New Year at the Boss's Bidding(18)

'Are we creating gossip?' Her husky whisper nearly tipped him over the  edge and it was all he could do not to kiss her until neither of them  wanted to stop.

'There isn't anyone here to say a word to the outside world.' He  searched her face, looking for a hint of the desire that flowed like hot  lava through his body. 'Nobody will ever know what we do.'

She glanced at the flickering candles, then back to him. 'It's like  being in another time or place, somewhere reality can't reach.'

Tentatively, as if he were reaching for a skittish animal, he caressed  her face, the backs of his fingers brushing down the softness of her  cheek. 'We are surrounded by darkness, nothing can reach us.'

'It's a little scary being in this old house on such a stormy night.'  The cracked whisper almost broke his control, but he managed to resist  the urge to hold her against him, to kiss and caress away her fears.

'There is nothing to fear, cara.' He pushed her hair back gently from  her face, relishing the thick glossy length falling through his fingers.

Those blue eyes searched his face briefly but as his hand pressed  against the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair, she  moved towards him. He saw her eyelashes flutter closed and then his lips  were against hers, the electrifying pulse racing through him. With a  groan of pleasure he wrapped the other arm around her, pulling her  against him so that she was almost on his legs.

He could feel the heat of her body, every curve pressing into him,  reawakening the need she'd stirred last night. One so strong he'd never  known anything like it before.

He wanted her-tonight.

* * *

Tilly sighed as he deepened the kiss and pulled her close. She knew she  shouldn't surrender to his kiss, as she had done last night. His  reassurance that she had nothing to fear had pushed her over an edge she  realised she'd been balancing on, not just since last night but since  the moment she'd seen him standing in the doorway yesterday, looking so  sexy and mildly amused. It had been almost like love at first sight. Not  that she thought such a thing was possible, not with a man like Xavier,  but what was possible was a romantic fling. All she had to do was let  go of her insecurities, be someone else, be spontaneous, free herself of  her fear of passion and give herself to this man-just for one night.

That was what she wanted, what she needed. To be kissed by him, held by  him, but more than that she wanted to be loved by him just for one  night. Tonight they were in another world, a place far away from time  and untouched by reality.

As that thought meandered through her mind, Xavier's groan of pleasure  sent sparks flying around her body and the mesmerising throb of desire  that was building deep inside her began to bubble up, leaving her in no  doubt where this moment would end.

'You taste so delicious, cara.' He pressed a flurry of tantalising  kisses down her throat, hindered by her roll neck jumper, and pressed  her forehead against his, her hair mingling with his. If she tasted  delicious, he smelt it.

She let out a ragged and startled breath as he took her face between  both of his hands, forcing her to look deep into his desire-laden eyes.  'This moment was meant for us, bella Natalie. Questo momento è per noi.'

His husky and heavy accent together with the use of Italian sealed her  fate. All she wanted was to throw caution to the wailing wind and  abandon herself to him and the moment, to let go of everything and do  what she wanted without a thought for what would come after. She wanted  to love Xavier, in every possible way. Tonight she was his-and he was  hers.

'Xavier.' She whispered his name, unsure if it was a question or a  demand. She should tell him, warn him she had no experience, that she  was a virgin, but his eyes met hers, so dark she thought she would drown  in them, and she couldn't say anything.

His lips claimed hers, hard and demanding, sending fire scorching  through her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, responding with a  need she'd never known before. This wasn't the staid kisses she'd  shared with Jason. This was pure explosive passion.

His tongue slid into her mouth, seeking hers. It was wild and erotic.  The pulse of wanton desire rose inside her and she craved more, so much  more. She matched his passion, her tongue entwining with his until she  thought she might burst into flames.

He pushed her down onto the rug, the rumpled throw beneath her, but she  kept her arms around his neck, pulling him with her until she could  feel him pressing against her. His chest, which expanded with deep and  fast breaths, pressed against her breasts and with one leg between hers  she could feel the hardness of his erection against her thigh.                       
       
