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Both of them were naked. Upright. He could lift her and take her again right now. The image made him breathless.
“I’ll come back,” she said.
As a bit of insurance, he confiscated her bra and undies and stuffed them in a dresser drawer. “I want you to think of me when you’re walking half-naked down the hall.”
“I can’t do that,” she said, her expression aghast. “What if someone sees?”
“I suppose you’d better hurry.”
* * *
Maria scuttled down the carpeted hallway, her arms wrapped around her waist. The building was air-conditioned to arctic levels, and she knew her bare breasts were noticeable beneath her thin top. The knowledge made her face hot, but not as much as reliving what had just transpired in Alex’s suite.
If she had not promised to return, there was a good chance she would have avoided him until Monday. Could he read her that well?
Once safely inside her own room, she rested her back against the door, breathing rapidly. She was not the kind of woman who had affairs right under the noses of people who knew her...who expected her to be hardworking and ethical and dedicated to Alma’s cause.
Were all those expectations in her head? Maybe people were just people...fallible, unable to predict, good and bad.
Wanting Alex as a lover didn’t negate her contributions to the work of the delegation. As a group, the delegation had been sent to Miami with express instructions to take the weekends off. Healthy, productive humans knew how to relax. So why was Maria freaked out about the notion of being spontaneous and irresponsible with Alex Ramon?
Avoiding her own question, she found a straw tote that looked more like a purse than a suitcase and began stuffing it with essentials: toiletries, clean undies, her billfold, a comfy pair of yoga pants and a loose cotton top. The paperback novel she was in the midst of.
On second thought, she took the book out of the bag. Chances were, Alex didn’t plan to give her much opportunity for reading.
When she had rounded up everything she thought she might need for the weekend, she stared at the perfectly made bed. Damn. She wasn’t cut out for a life of deception and hanky-panky. Placing the tote beside the door, she set to work making the room look lived-in.
She tossed the covers until the bed was a tumbled mess. Then she went into the bathroom, dampened a towel and washcloth and crumpled them on the floor. Finally, she opened a packet of soap and wet it before placing it in the shower.
Feeling more than a little ridiculous, she examined her quarters with an eagle eye. The delegation was well-known already, at least within the hotel. Service workers noticed all sorts of intimate details. Maria wanted to make it perfectly clear to anyone who might be paying attention that she had definitely slept in her own room, tonight...not in room 1724.
Grimacing at the realization that she would likely have to repeat this same charade tomorrow afternoon, she shook her head at her own foolishness and decided she had kept Alex waiting long enough.
Opening the door to the hallway a crack, she gazed left and right. No one in sight. Though she managed to hold up her head and walk with confidence down the corridor, around the atrium and back to the far wing, her heart was beating so rapidly she felt dizzy.
When she knocked on Alex’s door, and he opened it immediately, she practically fell into his arms. “No one saw me,” she whispered.
Alex was dressed again...in the same clothes he had worn earlier, minus the shoes and socks. His bare feet were long and sexy.
He took her shoulders in his hands, looking at her with alarm. “You’re shaking, Maria.”
“Adrenaline,” she said on a sigh, thrusting her bag into his arms and dropping into an armchair. “I think I need a drink.”
He poured her a glass of white wine and crouched at her side, his warm, dark eyes dancing with amusement. “If I had known it was such a big deal, I would have gone to your room myself.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And let you riffle through my unmentionables? I don’t think so. We don’t know each other that well.”
He stroked a finger down her arm, making her shiver. “I’ve seen you naked,” he said solemnly. “I think I’m allowed to touch your underwear.”
“It’s a slippery slope. First it’s the underwear and next thing you know you’ll be asking me to spend the night.”
His chiseled, masculine lips quirked. “I think I already did.”
She stared at him moodily. They were so close at this angle all she had to do was lean forward three or four inches and she could touch her mouth to his. “Do you really think we can concentrate on work in between...um...you know?”
His breath was warm on her cheek. “I have no idea. But I’m willing to find out. Besides, we’re supposed to be taking the weekend off.”
“Doesn’t matter. You and I both know that we have to make sure the proposal is ready for the briefing.”
“We’ll get it done, I promise. I work best under pressure.”
“And what if we can’t stop having sex? What if we ravage each other 24/7 until we barely know if it’s day or night?”
