A Night With Consequences (6 page)

‘Maybe you should drink your coffee,’ he said, ‘before it gets cold.’

‘I’d rather you held me a little longer.’ The words slipped out before she could stop them and she was horrified. ‘I’m sorry. I’m being silly. I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘My beautiful Kara, I’m glad that you did. It proves that you trust me.’ His eyes had darkened but they still held the softness, the tenderness, and Kara guessed that he had never held a woman like this before and not kissed her.

She was grateful to him. And she actually experienced a sense of relief that she had told him about her father. It felt cathartic—as though a whole weight had been lifted from her shoulders, finally giving her permission to move on.

He continued to stroke the side of her face, gently sweeping back tendrils of hair that got in his way, and Kara enjoyed the touch of his fingers so much that when he again traced the outline of her lips they parted of their own volition, the tip of her tongue coming out to touch and taste him.

She heard the faint groan in the back of his throat and had no idea what it meant. Was he saying
please don’t do that?
Or,
if you do I won’t be responsible for
my actions?
It was embarrassing to be totally innocent in the ways of men.

And the trouble was that the longer she remained in his arms the more intense her emotions became. She reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the faint rasp where his strong black hair was already growing again. He put his hand over hers, holding it there for a few seconds before moving it slowly so that he could press his lips to her palm.

Then he folded her fingers over the kiss and gave her her hand back. ‘Especially for you, my troubled one.’

Kara did not want her hand back; she wanted to continue to touch him. She wanted to trace the outline of his face, his beautifully sculpted lips. She wanted—When she suddenly realised exactly what it was that she wanted it took her breath away. She wanted him to kiss her—really kiss her. Something she had shied away from all her life. She had shied away from any sort of contact with a man.

But Blake was more than just a man! She closed her eyes and thought about what it would be like for him to kiss her. Would it be light and sweet, or deep and tempestuous? Would it fill her with pleasure or dread? She felt him move and guessed that he was going to put her away from him, move back to the other sofa—with the coffee pot between them. And her heart suddenly ached.

But then she discovered that he was simply positioning himself more comfortably in order
to
kiss her. It was a gentle kiss, an experimental kiss, but the touch of his lips on hers was like lighting the touchpaper on a firework. It fizzed quietly at first, but then exploded
into a galaxy of sparks and showers, of crackling noises and body-tingling sensations.

Sensations such as she had never experienced before. Stimulation such as she had never experienced before.
Whoa!
she thought. What was happening here? How could a simple kiss create such strong feelings? Except that it was not simple. It was a complex kiss, one that spun into every corner of her body, creating tingles and hunger and all sorts of crazy emotions. It was like pins and needles everywhere.

She was afraid to open her eyes and look at him. This was a man of the world who had made love to endless women. Experienced women. Women who would readily respond. Whereas all she was doing was submitting. It would hardly be enough for him.

But letting him know what he was doing to her, what was happening to her, felt frighteningly like revealing her soul. Shame suddenly crept over her, shame that she was allowing the kiss, and she struggled to free herself.

Immediately Blake let her go. ‘I’m sorry, Kara, I thought you were ready for this. I want to help you—if I may be permitted to do so? Not all men are the same. You need to know that. There are some good guys around.’

Finally she looked at him. And what she saw in his face was nothing but compassion. He was not judging her or comparing her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice no more than a husky whisper now. ‘It’s just that I’m not used to—’

‘I know and I understand. I’m sorry I misjudged the
timing,’ he said gruffly. ‘Go to your room if you want to.’ And he did indeed look truly sorry. Sad, even.

Kara did not want to leave; she did not want to be alone—not yet. She wanted to feel Blake’s strong arms around her again. They had held comfort and—and something else she could not put a name to. ‘Will you—will you just hold me?’ she asked, feeling tears gathering in her eyes.

His answer was to pull her gently against him, his arms folding round her. How long they sat there like that Kara did not know, but it felt like a very long time. She could feel the regular beat of his heart and peace stole over her until gradually she felt completely at ease with him.

