of his chair scraping violently against the smooth tiles of the floor had all Sabrina’s nerves jumping in fright. ‘I spend the whole evening worrying about you and all you do is give me this—this “attitude” in return!’
‘I didn’t ask you to worry about me. That wasn’t part of our agreement either!’
‘Who were you with tonight? Was it Robbie?’
Sabrina told herself she must be imagining his jealous, possessive tone. With her heart rioting inside her chest, she levelled her best glare. ‘I don’t believe you asked me that. It’s none of your damn business who I go out with, quite frankly. And I think you’re taking this whole marriage thing a bit too far!’
Javier saw red. All of a sudden he wanted to show her that as far as he was concerned he wasn’t taking it far enough. With enough sexual sparks between them to set the whole street alight, he was tired of pretending he didn’t want her.
Taken aback by the hungry flare in his gaze, Sabrina stood rooted to the spot as he advanced, not quite believing what was happening when he pulled her roughly into his arms then crushed her mouth savagely beneath his. All her senses drowning and melting in his heat, at first she started to fight him—terrified of what she was feeling. Never in her whole life had she been swept away by such uncontrollable sensations of lust and longing. Within seconds his devastatingly sensual assault on her mouth was coaxing her into melting submission. She was opening to him, taking as much as she was giving, emitting raw little pleas for more as her hands wound round his neck, her fingers biting into his shoulders as he ground his pelvis into hers. His hands cupping her bottom through the silky linen of her skirt, he dragged the material upwards, running his palms up the backs of her thighs, pulling her in even tighter to his hips. Bending his head, he settled his mouth in the smooth, silky juncture between her nape and her shoulder, kissing her deeply until she felt the hot sting of his teeth in her flesh.
‘Javier, please!’ She was coming undone badly, past the point of no return, her hair tumbling loose onto her shoulders, her blue eyes a sea of stormy passion. A million miles away from the cool, focused businesswoman she had always striven to be. Javier lifted his head, touched his fingers to her moist, plundered mouth, uttered something husky and indecipherable in Spanish then said clearly, ‘We should be in bed, sí?’
Trembling as though she would never stop, Sabrina knew she was beyond any pretence about the subject. ‘Sí,’ she replied softly.
Above her in the semi-darkness, the breadth of Javier’s magnificent shoulders thrillingly outlined in the shadows, he moved up her body, his long, hard-muscled limbs tangling with hers, the faint, spellbinding drift of his aftershave mingling with his elemental male heat, the die well and truly cast to ensure her complete and utter surrender. Sabrina arched her back, pulled him down towards her, drove her fingers through the short, silky strands of his ebony hair, hungrily sought his mouth with her lips—hard, urgent—then broke free, her breathing ragged and her heart wild. ‘This can only happen once, Javier. After tonight it can’t happen again. We have to be sensible. Ohh…’ He stole her breath as he ran his hand across her hip, then trailed it deliberately down to the sweet dark cavern of her most intimate place. Pushing her slender, silken thighs apart, he introduced his fingers, those clever, sensitive fingers, sliding them in and out, daring deeper until she grabbed at his shoulders, urging him upwards, desperately seeking his mouth on hers once again.
He made her wait. He made her ride him slowly, then slid up to capture her breast in the seductive heat of his mouth, his tongue teasing and laving her burgeoning nipple, then nipping with his teeth. Sabrina bit back the sharp pleasure-pain, her fingers grabbing for the sheets to hold on as wave after wave of delicious capitulation shuddered through her.
Breathing hard, she stared up at him in wonder, seeking out those strong, mesmerising features of his in the shadows, biting her lip when he withdrew his hand to place his sex at her entrance, then, slowly but firmly, inserted himself deep inside her. Within seconds her ardour rose to meet his. Weaving her fingers through his hair, she opened to his deeply intimate kiss, then lifted her hips to meet the driving insistence of his as he filled her.
’Mi esposa hermosa,’ he breathed raggedly against her ear and, although Sabrina didn’t know what the words meant, her heart thrilled to hear them just the same.
His own heart beating high and wild, Javier took her hard and fast, his need to possess, to spill his seed in the deep, hot centre of her most feminine core completely taking him over so that every feeling, every emotion, every hungry, impossible hope in his soul played a vital part in his final destination. When he sensed the moment arrive, a cry burst from his throat, mingling with the raw, husky sound of his name on Sabrina’s lips as her own journey reached its zenith. Then he fell against her, his mouth against her nape, breathing in her scent and her womanliness, feeling more satisfied and more alive than he had felt in months.
Carefully withdrawing from her body, he raised his head, staring down at her in the dimly lit glow, gently smoothing back her hair and tracing the exquisite line of her jaw with his finger, so that he could focus on her eyes. ‘You are all right?’ he asked, concerned. Perhaps he had been a little rough? Passion had overwhelmed him and her skin was so soft—easily bruised, no doubt…as tender as a baby’s. The thought gave him pain.
‘I’m more than “all right,” Javier. That was wonderful.’
