a little, then gasped in delight as he began to kiss every curve and hollow of her tall, slender body. The relentless, controlled caresses kindled slow fire along every nerve until Joss was in such an unashamed state of arousal that he abandoned the control, his hands and mouth so demanding they took her to dizzying heights of response. She surged against him, her fingers digging into the taut muscles of his broad shoulders, and he raised himself on his hands, his arms throbbing with the desire surging through his body. He asked a brief, urgent question and she shook her head wildly, and at last his body took possession of hers with a thrust of pure sensation, and she gasped, overwhelmed by fiery, rhythmic pleasure which mounted in increasing levels of intensity until white-hot culmination engulfed them both.
‘What does one say in these circumstances?’ she panted afterwards, when his arms had slackened slightly.
‘What do you usually say?’ Adam said hoarsely.
‘Goodnight, I suppose.’
He raised his head to peer down into her face. ‘Is that what you want me to say?’
‘No.’ Her eyes fell. ‘Unless you want to go now.’
He kissed her hard. ‘No, I don’t want to go. I want to stay here, holding you in my arms all night, and maybe pinching myself from time to time to make sure this is real.’
‘I feel like that,’ she confessed. ‘Shocked, too.’
‘Shocked at what we did?’
‘No,’ she said dryly. ‘I know about the birds and the bees.’
He laughed and kissed her again more gently, running the tip of his tongue over her lips. ‘So what are you shocked about?’
‘That I could have actually begged you to make love to me.’ Joss bit her lip. ‘I’ve never done that before.’
‘I’m sure you haven’t,’ he said, his broad chest vibrating with laughter.
‘I’m glad you find it so amusing!’
‘Extraordinary, not amusing,’ he assured her huskily. ‘If you hadn’t asked me to make love to you it’s possible I might have found the strength to kiss you goodnight and leave, but I seriously doubt it. I wanted you from the moment I first saw your reflection in the mirror tonight.’
‘Are you saying that to make me feel better?’
Adam smiled down into her eyes. ‘No. It’s the simple truth.’
Joss sighed with satisfaction, her mouth curving in a smile he bent to kiss, taking his time over it. When she could speak she put a finger on his lips. ‘You’ve achieved something rather wonderful tonight.’
‘Don’t I know it!’
‘Not that,’ she said impatiently, then smiled. ‘Well, yes, that too, because it was wonderful. But the way you made love to me healed my poor, battered ego.’
‘What way?’ he asked, frowning.
‘As though you were starving and I was food.’ Joss blushed in the semi-darkness as he chuckled and ran his hands down the curve of her hips.
‘That’s it exactly,’ he assured her. ‘For me the entire evening was one long build-up of foreplay. Before I’d kissed this mouth, or caressed these exquisite breasts, all I could think of was this—and this—’
Adam matched caresses to his words with such skill desire swiftly engulfed them again, sending them in another breathtaking, headlong rush towards ecstasy.
CHAPTER THREE
AT SOME time in the night Joss was aware of hands pulling the covers over her, of a warm, hard mouth on hers for an instant, and a whispered goodnight in her ear, then she slept again until daylight brought her back to earth with a bump.
For a moment, as bright sunlight poured across the bed, she wondered if she’d dreamed the prolonged, sensual fantasy of the night.
But one look at the wild disorder of the bed told her it had all been blazingly real. A violent tremor ran through Joss at the thought of it. She breathed in deeply, pushed back the tangled covers and got out, raked tousled hair out of her eyes, restored a couple of pillows to their rightful place, then pulled on a dressing gown and ventured into the hall to make sure Adam had gone. When she found she was alone in the flat, Joss let out a deep, shaky breath. She hugged her arms across her chest, her face on fire at the memory of her utter abandon in the dark. She knew people who indulged in one-night stands without turning a hair. But it just wasn’t her style. Last night had been a first on several counts. Living and sleeping with the man she’d expected to share her life with for ever had been no preparation for the bliss experienced in the arms of a total stranger.
There are names for women like you, Joss told herself darkly, and went off to run a hot bath. She lay in it for a long time, deep in thought, devoutly thankful that no one had actually seen her with Adam. If she were careful enough last night could remain a secret. She was unlikely to bump into her mystery lover again, whoever he was. Not that his identity mattered. Overpoweringly attractive he might be, but after her recent exit from the frying pan she had no intention of tumbling straight into the fire again, with Adam or anyone else. Joss got out of the bath, wincing as certain muscles protested in ways that brought colour to her face to think of them. She dressed hurriedly, and went into the kitchen, then stopped dead as she saw the note propped against the kettle.
Eve, it’s damnably hard to tear myself away, but you might prefer to be alone when you wake. I’m out of the country for a few days. I’ll ring when I get back. Adam.
Heat surged inside Joss. Shaken by the sheer, physical force of it, she fought hard against temptation. Last night, she told herself fiercely, had happened solely because Peter had left her devastated. Adam had restored her faith in herself quite miraculously. Their glorious night together had been a fitting climax to part of her life. But now it was time to get on with the rest of it. Besides, if she saw Adam again there would be no more mystery. Hard facts would be required about names and careers. So if he rang she would no longer be here. There had been a strong, sudden magic about last night. But magic couldn’t be expected to last, or even happen twice. Joss hugged her arms across her chest to steady her thudding heart. Adam was a man of powerful charisma, and in her vulnerable state his passionate lovemaking had provided a quite wonderful salve for her bruised self-esteem. The Eve part of her longed to see him again. But realistic Joss knew that what seemed so irresistibly romantic in the hours of darkness might seem very different if they met again in the harsh light of day.
Early next morning Joss was packed and ready when the removal firm came to take her belongings away. One of the sub-editors on the Post had been searching for a flat in Notting Hill for months. After Peter’s departure Joss had neither wanted nor could afford to live in the flat alone, and so had asked Nick Holt if he and Carrie fancied exchanging their flat in Acton for hers. The Holts had jumped at the chance, and the exchange was carried out at top speed. The new address was less fashionable, but the flat was in good repair, carried a much smaller price tag, and had no memories of Peter—or Adam—to haunt it.
The removal men had finished loading her belongings into the service lift and Joss was about to leave when a youth came hurrying towards her, holding a florist’s box.
‘Miss Eve?’ he asked.
Joss
