it down ruthlessly.
“Well, I don’t regret what I did,” he commented more coolly, surprised and pleased that he hadn’t lost it. “Touching you was beautiful to me, tesoro mio . And I had hoped you found some beauty in it too.”
Anna’s face was a picture of confusion. Of disorderly emotions. She had been there with him! She had . The urge to sweep her back into his arms and do the same again, and much, much more, was like agony in his blood. But just as before, he controlled the desire with the sternest efficiency.
“I…I was tired, Nick. I wasn’t thinking straight. And sometimes you can just be…well…a bit overwhelming.”
“So, all my fault then?” he observed, still gripped by the craziness and emotions that were probably just as unstable as hers, washing around inside him.
“Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know!” Her voice was ragged, and Nick was back to guilt again, harsh, grinding guilt. What the hell was it about her that made him act like such a complete fool?
Taking a calming breath, he leant forward and gently took her hand. He felt her flinch, but she didn’t pull back, even though she had every right to be skittish around him. “Look, let’s take time out. Not apportion blame. Just accept.”
She nodded, pursed her lips, seemed to compose herself even though he could still feel a fine trembling in her fingers.
“We are attracted to each other, you must admit that.” He kept his tone steady and rational. “And in some circumstances, and situations, it tends to get the better of us.”
He flashed her a questioning look, wondering if she’d concede that, then saw her nod again. “But from now on, I’ll do my best to contain myself rather than make things awkward for you.” He patted the hand he was holding with his other one, “Although if you want me to do otherwise, please tell me, won’t you? I wouldn’t like to think I was holding back when you wanted to be in my arms.”
Extricating her hand from his, Anna gave a sudden, soft laugh and her body seemed to finally relax. “Good God, Nick, you really are the living end, you know.” A wry smile illuminated her face. “You actually believe that you’re completely irresistible, don’t you?”
Do you really, really want to resist me? he longed to say, but prudence and a need to preserve this lighter mood stayed his tongue. “One tries, bella mia ,” he demurred, smiling back at her, “One tries.”
She shook her head as if in despair and seemed just about to say something else when there was a knock at the door that stole away the fugitive words.
“Come!” called Nick, and the door opened to reveal the personal aide who’d been temporarily assigned to him by the Deighton management. She bore a large tray holding their lunch.
A few moments selecting sandwiches and pouring coffee provided a welcome respite, but pretty soon Nick could see that Anna’s appetite for food was as insubstantial as his. She took a microscopic bite of a sandwich, then put her plate aside, looking ill at ease again. Her fingers flexed, as if about to reach for her coffee, but then she took a deep breath and appeared to brace herself to face some thorny difficulty or pitfall.
“I’ll have to talk to Martin as soon as possible. This can’t go any further without him knowing. It’s not fair.”
Picking up a paper napkin to wipe her fingers, she began to shred it compulsively, and Nick wondered if she even knew that she was doing it. “I…I should have phoned him this morning,” she admitted, finally looking down at the mess of white fragments in her hand and hastily dropping them on her plate, “But…I was distracted. As you can well imagine.” As she finished, her head came up and her eyes met his defiantly.
“Indeed.”
Setting aside his own unwanted food, Nick strove to conceal his gathering sense of triumph. Once again, he’d managed to expunge the Englishman from Anna’s thoughts and emotions. It was only a matter of time
“Well, I don’t regret what I did,” he commented more coolly, surprised and pleased that he hadn’t lost it. “Touching you was beautiful to me, tesoro mio . And I had hoped you found some beauty in it too.”
Anna’s face was a picture of confusion. Of disorderly emotions. She had been there with him! She had . The urge to sweep her back into his arms and do the same again, and much, much more, was like agony in his blood. But just as before, he controlled the desire with the sternest efficiency.
“I…I was tired, Nick. I wasn’t thinking straight. And sometimes you can just be…well…a bit overwhelming.”
“So, all my fault then?” he observed, still gripped by the craziness and emotions that were probably just as unstable as hers, washing around inside him.
“Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know!” Her voice was ragged, and Nick was back to guilt again, harsh, grinding guilt. What the hell was it about her that made him act like such a complete fool?
Taking a calming breath, he leant forward and gently took her hand. He felt her flinch, but she didn’t pull back, even though she had every right to be skittish around him. “Look, let’s take time out. Not apportion blame. Just accept.”
She nodded, pursed her lips, seemed to compose herself even though he could still feel a fine trembling in her fingers.
“We are attracted to each other, you must admit that.” He kept his tone steady and rational. “And in some circumstances, and situations, it tends to get the better of us.”
He flashed her a questioning look, wondering if she’d concede that, then saw her nod again. “But from now on, I’ll do my best to contain myself rather than make things awkward for you.” He patted the hand he was holding with his other one, “Although if you want me to do otherwise, please tell me, won’t you? I wouldn’t like to think I was holding back when you wanted to be in my arms.”
Extricating her hand from his, Anna gave a sudden, soft laugh and her body seemed to finally relax. “Good God, Nick, you really are the living end, you know.” A wry smile illuminated her face. “You actually believe that you’re completely irresistible, don’t you?”
Do you really, really want to resist me? he longed to say, but prudence and a need to preserve this lighter mood stayed his tongue. “One tries, bella mia ,” he demurred, smiling back at her, “One tries.”
She shook her head as if in despair and seemed just about to say something else when there was a knock at the door that stole away the fugitive words.
“Come!” called Nick, and the door opened to reveal the personal aide who’d been temporarily assigned to him by the Deighton management. She bore a large tray holding their lunch.
A few moments selecting sandwiches and pouring coffee provided a welcome respite, but pretty soon Nick could see that Anna’s appetite for food was as insubstantial as his. She took a microscopic bite of a sandwich, then put her plate aside, looking ill at ease again. Her fingers flexed, as if about to reach for her coffee, but then she took a deep breath and appeared to brace herself to face some thorny difficulty or pitfall.
“I’ll have to talk to Martin as soon as possible. This can’t go any further without him knowing. It’s not fair.”
Picking up a paper napkin to wipe her fingers, she began to shred it compulsively, and Nick wondered if she even knew that she was doing it. “I…I should have phoned him this morning,” she admitted, finally looking down at the mess of white fragments in her hand and hastily dropping them on her plate, “But…I was distracted. As you can well imagine.” As she finished, her head came up and her eyes met his defiantly.
“Indeed.”
Setting aside his own unwanted food, Nick strove to conceal his gathering sense of triumph. Once again, he’d managed to expunge the Englishman from Anna’s thoughts and emotions. It was only a matter of time
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