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Seeing him so highly charged with desire for her sent a burst of exhilaration through her mind. Her eyes feasted on the glitter of feverish need in his, on the powerful maleness of his perfect physique. Everything female in her quivered with delight at the prospect of possessing some, if not all of this man.
Her legs instinctively spread apart as he came back to her and exultantly wound around his hips as he plunged into where she most wanted him, deep inside, filling her with such sweet satisfaction her throat automatically emitted a soft croon of pleasure. It was so good, and unbelievably better when he began stoking the wonderful sensation with rhythmic thrusts.
She closed her eyes to everything but the inner world she was sharing with him—a world of intense feeling rolling through her in ever stronger waves. She was barely aware of goading him on with her legs, raking his back with her hands, only knowing that she wanted more and more of him, wanted him to take her to a level of ecstasy she had never known and feeling it getting closer and closer, almost unbearably close, her vaginal muscles convulsing out of all control, and she was crying out, begging…
And then it happened.
A glorious burst of release.
The torturous tension disintegrated as a sweet flood of incredible pleasure washed it away, leaving her floating in heavenly happiness with a blissful smile on her face. Ethan brushed his lips gently over hers, sharing her contentment, and she realised he had ed with her. Although her arms felt totally limp, she lifted them to hug him, glad that in this moment they were perfectly in tune with each other, and deeply grateful for the amazing experience he had given her. He kissed the tip of her nose, her closed eyelids, her temples, and it was so nice she couldn’t stop smiling.
‘You can’t hide from me any more, Daisy Donahue,’ he murmured in a tone of deep satisfaction. ‘I was right about you all along.’
Curiosity flicked her eyes open. ‘Right about what?’
He was grinning, a devilish delight dancing in his gorgeous green eyes. ‘You’re a challenging little witch with all the goods.’
Except the worldly goods that could make her a real match for him.
That miserably sobering thought wiped the smile off her face.
Even so she couldn’t regret what she had just done with him, though the reality of her situation rushed in on her, loading her heart with a lump of anxiety. Where did he see them going from here? She was his employee and a very temporary one. Their positions in life were hopelessly different.
‘Okay…’ he drawled, placing a finger at the corner of her lips, which had lost their smile, and searching her eyes with determined purpose. ‘What did I say wrong?’
‘Nothing. I just remembered who you are and who I am,’ she answered with black irony.
‘A man and a woman who want each other.’ He shook his head at her. ‘Don’t try to deny it, Daisy.’
She didn’t. It was impossible to lie in the face of the desire that had brought them both to this bed. ‘I’m not sure it’s ever that simple,’ she said ruefully. ‘There are always…other considerations.’
‘Neither of us is in a relationship. We’re both adults,’ he argued with arrogant confidence. ‘We don’t have to answer to anyone except ourselves for what we do.’ He grinned again. ‘And don’t tell me this wasn’t good. It was great! No reason not to go with it and that’s what we’re going to do.’
In a quick lithe movement he was off the bed and scooping her up in his arms again. ‘We need a swim. Refresh ourselves,’ he said, dictating action as though everything was settled between them.
She was hot and sweaty. A swim would be good. Maybe it would clear her head enough to think straight, which was very difficult when she was so very physically linked to him. ‘You don’t have to carry me.’ It was a weak bid for some independence from his overwhelming attraction.
‘I like carrying you.’ There was a glitter of gleeful triumph in his eyes. ‘I would have carried you right out of the Magic Millions marquee except you probably would have screamed abduction when you recovered from your faint. You didn’t like me much then.’
The problem was she liked him too much now. In fact, she was head over heels in love with Ethan Cartwright. Was it possible that a relationship with him could have a future?
Belatedly her mind registered what he’d just told her. ‘Why did you want to do that? Carry me out of the marquee, I mean.’
He laughed. ‘Because you stirred the caveman in me. Still do.’
He plunged into the pool, still holding her in his arms, only releasing her underwater so she could rise to the surface as she wished. She swam away from him, needing a little time on her own to sort through the situation with Ethan. She’d thought—or had she wanted to think?—he’d given her this job out of guilt. But now it seemed he’d wanted to abduct her, keep her with him until she satisfied his caveman instincts.
He’d called her a challenging little witch.
Said he was taking his prize.
Was her sexual surrender simply an ego ride for him?
She swam the length of the pool several times before stopping for a breather at the shallow end. Ethan had swum beside her, apparently content to leave her alone as long as she was within easy reach, and he did instantly reach out and draw her into his embrace again, smiling into her eyes.
‘The solar heating for the pool is working well,’ he remarked. ‘The water is at the perfect temperature for this time of day. Like warm silk. Enjoying it?’
Daisy had never been skinny-dipping before and he was right. The water was like warm silk. So was his naked flesh, seducing her into wanting more of him, despite the questions spinning around her mind.
‘Yes,’ she said, winding her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his hips. He certainly stirred the primitive woman in her—a fierce desire for total possession. Which she knew wouldn’t happen, but it was so terribly tempting to have as much of him as she could.
He kissed her and she kissed him back, wishing she could lose the mountain of reservations building in her mind. His mouth broke reluctantly from hers, breathing a sigh over her sensitised lips. He lifted his hands, holding her face between them, his eyes dark green pools of desire demanding a positive response.
‘I’ve not had nearly enough of you, Daisy. Stay the night with me. Stay the weekend.’
An iron fist squeezed her heart. How soon would enough come? And how much of herself would she have given him by then? Having any kind of extended affair with him could only bring her heartache and mess up her life. However wonderful this felt with him right now, it was going to be bad for her in the end. Much worse than the break-up with Carl. She shouldn’t have let Ethan get to her, shouldn’t let it go any further.
‘I can’t,’ she blurted out, adding the first reason that made his invitation unacceptable. ‘I live with my parents, Ethan. I’m not as free as you are. They’d worry about me.’
He frowned. ‘Call them. Tell them you’ve been invited to have a weekend away.’
‘With whom? My billionaire boss?’ she mocked, the reality of the vast social gap between them finally smiting the treacherous desire he aroused in her. ‘It would upset them terribly, thinking their financial problem had led me into being seduced by a man who would only be using me for his pleasure.’
He looked affronted, then fiercely belligerent. ‘Don’t tell me you felt no pleasure with me, Daisy. It was mutual.’
‘Yes,’ she readily conceded. ‘And I thank you for it. But it can’t go on, Ethan.’
‘It’s not right to let your parents rule your life,’ he argued. ‘You’re twenty-seven, not a child.’
‘They don’t rule my life. They’d hate to even think they did. It’s my decision. I care about them and I’m not going to upset them. They’re going through a bad enough time as it is,’ she said vehemently, gathering the strength needed to disconnect from him and make the break that a solid block of down-to-earth sanity insisted she make.
Becoming heavily involved with Ethan Cartwright would not lead anywhere good for her. She didn’t believe the Cinderella story worked in today’s world. Like married like. He was only serious about getting her back into bed with him until he’d had enough of her.
She managed to summon up a crooked little smile and said, ‘You won the prize. Let’s leave it at that.’
Then she pushed herself away from him, resolutely determined on leaving the swimming pool, getting dressed and going home.
Tomorrow she would find another job.
Any job.
It was best if she never saw Ethan Cartwright again.
She couldn’t trust herself not to give in to him if she stayed working here and putting herself in that kind of constant emotional jeopardy would be hell.
CHAPTER EIGHT
