Bedroom Bargains of Revenge: Bought for Revenge, Bedded for Pleasure / Bedded and Wedded for Revenge / The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge

He was being very clear on that.

But how did he envisage filling the present gap in her life?

“Did you set all this up just to have sex with me, Jack?” she blurted out, driven by the need to get the situation absolutely straight in her mind.

He mused over the question for several moments before answering, “No. I wanted to know you, Sally Maguire,” he said on a wryly whimsical note. “Know all about you …the way you live your life. Which is why I’m here, watching you compete.”

The way she lived her life …as the adopted daughter of his father … the life he might have had if he hadn’t been taken away from it. Kept away.

The injustice to him tugged at her emotions again. She wanted to give him what he hadn’t had, wanted to give him the sense of belonging. He stirred so many desires in her, and the bottom-line truth was she didn’t want to shut him out on any level. Open the door, Sally, she fiercely told herself, and let him in.

“Do you mind?” he asked quietly. “I really enjoyed seeing you ride. It even made me groan in sympathy when your horse knocked the top rail on the triple jump. You were right on the time clock to win if he’d sailed clear. But if you find my interest disturbing …”

“No,” she answered quickly.

“Then will you share the excitement of your day over dinner with me tonight?”

“Yes. I’d like that,” she said decisively. “Thank you.”

It was an opportunity to learn more about him, too. Knowing this man—all that he was, how he lived his life—seemed more important than anything else.

He nodded. “A pleasure I’ll look forward to.”

Then he smiled.

It was a smile that swept the dark churning clouds right out of her mind, replacing them with a tingling anticipation for the time they would spend together.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“SALLY MAGUIRE riding Midnight Magic …”

It WAS the last event of the day, the most important event for those competing. Not only did it carry the largest prize money, but points would be awarded in the scoring system used to select the team for the World Cup.

From his seat in the grandstand, Jack leaned forward to watch Sally ride the big black gelding into the show ring. Midnight Magic was her top-level horse, the one she’d been training up to this standard for the past five years. It was a magnificent animal, its mane and tail plaited, its gleaming coat brushed into a checkerboard pattern. Tim Fogarty had groomed it beautifully—an absolute stand-out horse—but it was performance not looks that won this event.

Jack couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt nervous about an outcome. Probably back in his poker days when it was impossible to control what cards would turn up on the table and he needed to win, needed big money fast so he could play in his father’s arena. Right now he wanted Sally to win but he couldn’t make it happen. It was up to her and the horse. Nevertheless, he found himself willing her to ride faultlessly, willing it so fiercely it surprised him that he cared so much.

And it wasn’t because it would put her in a good mood afterwards, easier for him to move closer to her. The desire that had spurred him along this road had been somewhat derailed by other factors; the sheer entertainment of her company—such a fresh outlook on life and so straight-line it commanded his respect. She made the sophisticates in his social set totally boring in comparison. He didn’t want to spoil her world, yet the desire she stirred in him was so damned strong, playboy George had been in danger of being flattened if he’d kept his lecherous hands on her.

Mine …

He shook his head over the mad spurt of possessiveness that had seized him. Bad enough that the urge to be with her again had made waiting for the redecorating to be done intolerable. She was turning his world upside down. He’d actually spoken the truth when she’d asked him whether he’d bought her for sex. It had been his initial motivation, yet the more he was with her, the more he did want the whole experience of Sally Maguire, not just her body pleasuring his.

The starter gun went off. She set Midnight Magic into a controlled stride towards the first jump. Jack felt his stomach clenching as the horse lifted and cleared the hurdle. His breath whooshed out in relief. Go, girl, go … his mind chanted as she rode around the course, fault free. He kept an eye on the time clock. The seconds were ticking by. The horse rattled the rail on the water obstacle—was she taking him too fast? The big triple was coming up. If the pacing was wrong, the horse might baulk at the wall.

Jack was on his feet, unable to sit still as she moved into the approach to the triple, ahead of the previous rider on the clock. The lift and the landing for the first two jumps had to be right, the paces in between perfectly measured. His heart was pumping hard as he watched Midnight Magic soar over all three cleanly, then gallop to the finish line.

She’d done it!

