‘What about you? Don’t you need sleep?’
‘I can sleep later.’ She swiped soapy bubbles around her body.
‘But you won’t.’ He frowned and pulled a towel from the rail for her. ‘You’re too busy organising Gia’s life and running errands and keeping Alannah out of trouble.’
‘It’s good for me to keep fit too.’
‘It’s not good for anyone to have their sleep interrupted like this. This is the middle of the night. This is bad for your body clock.’ And bad for every single one of his internal organs. He didn’t want her to go.
She rinsed off and plucked the towel from his fingers. ‘My body clock is just fine.’
His blood was running cold; he gritted his teeth but it didn’t stop the chills spreading down his spine. He didn’t want her to walk out on him. He didn’t want to lose what he’d just found. He wanted her to stay. He’d do whatever he had to to make her stay. ‘We only got to sleep half an hour ago, you know.’
Oh, Victoria knew. He’d asked her again and again what she wanted. And she’d told, she’d taken. She’d indulged so many fantasies. Only now she had so many more. And, man, she wished he’d pick up a towel to put around his hips. He was distraction incarnate. She bent to jam her feet into trainers and tie her laces and avoid looking at him. Then she made it to the door.
But he was waiting there for her.
His hands swept over her body—one around her waist, one sneakily slipping up her thigh. She couldn’t resist another look at him. He was as hard as iron.
‘You’re panting already,’ he drawled in her ear. ‘How are you going to run for forty-five when you’re already as breathless as this?’
‘Don’t tease.’ She leaned against the door for support, letting herself enjoy this last touch.
‘I’m not teasing.’ His grin proved him a liar. ‘I’m seriously concerned for your welfare.’
‘I—’ Her phone chimed again. She glanced at the screen but didn’t take the call. ‘I’ll tell her I was in the elevator and didn’t have reception.’
The last thing she wanted to do was go running and listen to all the things Gia wanted her to do today. Not to mention do all the soothing, calming talk if the boss was panicking about something. Which no doubt she would be. Because she always was. But Vivi had to go.
‘Victoria.’ He settled both hands on her waist. Firmly. His smile fading. ‘No job is worth this.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘This one is.’
‘Really?’
‘I’m Gia’s longest serving assistant. We have trust. I’m not letting her down.’
‘You have trust? What would happen if you didn’t go?’
Vivi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to think about that.
‘I don’t care how much she pays you, she’s asking too much.’
‘You can’t accuse me of being a workaholic.’ She deflected the argument back on him. ‘You’re way worse than me.’
‘I had to work. There were people relying on me. Pulling a company back from the brink is almost harder than building one from scratch.’
‘You don’t think I have to work?’ Her temper flared. ‘I’m the one who ended up alone in London with no money, no friends, no family. I got this job on my own and I’m damn well going to keep it. And what makes you think I can’t cope with working as hard as you?’
‘Of course you can.’ He let out a frustrated growl. ‘I admit I worked like a dog. Most of the time I still do. Every bit the same kind of crazy hours as you. But there’s a crucial difference. This company is mine. It’s all my effort. It’s my baby. I’m in control of it.’
‘So working for someone else isn’t as good?’ she snapped. ‘Is that what you’re saying?’
His frown was quick, so was his attempt to explain. ‘You’re a talented person. You had design ideas of your own back then. Maybe you should be doing more for yourself.’
More? More like what? ‘This may be hard for your feeble brain to compute,’ she said crossly, ‘but I find it rewarding to support another person.’
‘Exactly.’ He leaned forward. ‘And it seems to me you’ve ended up in the exact same position you were in five years ago. Running around doing everything anyone asked of you. Doing everything for other people and not for yourself. Not taking care of yourself. Answer me this—do you really want to go?’
‘It’s not about what I want.’
He looked frustrated. ‘You’re already regressing? Unable to say what you really want? Too scared of Gia’s disapproval?’
‘I have responsibilities.’
‘Unreasonable ones.’ He looked furious. ‘If you go, I won’t be here when you get back. And I won’t come back.’
Vivi froze. ‘Is that a threat?’ She glared up at him. ‘Because that’s unreasonable.’
Just who did he think he was? She couldn’t give up her life again. And that was what this would be. If she refused Gia now, she’d be sacked on the spot.
‘Can you put what you want first?’ he asked. ‘Not what I want. Not Gia. But you.’
‘No, this is only about what you want. You say I can ask you anything? You only mean sexually. You still don’t listen. You don’t respect what I do. What I want.’
He still only wanted to win. To be the one she chose. And for what?
Of course she wanted to remain locked in his embrace. But she wanted more. Already she wanted more. Being intimate with him only worsened her attraction to him. He was like a drug. Her absolute addiction. Addictions were never a good thing. Too much led to bad. And here it was already—the request to bow to his will. And the thing was—he didn’t want more. He’d made that crystal clear.
He’d stilled, his hands at his sides. Fisted. ‘You said one night.’
‘Yeah, and my night is over. The day has begun.’ And she really needed to get moving—away from him. She needed to get on the first plane back to London.
‘Whereas my night has a few hours left.’ He stepped back into her space. His fingers skimmed the edge of her shorts.
She couldn’t hide her instinctive shiver—not just from his touch, but the determination, the intensity in his eyes.
‘Victoria,’ he asked softly. ‘How long do you think you can last?’
She stiffened—he knew, didn’t he? How much his touch affected her. This was a deliberate attempt to seduce her. Too bad. Because she’d lasted years and she wouldn’t be bowled by him again. ‘It was only sex, Liam.’ And she’d had other sex. Good sex even.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Only the best sex of your life.’
‘All right, yes. The best. That satisfy you?’ She paused, admitting the truth hurt. But it was true. It had always been there, had never gone away, never died. It had only taken one look, one fraction of a second, to burst back to life stronger than ever. But it was all he wanted and it wasn’t enough. ‘It’s lust. It’s purely chemical. For some reason my body thinks yours is the best one on the planet to procreate with. But yo
u’re not the best person for me. You’re not Mr Right. We want different things.’ She shored up her defence—reminded herself of what she’d worked so hard for. ‘We’re both career driven, we live in separate countries. I can’t give up my life again. And you wouldn’t want me to. You’ve said it yourself—you don’t want more. This has to stop. I can’t let this happen again.’
When she’d been with him, it had been as if the rest of the world could crumble around them. Such a cliché. He’d been her escape. But he’d also been her prison. In the end she’d needed to be free of that too. The intensity still frightened her.
He stepped back, looking oddly pale under the dim light from the bedside table. ‘You regret it.’
‘I think...’ She hesitated again. ‘Yes.’
‘This life you got going isn’t that great,’ he said. ‘Not when you have to go on freaking training runs at three in the morning. But you can’t say no. You’re afraid to stand up for yourself for fear of rejection.’
‘There’s a major point of difference you’re missing. Gia pays me.’
‘You’re still scared of her. Of disapproval.’
‘I choose to work for her. You’re as hot-headed as ever, like some bulldozer barging into a situation and not getting the subtleties. Doing and getting what only you want regardless of the impact on anyone else. Did you know Gia was due a holiday after Milan? Your demands ruined it.’
‘Gia is a machine who never needs rest,’ Liam scoffed. ‘The person who missed out on the break was you. And you can’t ask her for it because you’re completely afraid. You’re still too scared to be honest.’
‘Oh, I can be honest. But you can’t seem to listen. Here’s some honesty for you. I want you out of my room. Out of my life.’ She couldn’t cope with him—with the power of her emotions. Not when it wasn’t reciprocated. When for him it was just sex and for her it was everything.