His Majesty's Secret Passion

by Christina Hollis

  Waiting for his touch was almost as delicious as her memories of him. “I was a fool last night, Leo.”

  “I know.” All of the fun had returned to his voice, but none of the anger.

  After another pause, she heard him move closer. She felt the change in temperature when his shadow eclipsed the sun. She held her breath, a current of anticipation running riot through her body as his presence drew nearer. When her fevered brain had almost conjured up his touch for herself, the bottle scraped as he dropped it onto the ground.

  “Come on!” She groaned, hoping he didn’t read the right meaning into her plea. Either way it was crude, but nothing like as crude as she felt. She wanted to get down and dirty with him right now, but this was the only danger-free way to get his hands in contact with her body.

  “Very well. Who am I to argue with a lady?” Leo’s voice rumbled with mock gravity. Then his hands swooped over her skin with the decisive movements of a man born to handle women. His first strokes ran straight up and down her back. He caressed the lotion into the hot skin of her shoulders using slow, circular movements.

  “You’ve done this before.”

  “Once or twice.”

  “I can tell. You’ve honed your skill.”

  He clicked his tongue. “That’s me! I’m the master of all those talents that don’t really matter.”

  “Applying suntan lotion is important. It matters very much to me.”

  “You weren’t so accepting of my touch last night.”

  His words spiked Sara’s trance with an injection of reality. “You didn’t do yourself any favours by coming on too fast, too soon.”

  “Stop acting the schoolmarm. It doesn’t suit you. And I should point out I wasn’t the one who asked for it ‘fast and hard.’”

  Sara grew hot at the memory, but Leo didn’t tease her any more. His voice was low and seductive. “I’ve worked out what was behind last night. You wanted me on your own terms, and when I refused to play to your rules, you wouldn’t compromise.”

  “It’s called business.”

  “No. When a man spends an enjoyable evening with an attractive woman then wants to take it further, it’s called romance.”

  Sara wanted to argue, but she didn’t want to interrupt Leo. With glacial slowness she turned beneath his hands. He choreographed his movements with hers, leaning forward with a smile when the next sweep of his hand promised contact with her left breast. She raised herself on one elbow and his fingertips skimmed instead over the skin of her arm. His lips parted in a wolfish grin, showing those white, even teeth. He knew exactly what he was doing—and what she was doing too. She loved his teasing, for as long as she could keep her balance between wild desire and her need to stay in control.

  “I’ve told you. I don’t toy with my employees.”

  “I’m still employed by ACS, remember? Any working relationship has to be built on trust. If you’re a rogue and likely to break your promises, I want to know.”

  He gave a lighthearted huff. “Aren’t you already convinced you know the answer to that?”

  “How can you be so sure what I think and feel?”

  “Know your enemy.” He gave her a lascivious look. “One of the first things I learned at medical school was the fastest way to a woman’s heart. It’s through her brain.”

  As he talked, his fingertips traced the curve of her inner arm. His eyes never left hers. They were mesmerizing. His touch moved ever closer to the smooth rise of her breast.

  “And you think you’re heading for my heart, do you?” As his fingertips began a delicate ascent of her breast, Sara’s pulse hammered so hard through her body she knew he must be able to feel it.

  “It’s a little left of centre.” His fingers glided in a sudden swoop over to her sternum.

  “And as nearly-a-doctor, you’re interested in that kind of detail.”

  “Absolutely fascinated.” With his fingers resting on the spot, his palm brushed her nipple. The little bud hardened into a peak and pressed against his hand.

  “It feels like you’re interested too,” he breathed, leaning forward as her lips parted. She didn’t want to speak—he was tempting her with a delicious method of silencing her.

  “Interested, but not insane, Mr. Gregoryan.” Grabbing his hand, Sara moved it away. “This is why I haven’t had a holiday in years. It melts through my good intentions and turns my brain to mush.”

  “That’s the whole idea.” He drew her into his arms and bent toward her for the kiss she couldn’t resist any longer.

