The Pleasures of Spring (29 page)

He clambered onto the bank and dragged himself out. He was conscious of laughter and the crunch of shoes on gravel. Did she really think that she could run away from
him? Andy stood up, brushing off the pond weed and bits of greenery he had picked up during his unplanned swim.

A single, pale water lily clung to the mess. The yellow petals appeared waxy in the moonlight. But its fragile appearance was deceptive. Like Roz, the flowers were tough and resilient. They came back every spring despite the weather. They were hardy survivors, just like her.

In the distance, he caught a glimpse of blue. He picked up his discarded jacket, tucked the flower into the pocket of his shirt and set off in pursuit.

She was surprisingly fast for someone wearing heels. Andy remembered the day they first met in Paris and her ability to keep up with two ex-Rangers as they made their way across Paris on foot. He would be hard pressed to catch her before she reached the hotel, and he couldn’t go back to the ballroom looking like this.

A minibus covered with signs announcing that it specialized in golf tours pulled out in front of her and Roz dodged into the car park around it. He had her now. Without thinking, Andy stepped up on top of a low-slung sports car and jumped from vehicle to vehicle, heading in a direct line for the hotel. Her progress was slower as she wove her way through the rows of parked vehicles. The hotel must be full to the rafters. There would be no possibility of a room.

Adrenaline pumped through him as he pursued her. Andy changed direction, heading straight for Roz. Realizing that he was hot on her tail, she let loose a string of curses, one of which questioned his paternity. He picked up speed and slid off the roof of a Mercedes, straight into her path.

Roz looked around her wildly, desperately seeking another avenue of escape.

‘Oh no, you don’t.’

Andy lunged for her and picked her up, ignoring the
blows that she rained on him. For someone who had no training, she was effective and they hurt, but if they were going into protective custody together, he would have to teach her how to do real damage.

‘Put me down, you bastard. You’ll ruin my dress.’

Andy ignored her and carried her, kicking and protesting, to the valet parking area. She was worse than a feral kitten. He set her down, reached under the Rolls for the magnetic box that held a spare key in case Poppy lost hers, opened the rear door of the big car and pushed her inside.

Roz crawled immediately for the other door. Andy lunged after her, pinning her down. ‘You’re wet,’ she protested.

‘And whose fault is that?’ The silky menace in his voice silenced her momentarily. Roz knew that she was in trouble but it didn’t stop her for long.

‘Yours. You deserved it for messing around with other women when you’re supposed to be engaged to me. How do you think your parents reacted when they saw that picture?’

So that’s what this was about. ‘I haven’t looked at another woman since I met you. Abbie Marshall is a client and a friend of mine. She –’

‘Oh yeah? Well, you looked
very
friendly.’

Her blue eyes glared, cutting through him like lasers. Andy’s temper rose. He knew that he should have dealt with that perving pap at the time. ‘It wasn’t like that.’

Roz wriggled beneath him, trying to get free. ‘I don’t care what it was like. Go find someone who believes you.’ She landed another punch on his ribs, right on top of where Hall had hit him.

Andy yanked both her arms above her head to stop the blows. There was no point trying to talk to Roz when she was like this. He would have to wait until tomorrow, when they had both calmed down.

From the glow of the car park lights, he could see that her hair had come loose from its pins, spreading like a Titian cloud over the white leather upholstery. Beneath the thin silk of the dress she shook. Her fragrance caught him, all hot, aroused woman. Whether from the cold or from the excitement of the fight, her nipples had formed two hard points that called to his mouth. Roz was a witch. They were in the middle of a bitter argument, but he wanted her with a hunger that appalled him. He could never have enough of her. Not if he lived to be a hundred.

Roz moved again, suddenly realizing his emotions had shifted from anger to burning lust. ‘Don’t you dare.’

Andy laughed. Roz might fight him like a wildcat but behind her angry words, her mouth had softened. A hectic blush stained her cheeks. Her pupils were large and dark. Kinky bitch. She was as turned on by this as he was.

He stared into her eyes, not letting her look away and smiled. ‘I dare.’

‘Asshole,’ she spat, but she didn’t move when he released her wrists and sat up.

