get very hot and sweaty, and I don’t have air conditioning.’
Nik’s libido was fighting against the restraining bonds of logic. ‘I will give you a lift home and then I’m leaving.’
‘Leaving?’ Disappointment mingled with uncertainty. ‘You don’t find me attractive?’
‘You’re sexy as hell,’ he drawled, ‘but you’re not my type.’
‘That doesn’t make any sense. You don’t like sexy?’
‘I like sexy. I don’t like women who want to fall in love, settle down and have lots of babies.’
‘I thought we’d already established I didn’t want to do any of that with you. You don’t score a single point on my checklist, which is exactly why I want to do this. I know I’d be safe. And so would you!’
He decided he didn’t even want to know about her checklist. ‘How much champagne have you had?’
‘I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re suggesting. Ask me anything. Make me walk in a straight line. I’ll touch my nose with my eyes closed, or I’ll touch your nose with my eyes closed if you prefer. Or other parts of you—’ She gave a wicked grin and leaned forward. ‘One night. That’s all it would be. You will not regret it.’
Nik deployed the full force of his will power and kept his eyes away from the softness of her breasts. ‘You’re right. I won’t, because it’s not going to happen.’
‘I do yoga. I’m very bendy.’
Nik gave a soft curse. ‘Stop talking.’
‘I can put my legs behind my head.’
‘Cristo, you should definitely stop talking.’ His libido was urging logic to surrender.
‘What’s the problem? One night of fun. Tomorrow we both go our own ways and if I see you in the office I’ll pretend I don’t know you. Call your lawyer. I’ll sign a contract promising not to fall in love with you. A pre-non-nuptial agreement. All I want is for you to take me home, strip me naked, throw me onto that enormous bed of yours and have sex with me in every conceivable position. After that I will walk out of your door and you’ll never see me again. Deal?’
He tried to respond but it seemed her confusing mix of innocence and sexuality had short-circuited his brain. ‘Lily—’ he spoke through his teeth ‘—trust me, you do not want me to take you home, strip you naked and throw you onto my bed.’
‘Why not? It’s just sex.’
‘You’ve spent several hours telling me you don’t do “just sex”.’
‘But I’m going to this time. I want to be able to separate sex from love. The next time a man comes my way who might be the one, I won’t let sex confuse things. I’ll be like Kevlar. Nothing is getting through me. Nothing.’
‘You are marshmallow, not Kevlar.’
‘That was the old me. The new me is Kevlar. I don’t understand why you won’t do this, unless—’ She studied him for a long moment and then leaned forward, a curious look in her eyes. ‘Are you scared?’
‘I’m sober,’ he said softly, ‘and when I play, I like it to be with an opponent who is similarly matched.’
‘I’m tougher than I look.’ A dimple appeared in the corner of her mouth. ‘Drink another glass of champagne and then call Vassilis.’
‘How do you know my driver’s name?’
‘I listen. And he has a kind face. There really is no need to be nervous. If rumour is correct, you’re a cold, emotionless vacuum and that means you’re in no danger from someone like little me.’
He had a feeling ‘little me’ was the most dangerous thing he’d encountered in a long while. ‘If I’m a “cold, emotionless vacuum”, why would you want to climb into my bed?’
‘Because you are insanely sexy and all the things that make you so wrong for me would make you perfect for rebound sex.’
He looked into those blue eyes and tried to ignore the surge of sexual hunger that had gripped him from the moment he’d laid eyes on that pale silky hair tumbling damp round her gleaming wet body.
Never before had doing the right thing felt so wrong.
Nik cursed under his breath and rose to his feet. ‘We’re leaving.’