His Christmas Present (8 page)

He was torn
between memories of her as a fifteen-year-old, some of her gestures and
comments reminding him of the innocent girl she’d been, but then her eyes would
light with desire, and he’d remember she was now a grown woman.

When they were
young, he’d been aware that she liked him. He knew by the way she’d blushed
when he spoke to her, and occasionally the way she’d stare if he walked out of
his room without a shirt, although she’d always hid it behind smart comments
and attitude. But now the open passion in her eyes fired all his senses.

She wanted
him—that much was clear. And Christ, he wanted her too. He’d remembered her as
having few curves, but when she’d removed her coat she went in and out in all
the right places, with an impressive cleavage that he had to struggle not to
stare at. She had an endearing, sexy giggle and a way of biting her lip that
made him want to lean forward and kiss her. He’d had to struggle with an erection
for half the evening. And now she was practically throwing herself at him.

“What’s the
matter?” she repeated calmly. How could she be so calm?

“I should go,” he
said.

“Why?” She
blinked, her beautiful green eyes wide and questioning, her hand still cupping
his face.

He swallowed.
“Because you’re Sean’s sister.”

Impatience crossed
her features. “Dion, I’m twenty-three. I’m old enough to make my own
decisions.”

“Because you’re on
the rebound, then.”

She paused.
“That’s true,” she said slowly. Her thumb brushed the stubble on his cheek. “I’ve
recently broke up with my fiancé. And I’m lonely—I’m happy to admit that. If it
had been anyone else on the bridge, it wouldn’t have mattered. But it wasn’t anyone
else—it was you. I’ve wanted you for…” She laughed. “Forever. If you don’t want
me, that’s fine, for Christ’s sake don’t say yes to make me feel better. But if
you do want me…don’t make excuses.” Her voice turned husky and she met his
gaze, her eyes dark with passion. “Come back to the hotel with me.”

Still he
hesitated. “You know how I feel about you. You’ve haunted me for years. But my
world’s already full to bursting. There’s no room for a relationship.”

“I’m not asking
for a relationship.”

“You don’t deserve
any less, honey.” He meant it, and he didn’t want to use her. He could have
strangled Cody, the stupid bastard, for making her feel unattractive and at
fault for their relationship failing. She deserved the whole package—husband,
two-point-four kids, house in the suburbs, everything. But he wasn’t ready. And
he couldn’t expect her to wait.

She continued to
brush his cheek. “In an alternate universe, maybe we would have had that. But
we’re in this universe, Dion. You have your business—I understand that. I’m not
expecting anything except this one night. It’s like…” she hesitated. “It feels
like fate. I mean, of all the people to find me on this bridge… We live on
opposite sides of the world. Was it really coincidence? It’s like we were
supposed to find each other, maybe to make up for whatever destiny we weren’t
able to fulfil back in New Zealand.”

She stopped then,
and humour lit her features. “I think I’m tipsy. Forget all that romantic crap.
What I really want to know is…” Her gaze rested on his mouth, then lifted to
his. Desire and mischievousness filled her eyes. “Do you want to come back to
my hotel and have wild monkey sex with me?”

That made him
laugh. Jeez, what was he worried about? She wanted him, and he wanted her—why
make it more complicated? As a grown woman, she didn’t have to answer to her
brother or father anymore. And so what if she was on the rebound—after what
she’d been through she’d naturally be yearning for a man to prove she was
desirable. He was more than happy to step into the role and show her how much
he wanted her.

He put his arms
around her and pulled her tight against him. “Monkey sex?” he queried, amused.

“I have no idea
what that is, but I want it.”

“No vanilla?”

Her eyes danced.
“No vanilla.”

“What I want to
know is, what do I do with the peanuts?”

She giggled, which
did funny things to his body and made him tingle all over. “I have some ideas.”

“Like?” He nuzzled
her ear.

Her breathing came
quickly, and her pulse raced under his tongue as he touched it to her throat.

“For one night, I
want everything.” She turned her head so her lips brushed his. “A hundred
percent of you. I want to know what it feels like. To have…everything.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t
worry about that.” Bold now he’d made the decision, he let his passion show in
his gaze. His lips hovered over hers, blood surging through his body at the
thought of getting her into bed. “If I’m going to finally get my hands on you,
I’m not going to hold back.”

She shivered in
his arms.

“Cold?” he
murmured.

“No. I’m glowing
all over.” Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated.

He smiled. How
many years had he dreamed about this? He brushed his lips against hers. “You’re
sure?”

She swallowed. “Do
you want me?”

“Honey, at the
moment I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life.” It
was true—he’d have given up the takeover, his Cambridge degree, his house in
Islington, everything. He burned for her, and he couldn’t believe she wanted to
go to bed with him.

“Then I’m sure.”

He caught his
breath. She really wanted this.

“Christ, you’re
beautiful,” he murmured, filled with anticipation and desire at the thought of
what lay ahead of them. At his words, though, her eyes grew glassy, filled with
unshed tears, and concern filtered through him. “What’s the matter?”

She gave a little
shake of her head and smiled. “Nothing. I just…I can’t believe my luck.” She
laughed and rubbed her nose.

Pleasure flooded
him.
She
couldn’t believe
her
luck! Poor Megan. Treated so
abysmally by her fiancé that she thought there was something wrong with her.

The snow fell
softly on her dark hair and her face, making her eyelids flutter. She looked
like the angel on top of the huge tree in Old Town Square, shining in the
darkness, keeping away all his doubts and fears.