Ten (#u6475eb09-1048-5d04-9160-b29e47bf3f82)
Alex’s erection had abated during Maria’s absence. But if she planned to say things like that to him, how was he supposed to keep his head? His imagination exhibited a sudden astounding propensity for cinematic sexual fantasy. Clearing his throat, he rose to his feet and put some distance between them. “I suppose that’s a risk we’ll have to take.”
The chair was oversize. Maria had curled her legs beneath her and huddled into the depths of the cushions until it seemed as if she were trying to become invisible.
Small, perfect white teeth mauled her bottom lip. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
His hoarse chuckle was strained. “I’ve never been more serious. But I’d feel a whole lot better if you weren’t regarding spending two days and nights with me as the equivalent of going in for a root canal. Sex is fun, Maria.”
“Not with you.”
She’d spoken rapidly and with conviction. Without the hint of a smile on her face. “I’m almost afraid to ask you to elaborate,” he muttered, telling himself grown men didn’t get their feelings hurt.
Maria’s hands gripped the arms of the chair, her knuckles white. “It wasn’t fun earlier. Earth-shattering, maybe. Mind-blowing. Unequivocally wonderful. But not fun. That’s a word for carnival rides and animated movies and walking barefoot in the rain.”
Her earnest speech might have been good for his ego if she didn’t seemed so distressed.
He scooped her out of the chair and sat back down with her in his lap. “You’re overthinking this, Maria.” He nuzzled her ear. “Maybe we didn’t start with fun. I’ll give you that one. But we’ll get there. Eventually. Good sex, I think, hits all the positive adjectives eventually.”
She sighed, resting her cheek against his heart. “Have you had bad sex?”
“Enough to know the difference.” He stroked her hair. “Trust me, sweetheart. Trust us.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“And you’re making it far too complicated. We’re here in this room. A man and a woman. Attracted to each other. Unattached. With time on our hands. What makes you think something bad is going to happen?”
“Superstition?”
He laughed ruefully. It was hard to argue the point that the old ways in Alma were laden with superstition. Legends. Folk tales. Fables delineating the fates of those who tempted the gods. Alma’s was a culture steeped in centuries of oral tradition.
“You’re a thoroughly modern woman. We’re here representing the best and brightest of a country eager to make its mark on a new millennium. Relax. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I think it’s all those years of my mother warning me that misbehavior on my part would have drastic consequences. It was a very effective deterrent.”
“I’ll protect you if the sky starts to fall.”
“Not funny.”
He tickled her rib. “A little bit funny. Admit it.”
Her body relaxed in his embrace. They had broken some awkward barrier and made it safely through to the other side.
She put her hand on his thigh. “Did you mention room service?”
* * *
Alex watched Maria eat a strawberry and was forced to lean forward to lick juice from the slope of her breast. “I’ll order more of those,” he promised.
They were both naked. It was three in the morning, and they had chosen to shore up their energy with a snack of fresh fruit and champagne.
Maria’s hair tumbled around her shoulders. Dark smudges beneath her eyes attested to the fact that so far he hadn’t managed to let her sleep for more than thirty minutes at a stretch.
How could he? When she nestled close to him, her bottom cradled against his groin, he wanted her again and again.
More juice dribbled onto her cleavage. “You’re doing that on purpose,” he accused.
She eyed him innocently, her lips closing on a bite of red berry. “Are you complaining?”
“Hell, no.” This time when he licked her velvety soft skin, he shuddered. “We need to sleep.” His hands were at her hips, tugging her down onto the mattress. He had no intention at all of closing his eyes.
“We can sleep when we’re dead,” she said, the words slurred with exhaustion. She was so beautiful in her sensual abandon that it hurt to look at her.
Those six words were all the invitation he needed. He eased her onto her side facing away from him. Lifting her leg over his thigh, he entered her from behind, joining their bodies with an ease that made his head swim. This was so perfect...so right.
Maria’s head rested on her arm.
“Are you asleep?” he asked, smiling though she couldn’t see him.
“Just catnapping. Keep up the good work.”
“I never knew you were such a smart-ass,” he teased. He withdrew and thrust firmly, burying himself all the way to the hilt and making each of them gasp in unison.
“I’ve been on my best behavior at work.”
“Will you be insulted if I say I like this version of you even more?”
He curled an arm around her hip and reached for the spot that controlled her pleasure. Toying gently with the small nub, he slowed his penetration to enjoy her restless arousal.
