Summer Temptation: Waking Up In The Wrong Bed / Once a Rebel... / The Devil and the Deep

‘You’re free to take advantage of me any time you like,’ he said softly, lying back down again. ‘Or, you can come back to bed and let me take advantage of you this time.’

Oh, she so nearly had already and they both knew it. She felt her blush deepen. ‘I really am sorry.’

‘Sweetheart,’ he drawled, but with an underlying hint of seriousness. ‘I could have stopped you if I’d wanted to.’

And there was the question. She looked up from her twisted toga attempt—facing his gaze direct. ‘Why didn’t you want to?’

He roared with laughter, his whole body clenched into an expression of enjoyment. Her gaze skittered south all of its own accord. Built for enjoyment—his clearly defined muscles spelled strength and stamina and gloriously good reproductive genes. And his reaction proved he was such a man. An all-about-fun man. She’d been a sexual toy for the night—as of course he had been for her. A really good toy.

Ellie tried to get her thoughts back on track—berating herself with worst-case scenarios. Imagine if he’d been married. What if he hadn’t been alone in the room? She didn’t know which would be worse. All she knew was that his utterly relaxed acceptance of her mistake was astounding.

‘What were you thinking going along with it? Do women leap on you all the time?’ Actually, looking at him? They probably did.

‘I was asleep. At first I thought it was just an amazing dream.’

‘A 4D dream,’ she said sceptically.

‘Yeah, hot and wet,’ he half groaned, movement rippling down his muscles. ‘You’re sure you don’t want to come back to bed?’

‘Quite sure.’ She clipped out the lie, all of a sudden desperate to get out of there before she threw caution to the wind and went for a repeat of last night’s decadence.

‘Honey, relax. I’m single, you’re...’ He paused, his voice lifting in question, his eyes unwaveringly focused on hers.

‘Single,’ she confirmed.

He paused as his expression seemed to sharpen. ‘So tell me about Nathan.’

‘He’s no one.’ She so didn’t want to go there.

‘He’s not your boyfriend or your benefits guy or whatever?’

‘No.’ She squeaked out an answer from her strangled-feeling throat. She supposed she did owe the guy some kind of explanation but it was just so mortifying. ‘We’re colleagues. He’d been flirting and I... For once I just felt like...’ She trailed off, her toes curling into the plush carpet. Now she wanted to disappear into the sheet completely.

‘Nothing wrong with feeling like it.’ Her naked lover shrugged his shoulders. ‘So it wasn’t because you’re secretly in love with the guy and want to have his babies?’

‘No babies,’ she answered faintly. ‘Don’t worry.’ She inhaled a hit of oxygen for courage. ‘What we did was... It was safe.’

He sat up slowly. ‘I remember.’ His gaze lingered on her mouth. ‘So no babies but you’re not in love with him either?’

She shook her head. ‘I just thought I’d say yes for once. Take the bull by the horns, so to speak.’

‘You like rodeo?’ His irrepressible smile quirked.

‘Actually I don’t think it’s really for me,’ she muttered, all but dying.

‘But you ride so beautifully. Great seat, great rhythm. You’re a natural,’ he teased, chuckling at her baleful look. ‘So you don’t often do random seductions?’

The idea of her being some vixen seductress was so far off the mark it was hysterical. But she wasn’t going to get hysterical herself. No, she took a calming breath and reckoned she could manage to get into the tease zone too. That was the way to handle this. ‘Only on full moons.’

‘Oh, you’re a were-woman?’

She flicked her brows and then dropped the pretence. ‘Honestly, the location helped.’ She fiddled with the sheet and couldn’t look at him. She knew this guy of all guys wasn’t going to get hung up on double standards, but she was still embarrassed.

‘The chateau?’

‘It’s so luxurious.’ She nodded, truly meaning it. ‘All the fabric, the furnishings. It’s beautiful.’

‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘But I’ve never thought of it as an erotic destination. It’s not like there are mirrors on the ceiling, tie-me-down bed ends, or twenty types of massage oil in the bathroom cabinet.’ He glanced around the utterly tasteful room with a perplexed look.

Ellie was smoking-hot over his list of essentials for an erotic destination. She’d never thought she’d be into anything more than vanilla but the man had said ‘tie-me-down’ and she was ready to hunt out the ropes. She banished the image but couldn’t help smiling as she tried to explain it more. ‘It has this kind of discreet decadence. And it was a warm night. I’d had the most amazing shower.’ She put her hand to her head because this so wasn’t enough. ‘And they serve French champagne.’

