Softly, slowly, he kissed her closed eyes, feeling the slight flutter of her long lashes brush his chin, a butterfly touch he fancied on other parts of his body. Was she still nervous about her decision to have him? Her tension in the car had been palpable, and using the fish as an almost frantic distraction from his presence here in her apartment were both signs of uncertainty...or apprehension.She could have said no, Collins argued to himself, and her response to his kiss just now was enough assurance that the desire they shared overrode any doubts or fears, but it suddenly niggled that she might not be fully with him. He could take her. She was willing. But he didn't want any part of her to be withheld from him.He lifted his hands and gently cupped her face, studying its unique feminine contours, her marble-smooth forehead, the fine arch of her brows with their winged ends, the deeply set lids that gave her eyes their exotic triangular shape, the high slanted cheekbones flanking

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

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

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

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