Her words warmed him all the way through. Almost of its own volition his knee started to manoeuvre her thighs apart. In a few more seconds he would be hard and ready for her again. His skin grew hot at the idea. This time he would take things more slowly, find out what gave her pleasure and make them both a little crazy.
‘But it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a regular occurrence.’ Her voice shook a little as Javier grazed his lips at the side of her mouth. ‘We have Angelina to think about. We can’t risk getting so involved. It’s best if we keep things as—as professional as possible.’
Her words fell on deaf ears. Already Javier was positioning himself at her centre, pushing inside her with his satin hard length, making her ache for him all over again.
‘Javier!’ But her plea for understanding quickly turned into a plea for more of what he was presently delivering, and with a breathless little sigh she wound her arms tightly round his neck and raised her head for his kiss…
Stirring her coffee for the u
mpteenth time, Sabrina sat at the big pine table in the warm kitchen, staring at the lavishly wrapped gift in front of her as though it were a bomb about to detonate. Its shiny gold paper was topped off with a gorgeous white satin ribbon—also threaded with gold—fashioned into a huge bow, and next to the package was a little card with her name on it, simply signed ‘Javier.’ He’d told her this morning that he was taking Angelina to her usual Saturday-morning dance class and that he would be back to join her for breakfast.
Glancing at the clock, Sabrina saw that it was a little after nine. She would have to make sure she was showered and dressed before he returned because it surely wasn’t a good idea to be sitting around in her dressing gown, considering the highly explosive situation that had now manifested between them. All night they had barely been able to keep their hands off one another. Sabrina had never known a more voracious or experienced lover. Everything they said about hot Latin lovers was true—even if it was a cliché. The man had magic oozing from his fingertips, not to mention more intimate places, and Sabrina’s tender skin this morning was more than proof of that. Pulling aside her gown, she bit her lip at the sight of the small pink abrasions on the insides of her thighs. It made her tingle all over to remember where that particular little trail of his mouth had led.
Blowing out a guilty breath, she fanned herself then took a deep gulp of strong black coffee. What had possessed her to be so wild and free with her favours? What on earth had she been thinking of? The fact was, she hadn’t been thinking at all. If she’d applied thinking to the situation she wouldn’t be in the quandary she was in now. They might have enjoyed being intimate together but Javier wasn’t looking to make this marriage real and Sabrina wasn’t in the market for a man in her life—at least, not permanently. What needed to take precedence right now was what was happening to her business—the business she’d shed blood, sweat and tears over for the past fifteen years. She wasn’t about to throw it all away just because she’d suddenly become enamoured with a man—a very generous, good-looking and sexy man.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, open it. It’s not going to bite you!’ With an exasperated sigh, Sabrina begin to tear at the wrapping paper, pulling it off in large swathes, her heart racing a little when she saw the smooth silver box inside. Lifting the lid, she stared down at the oyster-coloured satin in disbelief. He’d bought her lingerie? Running her fingertips across the sensuous material, she lifted out the exquisitely designed chemise with matching briefs and felt her cheeks burn red. No man had ever bought her anything so beautiful—or so intimate. For some inexplicable reason, tears sprang to her eyes. Then, impatiently dashing them away, Sabrina laid the silky items back against the soft tissue paper in their pretty box, put the lid back on, gathered up the torn gold wrapping paper, and carried the whole lot back into her room.
Minutes later, as piping hot water slooshed down her body from the shower, Sabrina knew that Javier D’Alessandro had got into her blood in a big, big way. It wouldn’t be easy to walk away from that realisation when this ‘marriage of convenience’ of theirs finally came to an end—no matter how strong her resolve. But somehow she was going to have to find the strength and courage to achieve the impossible.
CHAPTER SEVEN
JAVIER was holding the baby and Tallulah was gazing back at him with adoring blue eyes. Beside her, Ellie elbowed Sabrina in the ribs.
‘Ouch!’
‘That man is dangerous with a capital “D”,’ said Ellie, dropping her voice low so that only her sister could hear, and grinned.
‘Meaning?’
‘Well, look at him. He’s the answer to a woman’s prayer, isn’t he? Not only is he tall, dark and amazingly, knee-tremblingly handsome, but he’s good with babies and children as well! No wonder you married him!’
Unfolding her arms from across her chest, Sabrina wished that the tight, breathless pain beneath her ribcage would go. Since she’d slept with Javier, every time she happened to glance at him for any reason at all, she felt it—not to mention the fluttery feeling in her stomach that seemed to accompany it. ‘My reasons for marrying him aren’t what you seem to think they are, I told you!’ Exasperated, Sabrina walked to the living-room door. As her blue gaze swept the room, she paused to smile at Angelina, sitting cross-legged on the floor, helping William and Henry to dress a couple of worse-for-wear soldier figures. Her pretty face was a study in concentration and patience as the two little boys sat beside her, clearly enthralled by her willingness to play with them. In front of the fireplace, Javier was jiggling Tallulah up and down, making her laugh. ‘I think I’ll go and help Rosie in the kitchen,’ she said lightly, catching his eye.