‘Ah-h-h.’ He nodded as if that explained it all. ‘French champagne.’

She shrugged and gave up at that. She truly hadn’t been tipsy. She’d just been bewitched and decided to please herself.

‘This place was once dubbed Frenchman’s Folly, did you know that?’ he asked softly.

‘No.’ She frowned. ‘No one could call this place a folly. It’s more a fantasy.’

And you had to have a fantastical bank balance to be able to stay here. A guy this fit was probably some elite athlete or something. She wondered if she ought to recognise him.

‘Perhaps people thought his folly was his marriage.’

‘Oh.’ Ellie paused. ‘Shame if he was heartbroken. This isn’t a place for heartbreak.’

Her naked lover chuckled. ‘Only for pleasure, huh? But you and your colleague were here for business?’

‘I wasn’t supposed to come here at all.’ She flushed deeper at the unintended entendre. ‘It’s not one of my files but last minute our boss wanted me to be here for backup.’

‘So what’s the business?’

‘I work as a location scout. You know—finding places to film movies and stuff.’

His brows lifted as he picked up her lack of enthusiasm. ‘You don’t think this would be a good location?’

‘It would be an amazing location,’ Ellie said fervently. ‘And I know it sounds like an amazing job and all—it’s actually really not that much fun.’

‘How can having to spend time in places like this not be fun?’ he challenged her.

‘I don’t get to come on the trips much.’ She coloured again as she saw him smile. ‘I’m usually stuck in the office working on the paperwork. I’ve not been there that long.’ She shrugged. Trouble was she excelled at paperwork—every job she had she’d done too well in the admin department to be let out of it. Frustrating wasn’t the word.

‘And so to make sure you got the most out of this trip, you went hunting for some pleasure as well?’ He was laughing as he said it.

And what could she do? There was no hope in denying it or in explaining the mad moment of need for contact that she’d experienced. So she nodded. ‘Massive mistake.’

‘Yeah, but not a disaster.’

Not a disaster, no—she’d had the best sex of her life. But it had been with a total stranger. They hadn’t even kissed. There was absolutely no emotional connection between them. It just wasn’t supposed to work that way. And she couldn’t want more—could she? She tried to claw back her common sense—because what kind of a guy happily screwed complete strangers? A playboy. With a smile that cheeky and attitude that cocky? Yeah, as he’d admitted, he was no innocent.

She closed her eyes and groaned. ‘Why didn’t I turn on the light?’

‘Given the way you’re clutching that sheet around you, I’m guessing you like it best in the dark.’ He laughed. ‘Typical.’

‘Excuse me?’ Indignance rose, she couldn’t restrain her reaction to his tease.

‘Hiding your body.’ He shook his head. ‘What a waste.’

There was some truth to his accusation. Lights on for sex wasn’t something that did it for her—fast-train to self-conscious. And it was then that she became aware of what she must look like—no doubt her hair would be bigger and more bouffant than some eighties rockstar’s. Oh, fabulous. At least she wouldn’t have panda eyes from smudged mascara. But still, this didn’t really make up for the fact that she’d slept with the wrong guy. The guy she couldn’t tear her eyes from.

He was smiling as dangerously as ever. ‘But then you clearly have a latent wild streak.’

It seemed so. But next time she felt in need of satisfaction she’d mail order a vibrator. She clamped her elbows to her ribs, holding the sheet in place while she tried to cool her cheeks with her hands. She was getting turned on all over again just by looking at the guy. ‘Look, I really should go. Let’s just forget this ever happened.’

She attempted a march to the door. Only her sheet was a liability and his nudity gave him a speed advantage.

‘You don’t get away just yet.’ He leaned against the door blocking her exit, all six feet four inches of bared magnificence. ‘We have some more to talk about.’

Now he was standing up and towering over her, she had the melting sensation so deep it was unbearable. Her fingers itched; she could hardly stand still against the hot pull inside. Secret muscles flexed in excitement. Her heart thundered.

‘Will you put some clothes on?’ she asked desperately. He was too damn hot and she couldn’t think with him like that.

His amusement flared again. ‘Why? I’m not going to hide how attracted I am to you.’

It wasn’t her he was attracted to, it was sex. And his nudity was messing with her hormones too. She’d gone completely animal. She half laughed on a gasp. ‘Just please put some clothes on. Please.’