Beaten every other rider so far.

He clapped so hard his hands hurt. She looked up at the grandstand, saw him. He gave her a high five and she returned it, her lovely face lighting up with a brilliant smile. She rode out of the ring and he sat down again, smiling himself over the shared moment of exhilaration. There were two more riders to go but she’d done well and he was happy for her.

The winner!

Joyful triumph was thumping through Sally’s heart as the judge hung the blue ribbon around Midnight Magic’s neck. She scanned the grandstand for Jack but couldn’t spot him. He’d moved from where he had been, probably coming to congratulate her. She’d achieved a couple of thirds at this level, but never a first, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Jack’s support. She wanted to thank him, wanted … oh, she was filled with so many wants, her body was buzzing with them.

He was waiting for her just beyond the gate, chatting with Tim Fogarty, both of them grinning their delight in her success. She virtually leapt off her horse in her eagerness to join them. Tim came forward to take the reins and lead Midnight Magic away.

“Great riding, Sally. Mr. Maguire’s just been telling me he’s taking you off for a celebratory dinner and I got to say you deserve it. Leave the horses to me. I’ll take care of them and get them home. You go and enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, Tim. I’ll have to change my clothes in the truck first.”

“I’ll be here for a while. No hurry. Give me your helmet and I’ll put it away.”

She quickly unclipped it, handed it over, then, still brimming over with excitement, she turned to Jack. He spread his arms as though saying, “Look at you—a blue ribbon winner!” and she couldn’t stop herself from hurtling into a hug. He lifted her up and swung her around, laughing at her happy exuberance, sharing it.

“That’s the best I’ve ever done!” she cried as he set her on her feet again. “Thank you for making it possible, Jack.”

“I’m glad I did,” he said, his vivid blue eyes sparkling with warm pleasure.

“I felt you watching me. I had to do well, show you I was worth supporting,” she babbled on.

“I was willing you over every jump.”

“It was like I had wings.”

He laughed, the sparkle in his eyes gathering a wicked tease. “You had a dark angel riding on your shoulder.”

She sighed, frowning at his description of himself. “I don’t want you to be dark, Jack.”

His mouth quirked into a musing little smile as he surveyed the earnestness on her face. “Maybe I need your sunshine in my life, Sally Maguire.”

“Yes,” she agreed, happy with the idea that she could answer a need in him that had nothing to do with sex. Somehow it helped to even out all he was giving her and made their connection more important. Though, having her breasts pressed to the hard wall of his chest and her thighs brushing up against the strong muscularity of his was making her very sexually aware of him. She slid her hands down from his shoulders, easing back from his embrace as she voiced her thought. “I’d like to think I could make a difference to all that’s gone before. I’m sorry you were left so … so alone. It must have made you feel very dark.”

“At times,” he admitted. “But not right now. This is definitely a champagne moment.” He dropped his embrace, took one of her arms and tucked it snugly around his. “Let’s get on our way and have ourselves a fine dinner.”

It was the best evening of Sally’s life.

Jack had driven up to Maitland in his BMW convertible and he put the hood down before they took off for the Hunter Valley vineyards where there were dozens of fine restaurants. It felt great, zooming along the road in his beautiful car, her hair fluttering in the lovely cooling breeze, Jack tossing her amused smiles as she rattled off a whole lot of showjumping stories, continually prompting her to tell him more, enjoying her company, exciting her with the warm interest in his eyes.

He handled the powerful car with brilliant ease. She couldn’t help watching his hands moving on the steering wheel, controlling the gearstick—so competent, confident—and wondered what it would feel like to have them touching her. Her gaze was drawn again and again to his powerful thighs flexing against the stretch denim of his jeans as he braked or accelerated. He oozed a maleness that had her stomach clenching over the thought of seeing him naked, feeling him naked.

Wicked thoughts.

Dangerous thoughts.

Yet she couldn’t stop them from sliding into her mind, no matter how sternly she told herself that love and marriage was not on his agenda and it would be foolish to succumb to a physical affair where she would most probably end up craving more than he was prepared to give of himself. Not only that, it would change their current arrangement, maybe spoil it. On the other hand, it was impossible to ignore what she was feeling with him.