The Crown Affair

by Lucy King

But while all that had been going on he hadn’t been able to get Laura out of his head and it was driving him demented. Much more of this tension and this aching, this clawing kind of need, and he’d snap. He’d start making mistakes and the Sassanians would wonder what the hell they’d done in voting in favour of him to restore their battered country.

  Maybe he should just give in and suggest a fling. A fling didn’t mean a relationship, did it? A fling just meant lots of the mind-blowing sex he’d been missing and very little conversation.

  Matt stalked into his dressing room, yanking his tie off and undoing the top button of his shirt. He flung his jacket over the back of a chair and kicked off his shoes. A cold shower. That was what he needed. And then he’d seek her out, put his proposal to her and see what she had to say.

  He undid the buttons of his shirt, tugged it from his trousers and marched through to his bedroom.

  And stopped dead.

  Laura was standing by the French doors that opened onto his private terrace, the sun streaming in behind her giving her a blazing kind of corona.

  For a second Matt thought he was hallucinating. That somehow his feverish imagination was playing tricks on him.

  But then she jumped, her gazed dipped to his bare chest and she let out a little gasp and from the heat that suddenly whipped through him Matt realised she was no hallucination.

  Which, on reflection, was great. He was so hard it hurt. Whatever the reason she was in his bedroom, her timing couldn’t be more perfect.

  ‘Good trip?’ she said, the ice in her voice slamming a brake on his thoughts.

  Hmm. Matt went still. Perhaps suggesting a fling at right this moment might not be wise. With the hostility rolling off her in his direction, he’d probably get a slap in the face.

  ‘Great,’ he said, wondering why she was quite so frosty.

  ‘I’m so glad.’

  ‘What are you doing in my bedroom?’

  ‘Waiting for you. I heard you were back.’

  ‘I was just about to take a shower,’ he said, taking his shirt off and seeing her little white teeth catch her lip.

  ‘Why did you leave without saying goodbye?’

  That was what the hostility was about? Matt rubbed his jaw. He’d left without saying goodbye because he hadn’t been able to trust himself not to get all caught up again in the spell she’d woven over him. He’d done it for all the right reasons, but that didn’t stop the trace of hurt in her voice making a stab of guilt dart through him.

  ‘Didn’t you get my note?’

  ‘I did.’

  Matt shoved the guilt aside. ‘That explained everything.’

  ‘Eight words, Matt. Eight words. After the night we shared do you really think they explained everything?’

  Well, yes, he did. He couldn’t have put it more simply. ‘I didn’t want to wake you.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have minded.’

  But he would have.

  ‘You want to know what I think?’ she said, tilting her head and shooting him a shrewd glance.

  Not really. He had no intention of discussing his motives for hurtling off to Athens. ‘What?’ he said, because she was probably going to tell him anyway.

  ‘I think you were avoiding me.’

  The air in the room thickened. Grew warmer. Tighter. Matt’s eyes narrowed. How had she managed to work that out? ‘Nonsense,’ he said flatly.

  ‘Is it?’

  ‘Why would I be avoiding you?’

  ‘That’s what I haven’t been able to work out.’

  Matt shrugged. ‘There’s nothing to work out. The opportunity to attend the conference in Athens to discuss alternative sources of energy simply cropped up at the last minute, that’s all.’

  ‘That’s what Antonio said. Very last minute apparently.’

  ‘It was important.’

  ‘More important than our meeting to discuss the cost of the work I’m doing?’

  Ah. Matt went still. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he agreed, he’d upset her, and that wouldn’t be conducive to persuading her to have a fling, but if he denied it then she’d really wonder why he’d gone.

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, deciding that focusing on her earlier concerns was his only way out. It had the added benefit of appeasing his conscience. ‘I should have said goodbye. I’m sorry I didn’t.’

  Laura frowned. ‘Waking up alone didn’t feel nice. It made everything we’d done seem a bit sordid.’

  God. Sordid was the last thing it had been. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again. ‘Anything I can do to remedy the situation just let me know.’

