The Rumours Collection

He’d protected her by his restraint.

He’d pleasured her without wanting or insisting on anything in return. Even now she could feel the aftershock tremors moving through her body, awakening more news: new needs, needs that wanted—craved and hungered—to be assuaged. Maybe that was his power trip. Maybe that was his way of keeping a step in front of her. Maybe his self-control was superior after all. Far more superior than she’d thought.

Something had changed in their relationship...something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. No one had given her the benefit of the doubt before. No one.

No one had made her feel the things Julius made her feel. No one.

No one had seen behind the mask she wore to the person she wanted to be.

No one.

When Holly came downstairs to organise breakfast the following morning, Sophia was already up and about. ‘I’m going to spend a few days with my sister,’ Sophia said. ‘You’re doing so well managing things here I thought I’d make the most of it by having some time off. Maria’s picking me up in a few minutes.’

Holly frowned. ‘Is Julius okay with that? I mean, leaving me in charge?’

‘He’s the one who suggested it.’

Holly’s frown deepened. ‘Really?’

Sophia nodded. ‘He’s also worried I might be tempted to do too much. I think he’s right. I have been overdoing it. But this little break will help.’

‘But what will Natalia have to say?’ Holly said. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be the one mentoring me?’

Sophia’s expression turned to one of concern. ‘Would you rather I didn’t go? I can cancel if you like. I’m sure my sister won’t mind.’

‘No, don’t do that. I’m just wondering about the programme.’ And being left alone in the villa with Julius without a chaperone.

‘Señor Ravensdale is the one who is ultimately responsible for you,’ Sophia said. ‘I’m here as a guide but you don’t need me. In many ways you’re more competent than me. Your cooking is restaurant standard. I’m the one who should be taking lessons off you.’

‘Yeah, well, it’s easy to cook nice things when you have access to top quality ingredients,’ Holly said.

Sophia smiled. ‘Would you mind taking Señor Ravensdale’s breakfast to him? He’s in the morning room upstairs.’

‘Sure.’

‘Ah, that’s Maria’s car now.’ Sofia gave her one last smile and left.

Holly waited for the coffee to percolate before she put it on the tray to take upstairs. The morning room was on the second level of the villa, which wasn’t convenient to the kitchen in terms of serving breakfast, but it had a lovely easterly aspect overlooking the gardens and the lake. She had been in a couple of times to dust and vacuum. It was decorated in soft yellows and cream with a touch of blue, giving it a fresh energetic look perfect for the start of the day.

When Holly shouldered open the door, a quake of dread moved through her. The French doors leading to the balcony were wide open. Julius was sitting in a patch of sunlight at the wrought-iron table with some papers set in front of him. The slight breeze was ruffling the pages, and she watched as one of his hands reached out to anchor them.

He must have sensed her presence, or maybe he heard the slight rattle of the cup in the saucer on the tray she was carrying, for he looked up. ‘Good morning.’

Holly swallowed a bird’s nest of panic. Fear crawled over her scalp. Her blood chilled, freezing in her veins until she was certain her heart would stop. Her feet were nailed to the floor. She couldn’t move. She was frozen.

Julius frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’ Holly took a step forward but couldn’t go any farther. ‘Um, would you come and get this? I’ve left something on the hob downstairs.’

‘Why don’t you come back and join me?’ he said as he took the tray from her and placed it on the table on the balcony.

‘No thanks.’

‘Got out of the wrong side of the bed, did we?’

‘Wasn’t in it long enough,’ she said with a little scowl.

He surveyed her features for a beat or two. ‘Come on and join me once you’ve turned off the hob. It’s a lovely morning. There’s enough food and coffee here for both of us. Just get another cup and saucer.’

‘I said no.’

Julius shrugged as if he didn’t care either way. ‘Suit yourself.’

‘Could you bring the tray back down when you’re done?’ Holly said as she got to the door.

He turned around to look at her. ‘Isn’t that your job?’

She held his penetrating look. ‘Is that why you’ve sent Sophia away? What is it about having someone wait on you that gives you such a thrill? Is it the power? The authority? The ego trip?’

