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He enjoyed feminine companionship and sex was important to him, but he had never wanted to keep a woman in his life before. Now was really no different. He simply felt a stronger physical attraction to Amber than he had to another woman in so long, he couldn’t remember another time. Once they sated their mutual desire, these strange thoughts of togetherness would no doubt pass.
She ran her hands through her multicolored blond hair, messing it up sexily and his libido surged. “I need a shower.”
“You have a suite.”
“You want to come up?” Her aquamarine eyes doubted the viability of that suggestion.
He had no doubts. “Yes.”
She bit her lip and looked away, the gesture at odds with the sophisticated woman he knew her to be. “I suppose that would be all right.”
She sounded unsure…innocent. That turned him on in ways it probably shouldn’t. He’d dated many women from her world, just none that had been contracted to work for his company. It was not a world where innocence or uncertainty lasted long. She’d come too far to be either of those things, but he enjoyed the illusion. And best of all, he didn’t think she was projecting it on purpose.
She was as affected by their meeting as he had been and it made her vulnerable. Why that was so appealing he did not know, but it was.
She looked nervously at him. He smiled, though he doubted his expression was reassuring. He was too hungry for her. Getting out of the car, he considered the possibility that she was playing him rather than honestly vulnerable and dismissed it.
The vulnerability was real, but the rest might be the behavior of a master tactician. She had the reluctant interest bit down pat anyway. No chance was she sincerely as reticent about going out with him as she had acted. Yes, the beguiling Amber Taylor knew exactly how to increase interest in a man like him. Underneath civilization’s veneer, he was a predator at heart. Skittish prey only made him more determined to succeed in the chase.
He thought he had been played by the best, but this woman was light years beyond the average female in securing his attention. And he didn’t mind at all. In fact, he a
dmired her.
She was also clearly a master at discretion. Even when he’d subtly quizzed her, she had been adept at sidestepping his inquiry about her dating habits rather than answering them. As he would expect if she was used to dating men in prominent positions. With her beauty and intelligence, he had no doubt she was. However, Miguel’s investigator was fairly confident she was not involved in a relationship currently.
She’d been telling the truth when she said she worked hard and if not twenty-hour workdays, long ones all the same. She’d had back-to-back jobs for the past several months. No man in his position would tolerate his woman being quite that unavailable.
She had to be unattached at the moment.
Both his brain and his libido insisted on it.
The libido taking precedence as he touched her hand to help her from the car. “Thank you for not sending me away.”
Her gaze slipped up to meet his as her hand seemed to flutter against his, her perfect oval features set in an indecipherable expression. “If you want the truth, I feel the same…” She paused as if looking for the word. “Greedy desire for your company.”
He liked hearing that far more than he would have expected. And it didn’t fit the “playing hard to get” role she’d been in earlier, either. There was a gut level honesty to this woman that years working in her cutthroat industry had not been able to beat out of her. He liked that. He liked it a lot.
He smiled and took her well-toned, honey gold arm in his. “What floor are you staying on?”
The woman’s body was as close to perfect as it was possible to get without plastic augmentation and she was too genuine to be the result of cosmetic surgery.
Her eyes opened wide in mock surprise. “Are you saying your sources have not already supplied you with that knowledge?”
“Actually, no, they haven’t.” He hadn’t thought to ask. It had never occurred to him that she wouldn’t offer it.
“You’ll have to chastise them for being behind the ball on that one.”
“Considering the fact that my company booked your rooms, you are right. It would have been all too easy to come by the information.” If he had asked.
“Exactly.”
He shook his head.
The airy hotel lobby was starting to grow busy now that the hours for siesta were past. He saw more than one person do a double-take when they spied him walking with Amber. He sighed. There was no hope of keeping his relationship with her a complete secret, not in his hometown. But he had already instructed his company and anyone who had worked with Amber since she came to Spain to remain mute on her identity when the inevitable queries began to arise.
His family strictly enforced the policy that any employee who thought a bribe was worth betraying a Menendez’s privacy to the media would be looking for another job the minute the perfidy was discovered. Subsequently the press leaks from within the conglomeration were extremely rare and his family enjoyed a deeper level of privacy than most in their social and economic position.
He guided Amber into the elevator, shielding her body with his own from curious eyes. “It is inevitable that photos of us will make it into the scandal rags, but I have taken steps to protect your privacy.”