  At the exact moment their lips met, their perfect solitude erupted. Krisia’s voice rang out across the pool. “Leo! Thank goodness I’ve found you! Athan’s on the phone—”

  Sara groaned as Leo’s expression glazed. He sat up. With a pang of resentment she saw his features morph back into his professional meet-and-greet face. She knew it meant nothing, but for an instant she had been entranced by being the centre of his total focus. It was haunting. She wanted to be bewitched again, right now, and Krisia was ruining it.

  “I’ll get rid of her.” Leo leapt to his feet and called across the terrace. “Tell him to ring back, Krisia. I’m...in conference.”

  Sara had a split second of indecision. She needed to make Leo smile again, but experience had taught her pleasing a man at any cost was always a bad idea. Sara wanted Leo to turn her inside out with desire, but she had to see how he reacted before running her head into that particular noose a second time. Once tied, there was no easy way out.

  “No, wait. Leave her to me.” Sara stood up, her rangy athleticism in contrast to Krisia’s generous curves. “Hi, Krisia. I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have had a go at you over your missing organizer. I was too tense. I definitely needed this holiday.” She sashayed forward, giving Leo the full benefit of her walk away. Reaching out, she cupped the girl’s shoulders to pull Krisia into a professional airkiss. The skin beneath her touch turned to goose flesh, and Sara’s smile became genuine. “Leo and I were about to indulge in a bit of skinny dipping. Why don’t you join us?” Her voice was a purr of undisguised desire.

  Krisia blanched. “No—that’s fine. I’ll go and give Athan your message, Leo...” She backed away in confusion then hurried inside.

  “That was brilliant,” Leo said. “How did you manage it without upsetting her?”

  “It was nothing,” Sara wrinkled her nose and let one of her bikini straps fall. Leo stretched out a hand to lift it back in place, but she was already moving beyond his reach and toward the lounger. “As you say she’s such a loyal employee, Krisia might have found the courage to strip off for you, though judging by her blushes I doubt it. She couldn’t face shedding her clothes in front of a total stranger like me.” She gave him an impish grin. “And now I have your undivided attention.”

  “You’ve got it, Gorgeous. And I’ll make sure Krisia never bothers us again.”

  Sara wondered what that meant. When he mentioned his PA, it had been with a curl of his lip that looked like annoyance.

  “You are still giving her that promotion though, aren’t you?”

  He replied so fast she knew he had it all worked out. “Of course. She’s the efficient bookworm my feckless playboy of a brother needs. She’ll soon whip him into line if he tries fooling about.”

  “It sounds like they’ll drive each other mad.”

  “Probably...but he could do with the challenge. Somebody who’ll stand up to him.”

  Without checking whether they were alone again, Leo swooped in and kissed Sara into oblivion.

  “Wow...you don’t mess about, do you?” She laughed, struggling to catch her breath.

  “No, but I can always be persuaded to take my time. Like this...” He sipped another kiss from her lips. This time it was a slow, thoughtful encounter. “And I’ve got something far more luxurious than simple kisses planned for you.” He drew his hands over her body.

  “So why don’t you let me in on the secret, Leo?”

  “
I’m waiting for you to dream up an objection.”.

  “Not this time. I’m too busy imagining what’s in your mind.”

  “Then you’ll raise no objection if I drag you off to my lair to enjoy you at my leisure?”

  “Try it, and see.”

  “Hmm...maybe I’ll have a little aperitif before my main course,” he mused, kissing her again. This time his hands roamed over her body in an orgy of possession. As his fingers slid down over the taut warm curves of her rump he fondled her yielding flesh until she gasped with pleasure. That was his cue to slide his hands between the silky fabric of her bikini and the warm skin of her bottom. Sara threw back her head, exposing more skin to his kisses. As he moved his lips over her neck her body melted against him. As his hunger for her grew, he nipped at the delicate skin beneath her ears with increasing abandon.

  “Do you know what I’d like to do to you?” he murmured in a voice like melted milk chocolate.

