But Kitty had had the house and the things she’d made to decorate it. And she’d had Teddy, when he could bear to be home.
Alejandro didn’t say anything in reply to her admission. There wasn’t really anything to say and she was glad he didn’t bother with platitudes. But of course he wouldn’t; he didn’t seem to let anything touch him too closely. Or at least that was the appearance he was so determined to convey. But surely there was more than he showed. She saw those quicksilver flashes of emotion. Of depth. How did she push beyond his teasing, suave exterior?
‘So your time spent drawing and sculpting led you to study art,’ he said, interrupting her thoughts.
‘Collection curation in the end.’ She hadn’t had the true talent to be an artist. ‘While you studied...’
‘Law, economics, commerce.’
‘Oh.’ She shivered at the thought of it.
‘Very useful degrees.’ He nudged her and she heard his short laugh. ‘More so than art.’
‘It isn’t all about making money,’ she fired up.
‘So speaks someone who has never struggled to make the money to keep a roof over her head, or enough to eat. Would you eat cake when there’s no bread left?’ he teased.
‘I’m not as ignorant or out of touch as all that,’ she muttered. ‘I just don’t see why it all has to be about how much money you can make. I make enough for me, whereas you’re out to make as much as humanly possible. Self-made guys like you celebrate the downfall of the likes of my father.’
‘Not at all.’ Alejandro laughed. ‘I would never celebrate anyone’s failure.’
No, but he was single-minded about success and ruthless in achieving it. He wouldn’t give up at a setback; he’d fight back until he’d won in the way he wanted.
‘He worked hard, you know,’ she tried to explain. ‘He just made mistakes. Plenty of them.’ She sighed. ‘He was trying to groom Teddy to take over the family business but Ted hated it and was hopeless. They fought a lot.’
‘And you hung out in the attic.’
Kitty shifted restlessly; somehow she’d ended up talking more about herself and still learned nothing much more about him.
‘But you love your father, even though he let you down,’ Alejandro said.
‘He has his weaknesses,’ she replied. ‘We all do.’
‘I don’t.’
She laughed, pleased to hear that amused confidence in him again. ‘Yes, you do. You’re arrogant and stubborn.’
‘What you call weakness, I call strength,’ he countered, unabashed as always. ‘Stubbornness is determination and it helps me succeed.’
‘Bully for you,’ she grumbled. ‘There’s no success that comes with impulsiveness.’
‘You think not?’ He laughed softly. ‘You successfully bring fun. Laughter. The unpredictable.’
‘Are you suggesting I’m unpredictable?’ she asked archly. ‘Coming from you, that’s high praise.’
‘Are you suggesting that I’ve finally charmed you?’ he teased.
‘Oh, no, I still see through you.’ Except she couldn’t see him at all; she could only hear the warmth in his tone. ‘I know you only want one thing.’
Temptation whispered within her. She wanted it too. And she was tired of fighting her attraction to him. Here in the dark, no one would know. Here she could still learn something about him. She could learn the physical. She shivered again. She was too aware of his nearness, of the possibilities.
‘It really is pitch-black, isn’t it?’ she muttered, trying to distract herself.
‘Are you scared?’ That thread of amusement sounded, warming her.
Honestly, she was always scared when he was around. Not of him but of her reaction to him. She felt him shift beside her. His arm pressed against hers, so did his leg.
‘I used to be afraid of the dark,’ she confessed distractedly.
‘But you got over it?’
‘Teddy locked me in here once, not long after we first discovered it. I was terrified. But after a while I got used to it and I refused to let him know how much it bothered me. Then I found it didn’t bother me anyway and I didn’t have to pretend any more. This became one of my favourite places to hang out.’
‘You faked it till you made it?’ His chuckle was soft.
‘I guess.’
‘I like the dark,’ he said gently.
‘Oh?’ She half expected some comment about his liking the dark because he was usually in bed then, but there was a serious note in his voice. ‘Why?’
‘It’s safe—you can’t be seen.’
His answer surprised her to silence. What—or who—did he want to hide from? Why didn’t he want to be seen? Was he scarred in some way? Her mind raced with questions. She was about to ask but then she heard him—it was almost a whisper.
‘You can’t be found.’
‘You liked to hide?’ She never would have guessed that.
He drew in a quick breath. ‘Mmm...’
He didn’t elaborate. Of course he didn’t.
Why had he needed to feel safe?
She reached out, unable to resist any longer—offering the reassurance of touch. His stubble was rough beneath her fingertips. Who was she kidding—this was what she wanted. Here, in the dark, no one would know. She couldn’t see. He couldn’t see. It could be secret, and maybe a little bit magic.
‘Catriona?’
‘Shh.’ She just wanted to explore.
‘Do you know what you are doing?’
She smiled in the darkness and leaned closer to press her lips to his jaw. His muscle jerked beneath her lips.
He turned his head towards her and she felt his breath on her face. ‘Don’t start something that can’t be stopped. Not unless you are very, very sure.’
She would never be sure of anything much. Except that right now she liked exploring what she could of him. She liked it here in the dark where she too could hide and neither of them could see. But she could feel.
His hand cupped her chin, he gently traced her lip with the tip of his finger, and she couldn’t resist a quick slide of her tongue. His finger paused and she heard his swiftly indrawn breath.
‘This isn’t a good idea,’ he said roughly.
But, before she could reply, he kissed her gently.
‘Yes,’ she whispered when he drew back.
‘Yes, this isn’t a good idea or yes this—?’
‘Just yes.’ She pressed forward blindly, seeking his mouth again.
And it was a good idea. It was a very, very good idea.
Her kiss wasn’t gentle. She sank into it, relishing the freedom. Here, in the dark, she relinquished her hold on her desire. It burst free—heating the small space. She wanted to explore him. She ached to touch every part of him, to feel the slide of his skin against her own. She wanted—
He groaned and reached out quickly. Unerringly finding her waist, he lifted her onto his knee, capturing her completely.
‘I think you like to take risks, Catriona,’ he muttered harshly.
‘Alejandro...’
He answered her plea wordlessly, his hot mouth crashing down on hers while his hands explored, lifting under her tee. She moaned as he unclasped her bra and her tight breasts sprang free. He palmed them for a moment and she wriggled on his lap, feeling his hard erection digging into her. Oh, yes, this was what she wanted. This was everything she wanted.
She lifted her arms as he tugged the fabric up, ridding her of both the tee and the dangling bra in the one movement. Then he swept his palms over her naked back, pushing her forward so he could kiss her bared skin, working his way across her body until he sucked her painfully tight nipple into his mouth. She cried out as heat flamed low in her belly.
‘I want to taste more,’
he said gruffly. ‘I want everything.’
He moved, lifting her and placing her on her back beside him. It took nothing for him to slip off her shoes and run his hands up her legs to unsnap the fastening of her jeans and then slide them and her panties down and off.
She was naked now. And hot.