Lauren made no reply he continued, ‘My PA has remained in Spain, and I’m using secretarial staff from a temp agency until I find a permanent base. Sally comes here a couple of mornings a week so that I can dictate correspondence.’
So working from the apartment would only be a temporary arrangement, Lauren tried to reassure herself. But it could still take weeks, maybe months, before Velaquez Conglomerates took over the new offices—which meant that she would have to come here every day and re-live memories of all the times Ramon had made love to her. Dear heaven—Mateo had been conceived here!
She had walked across to the window, to stare at the view over Hyde Park, but now she swung round to face him, her body rigid with tension. ‘This isn’t going to work,’ she said tersely. ‘It’s easier for me to commute from PGH’s offices than here. I can be in constant communication with you by email or phone…’
Ramon shook his head. ‘I’d prefer you to be here.’
‘Why?’ she cried, unable to control her emotions any longer. She had been so shocked to see him again, and coming back to the apartment where they had been lovers was sheer agony. Throughout lunch she had felt as though he was stripping away her protective shell, layer by layer, and she was terrified that if she didn’t leave now he was going to guess how much he affected her.
Ramon’s eyes had narrowed at her outburst, and now he strolled towards her, as silent and intent as a panther stalking its prey, and twice as deadly. The atmosphere shifted subtly, the tension between them so tangible that Lauren’s skin prickled.
‘What exactly are you worried about, Lauren?’ he asked softly.
‘I’m not worried about anything,’ she denied desperately, sure he must hear her heart hammering against her ribs. He was too big, too close, and memories of his demanding mouth plundering hers hurt too much. ‘I simply don’t understand what all this is about, Ramon. Why you’ve gone to such lengths to manipulate me into working for you.’
He said nothing, just kept on coming towards her, and the stark hunger in his eyes robbed her of breath. ‘What do you want from me?’ she whispered, and her heart stopped when his hand shot out to cup her nape and his head slowly descended.
‘I want this, querida,’ he said harshly, and covered her mouth with his own.
LAUREN’S lips parted to voice her protest, but the words were lost beneath the bruising pressure of Ramon’s mouth. The kiss was no gentle seduction, but a hot, hungry ravishment of her senses as he took without mercy, demanding a response she was powerless to deny.
Sexual tension had smouldered between them since he had walked into Alistair Gambrill’s office, and now it exploded in a firestorm of passion. She was vaguely aware of his hand moving up from her nape, and felt him release the clip that secured her chignon so that her hair fell around her shoulders in a fragrant, silky curtain.
She should stop him, insisted the voice of reason in her head. But the bold thrust of his tongue into her mouth drove everything from her mind but her need for him to keep on kissing her and never stop. It had been so long since she had been held in his arms, and acting purely on instinct she pressed closer to him, so that her soft breasts were crushed against the solid wall of his chest.
‘Querida.’
The gravelly sexiness of his voice made her tremble. She had placed her hands on his chest to push him away, but now they crept of their own accord to his shoulders as he freed the buttons of her jacket and pushed the material aside, so that he could cup her breast in his palm.
His hand felt deliciously warm through the fine silk of her blouse, and she caught her breath when he stroked his thumb-pad lightly over her nipple so that it tightened and strained against the sheer fabric of her bra. She wanted more, Lauren acknowledged restlessly. She wanted to feel his naked flesh on hers. Her fingers tugged urgently on his shirt buttons, her breathing fractured as she stroked her hands over the intoxicating warmth of his satiny skin and felt the faint abrasion of the crisp dark hairs that covered his chest.
It was as if she had hurtled back in time, and the months that they had been apart had never happened. When they had become lovers Ramon had unlocked her sensuality, and only he had the key. Her breasts felt heavy, and she was aware of a betraying dampness between her legs as she felt the hard ridge of his arousal nudge against her pelvis. And all the time he continued to kiss her, slow and deep now, and so incredibly sensual that a low moan rose in her throat.
Satisfaction swept through Ramon when he felt Lauren melt against him. He hadn’t planned for things to get this out of hand—not yet—but it seemed that she shared his urgent need to rediscover the sexual ecstasy that he knew without doubt he would experience with her.
With deft fingers he unbuttoned her blouse, and groaned as he slipped his hand inside her bra and rolled her swollen nipple between his finger and thumb. He felt the tremor that shook her, and suddenly his patience snapped. He wanted her now—hard and fast across the desk—and with a muttered oath he thrust his other hand beneath the hem of her skirt and skimmed his fingers over her gossamer-fine hose, the wide band of lace at the top of her stocking, and finally the silky-smooth flesh of her inner thigh.
‘Dios mio, querida—I have to have you now.’
Oh, please, yes—now, now. The words were like a chant in Lauren’s head. She hadn’t felt sexual desire for so long. It was as if those feelings had been locked away since she had ended her affair with Ramon. But now he was here, and her body was screaming for the fulfilment only he could give. The feel of his hand on her thigh was unbearably frustrating when she longed for him to move it higher and slip it beneath the edge of her knickers, to touch her where he hadn’t touched her for so long.
She could sense his impatience, and the thought filtered into her mind that she hoped he would be gentle. Mateo’s birth had been relatively short, but nonetheless it had been a painful experience…
Matty!
She tensed, and her eyes flew open as reality doused her in an ice-cold shower. What in heaven’s name was she doing?
For a few seconds she was torn between the powerful drumbeat of her desire and the firm insistence of her brain, that told her she must stop this now—because allowing Ramon to make love to her would only make an already complicated situation even worse.
‘No!’ Her sharp denial sliced through the air, and, taking advantage of Ramon’s surprise, she pulled out of his arms and stood shaking like a leaf in a storm as she frantically refastened her blouse.
‘No?’
His tone was deceptively soft, but she could sense his anger. It was justified when she had responded to him with such wanton enthusiasm, she thought miserably. She had given him every reason to believe that she was happy to leap into bed with him, but thoughts of Mateo had brought her crashing back to earth. She could not make love with Ramon when she had kept his son a secret from him.
Ramon drew a harsh breath as he fought the urge to snatch Lauren back into his arms and finish what they had started. Frustration clawed in his gut and made him want to lash out.
‘We both know how easily I could make you change your mind,’ he taunted. He stared at her nipples, jutting so provocatively through
