Page 48 of Enemies with Benefits

She swallowed, and I caught another sheen of tears in her eyes. Then, determinedly, she dragged her chin from my loose grip. ‘I won’t be deemed weak by divulging things that trouble me, Jasper,’ she said, her voice low but stern, her warning clear.

‘Believe me, Wren, you’re the last person I’d consider weak.’

Green eyes locked on mine, probing for several moments before, satisfied by whatever she was looking for, she nodded. ‘Let me get this business out of the way. Then I’ll let you feed me champagne and whatever delights your chef has in store for us.’ Her gaze flicked past me to the double doors that led to the master suite. ‘I might even let you experience that other facet of me you enjoy so much. Then...maybe I might tell you a thing or two about...stuff. Agreed?’

The weight shrank in direct proportion to my expanding relief. ‘Agreed, but with one tiny addendum.’

One perfect eyebrow rose. ‘Yes?’

‘Since you’ll be working full-time on Mortimer business, shall we dispense with the six hours nonsense?’

Her smile slowly grew, banishing a few shadows in her eyes. And the reappearance of my vibrant, gorgeous Wren made something unnervingly vital shake loose and free inside me. Instinct warned me that it might be irretrievable. For the moment, I didn’t scramble to chase after it. Because her smile was knocking me for six and I wanted to bask in it until I passed out.

‘You have yourself another deal, Jasper Mortimer.’

It was a good and bad thing that Wren was a meticulous businesswoman. It meant that she came up with the goods eventually. But it also meant that we were left with only forty minutes to eat and fuck by the time she presented me with the promised solution. I happily signed on the dotted line of the new contract while the stewardess poured the celebratory champagne. The moment she left us alone, we wolfed down the succulent array of canapés and finger food the chef had prepared before we stumbled into the master suite.

‘Bloody hell, we only have thirty minutes,’ I grumbled against her lush lip as my fingers dived beneath the light pink cashmere sweater she’d worn to combat the cool English weather.

Her laughter was sultry and musical, her earlier mood finally evaporated as she tackled the zip to one ankle-high boot. ‘I’m confident you can make me come at least...twice before we land.’ She drew back, teasing in her eyes. ‘I’m not overestimating your prowess, am I, Mr Mortimer?’

I chased after her cheeky mouth, playfully biting her lower lip before I growled against it. ‘Challenge fucking accepted.’

We tumbled into bed in a tangle of half-undressed frenzy, laughing and growling our frustration until, gloriously, she was naked, her sinuous body warm and welcoming beneath my eager caress.

Knowing I had to wait a few hours more to discover what was bothering her threatened a return of that unease, but then she was rising above me, a siren with her willing captive, the look on her face ethereal and breathtaking as she sank down, taking me inside her tight, hot channel. Then she rolled her hips in a sensual claiming that had my breath hissing out.

‘I love it when you do that.’

Hands on my chest, she smiled wider until I was certain I would get lost in it. I didn’t give one little damn. Instead I focused on rising to her sensual challenge, my own smug smile appearing when she threw her head back and screamed her first orgasm. Then a second. And just for the hell of it—and probably irritating the hell out of my pilot for ignoring his announcement to return to our seats and fasten our seat belts—a third.

She was locked in my arms, light shudders wracking her beautiful body, as the wheels touched down in a smooth landing in Marrakesh.

From the many hours of work I’d poured into the project, I knew the resort was situated on the outskirts of Marrakesh, midpoint between Essaouira and Agadir. What I hadn’t known was that we would be travelling there by helicopter after disembarking Jasper’s plane.

A further surprise arrived when he slid behind the controls of the sleek and powerful-looking aircraft with discreet lettering announcing it as a property of the Mortimer Marrakesh Resort.

‘You’re piloting this thing?’ I asked when he donned the headgear and passed me a smaller set.

His teeth flashed in a boyish grin that tunnelled straight into my chest. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ve had a pilot’s licence since I was twenty-one. I think it’ll come in handy when I have to step in to ferry VIP guests to the resort. And who knows? It might even knock a quarter per cent off your staffing streamlining.’

Two things struck me just then, the first being that Jasper would most likely spend a great deal of his time here to ensure the resort got off to the good start the projections predicted. And secondly that his absence would...devastate me.

Because...because...

My mind seized up, unable to grapple with the emotions mushrooming inside me.

‘Wren?’

I heard the frown in his voice but couldn’t summon the nerve to look him in the eye. In case he read the very thing I was unable to accept myself? Still feeling tasered by emotions I wasn’t ready to deal with, I answered, ‘Yeah, sure, I think we can manage that.’ Aware that my answer was spacey at best, I forced myself to rally and smile his way as I slid on my head gear and buckled up.

Hazel eyes bored into mine for an extra few seconds before his large hand squeezed my bare thigh. ‘You good?’

Perhaps because he was inside me less than twenty minutes ago, or because I was really losing my mind, I dropped my hand on top of his. ‘Yes. I am.’

His answering smile hit me square in the solar plexus but even though I was braced for it, it still took my breath away. As did the arid but incredibly stunning landscape as we took off and headed west.

I basked in the beauty of Morocco, happy to play tourist as Jasper pointed out various landmarks. But the most breathtaking of all was the distant but majestic vista of the endless, snow-capped Atlas Mountains, a watchful range of giants dominating the horizon.

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