He continued to murmur her name and smooth her hair against her nape until he felt her tension easing. ‘No one is going to force you to stay against your will. Whenever you want to leave I will take you.’
She lifted her face to his, and when he saw tears in her lovely blue eyes he could not help himself. All his good intentions failed. This was a wounded woman and he wanted to make her better. His hand slid round to cup her chin and at the same time his mouth came down on hers.
What started as a gentle, reassuring kiss soon turned into something else. Into something fast and furious. Her lips parted on a sigh that suggested secret desire, and when he deepened the kiss, when he felt her response, when she kissed him back, he knew he could not resist.
Together they went upstairs, their mouths still clinging, and in his room he began to slowly undress her. In actual fact he would have liked to rip her clothes off and make love to her straight away, but he knew that to do so might make her fearful of him. And he did not want that. She had been fearful of her father. Once in a lifetime was enough to fear a person. He needed to be gentle.
As each inch of flesh was exposed he feathered it with kisses—and listened to her quiet moans of ecstasy. She tasted good, and her perfume made him even headier with desire. He would never have dreamed that his once prim PA could be so sensual, so sexy, so alluring.
Kara was aware of nothing except the fact that Blake’s kisses, his touch, his energy, totally consumed her. They made love slowly and beautifully, over and over again. They did not surface, did not even stop to eat; food was the last thing on their minds. She had entered a world where nothing else mattered except the senses.
The touch of Blake’s hands on her body. The excitement when he found that some parts of her were more responsive than others. The taste of his skin when she kissed him, when her lips dared to explore places that she had never let herself even think about before. The clean male smell when his body was so close to hers that they became one. The sight of him when he had just made love to her—his face both soft and raw at the same time, so different from the normally controlled man who had always scared her to death. And the sounds they both made when they were no longer in command of their bodies—grunts and groans, cries and shouts.
She knew that she would re-enter the real world soon, but she did not want to think about that. She was enjoying this new-found sexual liberation too much. She did not want it ever to end.
Even when Kara awoke the next morning she was still locked in her time bomb of happiness. She had learned so much from Blake. She had even instigated their lovemaking on one occasion. Her blood ran hot at the memory. What must he have thought?
‘Kara?’
She suddenly realised that his eyes were open and he was watching her.
‘Are you all right?’
‘I—I feel—’ Embarrassed was what she wanted to say, but the words would not come. How could she have behaved so wantonly? What had happened to her?
Blake finished the sentence for her, as he had on a previous occasion when she’d been stuck for words. ‘Like a real woman? As though you’ve been on a voyage of discovery and found what you’ve been missing all these years?’
‘I feel—different,’ she confessed, her voice nothing more that a whisper.
He smiled. ‘In a good way, I hope. You were magnificent.’
Magnificent! Oh, wow! Kara Redman, magnificent! They were words she had never expected to hear.
‘And I don’t know about you, Kara, but I’m hungry.’
Hungry? How could he think of food at a time like this?
‘I’m going to jump in the shower. Care to join me?’ And, before she could respond, ‘Perhaps not. Or we’ll never get any breakfast.’
He left the room without waiting for her answer and Kara pulled the sheets over her head. She had only to think of Blake’s hands on her, stroking and teasing, his mouth nibbling and tasting, to feel swift arousal between her thighs and an almost insatiable urge to run after him.
It was crazy, it was totally insane, but she could not help herself, and she was still lying in the same position when Blake returned. He pulled the sheet aside and stood looking down at her. ‘What are you doing, curled up under there?’
He looked magnificent, and completely unperturbed that he was as naked as the day he was born. Her eyes refused to move away from the muscled hardness of his chest, the damp curls of dark hair that arrowed down to narrow hips and—When she realised where her eyes were going Kara sat up with a stifled curse.
‘I was waiting to use the bathroom.’ And before she could give herself away she fled.
By the time she returned Blake was dressed in a white polo shirt and dark chinos, but his eyes were hungry as he looked at her wearing one of his cotton robes, tightly belted around her waist. She half expected him to make love to her again. But he didn’t.
‘I took the liberty of ordering a few clothes for you,’ he said instead. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I guessed you hadn’t brought enough with you for a few extra days. Take a look in the wardrobe.’
Kara’s mouth fell open when she saw dresses and skirts, tops and shorts—everything she could possibly need. ‘You’ve bought these for me?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’ She was totally overwhelmed.
‘You don’t have to say anything, Kara.’ All he wanted was to keep her here for as long as possible. She had turned into the most amazing lover. Ever since he had seen her transformation she had tortured his soul, but he had feared after last night that she might accuse him of simply bringing her here with the sole intention of seducing her.
But, no, she had been willing. At every opportunity he had given her the option to call a halt but she hadn’t. Considering that she had never been with a man before, she responded to him with a passion that was both amazing and surprising. And definitely exciting. She had even pleasured him in a way that could only come from instincts as old as the age of man.