A frown tugged at his brow. ‘Doesn’t the fact I asked you to join me for breakfast demonstrate I’m not on any power trip?’

She crossed her arms and sent him a hard glare. ‘So what was last night all about, then?’

He let out a rough-sounding breath. ‘Last night was... I was wrong to let things get to that point,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry.’

Holly wasn’t ready to be mollified. She was still feeling annoyed he’d been able to prove his point so easily. He had won that round. She had responded to him like a sex-starved fool. Which was basically what she was, but still...

He came to where she was standing. He didn’t touch her but was close enough for her to feel the tempting warmth of his body. His dark-blue eyes held hers in a gentle lock that made her wonder if he was seeing much more than she wanted him to see. She tried to keep her expression blank but she wasn’t quite able to stop her tongue from quickly moistening her lips. She watched as his gaze dipped to follow the movement before coming back to reconnect with hers.

‘This thing we have...’ he began.

‘What thing?’

‘I’ve never met someone who’s got my attention quite the way you have,’ he said.

‘Well, they wouldn’t have a chance with you locked away in your mansion with no social life to speak of, now, would they?’

He gave her a wry hint of a smile. ‘I get out when I need to.’

‘When was the last time you—’ Holly put her fingers up in air-quotation-marks ‘—got out?’

‘I had a brief relationship a few months back.’

‘Who was she? What was she like?’

‘Someone I met at a conference in Santiago,’ he said. ‘She was beautiful, well educated, came from a good family. She had a nice personality...’

‘I’m hearing a big “but”.’

‘No chemistry.’

‘Not good.’

‘Definitely not good.’ He brushed a stray strand of hair back from her forehead. It was the lightest touch but it made every nerve in her body shudder in delight. Had anyone ever touched her as gently? Had anyone ever looked at her so intently? As if they wanted to see right into the very heart of her?

‘So who broke it off?’ Holly said. ‘You or her?’

‘Me.’

‘Was she disappointed?’

‘If she was, it can’t have lasted long as she got engaged a few weeks later to a guy she’d been dating before me.’

‘You win some, you lose some.’

His eyes did that back-and-forth searching thing with each of hers. ‘It would be highly inappropriate for me to get involved with you,’ he said. ‘You do understand that, don’t you?’

‘We’re both consenting adults.’

His finger traced the underside of her jaw in a feather-light touch. ‘It’s not a matter of consent. It’s a matter of convention.’

Holly twisted her mouth in a cynical manner. ‘Oh, right—the upstairs, downstairs thing.’

He frowned. ‘That’s not what I meant at all. It wouldn’t reflect well on me if I were to engage in a relationship with you. It would look like I’m exploiting you.’

‘But making me fetch and carry and ordering me about doesn’t?’

He dropped his hand from her face. ‘You really suit your name. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone more prickly.’

‘Your breakfast is getting cold,’ Holly said, nodding towards his abandoned tray out on the balcony.

Julius narrowed his gaze in thoughtful contemplation. His forehead was lined like tidemarks on the seashore. She could almost hear the cogs of his brain going around. ‘You don’t have anything on the hob, do you?’

Holly tried to disguise a swallow. His dark blue gaze was probing. Like a strong light shining into the outer limits of her soul. ‘No...’

‘So unless it’s my company there’s some other reason you don’t want to have breakfast with me on the balcony,’ he said in a tone that sounded as if he was thinking out loud.

A loaded silence passed.

Holly let out a shaky sigh. ‘I have a...a thing about balconies.’

‘You’re scared of heights?’ He didn’t say it in a mocking way. He simply stated it as if it was perfectly reasonable for her to be scared and he wouldn’t judge her for it.

Holly felt something hard and tight slip away from her heart. As if a rigid band had come undone. ‘Not heights, specifically. Just balconies.’

He took one of her hands and held it in the shelter of his. His thumb stroked the back of her hand in a slow, soothing motion. ‘That’s why you didn’t want the room Sophia prepared for you, isn’t it?’

