by Kim Lawrence
Theo looked utterly unconcerned by the possibility. ‘They will think, I imagine, that I felt the need to be alone with you.’
Beth blinked in confusion. ‘Why would you need to be alone with me?’
He raised a brow and looked amused. ‘Why do men normally wish to be alone with a beautiful woman?’ There was a dark glitter in his heavy-lidded eyes as they came to rest on her lips that made Beth’s stomach muscles quiver.
The penny dropped and Beth’s face was suffused in an instant rosy blush. ‘You’re disgusting!’ she choked, turning back to her handbag as though it was a safety blanket. Concentrating on the task in hand, she waited for the quivering in her belly to still.
‘And you, Elizabeth, were trying to change the subject.’
His voice, deep and smooth as bitter chocolate, was far too close. Beth stopped trying to shovel the contents of her bag back in—strangely, they no longer fitted—and, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes, snarled, ‘That is the subject.’
‘No, you leaving the table looking like a startled rabbit is the subject. What happened to throw you into a total panic? I will know!’ he told her sternly.
Their eyes clashed and, as she studied his face, she saw the relentless determination in those powerfully carved lines and she felt her resolve crumble.
She believed him.
Theo did not say things for effect; he did not bluff. He was a man who would always follow through with a threat or a promise.
Beth exhaled and threw up her hands in an attitude of weary defeat. ‘All right, you want to know—fine.’
Theo narrowed his eyes and prompted, ‘Well?’
‘If you must know, Andreas…he…I thought it was the table leg and then…he stroked my leg with his foot.’
Theo’s hands clenched at his sides, but his voice was bland as he said, ‘My brother played footsie with you at the table?’ Andreas was nothing if not predictable.
Beth nodded.
‘And you ran away?’
‘What did you expect me to do—play footsie back?’ she demanded indigantly.
‘Well, wasn’t that the idea? Haven’t you been wanting him to make a move on you for three years?’
And when it came she had not felt the way she had imagined. ‘But he’s engaged.’ That had to be why she hadn’t felt excited but actually dismayed.
‘Temporarily.’
‘And she was sitting there and you were sitting there and…it would be like…’ Her voice lowered to a whisper as she added guiltily, ‘Cheating.’
‘I hate to tell you this, but we are not actually an item so you would not technically be cheating.’
‘Andreas doesn’t know that.’
‘You are not being rational.’
Beth glared at him, opened her mouth to deny the claim and discovered she couldn’t. There was nothing that even approached rational in the jumble of emotions spinning around in her head. With a grunt of frustration, she turned away but, before she could thrust her hands into the drier again, Theo captured them and spun her back to him.
She tugged angrily but he held her fast, his brown fingers curled around her wrists. She raised her angry eyes to his face and after a few moments stopped struggling.
‘That thing,’ he observed, slinging a censorious glance at the offending item, ‘makes more noise than a jet landing and your hands are dry.’ To prove the point he turned them over, his thumbs running slowly across her palms.
A strange inertia washed over Beth as she watched him trace a slow arabesque over her skin, the light contact sending needles of sensation scudding along her nerve endings.
She shivered as she experienced the weirdest impulse to lean into him.
Theo released her and, placing a finger under her chin, tilted her face up to him.
‘I never expected it to actually work,’ she admitted in response to the question in his eyes. ‘But I suppose you’re right. He does want what you have, or,’ she added hastily, ‘what he thinks you have. I didn’t think that Andreas was like that.’
‘My brother changes his women as frequently as he changes his socks.’
‘I know, but he wasn’t engaged before.’
‘You have discovered your idol has feet of clay. So you no longer love him because he does not live up to your high standards?’
‘Of course I love him.’ Hearing the uncertainty in her own voice, Beth added, more firmly, ‘Of course I do.’
‘Then you should be happy that things are going so well.’
