‘Now there’s an admission. What else have I been doing to you?’ he asked in that gloriously sexy under-tone that skittered along her nerves, setting them at attention.
Her brows rose. ‘Now who’s fishing?’
He laughed. ‘Touché.’
Finally she lifted her eyes to his and held them, unable to resist adding achingly, ‘It’s been a long week.’
Joel’s smile faded too, and as if her words were a cue he had been waiting for he reached out for her. ‘A hell of a long week,’ he agreed with a groan, pulling her effortlessly into his arms and taking her lips in a long, deep, soul-searching kiss that she returned in equal measure and which left them breathless but temporarily satisfied when they finally broke apart. ‘God, I needed that,’ he said thickly, his breathing awry, resting his forehead against hers, and Kathryn linked her hands around his neck and sighed.
‘I don’t care if you want to know it or not, but I missed you,’ she confessed, and Joel settled his hands on her hips, holding her to him so that she could feel the effect she had on him.
‘I missed you, too,’ he said, surprising her more than a little. ‘I didn’t expect to, but somehow you got under my skin last weekend and I found myself thinking of you when I should have been concentrating on my work. My secretary was expecting me to come down with flu or something.’
That he had been acting out of character because of her pleased her so much she just had to laugh. ‘Poor darling,’ she sympathised, but her heart had swelled just a little. Hope, she discovered, could find sustenance from many different sources.
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously, though they couldn’t hide the glitter in his eyes. ‘So, it amuses you to have me dangling on the end of your string, does it?’
If only he was, she thought wistfully, but this was all part of the game, and she was determined to keep up her side of it. ‘It does give me a deliciously feminine sense of power,’ she agreed.
‘And what, exactly, do you intend to do with it?’ came the softly seductive question, sending shivers down her spine.
Kathryn’s smile was seduction itself as she toyed with his lapel. ‘Well, now…that’s for me to know and you to find out,’ she said, glancing up at him through her lashes, and he growled low in his throat.
‘Did anyone ever tell you you’re a dreadful tease?’
Her smiled broadened into a grin. ‘Hmm, often, but they didn’t seem to mind.’
The declaration had his eyes narrowing. ‘I don’t think I like the sound of these other men you’ve twisted round your little finger,’ Joel remarked darkly, at which Kathryn laughed huskily, delighted by this merest hint of jealousy.
‘It all depends on who they are. It just so happens I’m talking about my brothers, so you really don’t have to see them as a threat. I’m yours for as long as you want me,’ she added lightly, though it was God’s honest truth.
There was just the faintest hint of an odd look in his eye as he ran a finger down the bridge of her nose, as if his reaction had surprised him, too. The next second it was gone and he was smiling faintly. ‘The way I feel right now, I’ll want you for a long time.’
Knowing how he felt, it was all she could realistically hope for. ‘Sounds good to me.’
‘Your honesty is refreshing.’
Kathryn shrugged lightly. ‘I try always to tell the truth, unless it could hurt somebody. Or when I’m trying to put one over on my brothers.’
A mock wary look entered Joel’s eyes. ‘Ah, your brothers. How many of them are there, did you say?’
‘Four. And they’re all big. Built like rugby players.’ They had, in fact, all played rugby at university, and her eldest brother Nathaniel still did.
‘You’re just trying to scare me,’ Joel charged, which made her laugh.
‘Don’t say you haven’t been warned,’ she said, and his eyes widened.
‘Am I likely to meet them?’
Knowing her family, Kathryn grimaced inwardly. She wouldn’t like to bet against it. ‘Sooner than you think when they hear about you,’ she said wryly, and that about said it all.
‘Ah!’
‘Precisely.’
Joel, contrary to her expectations, or maybe not quite that contrary, laughed out loud. ‘It looks like I’m in for an interesting time.’
‘I’ll remind you you said that when you come back gnashing your teeth,’ she returned dryly, though she was secretly pleased that he didn’t seem bothered by the prospect. Most of the men she had dated had blanched at the thought.
