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She did, her eyes wide and trusting. Desperate for the release that he was withholding. He thrust into her again, just once, and that was all it took to send them both hurtling over the edge.
* * *
When Luc was capable of movement again he pulled free of Nessa’s embrace, and went into his bathroom to dispense with the protection. He placed his hands on the sink and bowed his head. He felt momentarily weak, as if some of his strength had been drained away during sex.
He grimaced at the fanciful notion of Samson and Delilah. It was just the after-effects of extreme pleasure. But, a small voice reminded him, you weren’t able to climax until you were looking in her eyes. You needed that connection. Luc had never sought that kind of connection before.
He went cold. The events of the evening flooded his mind and an icy finger danced down his spine.
/> He’d told Nessa more than he’d told anyone. He’d blithely let most of his sad history trip off his tongue without a moment’s hesitation. He went even icier when the full significance of that hit him.
He’d lost sight of who she was. And what she could still be: an accessory to theft.
A hard knot formed in his gut. He’d become so blinded by lust for her that he’d lost sight of a lifetime of lessons, teaching him to trust no one. Luc’s heart beat fast to think of how close he’d come to—He shut that thought down. He didn’t trust her. They’d had sex. That was all.
He had to admit that since she’d been riding for him, the turnaround in public perception was phenomenal. That was the important thing here. Not his lust for her. That was a base instinct he couldn’t afford to indulge again.
He also had to acknowledge the fact that, in spite of the reasons why she was there, she was a boon to his business. But she owed him this. Her brother had stolen from him and she had taken on the debt for herself.
A familiar feeling of ruthlessness settled over Luc like a well-worn coat. In spite of Nessa’s innocence or apparent sweetness, he still couldn’t trust that she wasn’t taking advantage of his desire for her.
He would not be weak again.
CHAPTER NINE
NESSA COULD HEAR Luc in the bathroom. The shower was turned on. She opened her eyes in the dim light of the bedroom, unable to stop imagining water sluicing down over that powerful body. Between her legs ached pleasurably as she recalled the breathtaking feeling of Luc’s body driving into hers over and over again.
She got hot when she thought of how he’d made her turn over, taking her from behind. There’d been something so raw and animalistic about it. It had also felt erotic, but she’d felt slightly unsure, out of her depth. She hadn’t liked not being able to see his face, or his eyes. Until he’d turned her back and said look at me, and that was all it had taken to send her shattering into a million pieces.
The bathroom door opened and Nessa instinctively pulled the sheet up over her body, suddenly shy, which was ridiculous after what had just happened.
Luc stood in the doorway with nothing but a small towel hooked around his waist. Droplets of moisture clung to his sculpted muscles and Nessa’s mouth watered.
‘You should go back to your own bed now.’
Nessa sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. Humiliation rushed through her. Of course. What had she expected would happen? That Luc would come back to bed and take her in his arms again, whisper sweet nothings in her ears and want to cuddle?
‘I don’t sleep with lovers,’ he said, as if he might not have been clear enough.
Nessa looked at him, unable to stem the blooming of hurt inside her. ‘It’s fine. You don’t need to explain.’
She scooted to the side of the bed feeling awkward as well as humiliated as she searched for her dress, which lay on the ground a few feet away in a pool of shimmering green. She was just wondering how to get there without exposing herself even further when Luc appeared in her eyeline holding out a robe.
‘Here.’ He sounded gruff.
Nessa took it and pulled it on while trying to stay as covered up as possible. She hated herself for feeling so hurt by Luc’s dismissal, by the confirmation that she was no different from his other lovers. But you want to be different. She stood up, belting the robe around her, squashing that thought. She didn’t want to be different. Yes, you do.
Before Luc might see any evidence of the tumult of her emotions, Nessa plucked the dress up off the floor and walked to the door, avoiding his eye. She forced herself to stop, though, and turned around. ‘Thank you for this evening. I had a nice time.’
Nessa had walked out of the door before Luc had a chance to respond. He waited for a sense of satisfaction that he’d made it clear that he had boundaries, but it wouldn’t come. He thought of how awkward she’d looked just now at the door, avoiding his eye, clutching her dress. She wasn’t like the women he knew. He felt like a heel now. Not satisfied at all.
If he was brutally honest with himself, he already regretted saying anything. He wanted to go after her, bring her back to bed and continue where they’d finished.
Luc bit off a savage curse and went back into the bathroom to take a cold shower. Damn Nessa O’Sullivan for sliding under his skin like this. The sooner his people tracked down her brother, the better.
* * *
Nessa couldn’t sleep when she went back to her bedroom. She went out to the balcony and sat on the chair by the small table, looking at the view. She was such a naive fool. To have imagined for a second that Luc’s opening up to her earlier that evening had meant anything.
