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“What?”
Filter, AJ, filter. She sighed. “You need a little color to brighten up your walls is all.”
He glanced around. “You don’t like my place?”
“Well, it’s nice. Elegant,” she added. “I mean, I’m no Picasso, but I have a painting that would—” She suddenly snapped her mouth shut.
“What?”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re discussing your decor right now.”
His brow went up. “What would you rather be discussing?”
Her breath quickened and her eyes zeroed in on his neck again, then went back up to meet his eyes. “Nothing. I’d rather be doing.”
Man, he’d forgotten how direct this woman could be! After years of office politics, international red tape, playing nice and pretending with the best of them, Matt had missed that directness. She told it like it was, one of the things that had drawn him to her.
“C’mere.”
She was in his arms quicker than he could blink, lips tilting up, eager for his. With a groan, he obliged, slowly covering her mouth.
Yes. She welcomed him inside, teasing his tongue as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The warm press of her breasts against his chest, her lean body and gently curving hips as they bumped urgently into his groin sent his pulse racing.
She murmured something low and encouraging, firing a spark deep inside his belly. Her thighs pressed into his, her arms tight around his neck as she angled her mouth so he could take her deeper.
And just like that, he was hard and ready to go.
“Matt,” she gasped, pulling back to stare at him through passion-heavy lids. “Take me to bed.”
Then she took his hand and placed it on her breast. The guttural growl came from deep in his throat, wrenching out one word. “Angel...”
He could barely think when her pebble-hard nipple pressed eagerly into his palm. Damn it, he wanted to take his time, seduce her the right way so she’d begin to trust him. A quickie in the middle of his lounge room was not a good place to start, even if it would satisfy his lust.
But it was hard to stop when she was rubbing up against him, the firm globe of her breast in his hand, her nipple erect and ready. His fingers convulsed and he let out a groan, curling them for one agonizing second around that wonderfully soft mound, then slowly dragging his palm across the engorged nipple. She whimpered, sighed and stretched her head back, exposing her long neck.
Furious need thundered through every vein, and he took a deep breath to steady his racing thoughts. Then another.
Plans had a way of derailing, and if he didn’t put a stop to this he’d lose the ground he’d already gained. Even as his body screamed in protest, he released her and took a step back. Her eyes sprang open and the dark desire in those depths coupled with a soft moue of disappointment speared him right in the groin.
You can do this. “AJ, we need to—”
A sharp, familiar tune suddenly echoed in the heated silence.
AJ groaned. Her phone.
He frowned. “Is that...?”
“‘Young Turks’ by Rod Stewart. My sister’s choice.”
“Then you’d better get it,” he said, taking another step back.
Are you insane? AJ gave him an incredulous look. “It can wait.”
“Could be important.” His expression was shuttered and the distance he’d created spoke volumes. She blinked, watching Matt stride back into the kitchen, undoing his tie as he went, and her confusion was magnified a thousandfold. Still, Rod continued to sing, and with a sigh she reached into her clutch.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“What, did I interrupt you getting ready to go out, Miss Party Queen?” Emily said.
“No.” She turned toward the windows with a scowl. “And shouldn’t you be doing something more interesting on your Paris honeymoon than calling me?”
“Zac and I had a bet. I thought my carrier had canceled my international roaming and he disagreed.”
“You know you can check that in your settings, right?”
“And deny myself the pleasure of hearing your voice?”
AJ felt a reluctant smile form. “Well, tell Zac congrats, he won. Won what, I don’t think I want to know.”
“You hear that, darling?”
“Smart girl,” she heard Zac murmur, then came a pause, followed by a giggle. AJ’s heart twisted briefly before she brushed it off.
“If you’ve quite finished flirting with your husband, Mrs. Preston—”
“Hang on. You left a message about the apartment. How long do you need it for?”
“Not sure. A few months?” She toed off her heels and let her feet sink into the plush carpet with a sigh.
“What?” She heard her sister shift then mumble something to Zac. “What’s keeping you in Sydney that long?”
AJ paused, then finally said with a wince, “A...man?”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I am. I think.” She couldn’t help it—she flicked a glance toward the kitchen. The man in question was exiting with two steaming cups, tie dangling loose and hair still sexily rumpled. She glanced away and shoved a stray lock of her own hair behind her ear.
“What about your stall?” Emily said.
“I can set one up at The Rocks.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm—what?”
“Oh, nothing. But Zac’s planning on having an open house so we’ll need the apartment by October third.”
AJ did a quick mental calculation. “Seven weeks away?”
“If you say so...” She ended on a gasp, then the phone clunked ominously in AJ’s ear.
“I’m hanging up now,” AJ called. “Bye, Zac!”
“Bye, AJ,” came her brother-in-law’s deep voice on the other end before the line cut out.