           



       

Every nerve ending in her body responded as she enjoyed the sensation  of being in his arms, being kissed by him. He stopped kissing her and,  brushing her hair away from her face, looked down at her. 'I want you,  Natalie, and, I'm not going to be able to stop if I continue to kiss you  like this.' The words were thick with passion, a hint of unsteadiness  in them.

'Then kiss me.' The husky whisper that came from her was something  she'd never heard before but, then, she'd never been so consumed by  passion before. The whole experience was new and exciting. She'd never  been intimate with a man and had had no idea it could be like this.  'Kiss me, Xavier.'

The fierceness of the last kiss was gone, replaced now by something  more gentle yet infinitely more exciting. As his lips teased hers, his  hand slid under her jumper, the heat of his touch on her skin so extreme  she gasped in a startled breath. His kiss deepened, his tongue  entwining with hers as his hand covered her breast, his fingers trailing  along the edge of her bra, making her breasts ache for his touch.

He moved himself down her body and kissed her exposed stomach, pushing  her jumper ever higher until all she wanted was to feel his kisses on  her breasts, tasting each hardened peak. She closed her eyes against the  pleasure, a soft sigh of contentment slipping between her lips as he  continued to tease her, kissing lower, nearing the fastening of her  jeans.

It was exquisite.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and he looked at her, his  passion filled eyes holding a question. She couldn't speak, but instead  took the bottom of her jumper and lifted up her arms, bringing the black  roll neck over her head. She dropped it at her side and partially  unclothed in jeans and a black bra, boldly stayed there as his hungry  gaze devoured her.

'Sei una bella donna.' Each wonderfully sexy word was more like a harsh  growl and she knew he was hanging onto his control by a thread. It  excited and amazed her to think she was responsible. This was definitely  spontaneous.

He moved towards her, kissed her lips then down her throat. She leant  back on her arms, her head dropping back as his kisses moved downwards.  Her heart hammered when he moved lower and kissed the swell of first one  breast then the other. It was so nice she began to shake.

'You are cold?' He stopped and looked at her, concern obvious in his face.

'No, I'm not cold,' she sighed. She wasn't cold, just afraid of what  she was about to do, even though she wanted it more than anything.

He smiled knowingly at her, but glanced at the fire. 'A few more logs will keep us warmer for longer, no?'

She didn't need the fire to keep her warm, not when the one he'd  started was raging inside her. As he moved away, she watched him,  wanting nothing more than to see his body, feel his skin against hers.  The thought sent her pulse racing.

He put more logs on the fire, coaxing the flames until they leapt in a  crazy dance, licking around the wood. She was just like those pieces of  wood, becoming totally engulfed by the scorching flames of desire.

This wasn't at all what she'd thought she would be doing tonight. Never  had she imagined she'd be enjoying the caress of a man who could make  her pulse leap with just one casual glance. A romantic fling might be on  her list, but she'd never thought it would happen, never believed she  could really go through with it.

'That's quite a fire now,' she teased as he turned back to her, the  intention of moments ago still lingering in his expression. 'Looks like  we will be here for some time.'

His gaze travelled down her, making her skin tingle as if he'd touched  her. 'I have every intention of being here with you for as long as  possible, cara.'

She watched as he walked around behind the sofa to the desk he'd been  working at earlier. He opened his briefcase with a click and she heard  papers being moved, then a box being opened. His gaze met hers as he put  a foil packet in his jeans pocket, his intention clear. This was her  last chance to stop this. But she couldn't. Tonight she was his, all her  inhibitions were banished. She needed this passion, wanted to taste it  and savour it so it would last for ever.

She blushed, her boldness of moments ago evaporating like raindrops in  the desert. As he came back to her and pulled off his jumper then his  shirt, she swallowed hard. The glow from the fire bronzed his skin,  highlighting his each and every muscle to complete perfection.