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Right now he was wearing his bad-boy label with pride. A more sedate man might have decided those few drinks were enough to impair Lara’s decision-making processes.
But Reuben didn’t doubt her decision-making at all. Not right now anyway. She was finally letting the walls and barriers she’d built up around herself tumble down.
Tonight she had an edge of confidence he hadn’t seen before.
Deliberately or not, she’d just aligned her hips with his, pressing the length of her body with its warm curves against him. It was hitting all the right spots.
His fingers trailed down the side of her cheek to the base of her neck where her pulse was beating a rapid tune against his fingers.
She tilted her head to the side. He could sense one leg lifting from the floor as she tilted her pelvis towards his. Her lips parted, her tongue brushed along his bottom lip. Tantalising.
A wave of anticipation swept his body, making his stomach clench. All of a sudden the walls of the sumptuous casino were pressing in around them. The tiny hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. It felt as if every eye in the house was on them.
He drew back. Lara’s heavy eyelids fluttered open, her eyes dark with desire. Her lips were swollen, still open, and her breathing choppy.
She looked almost stung that he’d pulled his lips from hers.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one caught in the wave of anticipation.
He sucked in a steady breath, ignoring the amused eyes around them, and picked up their chips from table. He nodded his head at their fellow players. ‘Ladies, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us?’
He didn’t wait for their acknowledgement, didn’t need to see their knowing glances.
He just grasped Lara’s hand firmly in his and crossed the casino floor in swift steps.
She hadn’t said a single word and he could hear her footsteps pitter-patter behind him as they crossed the impeccably tiled floor. They burst through the casino doors and back out into the cool evening air.
This time he did stop. The fresh air was just what he needed. His arm slid around her waist.
He expected her just to stand there for a few seconds, to let the air cool her heated skin and dampen the electricity between them.
But it seemed he didn’t know Lara as well as he thought.
She stepped directly into his line of vision. Her bright blue eyes were flooded with passion and a steely determination. She placed one hand on his chest, under his jacket, the palm of her hand pressing against his thudding heart. Her other hand rested on his jawline.
It was an intimate gesture. A gesture almost of promise.
‘What was that?’ There was no vulnerability to her voice. No uncertainty. Lara Callaway wanted an answer to her question.
‘I don’t know,’ he said quickly. Because he didn’t. He wasn’t used to a woman putting him on the spot and calling him on his actions. Mainly because his actions were always invited and definitely reciprocated. He was always straight with women. Things were never going anywhere—his job and lifestyle dictated that, so he made no pretences.
But everything with Lara had started differently. He hadn’t met her in a club or restaurant. They hadn’t gone for a few drinks together, knowing exactly where things would end.
It didn’t matter that they had a room together. In fact, it was probably the biggest problem of all. The biggest elephant in the room.
For Reuben, going to a hotel room with a woman meant just that. One night, sex, with a quick retreat in the morning.
Here, there was no retreat. Nowhere to hide.
Lara’s eyes flashed at him again. She leaned forward. For a second he thought she was going to kiss him. Thought he might have a chance to taste those lips again.
There was a roaring in his ears. A flashback to the other day and the hurt and pain he’d witnessed in her eyes. Lara Callaway wasn’t someone to be played with. She wasn’t someone to have a casual fling with and dump when they got back to London.
He knew her.
And if this went any further he would be the person causing the hurt in her eyes.
He took a step back, removing himself from the warmth of her skin and smell of her perfume. He gave a shake of his head. ‘This isn’t right, Lara. Not for you. Not for me. I’m not your kind of guy. I can’t give you any kind of promise.’
His body was screaming at him, Fool! Fool!
The irony of how he normally acted was killing him. But he just couldn’t do this.
He couldn’t do this to her.
Something flashed in her eyes and she leaned forward. Her soft skin came into contact with his cheek, her voice low. ‘Don’t give me that. You and I both know we move in different circles. I’m not your barracuda girl. And I don’t need any guy treating me as if I’m not good enough. I’m past that.’
