Theos. He would take her right here and now if he could.
He drew back slightly, dragging in breath, control. ‘I told them I had urgent business to attend to.’
Sidonie turned around in his arms and that was worse—because now Alexio’s steel-hard erection was pressed against her soft belly and the hard tips of her breasts were visible through her sleeveless vest tops.
‘Alexio...’
Alexio dragged his gaze up and met two pools of aquamarine.
‘Hmm?’
‘If I stay with you tonight...that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you...’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m not saying I don’t want to, but I’m not like that.’ She winced. ‘I mean...I won’t sleep with you as some sort of payment. I would prefer to stay in a hostel or something.’
Alexio cupped her jaw. She would sleep with him. They both knew it.
‘I think you’ve already made your morals clear, and I respect that. Firstly, you are not staying in a hostel or anywhere else.’ His voice was rough. ‘Secondly, I do not expect you to sleep with me to pay me for the room. If you sleep with me it will be because you want to. Not for any other reason. We’re two consenting adults, Sidonie, not bound by any ties. Free to do as we wish...’
She was breathless now. He could feel her chest moving against him and he wanted to groan.
‘Yes...but after tonight we won’t see each other again... I don’t do one-night stands. We barely know each other.’
Alexio bent his head and feathered a kiss at the corner of one succulent pouting lip. He could feel her yielding against him.
‘I already know more about you than I do about my own secretary. And I thought you said you couldn’t get a flight for at least a couple of days...so that’s two nights... And you know what? You think too much. Tomorrow is a long way away. We have tonight, and that’s all that matters right now.’
* * *
Alexio’s apartment was not as Sidonie had expected. She’d anticipated some kind of penthouse apartment in a sleek building, but his loft-style apartment was in an old converted redbrick building on the Thames, with stunning views.
It had huge windows and exposed brick walls. Sleek and modern furnishings married well with the old shell of the building. Abstract art and compelling black and white photos hung on the walls. The furnishings were unmistakably masculine, but not in an off-putting way. It was comfortable.
Alexio was standing with his arms crossed, watching her. Sidonie blushed and answered his look. She shrugged slightly. ‘I’d expected something a bit more...’
‘Generic? Without taste?’ Alexio put a hand to his chest. ‘You wound me...although maybe when you see this your suspicions will be proved right.’
He took her hand and led her to an alcove off the main open-plan living area. It was a dark nook, decorated like an opulent private gentlemen’s club, with a pool table and a fully stocked antique bar. A huge mirror behind the bar made the whole space glitter with decadence.
Sidonie smiled. ‘Now, this is more like it.’
Alexio let her go and moved to the bar. He disappeared behind the counter to re-emerge holding a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses.
Sidonie’s skin prickled.
He arched a brow. ‘Can I tempt you with an aperitif?’
Sidonie saw then how the light was lengthening outside the huge stunning windows and over London. London Bridge was in view—an iconic landmark. She hadn’t even noticed that the day had almost flown by.
Vowing to stop thinking so much and just to enjoy, she went and perched herself on one of the velvet-covered stools.
‘I’d love one, thank you.’
Alexio expertly popped the cork with only the smallest, most sibilant hiss, and poured them both a glass of the sparkling golden liquid. Sidonie tried not to notice the label, which proclaimed it to be one of the most expensive brands in the world.
Don’t think. Enjoy.
He handed her a glass and then came around the counter to stand in front of her. If she widened her legs Alexio could step right between them. Sidonie’s pulse leapt.
But he merely clinked his glass to hers and said, ‘To us, Sidonie Fitzgerald. Thank y