“Having a good time, are they?” Matt asked, placing her cup on the coffee table.
AJ nodded. “They’re in Paris. Who wouldn’t have fun?”
“How did they meet?”
AJ eyed him, tapping the edge of her phone gently on her chin. “He was her boss.”
“An office romance, hey?”
“Something like that.” Emily deserved to be happy. And Zac was perfect for her, despite their rocky start. Clandestine affairs didn’t always turn out well, but theirs... Well, you only had to see them together to know they were completely and totally in love. “Emily planned the perfect wedding and the perfect honeymoon.” She gave a small smile. “She’s such an organizer—unlike me. She likes things just right. She’s a true believer in love and romance and all that ‘hearts and flowers’ stuff.”
“And you’re not?”
AJ shrugged. “Oh, I believe in attraction, in passion. Love, sure. But fidelity? Soul mates?” She shrugged.
He frowned. “That’s a bit cynical. What about the millions of couples who’ve been together and stayed faithful over the years?”
“I didn’t say it doesn’t work. Just not for me.”
“Why not? What makes you so different from anyone else, AJ?”
She scowled. “Our past defines us,” she said tightly. “It makes us into the people we are.”
“So you’re saying you have no free will? That you’ll let an event or person tell you how to think and feel?”
“No!” She scowled. “But people are conditioned for self-preservation. We’re either in pursuit of things that make us feel good or protecting ourselves from hurt. And growing up, it was always the latter. My mother—” She abruptly clamped her mouth shut. That subject was a major mood killer. “Look, are we going to talk about my past or have sex?”
He took her in through hooded eyes as he slowly placed his cup on the coffee table.
She swallowed, realizing she’d said entirely the wrong thing.
“I have some work to do. I’ll probably be up awhile.”
Yep. Wrong thing. Flustered, AJ couldn’t hide her disappointment, yet he didn’t say a word, just pulled his tie free. “I’m leaving for Italy on Sunday.”
“Italy?” she said, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of loss. “Lucky you.”
He shrugged, folding his tie slowly and precisely. “It’s for work. I don’t have time to sightsee.”
“Right.” Work. It would always come first. She’d known from the start she’d have to fit in around his work schedule. But was it foolish to be just a little disappointed?
“Good night, AJ.” He picked up his coffee then turned and strode toward his office.
She glared at the door as he closed it behind him. If that wasn’t a rejection, she didn’t know what was.
It was obvious that he wanted her. So why weren’t they naked on his couch right now?
“Work,” she muttered in the cool, dark silence. “Or the ex.” Really, what other explanation could there be?
She stared at the carpet, hands on her hips. She had no reason to be angry, not when she’d actively pursued this arrangement. Hell, she should be thankful he was so work-focused because didn’t that just make everything easier?
She huffed out a sigh and stared at the closed door. “Cold shower, I guess,” she muttered, then turned toward the bathroom.
* * *
AJ rolled over in bed and stared at the faint light coming under her door. Was Matt still working? She grabbed her phone and squinted at the time. 1:17. Surely the man had to sleep sometime.
As she lay there in the darkness, surrounded by unfamiliar scents and silence, her mind sluggishly kicked in. Pretty soon it was full of too many questions, too many thoughts.
Too many doubts.
With a grunt, she tossed off the bed covers then grabbed her robe. When she eased her door open, the subdued living-room lamp cast shadows across the room, but it was Matt’s office she focused on. She padded across the carpet, then placed her hand on the closed door.
Inside, she could hear his clear deep voice followed by another male voice that was slightly muffled and tinny. Skype? She heard Matt say, “Thanks. See you Sunday.” Then nothing.
The gentle clack of fingers on keyboard punctuated the silence. She grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it.
Matt was at his desk, a laptop open in front of him, the rest of the surface strewn with papers, pens, a file or two. He’d rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing lean tanned forearms sprinkled with dark hair.
“Did I wake you?” he said suddenly, his focus still on the computer.
“I’m a light sleeper.”
He reached for a paper, scanning it with a frown. “You should go back to bed.”
She shoved a hand through her hair. “So should you. It’s late.”
He paused, placed the paper into a folder, then slowly swiveled his chair to face her. “In Rome it’s twenty past five in the afternoon.”
Rome. “Nice to know.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back for our appointment.”
“That’s not what I was thinking.” When he raised an eyebrow, she continued, “It’s Rome. Home of the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican. All that wonderful history and art...”
He studied her, looking all comfortable and relaxed in his office chair, a curious smile on his lips. “You’ve never been to Rome?”
“I’ve never been outside Australia. Too expensive.”
His gaze held her firm, revealing nothing. “Come here.”
She eyed him back. “Why?”
