Untamed Billionaires: Marriage: For Business or Pleasure? / Getting Red-Hot with the Rogue / One Night with the Rebel Billionaire. Элли Блейк

she’d been having with herself ever since she’d said yes to his ridiculous proposal.

      Emotionally, she wanted to rant and scream and kick her Garfield slippers into the Great Barrier Reef, for now she’d made up her mind to alleviate some of this growing tension between them she didn’t want to take the safe, sensible option any more.

      But what could she say?

      Backing down from her previous stance would make her seem fickle and indecisive and decidedly stupid, not to mention shooting down any credibility in convincing him her acceptance of his proposal was one hundred per cent business.

      For him, having sex would be satisfying his lust factor. For her, it was so much more and he’d know it. She’d told him so ten years earlier and knowing Nick he wouldn’t have forgotten.

      ‘Just business, right?’

      With a sinking heart, she nodded.

      ‘Right.’

      ‘Okay, then, glad we got that settled.’

      He didn’t move and when she raised her eyes to his she knew nothing was settled, far from it, for while Nick might be spouting the business tune his eyes were gobbling her up and coming back for seconds.

      ‘Britt?’

      She gulped, knowing her voice would come out squeaky if she didn’t, for the longer he looked at her like that, the harder it was to breathe.

      ‘Yeah?’

      ‘You made a breathtaking bride.’

      It wasn’t his compliment that made her blush as much as the memory of how she’d envisioned him taking her wedding dress off.

      ‘The dress was pretty special—’

      ‘I wasn’t talking about the dress.’

      His hand snaked across the bed and rested on hers, the simple touch setting her body alight as her gaze flew to his, connected, locked, unable to look away even if she wanted to.

      Tension crackled between them as she wavered between yanking her hand out from under his to re-establish equilibrium and closing the short distance between them and straddling his lap.

      ‘You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’

      A soft, wistful sigh escaped her lips, a sigh filled with hope and fear and wishes that things could be different for them, that this could be a real wedding night in every sense of the word.

      Mustering a smile, she said, ‘And you’re still the charmer.’

      He winked. ‘Is it working?’

      ‘Depends why you’re trying to charm me.’

      ‘Ah…the million-dollar question…’

      Rather than releasing her hand, his thumb traced slow circles on the back of it, grazing her knuckles, dipping into the grooves, sending heat spiralling through her body.

      Her eyes drifted shut, as if she could block out his touch and what it was doing to her body, but if anything the sensations increased tenfold.

      Every nerve ending snapped to attention with every minute caress, every muscle liquefied with the barest brush of his thumb, and when he stroked her fingers from knuckle to tip the tension strumming her body coalesced into a fiery yearning that had her leaping off the bed like he’d prodded her.

      ‘I’m really tired.’

      His knowing gaze told her he knew exactly why she’d retreated, yet thankfully he didn’t push it.

      ‘Okay then. Do you want to have supper? I can get Room Service to bring us up something, or would you prefer bed?’

      To her endless embarrassment, she blushed and scooted around to the other side of the bed, the very mention of which made her feel like a schoolgirl jilted by the high-school jock.

      ‘I’m not hungry.’

      She slid under the six-hundred-thread-count sheets. The sooner she feigned sleep, the sooner she could avoid looking at his delicious body and wishing he were supper.

      ‘You sure?’

      His deep, husky tone had her imagining warmed honey drizzled across his torso and strawberries dipped in chocolate nestled in his navel and she swallowed, at serious risk of drooling.

      ‘I’m sure. Now, if you don’t mind, I need some rest. So scoot.’

      ‘Huh?’

      ‘The couch?You know, that thing next to the table over there?’

      He shook his head and sent her his best puppy-dog look, the one he’d perfected back in high school, the same one that melted her heart.

      ‘I can’t sleep on that. It doesn’t convert into a sofa bed, it’s two feet too short and has rocks under the cushions.’

      ‘Well, you can’t expect me to sleep there!’

      And she’d be a fool to consider letting him share the bed. By the longing look he cast at the bed, she wouldn’t have much choice.

      ‘Red, as attractive as you look in the contraception-on-legs robe, this bed is big enough to fit four people. I’m sure we can share without getting into too much trouble.’

      She almost would have believed him, if the last few tension-filled minutes hadn’t happened. They might’ve agreed to a sex-free wedding night but, with her belly tumbling with nerves, her skin prickling with heat and the rest of her buzzing from repressed need, she knew trouble was only a tumble in the sack away.

      But what choice did she have? She couldn’t subject him to a sleepless night, it just wouldn’t be fair. Or mature.

      She could do this. Sharing a bed with Nick would be like having a friend over for a slumber party. And guaranteed she’d be the one spending a sleepless night!

      ‘We can put pillows down the middle if you think that’ll help.’

      He grinned, a fully-fledged teasing grin that mocked her, and she briefly wondered what had happened to her bath pep talk. Lying in the giant bed with the sheets almost pulled up to her neck like a blushing virgin screamed prude and not the sassy city girl she liked to think herself.

      Why couldn’t she share a bed with Nick and consider it in a non-sexual way?

      Because she wanted him! Bad.

      That was when it hit her.

      If she couldn’t tell him what she wanted, what if she showed him by giving him a little bit of that teasing he was so good at?

      She sat up straighter, allowing the sheet to dip, revealing the robe’s gaping neckline, and sent him a smile that could’ve tempted a eunuch.

      ‘No pillows needed. I’ll keep my hands to myself, promise.’

      To her surprise, his cocky grin slipped, as if he hadn’t expected her to agree with him, let alone flirt right back.

      Oh, yeah, this could be fun!

      ‘You better not grope me in my sleep,’ he muttered, sending her an almost hopeful look she’d do exactly that.

      ‘Hands off, remember?’

      ‘In that case, move over.’

      Okay, so they’d settled the sleeping arrangements fairly painlessly. Good. This wouldn’t be too difficult.

      Think slumber party. Think friends. Think harmless fun. Easy.

      However, the instant she dropped her guard, Nick did something to shock her all over again.

      ‘What are you doing?’she shrieked as he undid the zip on his jeans and shucked out of them, standing next to the bed wearing the sexiest, briefest pair of black silk boxers she’d ever seen.

      ‘I’m