She braced herself.
‘Do you have a swimsuit with you?’ he asked.
‘I’m on a skiing holiday—what do you think?’
‘In that case I’ll find you one.’
Following Luis as he rushed down the stairs to the basement with a little too much enthusiasm for her liking, she asked, ‘Are we going swimming?’
Holding open the entrance door to the spa and pool area, he grinned. ‘Something even better.’
She came to a stop. ‘What?’
‘It’s a surprise.’
‘I don’t like surprises.’
‘How about, just for today, you take a chance on relinquishing some of the control you insist on single-handedly gripping onto and let someone else make a few decisions on your behalf?’
She refused to budge even when he gestured for her to step into the spa area. ‘What if they’re decisions I don’t like?’
He fake-considered this. ‘Well, I agree that you mightn’t like it immediately...’ he paused and considered her with a dangerous and sexy glint in his eye ‘...but trust me: the pain and discomfort will be worth it.’
She swallowed. ‘Okay, so now I’m worried.’
He lowered his head, looked directly into her eyes. ‘I’ll never hurt you. You do know that, don’t you?’
Her heart kicked. Would she be terribly naïve to believe him? ‘I’ll hold you to that promise, you know.’ Not waiting for a response, she stepped into the spa.
Luis followed her and opened a door to the side of the pool, the lights inside flickering on automatically to reveal shelves piled high with snow-white towels, dressing gowns and slippers. Brand-new swimming costumes still bearing their designer labels hung from a rail.
‘Take your pick,’ he said, walking to a row of wardrobes. He opened a door and took out a pair of pale blue swimming trunks and then grabbed hold of a towel and dressing gown.
‘I’ll meet you by the pool.’
Eyeing the swimsuits, she considered the only black item on the rail but replaced it, realising just how tiny it was. It certainly wasn’t designed for someone capable of eating an entire tin of chocolates in one afternoon. She stared at the other swimsuits. Why couldn’t there at least be one practical item amongst them? They were all cut way too suggestively. She eventually plucked the least revealing costume in her size from the rail and, armed with a dressing gown and towel, she went to the changing rooms.
The swimming-pool changing areas she had ever frequented had featured the triple delights of musty odours, damp floors and temperamental showers. Here, the changing area consisted of six individual changing rooms, all the size of a small apartment, complete with a tropical shower, every beauty and hair product you could wish for, a TV and sofa and way too many mirrors. Stripping, she pulled on her swimming costume and after a quick grimace at her reflection she put on her dressing gown, yanking the belt tight.
Once she was out at the pool, her heart did several kicks when she spotted Luis waiting for her dressed in only his blue trunks. She sighed. His body was even hotter than she had thought it would be. His abs were like a tightly sprung mattress.
She gestured to the pool. ‘You go ahead. I’ll follow you in a few minutes,’ she said, and darted to sit on a lounger, needing to gather herself.
But he had other ideas. ‘We’re not going swimming.’
She stared in confusion at the flip-flops he held out to her before reluctantly taking them. Pulling on his dressing gown and stepping into his own pair of flip-flops, he opened the door that led out to a covered terrace and the heavy blanket of snow beyond.
‘We’re going out...in that?’ she asked, her voice as shrill as a bag of cats.
‘We sure are.’
‘We’ll freeze.’
He gave her a stern look. ‘Are you already refusing to give up control?’
Stepping into her flip-flops, she shook her head. ‘I’ve always said you’re dangerous, and you’re doing nothing to dispel that impression.’
He chuckled. ‘You haven’t seen anything yet.’
Outside she squealed in shock at the wall of cold that slammed into her. Out on the sloping gardens the snow had drifted into high banks. He took her hand. ‘Number one rule: don’t stand still.’
He led her off the terrace and along a covered path that ran alongside the chalet. At the end of the path he opened the door to his right.
Stepping in, she breathed in the warm pine-scented air, shivering in relief. ‘A sauna!’
