Red-Hot Affairs: The Crown Affair / Craving Her Enemy's Touch / A Lone Star Love Affair

‘No,’ she blurted out.

Matt stopped, turned and stared at her in surprise. As well he might.

‘I mean, it’s fine,’ she added hastily with a quick smile. ‘I’m sure you have things to be getting on with and I should be able to find the attic. Top of the house, right?’

‘Where else?’

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing as if trying to work out if she was entirely trustworthy, and, what with the unorthodox methods she’d employed to inveigle her way inside his house, she couldn’t entirely blame him.

‘Well, quite.’ Laura swallowed hard and tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. ‘Look, Matt,’ she said, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, ‘I really do work better alone. And I promise not to run off with the silver.’

Matt frowned and then shrugged. ‘Fine. I’ll be in the library if you need anything.’

Oh, for God’s sake, Matt thought, scowling down at the report into Sassania’s fishing quotas that he’d been trying to work on and shoving it aside. How long did getting a few photos take? The house wasn’t that big, but Laura had been up there for an hour at least. She couldn’t have found that much of architectural interest, could she?

Something banged right above his head and Matt winced. Perhaps she had. Judging by the sounds of scraping furniture and the hammering on walls that had been coming from various parts of the house, Laura was taking the whole place apart.

While part of him reluctantly admired her thoroughness and determination, another, more persistent part of him had spent the past hour wondering whether her enthusiasm and passion for her work carried over into other areas of life. Like sex.

An image of her lying on his bed, naked, her hair spilling all over his pillows, her long tanned limbs tangled in his sheets, her eyes all slumberous and inviting, slammed into his head yet again and his body stiffened painfully.

Matt shoved his hands through his hair and ground his teeth in frustration. This was ridiculous. He was a sensible rational man of thirty-three, not a hormone-ridden adolescent. So why was he finding it so hard to concentrate? Why had he spent the past ten minutes reading the same page of that damned report with still no idea of what it was about?

It hadn’t been that long since he’d had sex, had it? He cast his mind back and tried to remember the last time he’d had a woman in his bed. Was it six months ago? A year? Surely it couldn’t be longer than that, could it?

Matt frowned. Even if it was, there was no need to panic. He’d been busy. That was all. And it wasn’t as if he needed sex. He’d gone far longer without it and had survived perfectly well.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs. His blood rushed to his head and he pushed himself away from his desk and leapt to his feet. He needed to get out, before he did something really rash like bundle her back upstairs and demand she show him the architectural features of his bedroom.

He’d go and chop what was left of those logs. The release of hard physical work after spending months in stifling meeting rooms had worked earlier. It would work now. Just to be on the safe side he’d stay out there until she’d finished. If he ran out of logs, he’d fire up the lawnmower.

And there was another benefit of his strategy, he thought, identifying the sound of a camera clicking coming from the drawing room and striding across the hall. Laura could let herself out. Once he’d told her where he was going he need never lay eyes on her ever again. And then maybe, just maybe, his body would stop twitching and aching and straining, and he’d regain some sort of equilibrium.

Good. Excellent. It was a brilliant plan. With every step he took he could feel his head clearing and his sanity returning.

Until he got to the doorway. Where he stopped dead.

As he’d figured, Laura was in the drawing room. What he hadn’t allowed for was that she’d be investigating the fireplace. With her back to him, on her knees. With her legs spread and her bottom in the air.

His gaze dropped, automatically zooming in on her bottom, and as his blood rushed to his feet and his body began to pound with lust the breath whooshed from his lungs and his brilliant plan turned to dust.

Laura sensed Matt’s presence a nanosecond before she heard it. The nape of her neck pricked, her pulse skipped and goosebumps sprang up all over her skin. And then she caught the sharp exhalation of breath and the muttered oath, and with utter horror the picture she realised she must be presenting flashed into her head.

Barely a minute ago she’d walked into the drawing room and immediately spied the ornamented fireback of the fireplace. She’d rattled off a couple of photos before hunkering down to take a closer look. As a result she was on her hands and knees, face to the stone and bottom to the air.