He moved a little
closer and pulled her tightly into his arms. Behind her back, he tugged off his
gloves and dropped them to the ground. Then he raised one hand and slid it into
her hair, which slipped through his fingers like silk. He twisted it around his
hand, forcing her head back so she looked into his eyes. Hers widened and lit
with excitement, and she rested her hands on his chest, fingers splayed as if
she itched to feel his body through the thick coat.

Trying to keep his
passion under control, at least for the moment, he lowered his lips and kissed
her.

Her mouth was
cool, her lips incredibly soft. He pressed light kisses across them, and then,
as her lips parted in a sigh, he brushed his tongue into her mouth. Her
reaction surprised him—he’d expected her to gasp, maybe even pull back. Why, he
wasn’t sure. Perhaps he’d been thinking about her as a virgin, a shy fifteen-year-old
girl who needed leading all the way.

Instead, she
groaned and reached up on tiptoe to press against him, raising her arms around
his neck. She returned the kiss wholeheartedly, and lust shot through him at a
million miles an hour as she slid her fingers into his hair and plunged her
tongue into his mouth. He dropped his arm and tightened both around her,
moulding her as firmly to him as he could through their thick coats, and
deepening the kiss, his senses spinning.

The sound of
people cheering eventually drew them apart, and they pulled back and glanced
over to see a group of people—obviously out for a late night walk—laughing and
clapping as they walked past. One shouted something in Czech, and then another
added in English, “A wonderful night for romance!”

“It is.” Dion
grinned then dropped his gaze back to Megan’s to see her eyes filled with
laughter. He released her and picked up his gloves, then took her hand. “Are
you sure?” he asked her again, heart pounding.

She nodded,
glowing with excitement. “I’m sure.”

“Come on then.”

They practically
ran back to the hotel, laughing all the way and stopping periodically for cold,
breathless kisses. When they reached the hotel doors, they shook off the snow
before entering the glowing warmth of the foyer.

Megan went to walk
over to the elevators, but Dion stopped her. “Just a sec.” He gestured to the
men’s room.

“You can use the
bathroom in my room,” she said.

He grinned at her.
“Actually there’s something I need to buy.”

Heat rushed
through her. He meant condoms. “Oh. Don’t you have any?”

He gave her an
impatient look. “No. I wasn’t expecting to get lucky. I’ll only be a minute.”
He walked off.

She wrapped her
arms around her, trying not to give a little dance on the spot. His words
pleased her, because it meant that he hadn’t just been looking for any girl to
have sex with. He’d been as surprised by this as she was.

She bit her lip—perhaps
she should be more cautious. She felt both excited and nervous at the thought
of sleeping with a stranger—or at least, a man she didn’t know well. It had
taken her a few months of dating to build up the courage to sleep with Cody,
and even then she’d been quite anxious and hadn’t enjoyed it that much
initially.

But then Dion
wasn’t just any man. She’d dreamed about this for years. And so what if they
hadn’t been on a hundred dates? This was the twenty-first century, for heaven’s
sake—people had one night stands all the time. They’d take precautions. And
anyway, nobody need ever know. It would be her secret, something she could keep
locked away in her heart and take out when alone to examine and think about.

He came out within
a minute, walking swiftly across the carpeted floor toward her, so handsome in
his dark coat. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, and suddenly she knew
everything was going to be all right.

He grabbed her
hand and headed toward the elevators, eyes dancing.

“All good?” she said
breathlessly.

“Yep.” He patted
his pocket before pressing the button to call for the elevator. Then he turned
to face her. “I got twelve, in case we need them.”

Her eyes widened,
and he burst out laughing.

“I think I might
pass out from lust if we don’t get to the room soon,” she mumbled.

“Patience,” he
murmured, pulling her into his arms and nuzzling her neck. “Only a few more
minutes.”

The elevator
ding
ed,
the doors slid open and they went inside. She slipped her keycard into the slot
and pressed the button for her floor, and the doors slid shut.

As the elevator
rose, Dion put his arms around her and kissed her again, cupping her head and
holding her tightly as his tongue danced with hers. She had trouble catching her
breath. Cody had never kissed her like this, ever. It was only now that she realised
how lacklustre their relationship had been.

Had he ever really
desired her? Had she ever really desired him? Truth to tell, she hadn’t given
it any thought, but now she knew she’d never had the sort of passion for him
that a woman should feel for her fiancé. They’d fallen into a relationship
almost by accident, moving from friendship to lovers because it was the next
step more than out of a burning desire to have one another. It wasn’t Cody’s
fault. True, he should have suggested they break up before he slept with
another woman, but ultimately the decision had been the right one.

But she wouldn’t think
about Cody now, not with Dion setting her alight. She couldn’t believe her
heart pounded so hard at a mere kiss. How fast would it go when he got his
hands on her?

Her head spun and
she drew a long, relieved breath when the elevator
ding
ed again and he
pulled back. Holding her hand, he marched down the corridor and she trotted
along behind him. He took her keycard and checked the number, stopped outside
the room and slid the keycard into the slot.

Megan preceded him
into the room and turned the light on, bathing it in a golden glow. Luckily
she’d left the heating on and the place was warm and toasty.

“Wow.” Dion
stopped and stared at the four poster bed. “That’s fantastic.”

“Not so much fun
when you’re single,” she said wryly, thinking that if her heart pounded any
harder she might pass out.

“Useful for tying
a partner to, though.” His eyes twinkled.

She stared at him.
“Dion!”

“What?” He dropped
their coats over a chair, put his hands on her hips and walked her backward
until she met one of the posts of the bed with a bump. He took out the packet
of condoms and threw it on the bed. Then, interlacing the fingers of both their
hands, he lifted them and pinned hers above her head. “I thought you didn’t
want vanilla,” he murmured, planting soft kisses along her jaw to her ear.