‘So it wasn’t because you’re secretly in love with the guy and want to have his babies?’
‘No babies,’ she answered faintly. ‘Don’t worry.’ She inhaled a hit of oxygen for courage. ‘What we did was... It was safe.’
He sat up slowly. ‘I remember.’ His gaze lingered on her mouth. ‘So no babies but you’re not in love with him either?’
She shook her head. ‘I just thought I’d say yes for once. Take the bull by the horns, so to speak.’
‘You like rodeo?’ His irrepressible smile quirked.
‘Actually I don’t think it’s really for me,’ she muttered, all but dying.
‘But you ride so beautifully. Great seat, great rhythm. You’re a natural,’ he teased, chuckling at her baleful look. ‘So you don’t often do random seductions?’
The idea of her being some vixen seductress was so far off the mark it was hysterical. But she wasn’t going to get hysterical herself. No, she took a calming breath and reckoned she could manage to get into the tease zone too. That was the way to handle this. ‘Only on full moons.’
‘Oh, you’re a were-woman?’
She flicked her brows and then dropped the pretence. ‘Honestly, the location helped.’ She fiddled with the sheet and couldn’t look at him. She knew this guy of all guys wasn’t going to get hung up on double standards, but she was still embarrassed.
‘The chateau?’
‘It’s so luxurious.’ She nodded, truly meaning it. ‘All the fabric, the furnishings. It’s beautiful.’
‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘But I’ve never thought of it as an erotic destination. It’s not like there are mirrors on the ceiling, tie-me-down bed ends, or twenty types of massage oil in the bathroom cabinet.’ He glanced around the utterly tasteful room with a perplexed look.
Ellie was smoking-hot over his list of essentials for an erotic destination. She’d never thought she’d be into anything more than vanilla but the man had said ‘tie-me-down’ and she was ready to hunt out the ropes. She banished the image but couldn’t help smiling as she tried to explain it more. ‘It has this kind of discreet decadence. And it was a warm night. I’d had the most amazing shower.’ She put her hand to her head because this so wasn’t enough. ‘And they serve French champagne.’
‘Ah-h-h.’ He nodded as if that explained it all. ‘French champagne.’
She shrugged and gave up at that. She truly hadn’t been tipsy. She’d just been bewitched and decided to please herself.
‘This place was once dubbed Frenchman’s Folly, did you know that?’ he asked softly.
‘No.’ She frowned. ‘No one could call this place a folly. It’s more a fantasy.’
And you had to have a fantastical bank balance to be able to stay here. A guy this fit was probably some elite athlete or something. She wondered if she ought to recognise him.
‘Perhaps people thought his folly was his marriage.’
‘Oh.’ Ellie paused. ‘Shame if he was heartbroken. This isn’t a place for heartbreak.’
Her naked lover chuckled. ‘Only for pleasure, huh? But you and your colleague were here for business?’
‘I wasn’t supposed to come here at all.’ She flushed deeper at the unintended entendre. ‘It’s not one of my files but last minute our boss wanted me to be here for backup.’
‘So what’s the business?’
‘I work as a location scout. You know—finding places to film movies and stuff.’
His brows lifted as he picked up her lack of enthusiasm. ‘You don’t think this would be a good location?’
‘It would be an amazing location,’ Ellie said fervently. ‘And I know it sounds like an amazing job and all—it’s actually really not that much fun.’
‘How can having to spend time in places like this not be fun?’ he challenged her.
‘I don’t get to come on the trips much.’ She coloured again as she saw him smile. ‘I’m usually stuck in the office working on the paperwork. I’ve not been there that long.’ She shrugged. Trouble was she excelled at paperwork—every job she had she’d done too well in the admin department to be let out of it. Frustrating wasn’t the word.
‘And so to make sure you got the most out of this trip, you went hunting for some pleasure as well?’ He was laughing as he said it.
And what could she do? There was no hope in denying it or in explaining the mad moment of need for contact that she’d experienced. So she nodded. ‘Massive mistake.’
‘Yeah, but not a disaster.’
Not a disaster, no—she’d had the best sex of her life. But it had been with a total stranger. They hadn’t even kissed. There was absolutely no emotional connection between them. It just wasn’t supposed to work that way. And she couldn’t want more—could she? She tried to claw back her common sense—because what kind of a guy happily screwed complete strangers? A playboy. With a smile that cheeky and attitude that cocky? Yeah, as he’d admitted, he was no innocent.
She closed her eyes and groaned. ‘Why didn’t I turn on the light?’
‘Given the way you’re clutching that sheet around you, I’m guessing you like it best in the dark.’ He laughed. ‘Typical.’
‘Excuse me?’ Indignance rose, she couldn’t restrain her reaction to his tease.
‘Hiding your body.’ He shook his head. ‘What a waste.’
There was some truth to his accusation. Lights on for sex wasn’t something that did it for her—fast-train to self-conscious. And it was then that she became aware of what she must look like—no doubt her hair would be bigger and more bouffant than some eighties rockstar’s. Oh, fabulous. At least she wouldn’t have panda eyes from smudged mascara. But still, this didn’t really make up for the fact that she’d slept with the wrong guy. The guy she couldn’t tear her eyes from.
He was smiling as dangerously as ever. ‘But then you clearly have a latent wild streak.’
It seemed so. But next time she felt in need of satisfaction she’d mail order a vibrator. She clamped her elbows to her ribs, holding the sheet in place while she tried to cool her cheeks with her hands. She was getting turned on all over again just by looking at the guy. ‘Look, I really should go. Let’s just forget this ever happened.’
She attempted a march to the door. Only her sheet was a liability and his nudity gave him a speed advantage.
‘You don’t get away just yet.’ He leaned against the door blocking her exit, all six feet four inches of bared magnificence. ‘We have some more to talk about.’
Now he was standing up and towering over her, she had the melting sensation so deep it was unbearable. Her fingers itched; she could hardly stand