“Not insulted,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”
He felt his climax bearing down on him and willed it back. “What will you do for me if I let you come?” he asked, the words ragged.
“Anything, everything. Damn you, Alex. Please...”
She tried to twist in his embrace so she could face him, but he held her firmly. Already he felt small contractions in her sex that told him she was close, so close. “I like it when you beg.” He bit the back of her neck. “Will you let me kiss you in public?”
He didn’t even know where the question came from...hadn’t realized he was about to ask it.
Maria stiffened, the small shake of her head unmistakable. “Not that. Nothing out in the open. I’m offering you this room, this weekend, these two nights. Anything and everything. No holds barred.”
Though her words promised a sexual carte blanche, he was pissed at her refusal to have a real relationship with him in the light of day. Really pissed...but not enough to let her go. “Fine.” He forced the word past clenched teeth. “But I’ll make you pay for that.”
He couldn’t wait any longer. Cursing softly, he released the tight control he’d maintained and plunged wildly, taking her again and again with a force and fury that rocked the bed and sent them both into a fiery crash with orgasmic pleasure so intense they collapsed instantly into a deep, sated sleep.
* * *
Maria awoke completely disoriented. For a split second she thought she was in her small apartment in Alma. Then gradually, everything came back to her, including the fact that a large, naked man held her tightly with both arms locked around her even as he slept.
For a moment, she remained still, struggling to assimilate everything that had happened. Fragments of memories...pieces of the night before, sent hot color to her face and made her wonder how much was dream and how much reality.
But when Alex murmured in his sleep, his face buried in her hair, she couldn’t pretend any longer. She and Alex had made love...repeatedly. And the experience had changed her forever. She had given him a part of her soul and it wasn’t something she could or would take back.
Panic rose in her chest. She had done the one thing she knew was dangerous. She had let Alex get too close. It wasn’t just the sex, though that was bad enough. But even worse, she had let down her guard with him...let him see who she really was.
Whatever professional distance had existed between them had been obliterated in one unprecedented night. Alex clearly wasn’t alarmed by that. He seemed to have some notion that it was no big deal.
But Maria knew the truth. Soon they would return to Alma, and there it would be impossible to continue whatever this was between them. Alma was struggling to assimilate the fast-moving future with their traditional past, but it was a struggle that would take more than a week or a month or even a year. In the meantime, the old lines of class and social standing would remain mostly intact.
Not only was Maria not a native of Alma, she was a woman with no past. No father, no relatives, no lineage. Only a hardworking mother who had done her best to keep food on the table.
Oh, what the hell. Just because heartbreak lurked around the corner, it didn’t negate the benefits of a weekend in bed with the man she lo—
She pulled herself up short. Love was an inappropriate word in this context. She wasn’t in love with Alex. In lust maybe. But who could blame her? He was smart and sexy, and underneath that oh-so-serious exterior, he was an animal.
Even so, one of them had to show some sense. Carefully, over the space of at least a minute and a half, she stealthily eased out of his embrace and off the bed. Poor man never even moved. He had expended an impressive amount of energy in the past twelve hours.
Maria’s insides clenched in helpless longing as she remembered the crazed fervor of his lovemaking. He’d been like a man possessed, as if trying to make up for lost time. Or maybe, deep down, he knew as she did that their time together was limited.
In the bathroom with the door closed, she showered, dried her hair and secured it at the back of her neck. The comfy clothes she’d grabbed while in her room last night would be perfect for an informal workday.
She’d expected to find Alex awake by the time she finished. Opening the door to the bedroom stealthily, she saw that he still slept. Only now, he was facedown on his stomach. His broad, muscular shoulders and smoothly tanned back narrowed to a taut waist and buttocks that were...well...it was a good thing the sheet hadn’t slid any lower.
She jumped when low, amused words startled her. “Are you going to stand there staring or are you going to come back to bed?” He reared up on one elbow and turned to look at her. His voice sounded as if he had swallowed sand.
“It’s nine o’clock. We need to order breakfast and get to work on the proposal.”
He sat up and scrubbed his hands through his hair, yawning. “Are you always so perky at this hour?”
“If you’re trying to make me mad, it won’t work. Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll have it waiting when you get out of the shower.”
When he swung his legs over the side of the bed, she held up a hand. “Wrap the sheet around you, for heaven’s sake.”
He stretched, the muscles in his broad chest doing some kind of mesmerizing flex and ripple. “Are we shy this morning?”