Oh, God. A cold clammy sweat broke out over her entire body as mortification flooded through her. It was so not a good look. Heaven only knew what Matt must be thinking.

Desperately seeking to claw back some kind of dignity, Laura clambered to her feet as elegantly and quickly as she could.

Which would have been absolutely fine had she not been tucked inside a four-foot-high fireplace.

Realisation came way too late.

As did Matt’s shout of warning.

With a sickening thud her skull cracked against solid seventeenth century stone. Her yelp of shock ricocheted around the fireplace. For a second she could feel absolutely nothing. Could see nothing but a fuzzy sort of blackness dotted with stars. Could hear nothing but the hammering of her heart.

Then as the blackness faded an excruciating pain shot the entire length of her body and spread throughout her limbs. She let out an agonised gasp. Her stomach churned and sent a wave of nausea rolling into her throat. Her knees buckled and she crumpled. She screwed her eyes tight shut and braced herself for more unimaginable pain.

Which didn’t come.

How strange. Where was the agony? Where was the shock?

Faintly bewildered, Laura just hung there for a second, suspended by two bands of steel that had come from who knew where and snapped round her waist. Come to think of it, what exactly was the solid thing she was pressed up against and why was her body suddenly zinging with electricity?

Her heart beginning to pound even faster, Laura gingerly opened her eyes. And found herself staring straight up into Matt’s, so close, so dark and so focused on her that she nearly saw stars all over again.

When he’d caught her he’d evidently had to clamp her to him. Now every inch of her body was plastered up against his and awareness fizzled along her nerve endings. She could feel the tension in his muscles as he held her. She could feel his heart banging against the palm of her hand. The intoxicating scent of him enveloped her, seeped into her head and made her dizzy.

He was so close she could see flecks of gold in the brown of his eyes. So close his mouth was barely an inch from her own. The lingering traces of pain and shock receded and slow drugging desire began to hum in the pit of her stomach.

Laura’s pulse leapt. Her lips actually tingled. All she’d have to do would be to lift her head a fraction and she could put an end to the speculation and find out exactly what he tasted like. Perhaps she could blame it on concussion, because, Lord, it was tempting.

But it was also just not on, Laura reminded herself, dragging her gaze from Matt’s mouth and fixing it firmly on the wedge of tanned flesh exposed by the V of his T-shirt.

The only reason she was in his house was because she’d guilt-tripped him into it. He didn’t really want her here and, as was clear from the scowl on his face, he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about having had to jump to her rescue.

A kiss from her would be about as welcome to him as UPVC windows were to her. No doubt about it.

Unfortunately knowing that wasn’t apparently enough to stop a deep sigh of longing escaping her lips.

Heat rushed to her cheeks in the silence that followed. God, she really hoped Matt hadn’t caught that. And she really hoped he couldn’t feel her swelling breasts and hardening nipples press against his chest.

But as his arms tightened around her any hope she might have had that he hadn’t noticed her reaction to him evaporated. Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes jerked up and met his just in time to catch something flaring in the brown depths. Barely a flash, but it was enough to set her heart galloping and her head spinning. And then she felt another part of his anatomy flaring and the bottom fell out of her stomach.

Oh, good Lord.

It wasn’t just her. He felt it, too. Laura’s heart thumped. Judging by the impressive evidence swelling against her hip, Matt was as attracted to her as she was to him. His head was moving forward. His eyes were darkening as they roamed over her face, lingering on her mouth before sweeping back up to meet hers.

For a split second delight shot through her and then quite suddenly panic elbowed the delight aside and thumped her squarely in the chest. Her nerves started to twist into a tangled mess.

Oh, God. If Matt did want her as much as she wanted him then she ought to leave. As soon as possible.

Because if he did make a move and kissed her, she’d never be able to resist. One thing would lead to another and another and another, and before she knew it she’d be back where she started, assertiveness course or no assertiveness course.

It would be even worse if he didn’t kiss her. Because then the danger was that what with her highly unstable behaviour of late she’d be the one to make a move.

Either way the outcome would be a disaster of epic proportions.

So why wasn’t she pushing him away? Why was she letting him get closer?