‘We don’t want to ruin your pretty dress.’ Andy shrugged out of his wet shirt, pausing to remove the water lily from his pocket. He toed off his shoes. They were wet and difficult. He reached for the fastening on his pants.

‘I hate you.’ She made a token protest as anger and lust fought within her.

‘Good. I prefer it when a woman speaks her mind.’

Tugging his wet bow tie free from the collar of his shirt, he used it to secure her hands above her head.

She made such a pretty picture lying there that he couldn’t resist sliding his palm along the length of her torso, pausing to cup her breast and pinch her nipple hard. Her outraged gasp was music to his ears. No bra? Even better.

He opened the jewelled clasp at the neck of her dress and pushed the fabric aside to expose her breasts. The dress opened almost to the waist. Little wonder half the men in the ballroom had been lusting after her.

Bending his neck, he fastened his mouth over one nipple and sucked hard. His fingers found the other and he toyed with it mercilessly, enjoying the feel of her wriggling beneath him as she tried to evade his searching hands and mouth. He wished he had something to blindfold her with to heighten the sensation for her. If he’d had his way, he would have taken her back to the dungeon and shown her exactly how much he had missed her.

How could she think for a moment that he would look at another woman when he had her? Andy raised his head. Her nipples were berry red against her alabaster skin – perfect for nipple clamps. He wondered how she would feel about that. Or maybe a tiny chain that led down to her clit.

He slid his hand beneath the skirt of her dress, mesmerized when stocking gave way to smooth flesh. Andy pushed the fabric up until the dress was around her waist. ‘A suspender belt? Naughty girl.’

She gave him a scorching look that promised payback,
but right now he was beyond caring. As if they had all the time in the world, he dragged his fingers over her body, alternating between using the soft tips or his short nails.

Roz broke their silent battle when he traced a line up the inside of her thigh, over and over, but never quite reaching her aching core. Her stifled moan made his cock throb, but they weren’t going there yet. She wasn’t half as frustrated as he intended to make her.

As she writhed, seeking his touch, he returned his attention to her breasts, clasping one tender nub between his teeth while flicking the other nipple hard. When she groaned in protest, he switched sides. She thoroughly deserved this for doubting him.

Andy raised his head. ‘You know you can safe word at any time?’

‘Fuck you.’

Andy clicked his tongue. ‘Fuck you is not a safe word. Let’s see if we can do better, hmmm?’

He made his leisurely way along her torso, using every trick he knew to build her excitement. She was panting now, soft moans occasionally escaping. God, she was stubborn. She wouldn’t give an inch. It was time to up the ante and drive her wild.

Andy settled between her thighs and dropped a light kiss on the scrap of fabric that covered her mound. Grasping the fragile string of her thong, he ripped it off her. She didn’t need panties. Hell, he might make that a rule when they lived together.

Burying his face between her legs, he licked and then stopped. Roz was so close to coming. He held her on the cusp of orgasm until the tide of sensation ebbed away.

She hissed a curse and he hid his smile. Roz deserved this and more. Andy stroked her labia with his thumb, coating it with her slick wetness before turning his attention to her clit. He stroked lightly around it, never quite hitting the sweet spot that would send her over. With his other hand, he dragged his nails along her inner thigh.

‘Please.’ The single plea was music to his ears.

When Andy plunged one finger inside her, she raised her hips, arching off the seat and seeking more.

He held perfectly still. ‘Is that good, baby?’

Stubborn to the core, she refused to respond. Slowly he withdrew his finger and returned his attention to her clit, stroking carefully, with never quite enough pressure to take her over the edge. He could see the tension in her muscles, her body desperate for release, her mind fighting him every inch of the way.

The windows of the Rolls had steamed up. A light sheen of sweat glistened on her pale skin. The scent of her arousal perfumed the air. Ramrod straight, his cock throbbed, begging for release. It took every inch of self-control he had not to bury himself inside her. Not yet. He moistened his fingers again before pumping two inside her.