He shrugged his refusal, his expression one of total tease. ‘I’m comfortable. You’re really not comfortable with baring all, are you?’

What she wasn’t comfortable with was her body’s insane reaction to the sight of his—tall, toned and so sex-ready her insides were curling in on themselves. Her nerves clamoured for the sensation of him sliding in and out of her. This complete stranger had her more insanely excited than she’d ever been in her life. ‘Well, can you please turn around while I get decent?’

‘Really?’ His full lips pouted. ‘I don’t get the peep show?’

‘You’ve had more than enough, okay?’ she choked. ‘Please be the gentleman I know you are and turn around.’

‘What makes you so certain I’m a gentleman?’

She fearlessly held eye contact. ‘You let the lady go first.’

‘Oh, that wasn’t gentlemanly. That was for my own pleasure.’ His lips curved more deeply into that delicious smile and he answered mock primly, ‘But, okay, if you insist, I shall avert my eyes.’

He presented her with his rear view. She just gawped for a second, before remembering her intention and dropping the sheet to hurriedly dash back across the room, around the bed to find her slip. Glancing down, she saw a couple of light bruises colouring her thigh. The faintest of finger marks. She remembered his firm clutch with vivid clarity. The squeezes as she’d slid down to take him to the hilt over and over. She turned her head away and screwed her eyes shut tight, as if she could block the blush as the involuntary excitement skittered through her.

‘Okay, I’m decent.’ Breathing in, she watched him turn back to face her. He was no more physically ‘relaxed’.

‘You were wearing that?’ He half gasped, theatrically pressing his hand against his ribs. ‘Damn, I wish you had turned on the lights.’

‘Stop it.’ She laughed. ‘You don’t need to try and flatter me.’

‘Yeah, I do.’ He walked towards her, totally serious now. ‘How can I not?’

She could see the muscles twitching under his skin. She’d never considered herself any kind of seductress before and she knew she wasn’t really now—it was that sexual toy thing. They shared an illicit fantasy for real. The guy was no doubt sex-mad. Insatiable. One track. Only problem with that was his condition had rubbed off on her. Hell, the thought of him finding her so attractive put a zing in her step. But to do this again—stone-cold sober and in the cold light of day? She wasn’t that crazy. She backed up, snatched up the towel from the low table next to her and threw it at him in defence.

He caught it and held it so it unfolded like a flag. ‘What am I supposed to do with this?’

Oh, hell, she’d not got the towel—only the facecloth that had sat on top of it. Pocket-hanky-sized—ridiculously small hanging from his hand.

‘I’m insulted,’ he teased. ‘I think you need a refresher in what I have to offer.’

‘Oh, don’t.’ She giggled, unable to hide her all-over-body blush in just the slip—she needed the sheet back. ‘Just...don’t.’

He chuckled. ‘I’m glad you can see the funny side.’

Biting her lip, she shook her head. ‘Oh, this is such a nightmare.’

‘Crazy, yes, nightmare, no. Don’t regret it.’

She steadfastly met the sincerity in his eyes. And the smile on his mouth. Yeah, she bet he’d experienced many a morning after. ‘You know how to give a girl a good time.’

‘I like to think it’s one of my strengths.’

Oh, it was.

He turned, his attention grabbed by something out of the window. ‘This Nathan guy,’ he muttered. ‘Wouldn’t have dark hair and laugh like a hyena?’

She reluctantly moved to stand next to him. Not a hyena, but a distinctive laugh. She remembered hearing it late last night, right when she shouldn’t have. Right when she’d breathlessly been falling towards sleep, when her lover had still been inside her and caressing the base of her spine with gentle fingers.

‘Oh.’ She swallowed the swearword when she saw Nathan kiss the pretty young woman they’d met at the bar in the late afternoon yesterday.

Naked Guy’s eyebrows had shot upwards. ‘It looks like he might have been sharing his flirt around.’

Just a little.

‘It’s like a French farce,’ Ellie muttered. But it was real. ‘In a chateau and everything.’ She felt her mystery lover turn his gaze on her and refused to show any kind of disappointment.

‘I can’t believe you mistook me for him,’ Naked Guy accused in a tone of utter outrage. ‘He’s at least five inches shorter than I am. And not as fit.’ He flexed his muscles in a preening display.

Yeah, they were poles apart. This guy was way more outrageous than Nathan. Bold in flirtation. In his demands. Desire. He tempted with humour and cheerful abandon.

‘You were lying down,’ she said through gritted teeth.

