The Gold Collection. Maggie Cox

her throat.

      Satisfaction swept through Ramon when he felt Lauren melt against him. He hadn’t planned for things to get this out of hand—not yet—but it seemed that she shared his urgent need to rediscover the sexual ecstasy that he knew without doubt he would experience with her.

      With deft fingers he unbuttoned her blouse, and groaned as he slipped his hand inside her bra and rolled her swollen nipple between his finger and thumb. He felt the tremor that shook her, and suddenly his patience snapped. He wanted her now—hard and fast across the desk—and with a muttered oath he thrust his other hand beneath the hem of her skirt and skimmed his fingers over her gossamer-fine hose, the wide band of lace at the top of her stocking, and finally the silky-smooth flesh of her inner thigh.

      ‘Dios mio, querida—I have to have you now.’

      Oh, please, yes—now, now. The words were like a chant in Lauren’s head. She hadn’t felt sexual desire for so long. It was as if those feelings had been locked away since she had ended her affair with Ramon. But now he was here, and her body was screaming for the fulfilment only he could give. The feel of his hand on her thigh was unbearably frustrating when she longed for him to move it higher and slip it beneath the edge of her knickers, to touch her where he hadn’t touched her for so long.

      She could sense his impatience, and the thought filtered into her mind that she hoped he would be gentle. Mateo’s birth had been relatively short, but nonetheless it had been a painful experience…

       Matty!

      She tensed, and her eyes flew open as reality doused her in an ice-cold shower. What in heaven’s name was she doing?

      For a few seconds she was torn between the powerful drumbeat of her desire and the firm insistence of her brain, that told her she must stop this now—because allowing Ramon to make love to her would only make an already complicated situation even worse.

      ‘No!’ Her sharp denial sliced through the air, and, taking advantage of Ramon’s surprise, she pulled out of his arms and stood shaking like a leaf in a storm as she frantically refastened her blouse.

      ‘No?’

      His tone was deceptively soft, but she could sense his anger. It was justified when she had responded to him with such wanton enthusiasm, she thought miserably. She had given him every reason to believe that she was happy to leap into bed with him, but thoughts of Mateo had brought her crashing back to earth. She could not make love with Ramon when she had kept his son a secret from him.

      Ramon drew a harsh breath as he fought the urge to snatch Lauren back into his arms and finish what they had started. Frustration clawed in his gut and made him want to lash out.

      ‘We both know how easily I could make you change your mind,’ he taunted. He stared at her nipples, jutting so provocatively through her blouse, and cursed the throbbing ache in his groin. ‘You say no, but your body says yes, querida.’

      ‘Well, it’s been outvoted,’ Lauren bit out, barely trusting herself to speak as she struggled to regain some sense of composure. ‘You…you took me by surprise, but I don’t want you, Ramon.’

      ‘Are you sure about that?’ Ramon demanded disbelievingly. ‘I’ve just proved that the fire still burns for both of us.’ She had tormented his thoughts and disturbed his dreams for months, until he had given in to his need to find her again. ‘I want you back, Lauren,’ he admitted roughly.

      His voice had softened, and when Lauren stared into his sherry-brown eyes that were so like Matty’s her heart ached. His words were beguiling. Perhaps it was being back here at his apartment, where they had shared so many good times, that was undermining her defences, but Ramon had sounded serious. Did he mean that he wanted a proper, meaningful relationship with her? she wondered, clutching at the fragile green shoot of hope. And, if so, would he want Mateo too? Was there the slightest possibility that they could work things out?

      ‘I thought you were supposed to marry a woman from the Spanish nobility who would give you an heir to continue the Velaquez name?’ she said shakily. ‘Are you saying the situation has changed?’

      Ramon shrugged. ‘No. It is still my intention to fulfil my duty. But that is for the future. For now I want to concentrate on running Velaquez Conglomerates and the Castillo del Toro. I do not wish to have a child yet, and therefore I do not need to consider marriage for several years.’ He paused, and deliberately dropped his gaze to her breasts. ‘But neither do I have any wish to live like a monk, querida,’ he drawled softly.

      Lauren cursed her body’s traitorous reaction to the hungry gleam in his eyes. So all he wanted was an affair. The little shoot of hope shrivelled and died. Nothing had changed, she thought painfully. She wondered if he realised how insulted she felt to be told that he only considered her good enough to be his mistress, but not his wife.

      Admittedly marriage was not something she wanted, she thought wearily, rubbing her brow as myriad confused thoughts swirled inside her head. Having witnessed her mother’s devastation after her father had walked out, she had decided that she would never give up her independence for any man.

      Plenty of couples lived together without being legally bound in a relationship. But Ramon was not even suggesting a long-term commitment, she thought dully. He simply wanted her in his bed for a month or two—until he grew tired of her. Perhaps if she’d only had herself to consider she might be tempted to bury her pride and accept his offer. Eighteen months ago he had stolen her heart, and she longed to recapture the fun and laughter and the long nights of tender lovemaking that they had shared during their affair. But there was not only herself—there was Matty. And Ramon had stated that he did not want a child yet. She wasn’t sure he would ever want a child born to his English mistress.

      Her conscience prickled. She had never given Ramon the chance to show how he would react to the news that he had a son. But everything he had said a few moments ago reinforced her belief that he would not want Matty. His strong sense of duty might compel him to offer financial support for his child, but, as she knew only too well, a child needed to feel loved and cherished, and she feared that Matty would find a monthly maintenance cheque a poor substitute for a father.

      She dragged her gaze from the sight of him refastening his shirt, blushing when she recalled how she had wrenched the buttons open in her feverish need to touch his naked skin.

      ‘It would be inappropriate for me to have an affair with you,’ she told him stiffly. ‘You are a client of PGH, and you must see it would be highly unprofessional.’ She walked over to the door, praying that she appeared more in control of herself than she felt. ‘For that reason I think it would be best if you chose another lawyer from the commercial property department to work on your project. There are a number of excellent lawyers at PGH who would be delighted to work for Velaquez Conglomerates.’

      Guy Hadlow would seize the chance, she thought dismally. She would have to make the excuse to Alistair Gambrill that she did not feel capable of taking on the Velaquez project because of personal commitments. It would almost certainly ruin her chances of promotion, but she could not work with Ramon now that she knew he wanted her back in his bed.

      ‘I’ll speak to Alistair.’ She opened the door, and was about to step into the hallway when Ramon’s voice halted her.

      ‘How do you suppose Alistair Gambrill will take the news that I am cancelling the Velaquez contract with PGH?’ he drawled.

      ‘You’re not.’ Startled, Lauren swung back to face him, imagining with horror the senior partner’s reaction if he learned that the lucrative contact with Velaquez Conglomerates would not go ahead. ‘I mean, there’s no need for that. I’ve explained. There are other commercial property lawyers…’

      ‘I want you.’ His expression was unfathomable, but something in his voice warned Lauren that his threat to cancel the contract with PGH was deadly serious. ‘I will respect your position as my legal advisor and there will be no other relationship between us—unless you wish there to be.’

      ‘I