Dani turned at the unfamiliar voice, at the urgency with which it had spoken. But just as quick she looked at Alex because his hand suddenly crushed hers—his grip had gone boa-constrictor tight.
He’d frozen. His ready smile wiped. He didn’t even say hello to the man who’d threaded his way to where they stood. He was about an inch shorter than Alex and dressed in a suit that Dani recognised as made to order. Flecks of grey peppered his dark hair, but despite his age he was still a good-looking man—a hint of charisma in the smooth face, his smile practised.
‘I hoped you’d be here tonight.’ Yes, the smile was definitely practised, because his eyes were too watchful, betraying a hint of uncertainty. ‘I’ve tried calling you.’
Alex didn’t even blink.
The man shifted, glanced at Dani and offered her a wider version of the smile before his attention flicked back to Alex. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce me?’
The silence stretched. The awkwardness excruciating. What was the problem here? Didn’t Alex want to introduce her? But instinctively she knew it was this man that he had the problem with, not her. And it was some problem—she’d never have guessed a master of people skills like Alex could be so impolite.
‘Dani, this is Patrick. Patrick, this is Dani.’ He finally spoke. No qualifiers, no descriptors, no other info. Just names. Totally different from how he’d spoken with any of the others they’d mingled with tonight. His face had gone totally masklike. ‘I didn’t realise you were in New Zealand.’
‘I thought it would be a good idea. I take it you’ve had the results back.’
‘Yes.’ Alex’s mouth barely moved as he replied, his eyes like stones.
Dani felt goose bumps rise over every inch of her skin. Alex’s voice was blowing a chill direct from Antarctica.
The two men stared at each other. Alex stood ramrod straight and still, unrelenting in his cold scrutiny.
‘It would be good to talk.’ Patrick shifted his feet, his tongue touching the corner of his lip.
Was that the faintest touch of a plea in his comment? Dani almost felt afraid—the undercurrents swirling between the men seemed dark and downright dangerous. Alex seemed dangerous. The aggression she could feel mounting in him was raw. And this silence was too horribly long.
‘Not now.’ Alex shattered it. Brutally dismissive. Unbelievably cold. Then he turned, practically dragging Dani away with him.
Dani swallowed and half skipped to keep up. Stunned by this facet of Alex she hadn’t known existed. He went straight to the bar, ordered her a wine and himself a neat whisky. He knocked it back in one swallow. It was the first drop of alcohol he’d had all night. Dani sipped her wine slowly, wondering if he was going to have another, wondering what it was about the Patrick man that had him feeling so lethal. But he turned, looked her over, his eyes nothing but fire now.
‘Dance with me.’
She couldn’t refuse, her heart thudding as she felt the barely leashed emotion in him. He held her close—much closer than when they’d danced before. The music was loud, the tempo fast, but all the energy zinged from him—electrifying her nerves. And then she felt the change within him, from anger, to passion—but no less intense. He pulled her closer still, his hands firm on her body—moulding her to him. The way he moved was incredible, intoxicating, dizzying—indeed she stumbled.
He took her by the elbow and led her to a secluded table on the far side of the dance floor. He poured her a glass of water from the carafe on the table.
Dani took a sip of the cool liquid and asked before she lost the nerve. ‘Who’s Patrick?’
His eyes were dark, unreadable in the flashing lights from the dance floor. ‘No one.’
She had another sip of water, unsurprised by his answer. It wasn’t any of her business anyway. He pulled his chair closer, facing her rather than out to the floor. And then his hands disappeared.
‘What are you doing?’ She could hardly move her mouth enough to ask.
‘Nothing.’ Beneath the table his fingers were lightly caressing her knee—rubbing over the silk hem of her dress and onto her skin.
Nothing? Nothing like the lift?
His fingers moved higher.
‘I’d have thought a high-society fundraising dinner wouldn’t be the place for public displays of lust,’ she choked. ‘Aren’t you too well bred for that?’
‘Who said I was well bred?’ His hand slid higher up her thigh, the touch suddenly far more insistent.
