Untamed Billionaires: Marriage: For Business or Pleasure? / Getting Red-Hot with the Rogue / One Night with the Rebel Billionaire. Элли Блейк

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СКАЧАТЬ his head, he took off his tux, pulled a T-shirt over his head, stepped into jeans, ran a comb through his hair and added a splash of aftershave. He would’ve loved a shower but the thought of using the bathroom so soon after Britt had vacated it, her scent lingering everywhere, evidence of her presence all over, would be too much.

      She wanted to talk.

      That was a sure-fire libido-killer. In his experience, when women wanted to ‘talk’ they wanted to lay down the law.

      Well, whatever she had to say, he’d deal with it. Just as he’d deal with this crazy, one-sided obsession to make their marriage real.

      After brushing her teeth, Brittany took a final look in the mirror: without make-up, the freckles on her nose stood out like sprinkles on a cupcake, her loose hair had turned frizzy courtesy of the humidity and her plain cotton PJs wouldn’t win any Victoria’s Secret competitions.

      Just the look she’d aimed for…before she’d taken a bath and had that little revelation to make the most of the next two months with the sexiest guy to walk the planet.

      Her bad boy.

      Who was doing his best to appear good but she knew better, knew the underlying rebellious streak that lent him a dangerous edge she found infinitely appealing.

      Most girls went through a bad-boy phase, lusting after guys they shouldn’t and couldn’t have, guys with attitude, guys you wouldn’t dare bring home to meet the folks.

      Nick had been her James Dean, Marlon Brando and Sean Penn all rolled into one and, while the designer suits and air of success had softened the edges, she just knew he was the same sexy rebel underneath.

      But it was more than that, so much more, and the fact her heart had squeezed every time he’d entered a room these last few days was proof enough she’d developed a monstrous crush on her rebel with a cause all over again.

      A crush she finally planned to fully indulge. However, there was one main problem. The pyjamas she’d brought were a deeply unsexy pair she’d bought especially to appear as unappealing as possible. Her body, humming with the heat of the bath and anticipation, informed her point-blank that fuchsia stripes wouldn’t do the job.

      As for the lingerie she’d intended on using to prove her point tonight, it had taken a tumble into the sink while she’d been brushing her teeth and there was no way she was walking into their bedroom wearing wet, see-through, ivory lace. That left only one viable option.

      Wrapping the oversized bathrobe around her damp, overexcited body, she took a deep breath and prepared to leave the safe haven of the gloriously tiled bathroom.

      Only a robe between her and Nick. As if she weren’t nervous enough.

      Nick had his back to her and she was darn grateful for that extra shot of oxygen a second ago, for the moment she caught sight of him her lungs seized.

      Soft black cotton moulded to his broad shoulders, hugging the muscular contours of his back before tapering to a narrow waist, tucked into faded denim…

      That was all he used to wear ten years ago, black T-shirts and denim, somewhat of a clichéd bad-boy outfit, but she’d never cared. He’d always looked delectable and nothing had changed.

      With her eyes fixed on his butt, she must’ve made some terribly embarrassing sound akin to a groan for he turned, his gaze zeroing in on her damp, bare skin, what little there was on show. His eyes turned very dark brown and he swallowed.

      Brittany smiled wickedly at him, his reaction fuelling her faltering courage.

      He shook his head as if to break himself out of a trance, cleared his throat, and finally spoke in a low, dangerous tone.

      ‘Just so you know—if you’re planning on avoiding being seduced, you’ll definitely need more than a robe. Maybe an entire wardrobe.’ His voice sounded strained.

      Brittany could see the bad boy inside was only barely contained. Just the thought of what might happen when he broke out added further to her inner tremblings. In a voice that sounded higher than her own, she said, ‘Well, I wanted to talk about that—’

      ‘Yes?’

      His response was so fast it interrupted her mid-sentence, and she gaped at him like an idiot for a moment, her train of thought derailed.

      ‘You were saying? Something about seducing me?’

      His wide grin broke the tension as she remembered how much she liked this man and she grinned back.

      ‘You wish.’

      ‘You have no idea how much.’

      His intense tone caused her belly to drop in a frightening free fall as liquid heat pooled in places long ignored, every inch of her hungry body on high alert as the bed dipped when he sat next to her.

      While her scrambled brains tried to reform the words she was having such a hard time articulating, he sighed.

      ‘But I thought about it, and you were right.’

      What? No! She opened her mouth but he continued before she could speak.

      ‘Let me guess. You’re not interested in changing the status quo between us. You don’t want to ruin a good working relationship. You don’t want to risk wrecking our deal by letting sex get in the way of the sound business decision we’ve made, right?’

      Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

      Logically, he made perfect sense and he’d reiterated the arguments she’d been having with herself ever since she’d said yes to his ridiculous proposal.

      Emotionally, she wanted to rant and scream and kick her Garfield slippers into the Great Barrier Reef, for now she’d made up her mind to alleviate some of this growing tension between them she didn’t want to take the safe, sensible option any more.

      But what could she say?

      Backing down from her previous stance would make her seem fickle and indecisive and decidedly stupid, not to mention shooting down any credibility in convincing him her acceptance of his proposal was one hundred per cent business.

      For him, having sex would be satisfying his lust factor. For her, it was so much more and he’d know it. She’d told him so ten years earlier and knowing Nick he wouldn’t have forgotten.

      ‘Just business, right?’

      With a sinking heart, she nodded.

      ‘Right.’

      ‘Okay, then, glad we got that settled.’

      He didn’t move and when she raised her eyes to his she knew nothing was settled, far from it, for while Nick might be spouting the business tune his eyes were gobbling her up and coming back for seconds.

      ‘Britt?’

      She gulped, knowing her voice would come out squeaky if she didn’t, for the longer he looked at her like that, the harder it was to breathe.

      ‘Yeah?’

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