‘Rosie is fine. Stay here and talk to our guests with me. Come.’ He gestured for her to join him, his dark eyes teasing, almost mocking…as if he could read her mind. Inside her chest, her heart jumped at the thought. She was thinking about him, of course—of all the different delicious ways he had made love to her—and wondering when it might happen again. That caught her up short. It wasn’t going to happen again. It couldn’t.
‘I can talk to Ellie any time,’ she remarked breezily.
Ellie took immediate affront, tossing back her mane of blonde hair with a little huff. ‘Thanks. I love you too. See what I have to put up with, Javier?’ She lingered over his name as though it were some delicious sweetmeat. Sabrina could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was this the same woman who had torn her off a strip for being so ridiculous in agreeing to marry a man she barely knew? Even little Tallulah was mesmerised by him.
Sighing irritably, Sabrina reluctantly moved to stand next to her husband, her irritation briefly diverted by Tallulah’s outrageously gummy grin. Automatically she held out her arms. ‘Have you got a new admirer, Tally? Have you, darling?’
As Javier laughed and passed the baby carefully over to his wife, he whispered into Sabrina’s ear, ‘So has her auntie…Did you know that, sweet Sabrina?’
‘Don’t talk to me like that!’
‘Why not?’ His answering chuckle sent goosebumps scudding crazily all over her skin.
‘So tell me, if you please, Ellie—is there anything about your job in the City that you miss?’
Relieved that he had diverted his attention to her sister, Sabrina buried her face in Tallulah’s silky, soft blonde hair and breathed in her compelling baby scent like an injection of pure, sweet oxygen.
‘Good lord, no!’ Laughing, Ellie raised her small glass of sherry and took a sip. ‘I know things can be mayhem at home when you’ve got little ones to look after and I know things don’t always run to plan because you’ve got to allow for so much that’s unexpected—but even so, I wouldn’t change places for the world. I love being a mum. Phil loves me being a mum too, and quite frankly I wouldn’t want some child-minder taking care of my kids just so that I could climb some dreary career ladder in the City! Been there, done that and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, believe me.’
In her heart Sabrina knew her sister wasn’t having a secret dig at her own choice to run a business, but even so her passionate renunciation of a career as opposed to having children made Sabrina feel slightly inadequate. Something her parents had a knack of making her feel too, if the truth was known. They absolutely doted on their three grandchildren and barely asked Sabrina anything about her day-to-day life apart from the stock, ‘How is the business going?’ and, ‘Isn’t it about time you found yourself a nice man and settled down?’
‘You are clearly a natural mother.’ Javier smiled approvingly and Sabrina was amazed to see the soft pink flush that highlighted her sister’s beautiful cheekbones. Did every female between six months and one hundred years old fall under this man’s spell? Clearly they did if the evidence she’d seen so far was anything to go on!
‘Not all women are cut out to be mothers,’ she commented defensively.
Immediately Javier’s disturbing gaze settled thoughtfully on her face. ‘How do you know if you never give yourself the chance to find
out?’
‘Sabrina thinks she’s too old to have children.’ Finishing her sherry, Ellie left the glass on a nearby bookshelf. ‘Don’t you, sis?’
‘My mother was forty-two years old when she had me. It didn’t prevent her from being a wonderful mother.’ Javier was looking straight at Sabrina when he spoke and, riveted, she knew he was thinking about the time they’d spent together in bed making love. Was he wondering if he had perhaps made her pregnant? He hadn’t used any protection and he hadn’t even thought to ask if she was on the Pill. Which she wasn’t—Oh, God, how could she have been so stupid?
‘I’m not saying it’s not possible to become pregnant in your late thirties or even early forties, I’m just saying that I don’t think Sabrina sees herself in a maternal role. Do you, sis? She’s much more interested in making a success of her business.’
‘Why does that sound like a criticism?’
‘I think you’re being a little over-sensitive, Sabrina.’
‘Do you? Well, then, you must be right. You usually are, aren’t you?’ Plonking a surprised baby Tallulah into Javier’s arms, she swept out of the room, hardly pausing for breath until she reached her bedroom and quietly shut the door behind her.
Her hands shaking, a little shudder of emotion sweeping down her spine, she moved across to the bed and dropped down onto the pale cream counterpane, shocked to find herself inexplicably in tears.
‘Pull yourself together, for God’s sake!’ she scolded herself, then burst into a fresh bout of noisy weeping.
She didn’t hear the person who quietly entered the room. It was only when she felt the soft pressure of that little hand on her back that Sabrina glanced up into a pair of sweet brown eyes full of concern.
‘Are you all right, Sabrina? Uncle said I should come and find you.’
‘I’m fine, Angelina, darling. I’m just being very silly.’ Digging into her jeans pocket for a handkerchief, she loudly blew her nose, then smiled brightly at the little girl.