He saw the confusion in her eyes and lowered his head, using the most effective weapon of all. Himself.
He took her mouth and felt her moan against him, her tongue flickering out to meet his as he kissed her gently. With considerable difficulty he lifted his head so that he could continue the battle. ‘What we have is so powerful. Why are you fighting it?’
His hand was locked in her hair and he could see a pulse beating frantically in her smooth throat.
‘Because I have to.’ Her voice was little more than a whisper and he could see the indecision in her eyes. ‘It wouldn’t work, Zander.’
‘You and me on a Greek Island with no Farrer.’ He gave a wry smile, watching her face. ‘Trust me, Anni, it will work.’
He could read the conflict in her expression, the stubborn lift of her chin at odds with the flame in her blue eyes. She was a woman of contrasts. Soft and gentle mixed with sparky and sharp.
And he wanted her so much it was starting to drive him crazy. Lauranne was the only woman who’d ever played these games with him. Other members of her sex were prepared to fall into his bed with almost exasperating ease, but Lauranne had to fight him every inch of the way and the challenge seemed only to intensify the aching throb of his erection.
His gaze burned into hers. ‘We have things to sort out, and I want to sort them out away from Farrer—’
She closed her eyes and he saw the faint colour on her cheekbones.
‘Zander, please—’
‘Theos mou, why are we playing these stupid games?
’ he said savagely. ‘We both know what we want.’
‘No!’ But her denial held no conviction, the longing in her eyes at odds with the words she spoke. ‘We can’t do this—’
‘We can,’ he promised, bringing his mouth down on hers with a groan of pleasure, his tongue finding hers, tasting and teasing until she finally gave in to the fire, leaning into him, sliding her arms around his neck.
His whole body throbbed with the intensity of a desire that he had never experienced before and he dragged at the clip holding her hair, feeling it slide over his arm in a whisper of soft silk.
‘Anni—’ He’d planned to wait until they reached Greece, but suddenly the back of his car seemed increasingly appealing. He felt her slenderness, her warmth, the way she trembled against him, but just as he decided that the venue really wasn’t important she pushed hard against his chest.
He shifted slightly to give her space, his hand still locked in her hair, his breathing unsteady as he stared down into her shocked, wary eyes.
‘You hurt me, Zander.’
‘You hurt me, too.’ His hand tightened in her silken hair, his voice fierce. ‘It’s in the past.’
‘I can’t do it again.’
He saw the sheen of tears in her eyes and felt himself tense in shock.
‘Anni—’ He looked at her uncertainly, feeling distinctly out of his depth for the first time in his life. He’d never seen Lauranne cry before. She wasn’t that sort of woman. For once all his legendary skill at negotiation deserted him.
‘I didn’t sleep with Tom!’
He gave a growl of frustration. The mere thought of her being with Tom made him want to smash something. ‘I told you, it’s in the past.’ His tone was fierce as his eyes raked her flushed face. ‘We don’t mention it again.’
‘But—’
‘Come with me.’ He didn’t want to listen to her denials. He didn’t want to think about it at all. ‘It’s what I want and it’s what you want too.’
She gave a whimper and arched upwards, seeking his kiss again, but he kept himself just out of reach, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the extreme reaction of his body. ‘If you want me, Anni, you drop this pretence and come with me. And you do it of your own free will—’
Her eyes clung to his and he watched the conflict of emotions flitting through her brain—desire, fear, confusion. He held her gaze, refusing to allow her to look away.
Her soft ‘yes’ was barely audible but it was the answer he wanted and he experienced the same rush of triumph that he always felt when he emerged successful from another particularly difficult negotiation.
With a groan of relief he lowered his head and kissed her soft mouth gently.