Holly pressed her lips together. Hard. She never spoke to anyone about this stuff. It was stuff she had locked away. But for some reason Julius’s gentle tone picked the lock of her determination. He had unravelled the tightly bound knot of her stubborn pride. She released another sigh. ‘I got locked out on the balcony when I was a kid,’ she said. ‘It was something my stepfather thought was entertaining. Seeing me out there in all sorts of weather. He wouldn’t let me come in until I said sorry for whatever I’d supposedly done. Not that I ever did much; I only had to look at him a certain way and he’d shove me out there.’

Julius’s frown was so deep it was like a trench between his eyes. ‘You poor little kid. What about your mother? Didn’t she stand up for you?’

‘My mum was unable to stand up for herself, let alone me,’ Holly said. ‘He’d done such a good job of eroding her self-esteem, she chose death instead of life. He drove her to it. He hates me because I didn’t cave in to him. That’s why he keeps making trouble for me. He follows me wherever I go. He has ways and means of reminding me I can’t escape. But I will escape. I’m determined to get away and make a new life for myself.’

Julius took both of her hands in his, holding them gently but securely. ‘He can’t touch you while you’re with me. I’ll make sure of it.’

Holly’s chest swelled with hope at his implacable tone. How long had it been since she’d felt safe? Truly safe? ‘Thank you...’

He touched her face with a barely there brush stroke of his bent knuckles. His eyes had a tender look that made the base of her spine hum. ‘I can’t imagine how difficult your life must’ve been compared to mine,’ he said. ‘No wonder you came in that first day with your fists up.’

‘Yeah, well, sorry about that, but I like to get in first in case things turn out nasty, which they invariably do,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s my fault. I attract trouble. I can’t seem to help myself. It’s automatic.’

‘No.’ His hands took hers again in a firm but gentle hold. ‘You shouldn’t blame yourself. Your stepfather sounds like a creep. He belongs in jail, not you.’

Holly looked at their joined hands. Hers were so small compared to his. She slowly brought her gaze up to his. His eyes meshed with hers in a look that made her legs feel fizzy. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ she said.

‘How am I looking at you?’ His voice was a deep, resonant rumble.

‘Like you’re going to kiss me.’

He brushed an imaginary strand of hair away from her face. ‘What gives you the idea I’m going to kiss you?’ His mouth was half an inch from hers, his breath a warm, minty breeze against her lips.

‘Just a feeling.’

His lips nudged hers in a playful manner. ‘Do you always trust your feelings?’

Holly slipped her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer. ‘Mostly.’

His mouth brushed hers, once, twice, three times. ‘This is crazy. I shouldn’t be doing this.’

‘This being...?’

He rested his forehead against hers. ‘Tell me to stop.’

‘No.’

‘Tell me, Holly. I need you to tell me.’

‘I want you to kiss me,’ Holly said. ‘I want you to make love to me.’ As soon as she said the words, she realised how much she meant them. How from the moment she’d met him she’d been drawn to him like a moth to a bright streetlight on a hot summer’s night. The desire he triggered in her was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She wanted him. She ached for him. She burned for him.

He looked at her with darkened eyes, the pupils wide with desire. ‘Why?’

‘Because we’re attracted to each other and we might as well make the most of it.’

One of his hands cupped her face, the other rested in the small of her back. ‘Why me?’

‘Why not you?’ she said. ‘You’re single. I’m single. What’s the problem?’

He was still frowning. ‘Is once going to be enough?’

Holly stroked the side of his jaw. ‘Do you have to think about everything before you act? Don’t you ever just go with the flow?’

He turned her palm towards his mouth and kissed it, all the while holding her gaze. ‘Do you ever stop and think before you act?’

She shivered as his kiss travelled all the way to her core. ‘I’m thinking we should make the most of the fact that Sophia’s away with her sister.’ Is that why he’d sent his housekeeper away? Perhaps it was unconscious on his part but he had cleared the way for them to indulge in an affair without an audience.

He framed her face with his hands, his expression darkly serious. ‘I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone else.’

‘Same.’

His head came down, and his mouth sealed hers in a kiss as hot as a flashpoint. Heat pooled between her legs as his tongue drove through the seam of her mouth to find hers. Lust raced through her blood as he stroked and thrust and cajoled her tongue into play. His body crushed hers to his, every hard contour of his enticing every softer one of hers. Her breasts peaked against his chest, her pelvis thrumming with want as she felt the thickened ridge of him.

