against hers sprang into Nat’s over-heated brain. She wanted to go dancing with this beautiful man, in this city, tonight. And forget about whatever tomorrow might bring. If her father’s legacy had taught her anything it was that life was short and you had to seize it when you could.
Feeling giddy with lust, desire and a general intoxication with this extraordinary man, she stood up from her seat, feeling the movement of her dress against hot skin, making her nipples peak against the material. She saw his eyes drop there and almost groaned out loud.
Softly, huskily she said, ‘What are you waiting for then?’
* * *
The throbbing insistent beat of the music seemed to have merged with the beat of Salim’s pulse. He cut a swathe through the crowd, caught some double-takes, lustful glances, but was only aware of Nat’s small hand in his as he guided her through the club to the dance-floor.
Never had he been so intensely aware of a woman. All through dinner, he’d noticed every tiny movement she’d made—twirling her hair around a finger; self-consciously tugging at her ear lobe; biting her lip; fingers cupping the stem of her glass; which had automatically made him imagine how it might feel to have them touch him like that, feathering up and down the aching straining erection he’d battled to contain. It had been a delicious torture.
Just when they got to the heaving dance-floor, the music changed to a slow sexy beat. Salim turned and looked at Nat for an infinitesimal moment. Golden green eyes locked onto black, and for the first time Salim felt some of her lightness reach out to touch the depths of his darkness, transforming it into something lighter. Impossibly.
It was too loud to speak. But they didn’t need words. He felt as if he’d known her for millenia. He tugged her into him, the crush of the other bodies making it easy to tug her even closer. She came willingly, her soft curves melting against him like parts of a jigsaw sliding into place. It sent his head into a spin. Was he losing it? Finally? The control he’d wielded over his tangled tortured past loosening, so the demons finally reach out to claim him?
But no. As he folded Nat into his arms and felt hers reach around his neck, bringing her even closer, Salim knew this was different. This felt like he was moving away from that darkness.
And then he stopped thinking. Because he couldn’t anymore. Because all he could feel was the thrust of Nat’s soft full breasts against his chest, and her belly pressing against his arousal, each movement making it harder, ache a little more.
He slid one hand down over the slippery silk of her dress and cupped her bottom, its firm lushness making him groan. She pulled her head back and looked up at him and Salim drowned in her beauty.
His mouth was on hers, crushing her sweet softness, feeling the touch of her tongue against his. And he knew that if he didn’t get them out of there right now, he’d be stripping her bare and pushing her against the nearest hard surface before anyone could stop him.
He drew back even though every cell in his body protested. It took a long moment for her eyes to open and when they did they were darkened with the same need he felt.
He muttered roughly with uncharacteristic inarticulateness, ‘I want you.’
For a moment he tensed, thinking she might say no. He was already howling inwardly in rejection of that. But then she just said, ‘yes,’ and Salim clung onto the shreds of whatever control he had left to take her hand and lead her off the dance floor.
* * *
The chauffeured car ride back to the hotel was thick with sexual tension. Nat was still jittery after Salim had pulled her close as soon as they were in the back and he’d said, ‘The privacy window stays down. If it goes up then I won’t be able to stop myself from taking you, here and now. Unless you want that.’
Nat had looked at him in the gloom in the back of the car and had wanted nothing more than to say yes and have him pull her onto his lap, so this unbearable ache might be assuaged.
But the strength and depth of her desire scared her. So she’d shaken her head. And now Salim was gripping her hand and looking forward, his jaw tight, every torturous second that passed making her regret her decision. Making her wish she was brave enough to straddle him, take him inside her.
But then the gleaming golden lights of the hotel came into view and Nat almost let out a sob of relief. When the car pulled up, Salim was out of the door before the driver could get out, and he reached in for Nat, practically lifting her out.
She could feel the urgency between them and it was like a giddy rush. She felt wild, young, carefree, for the first time in her life. She’d never been aware of how weighted down she felt before.
The lobby’s grand hushed opulence went over Nat’s head, Salim’s hand tight on hers. She almost had to run to keep up with his long-legged stride. They were at the lift and she was breathless. She couldn’t look at Salim though, too afraid he’d see her desperation.
And then the lift doors opened and they stood back to let a tall distinguished grey-haired gentleman out. He stopped when he saw Salim and exclaimed, taking his free hand and pumping it enthusiastically. Frustration gnawed at Nat as she took in the conversation, Salim’s tight smile.
Salim drew her into his side and looked down for a second. She could see the frustration mirrored in his dark eyes and almost felt like giggling.
‘Natalja, this is Gene Chatsfield, owner of the Chatsfield empire, and my friend Antonio’s father.’
The older man turned to Nat. She could appreciate that he was an Alpha male past his prime but still very much in control. His gaze was shrewd and had assessed her in an instant.
He bowed towards her briefly, ‘I trust your photo shoot went well Miss Jordan?’
Nat was taken aback that he knew of it. ‘Yes, of course, everyone was very helpful, thank you.’
He straightened up. ‘Your father was a great man, he stayed here many times over the years.’
‘Yes,’ Nat said huskily, ‘I knew that.’
Salim’s hand tightened on hers as if to comfort her and she clung to him like a rock. The past and present, it was all meshing and colliding in this place. Salim was bidding Chatsfield good-night and finally they were free to step into the lift.
Once the doors closed and Salim had pressed the button, presumably to his floor, he turned to her and cupped her jaw with a hand. He looked at her and she saw concern in his eyes. ‘Ok?’
She knew that he meant the reference to her father just now. And it touched her. She nodded her head, any tendrils of emotion being drowned in the waves of heat emanating from Salim in the small space.
He didn’t pull her closer, didn’t try to kiss her again. Just looked at her as if he could see all the way to the very depths of her being. It was more profound than if he’d touched her physically, even though every part of her body ached for him to do that.
The lift pinged and the doors slid open silently. Salim led her out and down a luxuriously carpeted hall. Nat could see that it was far more opulent than her floor. Salim opened ornate doors and walked inside, flicking a light switch.
Nat followed him into the palatial suite which she could see took in a stunning view of London. She was used to some of
