One Night In…. Оливия Гейтс

to the feel of her skin was instantaneous. And uncomfortably strong.

      The music gathered pace and intensity. He felt the shiver that vibrated through her at his touch and watched her face intently as she let her head fall back, her half-closed eyes proclaiming her desire.

      It had started as a cynical ploy to find out what she was up to, but Angelo realised his actions were no longer motivated by business. Sliding his hands around to the small of her back, he pulled her towards him, bending his head to brush his lips across the exposed column of her throat.

      This was pleasure. Pure, wicked pleasure, he thought, trailing the tip of his tongue slowly upwards to her jaw before their mouths met in ferocious mutual hunger.

      And then suddenly his long fingers were in her hair, his hands cupping her head, so that the sound of the music and the sea were drowned out by the roaring of the blood in Anna’s ears. Their bodies didn’t touch, but she was aware of his height as he bent his head to hers, the strength and power that radiated from him like a physical force. Their open mouths devoured each other, desperately seeking, exploring, plundering until their teeth clashed and Anna tasted the iron-tang of blood.

      Breathlessly she pulled away, then, catching sight of the expression of dark arousal on his perfect face, helplessly reached for him again. This time their bodies met too, as the music swept them up in its hypnotic beat. She was aware of her fingers digging into the hard muscles of his arms but was powerless to let go.

      It was as if a dam had burst inside her and all the frustration, the anger, the loneliness and longing of the last ten years had come bursting out in a boiling tide of all-consuming lust. Like a volcano. She had always been too scared of intimacy, too frightened of rejection to give herself to a man, but suddenly all of those fears were simply swept away by the strength and simplicity of her need.

      It didn’t matter any more who she was. This was who she was.

      The music had changed, become more upbeat, and people were drifting apart, going in search of another drink, as the spell of sensuality that had captured them all dissipated. But in their midst Anna and Angelo remained oblivious, until someone started clapping, drawing attention to them.

      ‘Hey, Anna! Get a room!’

      Dazed, she opened her eyes. Angelo’s face was very close to hers, his eyes glittering in the firelight.

      ‘Anna?’ he murmured sardonically. ‘I think we have some talking to do, don’t you? Smile nicely at your friends, sweetheart, and let’s walk.’

      His fingers were like steel bands around her upper arm, but she was grateful. Without him holding her up, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to stand. Behind them there were a few scattered whoops and catcalls as they stumbled away from the group in the firelight and felt the velvet darkness envelop them. The rhythmic swish of the sea grew louder as the music receded slightly and for a few moments they walked side by side in silence.

      When he eventually spoke his voice was soft, but edged with menace.

      ‘So, Anna, don’t tell me—that was a staff party for the London office of Arundel-Ducasse. A team-building exercise?’

      She tugged her arm free of his grip and took a couple of stumbling steps away from him, raising her chin as she spoke. ‘I’m not an estate agent. I made that up. But I’m not ashamed of what I am.’

      He stopped, slipping his hands into his pockets and looking down, as if looking at her was somehow distasteful.

      ‘And what is that, Anna?’

      ‘A member of GreenPlanet. Someone who’s prepared to stand up for what they believe in and fight what they know is wrong.’

      He sighed deeply and started walking again. ‘Yawn, yawn, yawn. And what is so very wrong about me buying Château Belle-Eden, may I ask?’

      The GreenPlanet group was far behind now and the sand beneath their feet was no longer soft and shifting but firm and damp, indicating that they were being inexorably drawn down towards the water’s edge. Ahead of them she watched unseeingly as a small motor boat skimmed over the waves and came to a halt near the shore.

      ‘Apart from the fact that you intend to cause environmental havoc by destroying most of the pinewoods for a landing strip?’

      ‘You have done your homework.’ He gave a small snort of cynical laughter. ‘Don’t worry—I’ll arrange a decent relocation package for every displaced squirrel in the area.’

      ‘Don’t be flippant,’ she snapped, then paused, watching his face intently in the darkness. This was a long shot, but she had nothing to lose. ‘We don’t like the sound of Grafton-Tarrant’s involvement.’

      That had him worried, she thought with a flash of triumph. He was suddenly very still, but in the silvery moonlight she could just make out a muscle flickering in the taut plane of his cheek.

      ‘You interest me, Anna—?’

      She hesitated for a fraction of a second. ‘Field. Anna Field.’

      ‘You obviously have a great passion for your cause.’ His voice was like a caress in the warm night air. He took a step closer to her and caught hold of the ends of her slender sequinned scarf. ‘But, Anna Field, I think it’s only fair to warn you that I have a great deal of passion for this project. Which means that one of us will end up being hurt. And—’ he lifted his hand and stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek ‘—I think it’s only fair to warn you that I don’t do failure.’

      Oh, I do, thought Anna savagely as a shudder of pleasure ricocheted through her at his touch. Failure and I are old friends.

      She took a step backwards and was caught off balance for a second as her foot sank into the wet sand. At that moment a bigger wave rolled in, lapping over her feet and making her gasp at the sudden chill.

      He caught her before she fell, scooping her up in his arms as if she were no heavier than a child. On the dark beach the intimacy of his nearness stole her breath away and banished every rational thought from her head. The cold water had spread goosebumps over her quivering flesh.

      He radiated warmth.

      And strength.

      And sex.

      His smile stopped her heart and stole her soul—and along with it her powers of resistance. ‘I’ve got you now.’

      ‘Put me—’ She tried to struggle but knew the movement her body made was a desperate wriggle of invitation. His lips came down on to hers, silencing her and concentrating all her thoughts on the sensation of being in his arms, clasped against his chest, while he waded powerfully through the water.

      She should feel scared. Angry. Indignant. But she didn’t.

      She felt cherished.

      And so aroused she couldn’t think straight.

      Dazedly she opened her eyes as he stopped. The boat she had seen from further down the beach was right in front of them, and the man inside it stood as they approached.

      ‘Wh—what the—? What are you—?’

      ‘Shh.’

      Effortlessly he lifted her in and vaulted over the side to take his place on the seat beside her.

      ‘Grazie, Gianni.’

      Anna looked around her with wild eyes as the speedboat engine started up with a roar. Her hair whipped her cheeks as it spun round and accelerated away, seeming to fly across the water away from the shore. ‘What are you doing? Where are we going? I didn’t ask—’

      Gently he placed a long brown finger on her lips, then, as her words died away, trailed it down her throat and into the deep V between the triangles of her bikini. His eyes burned into hers.

      ‘Not in so many words, carissima, but you can’t deny that you want this as much as I do.’