He hated the way his chest tightened, and his gut clenched at the very thought. It was just the aggravation of having to remain another couple of days in this charged atmosphere they’d existed in so far.
The voice returned to taunt him. Valenti pushed it far away in favour of a better solution to this dilemma.
Surely it was better to extend that truce to the bedroom as well? Keeping Lotte content enough in the cabin would ease his own peace of mind.
He had time, he decided, his senses easing a fraction as her fingers continued to caress his neck. And when the rest of his body followed into that curiously sated state, he allowed the reasoning to take root.
That state screeched to a disgruntled halt when she abruptly moved away, rising to sit on the side of the bed.
‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’
She shot him a glance over her shoulder, her eyes a fraction darker. ‘Making this easier for you. Isn’t that what you want? Some distance?’ she muttered.
Unease whistled through him at how accurately she read him. ‘I would be exceedingly grateful if you would stop assuming you know what I want,’ he replied anyway because no, he wasn’t one to admit dismay easily.
Her snort was as unladylike as it was adorable. And he found himself moving once more, pulled by an invisible string that propelled him to her. Sliding his arm around her waist before she could rise, he caged her between his thighs, pulled her back to his front, stifling a groan at the feel of her soft, silky, endlessly enticing skin against him. He’d never fallen prey to any form of addiction, but in this moment, he got why it was a thing to be feared.
Triumph whistled through him as she settled against him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. But she only stayed for a moment before she started to strain against him.
‘Stay.’ The prompt was torn from somewhere unnervingly needy inside him.
She startled at the growled command, her eyes once more finding his. ‘Why should I?’
He could’ve gone for the lascivious truth, which was that contrary to what he’d believed, even hoped, he was nowhere done with her as his keenly stirring body was screaming at him.
Instead, he found himself stating a far more exposing alternative. ‘Because it’s snowing heavily outside, and the forecast is for more of the same for the next twenty-four hours. So your next walk is out of the question.’ He leaned closer, caught her lobe between his teeth and was rewarded with a sexy little whimper. ‘You get to ask your next question in the comfort of this bed. After I’ve made us some breakfast.’
She shifted, the better to search his face, but in the process wriggling her delectable ass against his growing erection that had him catching another groan before it slipped free. ‘Really?’
He nodded. Then, with his wandering hands sliding up to cup her succulent breasts, he dragged his teeth down the smooth line of her neck. ‘Perhaps not in that exact order.’
‘What do you mean?’ she asked breathlessly.
‘I will give you three guesses,querida,’ he said.
With an entirely too arousing moan, she twisted in his arms and slid hers around his neck.
Two days.Forty-eight short hours to get this malaise out of his system.
Then he could get back to his perfected cycle of duty, responsibility and ensuring that permanent stone of guilt lodged in his chest would never be experienced by anyone he held dear.
Her insistence on helping with breakfast earned Lotte a narrow-eyed, growly Valenti, whose breath caught when she giggled and danced out of his reach only to stumble as her legs threatened to give way on rising from the bed.
‘Calma,’ he rasped as he caught her. ‘There’s no need to be up. You need to rest.’
‘All I’ve done since we got here is rest,’ she protested.
Thatearned her an openly sceptical raised eyebrow, his silver eyes deriding. ‘My memory begs to differ.’
She couldn’t help her smile turning full bloom. ‘Performing mental gymnastics with you is not as challenging as you think. Quite the opposite in fact.’
‘I’m glad to see you thrive on it, whilst giving me grey hairs.’
‘You mean more grey hairs? I’m sure I can find a few if I search hard enough,’ she teased, flicking her fingers through the inky black wavy strands that showed not a single grey.
His growl intensified as he reached for her. She darted out of the room, only to remember she was buck naked. But when she turned, he was filling the whole doorway, hands on hips, an open dare in his face.
She knew returning to the room would mean her not leaving at all, so she shrugged again and sprinted down the stairs.
