Deep down, while I’d have loved to share this moment with her, I was selfishly glad I had this all to myself. That I had Neo all to myself, as unwise as the thought was.
It took a few minutes for the shock to wear off, to grasp the fact that he’d had the tours shut down, had his executive chef prepare a sublime meal and transported it to this incredible place. All in a handful of hours.
The impact of his actions threatened to drown me in dangerous emotion. The kind that prompted yearnings that would never be fulfilled. The kind that led to restless, need-filled nights.
In a bid to put some distance between myself and those feelings, I glanced at pillars that whispered with history. ‘Was Athena Nike not a fertility goddess?’
Neo inclined his head, his gaze brooding. ‘Which makes this location apt, does it not?’
A blush crept into my cheeks, and when his gaze lingered boldly, heat spread fast and hard over my body.
Easy conversation flowed between us as we ate. And when the pièce de résistance was wheeled out—an enormous cupcake-shaped birthday cake, with a single candle set into the pink frosting—I fought back tears as Neo took my hand and led me to it.
‘You made a wish?’ His tone suggested the idea was alien to him.
‘I did. Something wrong with that?’ I asked when an involuntary muscle clenched in his jaw.
‘Wishes are useless. Reality is what matters.’
Bruising hurt launched itself into my chest. ‘It’s my birthday. I’m one hundred percent sure you’re not allowed to rain on my birthday parade.’
He stared at me for a long spell. Then nodded abruptly. ‘Ne, I’m not. What I can do is give you your birthday gift.’
From his pocket, he pulled a sleek, oblong box. Before he could open it, I laid my hand over his.
‘I don’t need a present, Neo. This...’ I waved my hand at the setting ‘...is more than enough.’
He blithely ignored me and flicked the box open.
Inside nestled a gorgeous necklace. Fiery ruby stones battled with sparkling diamonds for radiance. I couldn’t help my gasp.
‘You might not want a gift, but it’s yours nevertheless,’ he stated, in that absolute manner I’d come to accept was simply his nature.
‘And you want me to take it because it will please you?’ I semi-mocked, using his words from before.
He shook his head. ‘Because it will look beautiful on you. Because the rubies match your sensational hair and it would be a shame to keep this thing in a box.’
The compliments burrowed deep inside me, disarming me long enough for him to fasten the necklace, step back and boldly admire it.
‘You have a thing for my hair, don’t you?’ I said.
Expecting a mocking comeback, my heart flipped over when raw need tightened his face.
Before I could draw a breath he was capturing my shoulders, dragging me against his body. ‘I have a thing for you, Sadie. For all of you,’ he breathed, right before his head swooped down.
Helpless to deny the hunger which had been building inside me for weeks, I surged onto my toes and met his fiery kiss. Sensation went from one to one hundred in the space of a heartbeat. In a tangle of limbs we grappled to get closer, to kiss deeper, to sate an insatiable need.
When an abstract sense of propriety finally drove us apart, we were both breathing harshly, and Neo’s face was a taut mask of arousal. His hands continued to roam over my body, stoking need, until I feared my heart would bang clean out of my ribcage.
Lips parted in stunned surprise, I watched him sink to his knees, frame my hips between his hands, before leaning forward to kiss the swell of my belly. When he rose again, his eyes churned with thunder and lightning, his hands trailing fire when he cupped my nape and angled my face to his.
‘I want you, Sadie. Naked. In my bed, beneath me. Think of the sublime pleasure I can give you and give in to me,’ he coaxed, his fingers caressing my throat.
My knees sagged, the heady words finding their target and weakening my resolve. I scrambled hard for it. Because when it came right down to it, what Neo was offering was great sex. But still only sex.
I wanted more. Much more than I’d even allowed myself to dream of.
It was that very monumental need that made me shake my head. ‘I can’t. Not for a quick tumble that will simply complicate things. Besides, this isn’t part of our agreement.’