Page 24 of Cinderella's One-Night Baby

He grinned sheepishly. ‘I keep spirits and glasses in the bar in the living room that I help myself to whenever the mood takes me. That is the extent of my domesticity. I’m afraid I wasn’t exaggerating the lengths I go to avoid chores.’

‘Is champagne a Michael job?’

‘It isn’t an Andrés job.’

She arched an unimpressed eyebrow. ‘If you refer to yourself in the third person again, I’m going home.’

‘Andrés would never refer to himself in the third person.’

Feeling ridiculously pleased at Gabrielle’s sniggers at this, he opened the door that led into a pantry and found a shelf full of crystal champagne flutes.

He was even more ridiculously pleased to return to the kitchen and find Gabrielle had hoisted herself onto the marble island and kicked her shoes off.

With a wink, he worked the cork and in one quick move, it popped.

‘Hidden talents. I’m impressed.’ She laughed.

He blew her a kiss then poured them both a glass. When he handed Gabrielle her flute, he kissed her for real, a short, hard, hungry kiss that flooded him with heat.

Dios, what was she doing to him?

Who the hell cared? Tonight was turning into the best night of his life and he wasn’t prepared to waste another minute of it by thinking.

He raised his flute.‘Salud.’

‘Santé.’

Flutes clinked together, they drank.

Champagne fizzing on his tongue, Andrés stood before her and drank the whole of her in. With the bright kitchen lights bathing her, he would expect to find the imperfections that the clever lighting of the palace shadowed, but all he found was her beauty enhanced. She was breathtaking.

He traced the pads of his fingers over her cheek.‘Tu es belle,’he murmured.

Her chest rose slowly and then she expelled the breath with a sigh of pleasure. ‘I didn’t know you spoke my language.’

He hovered his hand.‘Un peu.’A little. His chest swelling, he drank her beauty in some more then plucked the flute from her hold and placed it with his own on the island before putting his hands to her slim waist. ‘Let’s share a bath.’

Her eyes widened but she didn’t object.

He pressed a light kiss to her irresistible lips and whispered, ‘I am not in any rush,ma belle. Let’s make the whole night count.’

Despite the heated arousal that had infected every cell of his body, Andrés wanted to make the most of every minute he had with this woman. He wanted to know her intimately... In every possible way.

Gabrielle experienced a moment of weightlessness as she was lifted off the island. Once her feet were on the ground, Andrés moved his hands from her waist, expertly picked up their flutes with one hand and reached for the champagne bottle with the other.

His eyes gleamed as he beckoned for her to follow him.

She allowed herself only a moment’s hesitation before making her feet move.

She wasn’t actually sure why she hadn’t just said no to the suggestion of sharing a bath. She’d had the opportunity. A fear of seeming gauche and unsophisticated? No, it couldn’t be that. He already knew she didn’t have a sophisticated bone in her body.

She could still say no. Tell him the truth.

But how could she admit that she was terrified as she’d never been naked in front of a man before? She couldn’t. As with her never having climaxed before, it would only lead to questions she couldn’t answer.

But she wished she could. Wished she could tell him the truth about everything...

Stop thinking, Gabrielle!

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