Page 26 of Marriage Bargain with His Innocent
‘And tell me how that worked for you last time round, Georgie. Tell me how that’s been working for you since.’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘I know,’ Matias said roughly. ‘I apologise. But sometimes you have to jettison the checklist and take what you want.’
‘Not me. Robbie wasn’t right. I know I got seduced by the fact that my parents approved, and they’d never really approved of any of the boyfriends I’d ever brought back home, And I know that since Robbie I’ve had a break from men...who wouldn’t? but it doesn’t mean that I have to do something just because...because...’
‘Because it feels good?’
He shrugged and stepped away from her, and suddenly the air between them felt cool, the void too gaping for comfort. She wanted him back, closer to her, and she fought the impulse to step towards him.
‘Just because something feels good it doesn’t mean that you have to reach out and take it. I’m not a kid in a sweet shop with permission to grab whatever candy takes my fancy before I get bored with the game and move on.’
‘So serious...’ Matias said, heading towards the sitting room, leaving Georgina to traipse along in his wake. ‘So intent on passing up on the fun elements of life.’
Georgina heard the lazy amusement in his voice and realised that he didn’t really care one way or another whether she took him up on his offer or not.
He was attracted to her, and he’d probably picked up similar vibes from her. She could try and argue that he was off target but why waste her time doing that? The man had vast experience when it came to women and he would burst out laughing if she tried to pretend that she didn’t find him attractive.
But sleep with him?
No way!
‘I amnotpassing up on the fun elements of life just because I’ve turned you down!’ She yanked him to a stop so that she could glare up at him. ‘Matias, you...you’re the most egotistical man I have ever met in my entire life!’
‘Okay.’
‘Okay?Is that all you have to say?’
‘What more do you want me to add to the mix, Georgie?’
‘You haveneverbeen attracted to me in your life before,’ she snapped, hands on her hips, one eye on the sitting room door, which was slightly ajar, making sure to keep her voice low because she knew walls had ears.
Matias looked at her, his head tilted to one side in thoughtful contemplation. ‘Because you’ve always taken such pains to be irritating, Georgie. Always on a soap box...always dressed like a hippy with a cause. Why have you never made the most of your looks?’
‘Howdareyou...?’
‘You opened this conversation. Don’t start trying to shut it down because you don’t like the direction it’s taking. You’re sexy as hell, but this is the first time I’ve ever noticed because you’ve always kept your voluptuous curves hidden away.’
Sexy as hell? Voluptuous curves?The man was so shallow, Georgina thought weakly. But something inside her was twisting and melting. Her body was letting her down badly, responding to his superficial compliments as though they really mattered.
‘You really just have one thing in mind when you look at a woman, don’t you?’ she threw at him.
He didn’t look unduly bothered. ‘We could keep going round in circles for ever on this one, Georgie.’
He took her arm and she bristled at his touch, as though she’d been plugged into an electrical socket.
‘But, much as my mother is keen on giving us some downtime together, there’s only so long she will hang on before curiosity kicks in and she comes out to make sure we haven’t dropped dead in the hallway.’
Which left the conversation in mid-air. He’d started something that she somehow hadn’t managed to finish, even though she’d tried. She’d made a big deal of telling him that she wasn’t interested in any sort of casual sexual relationship with him that would never go anywhere, but she hadn’t ended up feeling victorious or satisfied with the stance she had taken.
* * *
Georgina spent the remainder of the evening in a state of restless flux. She felt as though she’d been put into a washing machine with the cycle turned to spin. All her preconceived notions about Matias had taken a beating, and so had her precious principles about what made sense when it came to relationships.
He’d come along, a devil in disguise, and she couldn’t stop her mind from playing over and over what he had said to her.
His casual touches over the course of the evening burned through her clothing and made her shiver. The deep, sexy timbre of his voice sent chills racing up and down her spin. The proud angle of his head and the startling beauty of his lean face made her shiver and think forbidden thoughts.