‘I get along with most men.’
She sent him a wry look. ‘Ah, but you’re not sleeping with their sister. It’s a bit of knowledge I’d rather they found out later than sooner.’ As soon as her father found out, the fat would be in the fire.
Joel placed a finger under her chin and tipped her head up. ‘What do you think is going to happen? That they’re going to chase me away? It isn’t going to happen. Trust me.’
Her smile was unknowingly wistful. ‘I do trust you, Joel. I just happen to know my brothers better than you do.’
‘OK, I’ll grant you that, but if what you say is true then they’re my problem, not yours. Forget the Fearsome Four. Tonight I don’t want any distractions. I’m taking you to dinner, as planned, and later we’ll go somewhere quiet where I promise you your brothers will be the last thing on your mind.’
He proved to be as good as his word. They dined at a small Italian restaurant, where Joel appeared to know the owners very well. Immediately they arrived the family flocked around their table, issuing greetings in their native tongue, before returning to their various jobs.
‘You’re very popular. Does that mean you bring all your women here? It would certainly give them a lot of patronage,’ Kathryn observed ironically, once they had placed their order, taunted by a stab of jealousy.
Joel tutted reprovingly. ‘You can sheathe your claws, sweetheart. This is my private retreat from the glare of the photographers’ flashlights. Lorenzo is the son of an old family friend. I loaned him the money to set up his first restaurant. A loan he paid back in good order because he is a proud man.’
Kathryn could have kicked herself for allowing that tinge of jealousy to show through. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t feel so vulnerable. ‘I’m sorry, that was uncalled-for. No wonder you were virtually mobbed,’ she apologised gracefully, and his smile was wry.
‘Actually, sweetheart, I was mobbed because I’ve never brought a woman here before, except my mother, and the family wanted to get a good look at you. I should have expected it would cause a stir, but I wanted to take you somewhere where I could have you to myself. Lorenzo will make sure we’re not disturbed.’
Kathryn tried not to read anything into that, but it was hard not to. Bringing her to a place he usually reserved for his own privacy was completely unexpected. At the very least it suggested she was different from all the others. Not that she expected it to bring a radical change of heart on his part. She had to be sensible and keep her feet well and truly on the ground or she would only be deepening the heartache that must come at the end of their affair. If she expected nothing, then everything he gave her was a bonus. Like being here tonight.
‘Surely there were other restaurants you could have chosen?’ she felt compelled to point out, hanging on the answer.
She wasn’t disappointed. ‘Undoubtedly. But I wanted to bring you here. I thought you would appreciate it the way I do.’
‘Oh, I do. It’s wonderful. I had no idea it was here. I’m glad the crowd haven’t found it yet.’ So many places she had gone to had been spoilt by their own popularity.
‘’Renzo offers two things I find invaluable. Good food in a friendly atmosphere. No smart talk or mobile phones.’
‘Don’t you use one?’ she asked, for most businessmen found them a necessary tool of the trade.
‘I do. But when I take a woman out I leave the mobile phone at home, so she can have my undivided attention,’ Joel i
nformed her in his lazy drawl, his eyes a sapphire caress.
And his undivided attention was what she got for the rest of the evening. They could have been the only two people in the room, and the food, whilst delicious, couldn’t distract them from each other for long. It was late when they finally left. Kathryn had no idea where the time had gone. She settled into his car with a sigh of satisfaction and allowed her thoughts to drift as he set the car in motion. Happiness was a warm bubble inside her, and she felt that way simply by being with him. When the car stopped, she looked around her in surprise.
‘Where are we?’ she asked curiously. They were parked in a quiet tree-lined street of townhouses.
‘My place,’ Joel replied, releasing their seat belts. ‘I thought we could have a nightcap here before I take you home.’
She looked into his eyes, and even in the darkness she could see the fire burning way down deep inside. Desire had been an unspoken thing between them all evening. The silent companion had been quietly building up, only recognised in a look or a touch, until now it was just below the surface, ready to explode out of control. Kathryn’s stomach tightened, starting up that familiar ache inside her. She wanted him desperately.
