The Wrong Sister(54)

Permission to touch him, please Jan?

She stroked her fingers down the hard length of his hipbone, sliding deep into his hot slippery pocket, knowing she must be only a fraction of an inch from very dangerous ground.

Christian let loose a small soft growl, but with Nicky in his arms could do nothing to prevent her hand from exploring.

She located the key-ring and closed her fingers around the remote, drawing it far too slowly up past his groin, feeling her knuckles brushing where they shouldn’t.

“Just getting even for your champagne game,” she murmured sweetly, producing the bundle at last and sending him a faint cheeky smile. Her heart pounded against her ribs, and she breathed out with relief as she turned to blip the car unlocked.

Unfamiliar with the luxurious vehicle she gave her total concentration to driving the short distance, and drew to a thankful halt a tense minute or two later.

“Garage remote’s behind the visor.”

Fiona fumbled for it in the dark and waited until the door rose. She coasted inside and signaled for it to close.

They were alone, and it was bedtime.

Her heartbeat once again increased to a rapid hammering. Separate bedrooms and the presence of a sleeping two-year-old would to do very little to douse the furious flames that had sprung up between them.

“Thank-you for a lovely dinner.”

She sighed at the desperately bright tone of her voice as she shot out of the car and hurried around to open the passenger door. Christian stepped out, cradling his still-sleeping daughter.

“We must do it again,” he replied gravely, a small humorous twitch at the corner of his mouth showing he’d registered her unease. “Tomorrow.”

“Um—yes—goodnight then,” she said, swallowing. She bolted into her room, yanking the door closed behind her.

God, this is juvenile! We shared the house in Wellington safely enough.

But that had been more than a month ago, when Jan’s death was hideously recent; when reminders of her were all around them.

And when Fiona had been too injured to think of much beyond her accident.

Now she was strong and supple again, Jan had retreated a little into the past, and there were none of her sister’s personal belongings in the cottage to reinforce the memories and strengthen her resolve.

Temptation gnawed at her like a hungry terrier worrying at a bone. Christian had made his feelings clear. He wanted her. He was gentleman enough not to force the issue, but his starving eyes and husky suggestions had found their mark. The tension between them now stretched tightrope-taut.

Fiona glared at her reflection and groaned. After all her efforts to play down her appearance her eyes were huge and bright, her cheeks flushed warmly, and her lips pouted full and inviting. She looked as seductive as any cunningly made-up model posing for a glossy magazine feature. So this had been Christian’s view of her across their table? No wonder he’d seen possibilities.

She sighed and stripped off her dress and panties, amazed to find her heart was beating so jaggedly she could see one nipple softly pulsing in the mirror. She watched the small shudder with fascination. Surely that had never happened before? She was acutely aroused, and her body was letting her know it in a dozen delicious ways.

She needed to wind down. It was late, and she felt both exhausted and exhilarated. Surely a long, relaxing shower would help? Then if she pulled on one of her oversize soft cotton T-shirts, she’d fall asleep in the inviting wide bed and put him right out of her mind until morning.





Above her, Christian paced. Nicky had drowsed in his arms without stirring, and he’d settled her into her cot with no further drama.

He cocked an ear. He could hear the shower running downstairs; so much for enjoying a nightcap with Fiona. He’d been looking forward to that, but she’d slammed her bedroom door on him as though he was poison. Just as things had seemed more relaxed, as possibilities floated around them in the warm air of the car, she’d frozen him out again.

He flinched as he pushed at his groin, trying to gain a few more degrees of comfort. Damn the woman...he needed a huge distraction instead of a huge erection!

He stripped off his shirt to let the soft night air cool his skin. What would tomorrow bring?

With resignation, he opened his ever-present lap-top and began to pull down emails; quietly tapping out replies to business messages from the other side of the world.





After what seemed like countless hours of restless tossing and turning, and determined muscle-relaxing exercises, Fiona groaned at the 2.33 on her bedside clock. She was so wide-awake. Plainly sleep wouldn’t be arriving any time soon. She sat up in the kingsize bed and took a few sips of water from her nearby tumbler. Yet again Christian crept back into her brain—so gorgeous but so far out of reach.