Seduction: The Billionaire's Bride of Vengeance. Miranda Lee
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How could I have done the things I did last night? Nicole agonised. How could I have let him do the things he did?
‘The water’s still hot in the shower,’ he continued. ‘A miracle considering the time we spent in there last night.’
Nicole wished he hadn’t mentioned that. What was it about this man which made her such a willing victim to his wicked demands?
She wasn’t in love with him. She wasn’t even sure that she liked him. But oh, how he could turn her on!
‘Come on, sleepyhead, get up,’ he ordered. ‘It’s after nine. I’ve rung the powers that be. The electricity’s not expected to be on in this part of town for another couple of hours.’
Steeling herself, Nicole opened her eyes, adopted what she hoped was a woman-of-the-world expression, after which she rolled over to face her nemesis.
He wasn’t naked, thank God. He was fully dressed in grey chinos and a royal-blue polo top, his darkly damp hair suggesting a recent shower. His face was freshly shaven, his chin no longer sporting the stubble which he’d used to erotic effect on her in the early hours of the morning.
He glanced up from where he’d been putting his wallet and mobile phone into various pockets.
‘I don’t know about you,’ he said, ‘but I’m famished. I can’t wait till the power comes back on. Once you’re dressed, we’ll drive over to my apartment at McMahon’s Point and I’ll cook us both some breakfast.’
Nicole was totally taken aback by his offer.
His smile was wry. ‘You should see the look on your face. Yes, I can cook, and no, last night was not just a one-night stand. Did you think it was?’
‘It did cross my mind,’ she said truthfully.
‘Do you want it to be?’
Did she?
Common sense advised that it would be wise to cut and run. He was everything that she’d vowed to avoid.
The right answer was obvious. Yes, yes, let’s leave it at that, shall we?
Instead, she heard herself say no. Lord, what a fool she was where he was concerned!
No…
Not a word any man usually liked hearing on a woman’s lips.
But it was the right reply this time.
Russell walked round the bed and picked up her clothes from the floor. ‘Try not to be too long in the bathroom,’ he said as he offered them to her.
She took the clothes but didn’t make a move to get out of the bed. She just clutched them to her chest.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
‘I … I’d like some privacy.’
He had to laugh. ‘Might I remind you that you swanned around this house naked for most of last night?’
‘Yes, and look what happened.’ she countered, green eyes flashing. ‘I really would like to make it out of here this morning without being ravaged again.’
‘Might I also remind you that you liked being ravaged?’
Her blush startled him, as did the pained expression which filled her eyes.
‘Look, I … I’m not usually like that,’ she said. ‘Not that you’ll believe me after the way I acted. You probably think I’m a total slut.’ Her shoulders drooped, her eyes dropping away from his.
Russell just stood there for a few seconds, utterly speechless. If this was an act, it was Oscar-winning material. What he was seeing had to be sincere.
Which meant what?
Damned if he knew.
In the end, he sat down on the side of the bed and tried to find the right thing to say.
‘So what are you usually like?’ came his careful question.
When her head lifted, her eyes were shimmering with tears.
‘A bore!’ she blurted out.
His head jerked back. ‘Come now, you can’t expect me to believe that.’
‘Then I suggest you talk to my ex-fiancé,’ she said quite bitterly whilst dashing the tears away with furious hands. ‘He informed me at length that I was the biggest bore in bed he’d ever met.’
Russell frowned. ‘Is that why he broke off your engagement?’
‘Lord, no! I broke off our engagement after I walked in on him screwing his PA on his desk. He’d have married me, bore or no. Or he would have back then, when Power Mortgages was powering along like there was no tomorrow. David wouldn’t marry me now, even if I was the best lay in the world.’
‘I see. You do realise he probably only said those things in retaliation. He was trying to hurt you.’
‘Yes, I do see that. But he was still right. I was a bore in bed. I was,’ she added, ‘till I met you.’
Russell just sat there for a long moment, drinking in this quite astonishing confession. As much as his first reaction was to shake his head in disbelief, he gradually accepted that it would explain the bewilderment he’d glimpsed when they’d first made love.
When she’d said she was amazed afterwards, she might have meant it.
‘I’ve never done half of the things I did with you last night,’ she insisted, her expression containing some of that wonder again. ‘Actually, I’ve never done most of those things.’
Russell stared into her eyes, then down at her mouth, which he’d imagined servicing many men before him.
How could he believe her? She’d been way too good at that. Way too uninhibited as well.
This had to be a line. A clever line to suck him in, the way she’d sucked him in last night. Quite literally.
When he reached out to place two fingertips against her lips, her head jerked back, her nostrils flaring wide.
‘And what about that?’ he asked her, watching closely for signs of lying. ‘Have you done that before?’
Her eyes didn’t even flicker as they held his. ‘No, never.’
‘Not even with your ex-fiancé?’ he persisted.
‘He wanted me to. But I … I wouldn’t. Just the thought of it used to repulse me. That’s why I was so shocked when I woke up this morning. Oh, I know you don’t believe me,’ she went on, distress zooming into her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t, either, if I were in your place.’
Russell didn’t know what to make of this tack. Another clever ruse, or the truth?
Damn, but it was difficult to put aside his preconceptions about her. Extremely difficult to trust anyone who had anything to do with Alistair Power, especially his enemy’s flesh and blood daughter.
A less emotional logic finally kicked in, reasoning that the Nicole Power he believed her to be would not be making excuses for her sexual behaviour last night. She wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with it at all!
Which meant she had to be telling him the truth.
It also meant she hadn’t been faking.
Russell’s male pride swelled, his ego triumphant at the thought she’d been genuinely swept away by true passion. Of course, none of this meant she wasn’t on the make as well. But it did mean that her desire for him was real, the same way his was for her.
This gave an added edge to Russell’s sudden plan to continue their affair, not just for today but longer. Much longer. He’d fantasised about her falling in love with him. What if she did? How brilliant