then we’ll go to bed.’
Bed. That was her downfall. It was where she sold her soul and lost control.
‘I’m not tired,’ she offered quietly, and glimpsed his faint smile.
‘Neither am I. Sleeping wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.’
She rose to her feet and gathered up the cutlery and glasses, then carried them through to the kitchen.
Alejandro followed, and she heard him locking the outer doors and setting the security alarm.
It was a simple task to load the dishwasher, and she had just finished when he entered the room.
He looked vaguely piratical: dark trousers, deep olive skin, dark hair, in stark contrast to the white shirt. And tall. He almost seemed overpowering, and, while she craved his touch, there was a part of her that cried out against any sexual subjugation.
She watched as he despatched food down the waste-disposal unit, then dropped empty containers into the pedal-bin before washing and drying his hands.
In silence he turned and caught hold of her hand, leading her through to the lounge, where he selected a compact disc and slid it into the disc player.
Soft music emanated from the speakers and Elise looked at him speechlessly as he drew her into his arms.
Crazy, she thought, as he pulled her close against him and began to drift slowly round the room. She felt his lips brush her hair, followed by the warmth of his breath against her temple. His heartbeat was strong beneath her cheek, and her hands crept to link together at the back of his waist.
The music was so slow and dreamy that after several minutes they hardly bothered to move at all, and simply stood still in the dim light reflected from the foyer.
His kiss was so incredibly gentle that it almost made her cry, and she offered him her mouth, exulting in an erotic tasting that excited without demand.
When the music finished he raised his head and subjected her to a long, searching gaze, then he placed an arm beneath her knees and carried her up the stairs.
Elise wanted to cry, and when he lowered her to her feet in the bedroom, tears shimmered like crystal droplets in each corner of her eyes.
Without a word he led her to the bed and sat down on its edge, then he drew her to stand between his thighs.
Her mouth began to tremble, and there was nothing she could do to prevent the slow downward path of a single tear as it overflowed.
Alejandro lifted a hand and halted its passage with the pad of his thumb before moving to trace the outline of her mouth.
‘I was almost hesitant to question the cause,’ he drawled gently. ‘Do you want to blame it on ambivalent emotions?’
‘I guess that’s as good a reason as any,’ she owned shakily, and almost died at the wealth of passion evident in those dark eyes so close to her own.
‘I need you,’ he said gently. ‘Every day in my life. All night long in my bed.’
Need. Need had to be better than want, didn’t it? And ‘every day in my life’ sounded permanent. As in forever?
She wanted to say, ‘I love you.’ But the words wouldn’t emerge.
He pulled her on to his lap and kissed her, then carefully eased her on to the bed.
Her arms lifted to curve round his neck as she gave herself up to the magic only he was able to create. Soon she was filled with an agonising sweetness as her body began to respond to the exquisite tendresse of his touch, and she throbbed with intense awareness when he entered her, glorying in the mutual joy of complete possession as they journeyed towards a mutual fulfilment of the senses.
It was a wild sweet pleasure tempered by raw desire. Erotic, primitive, yet so incredibly sensual she was held captive in its thrall…his without any equivocation.
On the edge of sleep she was conscious of his arms enfolding her close, and she gave a tiny sigh of contentment before drifting in a dreamless state that lasted until morning.
‘ELISE. There is a telephone call for you.’
Very few calls for her came through the house phone. Alejandro rang direct on the mobile net, likewise the few of her friends to whom she had given the number. Perhaps it was the obstetrician’s receptionist rescheduling her appointment.
‘Who is it, Ana?’
‘Siobhan Barry.’
If Siobhan was calling at this time, it meant she had the day off. Perhaps they could meet for lunch, Elise mused as she crossed to the nearest handset.
‘Siobhan. How are you?’
There was a brief silence. ‘Savannah, darling. Did Ana get it wrong?’
A chill feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Even allowing for misunderstanding, Savannah’s surname was vastly dissimilar to that of Siobhan. Which meant Savannah had deliberately set out to deceive. There could be little doubt as to why.
‘Is it essential we have this conversation?’ Elise managed steadily, and heard a faint intake of breath down the line.
‘I suppose you think you’re clever,’ Savannah opined viciously.
It was a game that had to be played out to its conclusion, Elise decided, saddened that it should have even begun. ‘Perhaps you’d care to elaborate.’
‘You poisonous little bitch. You had to tell him, didn’t you?’
Elise closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again. ‘If you’re referring to my hand…blame the physiotherapist,’ she managed carefully, ‘and Alejandro, for insisting on a first-hand report every time I visit any member of the medical profession.’
There was a long pause. ‘Watch your back, darling.’
‘I always do.’ Without hesitation she replaced the receiver, only to lift it again and dial a memorised number.
A sleepy voice repeated the digits, and Elise felt a surge of relief. ‘Siobhan? How about lunch?’
‘I didn’t get to bed until three, you impossible person. Must it be today?’
‘We could make it a late lunch,’ Elise persisted, and heard Siobhan’s laughing approval.
‘Name the time and place, and I’ll meet you there.’
‘One-thirty. Doyle’s at Watson’s Bay,’ she returned without hesitation.
They met within minutes of the appointed time, and managed by good fortune to be shown to a table overlooking the beach. After the serious business of ordering was completed,