  “Tell me...tell me...”

  “I want to grab you, take you up to my suite, and make mad passionate love to you until all the stars go out.”

  Thrusting her hands into his hair she raised his head and kissed him, hard. “Don’t talk. Do it.”

  Laughing, he swept her into his arms.

  “So you’ve stopped being the independent woman who would rather walk?”

  She pressed a finger to his nose. “No. But once in a while—a very long while—it’s good to let someone else take control.”

  “You trust me to do that?”

  “You’ve never given me any reason to doubt you. So far.”

  “And I never will.” He breathed the words as he paced across the terrace and through the cool of the spa. As he leaned against the button of the lift there was time to revel again in the inspiration of a kiss.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of their reflections in the mirrored walls of the elevator as he carried her in. “How many girls have you seduced like this, Leo?”

  “Too many.”

  “Then I ought to say thank you, and good-bye.”

  “No. I want you, Sara, like I’ve never wanted any other woman, and I’m a man who’s experienced a lot of lust.”

  “That’s quite a confession.”

  She expected him to laugh off her accusation, but he didn’t. He concentrated on getting out of the lift with his precious burden, avoiding her gaze. “It needed to be made.”

  “No, it didn’t. From the moment you surfaced in front of me out in the bay, I guessed what you were like, Leo Gregoryan.”

  “Once upon a time, maybe. Not any more. Not since I met you,” he murmured.

  He took her through the reception area of his suite and into his sunlit bedroom. It dazzled with the light off the sea and was filled with the fresh fragrances of flower arrangements and discreet furnishings.

  “We must be quiet. My bodyguard sleeps in the next room”—he nodded toward a partition door—“and as we kept him up until all hours this morning, I said he could have a lie-in today.”

  “Did he follow us to the restaurant?”

  “He tails me everywhere,” Leo explained. “That deserves consideration so...” He put his finger to his lips for quiet.

  An enormous bed stood on a platform at one end of the huge bedroom. Kicking off his shoes, Leo carried Sara to it and laid her on the rich surface. She sank into the thick, feather-filled field with a sigh of expectation.

  “Seeing you stretched out like that makes me wish I’d brought the suntan lotion.”

  “You won’t need it. I’m ready to slip through your fingers as it is.”

  “I’ll have to see about that.” He towered above her, one foot on the floor, one knee on the edge of the bed. He was magnificent in his arousal, silhouetted against the bright white light of the window, and every inch the bronzed statue of a Greek god. She reached out to caress him.

  “I thought you were only interested in power play, Sara.”

  “Not when the view from giving in is so good.” Her eyes were drawn to an unmistakable outline pushing against the front of his trousers. As he slipped off his clothes, the percussion within her body became hammer blows of desire.

  He looked incredible. Sara couldn’t take her eyes off him. His naked body was lithe and flawless, with bronzed skin and exactly the right amount of dark body hair. She had admired plenty of men from a distance in her time, but Leo was right there for her. Every inch of his proud masculinity was on show. He was ready, willing, and she knew from sweet experience, perfectly able.

  He was so self-assured he took her breath away. “I want you.” He stopped. “If you want me too,” he said, his voice a low caress of reassurance.

  Sara nodded, but she couldn’t move. To do that would make her complicit in whatever happened next, so if it all went wrong it would be her fault. Why should this Leo Gregoryan be any different?

  “Because I love women, and I have nothing to prove,” he said, and she realized she must have spoken her worries out loud. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in close to the sheltering security of his body. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves, remember? The magic starts right now,” he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her. “You do something to me, Sara. You’re almost too hot to handle...” he murmured, his powerful hands cupping her face before his lips brushed hers again, testing her resolve.

  She still meant to resist, but her body outwitted her brain. As though in a dream she moved beneath him, spreading her fingers over his shoulders. Her reaction inspired him. He took full possession of her mouth, robbing her of the will to resist. The tip of his tongue nudged hers.

