LITMIR.BIZ

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with his male scent.

      For the space of a stolen moment she felt safe. Accepted. Even cherished. It was silly if she dwelled on it, but tonight she wouldn’t. Tonight she just wanted to belong to someone and not to feel so alone in the world.

      Even in sleep, he seemed to sense her disquiet. His arms tightened around her, bringing her even closer to his warmth. She smiled and gave in to the sleepy pleasure seeping into her bones.

      Piers awoke unsure of the time, a rarity for him. He usually woke every morning before dawn, his mind alert and ready to take on the day’s tasks. Today however sleep clouded his brain, and uncharacteristic laziness permeated his muscles. Something soft and feminine stirred his senses, and he woke enough to realize that she was still in his arms.

      Instead of rolling away, of distancing himself immediately, he remained there, breathing in her scent. He should get up and shower, make it clear the interlude was over, but he hung on, unwilling to send her away just yet.

      She stirred when his hands smoothed over her back, down to her shapely buttocks and over the curve of her hip. He had to have her again. One more time. Even as warning bells clanged in his mind, he was turning her, sliding over her as he reached to the nightstand for another condom.

      As her eyes fluttered sleepily, he slid inside her, slower this time, with more patience and care than he’d taken her the night before. He didn’t want to chance hurting her, and if he was honest, he wanted to savor this last encounter.

      “Good morning,” she murmured in a husky voice that sent a shudder over his body.

      He thrust deeper then leaned down to capture her mouth. “Good morning.”

      She yawned and stretched like a cat, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down again when he drew away. Sleek and beautiful, she matched his movements, rocking gently against him.

      If last night had been the storm, this was a calm rain afterward. Gentle and extremely satisfying.

      He tugged her hair from her face, unable to resist kissing her again and again. He couldn’t get enough of her. The thought that he didn’t want her to go rose in his mind. Before it could take root, he tamped it back down, determined not to get caught in an emotional trap.

      He’d existed for too long without such entanglements, and he’d be damned if he allowed it to happen again.

      She enveloped him in her tight grasp, her sweet depths clinging to him as he withdrew and thrust forward. He set an easy pace, one that would prolong their pleasure.

      And when he could no longer delay the surge of exquisite pleasure, he pushed them both over the edge, leaving them gasping for breath and shaking in each other’s arms.

      For a long moment he lay there, still sheathed deeply inside her, his face buried in her sweet-smelling hair.

      Then reality encroached. It was morning. Their night together was over, and it was best to end things now before things had a chance to get messy.

      He rolled away abruptly, getting up from the bed and reaching for his pants.

      “I’m going to take a shower,” he said shortly when she did nothing more than watch him from her perch in his bed, her eyes probing him with a wary light.

      She nodded, and he disappeared into the bathroom, his relief not as great as his regret. And when he returned a mere ten minutes later, he found her gone from his bed, from his hotel room. From his life.

      Yes, she’d understood well the rules of the game. Maybe too well. For a moment he’d allowed himself to wish that maybe, just maybe she’d still be lying there. Warm and sated from his lovemaking. Belonging to him.

      Chapter Three

      Jewel stood outside the third floor offices of the Anetakis Hotel and smoothed a hand through her hair for the third time. It was a bad nervous habit and one destined to bring down more tendrils from the elegant knot she’d fashioned.

      Instead she placed her palms over her skirt and removed nonexistent wrinkles as she waited admittance into Piers Anetakis’s office.

      She knew she looked cool and professional, a look she strove hard for. The woman who’d let loose with such abandon two nights before no longer existed. In her place was an unreadable face devoid of any emotion.

      Still, despite her best efforts, thoughts of her lover drifted erotically through her mind. She’d left while he was in the shower, but she’d hoped to run into him again. A chance meeting. Maybe it would lead to another night even though she’d sworn it would only be one.

      It was just as well. He was probably already gone back to wherever it was he lived. She’d move on herself in a few more weeks, armed with enough money to sustain her travels.

      At times, she wondered what it would be like to settle in one place, to have all the comforts of home, but such an idea was alien to her. She’d learned long ago that a home wasn’t in the cards for her.

      She glanced down at her watch. Two minutes past eight. She was to have been summoned at eight. Apparently promptness wasn’t one of Mr. Anetakis’s strong points.

      She clutched her briefcase to her and stared out the window to the waves crashing in the distance. The sea lost some of its romance in the daylight. It was still beautiful and striking, but at night under the flicker of torches and the glow of the moon, it took on a life of its own.

      Her mouth twisted ruefully. She was still thinking of her dark-eyed lover. He was hard to forget, and she knew she’d be thinking of him for a long time to come.

      Behind her the door opened, and an older woman stuck her head out and smiled at Jewel. “Miss Henley, Mr. Anetakis will see you now.”

      Jewel pasted a bright smile on her face and marched in behind the woman. Across the room Mr. Anetakis stood with his back to them, a cell phone stuck to his ear. When he heard them come in, he turned and Jewel halted. Her mouth flew open, and her eyes widened in shock.

      To his credit, Mr. Anetakis merely raised an eyebrow in recognition, and then he closed his phone and nodded to the other lady.

      “You can leave us now, Margery. Miss Henley and I have a lot to discuss.”

      Jewel swallowed nervously as Margery quietly left the room and shut the door behind her. Her fingers curled around her briefcase, and she held it almost like a shield as Mr. Anetakis stared holes through her. God, how this must look.

      “You have to know I had no idea who you were,” she said in a shaky voice before he could speak.

      “Indeed,” he said calmly. “I could see the shock when I turned around. Still, it makes things a bit awkward, wouldn’t you say?”

      “There’s no reason things should be awkward,” she said crisply. She moved forward, holding an outstretched hand. “Hello, Mr. Anetakis. I’m Jewel Henley, your new assistant. I trust we’ll work well together.”

      His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. Before he could reply, his phone rang again.

      “Excuse me, Miss Henley,” he said in a cool voice. Then he picked up his cell phone.

      He wasn’t speaking English, but it was obvious the phone call wasn’t to his liking. He frowned and then outright scowled. He barked a few words into the receiver before muttering something unintelligible and snapping it closed.

      “My apologies. There is something I must attend to at once. You can see Margery in her office, and she’ll get you…set up.”

      Jewel nodded as he strode out the door. As soon as the door shut, all her breath left her in a whoosh that left her sagging. Of all the rotten luck. And to think she’d hoped they’d run into each other again so they could have a repeat performance.

      On wobbly knees she went to find Margery and then prayed that she’d get through the next four weeks without losing her composure.

      Piers

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