At the same time her heart skipped, because he was giving her a choice. If she wanted to slow the pace of their relationship, he would take her home now. It was what she was coming to expect of him, but it wasn’t what she wanted, for she had waited too long already.
‘A nightcap sounds fine,’ she agreed huskily, and very briefly he reached out and ran a finger over her lips. Then he was getting out of the car and coming round to help her out. Her heart was racing as they mounted the steps to the front door. In no time at all they were inside with the world shut out.
Without a word Joel tossed his keys onto a small table, then swept her up into his arms and carried her towards the stairs.
‘I thought we were having a drink?’ Kathryn challenged as her arms slipped around his neck and her lips found the angle of his jaw.
He didn’t pause on his way to his bedroom. ‘Kathryn, sweetheart, I’m like a man dying of thirst and you’re the only thing that will keep me alive. I’ve kept my hands off you all night. Don’t ask me to wait any longer.’
The passion in his voice turned her heart over, and emotions overflowed. ‘I won’t. Drink. Take all you need.’ The spring of her love was never ending. There was more than enough for two.
Inside the bedroom, Joel lowered her to her feet and left her to switch on a lamp beside the bed. Shrugging out of his jacket, he tossed it and his tie aside before striding back to her. Kathryn went into his arms and sighed with satisfaction as his strong arms closed around her. When he bent and took her lips she met his kiss, returning it, sensing the need that he could barely control. It set her heart racing, and her fingers clutched at him, trying to pull him impossibly closer.
This was not like before. There was no slow loving, no languorous build up, for they had been apart too long and their need was too great. They gasped as each breathless kiss supplanted another, their hands dealing feverishly with clothes, discarding them in a staggered trail to the bed where, naked at last, they toppled onto the covers in a tangled mass of limbs. The feel of him against her, the unmistakable evidence of his powerful need thrusting against her belly, scattered Kathryn’s senses. She moved against him with a moan, and one muscular male thigh pushed hers apart, allowing him to slip between them and enter her with one thrust.
Kathryn’s body arched upwards in pleasure, and her legs rose, locking about his hips as she drew him deeper into her. Joel tried to slow down, she could feel the tension in his body, but the desire was too great, and with a groan he thrust into her again and again, setting up a rhythm she matched, driving them both towards the satisfaction they sought so desperately. It came with explosive force, causing them both to cry out and cling to each other as the waves of pleasure swept over them, drowning them, tossing them in the maelstrom until finally washing them up on calmer shores, where they lay unmoving as the world righted itself again.
At last Joel raised his head and looked down at her, a frown marring his brow as he brushed sweat-soaked strands of hair from her cheeks. ‘Are you OK? Did I hurt you?’ he asked, and there was genuine concern in his voice, for he had not been gentle.
Kathryn recognised his worry, but she hadn’t wanted his gentleness. Only his wildest passion could have been enough. She smiled, lifting a tender hand to cup his cheek. ‘You didn’t hurt me. You couldn’t,’ she reassured him.
‘You should have stopped me,’ he insisted, the frown getting deeper, and she smoothed it away with her fingers.
‘I didn’t want you to stop. I wanted you just the way you were.’
Reluctantly reassured, Joel rolled off her onto his back and took her with him, settling her over his heart. ‘I don’t usually lose control like that,’ he declared somewhat uneasily.
Kathryn locked that away in her heart, too. ‘I’m glad you did. I liked it.’
‘Hmm,’ he sighed, and yawned. ‘Damn, I can hardly keep my eyes open.’
‘Go to sleep,’ she urged, feeling her own eyelids growing heavy.
‘You won’t run off this time?’
She laughed softly. ‘No. I’ll be here when you wake. I promise.’ She wasn’t about to leave him. If it was up to her, she would never leave him, ever. Seconds later she heard the steady sound of his breathing and knew that he was asleep. Again, knowing that he could not possibly hear her, she pressed a soft kiss over his heart. ‘I love you,’ she murmured, just before sleep claimed her.