Time seemed to skid to a halt and Laura couldn’t move. Matt’s hand came up to cup her face and her skin burned as if he’d branded her. Anticipation thundered through her and her bones melted. When he slid his hand up and threaded his fingers through her hair Laura couldn’t help lifting her face. Couldn’t stop her breath hitching and her lips parting.

God, who cared if she couldn’t resist? If this was wrong, why did it feel so right? Her gaze dropped to his mouth and her heart hammered. Desperation to taste him clawed at her insides and she had to bite on her lip to stop another whimper of need escaping.

‘It doesn’t look as if you need stitches,’ he murmured, ‘but you’ll have quite a bump.’

What?

Laura froze. The whimper died in her throat. For a moment bewilderment besieged her brain. And then clarity dawned and she went scorchingly hot.

Agh. The bump on her head couldn’t possibly be any bigger than the one she’d just had crashing back to reality.

What on earth was the matter with her? How could she have got it so wrong? Thank God Matt had drawn back before she’d lost patience and grasped the initiative.

At the thought of just how massive a fool she could have made of herself mortification roared through her and made her cheeks burn. God, was there no hope for her?

Suddenly desperate to get away, Laura wriggled in his arms and pushed against his chest. When his arms loosened she stepped back. And nearly collapsed all over again.

‘Steady,’ he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and keeping her upright.

Laura summoned strength to her watery limbs, shook herself free and forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Look,’ she said with a calmness she really didn’t feel. ‘Thank you for catching me and everything, but you must be busy and I’ve imposed quite long enough. I think I should go.’

Ten minutes ago Matt would have been first in line to agree. Now, with lust ricocheting around him so violently it made his head spin, he wasn’t so sure.

He could still feel Laura in his arms, all that warmth and softness crushed up against him. Her scent, something light and jasminey, was still floating around inside his head. The memory of the smoothness of her cheek beneath his palm and the silkiness of her hair winding round his fingers made his hands itch to touch her again.

When she’d looked up at him with those extraordinary eyes of hers, her mouth parting and her breathing shallow, practically inviting him to kiss her senseless, it had taken every ounce of control he possessed not to do exactly that. Quite apart from the fact that he’d decided he really couldn’t go there, she’d just banged her head. She might well have concussion.

Matt gritted his teeth and fought back the desire to haul her into his arms. Maybe he’d banged his head, too. Maybe he had concussion. What else could be causing this pummelling urge to disregard his common sense, throw caution to the wind, drag her down to the sofa and sink himself inside her?

It would be utter madness. He was about to disappear off to another country. He could promise her nothing even if he’d wanted to.

But it would also be fantastic. Dynamite. It would certainly beat chopping logs the whole weekend. It had been too long since he’d had a woman in his bed and who knew when the opportunity would next arise? Who knew when he’d have the time?

Desire pounded through him and his control began to unravel.

‘Matt?’ she said with a sexy kind of breathiness that had him envisaging her saying his name in a whole lot of other ways.

At the images that spun through his head, the last vestiges of his resistance crumbled and Matt gave in. He wanted her. She wanted him. Why shouldn’t they go for it and to hell with the consequences?

Ruthlessly ignoring the little voice inside his head demanding to know what on earth he thought he was doing, Matt tilted his head and gave her a slow smile. ‘I think you should stay.’

CHAPTER FOUR

STAY?

Oh, goodness.

Laura hadn’t thought it possible for her heart to beat more rapidly than it had when she’d been draped in his arms, but she’d been wrong. It was now galloping so fast she feared it might leap out of her chest.

The atmosphere had turned electric. Something about the way Matt was looking at her made every hair on her body leap to attention and quiver. The intensity of his gaze, the tension in his body and the smouldering smile … A lethally attractive combination that made her stomach lurch. God, if she wasn’t careful she’d be in so much trouble.

‘For what?’

Matt shrugged, but his eyes glittered with intent. ‘Lunch. The afternoon. Whatever.’

Lunch she could do. The afternoon would probably be manageable, too. It was the whatever that concerned her.

‘I can’t,’ she said a little hoarsely, and cleared her throat.

