and the bridge beyond. The traffic on it was only light at this early hour, she noted.
But not for long. The day promised to be as bright and warm as yesterday.
Yesterday…
She took the mug away from her lips and sighed. Dear heaven, what had she done?
A small, dry laugh escaped her lips. What hadn’t she done? more like it. Her behaviour in bed was bad enough, but it hadn’t been confined to Jake’s bed, had it? She’d been bad in the spa bath as well, and in the kitchen whilst he’d been microwaving them a meal. And here in this very room, on the rug, in front of the television.
It was as though Jake’s making love to her that second time had released something in her, and suddenly she was hungry for it all. Every experience possible with Jake.
He hadn’t minded, of course. Though she’d had the impression he was a bit surprised at one stage. Not with what she did. Perhaps he was just surprised that she would what she did, and with such avidness.
But as much as Angelina was worried sick by where this would all end, she could find no real regrets in her heart for the actual events of last night. How could you regret something that made you feel the way she felt this morning? Like a real woman for a change. A desired and desirable woman who had been made love to very, very well.
At least now she knew what Wilomena meant by having fun. It had been fun. At least, it had been with Jake. The man was the very devil with women all right. If she’d shocked him once, he’d shocked her a dozen times. Thrillingly, though.
The memories made her quiver with remembered pleasure.
‘What are you doing up this early?’
Angelina almost spilt her coffee again, her whole body jumping at Jake’s sudden appearance behind her.
As she glanced up over the back of the sofa at him, he bent to kiss her, one of his hands sliding down the front opening of the robe at the same time.
Angelina didn’t know how she didn’t spill the coffee this time.
‘Mmm,’ he murmured by the time he’d straightened. ‘I know what I’m going to have for breakfast. Fancy a shower together?’
‘Not till I’ve finished my coffee,’ she replied with creditable control, considering. Angelina had already decided that, whilst yesterday had been marvellous, today was another day entirely. Today, she had to start getting some control back over herself.
Watching Jake walk over to the nearby open-plan kitchen didn’t exactly help that resolve, given that he was stark naked. She told herself not to look, but look she did. By the time he’d made his coffee and returned to sprawl in an adjacent chair, sipping his coffee with apparent nonchalance, her control was definitely at risk.
Gulping down the rest of her coffee, she uncurled her legs and made some excuse about seeing to her clothes, which Jake had actually popped into the washer and dryer at some stage last night. She was just hanging her fortunately crush-free dress on a coat hanger in the beautifully appointed laundry when Jake’s arms went round her waist from behind.
‘Methinks the lady is suffering morning-after syndrome,’ he whispered as he started unsashing her robe.
‘Not at all,’ she lied coolly. ‘I’m just a bit concerned about today, that’s all. I really need to go over to the hotel this morning, change into some casual clothes and check out. Then I have to drop in at the expo and see how we’re doing.’ She really couldn’t go home without knowing if this venture had been a success. Arnold would ask, and so would Alex.
‘When’s check-out time?’ Jake asked, those busy hands of his not missing a beat as they drew erotic circles around her stiffening nipples.
Angelina swallowed. She really couldn’t allow him to seduce her again so easily. But of course that was his talent, wasn’t it? Seduction. And sex. Tender sex. Rough sex. Imaginative sex. Whatever was required. But still just sex. She had to remember she wasn’t anything so special. Just more of a challenge than his usual chicky babe.
Or she had been.
‘Ten-thirty,’ she told him, swallowing again. Why didn’t he stop that? On the other hand, why didn’t she stop him? She was just so weak where he was concerned.
Was it love making her weak? Or could she take some comfort in hoping this was just sex for her as well? In a way, this made some sense. She’d lived a celibate life for so long that surely it was only natural that she’d go mad for sex, now that she’d discovered it. Maybe she wasn’t madly in love with him, after all.
‘We have plenty of time yet,’ Jake said throatily, cupping her breasts and pulling her back hard against him.
She could feel his hardness through his bathrobe.
‘I’ll drive you over to the hotel around ten,’ he murmured as he pulled the robe further open and nuzzled at her neck. ‘And take you personally to the expo. Then we can go have lunch and do some shopping.’
‘Shopping?’ she echoed somewhat blankly, having reached that point when intelligent thought was nigh-on impossible.
‘Didn’t you say you wanted to go shopping?’
‘Did I?’ The robe slipped off one shoulder, then the other, before dropping to the floor. Suddenly, she felt more naked than she ever had been with him. And more vulnerable.
He was smiling when he turned her round in his arms.
‘I dare say you’ve changed your mind, like a typical woman. But I have a fancy to buy you something really sexy to wear. Something…naughty.” She stared up into his eyes, which were gleaming hotly down at her.
‘You’re still a very bad boy, aren’t you, Jake?’ she choked out.
‘I haven’t noticed you objecting,’ he replied with a devilishly charming grin. ‘Now, come have that shower with me, gorgeous.’
She went.
‘Sydney really is a beautiful city,’ Angelina said as they walked, hand in hand, through Hyde Park.
Jake glanced across at her, thinking how beautiful she looked today. Beautiful and sexy. Those jeans hugged her curvy body like a second skin. Too bad about that loose white shirt she was wearing over them. Though perhaps it was as well she wasn’t wearing anything too revealing on top. Jake’s possessiveness of her had increased overnight, along with his desire. He only had to touch her and he wanted to make love to her again.
Jake thought of what was in the plastic shopping bag he was holding. The sexiest black corset he’d ever seen. Angelina had refused to try it on in the shop, but he knew there would be no such objections once he got her home.
‘Sydney always looks great in the summer,’ he agreed, very pleased with the way things were going.
‘I guess the good weather is one of the reasons the expo has gone so well,’ she remarked.
‘Perhaps. But it always pays to have a good product. Your wines are going to be a big hit down here in Sydney, by the sound of things. Wayne was over the moon with the orders they’d already taken and the interest shown.’
‘Men like Wayne are exaggerators,’ Angelina said drily. ‘But it does look promising.’
Jake had to admire the way Angelina’s feet were firmly on the ground when it came to her business. She was no pushover, in lots of ways.
Sexually, however, she was putty in his hands. Jake couldn’t wait to get her alone again.
‘I work not far from here,’ he pointed out. ‘My office is in that tall bluish building over there. If the sun’s out, I come over to the park and eat my lunch here. Right here, in fact.’ And he pulled her down onto a seat under a huge tree that provided almost an acre of shade.
His arm wound