‘And you hadn’t slept with him.’ He sounded pleased about that.

She didn’t reply. She knew she’d admitted that last night in her amazed gasps of pleasure. They both watched the couple in the courtyard for another moment.

Her tall lover was the one to break the silence, turning to face her directly. ‘Well, I’ll be frank, I think you got the better deal.’

She gaped at him. Then giggled. ‘Arrogant much?’ She laughed again only for the sound to die quickly as she shook her head and gave it to him. ‘But I’ll admit in this case, I think you might be right.’

‘You think?’ he asked, mock-outraged. ‘Come on, you know that was spectacular.’

She felt her blush rising again as memories twisted between them, trying to draw them together.

‘Well.’ She breathed out, brazening her way through the most mortifying experience of her life. ‘Okay. Yes. Thanks so much, it was...’ She couldn’t think of an appropriate adjective.

‘Fantastic and you can’t wait to see me again,’ he inserted for her.

She shook her head. ‘No.’ She tempered the bad news with a smile. ‘This was what it was.’ One almighty screw-up. ‘But we’re not going there again.’

‘Oh, come on.’ He walked forward. ‘That hot, that quick?’ He shook his head. ‘We’d be crazy not to enjoy that again. You want to as much as I do.’ His gaze flickered to her chest. She didn’t need to look down to know her nipples were turned on like bright beacons, begging for his touch again.

Oh, yeah, she was tempted.

‘It had been a while for you, hadn’t it?’

‘Last full moon,’ she said breathlessly.

‘Liar.’ He called her on it. ‘You’re blushing more than a gaggle of schoolgirls. You can hardly look at me. You’re no vixen. Although it has to be said you have potential.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘And you’re offering to give me a bit more practice?’

‘Of course I am,’ he said simply. ‘It had been a while for me too.’

She snorted. That she simply didn’t believe.

His grin flashed. ‘Truth. I’ve been busy at work and I haven’t had any midnight callers. But you’ve really whet my appetite.’

Had she? It wasn’t only his appetite piqued.

‘I know it was an unconventional way of meeting, but we’re good together.’

For a moment Ellie let fantasy rule—imagined being with him again for another round or thirty of spectacular sex. Fantasy morphed—from this they’d develop some wonderful relationship that would rival the highest-grossing Hollywood chick flick’s happiest of endings... And, yeah, there was the problem. In the past she’d given too much where it wasn’t wanted. She’d been crushed before; she wouldn’t be daft enough to set herself up for a similar sort of heartache. She knew herself, before long she’d want the full fantasy. But a guy like this wasn’t the sort to do happy ever after. She’d seen his unveiled edge—unashamed, reckless—a complete playboy. Someone who could go along with an anonymous one-night stand with such relaxed, outrageous humour? Too, too casual. And while she could live with a casual—frankly marvellous—mistake in her life, it had to be one-off. Her non-plan with Nathan had been for just the once. This definitely had to be just the once. Naked Guy here was just too fit for her to keep up with.

‘It can’t happen.’ Her final decision.

‘Not because of Nathan.’ Statement not question.

‘No. Because of me.’ She’d get burned by Mr Naked & Too Hot to Handle. He was too much more everything than any other man she’d met—more gorgeous, more good-humoured, not only blessed by nature but more talented in bed than any guy had the right to be. She’d fall so hard, in a heartbeat.

He hadn’t taken his eyes from hers, as if trying to read her thoughts. Looking right back at him, into those molten-chocolate eyes, Ellie felt her thoughts begin to splinter dangerously. One thought became dominant. Not a thought—an urge. Steam rose, blinkering her vision—all she wanted was to plant a kiss on those perfectly curved lips.

She breathed, blinked, stepped back. Not going to happen. She moved quickly, opening the door and stepping out of the insanity.

‘Wait.’ He stepped after her, apparently not caring that she was in the middle of the hall in a sheer slip and he had only a facecloth failing to protect his modesty. ‘I don’t know your name. Mine’s—’

‘Don’t.’ She held up her hand. ‘Let’s just pretend the whole thing was a dream.’

‘But—’

‘Bye!’ She clutched her breasts so she could sprint down the hallway to the stairs.

‘You’re going to leave me like this?’

She turned at his holler, saw him standing outrageously proud, bolder than anyone she’d met in her life. He had a fascinating lack of care, and an ability to find amusement in anything—that made him all the more intriguing. But she forced another step back from temptation. ‘I’m sure you’ll figure something out.’

