had never felt so wanted, so worshipped, as Caleb tugged his shirt over his head, not seeming to care that he was ripping buttons off in his haste. She almost stopped when she heard him grunt as his broken rib must have twanged with pain but, before she could say a word, he shook his head and said, ‘I’m fine,’ grasping the straps tied behind her head to release the halter neck of her dress then tug at the zip so the silky material fell open and glided down to pool at her feet.
‘So beautiful,’ he muttered as he bent to kiss her again, sliding his hands down her back, tracing the lines of her body with his fingertips and sending her into raptures of ecstasy. Just the feel of his hands on her was enough to make her shudder with joy.
‘There’s nothing like making up for lost time,’ he murmured against her mouth and all she could do was smile and nod in agreement, her brain too fuzzy with lust to help her form anything like intelligible words.
He guided her gently backwards until her legs hit the side of the bed, but she knew she’d have to be the one to lead this because of his injury, so she wrapped her hands around his arms and steered him round so the bed was behind him instead and used the momentum of him being slightly off balance to make him first sit, then lie down.
Then she climbed carefully on top of him, kissing him hard and covetously, the sense of finally being allowed to have him back after all these years of yearning for it making her frantic and greedy.
And some time shortly after that her brain shut down completely and all that was left was the feel of their two bodies moving together and sweet, sweet fulfilment.
* * *
The next morning Elena woke to find sun pouring in through the large warehouse-sized windows of Caleb’s bedroom.
Blinking blearily, it took her a moment for the events of the night before to rush back to her—and remember exactly what had happened between them.
She’d slept with Caleb.
And it had been amazing.
In the heat of the moment, with his mouth on hers and his body pressed so close they’d almost become one, she’d completely lost herself in him, hazily justifying her easy capitulation by telling herself she owed him some happiness, though in truth she knew deep down she’d done it for her own purely selfish reasons. She’d wanted him so much it had caused her physical pain to imagine tearing herself away from him and stopping it.
And it had been such an incredible night, so full of passion and pleasure.
But it all felt like a surreal dream now.
Turning to look at Caleb lying next to her, she felt her insides flutter and heat with pleasure.
In truth, she was still confused about his sudden change in attitude towards her, especially after he’d been so vociferous at their first meeting about not wanting to have anything to do with her again, but she guessed that after helping him turn Carter’s opinion of him around he must have felt she’d paid her dues.
Not that she’d done it for that reason alone. She’d wanted him to be successful with the meeting; she could sense how much it meant to him to win the partnership deal and keep his business thriving—the company he’d worked so hard to build from nothing, just like she had with hers. She wanted him to be happy. To be the man she remembered again.
Trying not to think about how precarious the future of her own company still was, she watched him for a while, his eyelids flickering gently in REM sleep and his wide brow smooth now without his regulation frown creasing it.
She’d been happy too last night, happier than she could remember being in a very long time. Because of him. The guilt and regret that had followed her around for so long that it had felt like an intrinsic part of her seemed to have vanished, leaving a strange, yearning ache in its wake. One she hoped to satisfy with something new and positive and exciting.
A relationship with Caleb, perhaps.
Pushing away a strange nervous sensation in her chest, she slid out of bed and went into his en suite bathroom to take a quick shower, lathering herself all over with his zesty-smelling body wash.
The way he’d looked at her last night when they’d arrived back in his apartment had shaken her to her core. There had been such heat in his eyes, a little like the carnal ferocity she’d seen during their first meeting, although this time it had been driven by desire rather than anger.
He’d looked at her like that before—the night she’d told him how she really felt about him at university—and the impression it had left on her had stayed with her for the rest of her life.
That feeling of being so coveted, so wanted was a hard one to forget. She’d craved it over the years, desperately trying to find a way to feel like that again, but she’d not been successful.
Until now.
She knew she was being reckless here, jumping into something so intense with him so quickly, but she was sick and tired of being sensible. It had brought her nothing but pain and stress in the past and it was high time she started being brave and taking some risks with her heart. Otherwise her life would only ever be half lived and what a waste that would be.
After drying herself, she pulled on an oversized towelling robe that she found on the back of the door and padded quietly back over to the bed.
He was lying on his side facing away from her, towards the wall, apparently still asleep if his regular breathing pattern was anything to go by. Moving to stand by his side of the bed, she looked down at him, at his strong, arresting face, with his usually neatly swept back dark hair mussed and falling over his forehead, making him look younger and less fierce.
She jumped in shock as his eyes sprang open and he grabbed for her, wrapping his arm around her legs and pulling her roughly towards him so she lost her balance and toppled onto him with a squeal of surprise. He kissed her hard before rolling her over, so he was on top now, his brow momentarily pinched as he remembered his damaged rib.
‘What are you doing, you maniac?’ she spluttered, laughing at his self-reproachful grimace.
‘Just saying good morning,’ he replied, flashing her a grin before he kissed her again so thoroughly it made her toes curl.
‘Well, okay then,’ she purred, cupping his jaw in her hands, her whole body buzzing with the joy of finding herself in his arms again. ‘I’m so glad we’re friends again.’
He frowned, looking a little perplexed. ‘Friends? Do you do this with all of your friends?’ he asked, nuzzling her neck and placing soft, sensuous kisses against her hyper-sensitised skin.
She laughed, then sighed, running her hands into his bedhead hair. ‘No, just you.’
Pulling back, he looked straight into her eyes, his gaze unflinching and determined.
‘I know you don’t need to be here with me any more, but I want you to stay for a bit longer. We should go to Gaudi’s Park Güell today. It’s an amazing place. I’d like to show it to you.’
‘I don’t know, Caleb; perhaps you should rest today—’
He held up a hand to cut her off. ‘You can’t come all the way to Barcelona and not visit all the places of interest.’
‘Places