The shrewd expression in his eyes as he studied her face made Beth feel uncomfortable. Her lips twisted into a grimace. ‘You make it sound so cold-blooded and…I don’t want to trap Andreas.’
His lips curled. ‘It’s what women have been doing for centuries.’
Her angry eyes were spitting sparks as they flew to his lean face. ‘If I was as cynical as you I’d—’
Theo cut across her. ‘It’s not going to happen.’ His eyes narrowed as he studied her angry face. She was a peculiar combination of spiky aggression and impractical starryeyed idealism.
‘You have made Andreas a white knight in your dreams. He is not—no man is. The question is, do you want a man or a fantasy?’
She made a negative motion with her head, the action causing her silky hair to whip wildly about her face.
Theo caught her chin in his hand and studied her soft features. An abstracted expression drifted across his face as he lifted his hand to brush a shiny strand of hair from her cheek.
The glow in his eyes was hypnotic. Beth’s chest tightened as the emotions locked inside swelled. She was close enough to him to feel the warmth of his body. This close, the aura of raw masculinity he projected was strong enough to make her dizzy. She exhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes momentarily as she fought for composure, as her nostrils quivered in response to the slightly citrus scent of the fragrance he used, overlaid with musky warm male.
She had been in love with Andreas for three years and during that time she had frequently worked in close physical proximity with him. And, even though Andreas was quite a tactile person, it had never been a problem for her. Sex, or the lack of it, had never got in the way.
Theo was someone she didn’t even like, let alone love, and yet bizarrely she had never been aware of Andreas as a man, not this way. She couldn’t even concentrate in the same room as Theo.
He felt the shiver run through her body as his finger grazed her cheek. Their glances locked, stormy green on predatory black.
‘I’m not on trial here.’ Beth had to force the words past the ache in her throat.
Theo felt the moment the heat generated by their mutual antipathy morphed into something else, different but still hot.
Beth was the first to look away. ‘It’s warm in here.’
Now this, he thought, breathing through the primal urge to crush her mouth under his, was not something that he had calculated for, but it should not be a problem. A little genuine chemistry might even help the cause as long as he did not lose focus…but focus had never been a problem for him.
Theo straightened and was about to move away—focus, on this occasion, might work better with some breathing space—when a slight movement in the periphery of his vision alerted him to the fact they were not alone.
His nostrils flared as he caught a whiff of the heavy exotic perfume that Ariana, not a big believer in the maxim less is more, doused herself with.
Changing direction, he stepped into Beth and spanned her waist with his big hands.
Beth’s head came up with a snap, her eyes widening in shock. ‘What do you—?’ Her voice trailed away, the expression of dark intent etched into the strong lines of his lean face freezing her to the spot.
He picked her up and sat her on the marble counter.
‘I want you.’
The raw statement drove every coherent thought from her head. She shook her head, aware of the thunderous roar in her ears and the bright lights dancing before her eyes
. She felt dizzy and breathless with anticipation.
She stilled, not breathing, as Theo lowered his head and she thought, He’s going to kiss me…again. I want him to kiss me again!
Beth’s eyes widened at the shocking realisation and then closed tight as he fitted his mouth to hers. She rose in his arms, her legs shifting to either side of his rock-hard thighs as she pressed her body to his, winding her arms around his neck as she opened her mouth willingly to the carnal invasion of his tongue.
Each successive stabbing incursion into the warm interior of his mouth made the muscles low in her pelvis tighten and twist—she wanted the feeling of both pleasure and pain to go on for ever; she wanted this kiss to go on for ever.
She was in his arms, soft and pliant, making little choking sounds in her throat that drove him crazy when the sexual tension that Theo had felt between them all day suddenly exploded, his mind went blank and he forgot why he was kissing her—he was just kissing her because it felt good and it felt right.
Beth twisted in his arms and felt his hands slide down the curve of her spine.
She moaned as he nipped at the soft flesh of her full swollen lips, catching the sensitive flesh in his teeth and tugging softly. She felt his hand curve over her breast and she breathed, ‘Yes,’ against his mouth and kissed him back—hard.
