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It was what she had signed up to. But she’d had no idea when she drew up that stupid contract that it would come to hurt so much and gnaw at her insides.
‘If I were to tell you I find you incredibly sexy, would you think I was lying?’
‘We both know I am not your type.’ Even when passing her a mug of coffee he made a concerted effort not to touch her.
‘Maybe my tastes are becoming more discerning.’
‘Unluckily for you, my tastes aren’t. If you think I want to share a bed with a man who has a deli counter of blondes queuing for a space in his bed, you have another think coming. Believe me, that was a strong positive for me when we made our no-sex pact.’
Nico studied her, his brow furrowed. ‘Yet you were willing to share a bed with the ex-boyfriend you married me to escape?’
‘There were numerous reasons I married you. Escaping Stephen was only one of them. Not having sex with you was another.’
He rose to his feet and flashed a smile. A dangerous smile. A predatory smile. ‘Maybe if we had made sex part of our deal you would not be wanting to leave me. You certainly would not have needed to seek physical attention or flowers from your ex.’
Her incredulity at his arrogance was matched only by the heavy swirl of heat settling in her core.
Fighting it, she straightened to her full five foot three inches and speared him with a quelling look. ‘Don’t even go there. Don’t even think about it. It’s not going to happen. Not now. Not ever.’
‘Ah, daragaya, but things have changed. You agreed to give me a month to change your mind. And as we have never had sex before...’ His words trailed off as he leaned over, and then he whispered into her ear. ‘I guarantee one night with me and you will find your ex wanting. You will certainly never want to leave.’
It was the warmth of his breath in her ear, skewering her senses, that prevented her from slapping him. Tingles bounced on every millimetre of skin, her core thickening and nestling in the apex of her thighs, burning her.
‘You’re sick,’ she dragged from her arid throat. ‘You’re like a child with an unwanted toy. You don’t want to play with it, but the second another child picks it up you decide you want it after all. Well, I am not a toy. And I will not be treated as one.’
* * *
Nico had to admire her poise. Rosa walked away with her back straight and her hips gently swaying. She had not once raised her voice.
Yet that same fury she had displayed when she had told him of her wish to divorce was there, bubbling under the surface.
That passion, ripe for unleashing—how clearly he could see it now.
The logical part of his brain kept telling him to let her go, to give her the divorce she so obviously wanted and get on with his life.
He happened to believe that this time the logical part of his brain was wrong.
Maybe she was right in her ‘child with a toy’ analogy.
Her declaration a fortnight ago had released something within him—a fighting spirit more ruthless than in any business dealing he had ever conducted.
Nico hated to lose. He had spent the past fortnight ensuring he would win.
He and Rosa were bound by a piece of paper and two bands of gold. Nothing more. He had failed to appreciate that she was not an automaton. She was a sexual being, with needs and desires like everyone else. It was only natural she would seek gratification. On reflection, the only thing that should surprise him was how long it had taken her.
What he had not expected was the ugly, putrid feeling residing deep in his guts at the knowledge of what she had done.
He could not stop thinking about it.
She had gained satisfaction with another.
The thought of another man pawing his wife made his skin crawl.
The thought of his wife pawing another man made him want to punch a wall.
And now all bets were off.
Rosa’s desire for a divorce meant whatever agreement they had made was null and void.
Soon she would share that delectable body with him. Her husband.
He hadn’t intended to come on to her so soon, but the little stunt he had just pulled had proved one thing: he recognised the signs of feminine desire and in his strait-laced wife he had seen them. She wanted him. He would use that latent desire and play with her until she was begging for his possession, whimpering with the pleasure only he could give her, until all thoughts of another were eradicated from her mind.
He would make things so good she would never want to leave.
* * *
Rosa was buried nose-deep in paperwork when she heard the front door of the villa open. Every limb and digit froze.
She was determined every document would be faultless. There was nothing worse than thinking you had it word-perfect only for Nico to read through the documents and find a misspelled Russian word or an incorrect tense. Admittedly that had only happened twice, but that had been enough for her to determine it would not happen on this, their last trip together.
