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‘How I—’ He stepped towards her, and she heard his sharply drawn breath. ‘If you were a man—’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘I’d wipe the floor with you.’
Her hands formed fists, but he was too quick for her. Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her against him. ‘That’s enough! Stop acting like a wildcat or—’
She tried yanking herself free, but he clamped her body closer.
They stared at each other, the tension pressing down on their skin, the air tightening around them.
‘Or what?’ she said hoarsely. ‘You can’t—’
‘Oh, but I can,’ he snarled and, lowering his head, he covered her mouth with his, stifling her protest with a kiss that tasted of fire and danger.
He pulled her closer, hard and fast, his body pressing against hers so that she could feel the thickness of his arousal. His mouth was hot, his tongue probing fiercely between her lips, teeth nipping, tugging, her body tingling, growing tighter and tighter—
Her breath shuddered, jerking out of her with a gasp as his fingers slid over her collarbone and over the thin fabric of her bra. She wanted him. More than she had ever wanted any man. His touch was like fire on her skin, melting her from the outside in. She shivered. Pleasure, like sunlight falling on leaves, swept over her. Her body burned with need. Her heart was racing...wild, frantic—
And then, like a drum beating out a warning rhythm, she heard the kitchen clock chime the hour and it saved her.
‘No—’ She broke away from him, stepping back clumsily.
‘What—?’
He didn’t move, but she saw something flicker in his eyes, only her brain seemed to be spinning on its own axis and she could barely speak, let alone make sense of his body language. ‘No. We’re not doing this. I told you.’
He was angry: his breathing unsteady, his gaze hostile and frustrated. ‘Then why the hell did you come back?’
She blinked. Why had she come back? The question seemed to slip away from her, like a coin in a penny fall machine. Slowly, her thoughts began to level out and she met his eyes squarely. ‘To get my orchids.’
He stared at her, his jaw tightening.
Catching the disbelief in his expression, she lifted her chin. ‘They’re bulbophyllum nocturnum,’ she said defensively. ‘Night-blooming orchids. They’re very rare. It took me almost a year to convince Professor de Korver to send me some seeds.’
He frowned. ‘Are they dangerous?’
She gaped at him. ‘No! Why would they be dangerous?’
There was a short, tense silence and then he shrugged. ‘I thought maybe you might be raising an army of ninja orchids. All armed with brooms, primed to attack me.’
Flora swallowed. He was teasing her, trying to lighten the mood. She wasn’t ready for that but despite his earlier accusation, she was tired of fighting him. She shook her head.
‘They’re actually pretty ordinary, really, except they only flower at night. Usually I check in on them about eleven o’clock.’
‘Do you tuck them up as well?’ he said coolly.
Their eyes met and she bit her lip. ‘I just want to collect them and then I’ll leave,’ she said stiffly.
A muscle flickered in his cheek. ‘Then I’ll just get my jacket.’
She stared at him in horror. ‘I don’t need an escort. I know my way—’
‘And I need to know where you are. So. Either I go with you or you leave without your precious orchids.’
They walked in silence through the gardens, Flora stalking ahead like an angry cat.
Despite the almost tropical heat of the greenhouse she shivered in the darkness. It had been bad enough being alone with Massimo in the brightly lit kitchen. Now, in the sultry, sticky warmth of the greenhouses, with the leaves brushing against her face, it felt as if he was some big predator, stalking her through the jungle.
Holding a torch in one hand, she made her way carefully through the foliage. Behind her there was a muttered cursing as he banged into a watering can.
