Harlequin Romance September 2013 Bundle: Bound by a BabyIn the Line of DutyPatchwork Family in the OutbackStranded with the Tycoon

by Kate Hardy

  God, how had she bewitched him so completely, so quickly? Taken charge of his senses so that all that mattered was getting her in his bed as quickly as possible? Hell, he didn’t even care about the bed. He was on the verge of taking her right here against the door.

  He needed to regain some control. He needed to be able to walk away from this tomorrow. The wild, blood-boiling feeling that had taken over had stripped away what he knew of himself. He needed this to be back on his terms.

  With more effort than he would have liked, he pulled her away from the door. ‘Bedroom,’ he said, sentences still beyond him.

  Luce glanced around as though she’d forgotten entirely where she was, hadn’t even noticed the splintered door at her back. At least he wasn’t the only one losing control.

  She followed him without argument as he tugged her towards his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them. He’d worried that she might be spooked when they were finally there, that once it became too real she’d change her mind. But instead she melted into his arms as he stripped off her clothes, her fingers already dragging his jumper up over his head.

  Skin to skin, touch to touch, Ben laid her back on the bed, covering her with his own body. She was so smooth under his hands, and every touch made her arch and moan and mew, responsive in a way he could never have imagined. And he responded in turn, his fingers and his mouth reaching deeper, more demanding, until finally, finally, he slid home into her and felt her moan against his shoulder.

  ‘Okay?’ He kissed her ear as they stilled for a moment, letting her adjust.

  ‘More than,’ she whispered back, and then Ben couldn’t help but move and move, until she was falling apart under him, and his whole world narrowed to the feel of her, to a pinpoint of sensation that made his body tense until it might break...

  Afterwards, once enough of his brain had returned to his body, Ben rolled onto his side, pulling Luce with him so she was tucked safe in his arms. Her breathing was the only sound, deep and even, as if she were trying to bring her body back under her own control. It was too late, though. He’d already seen the wildness at the centre of her, the free parts she kept locked up tight. The hidden side of her that wanted, wanted—wanted so much.

  He couldn’t let her lock that up again.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE ROOM LAY under a strange hush, as if nothing existed beyond the bed in which they lay. Luce supposed it was the snow, blanketing the world outside and deadening the sounds. But maybe it was the sex as well. After all, such a moment deserved a reverential silence, surely?

  Because it wasn’t just sex. Luce felt a stab in her chest at the realisation, and she must have flinched, because Ben’s arm tightened around her, pulling her closer into that magnificent chest. She felt his mouth brush against her hair, soothing, comforting. As if he was trying not to startle her.

  ‘Freaking out?’ he asked, his voice a murmur. But the grip on her body told her he wasn’t letting go even if she was.

  ‘A little,’ she admitted, and cursed herself even as she spoke. The last thing she needed Ben to know was that sex had reduced her to a gibbering wreck.

  Except it wasn’t the sex. The sex had been phenomenal, taking her everywhere she’d needed to go and then some. Her whole body was thanking her for the sex in its own languid, melted way. No, the sex was just fine.

  It was the feelings that went along with it that caused the problems.

  She wasn’t deluded enough to think that Ben would break his one-night rule for her. But, lying in his arms, it was hard to imagine how she would tear herself away the next morning.

  But she had to. Because Ben wasn’t a man looking for responsibility, family, a wife. And she knew herself. She wasn’t Nest, for all that she’d been taken from Cilgerran Castle and bedded tonight. She had a family she had to take care of, and Ben would never be able to bear to have anything take affections away from him. If she were to fall in love, to find someone to make a life with, it had to be someone who supported her, helped her, understood that she had other responsibilities.

  Ben Hampton was not that man. Ben was so far from being that man it was almost funny. Or hugely depressing.

  The best she could hope for with Ben was an occasional night together when he happened to be in town and it suited him—and even then never more than one night in a row. And that wasn’t enough for her. He wanted her to think about her own needs? Well, she needed more than that from a relationship.

  ‘What can I do to help you relax?’ he asked, his voice soft and seductive.

  Luce felt her body reacting even though every muscle in it was already exhausted.

  ‘I’m never going to be able to sleep if you keep thinking so loud. Normally a woman is more relaxed after I finish my work.’ He sounded faintly put out at that.

  Luce bit her lip. She had to leave tomorrow morning. She knew that. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t make the most of her one night.

  Shifting in his arms so she was facing him, Luce let him pull her flush against him, her breasts brushing against the hairs on his chest, his right leg pressing between her thighs.

  ‘Maybe you haven’t finished work for the night, then,’ she said, and watched his eyes darken as he smiled.

  Yes, if she only got one night with Ben Hampton, Luce was going to make sure every moment counted.

  * * *

  According to the clock on the bedside table, it was late morning when Ben awoke, but the room remained dim and close. Guess it hasn’t stopped snowing, then. He supposed he could get up and look, see what they were dealing with. But the bed was so warm, and when he shifted Luce snuggled closer into his arms.

  Yeah, he wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.

  And neither, he realised, was she. Not if the snow was as heavy as it had looked before they’d retired to the bedroom for the night. If he hadn’t been able to get the car all the way up to the cottage yesterday afternoon, they’d be lucky even to get back to it this morning. No point even trying.