Her relief was palpable. With a throaty noise of approval she writhed against his fingers. She was slick and wet and so very hot. He could have watched her for hours. Her hair clung damply to her forehead, her hips lifted, seeking the extra pressure which would send her over, but he hadn’t tortured her quite enough yet.

Andy stopped.

‘Noooo.’ Frustration dragged a scream out of her. If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times.

Andy stroked her thigh, pleased when she opened to him. Her body wanted him, but she was fighting it. The stubborn wee bitch. He bent his head to nuzzle her neck. She was so sensitive there. He loved the little trembling movements that she made when he touched her.

Ignoring the fire that blazed in her eyes, Andy stroked her body from neck to core and back again, letting his hand rest lightly against the base of her throat. ‘Who does this belong to?’

She remained obstinately silent. He had to admire her. Most women would have surrendered long before this, but then Roz wasn’t most women. She was his woman. His alone. And he had to convince her of that.

‘You.’

The single word was barely more than a whisper but it was enough. God, she was magnificent. He would never master her. She would continue to challenge him. Every day together would be a battle. But tonight she was his.

‘Oh, baby.’ He couldn’t say the easy words, the glib phrases that usually tripped off his tongue. None of them were good enough for her.

Andy pressed a possessive kiss on her mouth before he kissed her earlobe and neck tenderly. Positioning himself between her thighs, he stared in awe at the vision that was his. Roz belonged to him. His chest filled with a tender emotion he had never known before this moment.

Aiming his aching cock, he slid a slow inch inside her. She was hot, slick and so very wet. He couldn’t wait
another moment. One slow delicious thrust and then another, making her ready for him.

‘Andy, please. I can’t wait.’

He withdrew almost all the way, before plunging back in hard. He wasn’t going to last, but then, neither was she. With a harsh cry, he pushed inside her again, relishing the sensation of her hot core gripping him. Mindless, he quickened his pace, setting a rhythm to please her.

She wrapped her thighs around his hips, holding him prisoner. Her breathless broken cries filled his ears. She was so close. Digging her heels into his ass, she urged him on. ‘Harder. Fuck me hard.’

He was lost. Plunging as wildly as a stallion, he lost all control. He gritted his teeth against the fire that burnt each nerve ending. His balls tightened. He was going to come. Not yet. Not yet. Please not yet. Her inner walls clamped around him. She shuddered, lost in the maelstrom of orgasm, and, with a guttural cry, he followed her, pumping inside her until he had nothing left to give.

Andy raised his head. The fog around his brain cleared and he eased his weight from her, untied her wrists and pulled her into his arms. ‘That was … amazing,’ he managed to gasp.

With her pale skin and long red hair, Roz looked like she’d stepped out of a fairy tale. Except that he hadn’t exactly behaved like Prince Charming. He touched the crumpled fabric of her dress. ‘Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be going back to the ball.’

Roz gave a little sigh as she looked at the rumpled outfit. ‘Figures. It’s the story of my life. Remind me to shove you in a pond again next time we see one.’

Andy laughed. Roz would never give in. It was one of the things he loved about her. ‘I’ll buy you another dress, but you look perfect the way you are.’

‘Does that kind of stuff usually work on women?’

‘Some,’ Andy admitted. He didn’t want to say that it was true. That she was beautiful and amazing. If he was going to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him, he wanted to do it properly. For the first time in his life, he cursed his reputation. If he said anything to her now, she wouldn’t believe him.

He would tell her tomorrow on the flight. She deserved a romantic evening in Paris with champagne. The works. Roz had to believe that he was serious about this. On the floor of the Roller, Andy caught sight of the lily. He reached for it and pushed it behind her ear. The waxy petals contrasted dramatically with her red hair. He brushed her lips with his.

‘You look beautiful.’

Emotion fluttered across her face. Surprise, mingled with regret. What sort of idiots had she known before this, that not one man had told her she was beautiful? Tomorrow he would tell her, and the day after that and the day after that. And he would never stop telling her.

Across the still night air, he heard the first strains of ‘New York, New York’. The ball would soon be over. They couldn’t be caught like this in the back of his parents’ car. Sitting up, he smoothed her dress over her hips and legs, before reaching for the top.