full-length mirror. The hem of the dress brushed her knees, while the sleeves were three-quarter length and the neckline demure. More than respectable. Not at all revealing. Her freshly washed hair had been left loose, and she was wearing flat shoes, dark tights and the bare minimum of make-up. With her watch and her late grandmother’s locket on a chain around her neck her only additions, she should have looked stylish but unnoticeable. Not like a maiden schoolmarm, exactly, but far removed from the sensual siren who now gazed back at her. Her eyes looked huge and startled as she studied her alien image, awed and alarmed at the way the fabric hugged her body, subtly hinting at every curve.
This was not the effect she had intended. She had no idea what had gone wrong. And she was certainly nothing like the stranger she saw in the mirror. It had been a while since she had last worn the dress but she didn’t remember it ever looking this provocative. Had she realised, she never would have packed it, no matter what Gina and Holly had said.
A sudden knock at the door made her jump and warned her that there was no more time for indecision. Or to change her clothes. Pressing her palms to her cheeks, finding them unusually warm, she walked towards the door, wishing now that she was meeting Rico downstairs amongst the other delegates instead of agreeing that he call for her at her room. Sucking in a steadying breath, sure he would hear each rapid beat of her heart, she opened the door, only for all the air to leave her lungs in a rush when she saw him.
Wearing designer jeans, a black crew-neck sweater and a mid-brown leather jacket, Rico looked casual but smart…and devastatingly handsome. He hadn’t shaved, so still had the roguish, bad-boy edge she had uncharacteristically found so sexy when she had first seen him. Her gaze clashed with his and the hunger in gold-flecked hazel eyes seared her to her soul. He took his time looking over her from head to toe and back again, his appreciation so blatant that even she, with her total lack of self-confidence, could not fail to grasp that he liked what he saw.
Ruth shivered. Rico looked as if he wanted to forget all about dinner and would rather stay and feast on her instead. The knowledge weakened her knees. And her resolve. An unrecognisable part of her willed her surrender. A wild and wicked side she had never known she possessed had been fighting for freedom ever since she had met Rico. She had never found pleasure with a man, and her failings as a woman had been well and truly drummed into her, so this new and sudden desire was shocking and bewildering. Her attraction to Rico scared her—almost as much as his apparent attraction to her.
‘Good evening, Ruth.’ Taking her by surprise, his hands settled on her upper arms and drew her closer so he could place a kiss on each cheek. Her skin tingled from the brush of his lips and her hastily indrawn breath was fragranced with his arousing cedar-wood scent. ‘You look beautiful.’
She didn’t believe his extravagant compliment, but politeness demanded her response. ‘Th-thank you.’
‘You are ready to go?’ he queried, his hands gliding slowly down her arms before releasing her.
‘Yes. I’ll just get my things.’
Turning away to pick up her bag and room key, Ruth used the few seconds to try and regain some measure of composure. She only had to be near Rico and her body betrayed her. That the phenomenon had been happening all day, from the first moment they had looked at each other, in no way made it easier for her to understand. Why now? Why this man when no other had ever stirred her interest?
Before she could wrestle with the questions any further, Rico stepped into the room, the door slowly swinging to behind him. ‘Allow me to help you with your coat,’ he said, picking up the garment she had left draped over the back of a chair.
Ruth frowned in puzzlement. Why did she need to wear a coat to go to dinner in the hotel restaurant? Too on edge to argue, she did as she was bid as he held it ready for her to put on. His solicitousness came as no surprise. She had discovered many times during the day that his manners and courtesy were instinctive, and shown to men, as well as women, young and old alike.
Far too aware of his nearness, Ruth slipped each arm in turn into the coat sleeves, an aching knot forming deep inside her as his hands lingered a moment before gently gathering up the long strands of her hair and easing them out from under the collar, his fingers brushing tantalisingly across the back of her neck. The temptation to remain in his arms, to lean back against him, was hard to resist. Forcing herself to move, she stepped forward, but failed to break the contact between them, or the electric connection, as Rico slowly turned her to face him. Several seconds ticked by as they watched each other in silence.
‘Green.’
Ruth stared at him in confusion. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Your eyes,’ he explained, voice husky. ‘I expected them to be blue.’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you.’
Her response was sharper than she had intended but his comment had played on her insecurities, her belief that she never met expectations. She turned her head away, discomfited by his inspection, angry with herself for her naivety. Even if she wanted more than the possibility of working with him—which she didn’t, she was swift to try and convince herself—she could never be enough for a man as successful, intelligent and good looking as him. The intense and shocking moment of connection when they had first looked at each other had clearly short-circuited her brain.
Ruth was startled when he caught her face, his hold gentle but insistent as he drew her gaze back to his. She couldn’t decipher the expression in his eyes, but her own widened in surprise, a tremor running through her as the pad of his thumb brushed across the little indentation between her lower lip and her chin. Her skin tingled from his touch. She’d had no idea she was so sensitive there.
‘You mistake my meaning, carissima. I was in no way making a complaint.’ His voice dropped to a rough purr and her insides clenched in response. The intensity with which he looked at her made her feel as if she were the tastiest morsel he had ever seen and he was very, very hungry. ‘Your eyes are beautiful. There is nothing remotely disappointing about them—or any part of you.’ He paused, regarding her for a moment in speculative silence before stroking his fingertips softly across her cheek, leaving little fires burning in his wake. ‘That you should think so is something we will have to address later.’ After a quick glance at his watch, he released her. ‘Now it is time for us to leave.’
Hooking the strap of her bag over one shoulder, she preceded Rico out of the room and locked the door. As she made to move down the corridor towards the main stairs and lifts, Rico caught her hand, a wicked smile on his face as he led her in the opposite direction.
‘Rico, where are we going?’ she asked, her fingers linking far too naturally and easily with his.
‘We are playing truant, carissima.’
The staged whisper, followed by a sexy wink, sent a tremor down her spine. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked as he opened a door that led to the back stairway used only by staff or in case of emergency.
‘If we stay here we will have little peace,’ he told her, leading the way down and keeping her close. ‘I am selfish enough to want you all to myself, so I have arranged for us to have dinner away from the hotel. If we go down the normal way we will be accosted long before we can reach the front door.’ On the ground floor, he peeped down the deserted corridor, then pushed open the fire exit and drew her outside with him, making sure the door clicked safely back into place behind them. ‘There is a taxi waiting for us. Our escape to carry out our secret mission is more fun, no?’
It was, Ruth admitted, unable to hold back a smile. She caught his arm as he made to step out into
