LITMIR.BIZ

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was the last thing she’d expected when she’d steeled herself to see Luc.

      He came over to the table after a couple of minutes and put down the fluffiest omelette Jesse had ever seen, with hot buttered toast on a plate beside it.

      ‘Why don’t you put Stripy in his box while we eat?’

      Suddenly Jesse was awfully reluctant to let the kitten go, but she forced herself to get up and put him in the box, seeing him lap hungrily at the milk. When she came back and saw Luc sitting down with his own food she said, ‘Stripy?’

      Luc glanced at her. ‘Well, he’s grey and stripy …’

      Jesse sat down and tried not to notice the expanse of Luc’s bare chest. He was definitely doing this on purpose, and she was not going to react—even though she already felt hot and wanted to undo some buttons on her shirt.

      ‘I think Tigger is a better name.’

      When she didn’t get a response she risked a glance at Luc, who was chewing his food. He swallowed. ‘Tigger?’

      Jesse felt silly now. ‘You know—after Tigger in Winnie The Pooh.’

      ‘Wasn’t he orange?’

      Jesse shrugged, embarrassed, wishing she hadn’t said anything. She took a mouthful of omelette and had to stop herself from moaning out loud. It melted on her tongue.

      ‘Well, I don’t see why he can’t be Tigger too. Who says he has to be orange?’ Jesse swallowed and looked at Luc. Something fluttered in her chest. ‘It really doesn’t matter. He’s only a kitten …’

      Luc watched as Jesse ducked her head again. Fascinating. The kitten had obviously moved her so much that it had melted the lines of tension he’d seen in her when he’d first turned around to greet her. He knew his bare chest was a bit much, but he’d been determined to make her as uncomfortable as possible.

      And it would have worked if it hadn’t been for the kitten. She’d softened instantly on seeing it. Transforming her. It was more than a little irritating that a small bit of fluff with four legs and a tail had managed to crack through Jesse’s veneer quicker than Luc had.

      With tension rising he finished his breakfast and sat back to watch Jesse finish hers. She cleaned her plate, and his chest tightened when he thought of how she’d taken some of the leftovers he’d left out yesterday.

      He cursed himself. For God’s sake, anyone would think she was the victim here! Time to stir her up a little.

      He leant forward just as she was wiping her mouth, and he noticed the telltale way she moved back fractionally.

      ‘Six more nights, Jesse.’

      She leant back and pushed her plate away slightly, tense and suspicious. Avoiding his eye. ‘What are you talking about?’

      ‘I’m talking about the fact that there are six more nights to go in this villa, on this island, before you let me go.’

      Jesse mentally counted in her head and then looked at Luc, determined to recover her equilibrium after the kitten had severely demolished it. She told herself stoutly that it had nothing to do with Luc.

      ‘So what’s your point?’

      ‘My point, dear Jesse, is how are you going to get through the next few days and nights without admitting how much I affect you?’

      Jesse snorted and stood up abruptly, reaching for Luc’s plate and her own skittishly, making them crash together. She stalked over to the sink and busied herself clearing them and washing them. And then promptly dropped one back into the sudsy water when she felt a very large warm presence behind her and two very naked masculine arms snaked around her, caging her against the sink.

      His heat and scent were all around her, and Jesse hated that her treacherous heart was thumping double-time. Her skin prickled with awareness and anticipation.

      Luc’s head came down near hers and he said softly, near her ear, ‘Admit it, Jesse, you want me …’

      Jesse turned abruptly within the cage of his arms and glared up at him, far too aware of that naked chest only centimetres away and that gorgeous mouth directly above hers. Lightning anger flashed up her spine at how weak he made her feel, at the power he had over her.

      ‘Never, Luc Sanchis. I’ll never admit such a thing because it’s not true. You’re deluding yourself. Do you think that you’re some God-given gift to women? Well, you’re not. You’re very easily resistible, actually, and you can just stew in your own ego for the next six days for all I care.’

      Jesse had wriggled out under his arm before he knew what she was doing and was almost out of his reach. But Luc caught her by the hand and pulled her back to him. He could feel the slender bones of her hand and wrist, and her inherent fragility only made him feel angrier.

      ‘Damn it, Jesse, why is it so important that you get to have O’Brien?’

      To Luc’s utter shock and surprise he saw moisture glint in Jesse’s eyes and she spat out, ‘It just is, and I’ll never tell you why. It’s none of your business.’

      Luc let her hand go, but brought both his hands to her arms, clamping them there and drawing her right in against his body—which was on fire now.

      ‘You made it my business when you hacked into my life and brought me here with no means of escape, damn you.’

      Jesse looked up into Luc’s eyes and saw the burning flames of anger in their depths. Her heart was beating so fast now that she felt dizzy. A desperate yearning was rising within her … to have him kiss her and make all those words disappear. It was so strong at that moment that it scared her to death.

      Exerting all her strength, she pulled away from him. ‘Just stay out of my way, Luc Sanchis …’

      Jesse backed away out of the kitchen and Luc’s voice was scathing. ‘That’s very mature, Jesse. Are you going to hide in your room for another twenty-four hours?’

      Jesse turned and fled, her emotions in turmoil. She was seriously tempted to go up to her room, but his caustic words made her go out through the front door instead. Impulsively she took the key to the Jeep from its secret spot and started it up with a shaking hand. She headed down the drive and through the gates, clicking the button to make sure they were shut again.

      And her dominant feeling as she drove away from the villa, leaving Luc behind, locked in, was one of searing guilt.

      She finally got to the edge of the airstrip and stopped, pulling over at a skewed angle. She all but fell out of the Jeep and stood in the bright morning sunlight, breathing deeply. Her heart was still hammering. It was as if Luc had reached inside her and effortlessly tied her insides into a knot, while at the same time making her melt as if she were made of nothing more than putty.

      The truth was, right now she didn’t know if she could last another week with Luc tormenting her. He had no idea how close he was to the truth of how much she wanted him to touch her … it was getting worse with every moment spent in his company. Once again she was feeling more like the prisoner.

      Why couldn’t she be immune to him? Why was he proving to be the one man on the planet who made her feel anything but cold inside? It was so demoralising to be one of the legion of women who fell at his feet in sighing ecstasy. And why had he had to tell her about his vulnerable younger sister with special needs, and how his mother had become ill after his father’s death?

      She thought churlishly that he would make a good model for one of those posters of men holding tiny vulnerable things like babies … or kittens.

      Immediately Jesse felt trembly again. And emotional. She’d been blocking out emotions for so long now she almost didn’t recognise the tight feeling which got tighter and tighter until she felt moisture running down her face and recognised tears.

      She hadn’t cried in years. Not since she’d retreated

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