He nodded, removed his flip-flops and dressing gown and went and sat high up on a bench, settling himself into the corner, a happy grin on his face.
He watched her. Daring her to give up control of the situation.
She’d show him.
Pulling off her gown, she went and sat in the opposite corner. ‘Well, this is nice.’
He laughed but didn’t say anything.
He closed his eyes. She did too. But then she peeled one open. Was he as chilled-out as he seemed? There was a faint silver star just below his right knee, a fresh bruise on his collarbone. Did he work out in the gym? Was that what gave him that impossibly flat stomach and biceps that could crush you? Her heart did a quickstep as she took in the long length of his eyelashes. He would have been too beautiful but for the unbalance in the shape of his lips—his bottom lip was slightly fuller. And she found it ever so cute...and sexy. She could spend a whole morning nibbling it. She shut her eyes, imaging waking up next to him...preferably naked and to his caresses. She shuffled in her seat, a tingling sensation in her limbs as she imagined his mouth and hands exploring her body. Heat spread along her limbs. What would it be like to have him between her legs? An ache unfurled low in her belly. She had never held a man... How would it feel? Would she know what to do?
‘Ready for some fun?’
She leapt at Luis’s quietly spoken question.
‘A cold shower perhaps,’ she suggested.
He stood with a chuckle. ‘Something much better.’ At the door of the sauna he said, ‘We’ll cool off outside.’
She stared out at the heavy drift of snow beyond the path and despite the searing heat of the sauna she shivered. ‘You have to be joking me.’
‘Nope.’ He held out his hand.
She refused to budge. He folded his arms, settling against the doorframe.
For more than a minute they held a silent standoff, eyeing each other stubbornly.
With an exasperated exhale she stood up. He clearly wasn’t going to back down and the open door was letting all of the heat out.
Passing Luis, she gave him the evil eye and took a few tentative steps outside. She gasped loudly and was so befuddled by the cold that she didn’t fight him when he took hold of her hand and broke into a jog, pulling her with him.
Out in the open, beyond the covered walkway, the falling snow made her blink hard. They were heading directly for a huge snowdrift. She didn’t want to do this. It was way too cold. She tried to pull Luis to a stop, but their momentum was too great. She screamed and fell into the icy blanket face first. She rolled onto her back. Screamed again. Screamed even more. Wanting to kill Luis. But then she heard herself laugh. Something freeing in her. It was Christmas morning and she was rolling in the Alpine snow with the most incredible man she had ever met. If this could happen to her, what endless possibilities were out there for her?
She gasped when fresh snow landed on her. Luis was pelting her with it! She gripped some herself and flung it at him. Laughing. Buzzing with happiness. He grabbed hold of her and they tumbled in the snow, their laughter rolling down the mountainside. He came to a stop lying on top of her, his twinkling eyes holding hers captive. Eyes that soon darkened, and, placing a kiss on her cheek and then on her mouth, he whispered, ‘Happy Christmas.’
Her heart lurched. She wanted so much more with him.
/>
Standing, Luis helped her up and lifted her into his arms. He carried her back to the sauna, grinning as she demanded that he let her down.
Inside the sauna he gently lowered her down and as he shut the door she laughed, shaking her entire body. ‘That was so good.’ Adrenaline was pounding through her. She high fived him. And then rubbed some snow from his collarbone.
They were now supposed to move back into their respective corners. But instead they just smiled goofily at one another. And then his eyes wandered lazily down over her body, lingering on her red swimsuit. Her skin, already on fire from the snow, took on a different heat.
‘I told you that red would suit you.’
Her heart shuddered and stalled, the approval in his voice and eyes mesmerising.
His hand touched lightly against the cut-out seam above her hip. He twisted his finger into the fabric and pulled her forward, inch by slow inch. She didn’t resist. Instead she smiled. Wanting this oh, so badly.
