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Authors: Mia Loveless

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BOOK: Love Jones For Him
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A slight smile tipped one end of his lips as he ran his eyes over her body, which she’d unintentionally bared when she’d sat up in bed. “And whatever’s for breakfast, I hope it includes you, on a plate.”

Despite her inner confusion, his teasing words made her laugh, as she clutched at the covers, pulling them up over her naked breasts. “Greedy, aren’t we?” she teased back, flinging a pillow at him and scrambling out of bed.

“Hey!” he protested with a laugh, as she took away the covers, leaving him exposed. She chuckled when he playfully covered his lower half with the large pillow.

“If you’re really hungry, why don’t I prepare some breakfast?” she offered, reaching for her robe.

“No, let me,” he said smoothly, rising from the bed and picking up his trousers, which he put on and buttoned up. He walked up to her and gripped the back of her head, pulling her face closer as he kissed her moistly. “Sunday mornings deserved the Full English treatment. The whole fry-up. We certainly burnt up enough calories in the past several hours to need the replace some lost energy.”

She could only shake her head at him and smile, as he winked at her and left the room. She heard his footsteps down the stairs, and sighed deeply, turning to look at the ravaged bed.

Her face grew hot as once again, the memories of the night before hit. No matter what Gordon had said, things had changed. They were lovers. And she didn’t even have to ask herself to know that it would definitely happen again. She wasn’t going to be able to help it. And that scared her.

She was used to being in control of her emotions and desires. For months now she’d put the focus away from her sex life and had instead, built on her friendships, and kept busy with work. Even as she’d socialized and gone out with friends to parties, clubs and such, the men she’d met had never been allowed to get close enough to be dangerous.

But with Gordon, there had been no chance of resisting, not when it had come down to it. He had managed to show her how easily she could topple when up against the right element.

Was that what Gordon was, Mr. Right? Victoria wondered with a pang. Last night had certainly proved how compatible they were physically. But one night of incredible sex did not a relationship make. And besides, they came from two different worlds, so to speak. And it wasn’t about him being white or she being half black. That issue didn’t seem to affect them in any way. However, she’d never really been with anyone who wasn’t black or perhaps mixed race, like herself. And although she’d been asked out by several white men in the past, including Jeff, she’d never felt any burning attraction to actually sleep with any – until Gordon.

And now, he’d switched up her preferences all the way round to the point that for her, he was the sexiest man in the world that ever moved. He was very, very dangerous to her peace of mind and everything she’d ever believed in or taken for granted.

So what was she going to do about it? Keep him at arm’s length, or let him fuck her brains out whenever there was the need? She wasn’t the type to keep up the “friends with benefits” façade. She either wanted a man or she didn’t. And from wanting him always came the chance to fall in love with him.

Which brought her to the next, body-tingling question: could she allow herself to fall in love with Gordon?

***

She didn’t let her inner thoughts ruin her time with him. True to his word, he cooked her the full English breakfast. He’d popped down the street to get much of the things he needed, and was back in moments, whipping up the meal in record time.

They ate and talked and laughed, and the morning passed easily. She pouted when he finally announced he had to go back to his city apartment, but she felt glad when he promised that he’d return later in the day so they could drive down to the country.

“Remember you promised to help me take a look at my new home,” he said, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back a little after noon, and then we can go for a drive. It’s just an hour or so from London.”

“You’re on,” she said, missing him already as she walked him to the door. “And thanks for breakfast, it was fabulous.”

He grinned, turning at the open doorway to say, “That earns you a bit of my gourmet cooking – I’ll bring the packed lunch I planned we’d share during our trip.”

“You think of everything,” she purred, sighing dreamily as she leaned up on her toes and kissed his lips. He grabbed her in his arms, deepening the kiss for a few breath-stealing moments. Her unbound breasts beneath her robe were crushed against his chest and she tingled at all her nerve-endings from the possessive edge in that hot, taking kiss.

He drew away, and she almost stumbled as she was brought back down to earth. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders, smoothing down her hair and giving her one last, smoldering look before he turned and left without a word.

Victoria closed the door after him, a ragged sigh escaping her as she placed a hand on her pumping heart. Whoa! Her trip to London was certainly starting to have a lot of high points, she decided, as she fairly skipped back up the stairs.

Chapter Twelve

There was just something about the English countryside. Some might call it being fanciful but it seemed that even the sky looked bluer, the grass greener. She was seated beside Gordon as he drove them passed the lush greenery through which glimpses of the ocean showed. He took the scenic route, apparently, and she viewed the many ancient structures and homes with their remarkable thatched roofs. It all seemed so different and exciting, and quite breathtakingly lovely.

She glanced sideways at Gordon and almost had to catch her breath at how beautiful he was. His dark golden hair wafting in the breeze, his fair skin sun-kissed. He looked her way and smiled, and oh, those eyes, that flash of white…a woman was powerless against such weapons. He began to talk about their surroundings as he drove them through the hills, and as always she felt swept off by that sexy accent.

The very last thing she’d been expecting when she’d come to UK was to get into any kind of romantic involvement. She certainly hadn’t seen herself falling this hard.

He talked about the Diamond Jubilee coming up several months away, and of course the Olympics soon after. He teasingly suggested that she made sure she came back for both celebrations, and that he’d gladly play host.

“You know, I just might take you up on that,” she told him with a smile, and the look they shared was filled with camaraderie. More and more the familiarity between them was beginning to strike her as real and not just some passing thing.

