Читать книгу The Millionaire's Agenda - Kathryn Ross, Kathryn Ross - Страница 8

AS SHE stepped back from him she felt dazed and disorientated. No one had ever kissed her like that before; no one had ever turned her on so easily in such a wildly exhilarating way. Her loss of control had been scary.

‘I don’t suppose I should have done that,’ Steven murmured huskily.

‘Not the most sensible of moves,’ she agreed, her voice uneven with the raggedness of her breathing. ‘We’ve got to work together…’

His eyes lingered on her mouth again and she found herself forgetting what she was saying…where she was, even.

With the utmost difficulty she forced herself to move away. ‘We’ll forget it and put it down to the wine…and…and…’ She couldn’t think straight and her heart rate was wild, drumming chaotically with a need that was so intense it was shocking.

‘And a moment of madness at a late hour,’ he finished for her. In contrast to her, Steven sounded very much in control.

Sharply she tried to pull herself together. ‘Yes, it was definitely madness. We’ll just forget it.’ It was a relief to hear her voice sounding so cool. She couldn’t let him know how deeply that kiss had affected her…especially as it had just been a light-hearted, meaningless gesture to him.

Chloe turned away from him and tried surreptitiously to tuck her blouse neatly back into her skirt. She cringed as she remembered how she had wound her arms around his neck, openly inviting his caresses. How could she have behaved so shamelessly, and with her boss, of all people?

She picked up her glasses from the coffee table. As she put them back on it was as if she was slipping back behind her mask. ‘Would you like me to take these dishes back into the kitchen before I turn in?’ She tried to pretend that her mind had now moved away from what had happened, that she was now concentrating on practicalities.

‘No, I’ll see to them. I’m going to stay down here a while, finish my wine.’

‘OK, well, I’ll say goodnight, then.’ She forced herself to turn and face him. Then remembered his response when she had said goodnight last time and wished she had just left without saying anything.

She was aware that he was watching her closely but she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes. What was he thinking? she wondered… Was he just amused by what had happened? Or maybe amused by the effect it seemed to have had on her—one kiss and Chloe’s thrown totally out of kilter?

‘Goodnight, Chloe; sleep well.’

‘Yes, I’m sure I will…I’m exhausted, actually…probably fall asleep the moment my head touches the pillow.’ She wasn’t going to let him think she would lose any sleep over one silly kiss.

It was a blessed relief to escape to the sanctuary of her room. She sank down on the bed and sat there for a moment, trying to steady her breathing and gather her thoughts.

Why had he kissed her like that?

A moment’s madness, he had said…probably all there was to it. One thing was for certain: if they were to work as easily and comfortably together as they had in the past, she was going to have to just forget it.

She got up and went into the en suite bathroom to strip off and stand for a long time under the refreshing force of the power shower. Then, having no nightdress to put on, she had to slip naked between the sheets of the double bed. They were cool and refreshing against her heated skin. She reached out and switched off the bedside light, then lay staring up into the darkness.

She remembered the passion of Steven’s kiss. There was no doubt about it; he was a very sexy man. She couldn’t remember Nile ever being able to turn her on like that, just with a kiss. What would it be like to have Steven make love to her? she wondered. The memory of his hands moving over her skin made her body burn with a desire that alarmed her.

Turning, she buried her head into the pillow and told herself to stop thinking about it. She was only just getting over Nile; her emotions were in bits, and maybe she was even imagining the wild effect Steven had on her senses. Maybe she was on the rebound from Nile?

And anyway, whatever the truth of her feelings, Steven wouldn’t be interested in her, not when he had such a glamorous girlfriend as Helen. Tonight had just been a blip; he was tired, he hadn’t eaten properly…maybe he had even momentarily forgotten whom he was with.

Some time in the early hours of the morning Chloe finally fell to sleep. But her dreams were a jumbled, disturbed mix of Steven and then Nile, her body tossing fretfully as the night ticked by. When she opened her eyes she couldn’t remember where she was. There was a strange silence, most unnatural to her ears, as she was used to the distant hum of the London traffic outside her apartment.

Then there was the sound of footsteps running down the hallway and a little girl giggling. And her memory returned with a whoosh. She looked at her watch. It was almost nine-thirty; she had overslept.

Chloe was about to throw the duvet back and climb out of bed when the door burst open and Beth ran in.

‘Hi, Chloe.’ She smiled impishly and then paused just inside the doorway as if uncertain about her welcome.

‘Good morning, Beth; how are you today?’ Chloe struggled to sit up whilst holding the duvet protectively around her.

Beth came further into the room. Chloe noticed she was fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick woollen jumper, her hair neatly in a ponytail. ‘It’s stopped snowing outside and Daddy says I can make a snowman.’

‘Wow!’ Chloe smiled at her. ‘It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?’

Delighted with the analogy, Beth nodded and then climbed up on the bed beside her. ‘Will you come and help me build him?’

Before Chloe could answer Steven appeared in the doorway. He was also dressed in jeans and a jumper. ‘Beth, I told you not to go in there and wake Chloe up,’ he admonished sternly.

Beth frowned and her bottom lip quivered slightly.

‘It’s all right, Steven, I was awake anyway,’ Chloe interceded quickly.

She tried not to feel embarrassed as Steven transferred his attention away from the child to her. Suddenly she was extremely conscious of her hair, tousled and wild over the pillows, and the fact that she was wearing nothing beneath the covers.

He smiled at her, and it was a smile that did very strange things to her heartbeat. ‘Morning, Chloe; how did you sleep?’

‘Out like a light as soon as my head touched the pillow,’ she lied cheerfully.

‘Good. I’m going to fix breakfast; come down and join us when you are ready.’

‘Thanks. What’s the latest on your trip to Manchester?’

‘I’ve had to cancel it. There’s no way the jet would be able to leave this morning.’ He stretched out a hand to Beth. ‘Come on, Beth, come out and leave Chloe to get dressed in peace.’

His daughter pointedly ignored him. ‘After breakfast, will you build a snowman with me?’ she asked Chloe again, her big blue eyes very wide.

‘Well, I haven’t really got the right clothes for going out in the snow,’ Chloe said gently. ‘I’ve only got my suit that I wear in the office.’

‘Beth, I’m not going to tell you again.’ Steven came further into the room.

‘Oh, please, Chloe,’ Beth entreated, then scrambled quickly from the bed as her father advanced. He swung her up into strong arms and she giggled. ‘Please, Chloe,’ she said again as he swung her over his shoulder to carry her out of the room.