‘All well lost for love, and all that rubbish?’ Judith taunted.
Natalie blushed at her sister’s derision, often feeling as if she were the younger of the two. Judith certainly had more experience than she did! ‘Something like that,’ she mumbled.
‘Real life isn’t like that, Natalie,’ Judith mocked. ‘Jason has to wait until the right time, until he has everything arranged for the two of us to go to America with the minimum of fuss. Besides, I have this damned Beauty Girl contract to finish yet.’
‘You didn’t feel that way about it at the start,’ Natalie said dryly.
‘No,’ her sister shrugged. ‘But that was because I wasn’t so sure of Jason then.’
‘And you are now?’
‘Yes!’ Judith sighed her impatience. ‘For God’s sake stop nagging, Natalie. It isn’t going to change a thing, no matter what you say.’
No, she could see that. Judith had to run the course of this affair, as she had with Kenny Richards, even if she became more badly hurt than before. ‘All I ask is that you don’t tell Mum and Dad about him yet,’ she pleaded softly. ‘They wouldn’t understand.’
‘They have to know some time—’
‘But not yet,’ she said firmly. ‘Please, Judith.’
For a moment her sister looked rebellious, then she capitulated. ‘All right,’ she agreed moodily. ‘I feel like being spoilt this weekend anyway.’
And they both knew she wouldn’t be if their parents were told, that they would be bewildered and hurt, and that they wouldn’t understand.
As Natalie didn’t! She might have experienced a few moments of mindless pleasure in Adam Thornton’s arms, but she still had no idea how Judith could feel so strongly about a man that she thought him worth destroying her whole life for, especially as that man was Jason Dillman.
Judith’s visit had been two days ago, and it was Thursday now, and she still hadn’t heard from Adam Thornton about her meeting with his sister. She had considered telephoning him, but finally convinced herself that in the circumstances no news was good news.
She had a dread of Tracy Dillman liking her no better than she did the Princess. Because if she didn’t this whole thing was going to cave in about her ears.
When the doorbell rang on Thursday evening, interrupting the reading of her paperback, she felt only trepidation as to who was on the other side of the door. She didn’t want to see either Judith or Lester, and she knew it couldn’t be anyone else.
Her eyes widened when she opened the door to Adam Thornton, an Adam Thornton she barely recognised, the black denims fitting tautly across his thighs and legs, the black silk shirt fitted to the powerful breadth of his chest, his hands thrust into the pockets of a tan leather bomber jacket.
The blue eyes were mocking as her startled gaze clashed with his. ‘May I come in?’ he drawled.
‘Of course,’ Natalie answered confidently, conscious of his gaze burning into her back as she led the way into the lounge, looking around the room anxiously, relieved to see that it was as neat and tidy as usual, bright and welcoming too. She had nothing to be ashamed of about her home, although she felt sure this man usually surrounded himself with more luxury than she could afford.
She did, however, wish she could have been more smartly dressed herself; her denims were old and faded, very tight-fitting, the masculine red and black checked shirt tucked in neatly at her waist, dramatically unbuttoned to the curve of her breasts. It was the latter she was selfconscious of, her naked breasts firm and uptilting against the cotton material, obviously so. But she hadn’t been expecting company tonight, so she had dressed for comfort and not style; her face was bare of make-up too.
Adam Thornton seemed to find nothing wrong with her appearance, in fact his gaze was warm as he slowly looked her over from her head to her bare feet.
Natalie moved the latter selfconsciously, feeling about ten years old. ‘Has anything happened?’ she frowned.
‘Not that I know of,’ he dismissed casually. ‘May I sit down?’
‘I’m sorry—’ She touched her lips with the tip of her tongue, turning away as she saw those intense blue eyes following the movement. ‘I’m being a very bad hostess,’ she said in a flustered voice. ‘Please sit down. Can I get you a drink?’
‘Whisky?’ Adam lowered his lean length into an armchair, stretching his long legs out in front of him, looking perfectly relaxed, an impression that was belied by the aura of leashed power that surrounded him.
‘Of course,’ she nodded. ‘Ice, water, a mixer?’
