His gaze darkened. ‘I do.’
‘Because it would look good?’
‘No.’
‘Then why?’
‘Because I want to.’
Oh.
Well, so did she. Quite desperately. The sultry beat of the music that had replaced the string quartet was thudding through her body. The way he was looking at her was scrambling her senses. To hell with humiliating herself. She wanted to touch him in ways that were wholly inappropriate off the dance floor but entirely acceptable on it and the best thing was, he would never know. ‘Then let’s dance.’
Theo didn’t need telling twice. He held out a hand and she took it and he led her onto the dance floor. And as he drew her into the circle of his arms, nothing at that moment seemed as important as his hands on her back, searing through the fabric of her dress and setting her on fire. Nor did anything seem as necessary as touching him. So she put her hands on his chest, the way h
is muscles tensed beneath her palms sending heat shooting through her, and slid them up and around his neck.
As they swayed in time to the music, she realised that the worst thing that could happen on a dance floor wasn’t falling flat on her face. It was losing her mind. Because she couldn’t help responding to the strength and hardness of his body and pressing closer. She couldn’t help wishing they were alone so that she could get him naked and touch some more.
So what was to be done?
If the feral look in his eye and the thick, hard length pressing insistently against her were anything to go by he wanted her as much as she wanted him. But ever since that no kissing, no touching condition she’d hit him with he’d been careful about where and how he touched her, which meant that unfortunately it was unlikely he’d simply haul her off to have his wicked way with her.
Did she have the guts to suggest it herself? What would he think if she did? Yes, he obviously wanted her but she’d never met anyone with such control. What if she indicated she’d like a repeat of that evening in his office and he turned her down? Maybe she should steal a kiss, she thought dazedly, staring at his mouth and feeling her lips tingle. He wouldn’t be able to reject that, not when they were in the possible presence of the person they were here to fool.
Fevered tension filled what little space there was between them, and the air sizzled and suddenly she couldn’t bear it any longer. His mouth was mere centimetres from hers and all she could think about was how it would feel on hers and how desperate she was to find out.
Desire swept through her, drowning out reason and common sense until all that was left was instinct. Helpless to stop herself, she lifted her face and moved her head forward and touched her lips to his and it was dizzying until she realised he’d gone utterly rigid and was not responding and that headiness turned to excoriating mortification.
Flushing with a different kind of heat and feeling like an utter fool, Kate jerked away but she didn’t get far because a split second later Theo had yanked her tight against him and crushed his mouth back to hers, kissing her with such heat and intensity that if he hadn’t been holding her in his arms she’d have collapsed into a heap on the floor.
After what felt like hours, he broke the kiss, his breathing as ragged as hers, his eyes dark and his face tight with barely suppressed need. ‘Enough,’ he said roughly.
‘Not nearly,’ she breathed, staring at his mouth, longing to feel it back on hers.
‘We’re making a scene.’
‘Isn’t that the point?’
He tensed and when her gaze flew to his she thought she saw a rare flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. ‘Is it?’
And she could lie and say yes, but she didn’t want to and, besides, hadn’t they gone beyond that? ‘No.’
A muscle hammered in his jaw. ‘Tell me what you want, Kate,’ he said, and she instantly thought that the only answer to that was ‘more’ because she wanted another night. Possibly two. It wasn’t as if she believed things would continue beyond that. She knew perfectly well that once this weekend was over, once the deal was signed, that would be that. But she didn’t want to think about what lay ahead for her when she was home—unemployment, single parenthood, reality. She didn’t want to think about what Theo had told her and how it made her feel about him. She wanted to lose herself in the heat and the passion that he unleashed in her and just for once live in the moment. ‘I want us to go back to the villa,’ she said, her heart thundering with anticipation and excitement. ‘Together. Now.’
Flames leapt in his dark eyes and his hold on her tightened. ‘You do know what will happen if we do, don’t you?’
‘Well, I know what I’m hoping will happen.’
‘Then let’s go.’
* * *
It took two minutes to say their thank-yous and goodbyes. Five to get to the guest villa. One to shove open the front door, hustle Kate in, close it and push her up against it.
For a moment Theo just stared at her, the moonlight flooding in through the window casting pale shadows across her face, losing himself in the depths of her eyes and not caring that she was able to see straight into his, into the empty black hole where his soul should be. With any luck she wouldn’t see that. Instead she’d simply see the strength of his need for her and the relief that incredibly she was on the same page.
She was breathing hard. Her eyes were shining and she was shaking with what he hoped to God was excitement, and then she lifted her chin and arched an eyebrow as if asking what he was waiting for, and that was it.