The Baby Of Their Dreams. Carol Marinelli

sins not yet committed as Dominic pulled her into him.

      His fingers ran lightly down her bare back and it felt utterly blissful.

      ‘Fourteen hours later than I’d have preferred,’ Dominic said into her ear, because that was how long it had been since he’d first itched for the feel of that sexy spine beneath his fingers.

      ‘Well, I’m glad for your sake that you waited,’ she said, imagining her reaction had he been so bold.

      His touch didn’t feel bold now; it felt right.

      When the music ended they made it back to their table and when the bill came Cat did her usual and put her card down.

      ‘We can go halves,’ she said as he picked up the card to hand it back to her.

      ‘Don’t do that, Cat.’

      ‘What?’

      ‘Ruin a perfectly good night.’

      If she were setting the ground rules for the future, she’d have insisted on paying her way.

      Instead, they were setting the ground rules for tonight and she shivered in the warm night air as they headed for the hotel.

      They walked back along the beach. It was after eleven but not really dark thanks to a near full moon and, despite the hour, the beach was far from deserted.

      ‘There are some gorgeous beaches not far from here,’ he said. ‘Are you still determined to head back without seeing the place?’

      ‘I am, though I wish I’d known just how much I’d like it,’ she admitted. ‘I’m going to come again but next time for a holiday. You’re here a lot, then?’

      ‘Quite a bit,’ Dominic said. ‘I have family here.’

      ‘Oh.’

      She ached to know more about him but Reticent was possibly his middle name because, apart from long conversations about everything and nothing, he gave away little.

      The only thing she was sure of was their attraction.

      ‘Which is why,’ he continued, ‘when I saw the conference was being held this year in Barcelona I decided to combine both. I’m very glad now that I did.’ He turned her around and she looked into his dark eyes and his face. He was unreadable. ‘I wish you had got here on Thursday.’

      ‘Why?’ she asked, her brain a bit sluggish with his mouth so close. She was far too used to focusing on work and she assumed that she must have missed some spectacular talk, or some cutting-edge revelation. The answer was far more basic than that.

      ‘We could have had three nights instead of one.’

      Still, he didn’t kiss her, though she ached, ached for him to do so, but he just smiled in the dark like a beautiful devil and then they walked on.

      Back at the hotel Cat was breathless, though not from walking, as they stepped into the foyer. They went through Reception and there was a lot of noise coming from the bar from their fellow attendees.

      ‘Did you want to go to the bar?’ Dominic offered.

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Again,’ he said, ‘she lies.’

      Cat smiled. ‘She does.’

      They headed for the elevators.

      No, he didn’t ask her for her floor.

      He pressed his.

      They stood backs against opposite walls facing each other as the lift groaned its way up, letting people in, letting people out.

      And his eyes never left her face.

      With three floors remaining they were finally alone and still he did not beckon.

      Stay, Cat told herself, though she felt like a Labrador waiting for Christmas dinner.

       Ping!

      She walked slowly only because he did.

      And his very steady hand swiped the card and opened the door to his room.

      Would he offer her a drink? Cat wondered as she looked around.