His mouth came to her ear. ‘You’re incredibly special.’
Her knees weakened.
His mouth moved down to nuzzle against her neck.
Her knees gave up and buckled, her body collapsing against his. His mouth found hers. They both groaned into the kiss. His hands moved to her back. Stroking, caressing her bare skin. His mouth took control of hers. Hot, probing, sensual. Leading the kiss. Pushing her to places she had never been before.
Dizzying desire flooded her, a solid ache beginning to throb in her core. His hands moved to run over her body, as though he wanted to know intimately every inch of her. Her hips, her bottom, her belly. Her body was moulded to his. The ache in her widened. Without conscious thought her body began to move against his, searching, hunting for a place that would ease the burning hunger inside of her.
They staggered backwards, Luis landing on the bench behind him. She stayed with him, her legs wrapping about his waist. As if this was the most normal thing in the world. Desire, hot and liquid, flowed through her.
She deepened the kiss, wanting more. His hand touched her side, running along her ribs, grazing over the side of her breast. She shuddered.
His hands moved under her swimsuit, one thumb touching against her nipple, the other running along the sensitive skin of her bottom. She jerked into him, deepened the kiss. She cried out as his hardness pressed against her. Cried out again when his tongue flicked over the light fabric, doing little to hide the bud of her nipple.
Her head spun as he whispered words to her, words adoring her body.
She was hurtling towards an edge no man had ever brought her to.
Her body felt ripe, wanton. Emotion and passion spun together, casting a spell on her. She felt powerful and desirable. Did he realise what he was giving her? The gift to enjoy her own body.
He knew exactly what he was doing, his mouth on her breast, his fingers pressing against her. He flicked the material of her swimsuit aside, his fingers finding the most sensitive points of her body. She gasped, spinning away from the conscious world to one solely filled with pleasure and need.
His mouth sucked harder. His fingers moved faster. He knew exactly the chaos he was wreaking on her.
She gasped again. Screamed. And fell into a long pulse of pleasure, her head thrown back. Wave after wave of ecstasy convulsed through her. She clung to him, her head thrown back, the hard press of his body driving her pleasure on and on.
When it had finally passed she collapsed against him.
He stroked her hair. Kissed her along her cheek. And whispered with a heartbreaking tenderness, ‘I want to be with you.’
She nodded. But embarrassment had her bury her head even more into his shoulder. She wasn’t supposed to have done that. She had totally lost control. What was she going to do? And all of a sudden she wanted to cry, feeling raw and exposed and vulnerable. How was she going to tell him?
She pulled back. Met his eye.
He grinned, pleased with himself. The desire in his eyes stole her breath away.
She breathed in deeply, searching for a way to tell him. ‘I told you that I’ve never had a proper boyfriend.’
‘Yes...so?’
He had no idea. She swallowed hard. ‘I haven’t had a proper relationship in every sense.’
He nodded but was still clearly puzzled, and then she saw realisation hit his eyes. ‘Do you mean that you’ve never slept with anyone?’
She cringed at the incredulity in his voice. Standing, her limbs weak, she stepped back and whispered, ‘Even what just happened there...’ she felt herself go even redder ‘...it hasn’t happened with a man before. I thought you should know before we do anything.’
Speechless, Luis stared at her, trying to gain control of his thoughts. And then he stood, fighting back the urge to pace. Dio! Sleeping with her was out of the question now. He needed air. He needed to clear his head. He needed to think straight before he said anything stupid. But instead he pulled her into a hug, his heart way too big for his chest, guessing as to why she had never slept with a man before.
Her body was rigid. He cursed. She must have seen just how thrown he was. He grappled for words, the physical desire he felt for her fighting against the need to protect her.
He sensed her about to pull away. He placed his hand on her hair, stroking it, wanting somehow to communicate with her that he understood even if he couldn’t find the right way to express that right now. He mumbled out some words. ‘I don’t... I can’t...’