Two days with Kara would never be enough. He did not want full commitment; that was not what he was after. Not after what his ex-wife had done to him. As far as he was concerned there was no way of telling whether all women were the same, so it was far better not to let his heart get involved.
Besides, Kara would never bind herself to any man; she too had been badly hurt. But there was no reason why they could not indulge in an affair—maybe even a long-term one. She had shown that she was capable of enjoying intimate pleasures. Oh, yes, she had shown him in a very big way. A surprisingly big way! He had unleashed a tigress.
‘I’ll see you downstairs,’ he said quietly. ‘Otherwise I might be tempted to make love to you again.’
Kara felt colour flood her cheeks—especially when she saw the raw need in his eyes, which at one time would have scared her to death. Now it simply incited.
Once he had gone she dressed swiftly in a lilac cotton top and a lilac and white floral skirt—both of which fitted her perfectly. She marvelled that Blake had known her size. She brushed her hair and left it loose, and then hurried downstairs.
‘You look beautiful,’ were his first words. ‘That colour matches your eyes. Did you know they are sometimes more violet than blue? Especially when we’re making love,’ he added with a knowing smile.
A swift tremor ran through Kara. She’d had no idea that her eyes were so expressive.
‘And you should always wear your hair like that.’ He threaded his fingers through it and pulled her face close. ‘It suits you. You are a beautiful woman.’
With her heart racing she fearlessly met his eyes. It was amazing how much braver she felt now, so much more sure of herself. And even though her mind told her that she needed to be careful, her body took not the least bit of notice.
She had become a real woman, with all the needs and desires that went with it. No longer repressed, no longer hating all men. At least not this man! Not Blake. Blake had shown her that he was nothing like her father. He trea
ted her with respect, with care, with gentleness.
Her eyes grew moist. Because she had never allowed any other man into her life she had never had the opportunity to judge for herself whether they were different. She had not even wanted to find out. She had judged herself of little value. Wasn’t that what her father had told her, time and time again?
But now she knew differently. Blake would never have crossed the dividing line between business and pleasure if he had not found her attractive. And he would never have forced himself on her. After her initial paranoia she felt perfectly safe in his presence. She was not plain and worthless after all. She was beautiful and desirable. He had told her so.
‘Kara, you are crying. Why?’
‘I’m not,’ she protested quickly. ‘My eyes are watering, that’s all.’
He smoothed a gentle thumb over her eyelids and then dropped a kiss on each one in turn. But he did not let her go. He kissed her on the lips instead, and all the fire and emotion that had burned so brightly last night came rushing back.
She was about to return his kiss, her arms already beginning to slide around him, when a woman’s soft voice behind made her pull guiltily away.
‘Breakfast is awaiting us,’ he said.
The living area spread across the whole of the back of the villa, with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors opening out onto a terrace dotted with plants in pretty coloured pots. It was there that their table was laid. Below was an arched entrance to landscaped gardens.
But it was the view that entranced Kara. The view over the lake. She could have stood there for hours, simply looking at it. The soaring mountains, boats, people, birds. Constantly something to look at, to take in, to capture in the memory of her mind. ‘I wish I had my camera.’
‘Maybe it’s not the last time you’ll come here.’ Blake had been watching her, smiling at her pleasure, but now from behind he slid his arm around her waist and held her against him.
Kara chose to ignore his suggestion. ‘It’s certainly a beautiful location. Do you have a boat?’
‘Naturally,’ he said. ‘And if it is your wish we will go out on it after breakfast.’
‘Yes, please,’ she said eagerly. ‘I’d like that.’ It was comforting being in his arms. Comforting and safe. Thanks to Blake, she was learning to trust. Considering that she had not wanted to join the conference in the first place she was now enjoying herself in a way that had been unimaginable a few days ago.
Blake was not the man she had imagined. She had always thought him to be a bit of a Lothario. And maybe he was. But at the moment he was treating her with delicacy and a genuine concern for her state of mind. He was allaying her fears, teaching her that everyone was not the same.
And it was working. She was not the same! She had become a different woman. She had felt a change in her in Milan, and even more so here, in this delightful part of Italy. How had he known that it would appeal to her? That it would bring out yet another side of her that she had not known existed?
He was changing her life, changing her views on life. And just for a few seconds she knew that she never wanted this period to end.
Breakfast was made up of an assortment of pastries washed down with cappuccino. Kara could not help thinking that if she lived here for any length of time she would become as round and plump as his housekeeper. Not that the cakes weren’t delicious, but she was surprised that Blake had not asked for bacon and eggs.
Afterwards they explored the terraced gardens, and finally they reached the shores of the lake and a small cruiser moored there. Blake helped her into it, and she watched him as he started the engine, then untied the boat and guided it away from the shore. In everything he did he was confident and assured. She could not help but admire him.
Kara was silent to begin with, completely over-awed as they passed more magnificent shore-side villas. Dotting the tree-clad hillsides higher up were more modest houses, whole villages of them. And above them, above everything, the sky was the deepest blue she had ever seen, reflecting in the waters, which looked tempting enough to swim in.
