Harley was running down the hall of the penthouse with Raphaël in her arms, searching for Armel. She could hear his voice ahead of her but the passageway seemed to go on forever and he remained a distant figure who taunted her desperate attempts to catch up with him.‘Armel… please, wait…’ Tears filled her eyes as she struggled on.‘We’re here… Don’t go…’ Raphaël was heavy and her wrist was hurting like hell, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart as she faced the knowledge that she would never reach Armel and she would always be without him…‘Don’t leave me…’ ****“Harley, wake up…” A familiar, terse voice sounded loud in her ear and when she opened her eyes, Harley discovered that she was not in the hall, but in her bedroom, and Armel was standing close to her bed watching her with undisguised impatience.“I’m here because you were screaming in your sleep… You were ha
She had warmed to Liza’s kindness instantly and for the first time since Raphaël’s birth, Harley felt she could relax and trust that her baby would be well cared for. Over the next two days, she began to appreciate Liza’s advice. The accident had taken its toll and she was shocked at how tired and emotionally all over the place she felt. The sound of laughter from the nursery indicated that Raphaël was perfectly happy with the nanny, and it made a welcome change to have a temporary reprieve from her responsibilities. To her relief, Harley saw little of Armel. He had left for his office before she woke in the mornings and didn’t return until late in the evening. Some things hadn’t changed, she mused wryly as she recalled the long, lonely days she had spent when she had lived with him, waiting for him to return from his office or one of his frequent business trips. A few times, Armel had taken her abroad with him. ‘Dynamico’s owned stores in se
His slow smile triggered alarm bells and she bit back her retort as her mind fantasized about how Armel would bend her to his will. With ease, that was for sure, she acknowledged on a wave of self-disgust. Just the thought of his hands and mouth caressing her was enough to send liquid heat pooling between her thighs. If he touched her, kissed her again, she seriously doubted her ability to resist him… and he knew it. Harley swallowed and tore her eyes from his mocking smile, tears of shame prickling behind her eyelids. If she wanted to retain any trace of her self-respect, she would have to agree to go to dinner with him because she could not risk him persuading her.“It was kind of your PA to go to so much trouble…” Harley replied tightly, careful not to look at him. “And because I know how unwell she must be feeling at the moment, I’ll agree to take her place tonight.” Clutching the box Armel had given her, Harley headed for the door, her back
It was almost midnight when they bid Marcus and Diane Reese goodnight and drove back to the penthouse. Harley wished she were tired but to her dismay, she felt wide awake and filled with a wild, reckless energy. Those few moments of madness on the dancefloor with Armel had inflamed her senses and left her body aching for his full possession. But her body was going to be disappointed since she intended to go straight to her room the moment they entered the apartment. But Armel’s butler, Alain, greeted them with a tray of coffee and petits fours that he had prepared especially for their return.“If you don’t mind, I’m quite tired… I’d really like to go to bed now,” Harley muttered to Armel as he ushered her into the lounge in the wake of the butler.“And upset Alain?” His eyebrows raised a notch.‘You’re a brave woman… O might add, you’re much braver than me when it comes to upset Alain.” Stifling a groan, Harley dredged up a smile and a
Harley held her breath, torn between the need for him to continue his wickedly intimate caresses and the dictates of her pride, which were telling her that she must stop this madness now before it was too late. But Armel was a master of seduction and his skillful fingers continued to move inside her, while his thumb pad stroked with delicate precision over her ultra-sensitive clit, building her excitement so that she twisted restlessly and tried to control the delicious spasms that were threatening to overwhelm her.“Oh, Armel…” she said his name in a whisper, her head falling back as she moaned low, as wave after wave of incredible sensation tore through her. His eyes were focused on her face and there was something shockingly erotic about the way he was watching her while he pleasured her. She was going to die of shame, but his fingers were moving faster in a sensual dance. She jerked as Armel continued his movements, dipping his fingers ins
His deliberate crudity made her wince, but when she attempted to move away from him, Armel slid his arm around her waist and held her in a vice-like grip.“Why aren’t you wearing the support bandage on your wrist?” he demanded roughly.“I thought I’d manage without it for a couple of hours.” The butler, Alain, was heading down the hall followed by Armel’s guests and, despite feeling as though her heart had been put through a pulping machine, she forced a brittle smile.“At least, the necessity to go and put it on again will give me a reason to leave the room and excuse myself from your vile company.” From that moment on, the evening became a hellish ordeal that Harley longed to end. Being there, and acting like everything was alright was absolutely excruciating. Fortunately, no one attending the dinner had known her during the few months she had lived with Armel and awkward explanations were avoided. His guests were frighteningly sophisticated b
“I am a patient man, Harley,” Armel stated with a mind-boggling disregard for the truth, “but I’ve had as much as I’m prepared to take from you.” Frozen to the bed, Harley watched him activate the remote to turn off the television before his hands moved to the belt of his robe.“Uhm… Obviously, I was wrong about Mademoiselle Lasalle. I’m sorry,” she muttered thickly. Harley watched him with wide, disbelieving eyes, her blood pounding in her veins when he loosened the belt and shrugged out of his robe to stand before her, gloriously and unashamedly naked.“Armel!” She swallowed hard and tried to tear her gaze from the masculine perfection of his body. His skin gleamed like polished bronze in the lamplight and her eyes skittered down over the rippling muscles of his abdomen, following the path of dark hairs that arrowed down his taut stomach to his thighs. He was aroused and it was the sight of his boldly erect manhood that finally penetrated the
Eventually, Armel rolled off her to lay flat on his back, his silence growing more ominous to her ears by the second.“I’ve decided that I want you back, Harley,” he said in a voice devoid of all emotion. “I want you to live here as my mistress the way we once were.” He turned his head on the pillows and stared at her coldly. She was in shock…“You’re like a drug in my veins and, although I despise myself, I seem to be addicted to you,” he grated harshly. “I’m prepared to overlook your… indiscretion with Miller, and if you stay, I’ll accept your child and provide for him as if he were my own. But if you ever look at another man the way you looked at Olivier Garrel tonight, so help me, chérie, I will not be responsible for my actions.” After the initial shock, Harley stared at him in stunned silence while her brain assimilated his words. Bitterness, humiliation, and rage froze her blood and she closed her eyes for a moment, stunned by the level of pain Ar