She pushed against his chest, breaking away. Grabbing hold of her dressing gown, she pulled it on, refusing to look at him.
What was he supposed to say, to do?
She bolted out of the sauna. Cursing, he grabbed hold of his own dressing gown and chased after her. He followed her through the pool room and up the stairs to the ground floor. In the entrance hallway she turned to him, her expression devoid of all emotion. ‘I need to get dressed. I’ll see you later.’
‘I can’t be the first.’
She winced at that, but then with a shrug spun away.
Dio! He was getting this so wrong. He pulled in a long breath, trying to quell his panic. Her bare feet landed on the first wooden step of the oak staircase. And then the second. And the third. He was a quick thinker, had never been lost for words before. What was wrong with him?
She was nearing the top of the stairs. He couldn’t let her go without explaining himself to her, without trying to say why he could never sleep with her. ‘I have never wanted to be with someone as much as I want to be with you.’
At the top of the stairs she spun around and studied him. Her expression was sceptical. ‘You must find it hard to understand why someone my age has never slept with anyone before now. Odd even.’ She paused, her mouth tightening. ‘Your reaction is understandable.’
He climbed the stairs, hating how as he drew nearer she backed away into the corner of the double-storey height balcony window that gave an endless view of the neighbouring mountainside.
He flexed his fists. For the first time in as long as he could remember he was going to be truly honest with another person, and his heart was pounding at the prospect of doing so. ‘I have never taken sleeping with someone lightly. I am not into one-night stands or casual hook-ups.’ He paused, not quite believing he was actually admitting all of this. ‘I know it might sound old-fashioned but for me making love to someone is about intimacy and respect and care for the other person.’
She shook her head as though trying to understand what she had just heard. ‘So...what are you saying...that you don’t feel those things for me?’
‘No! No...what I’m trying to say and doing so badly is that you’re leaving tomorrow...sleeping with you would be so wrong. I wanted to spend Christmas supporting you, not complicating your life even more or possibly hurting you.’
She tossed her head back. ‘Who says I’ll
get hurt? And maybe you’re not into casual flings...but what if I am? You’re the one who keeps telling me to lighten up. Well, maybe for once I just want to do something reckless.’
He raised an eyebrow. His lips twitched.
She stared at him, clearly unimpressed that he might find humour in her newly found rebellion. And then she swung around and looked out of the window, but not before he saw her mouth twitch too. Then on a sigh she said, ‘It’s stopped snowing. Let’s head out. You can give me a snowboarding lesson like you promised.’
He could understand her need to escape from this conversation that was awkward and frankly way too close to the bone in revealing the connection that was between them, but there was more he needed to say before they escaped for the slopes. He went and stood beside her. Her eyes shifted for a brief moment towards him before she resumed staring out onto the silent white landscape outside. ‘You’re a beautiful, smart and brilliant woman. If you weren’t Kara’s cousin, if my life weren’t such a mess at the moment...if I didn’t care for you as much as I do...if making love wasn’t so damn complicated, then I would be dragging you into my bedroom and into my bed right now and I wouldn’t be releasing you until well into the New Year. But instead I want to be your friend... I want to be able to ring you in the future. I want to be able to face you at family events without any awkwardness. And most of all, I don’t want to hurt you.’
‘Who said you would hurt me?’
There was a fire in her eyes that reminded him of the first night they had met. Memories of her kiss, chasing after her through the palace gardens, the disappointment of seeing her drive away and the feeling that something important had escaped his grasp, had him say softly, ‘Maybe I’m trying not to be hurt myself.’
* * *
Snuggled into the corner of the sofa, Alice tried to focus on her book but her gaze kept shifting over to study Luis. For their dinner earlier he had changed into grey trousers and a white shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone. Head bowed, he was reading the book she had gifted him but how much he was taking in she wasn’t sure, given that he was constantly checking his phone.
Christmas Encounter with a Prince Page 10
