Billionaire Bosses Collection. Кэрол Мортимер

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       CHAPTER TEN

      ROSCOE’S apartment was high up in a tall, plain block, which once she would have said was typical of the man. But that was before she’d discovered the hidden, complex depths that meant there was no such thing as ‘typical’ of him.

      Who would ever have thought that this man would be waiting at his open door, would pull her inside and crush her in his arms as though he’d waited all his life for this moment? Or hear him say in a shaking voice, ‘I was so afraid you wouldn’t come.’

      ‘Never fear that. I’ll always come if you want me.’

      ‘And I’ll always want you.’

      He had even started to cook a meal for her. He wasn’t a great cook, but he could manage a microwave and between the two of them they managed to get something onto the table. There was much more to deal with this evening, but, as if by a silent signal, they were each taking it slowly.

      ‘So where do we go from here?’ he asked, filling her wine glass. ‘I leave the decision to you because it’s clear you’re several steps ahead of me. All those rabbits you produced out of the hat at the trial. You don’t need me or anyone. You’re queen of all you survey.’

      ‘Hey, stop buttering me up.’

      ‘Just trying to find the way forward, or hoping you can find it for us. There are so many things yet to be decided.’

      ‘Like what?’

      ‘Charlie. His feelings for you. I contrived the situation and, now that he’s fallen for you, how can I just tell him everything has changed and he must forget you?’

      She stroked his face, taking care that he should feel her warmth and tenderness towards him because her words would be a shock.

      ‘You know something?’ she said. ‘Anyone hearing you say that would think you came straight out of the nineteenth century. You’re a real male chauvinist pig.’

      ‘Am I?’ he asked, startled. ‘How?’

      ‘You talk about what you can do, but what about me? Don’t I get a say? You fixed it so that Charlie should come under my influence, like I didn’t have anything to do with it. But maybe I fixed it, oh, powerful one!’

      ‘I guess I deserved that,’ he said gruffly.

      ‘Don’t get me started on what you deserve. And there’s one thing you have to understand. Charlie isn’t in love with me. When we met, he took one look at me and thought Wow!, just as we both meant him to. But it was purely physical. He’s up for new experiences and he pursued me when he thought he might get one. But there was no emotion in it. He’s closer to Ginevra than he is to me. About an hour after the trial she texted me saying, We did it!’

      ‘How did she know?’

      ‘Exactly. Charlie must have called her.’

      ‘Oh, no,’ Roscoe said at once. ‘I won’t have this.’

      ‘But it’s not up to you. You’ve got to let Charlie be himself, not some creature you’ve created.’

      ‘I only want to keep him out of danger. Is that wrong? ‘

      She thought it might be impossible if, as she was beginning to suspect, danger was Charlie’s natural medium. But this wasn’t the time to say so. They had more urgent matters to attend to.

      ‘The point is that Charlie’s not in love with me,’ she repeated, ‘and his heart can’t be broken by us. So we’re free.’

      ‘Free,’ he echoed slowly. ‘Free to—?’

      ‘Free to do anything we want. Be anything we want.’

      ‘Do you have any ideas about that?’

      ‘Plenty. Don’t ask me to list them because that would take all night.’

      He became hesitant, almost as though nervous of saying the words.

      ‘About…all night. Does it seem to you…?’

      ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘It does.’

      Like everything else in this new relationship, their love-making was tentative, cautious, watching and learning from each other. He was a patient lover, fervent, but with the control to take everything slowly. How softly his fingers caressed her breasts, and how mysterious was his smile as he did so.

      She smiled back, feeling more and deeper mysteries unfold within her. The sweetness at being one with him was greater than anything she had ever known. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be him. And she wanted it for ever.

      Afterwards, he murmured, ‘Are you really mine?’

      ‘Can you doubt it? ‘ she whispered.

      ‘Yes. Nobody has ever been mine before.’

      Before she could reply, he enfolded her in his arms again and in the passion that followed she forgot all else. But after passion came safety and contentment, both as precious as desire.

      ‘Nobody was ever yours before?’ she murmured. ‘Surely that can’t be true?’

      ‘You’d think not, wouldn’t you?’ he agreed. ‘I don’t usually go around telling people that I need them. It’s too dangerous, for one thing.’

      ‘Oh, yes, I know. They have to discover it for themselves.’

      ‘Yes. And they don’t. Except you. But before you…’ His voice died away into silence.

      ‘What about your fiancée?’ she asked. СКАЧАТЬ