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Only not with longing but with shame.
Picturing the way he’d pulled away from her, knowing how impossible it would have been for her to do the same, she felt a flicker of doubt and fear.
He felt it too and, lifting his head, his gaze focused steadily on her face.
‘What is it?’
She hesitated, her eyes shying away from his. She wanted him so badly. But she couldn’t give herself to him. Not now she knew his desire was motivated by power, not passion.
‘Daisy? Daisy?’
His voice was insistent, inexorable. It was a voice she could not refuse.
‘Yesterday when we... When you—’
She frowned. There was a tremor in her voice and she knew that her eyes were bright with tears.
‘I know you wanted sex. But I also know that you didn’t want me.’
It had been a guess—a theory. But as he gazed down at her in silence she felt a rush of misery so intense that she couldn’t bear to look at him. Pushing against his chest, she edged away, fixing her gaze on the shimmering mass of water.
&
nbsp; ‘You’re wrong.’
She lifted her face to his, her heart leaden in her chest.
‘So why did you stop?’
How could you stop? she wanted to ask, remembering the strength and the violence of her longing for him. How could he have been so coolly detached?
But, glancing at his handsome face, she thought he looked anything but detached now. Instead he looked strained and unsure.
He shook his head, the skin tightening across his cheekbones.
‘Short answer—I’m an idiot. I wanted to prove to myself you were optional. That demonstrating my willpower was more satisfying than you could ever be. But I was wrong. On both counts.’ He grimaced. ‘The last twenty-four hours have been the most uncomfortable of my entire life. And all I managed to prove is that I can’t actually function because I want you so badly.’
She breathed out, her heart pounding with a mix of shock and relief and a stunned, helpless happiness.
But she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He had hurt her. And, yes, she knew it was because he hated losing control. But he had to understand that although that might be a reason for his behaviour it didn’t excuse it.
‘How do I know that’s true? That you want me? You might be pretending.’
His eyes narrowed and then her heart rate seemed to double as he pulled her firmly against him and she felt the hard length of his erection pressing against her.
‘Trust me, Daisy. This is real. And it’s for you. Just you.’
Reaching out, he touched her face gently and the warmth of his fingertips sent a tremor through her body.
‘You’re all I think about. All I’ve been thinking about since I kissed you in my office. It’s like I’m living from one moment to the next. But if you won’t believe what I say then maybe I’ll just have to show you instead.’
And, lowering his mouth, he kissed her. It was a kiss like no other. Hotter, deeper. And his mouth possessed her with a ferocity that wiped out all conscious thought.
As his hands moved lightly over her back and shoulders and neck she shivered beneath their touch, head swimming, body swaying against his as he nudged her backwards. She bumped into the swing, felt wood scraping her bare legs, and then, slipping his hands around her waist, he lifted her up onto the mattress.
His hands were urgent against her skin, pulling off her boots, her T-shirt, and somehow her jeans came off too and she was suddenly naked except for her underwear.
Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned over her, his face tensed with passion and something softer, less guarded. And she knew that he wanted her to see what he was feeling, to know it was real.
