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‘Stop it, put me down.’ She kicked, struggled.
He held her legs down, ignoring her protests as he marched up the stairs. ‘Be quiet, Ruby,’ he said coolly. ‘And stop punching me, or I’m going to take great pleasure in paddling your very nice behind.’
Striding down a long, panelled hallway, he burst into one of the rooms at the end and dumped her unceremoniously into a leather armchair.
She grasped the armrests, ready to leap out of it, but his hands came down on hers, caging her in.
‘The money was for the damage to your car,’ he said, his voice low with annoyance.
‘My …? What?’ She dropped back into the seat, the fighting spirit draining out of her.
‘Your car.’ He stood up, that searing green gaze slicing right through her indignation. ‘We agreed I would pay for the damage.’
‘But it only cost two hundred,’ she murmured, choking on the denial as the brutal blush blazed up her neck and set her scalp on fire. What had she done? ‘A thousand pounds is too much.’
‘So give me a damn refund.’
He paced across the room, thrusting his fingers into his hair. Standing with his legs akimbo, he stared out of the large, mullioned window into the courtyard below. ‘Do you have any idea how much legal clerks love to gossip?’ he murmured. ‘You’ve just given them enough fodder to keep us feeding the rumour mill for a month.’
Shame filled her at what she’d shouted at him. ‘I’ll explain. To the people downstairs.’
She stood, her legs trembling, more unsettled and unsure of herself than ever. Why had she jumped to all the wrong conclusions? What had possessed her to come storming in here, accusing him?
He turned. ‘Forget it,’ he said. ‘It’s my fault as much as yours. I should have explained in my note.’
But it wasn’t his fault. It was hers. And now she knew why. Because she’d done the unthinkable. The one thing she wanted to believe wasn’t possible. This wasn’t an addiction. It wasn’t a fixation. He meant much more than that to her. And she’d wanted to mean more than that to him.
She crossed to the door.
‘Where are you going?’ The words made the skin on her neck prickle.
‘I’m leaving.’
‘No, you’re not.’ She heard his footsteps, her hand stilling on the door handle as a new heat rose inside her to join the searing pain of humiliation and confusion.
‘Don’t go.’ Warm hands settled on her waist, tugging her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. ‘I’ve missed you, Ruby,’ he murmured, hot breath brushing across her nape. ‘Even though you’re the most troublesome woman I’ve ever met.’
She shuddered, the shock of reaction, the desperate need in her heart for him to mean it—to really mean it—making her soften into him.
‘Seeing as you’ve come all this way,’ he added, pressing tantalising kisses to the sensitive skin beneath her ear, ‘we might as well make the most of the opportunity.’
‘Don’t.’ She placed her hands over his, tried to break his hold, but all the strength had left her. ‘I didn’t come for this.’
‘Didn’t you?’ His teeth nipped at her ear lobe, sending another shudder through her system.
She moaned. The sound low and feral and full of the need she’d tried so hard to hide, to pretend didn’t exist. ‘I can’t.’ Her voice broke on the words, doing nothing to disguise the lie. She wanted more. So much more. Was it possible he might want more too?
‘Yes, you can,’ he whispered. ‘You want this as much as I do.’
She felt the low liquid pull in her belly. Her nipples squeezed into hard, rigid peaks as his hands rose up her torso. The coarse canvas of the apron stimulated the tender flesh of her breasts as he massaged through the layers of clothing.
She twisted in his arms, gripped his face in unsteady hands. She couldn’t wait, couldn’t give herself time to think. This wasn’t just about sex. It couldn’t be.
‘Make love to me,’ she whispered, feeling the hope that she’d kept so carefully leashed blossom.
With one swipe he swept the leather-bound books off the desk. The heavy thuds as they hit the carpet echoed the pounding of her pulse as he lifted her onto the cold mahogany, and settled between her thighs.
She reached for his trousers, frantic to free him before sanity returned. He swore softly, the sound of rending silk sending her senses into overdrive as he ripped aside the final barrier.
