Miranda Lee - Australian Bachelors - Masterful Magnates

‘DO you particularly want to argue?’ Wolfe queried as he slid the keycard into place and opened the door.

Right at that minute all she wanted to do was shed her clothes, take a long, hot shower, then tumble into bed.

‘No.’

‘Wise.’ Wolfe tossed keys onto the bedside pedestal, then shrugged out of his jacket.

Lara toed off her shoes, then she collected her nightwear and moved into the en suite.

It was bliss to stand beneath the spray of steaming water and let it ease out the kinks, and it was several long minutes before she picked up the soap, lathered and rinsed it off.

Wolfe was standing at the desk, scrolling through data on his laptop, when she emerged into the room, and he pressed ‘save’ then closed down.

He noted her pale features, the dark circles beneath her eyes. ‘Take something for that headache.’

‘I don’t need you to play nurse.’ Or my keeper, she added silently. Except that was precisely what he’d become. Rescuing her from certain personal and financial disaster.

His eyes darkened a little, and her pulse kicked into a faster beat as he moved close.

‘I trust you’ve organized your replacement?’

Lara closed her eyes against the sight of him, then slowly opened them again. ‘You want to exchange a recap of each other’s day?’

‘A simple yes or no will do.’

His silky-voiced drawl shivered the length of her spine, and her chin tilted a little in silent defiance. ‘Two interviews, with two trials over the next two consecutive nights.

Satisfied?’

‘Not entirely.’

Fleeting indecision shadowed her eyes, then it was gone. ‘Tough.’

He covered the few steps necessary to reach her, and she viewed him warily as he lifted a hand to tuck a wayward lock of hair behind her ear, then she swallowed compulsively as he trailed gentle fingers down one cheek.

‘What are you doing?’

The edges of his mouth curved a little as he lowered his mouth to hover a mere inch from her own. ‘You need to ask?’

His lips brushed hers, teased a little, and her heartbeat leapt as he traced the lower curve with the tip of his tongue, then ventured in to begin an erotic tasting that attacked her resistance and tore it to shreds.

She felt his hands slip beneath her tee-shirt and cup the slight curve of her buttocks, squeeze a little, then one hand slid up over her ribcage to capture her breast.

A faint groan emerged from her throat as he brushed one tender peak, then rolled it gently between thumb and forefinger.

Wolfe felt his senses quicken, and he deepened the kiss as he sought her response, caught the hitch in her breath and her capitulation. And he wanted more … so much more.

His arousal was a potent force, and he sought the soft curls at the apex of her thighs, the moist heat there … and felt her body go rigid.

He stilled as she wrenched his mouth from his own, and when she pushed against him he released her to arm’s length. ‘Please—don’t.’

His eyes narrowed and became impossibly dark. ‘That wasn’t the message you were giving me mere seconds ago.’

Because she’d craved his touch and didn’t think! Damn it, she’d never been able to think when he was anywhere close.

Something he’d always known, and she was willing to swear he’d taken pleasure in taunting her vulnerable emotions with a look, the touch of his hand, the light teasing brush of his lips to her cheek in welcome whenever he’d flown in from the States. The occasional kiss that came close to getting out of hand …

The times she’d taken his actions as deliberate … and hated him afresh for it.

‘A few days, Wolfe,’ Lara reminded him. ‘Will it be such a hardship to wait until I have your ring on my finger?’

He inclined his head. ‘If you insist.’

It hurt that he acquiesced so easily.

Sex, she reflected a trifle bitterly. That’s all it is to him. So get over it.

Without a further word she crossed to the large bed she’d nominated as her own, lifted the covers and slid beneath them.

Habit ensured she activated the alarm on her watch, and her eyes widened as he began shedding his clothes.

For a moment she was transfixed by the sight of him, the smooth flex of rippling muscle and sinew with each movement, as he pulled his shirt free from his trousers and discarded it.

Next he loosened his belt, undid the clasp at his waist and slid down the zip fastening.

Oh hell, she was no voyeur, and her lashes swept down, remaining closed until she heard the faint rustle of bedclothes as he occupied his bed.

‘You’re quite safe.’

His faintly inflected drawl held a tinge of amusement, and she turned to look at him as he crossed his arms above his head.

She was aware of the faint drift of exclusive cologne, the faint, male muskiness … The pulse at the base of her throat leapt to a faster beat.

Safe?

Did he have any idea how her body reacted to him? All her skin cells seemed alive and begging his touch. Something she found difficult to control, and totally at variance with the dictates of her brain.

‘The loan shark has been paid off.’

‘Thank you.’

She should feel relieved, and she did.

Really.

Except, with every step she took, it felt as if she was merely exchanging one form of debt for another.

THE alarm and wake-up call sounded simultaneously, and Lara deactivated her watch as Wolfe reached for the phone.

His upper body was bare to the waist. Gleaming tanned skin pulled taut over superb musculature that rippled fluidly with every move. She caught a brief glimpse of exposed buttock, and momentarily froze.

Her gaze met his, and for an unguarded moment she resembled a startled doe.

Wolfe’s eyes darkened and became thoughtful as he replaced the receiver and swung back to his side of the bed.

It was a long time since he’d shared a room with a woman where sex hadn’t featured throughout the night. A sophisticated, willing partner who knew the score … and, when the relationship concluded, accepted the appropriate gift with no hard feelings.

Yet this was different, without precedent.

Until now, marriage hadn’t formed part of his agenda.

Risk taking, following his instincts and acting on them, was part of who he was. In the cut and thrust of tough business deals, he’d surprised his competitors … and at times, himself … by winning against incredible odds. It had also made him a very wealthy man, with enviable share-and-property portfolios, and was something of a legend for his business nous.

On Monday he’d entered Darius’ lawyer’s sanctum with no intention other than learning the contents of his late father’s will. Yet within the space of a few hours he’d made a series of life-changing decisions.

Based on what?

A young woman’s air of fragility that meshed with strength, pride and resolve. The memory of a teenaged girl whose lips had melted against his own … warm, giving and innocent. His sudden and totally unexpected reaction.

Impossible.

It was a decision based on loyalty to his father. An attempt to make amends for following his own path, instead of agreeing to the one Darius had set for him.

The marriage clause was contestable and unlikely to stand up in a court of law … yet he’d chosen to concede to the written dictum.

With Lara … the daughter of Darius’ second wife, a young woman far removed from his usual intimate companions. Someone who’d won Darius’ affection and had returned it in kind, refusing, as had Suzanne, financial help in achieving her goals. Evidenced by legal proof … a fact which had surprised him and soon destroyed his previous misconceptions.