AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She wasn’t sure what she expected. A triumphant fist pump? A battle cry of victory? No, those weren’t quite Javier’s style.
‘Come here, Carla,’ he commanded after a full minute of stomach-churning silence, his voice steeped in quiet authority.
She went. She was long past the point of equivocating and had accepted that this would be her fate. At least for the short term.
Strong, corded arms banded her waist, bringing her flush against his hard, hot male body. From chest to knees, she was plastered against him, barely able to breathe for the strength and power of him, for the electricity zapping crazily through her body. Breath growing shallower by the second, Carla waited to be swept off her feet. For what had started in the dark, smoky alley last night to progress to its turbulent conclusion.
And yet, now she was in his arms, Javier didn’t seem in a hurry to speak, to take what belonged to him. One hand left her waist and trailed upward, the single tie securing her hair pulled away and disposed of before he slid his fingers through the strands to cradle the back of her head. The massage was as unexpected as it was alarmingly soothing. And even more disconcerting were the feelings that surfaced when he tucked her head into his chest, his chin lightly resting on her crown.
Safe and secure.
Both emotions absurd, of course, considering she was fully aware of why he’d demanded this sacrifice from her. The evidence of it was a hot and rigid presence against her belly, a reminder that whatever was going to happen between them would be purely physical.
But Carla stood still, allowed herself to breathe in his scent, let his arms draw her even closer into his body, and, just for the hell of it, brought her arms to rest against his chest.
‘Eres mio,’ he murmured throatily after an eternity.
Although she didn’t understand the words, there was a profound sense of claiming within them, and for a single instant Carla let herself wonder...what if...? The judder through her heart warned her she was risking being badly burnt by fire; warned her to end this bizarre lull.
Javier beat her to it.
Releasing her, he took a casual step back and extracted his phone. ‘My lawyers will have the financial amendments to the contract drawn up and delivered for you to sign by lunchtime. Felipe will witness it,’ he stated matter-of-factly. ‘I’m assuming you don’t want the usual cooling-off period to apply?’ He raised one eyebrow at her.
To counter the bereft feeling spiking through her, she crossed her arms. ‘No, I don’t. I believe in getting the inevitable over with.’
‘I’ll assume you’re talking about your father, and not us. If you’re referring to us, then please accept that there will be no getting it over with any time soon.’
Her insides jerked in alarm. ‘Are you sure? Your attention span when it comes to your women hasn’t changed, has it? So if I’m lucky, I’ll only need to amuse you for two weeks, maybe three at the most?’
He sauntered towards her, his fingers tapping out numbers on the flat screen of his phone. He lifted it to his ear as he reached her, his free hand capturing her chin, his thumb conducting a lazy, fiery sweep over her bottom lip. ‘I’ve waited three years to have you again, dulce Carla. If you think there will be a swift conclusion to what is about to happen between us, you have my advance sympathy.’
Before she could speak past the bolt of consternation that lanced her, he was turning away, speaking clear instructions into the phone. The buzzing in her ears prevented her from hearing what was being said, and, in a way, Carla was thankful. At some point in the night, she’d convinced herself this would be short-term thing, a way for Javier to satisfy his need for vengeance before he finally set her free. The idea that he didn’t intend to do just that was scary enough, without listening to him spell out his full ownership of her to faceless lawyers over the phone.
She jumped when his hand arrived at her nape. A swathe of hair was pushed out of the way as his other arm reclaimed her waist, this time bringing her back to his front. His mouth found her heated skin, and trailed lazily over it, before drifting to her ear. ‘I have to head to the office now. If you need any clarification on the contract, feel free to call me. Otherwise, Felipe has instructions to pack a suitcase for you. I’ll see you at the airport tonight.’
She turned sharply, and his lips grazed the corner of her mouth. Before she lost the already fraying train of thought, she blurted, ‘Airport? Where are we going?’
‘We fly to Miami tonight.’
Miami. Where she’d first lost her head, and her innocence to him. ‘I...why do I need to come along for a business trip?’
He tasted her with a light bite, then soothed the graze with his tongue. Carla couldn’t help the desperate shiver that coursed through her.
‘It’s not a business trip, amante. I’m going to try that time-off thing again. First, to celebrate you returning to my bed. Then to celebrate my birthday in two weeks’ time.’
CHAPTER TEN
JAVIER’S LUXURY BEACHFRONT property was just as resplendent and opulent as she remembered it. Set over three floors with a master suite poised on a mezzanine level above the top floor, the all-white mansion was ablaze with strategically placed floodlights as Javier guided her across the large expanse of green grass that separated the helipad from the residence.
The hand at her back stayed as they entered and were greeted by the six-strong staff. Carla tuned out as Javier conversed in rapid-fire Spanish with the buxom older woman who was his housekeeper. Instead, she looked around the interior, memories flooding her brain.
The huge main salon beyond wide double doors was where she’d seen Javier the moment she’d entered the house with Maria and Draco three years ago. It’d been almost as if he’d been waiting for her, his eyes had zeroed in on her instantly, and he’d never let up the intensity of his scrutiny and attention. Not for one moment.
Not until she’d been in his bed.
Then it’d increased a hundredfold.
‘Taking a trip down memory lane on your own, querida? You don’t think it rude not to wait for me before reliving the spectacular experience of our first coming together?’