Dani gulped. ‘I thought you were staying away.’
‘Was I?’
‘Stop it.’
Make me. He didn’t say it. He didn’t need to. He was so used to getting his way, wasn’t he? He understood the power of his charm. The way people had fawned over him tonight proved it. He thought he could get away with anything.
And maybe he could.
But Dani was suddenly filled with the urge to better him—just the once. The thrill of the challenge was irresistible, and what better way to drive away the shadows in his eyes from his frosty encounter with Patrick?
‘All right.’ She turned towards him. ‘If this is what you want.’
She lifted her hand to his face, ran her hand down his smooth jaw. Leaned closer and breathed in. She loved the light, crisp scent of his aftershave. She dropped her hand to his chest, feeling the beat of his heart and its acceleration, the heat of his skin burning through the shirt. Sizzling—that was Alex.
She moved her hand again, placed it lower—far higher up his thigh than his fingers had ventured up hers. She twisted her wrist, spreading her fingers, stroking his already rigid length, encircling it and then squeezing.
She was unable to stop her smile as he stopped breathing. His discomfort registered even more on his face. His mouth snapped shut, jaw went militarily square. She saw the ripple in his muscles as he struggled for control.
She leaned closer, her mouth a millimetre from his skin, and teased him some more. ‘Dare you to walk across the dance floor now.’
His breath hissed out between his teeth as he jerked, flinging far back into his seat and out of her reach. No, he wasn’t really into public displays at all, was he?
Triumphant, she met his eyes, her smile widening with the thrill of the dangerous line she was treading.
But then he moved. His grip on her upper arm was hard and he stood so fast that she stumbled as he hauled her up beside him. His other hand went around her waist, clamping her so she was just in front of him. He pressed his hot, hard body against her back. Insistent, he pushed her forward.
She walked. She had no choice. Right across the dance floor.
But he didn’t release her once they were clear; instead he guided her out of the room completely, down a corridor, and left, down another corridor.
Halfway along that he swiftly turned her, his arms powerful as he pulled her close. He pressed her against him, one hand slid beneath the hem of her dress. Her knees sagged at the touch and he pushed her until her back hit the wall. But he kept pushing until his body was sealed hard to the length of hers. Save a scrap of satin, a whisper of silk and his strained trousers, they were as intimate as two people could physically be.
Her gasp rasped in her ears and her most feminine muscles clenched instinctively, the hungry ache down low unbearable.
‘Don’t play with me and think you can win.’ His words dropped into her ear like sparks of wildfire—igniting frustration, temptation and anger. He felt so good against her. So incredibly good. She gazed at him, anticipation smothering any chance of thought.
‘My turn to dare,’ he taunted.
Her awareness surged to new heights, her body supersensitive.
‘Kiss me.’ He’d loosened his hold yet she couldn’t escape, couldn’t make herself push away the heat. Instead she wanted him closer again.
Pleasure and satisfaction—his promise of both beckoned her. His fingers stroked her thigh, inching higher, then higher, delicately tracing across her soft skin and sending r
ipples of sensation out to the rest of her body—especially those secret parts.
‘Kiss me.’ He flexed—closer—a minuscule movement with maximum impact.
Her lashes drooped as she studied him up close, no longer conscious of anything else but him. He tilted his chin at her, just the way she had at him in the lift that day, and his lips twisted into that irresistible smile.
And she couldn’t resist him. Not when he looked so good, smelt so good, felt so good. Her lips parted, her body going on instinct now, her brain defunct. All she could see was his mouth—almost parted, waiting—and the desire in his eyes. All she could hear was the thunder of her heart as it sent hot blood racing through her body.
As her head lifted, her lashes dropped, blocking everything so she could focus only on the sensation of his mouth against hers. Even so just the briefest touch overwhelmed her; she shivered. His whole body tensed. He lifted his hand from her back, tangling his fingers in her hair, keeping her close to him so she wouldn’t break the contact of their lips. Not that she could. Not now, no. She threaded both her hands through his hair too, clinging, so eager for more than a taste of him. She moved her lips over his. He had full lips, firm and yet soft. She touched them with her tongue, tasting, then pushing closer, exploring the heat of his mouth. More. And then more still.