But then he showed no signs so far of wanting to take the relationship further than they were. He’d said so himself, that nothing had changed. She didn’t have to think he wanted anything more than what they had. The here and now, you and I sort of thing he’d called it last night. She should be happy that there was no pressure from him – but perversely, she wasn’t. She was torn between the need to be wooed and pursed by Gordon Dorchester – and the fear of doing something crazy and actually falling for the first guy who really knew how to handle her needs in bed.

She didn’t want to think about all those. She wanted to live in the moment, as he’d implied earlier that morning. In a few weeks when everything’s fixed, you will leave to return to New York, he’d said – and he was right. And she should never lose sight of that eventuality.

 

*

Victoria could understand why anyone would want to own a bit of rural property, especially in a place like England. London beckoned with its famous landmarks, royal pageantry, and a cultural hub that was world class. But away from all that, here in this green, picturesque town, she saw the attraction in having a country home that was surrounded by a side of England that time would never change.

Her first sight of his home was breath-stealing. She marveled at the blend of the truly historic and the utterly modern aspect of the place. It was huge, consisting of a beautifully restored and refurbished farmhouse, together with a cottage and substantial outbuildings. They parked on the south-facing hillside in which the property lay, overlooking the gorgeous valley.

“This is…I can’t describe,” she said in wonder, gazing around at the green, wonderful landscape, then at the lovely house. There had to be fifteen acres in all, she judged. “It must cost a fortune to get a place like this.”

He smiled, coming to stand beside her as he watched her face while she took in the scenery. “On the contrary, I got it dirt cheap, so to speak. It was really in bad repair and the owners just wanted the whole thing off their hands. It took me eighteen months to fully restore it to the state it’s in now.”

He took her arm, and once again smiled into her wonder-filled face. “Let’s go inside – there’s a lot to show you.”

 

*

They walked through the entrance hall to the kitchen, which was immense, and then the breakfast room. There was the sitting room, dining room plus an office. Bedrooms included the master bedroom with its en suite dressing room, a guest suite with its private sitting room and en suite bathroom, and further double bedrooms. Then she looked into what was to be a family bathroom. It was indeed vast.

She could tell he’d done much work on the place, could almost feel the careful touch in each beam and floor board. Her head swam with ideas as she went from room to room with him, enjoying the homely, comforting aura of the place. There was no doubt that this was a home, a place one could raise a family. She looked outside the window at the beautiful, sizeable grounds, and drew in a breath at all the loveliness.

Then he took her on a tour of the outbuildings, including the garaging, workshop, and a large modern agricultural building. The surrounding gardens already had great potential, and the fenced paddock land was just the icing on the cake. Victoria was in awe.

“This is beautiful, Gordon,” she said on a sigh as they returned to the main house. “I think I envy you your gorgeous home. You must be so proud of it.”

“I am proud that I was able to preserve its authenticity and tone,” he allowed, smiling at her expression as she ran her fingers over the polished fireplace in the kitchen. “I loved the place the moment I saw it. I didn’t mind about the work involved; I’m my own boss so I took as much time as I needed with it.”

He was attentive as she looked thoughtfully at this or that section, and then told him what she thought could be done with it. What colors would work with this area, what kind of décor would suit that segment. Before she knew it, she was brimming with ideas, filled with the sense of how much more beauty the place could hold given the chance. Gordon listened and watched with a pleased grin, nodding at everything she said.

“I knew you’d “get” the place,” he said approvingly at last. “Something told me, once you saw it; you’d be as captivated as I was when I first walked inside these walls. It just feels like a place one could be happy in, away from the city’s hassles.”

“You’re right, Gordon; it is a happy place,” Victoria said in a quiet voice, suddenly wondering if he’d bought it so he could settle here with a family. Perhaps marriage was in the cards for him soon. An English woman like himself, someone who’d best understand and appreciate everything life here stood for. She’d said the truth: she envied him, and also envied the lucky woman who’d be a part of this world of tranquil beauty.

“For now I only intend to live here a few weeks in the year; like a holiday home,” he explained. Then he confirmed her inner musings when he added. “But soon, I can just imagine myself settling down in a place like this, with the town just a few miles away and the city even further. There’s plenty of room for a family, and I can easily make it to London if I have business to do.”

“Yes,” she agreed, biting on her lip and looking away quickly. “I’ll prepare a kind of report for you once I get home. And I’ll like to take some pictures, too, so I can use these to draw up a proper plan for how you could decorate.”

He was looking down at her, and she turned to find his gaze reflective, searching. “Thank you, Victoria. That sounds great.”

“Don’t thank me, geez,” she said, prodding a finger in his chest as she began to walk away. “I think it’s great that you gave me a chance to see this beautiful place. It makes me feel like just leaving everything behind and moving into a home like this, away from the hustle and bustle. I’ll be rethinking my priorities from now on – work on getting out of the rat race and being closer to nature, and peace.” She glanced back at him with a smile, to find him standing in the middle of the room, watching her. “I’ll go get my camera,” she said.

Returning from the car where she’d retrieved her camera, she took several shots of the house. Finally, when she was done, they went out to take a walk on the hillside. Gordon grabbed the picnic basket from the car, took hold of her hand and off they went.

There was the sense of another time, another place as she walked hand in hand with Gordon through the countryside. Up the hill and down to the wooded valley, they explored the natural beauty that was free from even the sound of passing cars or even footsteps. There was no other house for miles and the only company they had for that period were the birds.

“Perfect,” Victoria sighed as they chose a spot just underneath the shadow of a large, spreading tree. They simply spread a picnic cloth and settled on the ground, immediately reaching for the basket of food.  

BOOK: Love Jones For Him
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