  Not, of course, that logic meant she wouldn’t need some convincing of that fact. Ben smiled. Given how responsive she’d been to his ‘convincing’ the night before, he didn’t see it being a particularly arduous task.

  ‘Are you awake?’ Luce asked, her voice fuzzy with sleep.

  ‘Yeah,’ he murmured, and she turned over in his arms to face him.

  ‘Has it stopped snowing?’

  She was blinking up at him, her hair falling into her eyes, her face pink and sleepy, and Ben thought she looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her.

  ‘Don’t know.’

  Wriggling out of his embrace, she wrapped the extra blanket from the bottom of the bed around her and padded to the window, ducking under the curtain to look out.

  Then she swore. Ben didn’t think he’d ever heard her do that before. He hadn’t even been sure she knew such words.

  Flinging the curtains open, she turned to him with an accusing glare. ‘Look at it! It’s piled up halfway to the window! We’re never going to get back to Cardiff in this!’

  Shuffling into a seated position, lounging against the headboard, Ben shrugged. ‘So we spend another day here. Is that so bad?’

  ‘Yes!’ Luce ran a hand through her tangled hair and almost lost her grip on the blanket. ‘It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, Ben. I have to get home. Never mind the book. I’ve got to get things ready for my family. I haven’t even thought about dinner for tomorrow.’ She yanked the blanket up again, covering all but a hint of her cleavage. ‘This is all your fault.’

  ‘I thought we’d established that I can’t control the weather?’ Ben said mildly.

  ‘Maybe not. But you said it wouldn’t snow again until last night. And you didn’t tell me it would be heavy enough to drift!’

  Ben winced. That much was, in fact
, true. He’d known how bad the snow would be and still brought her back here, instead of taking her home. ‘I gave you a choice: the cottage or Cardiff. You chose here.’

  ‘Because I didn’t have all the information! You trapped me here.’

  She looked so anguished Ben almost felt sorry for her. Except that she was trying to blame him for her decisions and accusing him of imaginary plots. Again. As if he hadn’t done all he could to help her for the last three days. As if what they’d shared was nothing more than an attempt to get her into bed. Well, if that was what she thought—fine. Let her believe him to be exactly the sort of man she’d always thought. She’d never believe he’d changed, anyway. So why should he change? What had he been thinking to believe for even a moment that this could be more than a one-night stand? They were as different now as they’d ever been.

  ‘Trapped you here?’ Ben raised his eyebrows in deliberate disbelief. ‘Why would I do that? You know my one-night rule. Trust me—I’m as ready to get back to civilisation as you are.’

  He wished he could take back the words the moment he’d spoken them. Not least because he knew he’d put an end to any chance of spending another day—and night—in bed with Luce. But mostly because of the way her face froze, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, fingers wrapped in the blanket as she held it tight to her chest.

  The moment lasted too long—a cold chill between them as the silence of the snow pressed in. Then Luce broke. She took a step back, towards the door, and shook her head just a little. ‘Of course. If we’re stuck here I need to work. Tell me when it clears enough for us to leave.’

  She didn’t even slam the door behind her. Instead she closed it carefully, letting the latch click quietly into place. And Ben fell back down onto the bed and wished he’d never heard of Cilgerran Castle.

  * * *

  Luce fumbled her way into her clothes with chilly fingers, trying to convince herself that it was only the cold making her shake. But the anger still bubbling up in her chest told her different.

  She was furious. With Ben, naturally, for being exactly what she’d always known he was. And she was even more angry with herself.

  Dropping to sit on the bed as she yanked on thick socks over her woolly tights, Luce tried to calm down. She’d never get any work done like this.

  How could she have been so stupid? She knew beyond a doubt exactly what sort of a man Ben was. Hell, he’d told her himself! His ridiculous one-night rule was a prime example. As if only spending one night together could make falling in love less likely.

  Not that she was in love with Ben Hampton. Not even she was that idiotic.

  She’d brought this on herself. Take responsibility. Take control. Well, she’d take the responsibility, anyway. Control seemed to be entirely out of her hands.

  This was her punishment for taking what she wanted for a change—for forgetting about her obligations, about her family. Would the snow clear for them to get through? The thought of spending another night in the cottage, even in her own room, made her shiver. And what if she didn’t make it home for Christmas Eve and Tom’s dinner? Or, worse, Christmas Day itself?

  If giving in to her foolish desire to sleep with Ben Hampton ruined Christmas for her family they’d never forgive her. Hell, she’d never forgive herself.

  In a flurry of movement Luce crossed the room and settled into the chair, flipping open her laptop and tapping her fingers against the wood of the desk as she waited for it to bring up her manuscript. Work. That was what she needed. Something to distract her and give her purpose. Except...

  How am I supposed to concentrate on ancient history when my own past and present is naked in the next room?

  No, she needed to focus. Nest. What happened after Owain took her from Cilgerran? Henry I intervened. So, how to frame it? Consider how one woman, a Welsh princess, caused uproar in the English court? Or tell the more personal story of her ex-lover coming to the rescue of her reputation?

