took a second for her to catch her breath before she felt able to open her eyes, only to find Sean was still looking at her, his forehead still pressed against hers. A smile warmed his face as he moved his hand down to stroke her cheek.
He knew. He knew the effect that his kiss was having on her body. He had to. Her face burned with the heat coming from the point of contact between them. His heart was racing, just as hers was.
Dee slowly, slowly slid out of his embrace and almost slithered onto the floor. And by the time she was on her unsteady legs she was already missing the warmth of those arms and the heat of the fire on her face.
She had to do something to fight the intensity of the magnetic attraction that she felt for Sean at that moment. Logic screamed at her from the back of her mind: they were both single, unattached and they wanted one another.
She had never had a one-night stand in her life. And, if she was going to do it, this was as good a place as any, except of course it would never be casual sex. Not for her. And, she suspected, not for Sean either.
Would it be so ridiculous if they spent the night together?
Sean gently drew her back towards him so that their faces were only inches apart at the same height.
His hand moved to her cheek, pushing her hair back over her left ear, his thumb on her jaw as his eyes scanned her face, back and forth.
Her eyes opened wide and she drunk him in—all of him. The way his hair curled dark and heavy around his ears and neck; the suntanned crease lines on the sides of his mouth and eyes. And those eyes—those amazing blue eyes which burned bright as they smiled at her.
She could look at that face all day and not get tired of it. In fact, it was turning out to be her favourite occupation.
Sean was temptation personified. And all she had to do was reach out and taste just how delicious that temptation truly was.
Did he know what effect he was having on her? How much he was driving her wild?
Probably.
Panting for breath, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of Sean’s heart under the fine cloth, feeling the hot flood of blood in his veins and the pressure of his fists against her back. She could have stayed there all night but suddenly the silence of their private space was broken by the loud ringtone from the mobile phone inside Sean’s jacket pocket.
‘That can wait,’ he whispered and carried on stroking her hair. ‘Now, tell me about the tea. What delicious aromas can the hotel expect...?’ But he never got to continue because his phone rang again, and this time is was a different ringtone.
‘Oh, I don’t believe it.’ He sighed, stood back, tugged out the phone and checked the caller ID. ‘It’s my dad’s personal line.’ He shook his head. ‘I am so sorry about this. Stay right where you are. Two minutes.’
* * *
Dee sat down at the reception table just inside the door and watched Sean stride out into the main hotel space, the phone pressed to his ear. He was pacing up and down, one hand pressed against the back of his neck in a nervous gesture that she had seen him use a couple of times.
She pressed her fingers to her mouth, which was feeling slightly numb, and covered a chuckle. He didn’t even realize that he was doing it.
Dee stood up and strolled into the kitchens between the display areas. She was just about to pour some water when one of the flyers dropped to the floor in the cool breeze from one of the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that was still half-open.
But, instead of closing it, Dee stepped onto the stone courtyard area outside the conference room and slowly inhaled the cool evening air.
After the heat of the past hour it felt deliciously cool on her hot skin.
In the cool February air she could see the lights of the high-tech businesses, city offices and homes which lined the opposite bank of the river Thames. The hotel was partly shaded from the riverside public footpath by landscaped grounds and trees creating a calm and open feel.
It was exactly what she wanted: no white plastic underground basements, just a well-lit and modern space which opened up to the air whenever she wanted.
There was a faint rustling from the room behind her, and Dee looked over one shoulder as Sean came to join her on the terrace. His face was in shadow but she would recognize his shape anywhere.
A soft and silky Sean-warmed suit jacket was draped over her shoulders and she snuggled into it as a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She could feel the warmth of his chest through the many layers of clothing as he pressed his body against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist so that they were both facing the river and the superb view of the city spread out in front of them.
It was as if they were the only people alive at that moment and in that space.
Instinctively she leant backwards so that the back of her head was resting on his chest. The beat of his heart was steady in her ears, then faster.
She did not need to hear it to know that it grew faster for her.
Sean was breathing faster, his pace matching her own.
‘No stars tonight,’ she whispered and pointed up at the clouds which had already covered the crescent moon. ‘But you can still make a wish if you like. You don’t need a shooting star to have your dream come true. I know that now. So tonight is your turn.’
His reply was a hoarse whisper and she felt his hands slip away from around her waist as he spoke. ‘I wish I could. But I can’t. In fact, I have to go and get packed straight away.’
Dee slowly turned around in the circle of his arms so that they were facing one another, and suddenly a shiver ran across her shoulders. In the light from the room she could see the new harsh lines on Sean’s face. All easy chatter and smiles had been wiped away as if they had never been there.
‘Packed? I don’t understand. You are not due in Paris for another few days and you’ve only just got back. You told me that yourself. You don’t need to get packed tonight.’
He licked his lips and looked at her, his gaze darting across her face. ‘I thought that I had at least a week. But that telephone call changed everything.’
Sean lifted his chin as though he was preparing himself.
‘I am sorry, Dee, but I am booked on a flight to Chicago. We have an emergency at the new Beresford hotel we opened at Christmas and they need me to help sort things out. I have to go. And I have to go tonight. So you see, I’ll be gone by the morning.’
Dee stepped backwards and out of his arms, her fingers running down his shirt sleeves so that she was clinging on to him with only a thin layer of fine cotton.
‘Tonight? Do you really have to? We have worked so hard on this together. I...I was hoping that you would be here for the festival tomorrow.’
Dee turned and stared out into the dark night. Her eyes fixed on the movement of the wind in the trees that she could just see in the light from the hotel. There was a cold, damp wind blowing up from the river and she could feel the moisture
