awareness, this desire? I've felt it for years," he said quietly. "And I suspect you have too."
Leon has you in his sights to replace his darling Julia. The thought was like a douche of icy water.
Veronica pulled away from him and crossed the room, leaning against the window frame. "Let's not do this."
Leon stood up, moved away from the bed and shrugged out of his jacket and laid it across the back of a chair. She sensed him at her back a few seconds before his arms threaded around her waist and he pulled her back against his chest, his shuddering intake of breath vibrated through her.
For a few moments she remained stiff and then with a soft sigh, she sank into his embrace, his hands splayed across her midriff.
A rational part of her mind suspected that what Leon wanted had little to do with sex. What he wanted was comfort, to escape the fear and the uncertainty that dogged his every minute. In the night Jordan had once again narrowly escaped the clutches of death.
Leon wanted to lose himself in her, to forget for a few brief moments, the tenuous hold his son had on life. He wanted, no needed to forget the fear, the sheer sense of helplessness a man with his wealth seldom had to face.
He bent his head and kissed the vulnerable length of her neck.
"Leon," she closed her eyes, panic replacing excitement. "Don't do this to me."
His smile softened into tenderness, his lips caressed the throbbing vein below her ear. "It's okay to feel."
The quiet words pierced the icy veil shielding her senses.
It's been so long since I've allowed myself to feel. Anything.
He undid the buttons of her blouse and slid it off one shoulder, his tanned hand dark against her paler skin. His lips nuzzled at her creamy flesh. A shudder of sensation slid through her as heat seared a pathway to her heart. His hands moved up her sides moulding her waist, her ribs, her breasts.
A ragged heartbeat later, his long, supple fingers moulded and shaped her breasts through the black lace of her bra.
"I've wanted to do this from the moment I saw you in that nightclub," he murmured against the column of her throat.
"You thought I was a tart."
"What a deliciously old-fashioned word." He kissed her throat, hot open mouthed kisses. "You've been around your schoolmarm friend too long."
It took a few moments for the words to penetrate the erotic haze he'd created. She stiffened in his arms and turned, searching his face. "Kathleen?"
He nodded the glint in his grey eyes disturbing.
"When did you talk to Kathleen?"
He grinned, the glint in his eyes more pronounced. "You mean, when did she talk to me?"
"Kathleen rang you?" Heat that had nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with embarrassment coursed through her entire body. Veronica covered her hot cheeks with her hands, recalling Tania's words. She threatened to cut off his balls and shove them down his throat, and she meant it.
"She did." He grinned, his teeth a white slash in his tanned face. "I was shocked to think a lady possessed such creative thoughts."
A chuckle escaped her. "Shocked? You?"
"You wound me." His laid a hand on her cheek, his expression suddenly very serious. "I'm so glad to see the old Ricki's still in there."
Unable to maintain eye contact, Veronica suddenly developed an intense interest in the buttons on his shirt. The pressure of his hand forced her to look up but she closed her eyes unable to meet his steady gaze.
"Open your eyes," he commanded softly. She obeyed, helpless to resist. "You've done ten years penance, don't you think that's punishment enough for one juvenile fall from grace?"
Is that what I've been doing?
"You don't understand," she stammered, desperate to free herself from the thrall of her senses, not certain she should let this moment go further.
"Don't I?" A grim smile touched his mouth. "You allowed yourself to be seduced by the phoney promises of a married man and reaped such a bitter harvest. Now you won't allow any
Leon has you in his sights to replace his darling Julia. The thought was like a douche of icy water.
Veronica pulled away from him and crossed the room, leaning against the window frame. "Let's not do this."
Leon stood up, moved away from the bed and shrugged out of his jacket and laid it across the back of a chair. She sensed him at her back a few seconds before his arms threaded around her waist and he pulled her back against his chest, his shuddering intake of breath vibrated through her.
For a few moments she remained stiff and then with a soft sigh, she sank into his embrace, his hands splayed across her midriff.
A rational part of her mind suspected that what Leon wanted had little to do with sex. What he wanted was comfort, to escape the fear and the uncertainty that dogged his every minute. In the night Jordan had once again narrowly escaped the clutches of death.
Leon wanted to lose himself in her, to forget for a few brief moments, the tenuous hold his son had on life. He wanted, no needed to forget the fear, the sheer sense of helplessness a man with his wealth seldom had to face.
He bent his head and kissed the vulnerable length of her neck.
"Leon," she closed her eyes, panic replacing excitement. "Don't do this to me."
His smile softened into tenderness, his lips caressed the throbbing vein below her ear. "It's okay to feel."
The quiet words pierced the icy veil shielding her senses.
It's been so long since I've allowed myself to feel. Anything.
He undid the buttons of her blouse and slid it off one shoulder, his tanned hand dark against her paler skin. His lips nuzzled at her creamy flesh. A shudder of sensation slid through her as heat seared a pathway to her heart. His hands moved up her sides moulding her waist, her ribs, her breasts.
A ragged heartbeat later, his long, supple fingers moulded and shaped her breasts through the black lace of her bra.
"I've wanted to do this from the moment I saw you in that nightclub," he murmured against the column of her throat.
"You thought I was a tart."
"What a deliciously old-fashioned word." He kissed her throat, hot open mouthed kisses. "You've been around your schoolmarm friend too long."
It took a few moments for the words to penetrate the erotic haze he'd created. She stiffened in his arms and turned, searching his face. "Kathleen?"
He nodded the glint in his grey eyes disturbing.
"When did you talk to Kathleen?"
He grinned, the glint in his eyes more pronounced. "You mean, when did she talk to me?"
"Kathleen rang you?" Heat that had nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with embarrassment coursed through her entire body. Veronica covered her hot cheeks with her hands, recalling Tania's words. She threatened to cut off his balls and shove them down his throat, and she meant it.
"She did." He grinned, his teeth a white slash in his tanned face. "I was shocked to think a lady possessed such creative thoughts."
A chuckle escaped her. "Shocked? You?"
"You wound me." His laid a hand on her cheek, his expression suddenly very serious. "I'm so glad to see the old Ricki's still in there."
Unable to maintain eye contact, Veronica suddenly developed an intense interest in the buttons on his shirt. The pressure of his hand forced her to look up but she closed her eyes unable to meet his steady gaze.
"Open your eyes," he commanded softly. She obeyed, helpless to resist. "You've done ten years penance, don't you think that's punishment enough for one juvenile fall from grace?"
Is that what I've been doing?
"You don't understand," she stammered, desperate to free herself from the thrall of her senses, not certain she should let this moment go further.
"Don't I?" A grim smile touched his mouth. "You allowed yourself to be seduced by the phoney promises of a married man and reaped such a bitter harvest. Now you won't allow any
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