LITMIR.BIZ

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in her ear.

      The gentle caress of his warm breath made her skin tingle, and she forced her concentration back from where she’d let it lead her. Anna shook her head.

      “No, everything is wonderful, thank you.”

      “Is it something else that’s bothering you?” he pressed, reaching across the table in front of him to lift a bottle of wine to top off her glass.

      Just you, she thought before giving her head a shake.

      “I’m perhaps a little tired, that’s all.”

      “We can be a bit overwhelming, can’t we?” he commented.

      “No, it’s not that. Actually, I envy you this. I’m an only child, as were both my parents. To have so many family members all in one place … Well, you’re lucky.”

      “Yes, we are lucky—and equally cursed at the same time,” he said with a charming wink that took the sting out of the latter part of his statement.

      And Nicole should have had the chance to be a part of this, too, Anna added silently. Not for the first time, she wondered what had happened to drive Charles and Cynthia, and their children, apart. Whatever it was, Charles had flatly refused to discuss it, aside from saying that Cynthia had betrayed his trust—something she knew that Charles considered unforgivable. Whatever it was, Anna knew that it had not only ruined his marriage, but it had led to a major rift between himself and his business partner also. So many lives altered. And here she was, trying to mend a fence. Boy, was she ever out of her depth.

      By the time the meal had progressed to coffee and dessert, Anna asked to be excused from the table, pleading tiredness. The gentlemen at the table stood as she moved her chair back, and she found herself completely charmed by the effortless old-world manners.

      “Thank you all so much for your company tonight, and for dinner,” she said.

      “You’re very welcome, Anna. Just let housekeeping know tomorrow if you’ll be joining us again during your stay,” Cynthia said graciously. “Do you have anything special planned for tomorrow?”

      “We’ll be doing some sightseeing and then I’m taking her into Hahndorf for lunch,” Judd interjected.

      “Oh?”

      Cynthia hid her surprise but not before giving her son a sharp look that gave Anna no doubt that his mother would be grilling him on his choice of companion the minute she left the room. Cynthia composed her features into a bland smile. “Well, then, I hope you enjoy our little taste of Germany. Sleep well.”

      “Thank you,” Anna replied and turned to leave the room.

      To her surprise, Judd followed her. As they reached the front door she stopped.

      “Why did you tell your mother you’re taking me out tomorrow?”

      “Because I am,” he said confidently. “You can’t visit the Adelaide Hills without stopping at Hahndorf, as well. It would be culturally insensitive.”

      “Culturally insensitive or not, I got the impression she wasn’t too pleased about it.”

      “She thinks I don’t work hard enough, but that’s my problem, not yours.”

      He opened the front door and gestured for her to precede him. Out on the narrow road that led to the restored pioneer’s cottage where she was staying, Anna felt the night air close in around her with its frigid arms. She shivered, wishing she’d thought to bring her pashmina with her when she’d come across to the house earlier.

      “At the risk of being cliché,” Judd said, removing his dinner jacket and dropping it over her shoulders, “I think you need this more than I do.”

      “Thank you,” she said softly.

      He wasn’t kidding. Judging by the heat of his body still held in the lining of his jacket, he certainly had no need of the garment. She instantly felt warmed by it. A faint waft of spice, blended intrinsically with a hint of vanilla and woody notes, enveloped her. She recognized the scent as Judd’s cologne and felt her bones begin to melt.

      “The nights can be quite cool here from now on. The staff will have lit the fire in your cottage for you. It should be lovely and warm compared to out here.”

      Anna had an instant and vivid flashback to watching Judd chopping wood this afternoon. Did he accomplish everything with that much vigor?

      “It’s still a beautiful night,” she said, looking upward at the inky darkness of the sky peppered with dots of light—anything to distract her from the influence of what he did to her.

      “Certainly is.”

      There was something about his voice that made her drop her gaze and meet his. He was looking straight at her. Despite the fact that at least a meter separated them, she felt as if he’d reached out and touched her. Anna swallowed against the sudden dryness that parched her throat. This man was sensuality personified. With only one look, he had her virtually a quivering mess of longing.

      She barely knew him and yet she was already on the verge of casting all her careful self-imposed rules to the four corners of the earth and inviting him to explore this overwhelming attraction between them. And she knew her feelings were reciprocated. She could feel the energy and tension fairly vibrating off him. What would he be like when he lost control, she wondered, allowing herself to dwell for only a moment on the idea before slamming it back behind her all too weak defenses.

      She broke eye contact before she could do something totally out of character, and began to walk a little more briskly along the path. Judd silently kept pace with her. At the cottage, he waited as she opened the front door. She shrugged off his coat and handed it to him.

      “Thank you again.”

      “You’re welcome,” he replied.

      Why didn’t he just turn and go? She felt a flush rise in her cheeks. Did he expect her to invite him in? The cottage came with both a well-stocked kitchen and wet bar complete with a wine chiller, she’d noticed on checking in earlier today. But what kind of message would that send, she wondered, if she asked him to join her for coffee, or a drink? One thing she knew for certain was where it would lead—straight to the luxuriously appointed bedroom, and a steamier, wilder night than any she’d had in years.

      The thought aroused her as much as it scared her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who hopped in bed with a man she’d barely met, and she’d never mixed business and pleasure before in her life. If she gave in to Judd’s advances now, where would it leave her when she had to tell him the truth about why she was here?

      “You’re thinking again,” Judd said, his lips twitching with a barest hint of a smile.

      “I do that a lot,” she admitted.

      “Here, think on this, then.”

      Somehow he’d closed the distance between them without her noticing. His hand snaked around the back of her neck—his fingers warm against her cooler skin. Her face automatically tilted up toward his, her lips parting on a silent protest. She knew the protest was futile. She wanted this as much as he did, and she was helpless to ignore the demand.

      His mouth, when it captured hers, was gentle, coaxing, and Anna felt as if he’d lit a fire that ran through her veins. A small part of her had hoped his kiss would be disappointing—something that would make it easier to refuse his attentions. In all honesty, she had known to the depths of her soul that his touch would be like this—magic—and she wanted that magic with every cell in her body.

      She fisted her hands at her sides in an effort to prevent herself from reaching out and touching him. It would be too much, too difficult to step away from, but the way his lips teased hers invited her closer, and before she knew it, her hands were pressed against his chest, the fiery warmth of his skin burning through the expensive cotton of his shirt and letting her know that he could set other hidden parts of her aflame if only she’d let

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