‘How so?’ He spread his hands in bewilderment. ‘I like parties.’
‘You like being surrounded by women who pander to your ego.’
He clamped down another smile. She really didn’t want other women around, did she? ‘No parties at home,’ he conceded, happy to be alone with her for what little time he’d have in the house. ‘But we dine out. We dance.’
He liked the ambience of a busy restaurant.
‘No dancing.’
‘Why not?’ He folded his arms, amused by her determined rejection of what he had to offer. ‘Don’t tell me you can’t.’
‘Of course I can’t,’ she declared in total irritation. ‘I have no interest in it.’
‘I’ll teach you,’ he said, unbothered. ‘Next item?’
‘No...’ She hesitated. ‘No...’
Yes, this was where she really was most vulnerable. ‘You don’t need to worry.’ Hadn’t he just told her he only dated one woman at a time?
‘I’m not having two fiancés leave me for another woman,’ she blurted it out anyway. ‘I’m not going through that again. Not even pretend.’
So she had been hurt by the ex-fiancé.
‘Fine. You’ll break my heart. Unable to get over my rampantly lusty past even though I’ll have been nothing but true to you.’ He offered the solution softly, watching her closely.
‘As if anyone would believe you had.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’ll have plenty of women offering to soothe your hurts.’
She was painfully insecure, and breathtakingly insulting, but he didn’t blame her. She’d been hurt. ‘And you’ll have your pride restored.’
A slightly stunned look crossed her face. ‘It’s not pride.’
‘What is it then?’
She shook her head, that expression shutting down. ‘You wouldn’t understand. You don’t seem to have the same kinds of emotions as I do.’
Her words were barbed, and they hit a spot he hadn’t realised was exposed. He had emotions all right. It was just that he worked hard to control them. He had to. Suddenly raw, he turned and walked towards the door. ‘I have to get to work. Be ready for dinner at seven.’
‘I don’t have any decent clothes with me,’ she called after him sulkily.
Drawing in a calming breath, he turned back to face her. ‘So buy some more.’
‘In case you hadn’t noticed, my family has hit the skids. You want to be ashamed by your fiancée when you take her out looking like a bag lady?’
He knew she was deliberately putting obstacles in his way to be as annoying as possible. Too bad, he wasn’t going to be bothered. ‘You don’t look like a bag lady. I like the catsuit thing.’ He smiled patronisingly at her. ‘But feel free to go out and buy whatever you want for tonight. My treat.’
Her gaze narrowed on his mouth. Awareness arrowed to his groin. He’d known she’d loathe the offer of his money and that her temper would flare. His smile deepened to genuine pleasure in anticipation of her bite.
But she didn’t give him a verbal lashing. If anything, she sounded as sultry as a siren. ‘What’s my budget?’
Only then did she lift her lashes and reveal the fury in her green eyes.
‘Will a hundred thousand do to start?’ he suggested roughly, unable to resist absorbing her dare and raising the stakes.
She didn’t bat an eyelid at that.
He strolled back over to where she still sat on the sofa, enjoying himself immensely. ‘We’ll have to get you an engagement ring too.’ He picked up her hand and studied her long, delicate fingers. ‘Just to really set the whole thing off.’
‘That’s not necessary,’ she clipped, tilting her chin so she could keep burning holes in him with her fiery gaze. ‘I’m not wearing a ring.’
So she did have a few scruples. Or maybe she was superstitious.
‘You’ve worn one before.’ And he felt a twinge of guilt about pointing that out to her so bluntly.
She tried to pull her hand from his but he gripped it harder.
‘And it brought me nothing but trouble,’ she muttered.
‘Poor Catriona.’ He couldn’t hold back a second longer. He tugged her hand, drawing her into a standing position, and reached out with his other hand to run his fingers down the length of her beautiful hair. ‘Go indulge in some retail therapy,’ he suggested with a mercilessly condescending tease. ‘Spend hard.’
She sent him another foul look. ‘You know I could walk out with all this money of yours and skip the country, never to return.’