‘Straight.’
Of course! She could only drink the strong alcohol when it had been liberally mixed with lemonade, but this man would drink his whisky neat, and he wouldn’t even flinch as the fiery liquid passed down his throat.
Natalie’s thoughts were chaotic as she moved about her kitchen pouring his whisky, and a Martini and lemonade for herself—she might need it! Why was Adam Thornton here? What was he going to say to her?
He was still relaxed in the chair when she rejoined him, taking his drink, his fingers brushing against hers, his brows instantly raised as she hastily moved away.
Natalie sat opposite him, her legs curled up beneath her in the chair, her bare feet hidden from his narrow-eyed gaze. It was strangely silent—and electric, sitting here in the intimacy of her flat with this man, knowing he had been the one man to break through her coolness, to light a fire within her. She was terrified of that fire, frightened that if he touched her again she would go up in flames. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, not when he was also her enemy.
‘Do I make you nervous, Natalie?’ he softly interrupted her tortuous thoughts.
She blinked rapidly. ‘Why should you think that?’
He shrugged. ‘Just an impression I have.’
‘The right impression,’ she admitted softly. ‘Do I have to remind you that you threatened me the last time we spoke?’
‘Not threatened, Natalie,’ he denied. ‘I had the leverage to obtain your help for my sister, so I used that leverage. But your agency will benefit too.’
‘Yes,’ she acknowledged huskily.
‘I came here tonight to tell you what arrangements I’ve made.’
She was suddenly wary. ‘Yes?’
‘Yes,’ his mouth quirked as he picked up her mood. ‘You’re invited to dinner on Saturday—at my apartment.’
Natalie stiffened, her eyes wide. ‘I couldn’t—’
‘Jason and Tracy have been invited too,’ he added mockingly, sipping his whisky.
‘Oh.’ So that was the reason Jason was going to be ‘busy’ this weekend!
‘Disappointed?’ Adam taunted.
‘No, of course not,’ but to her chagrin she blushed, something she seemed to do all the time about this man, something she didn’t usually do at any time.
Blue eyes seemed to see into the depths of her very soul, darkening in colour at her confusion. Adam moved slowly to his feet, putting his glass down on the table, moving to stand in front of her, his legs braced apart as he put out a hand to pull her to her feet. ‘I am,’ he murmured, inches taller than her now that she was in her bare feet, ‘very disappointed.’
‘Adam…!’
‘Natalie,’ he taunted, his hands firm on her spine as he pulled her into him, the heat from his body engulfing her. ‘Do you have any idea how damned beautiful you are?’ he rasped.
‘Adam!’ she gasped again at his aggressive tone.
‘Too damned beautiful for my peace of mind!’ he bit out, his head bending as his mouth laid claim to hers.
The embers of desire ignited to a flame, and with a soft groan of capitulation her arms went up about his neck, straining against him as she met the passion of his mouth. His hands ran urgently over her body, arousing where they touched, fingers exploring the hollows of her throat, daring the open neckline of her shirt, moving beneath the material to capture one aching breast, caressing the sensitive nipple with unerring accuracy.
H
er sigh of pleasure was lost against his lips, allowing her to show her desire for him as his thighs surged throbbingly against hers, causing pleasure and pain at one and the same time.
The buttons of her shirt were deftly dealt with, the over-large article of clothing caressing her heated flesh as it was slowly pushed from her body, then Adam captured her breasts with surprisingly gentle hands, touching the sensitive tips with caresses that made Natalie feel weak with longing.
It was only two steps to the sofa, and the material felt cool against her bare back as Adam bore her back against the cushions, his dark head bent to her breasts in reverent adoration.
Natalie’s head went back at the first touch of his moist tongue on the hardened nipples, warm pleasure invading her body as he sucked the sensitive tip into his mouth, pleasuring with his lips, teeth, and tongue, to cause a frenzy of emotions to hurtle through to the very tips of her toes.
His jacket was discarded now, his shirt quickly following, his skin moist and salty as she rained fevered kisses over his naked torso, feeling the ripple of muscle in his back as her hands clung to him there.