His hands moved over her lightly, touching, exploring, discovering. He came to her breasts, lifting her top out of the way so he could access them. He swirled his tongue over and around her nipple, making her ache with longing as his teeth gently nipped and tugged at her flesh.

His hands skimmed down the sides of her body to grasp her hips, holding her tightly against the throb of his need. He made a deep sound at the back of his throat as she moved against him. A sound of approval, of want, of raw, primal lust.

‘Not here,’ he said as he swept her up in his arms and carried her towards his suite.

Holly noticed the balcony doors were open as she pulled him down with her on the mattress, but she pushed her fear away, not willing to be separated for a second in case he changed his mind. Her whole body was on fire. Pulsating with a longing so intense it was mind-blowing. Every part of her body was alive and sensitive. Every inch of her skin ached for his touch.

Julius must have read her mind for he began working on her clothes while she did her best to get him out of his. Her hands weren’t cooperating in her haste to feel his naked skin. They were fumbling in excitement, and he had to take over. Holly watched as he unbuttoned his shirt before shrugging it off and tossing it to the floor. She put her hands on his chest, spreading her fingers over his pectoral muscles, her palms tickled by the light covering of masculine hair sprinkled over his chest.

He came down to her to caress her breasts with his lips and tongue, making her squirm and shiver with delight with every movement he made. He kissed his way from her breasts down over her stomach, dipping his tongue into the shallow cave of her belly button before going lower.

Holly sucked in a breath when he came to the heart of her. The feel of his lips separating her and the sexy rasp of his tongue against her sensitive flesh made her arch her spine like a well-pleasured cat. The ripples of an orgasm took her by surprise, taking over her body, shaking it, tossing it into a maelstrom of ecstasy that made her gasp out loud.

But even as the pleasure faded he was stirring her to new feelings, new sensations, new anticipations, as he sourced a condom and positioned himself between her thighs.

His mouth came back to hers as he entered her in a slick, deep thrust that made her whole body quake in response. His thrusts were slow and measured at first, allowing her time to get used to him. But then as she breathlessly urged him on he upped the pace, deeper, harder, faster, until she was rocking against him for that final push into paradise. He reached between their bodies to give her that extra bit of friction that pitched her over the edge. She cried out as the sensations tore through her in a rush, delicious wave upon delicious wave, roll upon roll. He waited until she was coming down from the spike before he let go. Holly felt him tense and then spill, his whole body shuddering until he finally went still.

It was a new thing for Holly to lie in a man’s arms without wanting to push him off or rush off to the shower. It was a new thing for her to not feel uncomfortable with the silence. Not to have regrets over what her body had done or had had done to it by a partner. Her body was in a delicious state of lassitude, every limb feeling boneless, her mind drifting like flotsam.

After a moment Julius propped himself up on his arms to look at her. ‘Am I too heavy for you?’

Holly stroked her hands down to the dip in his spine. ‘No.’

He brushed a fingertip over her lower lip, his expression thoughtful. ‘I might’ve rushed you. It’s been a while.’

‘You didn’t,’ she said. ‘It was...perfect. You were perfect.’

He kissed her on the mouth softly. Lightly. ‘This is usually when I say I have work to do or head to the shower.’

‘Classy.’

He gave a wry smile. ‘If you give me a couple of minutes, I’ll be ready for round two.’

Holly arched her brows. ‘So this isn’t a one-off then?’

His eyes darkened as they held hers. ‘Is that all you want?’

She shrugged noncommittally and looked away. ‘The itch has been scratched, hasn’t it?’

He took her chin between his finger and thumb and made her look at him. ‘This isn’t the sort of itch that can be cured with one scratch.’

Holly kept her expression screened. ‘What’re you suggesting? A fling? A relationship? Not sure what your family would have to say about you and me hanging out as a couple. Or the press, for that matter.’

His frown pulled at his forehead like stitches beneath the skin. ‘What I do in my private life is my business, no one else’s, including my family.’

‘What about Sophia?’

‘What about her?’