  Laura nodded and bit her lip. ‘There is something you could do.’

  ‘What?’

  She tilted her head and gave him a slow smile that had relief spinning through him and his heart hammering. ‘Give me my goodbye kiss now.’

  Matt’s body tightened with anticipation and lust. ‘I could do that. But I should warn you that it probably wouldn’t stop there.’

  Her eyes took on a sparkle that he felt in the pit of his stomach. ‘I was kind of counting on it.’

  ‘What were you thinking of?’ He knew what he was thinking of.

  ‘Sex. Illicit sex. And lots of it. Without any strings attached whatsoever.’

  Matt’s pulse began to thunder. ‘Are you sure?’ She really didn’t seem the type.

  ‘I’ve never been surer of anything. With my relationship history I don’t want strings and I don’t want complications. A relationship is the last thing on the planet I need right now. I find them stifling and suffocating and I feel like I’ve just started to learn how to breathe. So all I want from you is multiple orgasms. What do you think?’

  What did he think? His head was so fuzzy he could barely think at all. Because, God, she really was perfect. ‘I think it’s an excellent idea,’ he said hoarsely.

  ‘Good.’ She gave him a sexy little smile that had lust pounding through him. ‘So about that shower you mentioned…’

  It was a good thing Laura hadn’t been planning to finish that sentence because as Matt suddenly sprang forwards and scooped her up in his arms her breath whooshed from her lungs and lust robbed her of the power of speech.

  She’d taken such a gamble. Offering herself to him for nothing more than a fling like that. It was so reckless. So uncharacteristic. But she was sick of being sensible. She’d been there, done that, and had still ended up dumped and jobless and miserable.

  And what was so awful about a fling anyway? She’d spent the entire week that Matt had been away thinking about it. Weighing up the pros and cons and driving herself to distraction with her endless analysis.

  In the end she’d thought what the hell? A fling was temporary. A fling was hot. Best of all a fling was not a relationship.

  And now, thank God, it looked as if her gamble was about to pay off. In spades.

  Wrapping her arms around Matt’s neck, she clung on for dear life as he carried her across the room to the bathroom. His heart hammered against her shoulder. She could feel his muscles taut and tense and rippling with the effort of carrying her. Gazed at all that bare brown skin in such close proximity and couldn’t resist planting a hot wet kiss to the pulse pounding at the base of his neck.

  Matt swore softly and his arms tightened around her. A shudder ripped through her. She felt an answering one run through him. So she did it again.

  He shoved a shoulder against the bathroom door and lowered her to her feet. Clamped one arm around her waist to keep her against him, and reached out with the other to switch on the shower.

  Bringing his mouth down on hers, he unzipped her dress, slid the straps down her arms and it fell in a pool at her feet. Laura kicked it aside and grappled with his trousers. Matt unclipped her bra and it fell to the floor. And then off came knickers and shorts and he was backing her into the shower.

  Laura gasped as needles of water hammered down over her, making her already highly sensitised skin tingle and fizzle even more.
And then his mouth was on hers again and his hands were sliding over her back, up and down her sides and over her breasts.

  He reached for the soap but she took it from him and gave him a tiny smile.

  ‘Let me. All that travelling must have been quite exhausting.’

  ‘It wasn’t the travelling.’

  ‘You didn’t really go all the way to Athens just to discuss alternative sources of energy, did you?’

  ‘No.’

  Hah. She’d been so right. He had been avoiding her.

  A flicker of amusement flared in his eyes. ‘I also discussed the possibility of raising finance via the issuance of government bonds.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘And if this is what I can expect on my return I must do it more often.’

  If that was what he wanted to pretend, she was fine with that. Laura grinned. ‘Turn around.’

  The flicker of amusement faded. ‘Only a fool would turn his back on such a dangerous smile.’

  ‘I’m only armed with shower gel. I’m hardly dangerous.’

  ‘You think?’ he murmured.

  A tiny crease appeared between his brows and she lifted a hand to smooth it away. ‘I promise I’ll be gentle. Turn around.’

