spread over my pillow, and me inside you.’
Then he began to move; he took it slowly at first, stoking her desire to fever point. Then it was as if something snapped his control and he moved faster, harder, building the pressure until finally her climax splintered through her. As her body tightened round his she could feel him tense as he reached his own release.
Finally, he eased out of her, and kissed her tenderly. ‘Don’t go anywhere,’ he whispered as he headed for the en suite.
Alone in his bedroom, Ella felt awkward. They were supposed to be talking, sorting things out between them, and yet they’d ended up in bed. And she felt like a tart.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked when he came back.
She told him.
He sighed, sat on the end of the bed and took her hand. ‘First of all, you’re not a tart. I didn’t exactly have a lot of control, either. I was with you all the way. So don’t beat yourself up about it.’
‘I guess.’
He drew her hand to his mouth, pressed a kiss into her palm and curled her fingers round it. ‘If anything, I’m the one at fault. I was supposed to be taking you to dinner, not carrying you to my bed.’ He was still holding her hand as he asked, ‘So where do we go from here?’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘W HERE do we go from here?’ Ella blew out a breath. ‘I have absolutely no idea.’
‘Let’s start with what we know. Neither of us wants a relationship. Neither of us has time for one.’ He paused.
‘But.’
‘But?’
‘It’s good between us. Physically.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘What are you suggesting?’
‘I’m going to be in London for a while. Maybe we can see something of each other while I’m here.’ He paused. ‘Kind of friends with benefits.’
‘We’re not friends. We barely know each other,’ she pointed out.
‘Acquaintances with benefits, then.’
‘You’re really compartmentalised, aren’t you?’
He shrugged. ‘It tends to make life easier.’
‘So what you’re offering me is sex. Just while you’re in London.’
‘That sounds tacky.’
‘But that’s what it boils down to.’
‘I guess. We’re both busy and neither of us wants to get involved.’ Honesty compelled him to add, ‘But there’s something between us.’ Ever since she’d left Rome, he’dtold himself that she was nothing special. Seeing her again was supposed to prove that.
Except it hadn’t.
Not that he was prepared to admit quite that much to her.
And maybe seeing more of her would make this thing burn itself out. He’d get bored, the way he always did. And it would end before it stopped being fun. Before it started being serious.
‘What do you want, Rico?’ she asked.
He wasn’t sure he could answer that. He knew what he’d always thought he wanted—to be in sole charge of the business. Which he was. And the fact that it wasn’t enough for him any more, that expanding into London excited him less than the thought of seeing her, made him antsy. He threw the question back at her. ‘What do
you
want?’
‘You’re not supposed to answer a question with a question.’
‘What do you want?’ he repeated.
She sighed. ‘I don’t know. I thought I’d got you out of my system. Tonight was supposed to be closure. And look what happened. I’m naked and in your bed.’
He already knew she felt bad about that. Which made it easier for him to admit, ‘It was completely mutual.’
‘So do we walk away from each other now?’
His head was telling him to run like hell. His heart was telling him to stick around. ‘Do you want to walk away?’
‘It would be the sensible thing to do.’
The ‘but’ was loud and clear. She felt the same way he did. Mixed up and torn between the options. Safe and not safe.
‘I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you right from the start,’ he said.
‘I guess you had your reasons for what you did. I thinkthey’re ridiculous reasons, but I suppose you weren’t doing it out of a sense of
Then he began to move; he took it slowly at first, stoking her desire to fever point. Then it was as if something snapped his control and he moved faster, harder, building the pressure until finally her climax splintered through her. As her body tightened round his she could feel him tense as he reached his own release.
Finally, he eased out of her, and kissed her tenderly. ‘Don’t go anywhere,’ he whispered as he headed for the en suite.
Alone in his bedroom, Ella felt awkward. They were supposed to be talking, sorting things out between them, and yet they’d ended up in bed. And she felt like a tart.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked when he came back.
She told him.
He sighed, sat on the end of the bed and took her hand. ‘First of all, you’re not a tart. I didn’t exactly have a lot of control, either. I was with you all the way. So don’t beat yourself up about it.’
‘I guess.’
He drew her hand to his mouth, pressed a kiss into her palm and curled her fingers round it. ‘If anything, I’m the one at fault. I was supposed to be taking you to dinner, not carrying you to my bed.’ He was still holding her hand as he asked, ‘So where do we go from here?’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘W HERE do we go from here?’ Ella blew out a breath. ‘I have absolutely no idea.’
‘Let’s start with what we know. Neither of us wants a relationship. Neither of us has time for one.’ He paused.
‘But.’
‘But?’
‘It’s good between us. Physically.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘What are you suggesting?’
‘I’m going to be in London for a while. Maybe we can see something of each other while I’m here.’ He paused. ‘Kind of friends with benefits.’
‘We’re not friends. We barely know each other,’ she pointed out.
‘Acquaintances with benefits, then.’
‘You’re really compartmentalised, aren’t you?’
He shrugged. ‘It tends to make life easier.’
‘So what you’re offering me is sex. Just while you’re in London.’
‘That sounds tacky.’
‘But that’s what it boils down to.’
‘I guess. We’re both busy and neither of us wants to get involved.’ Honesty compelled him to add, ‘But there’s something between us.’ Ever since she’d left Rome, he’dtold himself that she was nothing special. Seeing her again was supposed to prove that.
Except it hadn’t.
Not that he was prepared to admit quite that much to her.
And maybe seeing more of her would make this thing burn itself out. He’d get bored, the way he always did. And it would end before it stopped being fun. Before it started being serious.
‘What do you want, Rico?’ she asked.
He wasn’t sure he could answer that. He knew what he’d always thought he wanted—to be in sole charge of the business. Which he was. And the fact that it wasn’t enough for him any more, that expanding into London excited him less than the thought of seeing her, made him antsy. He threw the question back at her. ‘What do
you
want?’
‘You’re not supposed to answer a question with a question.’
‘What do you want?’ he repeated.
She sighed. ‘I don’t know. I thought I’d got you out of my system. Tonight was supposed to be closure. And look what happened. I’m naked and in your bed.’
He already knew she felt bad about that. Which made it easier for him to admit, ‘It was completely mutual.’
‘So do we walk away from each other now?’
His head was telling him to run like hell. His heart was telling him to stick around. ‘Do you want to walk away?’
‘It would be the sensible thing to do.’
The ‘but’ was loud and clear. She felt the same way he did. Mixed up and torn between the options. Safe and not safe.
‘I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you right from the start,’ he said.
‘I guess you had your reasons for what you did. I thinkthey’re ridiculous reasons, but I suppose you weren’t doing it out of a sense of
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