a slow learner, Donato. I told you not to patronise me.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m just telling you the truth.’ His mouth widened in a smile that drew her belly tight. ‘Do I want your body? Absolutely.’ His gaze dipped then rose again. ‘We’ll be magnificent together.’
No if, just absolute certainty. Where did this man get off, assuming she was his for the taking?
‘But I want more. I want to understand you.’
Of all the things he could have said, of all the things he had said, this was the one that cut her defences off at the knees.
No man had ever wanted to understand her. Not her father, who’d wanted her to be pretty and frivolous and pander to his ego. Not the guys she’d met at long-ago society parties, nor the men she’d dated since.
Longing coursed through her. He was clever, this man, too clever. He really did know what women wanted.
‘Why?’ She tilted her head to one side, wishing she could read him. ‘We’re strangers. And don’t tell me it’s because you think my father’s idea of marrying into this family is a good one. I want the truth.’
Ella held herself tall, ready for Donato’s blast of outrage, conditioned to it after a lifetime dealing with her father’s volatile temperament.
‘You think I’d lie?’
‘Men usually do when they want something.’
‘You don’t have a high opinion of men.’ He looked curious rather than offended. ‘But I applaud your caution.’
‘You do?’
He nodded. ‘It pays not to accept everything at face value. Too many people put themselves at risk then find themselves in situations they can’t control or escape.’ His voice rang with a depth of feeling that surprised her.
She couldn’t imagine anyone taking advantage of Donato.
‘Did that ever happen to you?’
Long moments passed, then he surprised her. ‘Of course. But once was enough. It won’t happen again.’ His words held absolute certainty.
Ella wished she possessed such conviction. She should walk away from Donato Salazar and the danger he represented. He made her want things that scared the daylights out of her.
She imagined giving in to him. There’d be no fumbling, no awkwardness. She guessed with him sex would be far too easy and utterly devastating.
‘Why me?’ She set her jaw. ‘There are plenty of glamorous women here. Quite a few would give you sex if you asked.’
‘You don’t think you’re glamorous?’
How had he latched onto that? On the fact she felt like an imposter even dressed in silk and diamonds.
‘I know my limitations.’
‘And you think your looks are one of them?’
‘The way I look doesn’t matter.’ She ignored the tension clamping her stomach.
He put down his drink beside hers and she wondered, frantically, if he’d reach for her. Instead he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. The movement emphasised the power in both his broad shoulders and muscular thighs.
‘I think it matters very much, to you.’
Ella wiped clammy hands down her dress. Her sister’s dress. Fuzz would look delicate and gorgeous in it. On Ella it strained at the seams and the skirt rode too high.
‘I was wrong when I called you pretty.’
She froze. She’d asked for the truth, hadn’t she? What did it matter if these last few years she’d begun to believe she was attractive in her own quiet way? His admission shouldn’t feel like such a blow.
‘Pretty is for little girls. And you’re all woman, Ella.’ She saw his hands bunch in his pockets, drawing the fabric of his trousers tight. ‘You’re the only woman here that I want in my bed.’
Her breath was an audible gasp.
‘You’re stunning. The fire in your eyes, that sassy mouth of yours, all that lovely lush bounty of hips and breasts and long, long legs. I want—’
‘That’s enough!’
Ella pressed a palm to her pounding chest. Her heart hammered up high as if it had broken free. ‘We’re not discussing my looks or who you want in your bed.’
‘We’re not?’ His mouth kicked up at the corner in a tiny smile that was far more devastating than the one he’d given her before. It was the sort of smile a friend or lover might give, a shared intimacy.
Ella tugged the silk dress further down her thighs. ‘No. We’re discussing the fact that you marrying into the Sanderson family is totally unnecessary.’
‘Unnecessary? Yes.’
At last! She felt as if a huge stone lifted off her chest. Finally some of the tension drained from her body.
‘But definitely appealing.’ His eyes traced a sinuous line down her tall frame and it was a wonder Ella didn’t self-combust. If any other man had ogled her like that she’d have slapped him. Instead her shoulders tightened, pushing out her breasts as if she revelled in that proprietorial look.
‘I beg your pardon?’ Pity the words sounded breathy rather than outraged.
‘You heard me, Ella. Don’t play coy.’
‘I’m not playing anything!’ Had the world gone mad? Had lust addled her brain? ‘You can’t seriously tell me you think my father’s plan makes sense.’
‘Actually—’ his eyes locked with hers ‘—I think it’s an excellent idea.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ She stared into that steady blue gaze, waiting for some sign that Donato was joking.
No sign came. Ella folded her hands over her chest then wished she hadn’t when his gaze flickered to her breasts, pushed up under the tight silk. She hated how that split-second glance flustered her.
‘It’s not going to happen. Felicity won’t marry you.’
‘So you said.’ He leaned forward, holding her gaze. ‘You’re repeating yourself. Do I make you nervous?’
‘Nervous? No.’ Casually she reached for her discarded glass and took a slow sip.
‘Something else then?’ His voice was a dark purr. Instead of reassuring, it primed her fight-or-flight response. Donato was no tame cat. He was about as safe as a panther eyeing its next meal.
‘Several things spring to mind, Donato, but I’m too polite to spell them out.’
His chuckle was warm
