Page 44 of On His Bride's Terms

Faye put out a hand. ‘Please...join me.’

Primo let go of her stool and sat in the one beside her. He watched her order a drink from the barman and his hands itched to reach out and touch her, claim her. But he was also enjoying this little game.

The barman put his drink down. Primo lifted his glass.

Faye brought hers to his and clinked it gently. ‘What are we drinking to?’

‘You tell me—you’re the one who enticed me over here.’

‘Spontaneous encounters.’

He clinked her glass. ‘Spontaneous encounters.’

They sipped their drinks.

Faye sent a glance towards the table where he’d been having dinner. ‘Won’t they be annoyed you’ve just walked away?’

Primo shook his head. ‘I don’t want to sound arrogant, but they need me more than I need them.’

Faye glanced quickly over again and back. ‘They do look a little disappointed.’

Primo beckoned to the barman and asked, ‘Can you send over a bottle of dessert wine—the 2009 Chateau d’Yquem—to my dinner companions, please.’

Faye made a low whistling noise. ‘Are you sure they’re worth it?’

‘It’ll ease the pain of my absence—as will the fact that dinner was on me,’ Primo said dryly, and raised a glass towards the table as the wine was delivered by a waiter. He looked at Faye. ‘So, are you here on business?’

‘Mainly pleasure for this particular trip.’

Primo let his gaze drop over her body. The dress dipped low between her breasts and he wanted to pull the sparkly material to one side so he could taste her. His body throbbed. He shifted in his seat.

‘And you?’ she asked.

Primo looked at her. ‘Business, ostensibly, but I’m fast being tempted to turn it into something more pleasurable.’

At that, Faye drained her glass of wine and stood up from the seat, bringing her body momentarily between Primo’s thighs. His erection twitched. And then it did more than twitch when she put a hand on his thigh and he felt her squeeze it.

‘I’m afraid I’m a married woman, so I’ll have to go before you tempt me to do something I might regret.’

Primo drained his drink and caught her hand as she was leaving. She looked at him, a picture of innocence and wicked siren all in one.

He said, ‘Let me tempt you. I promise it’ll be worth it.’

She pretended to consider, and then she said, ‘If you promise that no one will ever know.’

Primo made a cross shape on his chest. ‘I promise.’

Faye tugged him with her, out of the bar, and Primo followed, leaving in his wake an aborted business dinner and not one ounce of regret.

When Faye woke in the morning she was face-down in the bed, her head turned to one side. She cracked open an eye and saw the bed was empty. The previous evening came back in a rush of images and sensations. Sitting in the bar waiting for Primo to notice her. The strength of the jolt of electricity when he had. And the adrenalin when he’d just walked away from his dinner for her.

She hadn’t been sure what to expect. It was one thing, him surprising her, but she hadn’t known how he’d take her interrupting his work life.

But he hadn’t hesitated.

They’d left the restaurant, which was attached to one of London’s most exclusive hotels, and when they’d walked into the lobby Primo had said, ‘Please tell me you have a room here, or I’ll have to book one right now.’

The hunger in his voice and on his face had almost brought her to her knees there and then. She’d silently pulled a room key out of her bag, and he’d taken her hand and led her straight over to the elevator.

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