Modern Romance December 2019 Books 5-8. Jane Porter

over here. I’ve got a message for you.’

      ‘For me?’ She couldn’t resist crossing the room to sit by Lucas anyway. Hadn’t she vowed to bring matters between them to some sort of conclusion?

      Padding barefoot over luxurious rugs that made the mellow wooden floor seem even homelier, she couldn’t help but marvel at the easy mix of tech and comfort he’d achieved in this house. In spite of the emotional turmoil raging inside her, there was a good feeling in the building. It was easy to see why Luc loved his mountain retreat. He could relax here.

      ‘Drink?’ he suggested.

      ‘Water, please.’ She needed her wits about her.

      ‘As you wish. I’ll open champagne, if you prefer?’

      ‘Perhaps after the party, when, hopefully, I’ll have something to celebrate.’

      ‘Hopefully?’ he probed with a keen look.

      ‘When we’ll both have something to celebrate,’ she amended in answer to his question. ‘You mentioned a message to pass on to me?’ she prompted.

      ‘Ah, yes. I spoke to mountain rescue and the team was full of praise for you. They wanted you to know, that’s all.’

      ‘Thank you.’ She couldn’t pretend that didn’t light a glow inside her. It was always good to be appreciated. ‘I hope you told them why I did it, and how scared I was.’

      ‘I didn’t need to.’ He shrugged. ‘Only fools don’t feel fear.’

      ‘If you can’t experience emotion, what do you have?’

      ‘You’re asking the wrong person,’ Luc assured her.

      There was an ironic twist to his mouth as she went to warm her hands in front of the blazing log fire while he fixed their drinks.

      ‘I love your photographs,’ she said in an attempt to break the sudden tension. They showed Luc and his brothers playing polo, and there was another photograph of him and his siblings, though not one single image of his parents. She knew their death had been a tragic accident, but found it strange that he wouldn’t want to be reminded of happier days.

      ‘Water?’ he prompted.

      ‘Thank you.’ A glance into shuttered eyes warned against asking too many personal questions about Luc’s photographs, or any that she might perceive as missing.

      ‘I think hot chocolate would be better than water, don’t you?’

      She knew him well enough to suspect that this was a ploy to change the subject completely, rather than to provide her with an alternative drink.

      ‘That would be good,’ she agreed. ‘I’d love one. Thank you.’

      How prim she sounded, when all she could think about was his hands on her body and his mouth on her lips, and the pleasure they’d shared. She must be a better actress than she’d thought.

      Would she ever get used to the sight of him? Stacey wondered as Luc picked up the phone to call Maria. Freshly showered with his thick hair still damp and catching on his stubble, Luc was a magnificent sight. Her heart pounded with bottled-up emotion, while her body was more forthright when it came to aching with lust.

      But how did he feel about her? Could anyone read the thoughts behind those enigmatic black eyes? Somehow, she doubted it.

      ‘Your wish is my command,’ Luc assured her in the same soft drawl as Maria tapped lightly on the door.

      His faint smile sent shivers coursing down her spine, and the moment Maria had left them she felt compelled to ask, ‘Is my every wish really your command?’

      ‘What do you think?’ Luc asked.

      She shrugged and smiled with pure disbelief.

      ‘But of course it is,’ he assured her wickedly.

      A few moments later they were seated in front of the fire, each with an aromatic mug of cocoa in their hands. To any onlooker, it was a cosy scene, a safe scene, with two people who knew each other well. Stacey had relaxed, and in doing so had decided to forget her reckless plan to show Lucas how much she wanted him. Why set herself up for failure, when things were going so well? Did she always have to stick her chin out? Couldn’t she for once keep quiet and say nothing? Hadn’t she vowed on the day she left home that she would never be pushed aside again? Her intention was to be useful and to help people, and wasn’t that better? Didn’t it give her a warm feeling inside? Why lay her heart on the line now? Her reckless self could take a hike, she concluded. With a career to foster, and a life to live long after tonight was over, she had safer things to do with her time than seduce Lucas.

      ‘What about supplies in the village?’ she asked, determined to turn her mind back to business. ‘Does everyone have what they need? I’ve ordered in enough to withstand a siege, so please tell me if I can help.’

      ‘I will,’ Luc assured her, ‘but I doubt it will be necessary.’ Relaxing back, he explained. ‘All the mountain villages are self-sufficient. They have to be prepared for weather like this, but I’ll let them know of your offer,’ he promised.

      As Luc sipped hot chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in, she dwelt on him. It was inevitable. Thoughts about business were vital to her peace of mind, but with each minute that passed he was becoming increasingly vital to her existence.

      Warm chocolate was slipping down her throat like a delicious promise of more pleasure to come, and Luc was a big source of pleasure.

      ‘What are you smiling about?’ he asked.

      ‘Me? Just relaxing. Okay, the party,’ she admitted when he raised a brow. Just not the type of party Luc was imagining.

      And from there the fantasies came thick and strong. He’d showered and changed into banged-up jeans with frayed edges brushing his naked feet—how could feet be so sexy? she asked herself—and a soft black cashmere sweater that clung to his powerful shoulders, emphasising his strength and musculature like a second skin, and she wanted to stroke him, smell him, touch him, taste him. The scent of something citrusy he’d used in the shower was clearly discernible above the tang of wood smoke and the sugary smell of chocolate. He’d pushed his sleeves back, revealing deeply tanned forearms like iron girders, shaded with just the right amount of dark hair. He was a magnificent sight and she wanted him. The fact that Lucas had always been completely unaware of his staggering appeal only made him all the more attractive to Stacey.

      ‘I’d better take that mug before you drop it,’ he said.

      Realising it had tipped at a perilous angle while she was lost in her thoughts, she laughed. ‘I’m going to lick out every last drop first.’ When she passed it over to him their fingers touched, and Luc’s heat seeped into her. Who was seducing whom here? Her nipples responded on cue, as did the rest of her aching body.

      ‘Now we eat,’ he said, which snapped her back to reality. ‘You need food.’

      So much for reality! Being free from consequences, fantasies were more enjoyable. And, yes, she was playing with fire sitting close to Luc when she could be safely asleep in the guest wing, but she preferred playing with fire to kicking around cold embers in the morning.

      When she stretched and grimaced, he commented. ‘You could use a massage. Cold does that to your muscles.’

      ‘Are you offering?’ She gave him a sideways look while her heart started banging in her chest.

      ‘If you like,’ Luc said matter-of-factly. ‘A good rub down,’ he suggested.

      ‘I’m not your horse.’

      ‘Clearly,’ he observed.

      She laughed. They both laughed, and she had to tell herself that the attractive curve on Luc’s mouth was just his way, and, though she was staying here overnight, she was as safe from him as she would be in a convent.