LITMIR.BIZ

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him but before he could explore any further, her nails suddenly dug through his shirt and into his flesh and she collapsed into him, crying out and shuddering.

      And then she stilled.

      For a long, drawn out moment Felipe couldn’t find his breath. Francesca didn’t seem to be breathing either.

      The only sound he heard with any clarity was the roar of blood in his ears.

      It was like the room was clearing of fog. Slowly they released their hold on each other and took wary steps back.

      What the hell did he think he was playing at? Had he lost his mind?

      Francesca put trembling hands to her mouth, covering it as if in prayer, her eyes wide and dazed.

      He felt pretty dazed himself.

      He breathed out deeply.

      He’d been minutes away from making love to her. There were no excuses he could make.

      For the first time in his life he’d let his desire guide him and his loathing for himself tasted like salt on his tongue.

      He was a thirty-six-year-old man. He knew better than this. He demanded better than to behave like this.

      He should never have followed her into the suite, not when his awareness of her and the desire in his loins had been simmering since the first moment he’d set eyes on her.

      ‘I need to go.’

      She jerked her head and took another step back. He took it as agreement.

      His heart hammering, he backed away to the door and left.

      * * *

      Francesca put the pillow over her head to drown out the sound of the knocking on the door. She knew who it was and she did not want to see him. She didn’t want to see him ever again. She couldn’t. It was just too mortifying.

      She’d rather dance naked through the streets of Caballeros with the lecherous Governor ogling her than see Felipe again.

      Her cheeks scalded to remember how she’d come undone with one touch.

      One touch.

      Why didn’t she know that could happen? How could she have known when she hadn’t even kissed a man before?

      His face. He’d been horrified.

      No wonder he’d run from her suite.

      And to think she’d gone into the restaurant hating him.

      She’d just wanted to kiss him.

      It was his smile that had done it, one unguarded curve of those gorgeous lips that had made her own lips tingle and her pulses quicken.

      She’d spent almost their entire meal fantasising about the feel of his lips on hers.

      Curiosity had certainly killed the cat.

      She couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol, although she wished she could. It had loosened her inhibitions considerably but she’d been the one to drive the kiss, not the Tequila Sunrises.

      She’d played with fire and been burnt for her trouble. She certainly wouldn’t open the door to the man who’d lit it.

      The phone beside her bed rang.

      She wanted to scream. Just leave me alone!

      She snatched the receiver up. ‘What?’

      ‘You have one minute to open your door or I break it down.’

      The dial tone played out before she could summon the words to answer back.

      Throwing on her robe, she hurried to open the door a crack before Felipe could follow up on his threat.

      He was already there.

      He didn’t wait for an invite, simply pushed the door open and strode in, glass of fizzing water in hand.

      ‘Drink that,’ he said, handing it to her. ‘It’ll help your hangover.’

      ‘I don’t have a hangover.’ She was quite sure the sickness in her belly was nothing to do with alcohol. Her banging head might be, though.

      ‘Just drink it.’

      How could he look so fresh? He’d showered, his charcoal suit crisply pressed, his hair still damp.

      Sulkily, she did as she was told and gulped the liquid down. It tasted much less disgusting than she expected.

      He took a deep breath. ‘May I sit down?’

      No. Go away and let me sleep away my mortification. ‘If you want.’

      He sat on the armchair in the corner and indicated for her to sit on the sofa.

      Perching herself gingerly, aware of the humiliation ravaging her, she tried to put on a brave face. Tried to show she didn’t care what he thought of her.

      But she did care. She really did.

      ‘I must apologise for my behaviour last night,’ he said heavily. ‘I should never have taken advantage of you as I did.’

      The last thing she’d expected was an apology.

      His choice of words made her study him properly.

      Her heart loosened to see he wasn’t angry with her. Felipe’s anger was directed at himself.

      His self-recrimination also loosened her tongue. ‘You didn’t take advantage of me. If anything I took advantage of you. I started it.’

      ‘You were drunk,’ he refuted flatly.

      ‘Not drunk enough that I didn’t know what I was doing.’

      Heat pulsed between her thighs as she remembered how wonderful it had been in that moment and how she’d ached to do so much more. She’d had no idea such feelings existed in her. Desire and curiosity had erupted into something she’d had no control over.

      And he’d been a full participant. She’d been so busy castigating herself and so busy focussing on his abrupt departure from her suite that she’d pushed aside his response. She might not have had any prior experience but she’d felt his arousal pressed hard against her belly and known what it meant. He’d wanted her as much as she’d wanted him.

      He dug his fingers into the back of his skull, a set look in his jaw. ‘I run my company with strict rules. No relations with the client.’

      ‘Is that what you call it? Relations?’

      ‘We both know what it means.’ Now he pressed his hand to his forehead. ‘It’s not just the rules I abide by. It’s you. You’re too young to be messing around with men old enough to be your...’

      ‘Big brother?’ she supplied.

      His jaw clenched. ‘Francesca, you are in my care for a very good reason. You’re too young and too vulnerable to be party to a tawdry affair.’

      ‘My mother got married at nineteen. She was pregnant with Pieta when she was my age. If my family had had their way, I would be married with kids by now. If I want to be party to a tawdry affair, then I’m more than old enough to make that choice.’

      ‘But you are vulnerable and grieving. You can’t argue with that.’ He got to his feet. ‘You’re my client. There can be nothing between us. Do you understand that?’

      She stared at him for a long time, taking in the tension radiating from him. He hadn’t looked her in the eye since entering her suite.

      ‘Answer me one thing,’ she said. ‘One of the questions I asked last night, and this time I want an answer. Are you attracted to me?’

      ‘Whatever attraction I feel is irrelevant,’ he answered roughly.

      ‘It wasn’t irrelevant last night.’

      ‘Last night was

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