‘I’ve told security I’ll be staying here tonight.’ His deep voice brought her back to herself. Back to him.
‘You did?’
He came toward her. ‘I believe an hotelier should always try out his hotel to make sure it’s up to standard.’
Eleanore couldn’t take her eyes from his. ‘That’s very forward thinking of you.’
‘I’m a very forward-thinking kind of guy.’ He stopped directly in front of her and Eleanore could feel the heat coming off him. Absently she wondered how the ice sculptures around them were still standing.
‘For instance.’ He took hold of her gloved hands and pulled her slowly closer. ‘I’ve already imagined you without the overcoat and that soft-as-butter sweater beneath. Without those figure-hugging jeans.’
Eleanore stared up at him. He was seducing her. And, oh, she wanted him to...she wanted... ‘Lukas...’
‘I missed you.’
She’d missed him too, but she was scared. He made her feel so much. Too much, maybe. She’d tried to forget about him these past two weeks. When that hadn’t worked she’d tried to hate him. But she didn’t hate him. She didn’t know what she felt but she knew she might never have another chance to be with a man who fired her blood the way he did and if she didn’t seize this moment she might be left wondering what she had missed. And wasn’t that a tragic thought?
She shivered.
‘Are you cold?’
She shook her head. She wasn’t cold. She was hot. Burning hot.
Seizing the moment Eleanore reached up and wound her arms around his neck, fitting her body to his. Lukas groaned and tore his thick gloves off with his teeth. They fell unseen to the floor, along with her ushanka, and then his warm fingers were in her hair and his mouth was on hers and, oh, it felt so right.
Eleanore kneaded the strong muscles in his neck and pulled him in close. The kiss went on and on before he wrenched his mouth from hers.
‘Tell me you want me,’ he said, his hands unbuttoning her overcoat before running over her torso and back, moulding her closer.
‘Is this some ego thing?’ she asked, her hands slipping beneath his puffer jacket to stroke his lean waist. She moaned as his mouth skimmed down the side of her neck and bit down gently on her flesh.
‘Da. Most definitely.’
‘I want you,’ she said as he pushed her coat to the floor and followed it with her jumper. She shivered, both at the cold air on her skin and the heated gaze from Lukas’s blue eyes. He lifted his hands and traced along the edge of her simple bra before palming her breasts in his big hands and strumming over her nipples with his thumbs. ‘Oh, I want you.’
And she did. Desperately, all thoughts of pulling back from the fire she was afraid might consume her driven out by searing lust and overriding passion.
Desperately she clutched at his shoulders and would have fallen if he hadn’t pushed his thigh higher between her legs and cupped her bottom to hold her against him. She whimpered this time and forked her fingers through his thick hair. ‘I really want you.’
His chuckle was husky and sexy and before she knew it he had scooped her up and carried her to the big bed. ‘We’re going to have to do this under covers or you’re going to catch a chill.’
He whisked back the luxurious crimson fleece blankets and laid her on the soft fleecy layers below that were designed to be sealed together like a cocoon. Right now though she didn’t want a blanket on top of her, she wanted Lukas, and she reached up and pulled him down to her.
‘Soft,’ he murmured as he captured her lips again.
‘All the beds are designed for comfort,’ she said.
‘Not the bed.’ He leaned up on one hand and tugged her bra cups downward before reaching around to release the catch to get rid of it altogether. His lips lowered and he blew a warm breath over her chilled flesh. ‘You.’
He drew one of her tight nipples into his warm mouth and Eleanore arched up off the bed. Thinking became almost impossible but she knew she wanted to see him this time.
Her hands went under his sweater and met firm, hard skin and he went still as she explored the thick layer of muscle that covered his back. Then she brought them forward to his wide chest and his big body shuddered above her.
Eleanore felt a wicked thrill that she could affect him so much and trailed her fingers along the downy hair that bisected his abs.
Lukas swore and reefed his sweater off over his head. Eleanore gazed up at him avidly. If possible he was even more beautiful with the mat of dark blond hair covering his lean muscles.