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Her stomach squeezed on an exhilarating wave of hope and need, but her brain was reluctantly firing to life. Disbelief hit her. On the gondola he’d been offering one night, not a whole month of them... Alarm bells sounded at the intimacy of that. It was all impossible. ‘It’s not that simple. I can’t just click my fingers and walk out of my life.’
His nostrils flared; it was obvious Ares Lykaios was not used to hearing the word no. She’d expected him to kiss her in an attempt to persuade her, or to throw money at her, or maybe even to remind her of the blackmail angle. Instead, he addressed the realities of making this work.
‘I do a lot of work from here. I have office space to spare, with all the latest facilities and technology, excellent Wi-Fi, and if you’re worried about how you’ll manage Danica and whatever work you cannot pass off to someone else then we can work around that.’ He paused a moment, lost in thought. ‘Xanthia told me of a girl in the village who babysits. She can come and help during the days—so long as you agree to step in if there’s a problem—so that you have time to yourself. Deal?’
She wanted to say no, just to thwart him, because he was moving the pieces of her life so effortlessly, showing such control and intuition.
But that ribbon around her chest was being tugged again, drawing her to him, showing her a glimpse of a more impulsive life. Weren’t Amy and Clare always telling her to follow her instincts more? To listen to her gut? Well, both her instincts and gut were telling her to jump first, look later. They’d been telling her the same thing all night. And now Ares was making it easy for her to do just that.
‘What is the expression about having cake and eating it as well?’
She lifted a hand to his chest, tempted beyond words. ‘To have one’s cake and eat it too,’ she supplied, distracted.
‘Exactly. Isn’t this a way to do that?’
She sighed. ‘It’s...complicated.’ The kiss they’d shared on the gondola felt like a lifetime ago—as though it had happened to a wholly different person. She couldn’t believe how free she’d felt then!
‘Why?’
Embarrassment rolled through her. She dropped her gaze, unable to look directly at him. ‘I’m not someone who just casually...gets involved in relationships.’
He was quiet and, despite the fact they’d only known each other a short time, she knew exactly how he’d be looking at her, appraising her, trying to understand what she wasn’t saying. Nerves flew like butterflies inside her belly.
‘I mean, I never have before.’
She risked a glance at him; he was frowning.
‘Been in a relationship?’ he prompted. ‘Let me reassure you, Beatrice, I’m not offering anything serious. This would be a strictly short-term arrangement.’
Her lips twisted in a half-smile. ‘I don’t mean that. I mean... I’ve never...’ But she couldn’t finish the sentence. She was twenty-nine and had never had sex. That didn’t usually bother Bea, but now she found it mortifying to confess.
‘What is it?’ he pressed. ‘Are you trying to tell me you’re a virgin or something?’
Her stomach swooped but she knew there was no sugar-coating it. Tilting her chin defiantly, she forced her eyes to meet his. ‘Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I’m a twenty-nine-year-old virgin. Are you sure you still want to make sex a part of what you’re offering?’
