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Drawing back slightly, he loosened the top few buttons of her blouse. Sweeping it from her shoulders, he exposed the long line of her neck and sloping curves of her breasts. He lowered his head, pressing a lingering kiss in the soft hollow of her throat.
“I want you,amorata mia,”he muttered, his breath fast and hot against her neck.
Her heart pounded beneath his hands and she shook her head, desperately clinging to the tiny bit of sanity remaining to her. Every instinct urged her to give in to his demands, but she couldn’t cross that line, couldn’t permit a physical relationship without the emotional commitment to go with it. “We can’t. It wouldn’t be right.” But it felt right, exquisitely right.
“It would be wrong not to,” he argued. “What’s the problem? You’ve admitted there’s no Will-William. Your job is safe. You want me. And I want you.”
His hands tightened on her hips, making the extent of his desire abundantly clear. She wasn’t certain how much longer she could hold him off. She wasn’t certain how much longer shewantedto hold him off. But she had to try. “Luc, this is crazy. We’ve known each other for almost a year and this has never happened. Think about it. We’re under a lot of stress. We’re forced to live together in very difficult circumstances. It’s an involuntary reaction or something.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “An involuntary reaction? You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “It’s the situation we’re in, it’s not because we really want... You know.”
He laughed, the sound harsh and taunting. “Believe me when I say that I really want... you know. I ache for... you know. If I don’t experience... you know soon, I might do something drastic, like bite the damned buttons right off your blouse.”
“Luc!”
“You don’t get it, do you? I want to kiss every inch of your body, starting with that luscious mouth of yours and finishing with your adorable toes. I want to strip off your clothes and make long, sweet love to you. And I want to do it in every room of this apartment, starting right here and now. And once we’ve made love in every conceivable place and position, I want to do it all over again. Does that give you some idea of how much I want... you know?”
She wondered if she looked as shocked as she felt. She licked her lips nervously, watching in fascination as Luc’s eyes flared a brilliant gold. “Where is this leading?” she asked.
“Straight to bed,” he answered without missing a beat.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. Are you interested in marriage, or are we just talking about an affair?”
His hands tightened on her shoulders. “You’d like an honest answer, I assume?”
“It would be refreshing.”
He hesitated, then said bluntly, “I want to make love to you. That’s as honest as I can be at this point.”
“I see.”
She looked away, hoping to hide her distress. He’d been very tactful. But the bottom line was, he wanted a mistress, not a wife. She’d suspected as much. Still, she hadn’t anticipated how badly the truth would hurt. Stepping from his hold, she pulled the front of her blouse closed. She didn’t try to button it. Her hands were trembling too much to even try.
“What about my job?” she asked unevenly. “I mean, affairs don’t last forever. An ending is inevitable.”
“Whether we decide to become involved or not, I don’t think we should work together any longer,” he said carefully. “There’s an opening at the management level. I’d planned to tell you about it at your year-end review. It would mean a promotion with more money and great potential for advancement.”
She could hardly take it all in. She’d never suspected he might want to promote her. Nor could she deny how tempting she found his offer. Too tempting. Even so, she had to remember Baby Dream Toys. Why had remembering become such a struggle?
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she said, “This is too much, too soon. I need time. I’d rather not do anything I’ll later regret while we’re still taking care of Toni.”
“You want to wait until Brand and Carina return, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“That won’t be for another week. Not until Thanksgiving.”
Her head jerked up and she stared at him. “What?”
“I gather I should have told you sooner.” He watched her with a hooded expression. “I guess I had other things on my mind. Brand called right before my brothers arrived. They’re still in Italy with Carina’s family, while her mother recuperates. He says Carina’s talking to him now, but he hasn’t convinced her to marry him, yet.”
“But seven more days! When does Dom get back?” she asked in a panic.
“He’s due to arrive the week after Thanksgiving.”
That cut it close. Too close. She needed time to think, to get her priorities straight. Whether he realized it or not, Luc was asking her to sacrifice everything she’d worked so hard to attain and everything she’d ever been taught by her father. And for what? A brief affair. A few weeks or months of passion. How could she agree to that? Her answer should be obvious. And it would be, if it weren’t for one small detail. She wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.
