Xavier shot out a hand to steady her, rising from his chair so he could take her weight.
She gazed up into his eyes, an expression of embarrassment clouding her face. ‘Sorry,’ she whispered.
‘No need to be sorry,’ he said roughly, hyper-aware of his pulse throbbing in his throat. She smelt wonderful, like sunshine and fresh air and her own distinctive sweetness, and he drew in a great lungful of her scent, his chest swelling with a longing so powerful his whole body rushed with it.
‘Soli…’ He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. A thousand thoughts flashed through his head, but words wouldn’t form in his mouth.
So he kissed her again. Hard.
She let out a small gasp of surprise, but didn’t pull away. Instead she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer to her, forcing their bodies together.
And then his hands were in her hair, and his body was responding in all sorts of inappropriate ways, but he couldn’t stop himself this time. Didn’t want to.
From the desperate sounds in her throat, it seemed as though Soli was having the exact same problem.
‘Let’s go inside,’ she murmured when he pulled back a fraction to breathe, her grip tightening on him as if she was afraid he might change his mind again and let her go.
Through his haze of desire, Xavier couldn’t remember any of the reasons why they should stop any more, so without another word he slid his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her up against him and carried her into the house, still kissing her as he went, unwilling to break the connection.
In the bedroom they discarded their clothes quickly and he rolled on top of her, luxuriating in the feeling of her soft skin against his.
Through the fug of feeling, a terrible thought struck him like a blow. ‘I don’t have any condoms,’ he bit out, suddenly furious with himself for overlooking such a simple thing. His thoughts swirled wildly as he tried to reconcile all the concerns that were now jabbing at the edges of his brain.
‘It’s okay, I’m on the pill,’ she muttered back, gazing up into his eyes with a look of such genuine honesty he knew deep down that she was telling him the truth. Because she always told him the truth.
‘Thank God for that,’ he said, letting out a breath and feeling relief radiate from the pit of his stomach. Sliding his hands back into her hair, he took a moment to marvel at the sensation of the silky strands running through his fingers. ‘Thank God,’ he repeated huskily, before losing himself in the wonderfulness of her again.
10
DOMINOES – SET THEM UP WITH A STEADY HAND, THEN SEE THEM FALL WITH THE SLIGHTEST KNOCK.
Xavier sat on the terrace cradling a large cup of coffee in his hands and staring out over the sea as the sun rose in the distance.
He’d left Soli sleeping peacefully in his bed, with her wild curls spread out around her head. He’d had to force himself to leave the room and not slide back in next to her and pull her soft, welcoming body against him again.
What the hell did he think he was doing, messing with their no-sex agreement like that? All day yesterday he’d fought the urge to get closer to her, keeping his physical distance and his tone light and friendly. He’d deliberately not flirted in any way, strictly disciplining himself against giving in to the desire that had swelled and throbbed inside him.
And then it had all gone to hell.
It had been the heady mixture of sunshine and lust and then being forced to touch her again when she’d stumbled that had been his final undoing. The expression of open hunger in her eyes when she’d looked up at him had been impossible to resist.
The sex had been great too. Fun and surprising in its intensity. They’d fitted together so well, delighting in exploring each other’s bodies for the first time but also seeming to know intuitively what made the other tick.
They had been around each other a lot recently, of course, so maybe that was why it had felt so comfortable being with her.
Not that he was going to let it happen again. No. He’d be a fool to indulge his base desires and potentially ruin the good thing they had going. The last thing he needed was for this business relationship to take a wrong turn and for the solicitors to get wind and it put his inheritance in jeopardy.
That house was much more important to him than sating his physical desires for the next few months.
When Soli got up, he’d discuss that with her in a straight and honest manner. He didn’t want her to think he’d taken advantage of her last night, but he wanted to make it clear that it had been a mistake on his part and that they should move their relationship back to one of friendship only.
Surely, she’d understand the necessity of that. She might even wake up this morning regretting what had happened last night too.
Just as he thought this there was movement by the terrace doors and Soli emerged into the sunlight wearing one of the robes from the room.
He swallowed hard and gave her a friendly but controlled smile, not wanting to make her feel awkward, but needing to set the right business-like tone for the conversation that was to come.
‘Good morning,’ he said as she moved slowly towards him, appearing to stumble a little on the smooth tiled floor. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, feeling a sting of concern as she got closer to him.
