'Now your clothes,' he said, his voice gruff with unaccustomed emotion. 'Yes,' she whispered, a soft breathy agreement that tingled in his ears as he moved around behind her, stepping close enough to effect what he wanted without pressing any physical contact.He parted her long rippling hair and moved it forward, over her shoulders, baring the nape of her neck and the elegant slope of her upper back, no angular bones, just satin-smooth skin leading down tothe strapless red dress. He unhooked the top fastening of the snugly fitted bodice and slowly drew the zipper clown to her waist, exposing the highly feminine indentation of her spine. There was no interruption to it. She wore no bra. And Collins was tempted into stroking his fingers down the intriguing little valley, smiling as the caress raised a convulsive little shiver.She was as sensitised to his touch as he was to hers. Which was only right and immensely satisfying. The dress gaped further open as he lowered the zipper to
They crashed onto his back, pushing and pulling, egging him into a fastseries of thrusts that she rolled around in an ecstasy of revelling in the hard heated fullness of him, loving every powerful stroke, arching herself to receive the utmost penetration, clamping around him, moaning with the intense satisfaction of it. It goaded him into pleasuring her as long as he could, exulting in her response, feeling like a mountaineer scaling the highest heights andshe was drawing him there from peak to peak. His own screaming need demanded a lift in tempo and the last crescendo was his, raising them both to an exquisite cusp of delight before abandoning themselves tothe sweet free-fall into blissful peace, wrapped in a togetherness that seeped into his soul and happily resided there. The rest of the night was spent in a sensual daze of touching, kissing, merging. Collins no longer felt any need for some ascendancy over what they shared. He was awash with all the seductive sensations of inte
Jasmine threw her front door open and stepped into her apartment and threw her handbag on the couch. She was tired. She'd been tired a lot lately... She noticed. Tired and frustrated. Work had been more stressful lately, but at least all that stress had paid off. Her company had gotten the much needed account they had been after for months and she was glad that now she could have more time to rest. That was a good thing. . Except for the fact that now that she didn't have much work to do, she had more time to think... And she had noticed that whenever her mind wandered that way, she ended up thinking about Collins Templeton. He hadn't called since their second night together at her apartment. She remembered waking up the following morning... Alone in bed... With nothing but the memory of their time together. She knew they'd agreed that they were only going to have that night together, but a part of her had hoped... Wanted him to be by her side when she woke up. Instead, the other
And she always had a cappuccino...except she'd gone off coffee, preferring a sweet cup of tea which seemed to settle the queasiness she felt most mornings. Still, at this time of day one cappuccino should be manageable.Unfortunately Favour had also ordered cream cakes and rich pastries that curdled Jasmine's stomach just looking at them. Cucumber sandwiches would have been infinitely preferable. They did serve elegant afternoon teas here in The Cortile, a huge two-storeyed area that had once been part of the old treasury building, nowincorporated in this very classy hotel. The colonnaded walkways running around it gave it a leisurely atmosphere, as did the cane armchairs in which they sat, and the grand piano being played by an excellent pianist, providing pleasant background music. It should have been very relaxing and would have been if Jasmine didn't have to guard her tongue.'No morning sickness yet?' she asked once the waiter had gone. Favour laughed and shook her head. 'I gue
Favour shrugged and helped herself to a second pastry. 'I feel hungry all the time. Must be my hormones getting out of balance or something.' Again her sister rattled on, leaving Jasmine to wonder how many lies she would end up telling. Deceit did not sit comfortably with her. Better to avoid meetings like this until she was ready to confront everyone with the truth. It was a relief when Leonard arrived, lilting the onus of a one-on-one conversation with Favour. Though again Jasmine found herself wracked with envy at the love so openly expressed between her sister and brother-in-law in their greeting and manner to each other. Worse was their mutual exhilaration in having a baby on the way. Favour preened as Leonard fussed over her, adoring the mother of his child, only too eager to watch over her every comfort and carry out her every pleasure.So it should be, Jasmine savagely told herself, and if that was not her lot it was because of the choices she'd made and it was now up to he
She walked across the living room to the goldfish bowl and smiled at Rhett and Scarlet who were responding eagerly to her presence. She didn't have to hide anything from them. They gave her pleasure and made no demands...except for food. It cost her very little to supply that. A baby would cost a great deal more, on many levels. But whatever the price she would pay it...somehow. She would never, never ask Collins for anything. She'd taken the gift of a child from him. He owed her nothing. But the child was not all hers. The big question was...how would he react to it? Her phone rang, drawing her away from her thoughts. Any distraction from her thoughts was welcome. She didn't speculate on who might be calling. She simply reached for her bag and withdrew her phone. She paused when she looked at the caller ID and saw Collins name. She waited two more rings before she could bring herself to pick the call. When he said her name, she held her breath. There was a moment of silence then h
One night with that female egomaniac and the impulse to call the only woman he really wanted had been too strong to deny. The sweet relief of hearing her simple yes-no scatty questions, no fluffing around, no irritating drama, just yes-had put a smile on his face for days afterwards. He just hoped she hadn't been reading more into this invitation than there was. A week with her was all he could fit in. But what a week it was going to be!Jasmine...his heart seemed to lift with the lovely rhythm of her name. He was grinning as he towelled himself dry, the excitement of having her here, waiting for him in the next room, was like a fizzy cocktail running through his blood. He strode back to the bed. She hadn't stirred. The need to touch, to awaken an awareness of him would not wait. He lifted the sheet and slid his body down beside hers, propping himself up on one elbow, wanting to watch for the first flicker of her long eyelashes. With featherlight fingertips he stroked the wavy hair
Triumph coursed through him as he rocked deep within her, as he felt her dissolve beneath him, heard the cries of her assent. And he wanted to join her, to tip into oblivion, but the climb to the summit was wondrous. Here the air was clearer, the sounds more vivid, the colours brighter, and he wanted to linger, to find the answer to what would happen if he stayed, if he lingered, if he ventured on to an uncharted place… He kissed her for sustenance, took her weary, shocked lips in his and confirmed his intent. And then he told her, stared into the lusty black of her pupils and showed her a different way.‘This is how it could be.’She had thought her body spent, yet it was nowhere near. The languorous, slow lovemaking he had teased her with before was replaced, and the urgent, demanding pressure she had sought earlier was given to her now. He was relentless, his arms wrapped around her, his face smothering hers, kissing her eyes, her mouth, her face, her ears, driving deep into her as