jealous, which meant he’d been right. She did want him. ‘You mean Maggie?’
Phoebe frowned. ‘ That was Maggie? Your housekeeper, Maggie?’
‘She’s more than just a housekeeper. She organised this evening. She used to plan events in London.’
‘Good for her,’ she said tartly.
‘We go back a long way. I was in a solo race once and hit a storm. My mast broke and I capsized just off the coast. She picked up my distress signal and towed me in.’
‘Kind of her.’
‘I thought so, especially since I’d broken a leg, an arm and a couple of ribs.’ If he’d blinked he’d have missed the wince that flashed across her features. ‘We’ve been friends ever since.’
Phoebe stuck her chin up. ‘I really don’t know why you’re telling me all this.’
‘Would it interest you to know that she and Jim, her husband, run a chandler’s over in the capital?’
Something flickered in the depths of her eyes. ‘Not in the slightest.’
‘Liar,’ he said softly and pulled her into his arms.
CHAPTER NINE
T HE MINUTE HE reached for her, Phoebe was lost. What was left of her resistance fled. Crushing disappointment and excoriating anger switched to thumping relief and scorching desire. As Alex wrapped her tightly in his embrace Phoebe flung her arms around his neck. His mouth met hers. Teeth clashed and tongues duelled and as they kissed the heat that spun through her made her melt against him.
As the kiss softened and deepened Phoebe clutched at Alex’s jacket, desperate to be able to slide her hands beneath his shirt and feel the warm skin of his back.
Her breasts swelled, nipples tightening and pushing painfully against the bodice of her dress. She could feel the thick, hard length of his erection pulsing against her stomach and she filled with a desperate ache to have him filling her, pounding into her, sending her into oblivion.
While his mouth continued to devour her, Alex’s hands slid down her back, over the curve of her bottom, and pulled her tight against him and Phoebe moaned. She’d never felt anything like this before. This primitive craving. This total abandonment. The throbbing conviction that if she didn’t have him deep inside her she’d die.
As their kisses grew more ravenous Alex slid the zip of her dress down and it fell in a pool of shimmering silk at her feet. Phoebe shoved his jacket off and tugged at his shirt, dismayed by the number of studs there were to undo. But Alex pulled it over his head, and got rid of the rest of his clothes and hers, and then they were tumbling onto the bed.
Their hands roamed over each other, stroking and rubbing and caressing slick hot skin until they were both shaking with need.
‘Please tell me you have a condom somewhere,’ Alex groaned against her mouth.
Phoebe froze and felt like wailing. ‘Of course I don’t have a condom with me. I didn’t come here for sex.’
He pulled back and stared down at her, his eyes blazing with frustration. ‘Damn. Neither did I.’
The ferocity of the disappointment that thundered through her took her breath away. But then Alex gave her a wicked smile that had all sorts of delicious thoughts running through her head. ‘But that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a heck of a lot of fun.’ He began kissing his way down her neck.
Phoebe fell back and let herself drown in the sensations pulsating through her and tried to ignore her disappointment. Part of her wished she were irresponsible enough to tell Alex she didn’t care about protection. But then look what had happened as a result of exactly that to the friend whose hen night she’d been to. Furious parents and a shotgun wedding. Not her idea of fun. Although…
‘Stop. Wait.’
Alex lifted his head and stared at her in disbelief. ‘Are you serious?’
‘I do have condoms. A pack of six.’ Handed out by her friend with the solemn warning to always take care.
‘Where?’ he said hoarsely.
‘My suitcase. Front pocket.’
Alex rolled off
Phoebe frowned. ‘ That was Maggie? Your housekeeper, Maggie?’
‘She’s more than just a housekeeper. She organised this evening. She used to plan events in London.’
‘Good for her,’ she said tartly.
‘We go back a long way. I was in a solo race once and hit a storm. My mast broke and I capsized just off the coast. She picked up my distress signal and towed me in.’
‘Kind of her.’
‘I thought so, especially since I’d broken a leg, an arm and a couple of ribs.’ If he’d blinked he’d have missed the wince that flashed across her features. ‘We’ve been friends ever since.’
Phoebe stuck her chin up. ‘I really don’t know why you’re telling me all this.’
‘Would it interest you to know that she and Jim, her husband, run a chandler’s over in the capital?’
Something flickered in the depths of her eyes. ‘Not in the slightest.’
‘Liar,’ he said softly and pulled her into his arms.
CHAPTER NINE
T HE MINUTE HE reached for her, Phoebe was lost. What was left of her resistance fled. Crushing disappointment and excoriating anger switched to thumping relief and scorching desire. As Alex wrapped her tightly in his embrace Phoebe flung her arms around his neck. His mouth met hers. Teeth clashed and tongues duelled and as they kissed the heat that spun through her made her melt against him.
As the kiss softened and deepened Phoebe clutched at Alex’s jacket, desperate to be able to slide her hands beneath his shirt and feel the warm skin of his back.
Her breasts swelled, nipples tightening and pushing painfully against the bodice of her dress. She could feel the thick, hard length of his erection pulsing against her stomach and she filled with a desperate ache to have him filling her, pounding into her, sending her into oblivion.
While his mouth continued to devour her, Alex’s hands slid down her back, over the curve of her bottom, and pulled her tight against him and Phoebe moaned. She’d never felt anything like this before. This primitive craving. This total abandonment. The throbbing conviction that if she didn’t have him deep inside her she’d die.
As their kisses grew more ravenous Alex slid the zip of her dress down and it fell in a pool of shimmering silk at her feet. Phoebe shoved his jacket off and tugged at his shirt, dismayed by the number of studs there were to undo. But Alex pulled it over his head, and got rid of the rest of his clothes and hers, and then they were tumbling onto the bed.
Their hands roamed over each other, stroking and rubbing and caressing slick hot skin until they were both shaking with need.
‘Please tell me you have a condom somewhere,’ Alex groaned against her mouth.
Phoebe froze and felt like wailing. ‘Of course I don’t have a condom with me. I didn’t come here for sex.’
He pulled back and stared down at her, his eyes blazing with frustration. ‘Damn. Neither did I.’
The ferocity of the disappointment that thundered through her took her breath away. But then Alex gave her a wicked smile that had all sorts of delicious thoughts running through her head. ‘But that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a heck of a lot of fun.’ He began kissing his way down her neck.
Phoebe fell back and let herself drown in the sensations pulsating through her and tried to ignore her disappointment. Part of her wished she were irresponsible enough to tell Alex she didn’t care about protection. But then look what had happened as a result of exactly that to the friend whose hen night she’d been to. Furious parents and a shotgun wedding. Not her idea of fun. Although…
‘Stop. Wait.’
Alex lifted his head and stared at her in disbelief. ‘Are you serious?’
‘I do have condoms. A pack of six.’ Handed out by her friend with the solemn warning to always take care.
‘Where?’ he said hoarsely.
‘My suitcase. Front pocket.’
Alex rolled off
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