She sighed with delight and leant into his embrace, opening her lips as he finally kissed her on the mouth. Her pulse rate leapt up as his tongue slid inside, setting off a cascade of feelings surging through her body.
Suddenly she was burning with desire of him. She was hot and desperate to feel his body moving against hers, to feel his hands on her bare skin.
She grappled with his clothing urgently, pulling and tugging—and he was undressing her at the same time. Then all at once they were both standing naked, devouring each other with their eyes.
“You look so good,” she murmured, startled by how husky her voice sounded. For a second, she didn’t move, just stood there letting her eyes roam freely over his magnificent body. He was fully aroused and ready for her, and his erection drew her gaze like a magnet. Her breathing was becoming ragged just from looking at him—but she wanted the moment to last.
His eyes were on her too,
Chris fell into step with Victor as they walked through into the dining room, but his eyes were on Lara. She was clearly relieved that seeing Tina and Victor again had gone so well—and Chris shared that relief.He wasn't in the habit of worrying about what other people thought, but he realized he'd been ill at ease, waiting for this meeting to take place.Perhaps it was because up until this afternoon Lara had never truly apologized for what had happened. He'd only known that she regretted the outcome—rather than the fact that she had interfered in the first place. But now he believed that she was genuinely sorry. And he'd been impressed by the open honesty she had shown Tina and Victor.As he looked at her a strange sensation passed through him. He frowned, momentarily disconcerted as he couldn't identify what he was feeling. Then he realized what it was-pride. He was proud of how she had taken responsibility and given such a heartfelt apology to Ti
Lara did not miss the threat in Chris's words. But rather than make her nervous they sent a wave of anger rolling through her.“This isn't about trust,” she accused him. “This is about what kind of wife you want—someone who is quiet and biddable, someone who never expresses her own opinion.” She paused for breath, still glaring up at him. “In fact you don't want a wife at all. You want another employee—someone who'll happily jump to do your bidding and never challenge you in any way!”Chris was staring down at her, his dark eyes glinting dangerously. She could see a vein throbbing at his temple and a muscle pulsing in his jaw.“Whatever accusations you make—whatever defense you plead,” he said coldly, “understand that I will not tolerate your continued interference in my affairs private or business.”“Don't try to intimidate me,” Lara said, placing her hands on her h
Chris watched his Aunt Dacia's face as the helicopter approached the island. He'd met her properly for the first time in his life that morning.It was a strange feeling, finally bringing her back to the island where she'd grown up with his mother. He'd been amazed and pleased that she had agreed to come with him so readily. After the way she'd refused to have anything to do with him—even slamming the door in his face once or twice, before he'd given up on direct personal contact he'd been prepared for a lengthy process of persuasion.She didn't speak as they walked along the ridge from the helipad, but as he glanced sideways at her he could see her eyes were shining brightly, and he knew coming back to the island was an emotional experience for her.“I can't believe I'm really here,” Dacia said eventually, as they followed Danny's assistant into the house.“Does it seem very different?” Chris asked, as he held the door for hi
Back when they'd first been together, he'd used to think of her as the perfect antidote to his fast-paced, pressurized lifestyle. She had been exactly what he was looking for in a lover—calm, beautiful and receptive to his wishes. Like an oasis of serenity amidst the cut and thrust of his life.But Lara had changed. She'd once been his perfect lover—but she was very far from being his perfect wife. She'd gone against his wishes. And she'd stood up to him, calling him a control freak.His life had been so well ordered and organized, with everything under his control and nothing unexpected.That was how he liked it.Did that make him a control freak? Suddenly he wasn't sure.All he knew was that Lara and Helen had exploded into his world and nothing was the same. Nothing was predictable.He was used to demanding immediate obedience from everyone in his life—but Lara wasn't an employee. She was his wife. Did he really want the
It was completely unnerving. She knew what he thought of her—he'd made it painfully clear. But the way he was looking at her now made her long to give in to the fantasy that they could be happy together. That one day he might come to love her—the way she loved him.Suddenly she felt her eyes burning with tears. She dropped her gaze, flustered by the unexpected surge of confusing emotions within her. She should not let herself pine for something that could never be. She was just setting herself up for a lifetime of disappointment and heartache.“I'm sorry.” The words were jerked awkwardly from Chris's lips as he gazed into Lara's misery-stricken face. The haunted look in her eyes reminded him agonizingly of the previous night—when staring into her future as his wife had filled her with despair. “This isn't what you wanted.”Suddenly he couldn't bear the thought that being with him was making her miserable—she deserv
Lara’s morning sickness had gotten worse the past few days and she decided to talk with Chris about her pregnancy.Surprise showed clearly on Chris’s face after hearing the good news. He will be a father again.While they were talking, her stomach tightened in a now familiar warning and she shot to her feet, kicking the lap blanket away. When she reached the toilet, she retched. Though, since she had not been hungry earlier, she did nothing but dry heave. It hurt and it scared her. Though she knew that the cramps were in her stomach and not her womb, a tiny part of her brain kept saying it was one and the same.Chris had come into the room with her and she could hear water running, but she couldn’t look up long enough to see what he was doing. Then a cold, damp cloth draped the nape of her neck while another one was pressed gently to her forehead. Chris rubbed her back in a soothing circular motion, crooning to her.The heaving stopped a
Lara had fallen asleep. Just like that.Thirty seconds later and her breathing had already leveled out into true somnolence. It always amazed him how she could do that, though the only other times he’d seen it was after they had made love. They hadn’t done so tonight.Yet, here she was—sleeping. Dark bruises marred the lovely skin below her eyes. Her pregnancy was taking it out of her. It bothered him to see her looking so frail. Was she taking her vitamins? Had she gone to a doctor? There were so many questions he needed answered, but she wasn’t going to be satisfying his need to know right now.It wouldn’t be until morning, if he had his way and she slept the night through. He was careful not to jostle her unduly as he removed her clothes to increase her comfort. He could not help but stop and look at the changes her pregnancy had already wrought on her beautiful body.With near reverence, he cataloged each one. Her breasts
Chris dressed while Lara was in the shower, and then he made a couple of business calls while she was getting ready. Anything to keep himself from going into her and ravishing her body.For some reason, Lara feared miscarriage. He refused to add to those fears, no matter how difficult it might be to abstain from intimacy with her luscious body. He had to admit, he had no idea what miscarriage was so prevalent in the first trimester.He did a quick web search on his laptop while he waited for Lara to come out of the bedroom and discovered some interesting facts.When she came out, she was wearing a flowing sundress with peacock blue in a halter style that tied around her neck. The deep vee of the neckline accentuated her burgeoning curves, but the dress looked comfortable, as well. Its empire waistline had no binding around her tummy, he noticed.It would look even more amazing once her stomach started to protrude with the baby. He was not there when she&r