The carnal hunger coursing like fire through her veins leapt higher as she pressed her hands to the hard muscled ridges of his flat belly. He sucked in a breath and groaned, the cry wrenched from deep in his chest.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt.’
Beth opened her eyes, trying to drag herself clear of the sensual thrall that still fogged her senses.
She blinked as she saw Ariana standing in the doorway. The woman gave a hard little smile and turned, letting the heavy door swing closed behind her.
His eyes on the now empty doorway, Theo gave a nod of satisfaction. ‘I think she saw enough.’
‘You knew she was there.’ She stopped and wished the stupid question unsaid; it had hardly been a spontaneous expression of uncontrollable lust, it had all been a show for the other woman’s benefit.
She wanted to cry, but pride stopped her.
His dark eyes were intent on her face as he asked, ‘Didn’t you?’
‘Not at first; I thought you’d just lost your mind,’ she told him, adopting an attitude of fake candour—and he thought she couldn’t lie! ‘But she wears a very distinctive perfume.’
It hung in the air now like an exotic cloud. Beth couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it. She had been too busy noticing other things. In an agony of mortified shame, she watched him tuck his shirt back into his trousers.
She had definitely not been a passive partner in that kiss; the heat that had been generated still lay coiled low in her pelvis.
‘I prefer yours; it is more subtle.’ The light flowery scent was still in his nostrils. His eyes slid to her mouth and the knot of frustration in his belly made its painful presence known.
He had reacted instinctively when he saw Ariana, but he had very quickly lost sight of the purely practical purpose.
‘I don’t wear perf—’ She stiffened as he placed his hands around her waist.
‘Relax,’ he recommended, flashing a grin before he lifted her down from the counter. He did not immediately release her. Instead, he stood, his body curved over her, his hands still spanning her waist.
Her physical reaction to this man was terrifying. So much for not being a fan of the dark brooding type!
‘You’ll crease my dress.’
Their eyes met and for a split second she thought Theo was going to ignore her, then he inclined his head and released her.
An awful thought occurred to Beth. ‘What if she…tells anyone what she saw?’
‘I’m relying on it; I have total faith in Ariana’s instinct to dish the dirt.’ Ariana’s voice drifted through Theo’s head, spiteful and vindictive. Beth had no defences against a woman like that.
Or against a man like me?
He tightened his jaw and closed down the conscience-pricking inner dialogue.
Beth grimaced in distaste and moaned, ‘I feel sick.’
‘You are ill?’
She flashed him a look of intense irritation. ‘No, I’m not ill.’ But possibly insane; nothing else explained what she had just done. If Ariana had not spoken, bringing her back to earth, what would have happened?
Beth shook her head, unable to complete the thought.
‘Then what is wrong?’
Beth glared up at him. ‘Beyond the fact I feel cheap and soiled after being mauled by you?’ The moment the words left her lips, she knew that bringing up the subject had not been a good move.
One corner of his fascinating mouth twisted into a mocking half smile, though it was not mockery that put the heat in his stare.
‘You did your fair share of mauling.’ He thought of her small cool hands moving over his skin and cleared his throat before tucking his already tucked shirt back into his trousers again.
The mortified colour rushed to her cheeks, her eyes locking of their own accord onto his mouth.
She tried not to remember the taste of him, the warm texture, the…Beth inhaled and pushed away the intrusive memories, wrapping her arms around herself to disguise the fact she was shaking.
It was hard to occupy the moral high ground when you’d just acted like a sex-starved bimbo, she thought, watching him casually straighten his tie, unable to believe that he could kiss like that and then act as though nothing had happened.
‘You know I felt sorry for Ariana at dinner.’
Theo looked at her in utter disbelief. ‘You don’t have the survival skills of a lemming; you’ll leap to your doom thinking the best of the world.’
Beth blinked at this blast of searing anger—where had that come from?