‘Everything’s so beautiful,’ she said on a sigh, her hands clasped in front of her as her eyes darted all over the place.
‘Including you,’ he said quietly.
For a brief second Kara remembered that Blake was her boss. But he was also her lover! Wasn’t he? Her body grew suddenly hot at the thought, and she was unaware that her eyes were shining, that her cheeks had delicately flushed.
‘Why have you always hidden yourself away behind plain clothes?’
The question was unexpected, and it surprised her. ‘I think you know the answer to that.’
‘Because of your father.’ It was a statement, not a question. ‘Why didn’t you both leave him?’ His head turned, his eyes locking into hers. ‘Wouldn’t it have been the wisest thing to do?’
‘It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Just leave the monster behind. But we couldn’t. He—He—’ Kara swallowed hard. ‘He threatened us. I don’t know what he would have done if we’d tried, but we felt that it was more than our life was worth. Not that our life was very good …’
Blake swore. ‘It is a good job your father is dead, because I would personally—’
‘Blake, please.’ Kara put her hand on his arm. ‘I should not have told you any of this. It’s too private and too painful. Please, I don’t want to talk about it any more.’ Because if she did she would end up telling him about their money problems, and she knew she could not do that.
He closed his lips, but Kara could see that he was not comfortable keeping silent.
‘That is why you tried to make yourself look like a nobody? To keep out of his way? You did not want him to know what a beautiful daughter he had. And it made you fearful of all men.’
Kara shrugged. ‘Why don’t you tell me about yourself instead?’ she suggested, trying to inject lightness into her voice.
Dark brows rose. ‘You mean you want my sad story? This was not intended to be a soul-baring mission. Today was supposed to be all about making you happy.’
‘I am not unhappy,’ she said immediately.
‘But my insensitive questioning has brought back unhappy memories. I am sorry.’
He took her hand and pulled her against him, then draped his arm about her shoulders while he steered with his other hand. And when she looked up into his face he smiled and kissed her.
Instantly her problems were forgotten. Kissing Blake was like turning on an electric lightbulb; it made her glow with energy. She knew that when they flew back to England all this would be over. Her life would return to normal. But she did not want to think about that now. She wanted to make the most of every moment.
They spent their whole morning exploring various inlets and promontories, stopping for lunch at a very beautiful hotel. Sometimes they were talking, sometimes sitting quietly watching other boaters, or the antics of water skiers in the distance, although Kara frequently found that Blake was watching her instead of the scenery.
The lake was much bigger than she had thought, and she could not help dreaming that one day she might be lucky enough to come back here and explore it all. ‘You are very fortunate, having a villa in a place like this,’ she said. ‘And yet I have never known you take a holiday from work in all the time I’ve been working for you. Why is that? Why don’t you use it?’
A shadow crossed Blake’s face. ‘I have secrets too, Kara. My memories of the villa are not entirely happy.’
He closed his eyes, and Kara could see that whatever the memory was it still haunted him. And if this was so why had he brought her here? She felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
‘Perhaps we should not have come,’ she said, unaware that her voice had changed, that she was emotionally pulling away from him.
‘I wanted you to see it. I wanted to take pleasure from your enjoyment.’
‘At the cost of yours?’
‘I decided that it was time to let go of the past. I saw
someone who had been hurt as much as I had, but in an entirely different way, and I wanted to help. I hope I have done that?’ Blake knew he was taking a big risk, talking like this, but it had felt right bringing Kara here, and now that he had seen the change in her he was glad that he had. But how did Kara feel? He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He was not usually so cautious when it came to his female acquaintances, and he absolutely never told them anything about his personal life. For some reason Kara had got beneath his skin. She was beginning to unleash her own demons too, and in the process revealing a side to her that he would never have guessed existed. She excited him in so many different ways.
She nodded slowly. ‘I do feel a changed person here.’
‘Then I have done what I set out to do, and helped myself in the process. You and I, Kara, although you may not believe it, are two of a kind.’
Kara shook her head. ‘How can we be alike? Our lives are so very different, Blake! I can’t imagine that there is anything similar about our lives at all.’
‘Perhaps I do owe you an explanation,’ Blake agreed after a few moments’ thoughtful silence. But it was not going to be easy. Kara was the complete antithesis of his ex-wife. The two women could not be more different. Kara so innocent and honest; his wife two-timing and scheming.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, unaware that his unhappy memories were showing on his face. ‘I was married once, a long time ago, to a woman called Melanie. When I married her I thought myself the luckiest guy in the world. She was blonde and beautiful and full of life. She enjoyed going out, socialising, parties—but I was busy building up my business. Nevertheless, I believed that I had got the balance right between work and pleasure.’
Kara waited, almost holding her breath. This was a side to Blake that she had never seen. A sad and sensitive side that she had not known existed.
Then his lips twisted wryly and a dark shadow crossed his face. ‘Melanie, however, thought otherwise.’
He drew in a harsh breath and closed his eyes as memories flooded back.
A Night With Consequences Page 7