Breaking the Boss's Rules

In one lithe move he stood on the plush carpet and shucked off trousers and boxers to stand before her in glorious naked splendour.

Unfamiliar exultation shimmered over her that he could be so aroused by her body. Propping herself on her elbows, she let her gaze absorb every glorious millimetre of him—the light sheen of his sculpted torso, the ripped abs, the thick muscular thighs—and she shivered, imprinted the memory on her brain.

He smiled at her. ‘Seen your fill?’ he asked with a delectable quirk of his eyebrow.

‘I could look at you for hours.’

It was nothing but the truth, and the knowledge that she’d love to draw him, to try and capture his arrogant male beauty on paper, crossed her mind. No way, Imo.

Instead, ‘But I can think of other things to do right now.’

‘As I said, your wish—’

‘Then come here,’ she said.

CHAPTER SEVEN

JOE PULLED THE fridge door open and welcomed the stream of cold air that hit him as he inspected the contents. As he’d suspected there was everything he needed for an impromptu midnight picnic—he wouldn’t expect anything less from Lovers’ Tryst. And he wanted Imogen to know that she deserved champagne and caviar and strawberries and cream, even if they weren’t sensible.

Though the real reason he was here in the kitchen wasn’t only food and drink—he needed a moment to regroup. The past hour had been sensational, and yet his body still hummed with desire. As if it was greedy to make the most of every hour of this night.

But he wanted this to be special for Imogen—more than just for

the sex. Her words from the restaurant echoed in his ears. ‘Because I’ve never felt like this before. And once, Joe—just once in my life—I want to succumb to lust. To say sod the rules. Not to be sensible. For one night.’ There had been wistfulness in her voice, along with the certainty of what she wanted—and it had called to something in him.

Convinced him to just once break a rule. There was no harm in it. Imogen had been right—he’d made the decision to let her run with the proposal and that decision had been made with no ulterior motive in mind. They were here for a night. From tomorrow morning it would be all about work, and soon he would leave Langley and move on. Rules Two and Three were still in place. ‘One Night Only’. ‘Never Look Back’.

The thought brought a certain relief as he loaded a tray and pushed the fridge door closed. He exited the kitchen and made his way down the corridor to the bedroom.

Breath whistled between his teeth as he took in the opulent splendour. An enormous circular bed with a curved wooden barred headboard dominated the floor and mirrors mastered the wall space.

Imogen sat cross-legged on the bed, dressed in a thick white towelling robe. ‘It’s a little unnerving to see myself from all angles,’ she said. She gazed at the tray and her face lit up. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m ravenous.’

‘It’s all the exercise,’ he said as he stepped forward and lowered the tray onto the bedside table. ‘Champagne?’

‘Yes, please.’

Minutes later they had plates balanced on their laps and a glass of bubbles in their hands.

‘Thank you for this. It’s incredible,’ she said. ‘I can safely say I’ve never eaten caviar in bed at midnight before. I’ve never eaten caviar at all.’ The glance she swept at him was a touch shy. ‘I thought one-night stands were just about the sex.’

Her words sent a small cold shock straight to his chest; when had he ever contemplated a midnight picnic before?

‘No need for thanks. All I did was open the fridge.’ But you went looking, a small voice pointed out. ‘Seemed a shame to waste the contents.’

Imogen paused, a caviar-spread cracker halfway to her lips. ‘Don’t sweat it, Joe,’ she said. ‘I meant what I said. I don’t want any more than a one-night stand. I’m just happy that it’s turning out to be a definite once-in-a-lifetime experience.’

Since when had he been so readable? ‘So you still don’t believe in one-night stands?’

Her slim shoulders lifted in a small shrug. ‘I can’t see the point in them.’

‘Really? Then I must have done something wrong.’

For a second she looked discomfited, her lips forming the cutest circle, and then she chuckled. ‘You know damn well you did everything completely right. But it wouldn’t feel right to do this on a regular basis. Like I said, I want a lot more than sex from a relationship and I won’t risk getting blindsided by lust.’

‘I thought we did pretty good on the lust front. Don’t you agree?’

‘Yes.’ Her lips curved up in a sudden sweet smile. ‘This has been totally amazing. But in a long-term relationship there are other things that are way more important.’