  Matt’s eyes glittered but he did as she asked and planted his hands high on the wall.

  Faced with the sexiest back view she’d ever seen, Laura swallowed. She squeezed a ball of gel into her palms and then pressed her hands to his shoulders. Rubbing and squeezing and pressing, she massaged her way over his shoulders, down his back. Touching and exploring every inch of him, every dip, every contour.

  She felt his skin tighten, felt his muscles clench as her hands moved over his body. The water cascaded down him, sending the suds rippling to the floor. As inch after inch of glorious back was revealed, Laura put her hands on his arms and moved forwards so that her mouth could follow the same trail as her hands had just made.

  Her breasts brushed against his back. She heard his sharp intake of breath, felt him brace himself. As desire began to whip through her Laura slid her hands down his sides, curved one round his waist and wrapped her fingers around the hard length of his erection.

  His penis leapt beneath her touch, and as she started to move her hand along the length of him he let out a low groan. His great body shook as she explored him. She felt him shudder, heard his breathing roughen.

  Removing her hand, she stood up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, ‘Turn around.’

  ‘If I do, I might not be responsible for the consequences.’

  ‘I’ll take full responsibility,’ she said huskily, moving back a little, giving him room to turn.

  And then she gave him no room at all. Pushing him up against the glass wall, she began to kiss her way down his body. His skin twitched beneath her lips and when she knelt and took him in her mouth, he groaned.

  ‘God, Laura,’ he said roughly as she ran her hands over his thighs.

  His hands dug into her hair and she felt him shudder as she took him deeper. She heard him moan, curse softly, could sense the battle raging within him as he clung on to control.

  She wanted him to lose it. She wanted him as desperate for her as she was for him. But then he was pulling her head back and hauling her to her feet and gathering her into his arms. ‘Enough,’ he muttered, his eyes blazing into hers and making the desire swirling around inside her grow and spread and burn.

  ‘Not nearly,’ Laura said, winding her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely as he switched the water off and lifted her into his arms.

  But when would be enough?

  The thought hammered in Matt’s head as he strode to the bed with Laura curled in his arms. Because right now, with desire coursing through him, his head pounding and his entire body aching with need, he didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.

  He lowered her onto the sheets and stared down at her for a second. Her lips were red and swollen from their kiss. Her eyes shone and the smile she was giving him made something in the region of his chest squeeze.

  The blood rushing through his head, Matt sank onto the bed beside her. But as he rolled on top of her Laura wound her leg around his and rolled them over again so that she was on top of him.

  ‘Forget the travelling,’ she said, giving him a demure little smile that made his stomach clench. ‘Carrying me all over the place must be utterly draining.’

  ‘You don’t weigh much.’

  She shrugged. ‘Indulge me. I’ve had plenty of opportunity to Embrace Confrontation and say no. But I think my “getting what I want” needs more work and right now I want you to just lie back and let me have my wicked way with you.’

  Desire hammered through him. ‘Oh. Well, in that case, it would be churlish of me to interfere with your journey to self-discovery.’

  ‘Precisely.’

  ‘In fact you can practise on me all you like.’

  ‘You’re too kind,’ she said, lowering her head and brushing her lips against his. So tantalisingly brief Matt’s heart practically stopped.

  ‘Not kind,’ he muttered. ‘Totally selfish.’

  Then she angled her head, set her lips to his and slipped her tongue into his mouth and his blood began to boil. Matt tangled his hand into her wet hair and swept the other down her back over her bottom to pull her tightly against him.

  She went still for a second, moaned and then began to move. He felt himself growing harder against her. So hard he was hurting. Matt winced at the ferocity of the ache that gripped him.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Laura breathed against his mouth.

  ‘I’m not entirely sure.’

  ‘Where do you hurt?’

  ‘Why?’ What was she going to do? Torment him further?

  ‘Maybe I can kiss you better.’ Oh, yes, definitely torment him further.

  ‘For God’s sake, Laura,’ he muttered. ‘I’m not made of stone.’

  ‘So I can tell.’

