It Started With... Collection

Laura blinked, both at his intuitive conclusion and his rather amazing ability to take control of the wild passion which had been raging between them less than a few seconds earlier. She could not possibly have stopped, yet he had. Laura guessed that was what made him a man of the world and her a … what? A naïve fool? No, not a fool. Just much less experienced in sexual matters.

Perhaps not so inexperienced after tonight, she conceded with a rush of excitement.

‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked him breathlessly.

His smile carried a wicked edge. ‘Now, that’s a very leading question. Ask me again later. For now, I don’t want you to do anything except just lie there and relax.’

‘Relax?’ He might as well have asked her to climb Mount Everest.

His smile turned a little wry. ‘You’re right, I don’t really want you to relax. But I have something to attend to before proceeding.’ And he stood up.

‘What?’

‘I’m going to light the fire. It’s become quite cool in here.’

‘I didn’t notice.’

‘You will, once you get naked.’

Naked …

Laura could not help shivering at the thought.

‘After I’m done lighting this,’ he said, moving over to hunch down in front of the fireplace, ‘I want to undress you.’ He glanced over his shoulder at her.

Laura swallowed. Her throat was horribly dry all of a sudden.

‘Now, don’t start thinking,’ he growled before returning his attention to the fire. ‘It’s too late for second thoughts. Or for worrying. You want me to make love to you and I want that too. We may regret it in the morning, but who knows? Maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll look back on tonight and think of it as an incredible experience which neither of us would have missed for the world.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#ulink_bd63b455-4abb-5836-ba43-3aa13d62e999)

WANTING a moment to recover herself, Laura got off the bed and went into the bathroom where she was momentarily startled by her reflection in the large mirror. She’d forgotten how different she looked tonight. For a split second it bothered her that Ryan’s intense desire for her was nothing more than a superficial reaction to her suddenly sexier appearance. But then she shrugged the thought aside. Of course that was why he desired her. That was the nature of the male sex; their hormones were easily turned on by physical beauty. She had to confess that even the female sex could fall victim to such shallow attractions. If Ryan hadn’t been so handsome, with a drop-dead-gorgeous body, she would hardly want to sleep with him tonight, would she?

By the time she emerged a couple of minutes later, the fire was crackling, with flames leaping high up the chimney. Ryan was back on his feet, leaning on the mantelpiece and staring down at the flames. His jacket and tie had been removed, and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He looked pensive, and so sexy Laura could hardly breathe.

He turned and stared at her, his expression unreadable as his gaze moved slowly down and up her body. Gone was the overt hunger from his eyes, but they still called to the woman in her.

‘Have I told you how incredibly beautiful you are tonight?’ he said thickly. ‘No, don’t answer. And don’t come any closer. I’ve changed my mind about undressing you. I want you to do it for me.’

Her eyes widened.

‘Don’t be shy. You must know you’ve nothing to be shy about. No, not the shoes; leave the shoes on. The belt first. Then the dress—but not over your head. Undo the zip then slide it off your shoulders.’

She did as he asked, her hands shaking, her heart thudding so fast and so loudly behind her ribs she thought it must surely go into cardiac arrest. By the time she reached to push the dress off her shoulders, her whole body was trembling. The thought of standing there before him in nothing but a black satin thong and a pair of high heels was both daunting and horribly exciting. As her fingers curled over the edge of the neckline, her nipples tightened further, as did her belly.

And then it was done, the red silk dress pooling at her feet with a soft whooshing sound. Her spine and shoulders straightened as he stared at her, and for a long moment neither of them moved or spoke.

But then he sighed. ‘I’m not sure one night is going to be enough,’ he muttered in gravelly tones.

She should not have been thrilled by his words, but she was.

‘Come here,’ he commanded.

Where did she find the courage to walk almost naked towards him?

Possibly courage wasn’t an issue when she was so turned on that nothing mattered any more except that his eyes stay fixed on her bared breasts.

Which they did.

‘Stop,’ he commanded again when she was within arm’s reach of him.

She stopped, her heartbeat momentarily suspended as she waited for him to reach out and touch her. When he did—brushing the back of one hand across her stunningly erect nipples—a lightning rod of electricity zapped through her body, making her gasp.

‘Turn around,’ was his next surprising order.

She teetered a little on her high heels as she did so.

‘Steady,’ he directed, taking a firm hold of her shoulders from behind. ‘Now, move your legs apart a little.’

Such a small, insignificant movement but, oh, what incredible feelings it evoked. She’d never felt so wicked. Or so wanton.

Her head literally spun. Was this the kind of thing he did with all his women? Stripped them, not just of their clothes but their conscience and their pride? No, no, that last bit wasn’t right; her pride wasn’t at risk here. She didn’t feel in any way humiliated by the things he’d asked her to do. She’d seen the admiration flare in his eyes when he’d looked over her near-naked body. Laura had felt perversely proud of herself at that moment, perhaps because she knew he’d looked upon more beautiful bodies than hers. Yet he still seemed to find her very desirable.

I’m not sure one night is going to be enough, he’d said.

Not enough for her either, she suspected, if this was his idea of foreplay. What next? she wondered as an erotic tremor trickled down her spine to where her tightly held buttocks were quivering with anticipation.

He suddenly pressed himself up against her back, his left hand dropping from her shoulder to take possession of her left breast, whilst his right hand slid across to push her hair back from her face and neck. Her head tipped sideways when he put his mouth so close to her ear that his hot breath made her shudder.

‘I think,’ he murmured, ‘That it’s time to go to bed now. What do you think, beautiful?’

‘I can’t think at all,’ she returned shakily. And wasn’t that the truth!

‘God, but I love seeing you like this,’ he ground out, cupping her chin and twisting her head far enough around so that their eyes could meet.

‘Like what?’

‘All hot and bothered.’ His eyes glittered down at her whilst he moved his outstretched palm back and forth across her by-then exquisitely sensitised nipple.

A tortured moan escaped her parted lips. ‘You are a libertine,’ she accused breathlessly.

‘Not quite,’ he retorted. ‘But I could easily become one tonight.’

Ryan struggled for control as he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. He struggled to calm his flesh, which was clammering wildly for a quick release. Not just quick—savage. He wanted to throw her onto that bed, rip off her panties and just ram himself into her.

Rough sex, however, was not something Ryan ever entertained. He prided himself on being an imaginative lover, but always a tender one. He never indulged in anything which smacked of violence. The thought of making a woman cry out with pain was anathema to him.

Okay, so some women liked it rough, he reminded himself as he laid her down across the bed. But he couldn’t imagine that Laura would be one of them. Clearly she had believed, up until this life-changing moment, that she needed to be in love to enjoy sex. Which was a fallacy, of course. Sex was a basic human function much the same as eating and sleeping; you didn’t need to be in love to enjoy either of those. Ryan had never been in love in his life and he sure as hell enjoyed all three.