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What?
It took a moment for him to register what she was asking him and why as she bent down to scoop the sweatpants off the floor. But when she tried to stand, he at least had the presence of mind to keep his hand anchored on her hip.
‘You’re not going anywhere tonight, Allycat,’ he said, moving across the bed to band an arm around her waist.
She twisted round again, her face so close he could see the confusion in her eyes. ‘Why...why not?’ she asked.
Mon Dieu, she was even more innocent than he had assumed.
He kissed her shoulder blade. ‘Because I have exhausted you. And it is still raining.’ They weren’t the main reasons, not even close, but he didn’t want to talk about anything else until he had calmed down enough to figure out all the angles.
&n
bsp; Perhaps her virginity didn’t have to be a bad thing. At least it seemed unlikely that as his wife she would be photographed kissing other men. And perhaps his spectacular loss of control was a one-off. She’d unsettled him the minute she had arrived. They had a history; she knew more about his background than any of the other women he had slept with. And he hadn’t been with a woman in six weeks. Maybe he’d had longer dry spells before while he was building his business, but perhaps this need, this desperation, the intensity of their connection were nothing more than chemistry and opportunity.
‘I thought I’d just get a cab, like you suggested,’ she said.
Why had he suggested the damn cab?
‘Alison.’ He pulled himself up on the bed, and sat behind her, his legs straddling hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and dropped his chin on her shoulder. ‘There is no need to leave. I want you to stay.’
The heat surged back into his groin—making the erection swell against her bottom.
She stiffened slightly. ‘I don’t... I’m a bit sore, I don’t think I want to do it again tonight,’ she said. And he was caught between a laugh and a groan.
‘Ignore that, I have no control over my body’s reaction to you.’ Wasn’t that the truth? ‘I have no intention of touching you again tonight,’ he said. He lifted the sweatpants out of her hands and then manoeuvred himself off the bed so he could stand and put them on. Grabbing the bathrobe that hung on the back of the bedroom door, he passed it to her.
She scrambled into it. He couldn’t make out her expression in the half-light, but he could sense her embarrassment and uncertainty. And suddenly the pulse of reaction in his crotch wasn’t nearly as disturbing as the pulse of something around his heart.
She was sweet and adorable and genuine, not something he usually looked for in a hook-up. But then she wasn’t a hook-up; he was hoping she would agree to become much more than that, tomorrow. And for what he had in mind, perhaps her innocence could be a huge advantage.
But until he’d had a chance to consider his plan carefully in light of this new information, he didn’t intend to let her out of his house.
For tonight, though, it would be best if he kept her out of his bed. Or he would find it very hard to keep his promise—not to touch her again.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘Just tired.’
‘Then come with me,’ he said, ignoring the renewed pulse of emotion as she hesitated before taking his hand.
He guided her out of the bedroom and into the study.
‘There is another bedroom with an en suite on this floor.’ He led her down the darkened hallway and across the landing to open the door to another of the house’s six bedrooms. He leant against the doorframe as she stepped into the room.
‘Get some sleep. I will see you in the morning.’ Once he’d worked out exactly how to proceed.
She stood in the room, looking a little lost. ‘But I left my bike outside,’ she said.
He huffed out a strained laugh. ‘I’ll bring it in out of the cold.’
‘Okay, thanks,’ she murmured. ‘For everything.’ Then flushed, obviously realising the double meaning.
He had to hold back another harsh laugh.
Damn, but she really was utterly adorable. He grasped the lapels of her robe and tugged her close, but restricted the goodnight kiss to a chaste peck on her forehead. ‘Bonne nuit, Allycat.’
Tomorrow they would talk. But for tonight he needed space and distance; they both did. Their spectacular chemistry did not have to be a bad thing, in fact it could be a very fortuitous thing, and not just for his business.