He let her dominate for a moment, but then rewarded her hungry searching with a deep thrust of his own. Involuntary spasms racked her as he held her close and plundered. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she tumbled headlong into his stormy passion.
The hand between her legs coasted higher, skimming across the satin of her knickers, making her squirm, making her wish she could arch against him freely. His hand spread wide against the back of her head, holding her even more firmly to him. She felt his groan vibrate through his whole body as he stroked her intimately. His fingers gently moved back and forth as he savoured the damp evidence of her desire for him—desire hurtling her to abandonment.
She opened deeper for him, the kiss almost savage now as the full power of their physical attraction was unleashed. She pressed against his chest, trying to please her painfully taut nipples with contact against his hard heat.
The high-pitched laughter and the tinging of glass on glass screeched over the roar in her ears. Her eyes snapped open, shattering the moment. Suddenly she was aware of where they were.
‘Stop, Alex,’ she panted against his mouth. She could see the sheen on his skin and fiercely suppressed the urge to lick the salty flavour of him.
His breath gusted across her face as he pulled back.
‘Not here.’ As close to a plea as she’d ever uttered. They were in a public space. A minute or two more of that kind of kissing and she was going to be coming loud and wild only a thin wall away from Auckland’s most rich and famous. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it must be about to blow apart in her body. The physical need burned through to her bones. She tore her gaze from his, made herself look along the corridor—Oh, hell, someone had just walked past. They’d only have to turn their head to see them. Alex’s broad body partially protected her privacy, but even so.
Lust had made her forget everything—who she was, where she was, and what she was supposed to be doing. A different kind of heat engulfed her.
Humiliation.
Dani refused to let desire turn her into such a mindless slave.
‘Let’s go.’ Temptation personified murmured into her ear.
If she went with him this minute they’d end up in the back seat of his car, or in the loo on the way, or a cleaning cupboard, or down an alley, or something equally tacky but convenient. So she had to claw back her self-control fast because having sex with Alex wouldn’t just be reckless, it would be dangerous. The feelings he aroused in her were too strong. She couldn’t let herself drown in them. Her response wasn’t just physical, it would be over-emotional too. All Alex was up for was a little playtime—she needed time out to get a grip first. ‘Aren’t you supposed to draw some prize or something?’
‘Lorenzo can do it.’
‘You can’t let them down.’ She pushed him away. He moved and she smoothed down the front of her dress in a quick gesture.
‘It’s your turn to dare,’ he said too coolly, too confidently.
She shook her head. ‘I’m all out of challenges.’
He chuckled. ‘I don’t believe that.’ He stepped closer again. ‘Maybe you just need some provocation.’ He leant forward and kissed her again, his mouth seeking, demanding. She bit back the moan. He wasn’t touching her anywhere else but she ached to ride him, to rock her hips back and forth and take him inside her. If they were alone she would do just that. Shed her clothes and his and have all of him hard and fast and right now.
She tore free of his kiss and gulped in air. But no matter how many breaths she took she still felt dizzy. She stared at him, shocked at the need still rampaging through her defences. So easily he had won this from her. So much for staying away—so much for either of them having self-control.
‘What do you think about a truce?’ She was panting too much for the question to come out as tart as she’d have liked.
He lifted his hand and ran the tip of his finger over her lips. She gasped again.
‘We can delay a little longer if you like. But this is inevitable.’
She wanted to shake her head but it felt heavy and she couldn’t move it. Passion shone in his eyes, pleasure and satisfaction broadened his smile.
‘We’re flatmates,’ she finally managed. ‘We can be friends but we can’t…’ She trailed off as he laughed.
‘Honey, we can’t be friends. Not ‘til we’ve burned this out.’ He nudged her chin with his thumb. ‘After that we can—I get on well with all my ex-lovers.’
