The Billionaire's Housekeeper Mistress(29)

He’d called her a challenging little witch.

Said he was taking his prize.

Was her sexual surrender simply an ego ride for him?

She swam the length of the pool several times before stopping for a breather at the shallow end. Ethan had swum beside her, apparently content to leave her alone as long as she was within easy reach, and he did instantly reach out and draw her into his embrace again, smiling into her eyes.

‘The solar heating for the pool is working well,’ he remarked. ‘The water is at the perfect temperature for this time of day. Like warm silk. Enjoying it?’

Daisy had never been skinny-dipping before and he was right. The water was like warm silk. So was his naked flesh, seducing her into wanting more of him, despite the questions spinning around her mind.

‘Yes,’ she said, winding her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his hips. He certainly stirred the primitive woman in her—a fierce desire for total possession. Which she knew wouldn’t happen, but it was so terribly tempting to have as much of him as she could.

He kissed her and she kissed him back, wishing she could lose the mountain of reservations building in her mind. His mouth broke reluctantly from hers, breathing a sigh over her sensitised lips. He lifted his hands, holding her face between them, his eyes dark green pools of desire demanding a positive response.

‘I’ve not had nearly enough of you, Daisy. Stay the night with me. Stay the weekend.’

An iron fist squeezed her heart. How soon would enough come? And how much of herself would she have given him by then? Having any kind of extended affair with him could only bring her heartache and mess up her life. However wonderful this felt with him right now, it was going to be bad for her in the end. Much worse than the break-up with Carl. She shouldn’t have let Ethan get to her, shouldn’t let it go any further.

‘I can’t,’ she blurted out, adding the first reason that made his invitation unacceptable. ‘I live with my parents, Ethan. I’m not as free as you are. They’d worry about me.’

He frowned. ‘Call them. Tell them you’ve been invited to have a weekend away.’

‘With whom? My billionaire boss?’ she mocked, the reality of the vast social gap between them finally smiting the treacherous desire he aroused in her. ‘It would upset them terribly, thinking their financial problem had led me into being seduced by a man who would only be using me for his pleasure.’

He looked affronted, then fiercely belligerent. ‘Don’t tell me you felt no pleasure with me, Daisy. It was mutual.’

‘Yes,’ she readily conceded. ‘And I thank you for it. But it can’t go on, Ethan.’

‘It’s not right to let your parents rule your life,’ he argued. ‘You’re twenty-seven, not a child.’

‘They don’t rule my life. They’d hate to even think they did. It’s my decision. I care about them and I’m not going to upset them. They’re going through a bad enough time as it is,’ she said vehemently, gathering the strength needed to disconnect from him and make the break that a solid block of down-to-earth sanity insisted she make.

Becoming heavily involved with Ethan Cartwright would not lead anywhere good for her. She didn’t believe the Cinderella story worked in today’s world. Like married like. He was only serious about getting her back into bed with him until he’d had enough of her.

She managed to summon up a crooked little smile and said, ‘You won the prize. Let’s leave it at that.’

Then she pushed herself away from him, resolutely determined on leaving the swimming pool, getting dressed and going home.

Tomorrow she would find another job.

Any job.

It was best if she never saw Ethan Cartwright again.

She couldn’t trust herself not to give in to him if she stayed working here and putting herself in that kind of constant emotional jeopardy would be hell.





CHAPTER EIGHT


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ETHAN couldn’t believe it. He’d had Daisy Donahue precisely where he wanted her. She’d responded to him just as he’d imagined she would. The sex had been fantastic. Best ever. For her to reject it, reject him and all they could share together was a development he certainly hadn’t anticipated. It was enough to make a man tear his hair out in frustration.

She was up the steps and out of the swimming pool before his fighting spirit erupted through the shock of being told this was all he was going to have with her. No way was he going to accept that. He’d finally found a woman who met all the criteria that satisfied what he’d always been missing and he wasn’t about to let her walk away.