Hours later, Kathryn stirred, her hand automatically reaching out for the body which should have been there beside her. When her hand encountered only empty space her eyes shot open and she came up on her elbows. Blinking in the half-light of early morning, she discovered Joel sitting in a chair by the window. He must have been awake some time, for he had put on a knee-length silk robe.
Surprised, she pushed herself up against the pillows and realised that at some point he had pulled the bedspread over her. ‘What are you doing over there?’ she asked sleepily. ‘Come back to bed,’ she urged, holding out a hand to him.
‘Are you on the pill?’ he demanded tersely, causing her to gasp at his tone. There was nothing lover-like in it, and automatically she pulled the cover more closely around her protectively.
‘No,’ she said honestly, wondering what was wrong and where the conversation was leading. It wasn’t at all what she had expected after the loving they had shared.
‘Hell!’ he swore abruptly, rising to his feet and pacing across the floor, dragging a hand through his hair, a clear sign of just how distracted he was.
Kathryn swallowed nervously, picking up on his unease. ‘Joel, what’s wrong?’
He swung round, and even in the dim light she could see how grim his expression was. ‘I didn’t use any protection last night. Or before. I wanted you too damned much to think of it,’ he told her tightly, and now she did think she began to see where this was heading. She hadn’t thought of it either—because she’d been blinded by love. But obviously the last thing he needed was for her to have that sort of hold over him, if worse came to worst.
‘I see. Well, I doubt very much if anything will happen,’ she returned levelly, keeping her composure with an effort. It hurt to think how coolly he could look at their relationship. She had only seen passion. Consequences had been far from her mind. Not so him, apparently.
Joel thrust his hands into his pockets and paced back to her. ‘It could. Even now you could be pregnant,’ he countered tautly, a nerve ticking away in his jaw.
‘Of course I could be—but it’s very early in my cycle still, so the risk is small,’ she pointed out, and could have sworn she heard him grind his teeth.
‘But if you were, what would you do?’
Put on the spot, all she could do was shrug helplessly. ‘What every other woman would do, I suppose,’ she answered, and was astounded to see hi
s face shut down.
‘You’d get rid of it, then,’ he pronounced coldly, and her face registered her shock because that wasn’t what she had meant at all.
‘No!’ she denied quickly, sitting up to emphasise the point. ‘Of course I wouldn’t do that!’ Emotion tightened her throat. ‘How could you think I could do that? God, I couldn’t do that to my own child! What sort of woman do you think I am?’ she added angrily, coming to her knees and only just remembering to take the bedcover with her. Not for modesty, but because she was too angry to sit there naked.
Her protest had obviously surprised him, and he stared at her through narrowed eyes. ‘You wouldn’t be the first,’ he said tightly, and it was only then that she remembered what Agnes had told her, about his fiancée. The anger died out of her in a rush, and she swallowed hard.
‘No, I wouldn’t be the first, but I’m not like that. If I were pregnant, I’d keep my baby. I think most women would, given the choice,’ she told him with soft insistence, and after staring at her for a moment he turned and walked back to the window, pulling aside the curtain to look out. Even from behind she could see the tension in him, the battle that was going on inside him. Tell me, she urged silently. Let me in. Let me in this much, please.
Whether he heard her or not, Joel dropped the curtain and turned to face her. His expression was so bleak it brought tears to block her throat, and she bit her lip hard.
‘You probably think I’m making too much of it, but I have good reason.’ He stopped there and took a deep breath, and she knew how hard it was for him to say this. To reveal so much of himself. ‘I was engaged once, to a woman who I loved and who I thought loved me. In truth she only wanted my money. When she found out she was expecting my child, she got rid of it,’ he told her in a toneless voice, and her heart wept, for beneath it all she could sense his pain, even if he wasn’t aware of it. It had hurt then and it still did, which was why he was so troubled now.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Kathryn said gently, and he looked at her intently.
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