hothouse ones sold by street vendors. They have no scent.’
She laughed, a lovely ripple of sound that was headier than the wine. ‘You actually went out and tried them?’
‘I did.’
‘Well, there’s hope for you yet.’
‘Hope for what?’
‘For being more aware of nature’s beautiful gifts.’
‘I’m very aware of one sitting directly opposite me.’ He reached across the table and took one of her hands in his, lightly rubbing his thumb over its palm as his eyes bored into hers, every forceful atom of his mind willing her to concede to the strong sexual attraction between them. ‘Spend the night with me, Laura. I’ve booked a room in the Intercontinental Hotel. It’s only a short walk from here. Let’s satisfy what was left unsatisfied last Sunday.’
It was blunt.
It was honest.
It promised nothing more than it said.
It had to be this way or no way.
Despite all he liked about her, she was still Alex Costarella’s daughter and that fact would separate them when the time for retribution came. Jake had been moving towards that destination for ten years. Whatever he had with Laura could only be a brief sidetrack.
A WILD MÊLÉE of emotions pumped through Laura’s heart. The response of her body to Jake’s proposition was instantaneous; her stomach contracting in sheer yearning for the satisfaction he promised, her thighs pressing together to contain the rush of excitement at their apex, her breasts tingling with the need to be touched, held, given the same sensual caressing he was using on her hand.
The simple answer was yes.
She wanted to go with him, wanted to feel how it would be, wanted to know, but the surge of desire was so compelling it frightened her. This wasn’t just curiosity. Nor was it an experiment over which she had control.
And there were other considerations.
She was supposed to be spending the night at Eddie’s apartment. Her brother would worry if she didn’t turn up there so he would have to be told, though she need not actually speak to him. A text message would suffice. Eddie would undoubtedly repeat what he’d said before—make damned sure you keep it at sex and don’t get hooked on him.
Good advice. Except Laura had the fluttery feeling that she was hooked. Deeply and irrevocably hooked. Although if Jake ever demanded too much of her, surely she had enough backbone to walk away. He was offering her great dinners and very probably great sex. It shouldn’t be a problem for her to take both and enjoy both.
His thumb pressed into her palm. ‘What reservations do you have, Laura?’ he asked quietly, the dark brilliant eyes scouring hers for answers, challenging whatever barriers were in her mind.
Pride wouldn’t allow her to admit she was scared of his power over her. It suddenly seemed terribly important to appear brave and strong, not only to him but also to herself. She forced a smile. ‘None. I was just thinking I don’t want to be left wondering, so let’s do it.’
He relaxed into a laugh—a deep rumble of pleasure that thrummed along her shaky nerves, promising all would be well between them. His eyes sparkled delight in her as he said, ‘You are one amazing woman.’
She raised her eyebrows in arch surprise. ‘Why?’
He grinned. ‘Before I met you I was expecting a pampered princess or a calculating miss, used to getting to her own way. It was a surprise to find you were neither. But you are quite strikingly beautiful, Laura, and beautiful women tend to use that power to see how far a man will go for them.’
‘I don’t like power games,’ she said sharply, hating any form of manipulation.
‘No. You’re wonderfully direct with what you think.’ He lifted his glass in a toast to her. ‘May you always be so.’
She cocked her head on one side consideringly. ‘Were you buttering me up with the foodie thing?’
He shook his head. ‘I want more than a one-night stand with you. I’m quite certain I’ll enjoy our adventure into fine dining.’
‘So will I.’
‘Then we’re agreed on our points of contact.’
She laughed, happily giddy with the sense that this wasn’t so much a dangerous trap she might fall into but a course of action that could give her tremendous pleasure. Her whole body zinged with excitement at the points of contact soon to be made.
‘Will you excuse me for a few minutes?’ she said, rising from her chair. ‘I need to go to the ladies’ and call my brother.’
‘Why your brother?’ he asked, frowning over the possibility of third-party interference.
‘I arranged to stay overnight at his apartment. I don’t want Eddie worrying about me.’
‘Ah! Of course! You didn’t want your father to know. He won’t know any more from me, Laura,’ he quickly assured her.
She paused a moment, eyeing him with deadly seriousness. ‘If you don’t keep to that, Jake, I won’t see you again.’
‘Understood.’
A secret affair, Laura thought, liking the idea of it as she made her way to the ladies’ room. Somehow it was less threatening than a relationship she would be expected to talk about. Eddie would have to know but she could trust him to keep it private if she asked him to. They had a solid sister/brother pact about running their own lives—away from their father.
However, she had no sooner sent the necessary text than her mobile phone rang in response. With a rueful sigh, she reopened it, knowing Eddie was going to express concern.
‘You said you weren’t going to fall at his feet,’ he snapped in disapproval.
‘I’m standing upright and walking to where I want to go. Just like you do, Eddie,’ she reminded him.
‘You’re younger than I am, Laura. Not as street-hard. I tell you, that guy knows how to play all the angles. You should be standing back a bit, more on guard.’
She knew it was Jake’s connection to her father making her brother overprotective but she had dealt with that issue. Until it raised its head again—if it did—she was determined on ignoring it and pleasing herself. ‘I want this, Eddie. Let it be. Okay?’
In the short silence that followed she had a mental image of him grinding his teeth over her decision, not liking it one bit but forced to respect it. ‘Okay,’ he said grudgingly. ‘Will I see you tomorrow?’
‘If you’re at the apartment when I come to pick up the things I’ve left there.’
‘I’ll be in. Hope this isn’t one hell of a mistake, Laura.’
‘I hope so, too. ’Bye for now.’
She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she refreshed her lipstick. Her eyes were very bright. Feverishly bright? Earlier this week she had likened Jake to a virus that had invaded her system, knocking her out of kilter. The invasion was much stronger tonight, both physically and mentally, and she didn’t want to fight it. Surrendering to all the clamouring feelings inside her had to be right. By tomorrow she would know for certain if it was a mistake. That was better than wondering.
Jake rose from his chair as she approached their table again. ‘Ready to go?’ he asked as she reached it.
‘Yes. Have you paid…?’
He nodded. ‘And tipped. The service was excellent.’
‘Absolutely.