‘You can’t try to tease me into it.’
It wasn’t right that she have the best sexual experience of her life with a complete stranger. One who’d no doubt share himself with the rest of the female population given half the chance. She convinced herself it had been so amazing because she’d been without so long. She’d been celibate for so many months, it had been like a cork releasing from an all-shook-up bottle of champagne. But these things didn’t last. Another sip and she’d discover how flat it had gone. It had to be that one-off pop of pleasure.
‘I think we should try just the once, just to see.’ A winning, teasing, tempting smile.
She laughed. It was very apparent that Ruben Theroux wasn’t used to having his plans thwarted. He got what he wanted. And while part of her wanted what he was offering, she knew she’d want more than what he was prepared—or even able—to give in the long run.
‘No.’ She could say that to him and mean it. Sure she could.
‘There’s nothing so simple as a kiss.’
‘And nothing so complicated.’ And unfortunately, nothing else she could think about. His lips caused the problem. That natural curve upwards made them so inviting. Then there was that screamingly masculine line to his jaw. And those wretchedly captivating, laughing eyes.
‘Well, if you’re sure...’ He extended the invitation another few seconds.
‘Thanks anyway.’ She stepped back from it, turned and fled.
* * *
Up in her room it took all of thirty seconds to fling her things into her overnight bag. She giggled at the thought of his temptation. Terribly gorgeous guy, bound to be terribly unreliable.
He was waiting round the front of the chateau. Her car had been brought up by one of those invisible service people who were brilliant.
‘I’ll make sure Nathan gets home somehow,’ Ruben said with a faint grimace.
‘Shouldn’t you be off talking with him already?’ She stowed her bag in the backseat.
‘He’s not my number one priority at the moment.’
‘Oh, you’re so good at the flattery, aren’t you?’
‘Given you’re so determined to leave, I guess I’m not that good.’ He tempered the words with that charming smile.
She paused by her open driver door and met the look in his delicious eyes. ‘Right now I don’t have any regrets. I stay and I might get them. I don’t want to have any.’
‘What about what I want? What about my regrets?’
‘I can only apologise. Again.’
He walked closer, taking hold of the door. ‘Never feel you have to apologise to me. Never ever.’
Unable to answer that, she got in the car. She’d not been honest about her lack of regrets. She regretted nothing of what had happened, but of what else could have happened had they been different people with desires that converged.
He closed the door for her but remained right by the car, expectantly. She fired the engine and hit the button to wind the window all the way down. He bent and leaned in so his face was right near hers.
‘You don’t get away that easy,’ he murmured, sliding his hand to her jaw.
She couldn’t accelerate away or she’d take his arm—and head—with her. But there was no mistaking his intention.
The smile said it all and those gorgeously curved lips arrowed in on hers. The touch was firm—but not totally dominant as she’d expected. No, he held back for all of a second or two. But then his hand cupped her head, angling her slightly better to meet his as his lips plundered hers. And in another instant she plundered right back, seeking more of that strong touch, that deliciousness—the full impact of his utter masculinity. The shivers skittered down her spine, the knots coiled tighter and tighter in her belly already. His tongue swept—playful, insistent, driving. How could so much be said with a kiss?
She had no idea why she was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, or why she had her foot pushed so hard on the brake. The car engine wasn’t even running. But she just knew she was in danger.
He stepped back. Her gaze was glued to him—to the fit, taut body and the smile that held as much rue as it did tease now. His big eyes burned right through hers.
‘My regret...’ he nodded slowly ‘...was not kissing you. Of course now I regret not kissing you sooner.’
Breathless, she put her hand on his wrist, seeking one last touch of skin. ‘Thank you for being so nice to me.’
His gaze narrowed. ‘I’m not as nice as all that, Ellie.’ His voice dropped so she leaned forward in her seat, nearer to hear him. ‘You need to know something about me.’
She waited, lungs not breathing, heart not beating.
‘I’m man enough to take no for an answer,’ he said. ‘But I’m also man enough to fight for what I want.’
Eyes not blinking, she had to ask. ‘What do you want?’
‘You again. Every way. Any way.’
Oh.
He broke the drilling intensity with one of those shattering smiles that gave him such an unfair advantage. ‘So if you want to go, you’d better go now.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘AND now, people, the moment you have been waiting for!’ Despite the pelting rain, Ellie smiled, hugely enjoying the moment as she stepped aside to let them enter the cave—scene of the villain’s final destruction.
The crowd cheered and walked in, a cacophony of excitement.
Four and a half unnaturally long weeks had passed. But the days were getting quicker—sure they were. Being super busy at work helped. She’d progressed from the day and overnight tours, to the longer three to seven nights. This was good, because being responsible for the well-being of up to a dozen people twenty-four hours a day meant she had little time to dwell on what might have happened had she not gunned the car and gone from zero to ninety in less than three seconds.
‘OMG this is amazing!’
‘I can’t believe I’m actually here.’
‘Xaynethe—at last!’
Ellie grinned as she took photos, photos and, oh, yes, more photos for the tourists as they posed outrageously in front of the mother of all rocks that had been used in the penultimate scene of the mock-Greek-myth movie franchise.
Yeah, she too was the kind of girl who’d want to dance in the Sound of Music summerhouse if she ever got to Salzburg. She’d go to Tiffany’s and eat breakfast with her nose pressed to the window pane...so she totally got where her attendees were coming from. And she wanted them to have that experience of their lifetimes, for it to be worth the massive journeys they’d taken. They were die-hard fans, and die-hard fans did not like to be disappointed.
‘Okay, random dialogue time—spot prize to the person who answers this.’ She broke into a speech, one of the less famous quotes that eventually led into one of the film’s greatest scenes.
One guy stepped up immediately, answering her bit-part player’s throwaway comment with the hero’s ‘impassioned plea’. She continued the scene—taking another character’s part, wanting to see how far he’d go and whether he could achieve UFS—Ultimate Fan Status. She set the bar super high so not many did, but she had a good feeling about this guy.
As she’d suspected, her tour ‘hero’ kept the exchange up for the entire scene—and when it ended, the rest of the group clapped and whistled. Laughing, Ellie took his hand and guided him to take a bow. Yeah, it really was the best job ever.
She