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“Blurring lines?” He laughed quietly. “What lines are we blurring?”
“All of them,” she responded with a self-deprecating shake of her head. “Work. Sex. The past. The present.” She hit her palm against her forehead and made a noise of confusion. “This is absolute madness.” She pulled her shirt on and buttoned it together. He noticed with pleasure that she’d omitted her bra. The thought of her naked breasts beneath the soft silk of her blouse made him hard again instantly.
“Madness of the nicest type,” he said with a sensual smile.
She shook her head. “Just madness. Look, Gael, I’m not the same girl I was six years ago.”
He took in the resolute set of her chin, the squared shoulders, the determined glint in her eye, and wondered what it was about her teenage self she wanted to run from. Why she was so adamant to draw a line in the sand, between who she’d been and who she now was.
“You’ve said that,” he nodded slowly.
“It’s just … I was a child then. Now, I’m a woman. I like sex. I’m not ashamed of that. I don’t believe in love and happy endings and that kind of immature nonsense. I see sex almost as an itch that needs to be scratched, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, that’s all.”
“Oh?” Why was he so angry? Why was her emphatic, emotionless delivery infuriating him? “So give me the right idea.”
She slipped her feet into her heels, and looked down at him, lying unapologetically naked on the carpet. He was so handsome. His dark hair glimmered in the moonlight, like black sand and flame. She closed her eyes, searching for inner strength. “I like sex. Not you. What we have is something I could have with any other guy I found attractive.” She blinked then, meeting his eyes with a silent challenge. She had no idea that her expression revealed a well of inner torment. How could she? She’d spent years perfecting a mask, never expecting it to be challenged by the man who’d forced her to assume it.
“I see,” he said quietly, his mind ticking over her proclamation.
“So I won’t be staying tonight. And in Spain… I’m happy to do what we just did,” she gestured to the carpet, the scene of their erotic entanglement, “but I will walk away from you every time, until we’re done with this.”
A muscle clenched in his gut. Something heavy and sharp at the same time. He stood and moved towards her with a menacing purpose. His eyes linked to hers. “And when will we be done?” He said, pulling her to him and holding her body against his. He saw the surprise in her eyes when she felt the power of his arousal, and he smiled inwardly.
Her bravado was slipping. She pulled it back in place with effort. “I never take long to bore of a man. I suspect next week will get you out of my system.”
“Excellent.” He pressed his lips to hers; it was a kiss of need but also of punishment. She had just voiced exactly what he’d always felt for women, but he didn’t like hearing it now. With his lips against hers, he lifted her skirt, and pressed his fingers against the sweet heart of her femininity.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was a husky kernel.
He smiled against her mouth. “Experiencing an orgasm while standing is one of the most satisfying sensations.” He grabbed her hands in one of his, his powerful fingers clenching around her slender wrists as he held them behind her back. He kissed her, and restrained her, while he pleasured her. His mouth dipped lower, to the sensitive pulse point at the base of her neck. Carrie tried to stay strong, but she was a single raft on a turbulent ocean of want. Waves of need rocked her, sending her pulse skittering through her body as heat, searing and intense, ravaged her nerves. She collapsed against him, shaking and overcome, as her body shredded apart.
“Gael,” she whimpered, weakened and exhausted. “That’s…”
He squeezed her wrists. “Just the beginning,” he promised. “You may tire of me eventually, Carrie, but I suspect it will take longer than a week.”
* * *
“It’s just a week,” Carrie searched her apartment, locating essentials as she went. Make up, exfoliator, face masks, conditioner. “And I’ll have my phone.”
“I know,” Juanita said, “But we’re going dress shopping at the weekend.”
“I’ll be back by Sunday, I promise. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. Do you really think I’d skip such an important day in my best friend’s life?”
“No,” Juanita stopped sulking and settled her legs beneath her. “So tell me about him.”
“I’ve told you, he’s an arrogant pig.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Juanita waved her hand through the air, sending her bangles clattering together. “I bought that the first time around, but not now. You’re going away with him to a sultry, Mediterranean city. Hello, romance!”
“Romance?” Carrie shook her head, a smile playing around her lips as she folded a selection of Liberty print dresses into her bag. “Do you know me but at all?”
Juanita grinned. “I know you better than anyone, remember?”
“Well, this is work. Whatever I think of Gael personally, he’s offering NewNetwork more money than I could have imagined. So if he needs me to go to Spain to finalise our contracts, I’ll go.”