She felt no embarrassment, only pleasure, as her denims and panties were expertly removed, leaving her naked beneath him, the warm throb of his body crushing her into the sofa as he lay on top of her, the heat of his lips against her moist flesh sending rivulets of pleasure down her spine.
‘Adam!’ she gasped as her passion rose. ‘Adam! Oh God…!’ She felt lost, totally in Adam’s control, having no will of her own—and not wanting one. She desperately needed to know what was at the end of this wild spiral of desire, to know the full sensation of Adam’s pleasuring.
‘It’s all right, darling,’ he soothed, kissing the moist fullness of her mouth, easing the tension she felt, gently reducing her passion until she lay quivering in his arms, the bewilderment in her eyes silently reproaching him. ‘Now isn’t the time for us, Natalie.’ He gently caressed the side of her face, smoothing the damp hair back from her forehead, kissing her brow, cradling her against him as they lay side by side on the sofa, his other hand curved about her hip as he held her to him.
Her breathing was ragged as she felt passion ebb, although the sensuous feel of his naked chest beneath her cheek held desire on the very edge of cascading into a vortex of mindless pleasure.
‘That’s it, darling,’ he said throatily, his hands shaking slightly. ‘Cling on to me. You understand why I had to stop when I did?’ His dark blue gaze burnt into hers as he looked down at her flushed face.
Her hand rested lightly on his chest, the world slowly swinging back on its axis, her confusion all the deeper as she became aware of her nakedness. How could he stop, how could any man stop, when he had already been so deeply committed to making love to her, when she lay here naked against him?
‘Don’t look at me like that, Natalie,’ he groaned. ‘It isn’t easy for me either.’
‘Then why—’
‘Because when I make love to you I want to give you all my attention, show you all the consideration a beautiful woman like you should have. If I start an affair with you now I’ll forget about everything else, including the mess my sister has made of her life.’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t let it go on for her like this any longer. You do understand, Natalie?’
She was trying to, holding back her disappointment with effort. ‘I—I—’ she buried her face against his chest, clinging to him. ‘No, I don’t understand, Adam. I don’t understand!’ She pummelled her fists against him, hating him with each new blow.
‘Natalie, don’t! Please! Darling…’ He held her hands pinned at her sides, claiming her mouth with a groan, silencing her with a savagery that took her breath away. When he at last raised his head they were both breathing heavily. ‘God, when I’m with you like this I forget everything but possessing you, knowing every silken inch of your body,’ he moaned.
‘You already know it,’ she teased throatily, having shared intimacies with this man that set her senses reeling.
His mouth quirked into a smile, the harsh man she had first met a week ago no longer in evidence, and she doubted he ever would be again for her. ‘I do, don’t I?’ he agreed ruefully, sobering as he pinned her beneath him. ‘Will you wait, Natalie?’ he requested huskily. ‘Until we have this affair with Judith and Jason out of the way?’
‘To begin an affair of our own?’ Her eyes glowed up at him, her legs entwined with his, the denim feeling rough against her bare skin.
‘Will you?’
‘Yes,’ she nodded, knowing she could deny this man nothing. She didn’t understand why Adam Thornton should be the man of her dreams, a man who evoked such a lack of inhibition within her. But he was, and she didn’t intend fighting the attraction they had for each other. She wanted to live this, to flow with the desire, even welcomed the pain she knew would come in the end. Adam’s suggestion of an affair had made it patently clear that he was no more in love with her than she was with him. It was an inexplicable desire, and she wanted it.
‘Beautiful lady!’ His arms tightened about her.
‘Actually, I’m rather a cold lady at the moment,’ she said in a quiet voice.
‘Darling!’ He laughed down at her, the warmth of his eyes totally banishing the frost Natalie had come to expect from him. ‘I knew you were going to intrude into my life the first time I saw you.’ He helped her put on the checked shirt, pulling her back down on to his chest as they talked.
‘Why?’ she snuggled against him.
‘You were a complete surprise. I had no idea that the Natalie Faulkner I had to see looked anything like you,’ he mused.
‘Oh yes?’
‘Fishing for compliments?’