The threatened tears never materialized, and when she eventually went back to her room she felt like a new woman. She even—and this thought really scared her—wondered what it would feel like to have Blake in bed beside her. Except that she knew it would be hard for him, if not impossible, to sleep with her and not want to make love. But she was not ready for that yet.

Her mind was slowly adjusting to the idea that such a relationship could work without her feeling that she was doing something wrong, something her father would not approve of. But he had been such a big influence in her life that it was too soon yet to let go of the old and welcome the new.

At least she was getting there.

Blake’s eyes caught Kara’s as she joined the conference the next day. Her confession last night had knocked him for six. Any man who hurt a woman, whether it was
physically or verbally, was the lowest of the low as far as he was concerned. And her father’s abuse had certainly left Kara with some problems.

She had trembled so much when he had held her that he had feared she might break down. It was a miracle that she had grown into the competent woman she was. Clearly work had been her saviour. Only when she was working was she in control of herself.

Certainly she had been on edge in his suite. He had felt her fear. But then, surprisingly, she had let him kiss her. It had taken every ounce of his not inconsiderable self-control to contain the kiss. How he had managed it he was not sure, and as delicate as it had been it had still sent a raging heat through his body.

Kara had no idea how lovely she was—how sexy, how alluring. He could understand now why she always dressed down, why she never made anything of herself. If she dressed as most of the other women in the office did then she would have every man in the company after her. And that, he realised now, was the last thing he wanted.

She did not know it, but after he had kissed her her eyes had assumed a sparkle he had never seen before, and her skin had glowed. It had been the hardest thing in the world not to kiss her again. And even harder to let her return to her room!

‘Are you all right?’ he asked her now. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ she answered, her eyes meeting his shyly. ‘And I’m sorry about last night.’

He shook his head. ‘Think nothing of it. You have nothing to be sorry for.’ He was the one who was
sorry—sorry that she had been caused such suffering at the hands of a monster like her father. His blood still boiled every time he thought about it.

‘It actually helped, telling someone,’ she admitted with a wry twist to her lips. ‘I didn’t think it would. I’ve kept it bottled up all these years. But when I went back to my room I felt a sense of relief. I slept better than I’ve done in a long time.’

‘Then I’m glad that I could be of service.’ How any man could treat his daughter like that he had no idea. It was perhaps fortunate that he was no longer alive or he would have felt like confronting him, giving him a taste of his own medicine. He wasn’t usually a violent man, but anyone who could harm his own flesh and blood did not deserve to be treated humanely.

‘And the opera tonight? Are you looking forward to that too?’

Kara nodded. ‘Actually, yes, I am.’ After last night she felt much more at ease with Blake. Whether it was because he now knew something about her past, or because she had spent so much time with him and got to know him better she wasn’t sure. But she was beginning to see him as a man instead of her boss. A good-looking, sexy man who had lit a fire inside her. The idea that confession was good for the soul had certainly been true in her case. She felt as though a great big weight had been lifted from her shoulders and now there was a whole bright new future ahead.

‘I thought we might have dinner somewhere first. Unless you’d prefer to eat after the theatre?’

‘I think before.’ She could imagine that a late dinner would lead to a late evening, and that could lead to…

Kara allowed her thoughts to go no further. The way she had relaxed in Blake’s company last night, responded to him, still scared her slightly. It was hard to get it out of her mind.

‘What do I wear?’ she asked him now. ‘I’m not sure I have anything suitable.’

Blake smiled. ‘The black dress you wore the other night will be perfect, Kara.’

Dinner was everything Kara had expected it to be. The restaurant was not far from the theatre, and served exquisite food in stunning surroundings. She chose sole fillet with asparagus for her main course, and it was truly the most delicious fish she had ever eaten.

But her attention was not on the food. It was on Blake instead. Ever since that kiss he had filled her body and her mind, and she was beginning to wonder whether it was wise spending so much time with him. Her heart seemed to have developed a mind of its own, fluttering like a captured bird whenever he spoke to her, whenever he was near.

