He wasn’t sure whether a few cold showers would dampen his raging libido.
‘Yes?’
Alice sprinted towards him. It was funny but she hadn’t realised how old she was in her behaviour, in her whole outlook on life, until he had come along and shaken her up so that everything had gone topsy-turvy and then resettled, but in different positions.
She was twenty-five years old—when was the last time she had had an adventure?
She stood in front of him and looked up. ‘Okay.’
‘Okay...?’
‘You know what I’m talking about. I...I’m attracted to you and I really don’t understand why. You’re not my type at all.’
‘Promising start. That way, you won’t start getting ideas.’
‘What sort of ideas? Oh, forget I asked. Georgia-type ideas about having you around for longer than five seconds and getting attached and projecting into a non-existent future.’ She laughed edgily. ‘I work for you, remember? I’m not that stupid.’
‘What’s brought about the change of mind? I thought after we kissed that I was under instructions to forget about it immediately and pretend it had never happened.’ He pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside, switching on the light at the same time, then immediately dimming it to a mellow glow.
The bed had been turned back, not that there had been any need, and her pulses picked up their tempo as she looked at it—king-sized and beckoning her like a dangerous dare.
‘Well?’ he prompted, walking towards the sofa and flopping down on it, legs apart, arms resting loosely along the back.
‘I...I suppose this is a one-off for me, and I know it’s not a good idea, but...’
‘Life is always full of buts,’ Gabriel agreed. ‘That’s what makes it so challenging.’ Except, truthfully, it contained relatively few buts for him, especially where a woman was involved. He had never had to try, so he hadn’t. His emotional life had never contained any areas of hesitations and certainly no buts.
Silence settled between them and then he said softly, ‘Take off your clothes.’
‘What?’
‘Let me see you naked, in front of me.’
‘I...I can’t.’
‘Why not?’ Something suddenly struck him: her innocence. The way she blushed, the hint of unbearable youth lurking underneath the professional exterior. ‘You’re not a virgin, are you?’
‘Would it make a difference if I was?’
‘Yes.’ He sat forward, alert. ‘It would.’
‘Why?’ She edged towards him and dropped the shoes on the floor. It would have felt strange to have plonked herself next to him on the sofa so she sat on one of the chairs.
Talking was giving her time to doubt her decision. If she had fallen passionately into bed with him, she wouldn’t have had time to think, but maybe this was a good thing. Maybe they both needed to talk, because this was not an ordinary situation, and a lot could change for the worse in its aftermath.
‘Are you getting cold feet?’ He shot her a crooked smile, reading her mind as though her thoughts had been written on her forehead, and that smile sealed her decision.
‘No. Tell me why it would matter if I was a virgin.’
‘You know me.’ And she did, strangely. They worked so closely together and, although their working relationship was still new, he had the feeling that she got him. ‘I’m not looking for...anything. It’s what I tell every single woman I have ever dated and it’s what I’m telling you now. Sex is a pleasurable pastime, but it’s not love and it’s not commitment, and it’s not...going anywhere... If you’re not experienced enough to take that on board...’ He shrugged but his dark eyes were glued to her face. ‘My...past experiences have not programmed me for any kind of commitment.’
‘I’m not a virgin,’ Alice told him abruptly. ‘And talking about this makes it feel like an arrangement.’
‘And that’s a bad thing because...?’
‘Because...’ She faltered, thinking of the right way to say what she wanted to say, and he stepped into the breach without hesitation.
‘Because you’re looking for romance?’
‘No! This is crazy. I’m going to go now. I should never have—’
Gabriel reached forward and circled her wrist with his hand and Alice shivered. Talking was a mood killer, whether it made sense or not. But that touch, the heat of his skin against hers, reminded her why she had stopped him in his tracks before he could enter his bedroom.
‘Come closer and I’ll show you why this might be crazy but why you shouldn’t walk away.’