‘And if I am?’ she quirked a mocking brow at him.
‘You deserve them,’ his hand caressed her thigh. ‘You knocked me off balance the moment I saw you.’
‘You did the same to me, but for a different reason,’ she said tongue-in-cheek.
‘Oh yes?’ he taunted.
‘You were arrogant, rude, and—’
‘Don’t!’ Adam groaned in mock pain. ‘You weren’t what I was expecting. I had it in mind to read the riot act to some hard-headed witch of a woman, and instead you walked in, soft, feminine—and totally beddable,’ he added with a taunting smile.
‘Adam!’ She gave him a playful thump on the chest.
‘But you are—too much so.’ He swung his legs to the floor, his expression grim. ‘Once we’ve sorted out Jason and Judith we can concentrate on us.’
Natalie grimaced her horror, and came up on her knees next to him, her arms about his throat, the shirt reaching down to her thighs. ‘Judith has another six months of her contract left with you!’
‘I’m not waiting that long,’ he told her firmly. ‘Tracy will know the truth long before that.’
‘You hope,’ she added woefully.
‘She will,’ Adam pulled her forwards across his chest. ‘I’ve never waited six months for any woman, and I’m not going to start with you.’
Natalie returned his kiss as he parted her lips, her arms clinging about his neck, only allowing herself to think of Adam’s other women as he stood up to pull on his shirt. Adam was in his late thirties, had never been married, of course he had had other women, probably hundreds of them.
‘What are you thinking?’
She looked up to find Adam frowning down at her. ‘Nothing of importance,’ she told him brightly.
‘Natalie!’ His tone was warning.
Her smile faltered and fell, her emotions open to this man who had stripped her of all the polished veneer it had taken her years to acquire. ‘Are you very experienced?’ she asked quietly.
He frowned, pausing in the action of pushing the bottom of his shirt into the black denims. ‘Yes,’ he bit out, turning away as he completed his task. ‘Are you?’
‘I—Well—’ She was taken aback at the question. How could she admit to being a twenty-five-year-old virgin? No one was a tw
enty-five-year-old virgin! ‘Not as much as you,’ she evaded lightly. ‘Maybe you could give me a few lessons?’ she added teasingly, her bare legs long and shapely as she looked up at him impishly from her position on the sofa.
‘Were you spanked as a child?’ he mused.
She smiled, knowing his anger had gone. ‘Not very often.’
‘Then maybe you should have been.’ He sat down beside her, his arm about her shoulders as he pulled her into him. ‘Maybe I could administer a later reprimand,’ he teased throatily against her temple.
‘What did I do?’ Natalie looked up at him innocently.
‘You sat here looking like a little girl and boasted of your experience with other men,’ he said with mock severity.
Her experience with other men! Adam was in for a shock when their affair did start!
‘What are you thinking behind those mysterious eyes now?’ he chided softly, watching the emotions flickering across her beautiful face, a glow surrounding her after their lovemaking.
She looked up at him beneath lowered lashes. ‘I don’t intend telling you all my secrets.’
‘I’m going to know them all, Natalie,’ Adam threatened lightly, pinching her chin just enough to cause a warning pain. ‘In time,’ he kissed her lingeringly on the mouth. ‘You’ll come to dinner on Saturday?’ His dark gaze searched the beauty of her face.
She hid her disappointment that he didn’t ask to see her tomorrow, nodding slowly. ‘I do hope your sister likes me,’ she frowned.
‘She will,’ he said with confidence, standing up to pull on his jacket. ‘I’ll have Jamieson pick you up. My chauffeur,’ he explained at her puzzled frown.
‘Oh, but couldn’t you—’
‘I’ll be the host, Natalie,’ he reminded her softly.
‘Of course,’ she flushed. ‘Jamieson will be fine.’
‘No, he won’t.’ Adam pulled her to her feet. ‘But I’ll make up for it once you get to my apartment.’ He curved her against him, kissing her deeply, sighing his frustration as he leant his forehead on hers. ‘I’ll more than make up for it.’ He put her firmly away from him. ‘Jamieson will call for you at seven-fifteen.’
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