Holly tiptoed her fingers up his spine to the back of his neck where his hair was curling. ‘What’s she going to say when she finds out we’re sleeping together?’

‘We won’t tell her.’

Holly laughed. ‘Like that’s going to work. She’ll know as soon as she comes back.’

He rolled away and got off the bed to dispense with the condom, a deep frown still dividing his forehead. He picked up his trousers and stepped into them, zipping them up with unnecessary force. ‘What’s your caseworker going to say when you tell her about us?’

‘I’m not going to tell her,’ Holly said. ‘Why would I? It’s none of her business.’

Julius scooped his shirt and thrust his arms into the sleeves. ‘We can’t continue this. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. I’m sorry; I take full responsibility.’

Holly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and reached for her nearest article of clothing. ‘Yeah, well, I guess it was just a pity thing on your part, huh?’

‘What?’ His tone was sharp, shocked...annoyed.

‘You only slept with me because you felt sorry for me after I told you about my crappy childhood.’

His frown was so deep his eyebrows met over the bridge of his nose. ‘That’s not true.’

She gave him a direct look. ‘Isn’t it?’

He scraped a hand through his hair. ‘No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.’

Holly finished pulling on her clothes before she came over to him. ‘It’s fine, Julius. Stop stressing. I’m okay with a one-off. Doesn’t make sense to get too cosy, since I’ll be on my way in a couple of weeks.’

He looked at her for a long, pulsing moment. ‘I suppose you got what you wanted.’

She arched a brow. ‘That being?’

‘From the moment you stepped into this place, you had your mind set on getting me to break, didn’t you?’ he said. ‘It was your goal. Your mission. You did everything you could to prove I couldn’t resist you. Well, you were right. I couldn’t.’

Holly was a little ashamed of how close to the mark he was. But what was even more concerning was how she had ended up wanting him more than she had wanted anyone. She didn’t know how to handle such want. Such longing. The need was still there. It was a sated beast that would all too soon wake again and be growling, prowling for sustenance. Even now she could feel her body stirring the longer she looked into Julius’s dark navy eyes with their glittering cynicism.

‘What will you do now you’ve achieved your goal?’ he said. ‘Give a tell-all interview to the press?’

Holly shifted her gaze from his in case he saw how hurt she felt. ‘You have serious trust issues.’

He laughed. ‘I have trust issues?’

She swung back to glare at him. ‘Do you really think I would share my body with you and then tell everyone about it? I’d be hurting myself more than you.’

‘They pay big money for scandalous stories. Big money. You could set yourself up on this.’

Holly pressed her lips together as she went in hunt of her shoes but she could only find one. Frustration and hurt tangled in a tight knot in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She had given him every reason to think she would sell out to score points against him. The shaming truth was a few days ago she might well have done it. But something had changed. She had changed. His touch, his concern, his promise of protection had made something inside her shift. She couldn’t find a way to reassemble herself. It was as if the puzzle pieces of her personality had been scattered and she didn’t know how to get them back into order. The things she had wanted before were not what she wanted now.

It was disturbing—terrifying—to allow her nascent hopes and dreams to get a foothold. For the first time in her life, she’d caught a glimpse of what it would be like to be secure in a relationship. To be with a man who looked out for her, who wanted the best for her, who would help her reach her potential instead of sabotaging it. To be honoured and cherished. To be celebrated instead of ridiculed. To be accepted.

To be trusted.

To be loved.

Holly took a scalding breath and forced herself to look at him. ‘I guess you’d better call Natalia and get her to take me away, then.’

Something passed over his features. ‘No.’

‘Why not?’ Holly said, trying to squash the bubble of hope that bloomed in her chest. ‘I’m nothing but trouble. I belong in jail, or so you said the other day.’

He let out a long breath and came back to where she was standing. He put his hands on her hunched shoulders, his touch as light as goose down but as hot as fire. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’

She ran the point of her tongue out over her paper-dry lips. ‘I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have called the press.’

He gave her shoulders a light squeeze. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay. I get that you want to keep your privacy secure,’ Holly said. ‘I haven’t exactly given you the impression I’m someone you could trust.’