‘What are you thinking?’

His voice was low and gruff and it created an unimaginable stream of sensations that sped through her body like a fast-flowing waterfall. Sitting opposite him like this, feeling his oh-so-attractive grey eyes constantly on her, was not a situation she felt comfortable with. ‘I was actually wondering what I’m doing here.’

An instant frown caused his dark brows to scurry together. ‘You are not looking forward to the opera?’

‘Of course I am. But—’ How could she explain how
she felt? ‘I’m actually nervous about spending time with you.’

Blake reached across the table and rested his hand on her arm. ‘Kara, all I want is for you to enjoy some free time, which I fear has been lacking in your life.’

He dared not say that besides wanting to spend time getting to know her he wanted to make love with her. It would send her scuttling for shelter more quickly than if she was fleeing a thunderstorm. But the truth was the more time he spent with her, the more excited his body became, the more hungry he grew. Kara was without a doubt one very intriguing female—sexier, he guessed, than she had ever dreamt she could be. She lit fires within him that would never be assuaged until he had made her his. But he would never, ever force himself on her. If and when they did make love it would be because she wanted it too.

‘I do trust you, Blake,’ she said now, her eyes wide and beautiful and more violet than blue.

He wished that she had not used those words because it made him feel ashamed of his thoughts. He squeezed her hand and then let it go.

Faust
was everything Kara had expected—and more. She sat entranced throughout the whole performance, hardly even aware of Blake at her side, or the fact that his eyes were often on her, or that his hand held hers. Tears ran down her cheeks at the end, when Marguerite mounted the scaffold where she was to be hanged for killing her child—Faust’s child.

Blake produced a handkerchief and dabbed at her
tears. At the same time his arm came around her, holding her firmly against him.

‘That was lovely,’ she managed to say. ‘I truly enjoyed it.’

‘And that is why you are crying?’

‘It was sad, but beautiful too. Thank you for tonight. It is an evening I will always remember.’

In the car on their way back to the hotel Kara did not mind when he put his arm around her again. She nestled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt as though she was in another world—a world where bad things never happened, where there was light and laughter…and Blake!

If anyone had asked her a few weeks ago whether she fancied her boss she would have laughed at them, would have declared herself a man-free zone. But all that was changing, and Blake was the reason. He was giving her confidence in herself, assuring her that she was a very beautiful woman—and at the same time revealing that he was enchanted by her. Blake Benedict enchanted by her! It was the stuff of dreams.

‘Shall we indulge in a nightcap?’ he asked as they stepped out of the private lift that had swiftly taken them up to his suite.

Kara surprised herself by agreeing. She had enjoyed his company so much this evening that she did not want to be on her own again yet. There was something about Blake here in Italy that was different. He was charming and considerate and she truly felt relaxed with a man for the very first time in her life.

‘What would you like?’ he asked. ‘Brandy, perhaps? Or maybe wine?’

‘Actually, coffee would be good—if that doesn’t sound too boring?’

‘Coffee it is, then, and it doesn’t sound in the least boring. In fact it’s probably wise.’

He lifted the phone as he spoke, and Kara loved hearing him speak in Italian. It made him seem excitingly different. It added to the glamour of the evening. It was hard to believe that she was here again with her boss at this time of night and they were going to settle down for a quiet drink together. She needed to be fresh and alert tomorrow. Perhaps it had been a mistake coming here. Maybe she ought to have gone straight to her room and to bed.

And in the end it was the coffee that proved to be her undoing. As she sat opposite Blake in a deep comfortable chair, nervously aware that his eyes never left her, Kara’s hand trembled as she took a sip of her drink and some of the hot liquid spilled down the front of her dress.

Instantly Blake jumped up, took the cup from her, and began dabbing his handkerchief on the stain. It was a much too intimate gesture, and Kara’s heart began to thud painfully against her ribcage—especially when he draped his arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. ‘It’s all right, Blake, it’s nothing. I—’