‘Why not?’

‘I have plans.’ That sounded good.

‘Cancel them.’

‘No.’ Excellent. Firm and uncompromising, that was the thing.

‘Why not?’

‘I’m on sabbatical.’

‘From lunch?’

‘From everything.’

‘Why?’

No way was she spilling out all the details of her disaster of a life. ‘I have my reasons.’

Matt’s eyes darkened. ‘I’m not suggesting you give up your sabbatical altogether. Just take a quick break.’

He ran his gaze over her and her body burned in the wake of its trail. Her breasts swelled. Her nipples hardened and molten heat pooled between her legs. Desire whipped through her and she had to fight not to tremble.

A one-night stand. That was what he was suggesting, wasn’t it? How disgraceful. How offensive. And, what with the lust hurtling around inside her, how completely and deliciously tempting.

‘That’s outrageous,’ she breathed, sounding less than convincing.

‘Is it?’

‘I might be concussed.’

‘Are you?’

‘Well, no, I don’t think so, but that’s not the point.’

‘Then what is?’

‘We barely know each other.’

‘So?’

‘I don’t do that sort of thing.’

‘Neither do I.’

‘Then why me? Why now?’

A muscle ticked in his jaw and his eyes burned with desire. ‘Because of this,’ he muttered fiercely, closing the short distance between them, wrapping her in his arms and slamming his mouth down on hers.

Laura didn’t have time to protest. Didn’t have time to resist. Because the minute his lips touched hers what little rational thought she had left shattered. Fire licked through her veins. Beneath his mouth she moaned. Wound her arms round his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. Pressed herself closer, parted her lips and felt her entire body soften.

When his tongue slipped into her mouth, seeking hers, finding hers, her knees buckled. If she hadn’t been locked in his arms she’d have crumpled to the floor.

Sensation after sensation cascaded over her. Matt slid his hand over her waist, stroked it up her side and cupped her breast. Laura shuddered as his thumb brushed over her straining nipple and arched her back.

Drowning in pleasure, she sank into his kiss. No one had ever done this to her before, she thought dazedly. No one had ever turned her bones to water with nothing more than a kiss and a caress.

And she wasn’t sure she’d ever done this to anyone, either. Matt was kissing her as if it were his sole mission in life. So focused. So damn good. His mouth seemed to have been made for hers. She fitted his hands perfectly. He would fit her perfectly.

A wave of lust rolled over her and she couldn’t stop herself tilting her hips and rubbing herself against the rock-hard length of him.

Her control began to spin away and, totally unsure of whether to be scared witless or tumble him down onto the sofa, she gave in to the pleasure.

When Matt finally lifted his head, she could hardly breathe. Unlocking his arms from around her, he took a step back, his eyes blazing and his breathing jerky. At the sudden absence of his support, his heat, Laura shivered and swayed for a second.

‘That’s why,’ he said, drawing in a ragged breath and shoving his hands through his hair.

Laura blinked and touched her lips with trembling fingers. ‘That’s why what?’

‘Why you.’ His eyes, still dark and unfathomable, gleamed. ‘As for the why now, well, I have the entire weekend free.’

Ah. ‘I see,’ she said a little shakily.

‘You know,’ he said, looking at her as if he wanted to devour her all over again, ‘I really think you should cancel those plans of yours.’

Burning up beneath the heat of his gaze, Laura suddenly couldn’t remember why she’d mentioned the non-existent plans in the first place.

Her heart skipped a beat. Oh, heavens. She wasn’t seriously contemplating what he was suggesting, was she? She’d be mad to agree. She barely knew him. It was insane. She didn’t do one-night stands. Had never wanted to. She preferred to date, assess and evaluate before leaping into bed with someone.

But where had that sensible, cautious approach ever got her? Dumped, that was where. Relationships sucked. Relationships belonged to the old Laura. Why shouldn’t one-night stands belong to the new?

Besides, to have someone want her with this intensity, this hunger, when she’d been so recently rejected by someone she’d been with for years …

Her self-esteem, which had taken such a battering, was already rocketing. And to want someone quite this badly, when she’d thought she’d never be interested in anyone ever again, was heady stuff.

