And if she wasn’t careful, she could easily let herself be fooled into naïvely thinking Jett felt the same way she did. Just because they’d had great sex.
Except for her, the sex was only part of it. But it would be a fatal mistake to make more of this than what it was. A one-nighter. A fling. The knowledge that she’d know her future within weeks had given her the impetus to grab tonight and make some memories.
But no matter what future she was dealt, she didn’t want a man and the complications that came with him. She had too many other commitments. Others were counting on her. So staying here snuggled up next to him was a bad idea. She shifted experimentally. If she could just extricate herself...
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ a surprisingly wide-awake voice muttered next to her ear.
‘Down to my room,’ she whispered. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘Like hell you are. And I wasn’t asleep.’
‘Oh.’ She tried again to ease away but her leg remained trapped. ‘I didn’t bring anything with me.’
‘You brought the important stuff.’ A firm arm reached around her waist and pulled her back until she was flush against him. He was hard and erect against her bottom and obviously ready to go again.
‘Tell me about this idiot boyfriend,’ he murmured against her ear.
‘He doesn’t exist any more. Not to me.’
‘How old were you?’
‘Eighteen.’
‘No other boyfriends?’
‘I went out with a few guys in high school, but they were mostly platonic, study buddies—that kind of thing. Nerds, you’d probably say. Then I met Jason, who wasn’t a nerd by any stretch of the imagination. Our relationship was a bit like a cheap sky show. Bright sparks that fizzled fast.’
‘That’s all? Just a spark and fizzle?’
She remembered the way things had ended. ‘So after the underwhelming experience, I decided I wasn’t missing much. And I was studying—I didn’t have time for guys. I should go...’
‘Why?’ His hand slid round and found a nipple to play with. ‘Stay.’
And she couldn’t think of a reason why she shouldn’t. Didn’t really want to because she didn’t want the night to end. ‘Since we’re both awake...’ She turned over so they were face to face and stared into his eyes and saw her desire reflected back. ‘Want to play again?’
He grinned, teeth white, eyes laughing in the dimness. ‘I’m ready if you are.’
She traced the curve of his lips with a fingertip and grinned back. ‘I know.’
‘My turn on top,’ he said, and rolled her onto her back.
TEN
Jett watched the sky turn grey and the first hints of dawn creep through the shutters. The sleeping form outlined beside him snuffled and shifted but remained asleep. A grin hooked the corner of his mouth. Who’d have thunk it? Olivia snored like a trooper.
He watched her face in the pearlescent light and was tempted to wake her with a kiss on those plump and pretty lips and have his way with her again. Something powerful and almost possessive snagged in his chest. He’d had beautiful women, experienced women with all the right moves, but none of them had seduced him the way Olivia had. She’d not only seduced his body, but also his mind, with her intelligence and humour and a stubborn determination to rival his own.
He gritted his teeth against such feelings. He’d sailed on her boat as she’d requested of him, suffered his bit for charity and was leaving this morning.
Just because they’d shared a bed, a few truths and something less substantial that he hadn’t quite figured out yet, didn’t mean he was going to change his plans. She knew he was leaving and she had her own career path mapped out. They both understood where the other was coming from.
He was up and showered and dressed before she woke. He ordered breakfast for two then checked his emails. He had the morning sorted. They’d share coffee and croissants before they parted ways. He’d offer any further assistance for her foundation should she need it, then his chauffeured ride would drop her home if she wanted before taking him on up to Cradle Mountain. He figured he’d enjoy the scenery along the way while he jumped on the Internet and got a head start on some foody ideas during the four-hour journey...
Except he’d got used to having her around over the past week. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm was contagious, giving a much-needed boost to his flagging motivation and lack of direction of late. The way her eyes flashed when she was angry or bewildered with him. When she smiled in his direction and made his heart pound a little bit harder.