Taking a deep breath, she struggled to kick-start her frozen brain. His anger was baffling, his mouth was utterly distracting; the sensually sculpted outline acted as an irresistible lure.
‘Do you want Andreas to marry a cold, manipulative bitch?’
Beth gave a contemptuous sniff. ‘I’m sure you could teach her a thing or two about being cold and manipulative.’ She thought about the searing heat of his kiss and added in a shaking voice, ‘You can’t have her so you don’t want your brother to have her.’
His jaw tightened in anger, but Theo shrugged and let the accusation stand. She clearly found it easier to assign base motives to his actions, and her liking him was not essential to the success of this scheme.
And kissing her was not essential either but it had been pleasurable, as his body was still reminding him. The physical and sexual had always been something that he was able to control.
Theo held open the door for her to pass through, but Beth hesitated.
‘What’s wrong now?’ he asked, sounding like a man very near the limit of his patience.
‘If you must know, the idea of walking back in there with people thinking what they’re thinking…’ She gave an expressive shudder.
His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. ‘And what would that be?’
She flashed him a look of dislike. ‘That I’m the sort of girl who—’ She stopped and bit her lip.
Theo laughed. ‘If by “people” you mean Andreas, don’t worry; that’s the sort of girl he likes.’
‘And what sort of girl do you like? My God!’ she groaned. ‘I said that out loud, didn’t I?’
The dismayed addition thawed some of the tension in the atmosphere as Theo grinned. The unexpected warmth in his expression made her stare. Once she started, it was hard to stop—there was something about his dark fallen angel face that made it compulsive viewing.
‘I like variety, Elizabeth.’
‘You mean you’re not fussy. Personally, I prefer quality to quantity.’ Quite pleased she’d given the impression she was not only discriminating but something of an expert on the subject, Beth wrinkled her nose and gave a d
isdainful sniff.
‘While I find details of your sex life fascinating—’ despite the mockery in his tone, he recognised there was an underlying truth in his comment ‘—I think we should join the party before they send out another search party.’ Or I kiss you again.
‘Fine by me,’ Beth snapped, hurrying to keep pace with his long-legged stride, her progress hampered by the long skirt of her dress and the unaccustomed height of her heels.
Theo paused and waited, hands folded across his chest for her to catch up. ‘Don’t dawdle.’
‘You try hurrying in a dress that has built-in wind resistance.’
His lips twitched. ‘I’ll pass.’
‘And heels,’ she continued to grumble, extending one leg and pointing to her toes to demonstrate her point. ‘And, in case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have legs that go all the way up to my ears!’
But they were very nice legs—actually, better than nice—and, from what he’d seen, perfectly in proportion with the rest of her diminutive frame.
Theo’s glance moved from her slender ankle and up over her equally shapely calf. In his head, he saw his fingers pushing aside the black fabric and sliding underneath higher and higher until he reached the damp heat of…He stopped and lifted his gaze abruptly.
This was what happened when a man neglected a healthy libido; it was definitely time to find a replacement for Camilla.
‘You want me to say you have great legs? Fine, I will. You have great legs,’ he said, sounding bored.
‘The day I need your approval is the day I have myself sectioned.’ Head held high, skirt in hand, she stalked past him, inadvertently providing him with an excellent view of her rear.
Stopping short of re-entering the dining room, Beth stopped. ‘We can’t go back in together.’
‘Let me guess.’ Theo rolled his eyes. ‘What will people think?’
Chapter Ten
DESPITE his mockery, Theo had agreed without much of an argument to leave a decent interval before he returned to the table.
He didn’t seem to understand her embarrassment but then why would a man who had the sensitivity of a rhinoceros appreciate her discomfiture?
To Beth’s relief, there were no sly comments made about their prolonged absence from the table. Theo dropped the attentive lover routine, which was a massive relief. In fact he ignored her so completely that she got the impression that people thought they’d had a row.