developed adult or some hormone-driven adolescent whose every motivation originated below his waist?
Making every effort to avoid any further physical contact with the woman sleeping beside him in the bed, he turned until he was lying on his back. Pushing both hands roughly through the sleek blackness of his hair he stared up at the ceiling, his breath leaving him in a sigh of disbelief at his own foolishness.
He hadnât wanted any part of this at the beginning. Maria had made her own bed; she would have to lie in it. It was time that she learned that everyone made mistakes. And mistakes had consequences.
Everyone made mistakes!
The thought was like a dash of cold water in his face, driving away the last remaining shadows of sleep and bringing his mind fully wide awake. Uncomfortably so. Suddenly too restless to lie still any more, he flung back the quilt and got out of bed. Snatching up his jeans and underwear from where they lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, he pulled them on swiftly, still yanking up the zip as he moved to stare out of the window at the far side of the room.
Wasnât what he had just done every bit as much of a mistake as Mariaâs unthinking behaviour had been? And what in the name of heaven was he going to do if his mistake resulted in the same sort of consequences as his half-sisterâs had?
âYou fool!â he berated himself out loud, slamming one hand hard against the wall in a gesture of impotent fury. âYou damn, stupid fool!â
Some unexpected sound penetrated the deep, drugging sleep into which sheer exhaustion had finally driven Felicity, making her stir slightly in the bed, frowning faintly in confusion.
Even before her eyes opened she became aware of the space beside her, the cooling sheets where the last time she had been capable of any sort of conscious thought there had been the hard, warm strength of a very male body.
Ricoâs body.
Reality flooded back with a shock that jerked her upright, blonde hair wildly tousled, grey eyes clouded with shocked despair at the situation in which she found herself.
Oh, what had she done! How could she possibly have let this happen? How could the situation have got so completely out of hand? How could sheâ¦
âGood afternoon, Señorita Hamilton.â
The quiet voice, edged with a note she couldnât interpret, came from by the window, bringing her head round in a rush. The sun was so brilliant that she had to narrow her eyes, squinting slightly, before she could make out exactly where he was, but even then he was still just a dark silhouette etched against it.
âIs it really that late?â
She didnât really need to ask. The light that poured into the room, casting a shadow of Ricoâs tall, lean body across the rich blue carpet was so very different from the one that had woken her earlier that day.
âLate enough,â he returned laconically. âWe wereâoccupied for quite some time.â
The reminder stung, making hot colour suffuse her whole body at the memory of just how âoccupiedâ they had been. That first wild coming together had only satisfied them both for a short time. It hadnât been long before the shuddering aftershocks of passion had subsided into a languid peace, a peace that had soon been broken by the slow dawning of a new phase of desire. And in the space of a couple of heartbeats the hunger had gripped them again, making them reach for each other in mutual need.
âIâfell asleepâ¦â she managed shakily, lifting a faintly unsteady hand to sweep back the tangle of blonde hair that had fallen forward over her eyes. She regretted the action immediately as the brush of her arm against her breast brought home to her that she was still as completely naked as the moment she had fallen asleep in Ricoâs arms.
Instinctively she clutched at the bedclothes, wanting to pull them up over her exposed body, but just at that moment
Making every effort to avoid any further physical contact with the woman sleeping beside him in the bed, he turned until he was lying on his back. Pushing both hands roughly through the sleek blackness of his hair he stared up at the ceiling, his breath leaving him in a sigh of disbelief at his own foolishness.
He hadnât wanted any part of this at the beginning. Maria had made her own bed; she would have to lie in it. It was time that she learned that everyone made mistakes. And mistakes had consequences.
Everyone made mistakes!
The thought was like a dash of cold water in his face, driving away the last remaining shadows of sleep and bringing his mind fully wide awake. Uncomfortably so. Suddenly too restless to lie still any more, he flung back the quilt and got out of bed. Snatching up his jeans and underwear from where they lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, he pulled them on swiftly, still yanking up the zip as he moved to stare out of the window at the far side of the room.
Wasnât what he had just done every bit as much of a mistake as Mariaâs unthinking behaviour had been? And what in the name of heaven was he going to do if his mistake resulted in the same sort of consequences as his half-sisterâs had?
âYou fool!â he berated himself out loud, slamming one hand hard against the wall in a gesture of impotent fury. âYou damn, stupid fool!â
Some unexpected sound penetrated the deep, drugging sleep into which sheer exhaustion had finally driven Felicity, making her stir slightly in the bed, frowning faintly in confusion.
Even before her eyes opened she became aware of the space beside her, the cooling sheets where the last time she had been capable of any sort of conscious thought there had been the hard, warm strength of a very male body.
Ricoâs body.
Reality flooded back with a shock that jerked her upright, blonde hair wildly tousled, grey eyes clouded with shocked despair at the situation in which she found herself.
Oh, what had she done! How could she possibly have let this happen? How could the situation have got so completely out of hand? How could sheâ¦
âGood afternoon, Señorita Hamilton.â
The quiet voice, edged with a note she couldnât interpret, came from by the window, bringing her head round in a rush. The sun was so brilliant that she had to narrow her eyes, squinting slightly, before she could make out exactly where he was, but even then he was still just a dark silhouette etched against it.
âIs it really that late?â
She didnât really need to ask. The light that poured into the room, casting a shadow of Ricoâs tall, lean body across the rich blue carpet was so very different from the one that had woken her earlier that day.
âLate enough,â he returned laconically. âWe wereâoccupied for quite some time.â
The reminder stung, making hot colour suffuse her whole body at the memory of just how âoccupiedâ they had been. That first wild coming together had only satisfied them both for a short time. It hadnât been long before the shuddering aftershocks of passion had subsided into a languid peace, a peace that had soon been broken by the slow dawning of a new phase of desire. And in the space of a couple of heartbeats the hunger had gripped them again, making them reach for each other in mutual need.
âIâfell asleepâ¦â she managed shakily, lifting a faintly unsteady hand to sweep back the tangle of blonde hair that had fallen forward over her eyes. She regretted the action immediately as the brush of her arm against her breast brought home to her that she was still as completely naked as the moment she had fallen asleep in Ricoâs arms.
Instinctively she clutched at the bedclothes, wanting to pull them up over her exposed body, but just at that moment
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