turn-on was just the thought of that? Enough so that his body hardened painfully.
He could easily imagine the two of them together here, knew that those multiple reflections would push his desire for Miranda to overload as he watched and enjoyed the two of them making love together.
He visualised the two of them, completely naked, as he stood behind Miranda, her silky, luminescent flesh very pale against his more olive skin as they stood close enough to the mirrors for him to see every nuance of expression on her face, but far enough away to ensure those multiple reflections.
His arousal would be pressed between the delicious globes of her bottom as he cupped her breasts in his hands, listening to her groans of pleasure as he played with and caressed her nipples, until they stood proud and full, and aching for more. Then he would move his hands lower, fingers splayed possessively across the flatness of her stomach, before moving down to allow his fingers to part the pale curls between her thighs and reveal the bud beneath, a bud that would be so aroused it would peep visibly from beneath its hood.
And then he would watch, would feast his eyes on that swollen nubbin as his fingers stroked and caressed. Would watch Miranda’s silken thighs part as she allowed him greater access, pressing into his caressing fingers as she gasped her climax.
Then Darius would go on his knees in front of her, greedily licking and caressing her to another orgasm.
And then again, and again.
He wanted to be able to watch that reflection as he parted her thighs before thrusting his length into her. To see how wet and swollen she was for him, a silken glove as she took all of him inside her, before he began to thrust into her, time and time again. And he would watch the ecstasy on Miranda’s face as she climaxed for him again, before allowing himself to fall over that edge of pleasure with her.
He straightened abruptly. ‘This particular charity dinner is a family obligation thing.’
‘Really?’ Miranda still eyed him curiously. ‘You’ve never given me the impression you particularly care what anyone else thinks of you.’
‘I don’t,’ he confirmed tersely. ‘This is just— My mother throws one of these events once a year to celebrate her birthday, okay?’ he bit out impatiently. ‘Her private celebration was the reason the family was at the restaurant last Thursday.’
Did that mean that Catherine Latimer’s birthday was on the same day as Andy’s own?
Considering the tension she had picked up from Darius just now, when he spoke of his mother, the same tension she had sensed at the family dinner table last Thursday, not to mention the scowl Darius had given later on in the club when she had told him they were celebrating her own birthday, Andy had a feeling that it was...
Darius now gave an impatient glance at the gold watch fastened about his wrist. ‘I have another appointment now, but I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty on Saturday evening.’
Andy knew it was a statement rather than a request. A fait accompli, as far as Darius was concerned.
And maybe it was?
That less than subtle threat to Colin’s job aside, didn’t Andy want to accept Darius’s invitation? Hadn’t the curiosity she felt, for and about him, only increased after the passionate kiss they had just shared? So much so that Andy now wanted to see him again on Saturday evening?
The ache of her breasts and the dampness between her thighs said that she did. Even so...
‘Don’t think, just because I’m agreeing to go with you to this dinner on Saturday, that I’ll allow you to blackmail me into doing anything else,’ she warned challengingly. ‘I love my brother-in-law dearly, but this is most definitely a one-off thing!’
Darius raised teasing brows. ‘Maybe I won’t need to use blackmail in order to get you to do anything else?’
Andy’s lips thinned at his mockery.
‘I’m afraid you’ll never know—because I have no intention of seeing you again after Saturday night,’ she countered with insincere sweetness.
Only to then catch her breath in her throat as Darius laughed. It was a slightly gruff sound, as if he really were out of practice. At the same time as he looked just as good as Andy had suspected he might...
His eyes glowed a deep, molten gold, laughter lines fanning out from beside them, those attractive grooves in the hardness of his cheeks making another appearance, his teeth very white and straight against those chiselled lips.
Darius was breathtaking when he laughed.
It was a laughter that faded, all too quickly for Andy’s liking, to a derisive smile that became mocking. ‘Maybe after Saturday night I won’t need to blackmail you into seeing me again.’
‘And maybe after Saturday night you won’t want to see me again!’ Andy ignored the innuendo as she answered him challengingly.
Darius became very still as he saw as well as heard that challenge, in the deep green of Miranda’s eyes and her defiant stance. ‘I would advise that you don’t deliberately do or say anything to embarrass me on Saturday evening.’
She raised innocent brows. ‘I don’t know you well enough to know what would embarrass you!’
‘I can’t think of anything offhand,’ Darius drawled dismissively.
‘That’s what I thought,’ she came back pertly. ‘I live in the apartment above here. But then you already know that, don’t you?’ she stated impatiently as he raised a knowing eyebrow. ‘Okay. Fine. Seven-thirty on Saturday evening.’
Darius might not have experienced it for a long, long time—if at all!—but he nevertheless knew when he was being dismissed.
Still, it was a dismissal he was prepared to allow for the moment, when he knew that staying here any longer would put him in serious jeopardy of forgetting his earlier decision to wait until Saturday before making love to Miranda.
‘Saturday.’ He lightly cupped her cheek as he bent and brushed a light kiss across her slightly parted lips. ‘I’m looking forward to it already,’ he murmured as he gazed down at her intently.
‘I’m not!’ Green eyes returned that gaze defiantly.
Darius found himself laughing again as he straightened before turning to leave. ‘Don’t forget to lock up after me,’ he instructed as he reached the doorway, closing the door quietly behind him as he left.
He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him laugh, let alone at the same time as his body was hard and throbbing with the desire to make love to her.
He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him laugh at all.
In truth, he couldn’t remember the last time he had genuinely laughed at anything...
‘JUST SMILE AND leave the talking to me,’ Darius advised Andy softly on Saturday evening as the two of them moved steadily down the greeting line with the other glamorously clothed and bejewelled guests arriving at the London Midas Hotel for the charity dinner.
‘Is that all your women are usually required to do?’ Andy responded with brittle sweetness.
He raised dark brows. ‘I’m going to ignore that remark, and put it down to nervousness on your part.’
Andy was nervous. And that nervousness was increasing the closer they came to where Darius’s mother and stepfather, and presumably other members of the charity’s committee, were personally greeting all the guests as they arrived.
She had spent most of the last forty-eight hours having second, third and fourth thoughts about the wisdom of seeing Darius again, when she so obviously had