Her breath caught.

Standing in front of her was the most devastatingly gorgeous man she’d ever met. Who for some reason appeared to fancy her rotten. Would it really be so bad to go for it?

Suddenly sick and tired of evaluation and analysis, Laura made up her mind. ‘How long are you here for?’

‘I’m leaving tomorrow.’

‘Are you planning to come back any time soon?’

‘No.’ His eyes bore into hers, burning with desire but offering nothing, apart from an afternoon of unimaginable pleasure.

Laura’s heart pounded. That did it. No mess. No threat of entanglement in another debilitating relationship. Just the promise of hot sex and maybe lunch. ‘OK, then.’

For a big man he moved surprisingly fast.

Even though she was ready for it, had been waiting for it, sort of knew what to expect, nothing could have prepared her for the sheer force of the desire that slammed through her at the feel of his arms whipping round her and the touch of his mouth to hers. The floor beneath her feet rocked. Her entire body buzzed with sensation.

Now that she made the decision to go for it, it was as if a dam had burst deep inside her. Any inhibitions she might have had fled.

His hands settled on the bare skin of her back and the electricity that flowed through her made her nerve endings jump.

She pressed herself closer, rubbing her aching breasts against his chest, needing the friction to provide some sort of relief.

As he explored her mouth with his tongue, Laura slipped her hands beneath his T-shirt and ran them over the muscles of his back, pushing the fabric up. She felt him tense and break off the kiss for a second while he pulled the T-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. Then his hands were at the hem of her top and seconds later it joined his.

Somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind she thought she ought to be faintly embarrassed at getting naked with someone she didn’t know. Or at her desperation to have him inside her at the very least. But with his mouth sliding over her jaw, her neck and then down over the slope of her breast, Laura couldn’t feel anything except the mindless pleasure sweeping over her.

Cupping his hands under her bottom, Matt lifted her and she wound her legs round his waist as he carried her to the nearest available flat surface. He set her on the edge of a table and began to push her back.

Laura’s blood roared in her ears as she eased back but then she caught something out of the corner of her eye and went still. ‘Wait.’

Matt jerked back and frowned down at her. ‘What?’

‘We can’t do this.’

The blood drained from his face and his features turned grim. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Deadly.’ She paused and caught her lip. ‘At least we can’t do this here’

‘Why not?’

Laura glanced down at what she was perched on and then back up at him. Poor Matt looked as if he were about to explode with frustration. ‘This is a solid mahogany Regency breakfast table. It must be worth thousands.’

Matt let out a sharp breath and his expression relaxed. ‘Then it was built to last,’ he said, planting his hands either side of her and setting his mouth to the side of her neck.

‘It was built to have breakfast on,’ Laura said, putting a hand on his chest and nudging him away. ‘Not wild uncontrollable sex.’

He lifted his head and one corner of his mouth hitched. ‘Wild uncontrollable sex, huh?’

‘You promised.’

‘Did I?’

Laura nodded. ‘Not in so many words. But these kisses of yours suggest a lot. I’m expecting combustion at the very least. And if we stay here I won’t be able to concentrate.’

‘Well, we can’t have that,’ he murmured. ‘I doubt the insurance would cover sex-induced fire damage.’ Pulling her upright, he glanced around. ‘Do you have any such concerns about the sofa?’

Laura wound her arms around his neck. ‘Is it flame-proof?’

‘I should imagine so.’

‘In that case,’ she said, smiling up at him, ‘none at all.’

‘I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear it.’ He scooped her up and strode over to the sofa.

Setting her on her feet, he unclipped her bra and let it drop to the floor. ‘These hot pants are going to haunt my dreams,’ he said roughly, dragging them together with her knickers down her legs.

‘You want me to apologise?’ she breathed as she kicked them away.

‘I want you to want this as much as I do,’ he said, stripping off the rest of his clothes and tumbling her onto the sofa.

‘I do,’ she said, drawing in a shuddery breath as she ran her gaze over him. God, his body was every bit as incredible as she’d imagined. Muscled, powerful, lean and tanned.