Page 49 of Do Opposites Attract?

It had been two weeks since she’d last seen Mitch. Ten days since she’d spewed out her feelings to him in the letter. Long past the point of caring whether people in the office knew about her feelings for him, she’d asked for his flight details the moment she’d heard he was heading back. The emotional trauma of wondering if he would call wasn’t for her. Today she was going to meet him off the plane. If he rejected her . . . her heart tightened painfully. Well, if he rejected her, at least she’d know where she stood. That had to be better than mooning around, waiting for a phone call that might never come.

With her heart in her mouth she watched the steady line of weary travellers making their way through the arrivals hall. Some scanned the crowd, searching for the face of the loved one meeting them. Others looked straight ahead, knowing they were making their own way home. Mitch was one of those. As his tallbroad figure came into view, Brianna almost shouted out with joy. God, she’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. Wearing tattered jeans and a crumpled leather jacket, his face was tanned but tired. Those deep brown eyes, such a stunning contrast to his fair hair, were fixed at some point in the distance. There was a magnetism about him, something that drew the eyes. She wasn’t the only one to feel it. Other women in the crowd, many probably waiting for their husbands or their lovers, turned to watch as Mitch walked past.

For a moment Brianna froze. He looked sexy but distant, remote. Could she really rush up to this man and throw her arms around him? Did she dare? The harshness was there in the set of his jaw, in the lines on his face. She’d forgotten that, just as she’d forgotten what he’d been like when she’d first met him. But that was only one side to him. This was the same man who’d spent a weekend teaching her how to windsurf.

‘Mitch!’ she cried out, suddenly finding her voice. Her legs started to run towards him, their pace matching the fast beat of her heart. ‘Mitch!’

He stopped and turned around, his face blank. She watched as he narrowed his eyes and surveyed the crowd, looking to see where the voice had come from. Pushing past the lady with her buggy and the couple who were enjoying a hot reunion kiss, Brianna forced her way into his line of sight.

Brown eyes found hers and flared with surprise. ‘Brianna? What on earth are you doing here?’

He looked shocked, but she didn’t think he was cross. Anyway, she was past caring. She flung her arms around his neck, at last feeling the solid, muscular body whose touch she’d craved. He smelt of planes and pure one hundred per cent man.

Mitch dropped his bag and pulled her closer to him, bending his neck to bury his nose in her hair. Her heart sang as hecontinued to hold her. As if he’d missed her. As if he really didn’t want to let her go.

‘Well, this is a nice surprise,’ he said hoarsely, finally pulling back.

‘Is it, really?’ she blurted, then kicked herself. She didn’t do timid.

Mitch smiled, the effect softening his face, making him instantly more approachable. ‘Trust me, a beautiful lady throwing her arms around me when I’ve just come off a transatlantic flight is definitely a nice surprise.’

Relief gushed through her, making her almost euphoric with happiness. ‘Well, in that case, your place or mine?’

This time Mitch laughed, the rich sound warming her heart still further. ‘Well yours is closer, but I’ve run out of fresh clothes.’

Brianna gave him a sly glance, her confidence returned. ‘For what I have in mind, you won’t need any clothes.’ She threaded her arm through his and led him towards the car park. ‘But why don’t I drive to your house while you have a kip in the car. You’re going to need all your energy for later.’

* * *

She was willing to wait until he’d showered and sorted himself out, but it seemed Mitch had other plans. While she had no idea where she stood in terms of his emotional feelings, she was left with no doubt about his physical desires. As soon as she’d crossed the threshold into his home he dragged her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. Within minutes she was naked, in his shower, her legs wrapped around his hips, her whole body screaming in delight. He made love like he did most things in life, with an intense passion, a total focus. Even as they dried off, he wasn’t ready to let her go. He pulled her down onto his bed and took her once more, his need for her no less fierce.

‘Wow. I think I can be reasonably sure no other woman has been in your bed recently,’ she remarked lazily as she tried to regain her equilibrium.

Mitch turned to her, propping himself up on one elbow. ‘I’m not in the habit of sleeping with more than one woman at any one time, Brianna. I thought that was how you’d see it, too.’

Brianna’s heart gave a stupid lurch. Surely that meant they were still together? At least for now. ‘Of course it is.’ She tenderly brushed back the damp hair from his forehead. ‘When you went away, I was angry with you. I wanted to fall into the arms of the next handsome man that came my way.’ She felt his body tense alongside her and experienced a flare of triumph. ‘But when Frederick kissed me, I felt nothing. You’ve spoilt me. Even when I was cross with you, I couldn’t kiss another man.’

Mitch took the hand that was tracing the lines on his forehead and put it down between his legs. ‘Good.’

Brianna knew they needed to talk, but for now it would have to wait. Her man had other ideas and she was more than happy to follow them.

* * *

By the time Mitch finally let her out of bed, it was dark and they were both hungry.

‘I can make us an omelette while you unpack,’ she declared as she wriggled back into her trousers.

Knowing her aptitude for cooking, he raised an eyebrow.

She huffed. ‘How difficult can it be? Whisking some eggs together, adding a bit of cheese, maybe some tomatoes.’ With her chin up, she sauntered out of the bedroom.

He chuckled and started to sort out his bag. Was this really happening? Had rich, spoilt Brianna really stood in a departure hall waiting to meet him off a plane and then brought him home? He’d been stunned to see her, his mind struggling to siftthrough the emotions jostling through him. Joy that she was there, terror that he was being dragged into something he wasn’t sure he wanted. Wonder that she’d actually bothered to meet him, fear for what that might mean. Of where she was leading them.

‘This all feels very familiar,’ he remarked when he found her bent over his cooker in the kitchen.

She stopped prodding the contents of the pan. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Hey, I didn’tmeananything.’ Seeing her wariness, he put his arms around her, drawing her against his chest. ‘It was just an observation. The last two times I’ve come back from abroad, I’ve had a gorgeous woman in my house, in my kitchen and in my bed. I’m not complaining.’

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