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‘I get that you need time,’ Dante murmured, but that didn’t stop him continuing to waken her body until she doubted it would ever sleep again.
‘Not too much time,’ she admitted dryly.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked as she moved down the bed.
Putting off the moment? Pleasing Dante? Both of those things.
What she discovered slowed her right down.
Were all men this...built exactly to scale?
‘You’d better stop,’ he advised.
‘I’ve no intention of stopping.’ Brave words, but was this even possible when it took both her hands to encompass him?
* * *
Jess won and for the first time ever he was glad to be on the losing side. Tangling his fingers in Jess’s hair, he urged her on. Beyond intuitive, she knew everything about pleasure. Exploring with her lips, her hands and dangerously thrilling passes of her tongue, she cupped him with exquisite sensitivity, and then she teased him with the lightest flicks of her tongue. The instant she took him firmly in both hands, moving them steadily up and down the length of his shaft, she brought him to the edge in seconds.
Sucking the tip brought his hips off the bed. The master of control was finding it hard to hold on. Pleasure built until it refused to be contained and with a roar of relief he claimed his release. What he hadn’t expected was that Jess would scramble off the bed.
‘I shouldn’t be here,’ she blurted out.
‘Why not?’ Catching her close, he searched her eyes. ‘Jess, what’s wrong?’
‘You know this is wrong. I know it’s wrong—’
‘I know nothing of the sort,’ he assured her. But the mood had changed and couldn’t be recovered.
Swinging off the bed, he crossed the room naked. Jess was right to call a halt. What could he offer her? Very soon he’d be back on top, with a fast-paced life that demanded selfish focus. Polo took him around the world, as did his business. Jess deserved a man who’d be there for her, someone kind and steady who would treasure her as she deserved. He was not that man, though the thought of some unknown goon pawing her made him sick. That didn’t change the facts. He had no right to hold her back from the happiness she deserved.
Bringing a robe from the adjoining bathroom, he wrapped it around her shoulders. He couldn’t bear seeing her looking so vulnerable. He’d secured a towel around his waist, for her sake rather than his.
‘I’m sorry if I led you on,’ she blurted as she moved about the room, gathering up her belongings.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You must know,’ she insisted, halting with clothes bundled in her arms to turn and stare at him.
‘I’m afraid I don’t. You didn’t lead me anywhere I didn’t want to go. I thought that applied to both of us.’
‘I should go,’ she declared, scouring the room to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind.
‘Go,’ he invited, spreading his arms wide.
He frowned as he watched her leave. Jess was a sensualist, and beautiful, and he had thought her eager to be with him. What on earth was going on in her head? Yes, she was a professional woman with a successful career, but why was she denying herself a life?
* * *
Why couldn’t she accept pleasure for pleasure’s sake? Jess reasoned as she rushed to her room in the guest wing of the estancia. Wasn’t that what other people did? Where was it written that every relationship must be everlasting? Why couldn’t she accept a night of passion with Dante and leave it at that? Was she really bound by duty, or by fear that her teenage dreams could be dust by the morning? Would any man succeed in challenging her belief that she was better on her own, to sort out her life, care for her father, progress her career—
And still be lonely?
Well done, Jess. Everything and nothing has changed.
After a sleepless night she went to the stables to check on the horses. It was early and the yard was mostly silent. The estancia had that morning-after feeling that so often hung over a venue after a big event like a soothing web of remembered music and laughter. The door to the facility slid open on well-oiled hinges, and it didn’t take long for Jess to satisfy herself that her father’s ponies were still happy and contented. Dragging deep on the familiar scent of warm horse and clean hay, she went to take up her usual perch on a hay bale. Tucked away in the shadows of a stable had always been Jess’s safe place of choice. It gave her chance to think, to plan, to reflect, and thankfully not regret too much this morning. Life could continue as it always had, a Dante-free zone with no more wild thoughts at a wedding or anywhere else.
With a sigh, she rested back. Going without sleep had left her exhausted. The sound was a cue for Dante’s big old dog Bouncer to come and nuzzle her leg. As if he understood the turmoil inside her and was determined to soothe her troubled mind, he settled himself down beside her. Resting his head on her lap, Bouncer exhaled heavily, which made tears sting Jess’s eyes at the thought of leaving the estancia, and all the many things she would miss. When she should be thrilled that Dante was cured...
‘Stealing my dog now?’
Breath shot out of her lungs, with surprise at seeing him and the horrified response to the film reel playing behind her eyes of their aborted love scene last night. ‘Dante? What are you doing here?’
‘Checking on the animals, like you. I didn’t expect to find you here. But then again...’
‘What?’
‘This is exactly where I should expect to find you.’
‘You know me so well,’ she teased, trying to keep things light.
‘Hardly at all,’ he argued. Staring down with concern, he added, ‘Are you okay?’
‘Of course,’ she blustered, stroking Bouncer’s ears furiously.
‘Hey, leave some of that for me,’ Dante insisted as he hunkered down beside her. ‘You’re spoiling him.’
‘And so are you,’ she remarked with a smile as Dante fed his old dog some treats. How did anyone manage to look so laid-back and gorgeous so early in the morning—after everything that had happened last night? She felt like a failure, like a ragbag in banged-up jeans and a faded top. It didn’t help that Dante was wearing exactly the same sort of clothes, because they only made him seem more tantalisingly attractive and out of reach than ever.
‘I’m glad I caught you,’ he said in the most relaxed tone ever. ‘I have to cancel my eight o’clock therapy session because of some pressing business.’
Her face was burning red with thoughts of last night, and it was a relief to have this shift of focus forced on her. ‘No problem,’ she blurted on a tight throat. ‘We can change the time.’ Gently moving Bouncer’s head from her knee, she stood up. Dante stood too. ‘Any time
to suit you,’ she offered.
‘Hey, you’ve fulfilled your contract, remember?’
Dante was smiling down as warmly as ever, so why was ice flooding her veins?
‘Have this one on me?’ she offered awkwardly.
‘I would never take advantage of you.’
‘Even if I want you to?’ So now she sounded desperate. The humiliation of last night put another thought in her mind: Dante was done with amateur hour.
‘I’ve arranged your flight home,’ he said as if confirming this.
Yes, she’d half expected it, but still she was stunned into silence. It was as if the floor was dropping away beneath her feet, and she was dropping away with it.
‘Thank you. That’s very kind of you. I appreciate it’ She spoke all the expected words on autopilot. Her lips felt numb, and she had to remind herself that she had always intended to be home in time for Christmas. ‘Time flies,’ she murmured distractedly.
‘When you’re enjoying yourself?’ Dante suggested wryly.
‘I enjoy seeing you without a cane,’ she said honestly.
‘My PA will be able to tell you all the details. You’ll be escorted every step of the way—taxi home, et cetera.’
‘Thank you,’ she said again as Dante pulled away from the wall. He was clearly in a hurry to leave. ‘Don’t let me keep you.’
Instead of leaving, he took hold of her hands. ‘Jess, this isn’t over. I really do have business to attend to.’
‘You don’t have to explain to me.’
‘I think I do. I’m not punishing you or sending you away. Last night was a learning experience for both of us.’