Yeah, it’d be no time ’til he tempted another woman into his bed. And Ellie would be all envy.

CHAPTER THREE

‘ELLIE, where have you been?’ Nathan pointedly looked at his watch when Ellie finally made it down to the breakfast table an hour and a shower later. There was no sign of his girl guest—or any other guests either.

She squared her shoulders, refusing to feel even a hint of regret about last night. Maybe she should feel worse, but the gorgeous Naked Guy had completely diffused any threat of angst with his humour and relaxed attitude. And Nathan here had been scoring someone else. At least he never had to know about her crazy intention last night. She really had got the better end of the deal.

‘I’ve been waiting ages for you.’ Nathan’s tone turned more to the ‘smooth’ one he used so often.

And she really didn’t think so. ‘I didn’t know we were in such a rush to get going,’ she answered ultra matter-of-factly.

‘We’re not leaving.’ Nathan surprised her. ‘He’s here.’

‘Who?’

‘The owner. He’s turned up unexpectedly.’

‘The French guy?’ Son of the folly man? Given the old dude hadn’t lived to see the chateau finished, she guessed the son to be in his late forties or fifties.

Nathan nodded vehemently. ‘We have to do whatever it takes to convince him this is the place.’

Ellie didn’t want to stay here a moment longer than necessary, not when she had that other guest to avoid. Besides, securing permission to film onsite wasn’t usually a problem. Business owners were thrilled to get the exposure. Plus they were well compensated. Although this place was in a class of its own. The elite of the elite retreated here where every luxury was on tap—and the key was its privacy. ‘What’s your plan?’

Nathan was frowning at her outfit. ‘I thought you might toy with the man or something?’

‘Pardon?’ Ellie asked, certain she’d heard wrong.

‘You know, charm him.’ He was still frowning at her outfit. ‘Flirt him round your finger.’

Ellie blinked as the real Nathan was revealed. Yeah, now the smooth had been removed—she realised that was what he did. Oozed charm to get what he wanted. All those compliments and the coy flirting he’d done with her? What had he really been after? Clearly not sex. She’d known the industry she worked in was all about the illusion—but this was killing the dream too much for her. ‘We might work for film-makers, but the casting couch doesn’t happen when it comes to locations.’

Lying back in bed—still recovering from his interrupted sleep—Ruben was glad for the open window and the way words spoken in the courtyard were carried up to his ears. The conversation going on down there was supremely interesting.

‘He’s French, isn’t he? Frenchmen love an elegant woman. Not sure they like jeans.’

‘Actually denim was originally created in France,’ Ellie—Ruben liked her name—snapped back at the Nathan prat.

‘Well, don’t you have anything sexier? What about a skirt or something?’

‘I don’t think skin is going to get us far. He’s probably married.’

Ruben bit back a chuckle at that suggestion.

‘Can’t you make the effort? This is a major deal—you know that, don’t you?’

‘I’m not going to prostitute myself just to land a contract, Nathan. That’s not the way I operate.’

‘You know this industry is all about image,’ Nathan lectured her. ‘I wanted you here because you’re so boringly together with paperwork, but you have to step up to the plate when the heat is on.’ Nathan began with the clichéd metaphors. ‘You need the killer instinct. You do whatever it takes to impress him.’

Ruben couldn’t believe she’d wanted to get it on with this idiot. What had she been thinking?

‘You might flirt your way into getting what you want, but that’s not what I’m about,’ Ellie answered back.

Go, the spitfire.

‘Don’t you want to win?’ the doofus asked.

‘Not at that price,’ she answered smartly.

No, he’d known she wasn’t ruthless or cynical. Ruben frowned at the hint of real hurt in her tone. Had she really had feelings for the jerk?

‘Fingers crossed the guy is gay, Nathan, so you can be the one to flash the skin.’

Ruben got out of bed and walked into his bathroom. He couldn’t wait to get down there. But by the time he did, she was alone, the only sign of any lingering annoyance the light flush on her cheeks. A flush that deepened when she saw him.

‘Good morning,’ he said to her for the second time that day.

‘Oh.’ She looked startled he’d spoken, as if she’d thought he was a mirage or something. ‘Hello.’

Ms Cautious herself.

‘You never mentioned your plans this morning.’ He walked to the table that was laden with breakfast options. ‘It’s a beautiful place—are you going to explore it some more?’

She shook her head and looked everywhere but at him. ‘I’m here to work.’