That one word sounded sinfully sexy and she dragged in a deep and calming breath. Just when she thought she couldn’t stay beneath his hot gaze any longer he turned and walked away, leaving her so deflated she flopped down onto the nearest chair.
She listened to his fading footsteps, trying to calm the erratic thud of her heart. What the heck had just happened? Whatever had passed between them in those few seconds had not only been hot, passionate and explosive, it had also been wild and dangerous.
* * *
Xavier ended the call he’d just received and looked out of the window. Snow was still falling. Big thick flakes twisting with increased speed down to earth, building upon what lay on the ground after this morning’s dusting. Neither his guests nor Tilly’s staff could get to the manor and they certainly wouldn’t be able to get out.
They were snowed in.
He and Tilly were alone.
His body still hummed after the exchange between them that morning. A carnal need so strong had filled him as he’d looked into her vivid blue eyes. He’d had to resist the urge to crush her to his body, to feel her against him and to kiss those seductively plump lips. Never before had he felt so untamed, so in danger of losing his renowned self-control.
Now, because of the weather, he was going to be forced to spend at least the next twenty-four hours with a woman he desired more than any other, one who’d made it known she was unattainable, here to fulfil a contract, nothing more—a contract that expired at midnight.
He knew she wouldn’t be comfortable about being alone with him this evening. Not after that moment in the dining room. She was not his usual type of woman, more the forever sort, and that held him back. Forever was something he couldn’t do, which was another reason for not exploring what was between him and Tilly.
He took a deep breath, bringing all his wayward desires under control, determined to shake off his inconvenient desire and be a perfect gentleman—until midnight at least. He returned to the kitchen to break the news to the only woman in the last three years who had threatened to rouse the man he’d once been, the man he could never risk being again.
Tilly was at the sink, her back to him as he entered, and he let his gaze linger for a moment then reminded himself of his decision of moments ago. Appreciating her petite figure wouldn’t help him at all.
‘It appears we will be here alone for New Year.’ As he spoke she turned to face him. For a brief moment he saw shock in her eyes, which tugged at the defence of irritation and anger he’d shrouded himself in. He couldn’t let her do that, for her sake as well as his.
‘I was just watching the snow. I’ve never seen so much falling.’ Her voice was very calm. She didn’t sound disconcerted that they were to be here alone in this rambling country mansion. Her expression as she looked at him told a different story.
‘My family are not prepared to travel as the forecast has changed. It isn’t good. It seems tomorrow we are now due to have blizzard conditions.’ He relayed the information he’d been told by his cousin, not wanting to panic her.
‘I hope Katie and Jane get back okay.’ She moved away from the window and to the table, where her food preparations were under way. ‘I guess you won’t need all this now.’
‘The evening plans will remain the same,’ he said curtly, not liking the way she nudged at emotions he’d thought had disappeared after the crash. He was beginning to feel a strange urge to care for her, protect her and keep her safe, but knew he couldn’t, not when guilt and blame lay at his feet.
Her blue eyes widened in shock and a startled gasp left her lips, doing untold things to his already stirred-up senses. He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides, resisting the urge to cross the room, take her in his arms and kiss her until she gasped his name in pleasure.
‘But it will be just the two of us.’ Her silky soft voice, which stumbled slightly over the words, did little to quell the mounting desire within him, as did the image of them dining alone. He’d promised himself he’d be a perfect gentleman this evening and, no matter how hard that was, he would do it.
‘Sì, solo noi due.’ Hampered by his loss of control, he reverted to Italian. He’d never been like this with a woman. Even as a young and inexperienced man, he hadn’t floundered as he was now. It was a totally new and unwelcome sensation.
‘You can’t expect me to spend the evening with you. Not completely alone.’ She frowned at him but still looked incredibly enticing.
‘I can and I do.’ His sense of control was returning and the words sounded sharp.
‘But isn’t that...?’ She paused, her eyes meeting his, and he said nothing, hoping she wouldn’t echo his thoughts. ‘A bit too intimate?’
‘It’s New Year’s Eve, Natalie.’ He liked the way it felt to say her full name and revelled in the spark of annoyance that leapt to life in her eyes. ‘We are alone in this house. It would be churlish to do any different.’
‘Maybe we should try and get back to London before it’s too late?’ She glanced out at the falling snow.
‘It is already too late. I have checked online. Travel isn’t advisable. This snow has caught the forecaster unawares and already many of the local roads here are not passable unless you are in a four-wheel drive.’ He didn’t particularly relish the idea of being snowed in with a woman who made him want things he had no right to, but fate had dealt them this hand and he was adamant he wasn’t going to succumb to the temptation that was Natalie Rogers. Not while she was working for him.
‘Thank goodness I have a booking at a local bed and breakfast tonight,’ she said light-heartedly, and shrugged her shoulders, moving past him, her arm brushing against his. A strange sensation zipped around him, startling him.
‘I don’t think even that will be possible.’
‘I can’t stay here. Alone with you. All night.’ The horror at such a suggestion rang clear in her voice.
‘We will dine together, so make any necessary changes you need to. There is no reason to be hiding out here all night.’ As soon as he’d spoken he knew they had been the wrong words.
‘Hiding? Why would I be hiding?’ A hint of mockery was veiled beneath the amusement in her eyes and he couldn’t do anything else other than look into them.
‘You’ve already made it perfectly clear that spending time with me isn’t what you want to do.’ He quirked a brow at her, unable to resist building on the flirtatious mood as it swirled around them, intensifying by the second.
‘It isn’t professional.’
‘I think we can dispense with such professionalism—just for this evening, don’t you? It is New Year’s Eve and due to circumstances beyond our control we will be here alone all night.’ She was setting very clear boundaries, something he would normally adhere to, but they only urged him on, pushing him to take up the challenge her body was unconsciously sending to his.
* * *
‘I can’t stay here. Not all night,’ Tilly gasped out, incredulity in every word as the reality of the situation hit her. ‘I have to be at Vanessa’s house tomorrow. It’s her engagement party on New Year’s Day.’
She
