“You are not going to lie to me after all?”
Sophie was lurching uncertainly. She had limited experience with the opposite sex, and absolutely zero clue with a man like Alex. “I … don’t know what you want me to say.”
His laugh was a soft, teasing sound. He ran a thumb over her lower lip, and his eyes chased after it. His body was close to hers. So close she could feel his warmth and smell his intoxicating fragrance.
“I hardly know you,” she whispered desperately.
“So?” He dropped his hand to the collar of her shirt and traced the stitching. When his fingers moved close to the dip of her breasts, she drew in a shuddering breath.
“Alessandros.” Step back! She needed to put some distance between them. Only her hips swayed forward and her eyes fluttered closed.
They were long lashes, dark and curled. Alex stared at her face, and felt a swift jab of compunction for her youth. But this woman could not continue in his sister’s home if she harboured feelings for Eric. It was unacceptable.
And it was Alex’s job, as had been divined by birth and circumstance, to make sure Helena was kept from harm.
“I will not kiss you here, agape mou, for I do not trust that I can control myself to stop.”
Sophie’s heart turned over in her chest. How she wanted him to kiss her! The very idea was terrifying, and sobering. She could not get involved with a man such as this. Oh, for so many reasons, it would be wrong, wrong, wrong. He was her boss’s brother! And a well known womaniser to boot. It would muddy the waters terribly if she allowed herself this indulgence.
But what an indulgence it would be.
She almost groaned when she imagined what it would be like to be kissed by him. For he was strong and confident and most definitely knew how to please a woman.
“That’s probably a good idea,” she said, relief in her voice that he, at least, was going to be strong enough for both of them.
“Oh, I’m going to kiss you.”
Her eyes flared and her stomach rolled.
“Not here though.” He put his hand around her shoulders and pulled her gently with him. His walk was faster now, and she had to stride quickly to keep up. It was not far to go though; he paused just outside the house at the corner.
“This is yours?” She asked in surprise.
He nodded. “I bought it when they married.”
“To be close to Helena?” She guessed, remembering Eric’s assessment that Alex was a meddlesome, overbearing brother.
“Of course to be close to her. And to give her somewhere to stay if it didn’t work out.”
Sophie slanted a curious gaze up at him, but he was pushing the door inwards.
“Surely Helena doesn’t need you to fight her battles for her.” The last few words of her statement were lost in the crush of his mouth to hers. He pushed her back against the front door and held her there with his lips alone. His tongue was demanding and Sophie felt her knees going weak with a deluging surge of need. Her insides were slick with heat. She moaned deeply in her throat and lifted her hands to his chest.
He was just as firm to touch as she had known he would be. Firm, strong and warm. Up close he smelled of spice and summer. He was electrifying.
“Alex,” it was a passionate cry into his mouth but he didn’t release her. Instead, he brought his hands to her back and curled them possessively inside the waistband of her jeans, to cup her naked rear. Sophie hadn’t been touched so intimately in a long time, if ever. Her one and only boyfriend had been a spectacularly unimpressive Rohin Smith, from the same little Margaret River school she’d gone to. They’d fumbled around a few times and that had culminated in a very brief coming together, followed by another attempt a week later.
Beyond that, Sophie was an absolute novice.
“Alex!” She pulled her mouth away with effort, and dipped her head forward. She was panting, not from exertion but from the sheer strength of her desire.
The slight darkening along his chiselled cheekbones showed that he was not immune from the power of their kiss.
Sophie tried again. “Alex, I can’t get involved with you.”
“Can’t you?” He murmured, lifting her shirt up to her neck. With a look of frustration, Sophie reached her fingertips to the sky, so that he could remove it completely. Her bra was a sensible, plain cotton piece; certainly not the lace and silk lingerie he was used to on his women, and yet he found it totally alluring.
“What were you saying?” He murmured deeply, as he bent one scrap of fabric aside to reveal a perfect, pert breast.