Latin Lovers: Seductive Frenchman: Chosen as the Frenchman's Bride / The Frenchman's Captive Wife / The French Doctor's Midwife Bride. Fiona Lowe

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СКАЧАТЬ lightly. ‘Nothing … I’m enjoying the spectacle of all the minions tripping over themselves to impress you.’

      ‘But not you, Jane … you didn’t trip over yourself to impress me. You’re different.’

      Different … Which made reference to all those other women …

      A short, sharp dart arrowed its way into her heart. She spoke lightly to disguise it.

      ‘Well … my cunning plan worked, didn’t it?’

      ‘Ah … as I thought. You’re as mercenary as the rest of them …’

       See?

      ‘Yes …’ A brittle laugh came out of somewhere. ‘You see, I’ve actually been stalking you for months, and I devised the best, most effective way to get your attention.’

      ‘I thought you looked familiar in the street that day.’

      He wagged a triumphant finger at her. Even though they were joking, she felt sad. Though he hadn’t let it appear too often, she knew he harboured a well-worn cynicism.

      The waiter appeared and took their order. Jane pushed aside all reservations, judgements, fears, and focused entirely on the moment—and Xavier. All too effortlessly she succeeded, and the conversation flowed like a burbling stream. Joyfully, easily, and far, far too seductively to resist.

      She barely noticed the courses being delivered. She must have eaten, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what. She found herself watching him talk, committing every part of his hard-boned face to memory. The way his eyes crinkled ever so slightly when he smiled, the glimpse of bright white teeth. The way he inclined his head, encouraging her to go on when she faltered during a story.

      All too soon it was time to go. The last drops of wine had been drunk, the espresso cups were taken away. A bare tablecloth sat between them. Xavier stood easily and held out a hand. She allowed him to pull her up, a little unsteady with the effects of the wine. He slipped an arm around her waist and together they walked out. His scent was heavy and potent in her nostrils. She had to stop herself from turning into his chest and breathing deeply.

      Instead of going back the way they had come, he led her down by the beach. She hesitated for a second, before taking off her shoes and then reaching up under her dress to pull down her stockings.

      ‘Wait.’

      Her hands stilled as Xavier crouched down in front of her.

      They were sheltered from the main promenade by a tree, the sound of the sea only feet way.

      ‘Let me.’

      Jane stood and closed her eyes as she felt his hands come up under her dress to encircle one thigh, fingers stalling, and slowly snagging the stocking top to bring it down. Exquisite pleasure. Especially when his hands seemed to take far too long to travel their way up her other leg. She was shaking, her hands heavy on his shoulders by the time he reached his destination and pulled the other stocking down, trembling with the unbearable desire for him to keep going up … fingers reaching higher until they found …

      He stood up lithely, dangling her shoes and stockings with one hand. On impulse she reached up and tugged at his bow tie until it came loose and free, then undid his top button, tongue between her teeth when it proved stiff and unwieldy.

      When she had finished she looked up to find him staring down at her, eyes fixated on her mouth. She innocently moistened her lips with her tongue.

      He took her hand with urgency, and led her onto the beach. ‘There’s a quick way back to the hotel from here …’

      Jane barely took in the magical view as they made their silent way across the beach, the moonlight bathing everything with a milky glow, sounds of laughter and muted music coming from the strip on the other side of the bushes.

      Soon they were at the steps that led up to the gardens at the back of the hotel. They stood there looking at each other, lost in the moment. Then he handed her the shoes and stockings and disappeared—before she felt an arm coming under her legs and herself being lifted and held against his broad chest.

      ‘Xavier … you can’t.’

      ‘There’s gravel on the ground up here, and I can’t wait for you to put your shoes on … As sexy as you are walking in them, it’ll take too long …’

      ‘Too long for what?’

      ‘To get you where I want you … on my bed … under me.’

      She buried her head in his shoulder as they approached the hotel, arms around his neck. She felt extraordinarily cherished and protected and desired. They avoided bumping into anyone, and took the service elevator all the way up, coming in to the penthouse from another entrance. He didn’t put her down until they reached the bedroom.

      Shoes and stockings fell from nerveless fingers as he slowly lowered her down his body. When her feet touched the floor they were standing so close that she could feel his heart beating against her chest.

      In what felt like slow motion, her zip was pulled down, buttons popped open, catches undone. There was the whisper of clothes falling to the floor, skin meeting skin, soft and hard and silky, tongues touching and tasting, legs buckling, falling onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Jane shut her eyes and ears to the voices in her head, concentrating on Xavier’s hand as it glided over her breasts and down across her belly, down further …

      When Jane woke the next morning she was alone in the bed. Just then the bathroom door opened and Xavier emerged, with an indecently small towel around his waist. She felt a blush coming on when she remembered the previous night … To think of how wanton she’d been … had become in the space of a few days. Where on earth had she ever got the nerve to do those things to him?

      He watched the expressions flit over her face. Did she have any idea how beguiling she looked? How much it turned him on to think that he was the only lover she’d ever known? She looked at him, sleepy eyes, flushed cheeks, biting her lip, pulling the sheet up. He strode over to the bed and came down on his arms beside her. Her eyes widened, the pupils dilating. It firmed his resolve for what he was going to ask her. But not yet. Later. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and straightened.

      ‘Morning, sleepy. I’m sorry about this, but there’s an emergency with the hotel in Malaysia and I have a crisis meeting to attend … Stay put, and I’ll be right back. We can have breakfast together.’

      ‘OK …’

      Jane watched dry-mouthed as he let the towel drop and unselfconsciously pulled on his clothes. What a body.

      When she heard the main door close she rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She had to face it. Couldn’t block it out any more. Especially after last night. He had brought her to the height of something so beautiful that she knew without a doubt that she would never experience anything remotely close with another man.

      She had fallen in love with him. Hard and deep and fast. Irrevocably. Unbelievably. Needless to say he had made no indication that to him this was anything more than a brief diversion, which was ending today. She wouldn’t allow her thoughts to fly ahead a few hours, when she would have to think about leaving. As if ignoring it would make it less of a reality.

      Forcing СКАЧАТЬ