CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

      ‘NO!’ Alison exclaimed in shocked tones for the umpteenth time.

      Laura suppressed a sigh. Lord only knew how her friend would react if she told her the whole truth about her ongoing affair with Ryan. She’d actually contemplated lying when Alison had rung her first thing this morning, barely five minutes after she arrived at work. But in the end she’d decided that a sanitised version of the truth would still save her pride, at the same time satisfying Alison’s by-then rabid curiosity.

      So she’d confessed to having sex with Ryan again when they’d returned to Sydney yesterday, but made it sound like it had been her idea that he eventually go home rather than stay the night. But when she confessed that she’d refused to become his girlfriend for real, opting instead for a brief sexual fling, Alison’s reaction had still been negative.

      ‘And you honestly think you can handle a strictly sexual affair?’ Alison went on eventually in a calmer vein. ‘That might suit lover boy but it’s not you, Laura.’

      Laura refused to let her friend think Ryan was to blame for everything. ‘Try not to forget, Alison, that I’ve been a willing partner in all this. I want sex from Ryan as much as he wants it from me.’

      ‘He must be damned good in bed to get you into this state. You’ve never cared for sex all that much in the past, not even when you were madly in love. But, of course, he has had a lot of experience,’ she added tartly.

      ‘Yes,’ Laura agreed, wondering if Alison could be just a tad jealous. She was always saying that one’s sex life went out the window when you had children.

      Alison sighed. ‘You know, I envy you, in a weird kind of way,’ she admitted, confirming Laura’s thoughts.

      ‘Not as much as I envy you,’ Laura retaliated. ‘I’d give anything to have a loving husband like your Peter and two gorgeous children. You have a fantastic family, Alison.’

      ‘I guess I do. It’s just that … Oh, never mind. Look, don’t take any notice of me today. I’m suffering from PMT; you know what it’s like.’

      ‘Indeed I do.’ Laura frowned as she realised that she didn’t have any of the symptoms yet.

      Feeling slightly panicky, she went over the dates in her head again and came up with the same result—her period was definitely due on Wednesday. It occurred to her that maybe PMT went away when you were having a fantastic sex life. Maybe her body had become more relaxed. Stress could do dreadful things to one’s health. Or so she’d read.

      ‘What you need to do,’ she told Alison, ‘Is to have more sex.’

      ‘Huh! And when exactly do I have time for sex? Those gorgeous kids of mine run me ragged.’

      ‘Make time, Alison. I’ll mind your kids next weekend and you go away with Peter.’

      ‘Honestly? You’d do that?’

      ‘I’ve minded them before.’

      ‘Not for a whole weekend. You know, I think that’s a great idea and I will take you up on it—eventually. But not this weekend. There’s no point; I’ll have my period.’

      ‘You and me both,’ Laura said dryly. ‘Look, I have to go, Alison. I have heaps of work to do.’

      Which was not strictly true. But she had to think up some plausible reason why she could no longer be Ryan’s lawyer. It was sure to be the first thing he would ask her that evening.

      But, as it turned out, Laura couldn’t think of a reason—

      not one she felt happy with. Already she was feeling hyped up about tonight. Hyped up and turned on. Thoughts of sex filled her head all day, so much so that by the time Ryan arrived on her doorstep shortly after seven she’d forgotten all about not having organised another lawyer. All she could think of was being with him. One look at his hotly glittering eyes and she knew he felt exactly the same.

      They made it into the bedroom, but not the bed. And Ryan almost didn’t use a condom—again! She was the one who reminded him just in time. When he swore, she laughed. Then he laughed. The delay was exactly what they needed to catch their breath and move from the hard wooden floor to the comfort of the bed. They even managed to remove their clothes before a burst of uncontrollable passion overtook them again.

      Laura came the moment Ryan entered her, his own climax swiftly following. After his body stopped shuddering he collapsed across her, his weight almost crushing. When she pushed at his shoulders, he levered himself up onto his elbows and glared down at her.

      ‘I can’t keep this up, you know,’ he growled.

      Her brain felt as glazed as her eyes. ‘Keep what up?’

      ‘Waiting all day to be with you. I nearly went insane this afternoon.’

      ‘Oh …’

      ‘Is that all you’ve got to say? Oh?’

      ‘I don’t know what you want me to say.’

      ‘Say that you feel the same way. Say you’ll stop this nonsense and agree to be my girlfriend for real. Then we could spend lunchtimes together and have proper dates. And weekends away.’

      Again, she was tempted to agree. But the bottom line was that he still only wanted her for sex with some company thrown in. There would be no proposal of marriage at any stage.

      She said the only thing that she knew would stop him in his tracks. ‘If I become your girlfriend for real, Ryan, I’m sure to fall in love with you.’

      Ryan could not believe the crazy thoughts which ran through his head—mostly that he didn’t care any more if she fell in love with him as long as she let him spend more time with her.

      God, how selfish could he get?

      Ryan rolled away from her, staring grimly up at the ceiling and wondering what the hell he should do. He didn’t like it that he was becoming possessive of her. It worried