'I was going to wine and dine you, coax you—'
'Well, coax me, then.' Her voice snapped the last shred of his control and he pulled her into him desperately, moulding her against the length of him, his arousal hot and fierce as his hands explored the length of her. She was hardly aware of her dress sliding to the floor but when her bra followed and he knelt before her, his mouth erotic on her full, taut breasts, she moaned softly, her fingers entwining in the short, crisp black hair of his head as she trembled and shook.
'I told you how it would be between us…' As he rose, lifting her into his arms and carrying her across to the massive bed, she felt a moment's sadness at his whispered words. Yes, he had told her. Told her that their bodies would be good together, that they would be… What had he said? Oh, yes, 'compatible'.
What would he say if she told him it was her love that made her flower at his touch, her love that had evoked a raging thirst for them to become as one? But he must never know. That humiliation, more than any other, would be too much to bear.
He undressed quickly, his eyes never leaving hers as he drank his fill of her, lying pale and trembling in the dusk-filled room, and then he was beside her. His hands removed the last barrier between them, sliding her pants down her legs slowly as he kissed their path with warm, searching lips, and she was unable to stop the shivers of desire shaking her limbs. His body was strong and hard as he took her in his arms again, the feel of his nakedness strange and thrilling even as its alien ability frightened her. She wasn't ready for this… His maleness was too fierce, too powerful…
'Relax, my sweet darling, relax…' He had sensed the sudden surge of fear at the unknown and his voice was soft and tender against her mouth. 'We have all the time in the world.'
And slowly, surely, he fed her desire with lips that blazed fire over every part of her body as she lay helpless and warm in his embraces, his mouth and hands hungry and sensual, cajoling an aching pleasure that was almost pain until she found herself arching and pleading for a release from the sweet, subtle torment. His lips were demanding as they found and explored all her secret places, the fire that was consuming her burning away any shred of shyness or fear.
And as his hands lifted her hips to meet his body he still continued to ravage her mouth, catching the gasp of fleeting pain as he possessed her fully and kissing away the brief moment of panic with deep, tender kisses until she began to move in rhythm with his maleness, a shuddering ecstasy rippling over her being in greater and greater intensity until it seemed as though she was on fire.
'You are mine, fully mine,' he groaned harshly as he took her with him to the heights that were filled with blinding colour and light, the world exploding into a million glittering pieces that were piercing and hot against her closed eyes.
'Have I hurt you?' His voice was thick and warm with a rueful tenderness as she stirred beneath him, her senses slowly returning as he moved off her and drew her into his side. 'I had promised myself that I would be patient, restrained, that tonight I would let you sleep so that you would be ready to accept my advances tomorrow in the security and warmth of our villa in Spain.'
'Our villa'? Somehow those two words meant more than the physical act of possession in all its intimacy. She was his wife. He had told her that she would be his wife in the full sense of the word, that their lives would be intrinsically linked from this point, and she believ
ed him; she did.
And with such closeness, such familiarity, surely that other love would cease to keep its hold on his mind and his heart? He had promised her that there would be no other women and she knew he believed that was enough but she wanted more than a commitment of bodily faithfulness— she wanted his heart too.
'Katie?' He rose slightly on one elbow to look into her flushed face and she knew in that instant that she must be patient He wanted her physically; he had shown her tonight that he was capable of tenderness and understanding even in his overwhelming need of her body. From that she would have to cultivate the first seeds of love.
'Yes, you hurt me.' She slanted her eyes at him in mock-severity even as she wanted to reach up and pull his face to hers, to kiss his mouth without passion getting in the way, to trace each line and contour of his hard face with her lips. 'But I forgive you.'
'You do?' He smiled down at her, his eyes lazy as they stroked over her naked body. 'Well, that's a good omen for the future, wouldn't you say?' There was some inflexion, just a shred of emotion she couldn't quite place, in his voice, but she could read nothing from his face and decided she must have imagined it.
'Maybe.' She smiled up at him as he brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek with one finger. She must keep this relaxed and easy; she was feeling too vulnerable for any deep talking, too exposed and close to tears.
'No, not 'maybe'.' His eyes darkened as he let his finger trail down the length of her body. 'You are mine now, completely and utterly. You belong to me. You made it clear last night that you don't want to talk about how I feel but surely you can see that we need to discuss things? Our future is bound up together, Katie, you can't deny that, and after what we just shared—'
'Please.' She shook her head as she went to move from his side and in the same instant he pulled her back against him, his face suddenly still as his eyes travelled over her troubled face.
'No, don't turn away from me,' he said huskily.
'Can we just take things a day at a time?' she asked weakly as his power over her swamped her afresh. She couldn't, she just couldn't listen to any explanations about Maisie now; even if he didn't put a name to his love she would know whom he was talking about.
He had made it clear at the start why he was marrying her. In that she had no reason to complain. He had laid it fair and square on the line and she had walked into this with her eyes open but… But it hurt like hell.
She didn't want to listen to a reiteration of his promise of physical faithfulness, not now, not when the need for reassurance was so strong that she could taste it. He was a possessive, ruthless and hard man. What he had he kept and he didn't share. She knew that. And as his wife, the vehicle by which his future heir would be born, she was of more value than anything else he possessed.
'Go to sleep, Katie.' His voice was quiet and flat but his arms were gentle as he drew her into him, stroking her hair softly as they lay together in the gathering darkness until the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart finder her cheek sent her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
She had never seen anything more beautiful than the area of Northern Spain where Carlton's villa was situated.
They left the hotel early the next morning after a huge breakfast and she found herself painfully tongue-tied in the cold light of day when she remembered the intimacies of the night before, although Carlton chatted with an ease that gradually relaxed her taut muscles and freed her tongue.
The plane flight was uneventful and when they landed at the Spanish airport the usual formalities were dealt with quickly and efficiently. As they left the terminal, stepping into the brilliant heat beyond the air-conditioned building, Carlton guided her over to a powerful, low-slung sports car parked in a reserved spot just outside the massive doors.
'Is this yours?' she asked in surprise as he extracted a key from his pocket and opened the back of the car, slinging their cases into the area beyond.
'Uh-huh.' He moved round to open her door, his eyes narrowed against the piercing quality of the light 'I keep it garaged in the town here and have it brought to the airport when I arrive.'
'Oh, right.' The power of money, she thought to herself as she slid into the luxurious seat and watched him walk round to the driver's side. His wealth seemed to open magic doors, smooth all the normal little irritating difficulties of life clean away. 'That's very convenient,' she added as he slid into the seat beside her and started the engine, which responded immediately.