Page 38 of Enemies Under One Roof

He kicked the door closed and crossed to his king-sized bed, which had long ago replaced the three single ones from his childhood.

After he carefully lowered her into the middle, she edged up so that her head was on his pillow, her dark hair splayed around her.

His scalp prickled at how much he liked that, as he took a moment to drink in the vision. Her black silk shirt with a row of buttons down the centre that he itched to undo, the black pants hugging her long limbs.

His hands tingled, wanting to touch, explore, tease, but he gathered his last traces of control and did what he needed to do.

‘Don’t move,’ he instructed, his voice rough to his own ears, and in record time he’d turned on all three of the heaters he’d placed to make his room less fridge-like. He didn’t want her cold, not for one second.

He left the lamps off but kept the curtains open so daylight could filter in through the rain beating against the window panes.

When he headed back towards her, she’d risen to balance on her elbows and watched his every step.

‘Take your jumper off, Ethan,’ was a midnight whisper laced with intent.

Without a second’s questioning, he reefed it off in one quick movement, flicked it away, without breaking stride.

‘Oh, my,’ she mouthed.

Bare-chested, he should feel the frigid sting of the air, except an Ivy-generated furnace filled every muscle and pore. And she wasn’t even touching him yet.

Her chest rose and fell like she’d been doing some strenuous activity, not merely lying there looking at him.

‘Anything else?’ he asked, standing at the foot of his bed, legs apart.

Her gaze inched down his bare skin until they hit the belt of his jeans, then lowered to the bulge impossible to hide.

A wicked smile lit her face. ‘Jeans off.’

Desire burned in her hazel depths as he undid his belt, then slowly lowered his zip, mirroring what he’d done for her earlier, before dragging his jeans to the floor and stepping out of them.

Her lips parted as she stared at his black briefs and gulped.

Unable to resist touching her any longer, he reached forward, grabbed her ankles and gently pulled her down off the pillows closer to him.

‘Ethan!’ she gasped.

He crawled onto the bed, knees on either side of her, straddling her.

‘Now it’s my turn.’ His lips skimmed the pulse beating furiously at her neck, and he groaned at the softness of her skin.

She bucked beneath him and he reminded himself to take it slow, make it last. They had one afternoon only, and he wanted to savour every second.

‘You’ve got too many clothes on,’ he said as his lips descended over her body. But she wouldn’t for much longer.

Chapter Eleven

IVY WOKE TO unfamiliar sensations; she was warm, her body languid, but weirdly weighted.

She stretched, then froze.

She wasn’t alone; an arm that wasn’t hers was draped over her waist.

Reality hit like a bomb.

She was in Ethan’s room. In his bed. Naked.

And so was he. Spooned behind her.