‘You’re too polite to do that. And you know that if you did, I would hunt you down.’ His gut clenched at the words. It was only a joke; he didn’t mean it. Not truly.
‘I’m not afraid of you.’
But he was close enough to have felt her shiver and fought his own primal response to pull her closer and keep her. He wasn’t going down that possessive route, not when he knew how destructive it could be. How terrifying. He’d rein this in and get it back to nothing more than a seductive, light tease. ‘No, but you’re afraid of what I can offer.’
‘What do you think that you can offer me that I would be afraid of?’
‘The kind of passion you think you can’t cope with,’ he taunted, leaning that last inch into her space.
‘Oh, please.’ She rolled her eyes, but he’d seen the rise of that pink under her cheeks.
He put his hands on her slender waist. Satisfaction burst within him, desire for more slammed in on its heels. ‘I won’t deny I want you in my bed, little Cat,’ he muttered, his words tumbling, rough and unstoppable now. ‘I’m looking forward to hearing you—’
She suddenly stunned him by clamping her hand over his mouth. ‘You think I haven’t heard those kinds of sleazy lines before? You want to “pet me until I purr”?’ She pushed her hand, forcing him to turn his head away for a second. ‘If you really want me, you need to try harder.’
Harder? His laugh was harsh as he pulled her flush against him, pressing his lips on hers. For a spilt-second it was pure passion, lip-to-lip, breast-to-chest, hip-to-hip and straining...but then he made himself go gently again.
Slow. Slow right down.
He’d have his control back, thanks. And he’d surprise her into that deliciously unguarded reaction she’d given him last night.
He softened, pressing small kisses on her plump pouting mouth until she opened it with the smallest of sighs. She tasted like fruit and pastry, a little tart, a lot sweet. And hot. So damn hot and vital. She might be slender, but she was strong. He slid his hand up her back, pressing her closer, needing to feel her where he was aching most. Her hands skated up his chest, curling around his shoulders as she arched her back and her neck, pressing her breasts more firmly against him, letting him deepen the kiss even more. And, heaven knew, he did. Slowly and thoroughly, he explored her mouth, caressing her with his tongue because he couldn’t
get enough of her taste. He widened his stance so he could gather her closer, aching to absorb all her passion. Gentle was all but forgotten. She felt so good pressed up against him.
And, as she kissed him back, his control started to slip again. He wanted more. He wanted it now.
When she breathed so quickly? When she moaned? When her lips were soft and submissive and hungrily seeking, all at the same time? When her hips circled against his in that way that maddened him to the point of grinding?
He teetered on the brink of tumbling her to the sofa, tearing clothing and taking her in a frenzy of unfettered, uncontrolled lust—
He pulled back quickly, resisting the urge. It hurt. His breathing sounded loud in his ears.
But so did hers. To his relief—and pleasure—she still felt warm and soft in his arms. Willing. Ready. So close to his. Oh, yes, she wanted him too.
Well, she was going to get what they both wanted. When she was ready. When she asked. And when he was in control. He’d keep it light. Always.
Lit up with amusement and arousal and burning-hot satisfaction, he eyed her lazily. ‘I don’t think I need to try that hard at all.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘SEXUAL ATTRACTION IS easy enough to ignore,’ Kitty argued breathlessly, basically hauling herself upright to stop herself leaning on him.
The man packed a serious sexual punch and she’d succumbed again so easily. How on earth did she think she could simply ignore the effect he had on her?
‘But why would you want to?’ He looked mystified.
She pushed out of his arms and walked away from him, needing the space to clear her head. But goodness, her legs felt wobbly. ‘You really are bored, aren’t you?’
This was just so easy to him—as natural as breathing. But her heart ached for that something more. Surely there had to be more?
‘And you really are suffering from a lack of self-esteem.’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t try to flatter me.’
‘I’m being honest. Come on.’ He flicked his fingers at her. ‘Get ready. I’ve got to go to work and now we have an errand to run first.’