Page 28 of Consequences of Their Wedding Charade
It was cold outside but she was on fire, itching to get out of the car, suffocating from the force of his personality and the intimacy of him so close to her. He was no longer touching her, but he might as well have been.
Amid the flurry of being escorted into the hotel by one of the ever-present uniformed staff who seemed to operate a round-the-clock service specifically to welcome guests, whatever the time of day or night, there was a brief respite.
But her thoughts continued to swirl and her pulse was still racing as, minutes later, the lift doors closed on them. Surrounded by mirrored walls, there was no escaping him. Their eyes met and there was a challenge in his that made her burn from her toes up to her hairline.
Flustered, she practically leapt out of the lift, pulling her wrap tightly around her in an unconscious effort to ward off the heated responses of her disobedient body.
She hit the door to her suite at a rapid pace and fumbled with her key card—then froze when his hand covered hers.
‘Want to talk about what’s going on here?’ he asked softly, and Jess reluctantly gave up her frantic efforts to flee and turned to him.
‘Nothing is going on.’
‘We both know that’s a lie.’
‘So we’re...’ she looked at him a little despairingly and made a sweeping gesture ‘...out of our regular comfort zone. I guess if it feels as though... I mean...’
‘Want to have this conversation somewhere that’s not in the middle of a corridor?’ He nodded to her room behind her.
‘No, not at all.’
‘Are you scared to?’
‘No!’
‘Okay.’ He shrugged and began to turn away. ‘I’m happy to pretend that none of this is going on and that this conversation never happened. We’re heading back the day after tomorrow and we can return to the safety of our comfort zones.’
‘No, wait...’ She reached forward, one hand on his arm. In an instant, she recognised that she was at a turning point. She’d been infatuated with him for so long...
If he walked away now then yes, they would return to their comfort zones, except would it be quite as comfortable?
And would it cure her of her foolish infatuation?
If he walked away he would never look back, and their friendship would slowly dwindle away under the weight of something that hadn’t been dealt with.
Was this business that had to be finished?
Sleep with him, she thought, and she would slay the beast. She would get him out of her system once and for all. She had never gone through this process of giving herself to someone, had never wrestled with the doubts and hesitations and excitement and dread that other girls dealt with when they took those tentative steps with the first guy they slept with. Untouched, she had locked herself away in an ivory tower from which she could watch and fantasise without having to risk anything. She had hidden behind her insecurities, vaguely assuming that she would never have to put them to the test because there was no way a guy like Curtis would ever look at her.
She had presumed that she would get over him and lower her sights when it came to having an actual relationship with someone suitable. Someone suitable would not have been such a nerve-racking experience. Someone suitable would not have been six foot something of hard, honed alpha male who could make her laugh out loud and give her pause for thought, all in the space of five seconds. But here they were and the time for risk was with them. Still, her heart was thudding and her mouth was dry as she searched for a way of saying what she wanted to say, what she feltdrivento say...
‘I’m listening,’ he prompted softly.
‘I admit that I might be attracted to you.’ She stumbled over her words and he inclined his head to one side and gazed at her. It was fallacy that tall men felt protective with women who were shorter, smaller. Watching the hectic colour in her cheeks, he felt a sudden surge of protectiveness towards this woman who had been his friend for so many years.
He was so used to women who were adept at playing the courting game. His heart twisted as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked away.
His heart was not a commodity he could ever give away, but she knew that. Not just because he’d told her, but because she knew him so well, knew his history with women. They were simply two adults acting on a physical attraction neither had factored into their comfortable relationship. If they slept together, they would be doing so with their eyes wide open.
He reached out and linked his fingers through hers and ushered her the few steps to his own suite and, once inside, he dimmed the lights and led her towards the bedroom.
‘I’ve spent all weekend wanting this,’ he said roughly, turning to place his hands on her shoulders and stroking the nape of her neck. ‘Relax.’ He smiled. ‘I know we’re friends and, believe me, this is not what I was expecting, but sometimes surprises can lurk round the least expected corners...’ He kissed the side of her mouth and flicked his tongue over her lips.
Jess froze. Her body wanted to respond, and her head was telling her to just go with the flow, but deep-rooted panic was trumping everything and she gulped.
‘What’s the matter?’ he murmured as he began to unbutton his shirt. His coat and jacket had been disposed of earlier. She hadn’t even noticed but, in fairness, the earth could have moved under her feet and she probably wouldn’t have noticed.
‘I don’t know... I’m not sure...’