  Her lips tightened. God only knew what her grandfather would make of her reputation right now if he were still alive.

  Nest had it easy. One quick kidnapping and she was set.

  With a sigh, Luce turned her attention to the document in front of her and pushed all thoughts of Ben, the night before and what the hell happened next out of her head. The only thing she could fix right now was her book.

  * * *

  Ben was still cursing himself for an idiot two hours later when, as he waited for the kettle to boil for an apologetic cup of peppermint tea, the lights went out. Cursing, he flipped a few switches on and off, then stalked off towards the fuse box. Chances were it was a power cut, given the snow, but his luck had to turn some time. Maybe it was a tripped switch.

  It wasn’t. And by the time he returned to the kitchen Luce stood in front of the fire, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him. ‘What the hell’s happened now?’

  ‘Power cut,’ Ben said. ‘At least best I can tell. Might be a line down somewhere.’

  ‘So what do we do?’ Luce asked, a snap in her voice. ‘Don’t you have an emergency generator or something?’

  At least she was talking to him. He supposed he should be grateful for that. ‘No generator. Now we build up the fire, keep warm and survive on whatever in the fridge doesn’t need cooking.’ Maybe he had some marshmallows they could toast somewhere at the back of a cupboard.

  Luce glared out of the window and he followed her gaze to where the snow was still fluttering to the ground. ‘I’m thinking very fondly of the Eight Bells right now.’

  ‘We’d never get down the path,’ Ben said.

  ‘Just as long as it clears enough for us to get to Cardiff. I’m not staying another day here with you.’ Luce’s tone was firm, as if daring the weather to disagree with her again. But, given the way the snow had started to drift, driving anywhere in the next few days would be a really stupid idea.

  Of course getting snowed in at his cottage, during a power cut, with a furious Lucinda Myles was also kind of idiotic. Apparently there was something about her that made him lose his mind.

  ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked, checking his watch in the firelight. He wasn’t sure what meal they were on, but it had been a while since either of them had eaten.

  ‘That depends on what’s in your fridge.’ Luce eyed him with suspicion, as if he might be about to add poisoning to his list of crimes.

  ‘I picked up some bits from the village shop yesterday. There should be enough to tide us over.’ Just about. He’d only planned on having to feed himself, after all.

  ‘Fine. But the power had better come back on before my laptop battery runs out.’ Turning on her heel, Luce stalked back towards her room. ‘Call me when the food’s ready.’

  Ben sighed and watched her go. Apparently any sort of reconciliation was still a way off.

  There wasn’t much to prepare. Ben arranged cheeses and bread on plates, adding some cold meats he’d picked up, then carried them over to the low table in front of the fire. Then, as an afterthought, he grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Wine always made things more of a feast.

  ‘Grub’s up,’ he called, and moments later Luce appeared. She’d added another jumper on top of her outfit from earlier. With the electric under-floor heating out of commission the cottage was becoming very chilly, very quickly. ‘Sorry it’s not much.’

  Luce took the glass of wine he’d poured for her and sat at the end of the sofa nearest the fire. ‘Better than nothing. At least it’s warm in here.’ Her words were short, terse. And she still wasn’t looking at him.

  With a deep breath, Ben sat down beside her, reaching for his own wine. ‘That’s not all I’m sorry for.’

  Slowly she turned to look at him, without speaking. It wasn’t much, but Ben took it as a sign she was at least willing to listen. ‘I’m sorry about what I said. A
bout...’

  ‘Your one-night rule?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Fine.’

  She’d turned her attention back to her plate again, picking at the bread. Ben watched her, waiting for something more, but it wasn’t forthcoming.

  ‘Not feeling inclined to apologise for accusing me of trapping you in this cottage purely to seduce you?’

  ‘Not really.’ She reached for her wine glass. ‘Apart from anything else, you did seduce me.’

  She had a point there. And somehow Ben knew that saying, You asked me to wasn’t going to make anything any better.

  ‘How does it even work, anyway?’ she asked, after a long moment’s silence in the flickering firelight. ‘Your stupid rule? What? You just live your life going from one-night stand to one-night stand?’

  ‘No.’ Ben rubbed a hand across his forehead. Now she wanted to talk about this? There was a reason he usually had this talk before he hit the sheets. ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Then what?’ Putting down her plate, Luce turned her body to face his, all attention on him. ‘Come on. I want to know.’

  * * *

  For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer. But, Luce rationalised, as a victim of his stupid rule, at the very least she deserved to understand it.

  Finally Ben spoke. ‘I date women. Same as anyone. I just make a point not to spend more than one night with them at a time.’

  ‘Because twenty-four hours is too much like commitment?’ Luce said, rolling her eyes. Men. What were they so damn scared of?

  Ben sighed. ‘Because if one night becomes two nights then it’s all too easy for it to be three nights. A week. A month. More. And suddenly she’s expecting a ring and a life. Something I can’t give her.’

  ‘You’ve tried, then?’ Luce folded her legs up under her, twisting so her feet were closer to the hearth. With just the flickering fire to light the room it felt smaller, cosier. As if the world were only just big enough to encircle the two of them and their shadows.