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He supposed he owed her an apology. He’d taken her like a madman.
To think he’d been up half the night, deciding on a course of action, and he’d blown it already.
All during the flight he’d been brutally aware of her sleeping beside him. He’d made himself work to keep from touching her. Not that he’d got much done, with his ears tuned to every small movement or sound she made. It was madness.
When he’d carried her to the guest bed at four in the morning, he’d been so desperate to wake her and make love to her, he’d forced himself to leave her be.
Surely he could do without her for one night? Show some restraint. She was exhausted and so was he, and, anyway, she was here for two whole weeks. What was the rush?
He’d managed to grab a few hours’ sleep in his own bed. But he’d woken up fully aroused all the same. A six-mile jog and a swim in the freezing cold Pacific Ocean—and still the need hadn’t gone away.
When he’d seen her on the terrace, that letterbox-red dress hugging her curves and her eyes alight with surprised arousal, he’d stood to attention with no effort at all. Like a boy of thirteen instead of a man in his thirties.
He’d never wanted a woman this much before in his life. It was starting to concern him.
Feeling her hesitant touch on his heated flesh had been a unique kind of torture. But still he’d managed to pull back, had been determined to pleasure her first to prove he could show at least a little of his usual finesse. But her quickfire response, the dewy taste of her arousal had driven him over the edge, and he’d taken her with an urgency that had been nothing short of brutal in the end, despite all his best intentions.
What if he’d hurt her again?
‘Are you all right?’ He forced the words out. ‘I didn’t plan to be so rough there at the end.’
She gave a long contented sigh. ‘Was that rough? It didn’t feel rough, it felt fantastic.’
He opened his eyes to find her smiling at him, her eyes bright with wonder. The trusting look made his heart stir in a way he didn’t like.
There was nothing he wanted more right now than to let himself off the hook. But what did she know about sex? About what she really wanted, or what she deserved? Next to nothing, he suspected. She was probably tender as hell at the moment. He’d taken her too fast, too hard. But she probably didn’t realise he could have made it better for her if he’d slowed down, if he’d not been so selfish.
Maybe it was about time he found out about what had happened six years ago. So he could stop torturing himself over it? He didn’t want it hanging over him. Making him feel responsible for something he’d had no part of.
‘What made you wait so long, Juno?’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘EXCUSE me?’ Juno stammered.
Mac looked so serious, so sombre, his eyes a penetrating icy blue.
‘Six years,’ he said. ‘Why did you wait so long? What happened?’
Realisation dawned. She sat up, tugging the sheet over her breasts, the warm feeling of afterglow gone. ‘I’m famished. How about I make us a proper breakfast?’
She scooted over to the edge of the bed, intending to make a bolt for the bathroom, but he grabbed hold of the sheet she was using to cover herself, halting her escape in mid-scoot.
‘I want to know what happened. Why won’t you tell me?’
Was he serious? She turned to see the determination in the harsh line of his jaw. Her stomach sank. Apparently he was. ‘Why do you want to know?’
He let out a slow breath. ‘It’s been bugging me. I can’t seem to get it out of my head.’
‘But it was years ago.’ She didn’t want to talk about her past. Not now she was finally breaking free of it.
He let go of the sheet, moved closer to brush the hair back from her brow. ‘You waited six years. And then you chose me. I want to know why.’
‘But that’s silly, it has nothing to do with you. It doesn’t matter any more.’
‘It does to me.’
Why was he being so stubborn? So insistent? It made no sense at all. And then she understood, and her stomach plummeted to her toes. This was exactly the indignity she’d tried to avoid. ‘If you want me to leave…If I’m not exciting enough for you, all you have to do is say so.’