  She leaned into him, attracted to his irresistible force. This was the wrong time to wonder how many other women had been rendered senseless by his kisses, and manipulated by his strong, deft hands. Leo held her like some precious jewel. It was such a delicate restraint she could have broken away at any moment, but his hypnotic skill held her captive.

  He slid the straps of her bikini over her shoulders, exposing the creamy skin beyond her tan lines. His seductive smile expanded as he enjoyed the view. Dipping his head, he nipped at her, seizing her nipple between his teeth. Testing it, teasing it he explored the margins between pleasure and pain. Her breasts throbbing with excitement, Sara squirmed beneath him. She could hear her own breathing, harsh above the hiss of the air-conditioning. The hammering of her heartbeat pleaded for release.

  The moment he laid her on the bed, she wrapped her legs around his body, laying herself wide open to him. Tipping her hips brought her into intimate contact with the ridge of his masculinity as it pressed into her skin. Her excitement at the prospect of feeling him inside her, and losing control sent her mind spinning...

  She opened her eyes. Leo was focussed on her face. In that instant she knew losing control was the last thing on this man’s mind. He wanted her pleasure, and he could wait. His total domination sent rivers of fire coursing through her body. She shuddered with the power of it, and he moved like cool smoke to strip her naked. Despite the fire in his eyes he was so gentle, her body had never been so thoroughly appreciated.

  Imagine coming home to this man every night, having all the time in the world to admire him and his techniques, in bed and out of it.

  Then he drew his body over hers, giving them both the maximum sensation with the kiss of skin against skin. Holding her close, he trailed the tip of his tongue from the hollow of her throat to circle the areola of first one breast, then the other. As she reveled in the ecstasy he went on nibbling and licking all the way down her smooth, fragrant body. His hand ran along the inside of her thigh, parting her legs so he could kneel between them. The way he took pleasure in her body sent her blood running hot with expectation. The appreciation in his eyes told her he couldn’t wait to make love to her. She reached for him, delighted they were both enjoying themselves. Their mutual lust acted like an aphrodisiac, pumping up every sensation until her whole body was alight. “I’ve never felt like this before, Leo.”
r />   “Then you haven’t lived. I haven’t even started yet...”

  His hands moved over the warm planes of her hips, diving between her body and the bed to sample her willing curves. Instinctively she slid her legs around his waist, crossing her ankles to draw his body in closer contact with hers. Feeling his skin pressed against her was an excitement she could hardly bear. His growl of need told Sara her body would satisfy him. That enormous turn-on meant this was no longer about what he desired or what she wanted. It was about the two of them moving in harmony, melding their bodies in a dance of such sensual perfection, time stood still. She lost track of time as they entwined their bodies on the wide, sumptuous bed. Sex should be like this, every time. Two people pleasuring each other, with all the sensations flowing through their bodies in a closed circuit of delight.

  Sara never dreamed things could get better. Then Leo rolled onto his back and drew her up the whole length of his body. Her thighs parted in a natural welcome, but she hesitated. “This is an unusual position for a guy who likes to keep women in their place. Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said. She rubbed her pursed lips provocatively against the thrusting head of him, making him push them open. His breathing became more ragged as she made him work for his pleasure. Arching his back, he eased himself into her with a moan of sheer pleasure. His hands went to her hair, twisting her thick locks between his fingers.

  “This is going to be incredible.” He breathed the words as she lowered herself farther. Every inch of his body tensed with the effort of restraining himself. She moved, riding him toward an earth-shattering orgasm. Their bodies found a perfect rhythm. She worked her hands over the smooth, muscular planes of his chest, delighting in the feel of his smooth skin. All the time his body rose and fell beneath her, lifting her to the heights then restraining her to make the moment last, but the feelings were too good and their movements too synchronized. He thrust deeper and faster. She fell forward, her riot of hair tumbling over his face. She moved her body to keep time with his until at last in an incredible expression of mutual orgasm they both cried aloud. At that moment, the sound of a door crashing open and a man’s voice blew their intimacy wide open. She flung herself away, and faced the threat.