  He gripped her head and kissed her so long, so thoroughly and so hard he couldn’t think straight.

  ‘Condoms,’ she gasped.

  Thank God someone was still faintly in possession of their faculties. ‘In the drawer.’

  She leaned away from him, fumbled for a second, then rolled one over him. Nearly passing out with the effort of not climaxing right then and there, Matt gritted his teeth and lifted her onto him.

  Laura moaned and bit her lip and Matt’s hands curled into fists with the strain of letting her take charge. She closed her eyes and rotated her hips and panted. Matt’s head swam. His penis throbbed deep inside her. His heart thundered and as her pants became quicker, shorter, more and more ragged, her movements jerkier and more out of control, he couldn’t stand it any longer.

  Rearing up, he clasped her against him and flipped her over. Swallowing her gasp of shock he anchored her legs around his waist and mindlessly drove into her.

  Shock flashed in her eyes and then vanished as they glazed over with passion. Laura’s nails raked his back as he kissed her. She clutched at his shoulders. Threw her head back and groaned. He swallowed her whimpers and broke off the kiss to explore the soft skin of her neck with his mouth.

  Clinging on to his control by his fingertips and on the point of losing his mind, Matt pulled out of her and then thrust again, utterly unable to stop himself from burying himself as deep inside her as he could.

  And then he heard her cry out his name as shudders racked her body. She convulsed around him, drawing him in deeper and tighter. With that last remnant of control spiralling off, Matt drove into her once more and hurtled into oblivion.

  It took several minutes for his heart to slow and his breathing to steady. When they did, it was as if the whole room had been tossed in the air and had settled differently. Almost the same but not quite.

  A smugly satisfied smile curved her lips and his pulse began to speed up all over again. ‘Oh, I knew this was a good idea.’

  Matt wasn’t so sure. Something sudd
enly made him think an affair with Laura was a very bad idea. However no-strings.

  ‘You,’ she said, fluttering her eyelashes up at him, ‘are incredible.’

  So was she. Pretty irresistible, too. And a dozen other things he really didn’t want to think about.

  ‘I really do have to go,’ he said, leaning away from her, picking up his watch off the floor and frowning.

  ‘Now?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Oh. Well. Of course,’ she said lightly, pulling the sheet up over her chest and tucking it beneath her arms. ‘Maybe we could have lunch?’

  Matt shook his head and got up. ‘I have a meeting.’ Lunch, or any kind of interaction that wasn’t of the horizontal and naked sort for that matter, wasn’t an option.

  Her face fell and a flash of disappointment flickered in her eyes. ‘Sure,’ she said, with a smile that he thought looked a little forced. ‘Fine. I guess I’ll see you around, then.’

  That wasn’t what he’d meant, either. Feeling like a heel, Matt leaned down and gave her a long slow kiss. ‘What are you doing tonight?’ he said, pulling back before he could decide to cancel his meeting and spend the rest of the afternoon in bed with Laura.

  ‘Nothing.’ A relieved grin spread across her face and his heart suddenly thumped with something that felt weirdly like alarm.

  ‘I’ll see you later,’ he muttered, telling himself not to be ridiculous. A casual affair with Laura was nothing to get alarmed about.

  ‘Great.’

  Except it wasn’t all that great, thought Laura, sitting in the library and idly flipping through a book of old photographs and plans a fortnight later.

  At first she’d been only too happy with the arrangement. It had been her idea after all, and as they’d seen each other every night since Matt had returned from Athens she didn’t really have anything to complain about. Her horizons had been broadened considerably and the sex had been getting better and better. And as a bonus, her body, having never been put to such energetic use, was more toned than ever before.

  Her fling with Matt was exactly what she’d wanted. Hot hassle-free fun.

  So why was it leaving her feeling increasingly dissatisfied?

  Laura closed the book with a thump, sat back and frowned. Why did it hurt that he didn’t ever seem to want to meet up for lunch? Or dinner, or on any of the other occasions she’d suggested? Why did it hurt that he never asked her to do anything other than spread herself across the nearest available flat surface?