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She rose on tiptoe, helplessly pressing her lips against his.
With a groan he deepened the kiss, momentarily silencing her doubts.
Bastien’s feeling were deep enough...
When he lifted his head, glanced at the clock and imperiously announced that they had some time after all, she let herself melt into him.
* * *
‘Wake up, cherie, we’re here,’ a deep voice murmured in her ear.
Ana prised herself away from where she’d fallen asleep on Bastien’s shoulder on the way from the airport.
She straightened and glanced out of her window at a grey and gloomy London. After surrendering her heart to the Château D’Or, the two-bedroom maisonette she shared with Simone in South London looked dismal and almost alien. It would never be home to her again.
The driver pulled up on the kerb. Bastien started to open the door. She stayed him with a hand on his arm.
‘Do you mind if I do this on my own?’
His eyes held an admiration she allowed herself to bask in for a moment.
‘Bien. I’ll go and make myself useful in the office for a while. Call me when you’re done.’
She nodded. ‘I may be a while. Lily’s coming over in an hour, then I need to pack warmer clothes.’
He smiled and reached out to caress her nape. ‘Keep those risqué jeans, cherie. I’ve grown quite fond of them.’
She laughed. ‘I’ll consider it,’ she replied, then leaned in to him for a deep kiss.
That niggling voice rose again, cautioning her against falling harder without hope of having her feelings returned. Feebly, she pushed it away.
When he pulled back his eyes were dark and his expression intense. ‘You have three hours, then I’m coming for you.’ He thrust the door open and helped her out.
Stepping into the frigid air, she pulled her coat around her and held her smile till Bastien’s limo was out of view. Dragging her suitcase behind her, she unlocked the front door, dread eating away at her stomach as she entered the flat.
Simone sat cross-legged on the sofa, with Ana’s laptop—which she’d bought solely for working on her lessons—balanced on her legs. She was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that it took her a moment to notice Ana in the doorway.
Shock rounded her eyes. ‘Ana—I had no idea you were coming back today!’
Ana propped her case by the door and dropped her handbag on the coffee table in the small living room. ‘How do you know the password to my laptop?’ she asked, her throat drying. The combination was the date she’d met Bastien, known only to her.
Simone shrugged. ‘You must have told me when I borrowed it before.’
Heart hammering, she stepped closer and noticed Simone’s overbright eyes and agitated breathing. ‘No, I didn’t. I’m sure of it.’
Her roommate laughed but the sound was skewed. ‘What are you saying? That I’m a liar?’
Ana clenched her fists and breathed deep. ‘I know, Simone.’
Simone’s eyes narrowed. ‘Know what?’ she demanded, shoving the laptop aside to stand up.
‘The drugs. I know it was you.’
Several expressions chased over Simone’s face before it settled into pure malice. ‘You can’t prove it.’
Ana sighed. ‘Yes, I can. You made sure you were out of sight of the nightclub’s cameras when you put the drugs in my bag but you forgot that it was your birthday—everyone wanted a picture of you, whether you were aware of it or not.’
A flash of fear widened the other woman’s eyes but the malice remained. ‘You’re lying! I was careful...’
