Page 53 of Modern Romance January 2025 1-4

Mutual hunger, strong and cleansing. Surely enough to wipe away past hurt, if only temporarily.

She craved Lex with every bone in her body. Walking away from him weeks ago had solved nothing and the wanting was as strong as ever. Sheneededthe fiery rapture, the incandescent joy he’d share with her.

Her battered, guarded heart swelled as she read Lex’s glittering gaze. Felt the push of his erection against her abdomen and the answering yearning that had been absent from her life so long. The emptiness.

He didn’t try to disguise his arousal.

His sexual honesty had always excited her. For all his tenderness and care of her, there had always been something elemental, earthy and essential about Lex. Something that called to the wild side of her nature, the part of her that had wanted to run free, away from family rules and expectations.

But Portia wasn’t that young girl. ‘What do you want, Lex?’ He wasn’t the only one who needed to lay out parameters.

His slow-curling smile cut through her emotional boundaries like a hot blade through butter. She felt the loosening inside, not just of muscles and tendons. It felt like a layer of the tension she carried, that had cushioned her for so long from too-close connection, melted away.

‘I want you, Portia. That’s why I came back from Greece, to see you again.’

His honesty stole her breath. That he’d come here for her seemed impossible yet, given her own reaction, utterly right.

Portia lifted one eyebrow, playing for time. She needed to shore up the tiniest bit of self-possession. Because her body clamoured desperately to have this man without thought or caution.

‘Quick sex on the sofa?’

‘I was thinking more of thorough sex on a very wide bed. But if you prefer the sofa we could start there.’

His wolfish smile was like a match to dry tinder. She felt heat saturate her skin all over. Between her legs moisture bloomed.

‘And you’re leaving tomorrow?’

He frowned. ‘The day after. But I don’t—’

‘Good. I’m not after a relationship.’

She couldn’t think that way. Caring led to pain. She’d spent the last decade trying to avoid emotional attachments. Besides, she’d just got to a point in her life where she had a real shot at pursuing her career goals. There’d be no sidetracking now.

Even for the first man who’d made her fully aware of herself as a woman in years.

Slowly Lex inclined his head. ‘Nor am I. I have other priorities at the moment.’

Portia wondered what they were. Family? Business? Once they’d shared their dreams and hopes for the future, believing those dreams would be twined together. How long ago that seemed, like a different life.

Itwasa different life. The day it ended was still branded in her memory, every detail vivid.

‘Portia?’ His narrow-eyed stare made her wonder if she’d missed something. He seemed to be waiting. ‘So you’re happy with no strings?’

‘Absolutely. I have my own priorities and they don’t include a partner.’

For a moment she thought Lex was going to probe further. But maybe she’d imagined that fleeting frown, for soon enough he was smiling again and she felt the impact deep inside. It was a quickening in her womb. A swirling heat in her blood and a softening of her knees, making her clutch him tight.

He took her weight easily, shuffling his legs a little wider to encompass hers, drawing her in against all that lovely body heat.

Portia felt his chest rise hard against hers. His soft groan of approval teased her nipples, drawing them tight.

His voice was rough and she revelled in the sound of his hunger. ‘So we have an understanding.’

It wasn’t a question but she answered anyway. ‘We do. No strings, no expectations. Just—’

‘Pleasure.’

His hand cupped her eager breast and she sighed her relief. She’d forgotten how good that felt. And when his thumb and index finger closed unerringly around her nipple, darts of fire zigzagged through her.

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