Mistress: Pregnant by The Spanish Billionaire

A couple of minutes later she was in the shower allowing the needles of hot water to wash away the dirt and soothe her bruises. She emerged feeling a lot fresher. The bruises remained, though, and a couple of spectacular scratches. She overcame her reluctance to put back on her creased clothes, but what choice did she have? He had to have something to take off, reasoned the voice in her head.

‘Optimist,’ she accused her image in the steamy mirror. Her grin faltered. ‘You’re taking a lot for granted, Nell Frost. A few smouldering looks do not make a date. This is not the middle of the wilderness. A man has more options. There are other ways to spend an evening or an afternoon—there might be a good film on the TV,’ she observed, only half joking.

The longer she was alone with her thoughts, the less realistic her rather shocking plans for a day of wild passion seemed.

She left the bathroom trying not to allow her thoughts or her eyes to stray to the quite incredibly large bed that dominated Luiz’s bedroom.

Nell’s rather tense expression relaxed into a smile when in the sitting room beyond she saw the tray of tea and sandwiches waiting for her—two cups, so obviously Luiz did plan to return some time soon.

After taking a sandwich and pouring herself a cup of tea she sat down on the leather sofa and waited.

She didn’t have long to wait. When he entered the room her heart started banging violently against her ribs.

Luiz stopped dead when he saw her, his eyes drifting from her freshly scrubbed face to the cup of tea in her hands and on to her hair hanging wetly around her shoulders.

Nell felt relieved when he finally broke the simmering silence.

‘You look so young.’

Nell wasn’t sure from the accusing note in his voice if she was meant to apologise. Instead she said stupidly, ‘Thanks for the tea.’

He nodded his head in acknowledgement. ‘You’re welcome.’

‘I hope you don’t mind—I used your shower.’

The only thing Luiz minded was that he had not been there to share the shower with her.

‘Then you will smell better than me.’

In Nell’s opinion there was nothing wrong with the way he smelt—nothing at all. She did not share this opinion but instead asked, ‘Is your grandmother worse?’

He angled a brow. ‘She is in good spirits. It was a call from my office that kept me.’

‘You have an office?’

‘Several.’

‘You’re rich?’

Luiz dug his hand into his pocket and shrugged; someone had clearly been talking. ‘I am not poor.’

‘The odd billion doesn’t count, then,’ she suggested in a quivering voice. When Luiz didn’t correct her Nell swallowed and said, ‘I thought Francesco was exaggerating.’ Her eyes slid to the ring on her finger. ‘So it wasn’t about your grandmother’s money? You were telling the truth all along.’

‘Am I meant to apologise for not lying?’ Was he lying to himself when he told himself yet again that this was just about sex? Luiz wasn’t sure he was ready for that much truth yet, so he turned a deaf ear to the intrusive thought.

Nell put her teacup onto the tray and unfolded her legs. ‘You could have told me,’ she added angrily. ‘You knew what I thought and you could have put me right at any point, but you enjoyed feeling superior.’

Nell saw the flash of surprised recognition in his eyes before he acknowledged the accusation with a shrug. ‘You started off calling me a snake and your opinion went down from there. I suppose I was wondering just how low your opinion could go before it reached rock-bottom.’

She watched over the rim of her teacup as he perched on the edge of the window seat and, stretching his long legs out in front of him, crossed one ankle over the other.

‘I still slept with you when I thought you were a snake.’

Nell realised now that her determination to believe the worst of him had been in part a protective thing—she had wanted him to have a flaw, an ugly side that stopped him being perfect and irresistible.

This was not a discovery Nell planned on sharing with him. Not now he had no flaws or ugly side and she had no protection. Because while not quite perfect—that would be boring—Luiz was, to her at least, totally irresistible.

His glittering gaze swivelled her way. ‘So you did,’ he drawled. ‘And now that your opinion is perhaps not so low…?’

Nell’s eyes slid from the dark glitter of sexual challenge in his bold stare. ‘You look exhausted.’

‘Someone kept me awake last night.’ He was hoping she would do the same tonight. He had felt in need of her brand of comfort all day and it was driving him quietly out of his mind.