Sale or Return Bride

With considerable difficulty, she moved her gaze from the tantalizing vision of bronzed skin and rough chest hair clustered against rock-solid muscle. Heart thudding hard, mouth dry, she stared defiantly into the corner of the room, just refusing to look at him. Perhaps if she didn’t look, then she wouldn’t feel. Wouldn’t want.

The sound of a zip being undone made her flinch, the rustle of silk sliding to the floor made her nerve-endings tingle, and at that point she closed her eyes, just knowing that he was naked and absolutely determined not to look.

‘Well, Mrs Fiorukis?’ His rough masculine voice taunted her and she sensed him moving closer. And closer. ‘Are you ready to close this particular part of the deal?’

Eyes still closed, heart still hammering, she tried to reason with him. ‘You can’t possibly want me and I certainly don’t want you—’

He was too close.

His raw masculine scent surrounded her and oozed into her senses, making her stomach drop and her legs weaken.

‘On the contrary, I paid an indecent sum of money for you,’ he reminded her coldly, ‘and I expect you to earn that money.’

Her eyes flew open and she gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘In the bedroom?’

‘Where else?’ He gave a bored shrug. ‘I’m certainly not in need of your assistance in the boardroom.’

Her mind searched frantically for an escape from the building sexual tension which was threatening her ability to think or function.

‘You already have a mistress—’

‘Several,’ he confirmed helpfully, ‘but you needn’t worry that it will affect my performance in bed.’

She didn’t even want to think about bed.

Every inch of her throbbed. Her senses danced and pirouetted in a crazy response to the man in front of her.

‘Look—I’m trying to be honest,’ she said desperately, ‘and the truth is we just don’t have to do this. You can go to your mistress—I don’t care—’

She didn’t need this. Didn’t want this. She wanted freedom from these feelings that she didn’t recognize. Hadn’t felt before.

‘But my mistress won’t give me children,’ he reminded her silkily, ‘and I want children. And this is the way children are made, remember?’

Her gaze, showing a glimmer of guilt, flew to his. It was a mistake. Slumberous dark eyes captured and trapped her, drawing her in. Those eyes alone were enough to make a woman lose herself, she thought dizzily, struggling to remember why it was that she didn’t want to go to bed with him. His eyelashes were long and dark and ridiculously thick and his hard jaw was covered in blue-black stubble that made him look even more dangerous.

‘If you’re nervous then you needn’t be,’ he said. ‘I may not like you but that kiss alone was enough to prove to both of us that, despite our emotions, physically at least there is a powerful chemistry between us.’

Alesia felt dizzy and drugged and her mouth was so dry she could barely speak.

She gaped at him. ‘Chemistry? You think there’s chemistry between us?’

‘I know there is—’ he curved a hand round her waist and drew her against him ‘—and so do you. Stop pretending you don’t feel it too.’

Alesia was so busy trying to understand his belief that there was chemistry between them that she somehow managed to miss the fact that his hand was moving down her back. With a swift, purposeful movement he undid her dress and she gave a soft gasp of shock as it pooled at her feet, leaving her dressed in only a pair of silk panties.

Consumed by embarrassment, she lifted her arms to cover her naked breasts but Sebastien caught her hands and drew them around his neck before scooping her up in his arms.

‘This is definitely not the time to cover up your best assets,’ he urged thickly, carrying her to the bed and depositing her in the centre.

Before she could move a muscle, he came down on top of her, his weight pinning her to the bed.

‘Whatever your faults, you have a fabulous body,’ he said huskily, sliding a lean bronzed hand over her body with maddening slowness as he surveyed her with raw male appreciation. ‘I’ll be honest about one thing, pethi mou, I was all ready to refuse this deal whatever the incentive and then I saw you.’

Her breath jammed in her throat. ‘You were going to refuse?’

‘Of course.’ He raised his head to look at her and there was a flicker of dry amusement in his dark eyes. ‘We are expected to make babies for our respective families, agape mou, and that requires a certain activity on my part. If I had found you unattractive there was no way I would have agreed to this marriage. Despite rumours to the contrary, I’m extremely particular about who I take to my bed.’