The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection - Kate Hardy Mills & Boon e-Book Collections

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out. After a moment of wordless staring, she swallowed and said, ‘Not here. Please, not here.’

      ‘Right. Of course.’ This was a bad idea. This was everything he’d sworn he wouldn’t do this week. ‘I should go.’

      But then Eloise met his gaze and shook her head before she turned away, stalking up the hallway towards the stairs.

      He watched her go, his whole body at war with his mind. His feet ached to follow her, his arms to reach out and grab her. But his mind told him to stop this now, before it grew too much. Too dangerous.

      Never mind that it could jeopardise the first movie role he’d been excited about in seven years. As much as he wanted it right now, the film seemed like the least important thing in his world.

      There was a reason he didn’t normally feel this way about women—he didn’t let himself. But Eloise had pierced through every defence he’d ever built in less than forty-eight hours. How much more damage could she do with another day?

      His eyes fell shut as he willed his body to leave it be.

      But this time his body won out.

      It took seconds to catch her up, halfway up the stairs to the third floor, but she didn’t acknowledge his presence at all. Which at least meant she wasn’t sending him away. In silence, they made their way up the stairs, down darkened hallways, to a room at the far corner of the hotel.

      Eloise’s hands shook as she reached for her key, and he leaned over to take it from her without thinking. She rested against the door, her back to the wood as she looked up at him, her eyes vulnerable now. Wary.

      ‘I said I wouldn’t do this,’ she whispered. So had he. But some things couldn’t be denied.

      ‘Because you don’t want to?’ he asked softly. ‘Or because Melissa told you not to?’

      ‘Because I’m not normally this person.’

      ‘Do you want to be?’

      If she said no, he’d walk away. The frustration might kill him but he’d do it. But he didn’t think she would. He’d seen something deeper in her—something more than she’d admit to. She might try and hide herself in those dark and dull dresses, might pin her beautiful hair back so it didn’t blaze so brightly, but she couldn’t hide who she really was for ever.

      And Noah had a feeling that the real Eloise Miller would be spectacular.

      How could he not want to see her in all her glory?

      ‘If you ask me to go,’ he said, his voice hoarse, ‘I’ll go.’

      She bit her lip, then reached out to take the key from him again.

      ‘Don’t go,’ she whispered, and Noah’s whole soul sang.

       CHAPTER NINE

      WHAT WAS SHE DOING? What on earth was she doing?

      Well, Eloise thought as Noah kissed her deeply, pressing her up against the wood of her bedroom door, whatever she was doing felt fantastic.

      But then reality caught up with her.

      ‘Nobody knows,’ she managed to get out between kisses.

      Noah tilted his head back from hers and she missed his lips the instant they were gone. ‘What?’ he asked, sounding hazy with lust.

      Good. She shouldn’t be the only one losing her mind over this strange attraction between them.

      ‘Nobody knows,’ she repeated. ‘This is our secret, okay?’

      He nodded. ‘Fine. Great. Anything. Just open the door.’

      The man had a point, Eloise conceded as she turned within the circle of his arms and struggled to open the door with shaking hands. If they didn’t get to a bed soon it was very possible they’d both be naked in the corridor within five minutes. Maybe less.

      Finally, the door gave way and they tumbled into Eloise’s room. It wasn’t anywhere near as grand as Noah’s, but she didn’t imagine he cared very much right then. She definitely didn’t.

      As she fell onto the bed, Noah’s body covering hers, Eloise’s last coherent thought before giving in to pleasure was, As long as it’s a secret, no one can get hurt.

      * * *

      Later, much later, Noah drew lazy patterns on her skin with his clever fingers, and Eloise couldn’t even find the energy to care that she was naked beside one of the world’s official top ten most beautiful men, and he was staring at her. Her. Boring, embarrassed and blushing Eloise Miller, with her too bright hair and her too tall and straight body.

      ‘You’re really good at that,’ she managed eventually, the first words either of them had spoken since they’d fallen apart in each other’s arms after what seemed like hours of pleasure. In reality... Eloise squinted at the clock. How had it only been forty-five minutes since she’d been telling Melissa she wasn’t sleeping with Noah Cross? ‘Practice, I suppose.’

      ‘Maybe I was just very, very motivated.’ Noah pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, then carried on up her neck. Eloise squirmed until he captured her lips and she let herself sink into the kiss.

      It was secret. He’d promised. It was just them, just one night.

      She could let herself have this, and enjoy it. Just this once.

      Noah raised himself up on one elbow so he was looking down at her. Eloise wondered where he’d found the energy. Blinking and breathing were taking all of hers.

      ‘What Melissa was saying before...’ Noah trailed off, and Eloise would have groaned if she had the strength. The last thing she wanted to talk about while in bed with Noah Cross was Melissa. ‘About your mother...’ Noah began again, and she realised she was wrong.

      The absolute last thing she ever wanted to talk about was her mother.

      ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said quickly, hoping she could end the conversation before it really got started. ‘It was a long time ago.’

      ‘It seemed to matter to you earlier. I mean, you promised Melissa you wouldn’t sleep with me because of it.’

      ‘And look how well that turned out.’

      Noah’s smile took on a hint of smugness. ‘Chemistry like ours...you can’t promise that away. Trust me, I tried.’

      ‘You tried?’ If the last couple of days had been Noah trying not to sleep with her, he sucked at it.

      ‘Not very hard,’ he admitted. ‘But you’re not the only one who needs to keep this a secret. There’s this director... Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just say it’s not in my best interests to have this be public knowledge either.’

      That was good, Eloise thought. If they both needed it to stay secret, they’d both be more motivated to keep it that way. And that meant there was a chance she might survive this week after all.

      ‘So why did you risk it?’ she asked, frowning. She wasn’t the sort of woman men took risks over. That was definitely her mother, or Melissa. Not her.

      ‘Because I couldn’t not,’ Noah said, smiling. ‘I know my limits when it comes to resisting beautiful women.’

      ‘You’ve experienced this a lot?’ Eloise didn’t like that idea. For her, this was a completely new feeling. The idea that Noah had this with every woman he met... It wasn’t that she thought she was anything special, exactly. But if she only got one night with him, she at least wanted it to be one he’d remember.

      ‘Never,’ Noah swore, his gaze fixed on hers, truth in his eyes. ‘Not like this.’

      ‘Me neither,’ Eloise whispered. And, worst of all, she was very afraid she might

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