Oh. Was that so? ‘Regular Lothario, aren’t you?’ Dani drawled, sarcasm dripping.
‘Well, you have your joy boys—right?’ His smile had sharp edges. ‘Nothing wrong with liking sex, Dani. It’s natural.’
Slack jawed, she could no longer cope with his subtle-as-a-brick sensuality. Because the worst thing about it was that it made her body burn hotter. ‘I need to freshen up.’
‘Coward.’
How long was it possible to live with an Empire-State-Building-size erection? Alex wondered whether there was an entry in the Guinness Book of Records and knew with certainty that if there was, he was going to beat it.
‘You’re taking her home?’
‘To her separate little bedroom, yes.’
Lorenzo laughed. ‘That won’t last long.’
Alex leant his shoulder against the wall. From here he could see when she exited the bathroom. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘Yeah. The whole Internet movie, invent her a job, move her into your home kind of complicated.’
Alex shook his head. Lorenzo didn’t know the half of it. He didn’t know the whole I-just-found-out-who-my-father-really-is nightmare yet. And it was a nightmare. Alex swept a quick glance around the room, couldn’t see the bastard. How dared Patrick just appear like that—what was he trying to do? What did he want? Well, whatever it was, he wasn’t getting it.
That was really what was eating Alex alive, not some five-foot-nothing sexy piece of a woman. He sighed as the thought of Dani made his whole body ache with need. ‘It was your dumb idea to move her in to my place.’
‘Thought it might be convenient.’ Lorenzo chuckled.
Alex shot him a filthy look and drained the last of his juice. OK, so she was eating him up too. But he could deal with lust, couldn’t he? Wasn’t he Alex Carlisle? Didn’t he have a phone full of names and numbers of wannabe dates? If he wanted sex he could get it, no problem.
But he’d happily fling the thing in the harbour. Normally he did a few dates, a few laughs, never anything complicated and certainly not committed—a two-months sort of man, that was him. Women were for fun, nothing more—he was never having anything more. But now he wanted sex with only one woman. The scent of her incited
an untapped depth of hunger in him. He didn’t know how he was going to assuage it. There were so many options, so many fantasies swirling in his head all the damn time.
So much of it was the game, wasn’t it? The hunt, the chase, the challenge she threw at him. Since when had he had to work for it like this—or to wait? Usually he didn’t bother if someone was giving him the hard-to-get routine. He wasn’t that desperate. But Dani was different. She didn’t want a ‘relationship’. Fantastic. But her determined denial of a fun fling bit him hard. This time the game was everything. Oh, yeah, he was getting off on every minute of it and doing everything he could to aggravate a response from her.
He straightened as he saw her appear. If he were to judge by the look on her face he wasn’t getting any further with her tonight, but, judging by the tension in her body, he figured he had another shot. And he was damn well taking it.
Dani waited with him for the lift and focused on her breathing—the last of her Alex-induced heat doused by the fear of the few seconds to come. So stupid to be like this. But every time she got into a small space her stomach knotted and all the oxygen vanished. Every time she remembered the darkness, and the silence—the terrifying silence that had been shattered by that vicious thud.
Alex pulled her into the hideous rectangle. ‘Look at me.’ He pointed to his eyes. ‘Look right here.’
She glared at him. Cross with his patronising attitude. ‘Look, I’m not some mad cow and you’re not some animal whisperer with a mesmerising gaze.’
‘Dani.’ He took her upper arms in his broad hands and gently shook her. ‘You’re totally a mad cow.’
‘Yeah.’ She barely registered her pathetic reply because he did have magical green eyes. They were twinkling right now and imparting some kind of secret message.
She stumbled as he let her go with an ironic murmur. ‘Look at that—we’re on the ground already.’
As they walked to his car the dark quiet night seemed to swallow them. The thick silence kept them company all the drive home.
She climbed the stairs. Her pulse stepping up a notch, and then another, then more in rapid succession until she was filled with more adrenalin than when she’d been frozen with fear in the cupboard that day.
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