There was only time for the briefest moment of doubt, before she gave herself up to the seductive claim of his mouth on hers.
Emotions swirled and grew as she kissed him back with all the pent-up feelings inside her, her lips parting beneath the pressure of his, senses leaping as he began a slow exploration with the tip of his tongue, first along the edge of her bottom lip, then the moist softness within.
His arms tightened as Jinx tasted him with her own tongue, his thighs hard against hers now. Her blouse came loose from the waistband of her trousers as her arms moved up to curve about his neck, his hair soft and silky to the touch as her fingers caressed his sensitive nape.
His hands slipped under her blouse and felt warm against her bare skin as they moved to touch the arch of her back, moving featherlight across her ribcage before tenderly cupping both her breasts.
Jinx’s back arched when Nik’s mouth left hers to travel the length of her neck, lingering in the hollows at its base, nibbling erotically on her ear lobes, before licking the sensitive skin below.
His chest was covered in fine dark hairs, Jinx’s fingers making their way beneath Nik’s shirt and lacing into their silkiness, easily finding the sensitive nubs nestled there. Nik’s sharply indrawn groan of breath was evidence of his own pleasure at her searching touch.
Nik unbuttoned and then pushed aside her silky blouse, his mouth moist against the upper curve of her breasts, his hands still cupping, caressing, unerringly finding the fiery tips as he bent to suckle through the lacy material of her bra that was all that separated him from her nakedness.
Heat. Consuming her. The warmth between her thighs was the hottest moist heat imaginable, dragging at her lower limbs with sweet demand, her hands moving to cling to the broad width of his shoulders as she felt weak with need. A need she knew Nik could satisfy, assuage, as no other man could.
His eyes were smoky grey as he raised his head to look at her searchingly. ‘Is this what you want, Jinx?’ His voice was husky with his own arousal. ‘I hope it is—because I want you very much!’ His lips once again sought hers, his kiss lingering, seeking, persuading.
There was no doubting what Nik was asking. No doubting that he wanted her. Or that she wanted him.
But…
It would be so easy to dismiss that but, to forget it, if only briefly, and yet…
But. And yet.
Both expressions of doubt. A doubt that was growing stronger the longer Nik looked at her so compellingly as he waited for her answer.
Entering into a relationship, any relationship, with Nik Prince would be a mistake, Jinx finally accepted painfully, every inch of her protesting as she forced herself to move out of his arms, to turn away to rebutton her blouse with shaking hands.
That task finally completed, she was almost afraid to turn back and look at Nik. She knew that he hadn’t moved, could feel the heat of his gaze on her back.
She deliberately walked away from him to stand in front of the window looking down into the busy street below, her back stiffening slightly as she finally heard him move.
But it was only to once again pick up the telephone receiver as he punched out the number with suppressed violence.
Really meant for her? Probably, she accepted huskily. What must a man like Nik think of her, a twenty-eight-year-old woman, too afraid of the physical intimacy they had both craved such a short time ago, because she feared the emotional intimacy that would follow?
‘Zak?’ he barked into the receiver as his call was obviously answered.
Zak…? His brother, Zak Prince? The legendary golden film star everyone—but especially women!—raved about?
What on earth was the point of Nik telephoning him now, of all times?
‘No, I think you have the wrong number,’ a distracted voice sounded down the earpiece of the phone.
‘Very funny, Zak,’ Nik snapped in answer to his younger brother’s witty reply, all the time his gaze fixed on Jinx as she stood so aloofly remote in front of the window, the sunshine giving her hair the appearance of living flame. ‘Are you in the hotel?’ he demanded impatiently of Zak, knowing he was unfairly taking out his foul temper on his brother, but too angry with himself—and Jinx—at that moment to do anything else.
‘Uh-oh,’ Zak murmured knowingly, obviously giving Nik all of his attention now. ‘What—or should I say who?—has upset you, big brother?’
‘I’ll tell you later,’ Nik dismissed—knowing he wouldn’t tell Zak any such thing. The fact that he was frustrated as hell, first by Jinx’s accusations, and then by her shying off just now, was not something he intended discussing with his little brother. For one thing, it was simply too personal, and for another—Zak probably wouldn’t stop laughing for a week at the idea of his big brother being turned down in that way! ‘What I need right now is for you to find a beautiful woman—’
‘No problem,’ Zak assured him. ‘Why do you think I’m still in the hotel?’ he added mockingly.
Nik would just bet it wasn’t a problem for his brother to find a beautiful woman; at thirty-six Zak went through women like other men went through socks! ‘Is she single?’ he prompted cautiously.
‘Of course,’ Zak came back slightly indignantly. ‘That only happened the once, Nik—and only then because she forgot to mention she was a married woman.’
‘Okay,’ Nik conceded. ‘In that case, I would like the two of you to go down to Reception, making sure you’re seen. There’s a reporter and photographer waiting down in Reception. I want you to distract them long enough for me to get the hell out of here!’ he explained impatiently as Zak would have interrupted.
‘Hmm,’ Zak mused. ‘And can I ask who’s going to be leaving with you?’
‘No,’ Nik snapped.
‘And you asked me if I’m with a married woman—’
‘Zak!’ he warned.
‘Okay, okay, give me ten minutes. I’ll call you as I’m about to go down. If it rings three times and then stops, that means it’s me—’
‘Zak, you aren’t supposed to be enjoying this!’ Nik growled, knowing his brother was doing exactly that—and that he would want some sort of explanation later on today!
‘Just give me ten minutes,’ Zak told him goodnaturedly.
It was probably going to be the longest ten minutes of his life, Nik realized as he slowly put down his receiver, Jinx still turned away from him. Although she couldn’t have helped but overhear his half of the telephone conversation, at least.
Not that it would have been much help, he acknowledged ruefully; he wasn’t especially known for explaining himself to people, even less so when all he really wanted to do was pull Jinx back into his arms, take her to his bed, and keep her there for a week!
He tensed as she finally turned around, a shutter coming down over his emotions as he took in the paleness of her face, her eyes seeming like huge blue lakes in that paleness. Damn it, she looked like an injured butterfly, all elusive fragility.
‘That was very kind of you.’ She spoke huskily, her gaze not quite meeting his.
His mouth twisted. ‘I’ve never thought of myself as particularly unkind.’
‘I didn’t mean—never mind.’ The hand she had raised in protest dropped back down to entwine awkwardly with the other one, her expression guarded beneath dark lashes. ‘I’m sorry about just now—’
‘About what?’ Nik tried to sound unconcerned. Damn it, it was bad enough that just one word of encouragement