‘I hate y—’ Her words were cut off as Sin reached out to cup either side of her face before his mouth firmly claimed hers.
His mouth was hard, demanding, punishing against hers. Sin barely registered the pummelling of her tiny fists against his chest as she fought to release herself.
She continued to fight for several long seconds before the pummelling slowly stopped and her lips softened beneath his, her body seeming to become liquid flame as it melted into his.
Dangerously so.
Luccy’s breasts were pressed against the muscled hardness of Sin’s chest, the soft curve of her stomach against his arousal, an arousal that pulsed, burned, with a rapidly spiralling need.
And then his lips softened against hers, sipping, tasting now, inciting an even deeper hunger inside her.
What was it about this man that made her respond in this way?
Luccy had absolutely no idea, but much more of this and she knew that when Cathy returned from her lunch break in a few minutes she was going to be met with the shock of seeing her employer making love to a strange man on top of her desk!
Luccy’s face was flushed, her lips slightly bruised-looking, her eyes glittering furiously when Sin finally raised his head to look down at her in slow appraisal.
‘No, I don’t believe you hate me, Luccy,’ he said. ‘And hopefully, given time, you’ll come to realise that, although I like a certain amount of—spirit, in my women, I actually prefer the way you were the other night rather than having to fight you into submission.’
She gasped. ‘You arrogant—’
‘I believe we’ve already more than adequately covered that aspect of my nature,’ he dismissed in a bored voice. ‘Seven-thirty this evening,’ he bit out firmly, taking his leave this time before Luccy could argue any further.
As he was sure that she had wanted to do.
Although he was equally unsure that Luccy would actually come to his hotel later this evening. But if she considered him arrogant now, then she certainly wouldn’t like his mood if he had to come looking for her a second time…
CHAPTER FOUR
‘A VERY wise decision on your part,’ Sin drawled as the lift doors of the penthouse suite opened to admit Luccy that evening. ‘And only ten minutes late, too,’ he added appreciatively as he stepped back to allow her to stride forcefully past him into the suite. ‘I expected it to be eight o’clock at least before you put in an appearance,’ he jeered as he followed her into the lounge.
A room that unfortunately brought back all too many memories for Luccy. Disturbing memories she had tried to forget, but couldn’t…
She rounded on him fiercely. ‘Let’s just get this conversation over and done with, shall we?’ she snapped, not at all happy with his absolute assurance that she would appear here some time this evening—just as he had told her she would.
But what else could she do when he seemed to know so much about her and she still didn’t know what he was talking about half the time?
He raised dark brows. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like a glass of wine—or champagne—first, to help the evening along?’
Luccy speared him with a glare, knowing he was enjoying mocking her by the amused glitter she could see in those silver eyes. ‘This isn’t an evening, it’s a brief—very brief!—visit,’ she announced, determined that she wouldn’t acknowledge by so much as a glance that she was aware—and disturbed by!—how casually he was dressed this evening. His black tee shirt fitted tautly across the width of his shoulders and chest, and faded denims rested low down on his hips, his feet left bare.
‘You don’t mind if I go ahead?’ He held up the bottle of white wine before pouring some into one of the two glasses he had waiting, and then taking a sip. ‘It really is a very good Chablis,’ he added temptingly. ‘And I hate to drink alone.’
‘This isn’t a social call, either,’ Luccy said tersely, aware that the suite had a more lived-in appearance this evening, a folded newspaper on the coffee table, some papers spread out on the desk near the window where he had obviously been busily working when she had arrived.
He was obviously a man who liked to work as hard as he played.
And, as Luccy knew only too well, he played extremely diligently!
‘Pity,’ Sin murmured huskily as he moved to sit down on the sofa, looking up at her as he rested the ankle of one foot on the other knee. ‘You aren’t here for the evening, and this isn’t a social call, so what is it, Luccy?’ he challenged softly.
‘You’re the one who insisted I come here tonight,’ she reminded him. ‘So why don’t you tell me what it is?’
She looked stunningly beautiful again this evening, having changed the loose blouse and denims of earlier for a fitted apricot-coloured cashmere sweater that clung lovingly to the firm swell of her breasts, and tailored black trousers that emphasised the long length of her legs, a pair of strappy black high-heeled sandals adding to her height. That amazing blue-black hair was loose again tonight too and falling in a soft cascade over her shoulders and down the length of her spine.
Dressed to kill was the appropriate phrase, Sin believed, and Luccy was certainly looking lovely enough this evening to take his breath away…
Sin regarded her broodingly for several long seconds before answering her. ‘Things were becoming a little—heated, at your studio earlier; I thought a cooling-off period might be beneficial.’
‘For whom?’ she asked.
‘For both of us, as it happens,’ he drawled. ‘For goodness’ sake sit down, Luccy,’ he instructed irritably as he took another leisurely sip of his wine.
‘I’ve already told you—I’m not staying!’ She stubbornly continued to stand across the room.
Sin gave an impatient sigh. ‘I don’t intend staying long when I pay a visit to the dentist, but I do at least sit down!’
She grimaced. ‘I’m glad you can see the similarity.’
Sin gave a shrug. ‘I can see that from your point of view this may not be the most pleasant visit you’ve ever made, yes…’
She gave him a scathing glance. ‘But not from yours?’
Of course he hadn’t expected this to be a pleasant visit—how could it be when this woman had deliberately, calculatedly, made love with him three evenings ago. Just because he didn’t look furious didn’t mean that he wasn’t!