to keep a man interested in bed. She just had herself to offer and suddenly that didn’t seem nearly good enough.
As he put his arm round her she shivered. ‘Cold?’ He pulled her tighter into the warm protection of his body. His hands began caressing her, their touch as light as down and unthreatening. Slowly she relaxed, her head falling back against his shoulder, her eyes drowsy with desire as they met his. He lowered his head, nipping and teasing at her lips between planting little kisses on her chin, her nose, her closed eyelids. When his mouth finally took hers, his tongue thrusting deep into the warm moisture within, it was a kind of consummation, a woman accepting the powerful thrust of a man inside her body and Cory moaned softly.
He led her into the house still wrapped in his arms and they walked slowly up the stairs, each step punctuated with more caresses and soft murmurings. When they reached the landing Cory didn’t realise for a moment where he was leading her. Then, as he opened the bedroom door and she stared into the pretty room beyond, her eyes opened wide. ‘But I thought…’
‘What did you think, sweetheart?’ he asked softly.
She stared at him, so taken aback she didn’t know what to say.
‘That coming away with me for the weekend was some sort of sexual blackmail?’ he continued silkily. ‘I told you before, I’m not William.’
‘I know.’ Her voice was barely a whisper and his face gentled.
‘No, you don’t, not yet. Make no mistake, Cory, I want you. I want you so much I walk the floor some nights when cold showers don’t do the trick. But you’re not ready yet. Did you think the reason I told you I loved you before I went to Germany was to set you up for this weekend?’
Now he had voiced it she realised it had been at the back of her mind all the time. But she shook her head. ‘No, of course not.’
‘I’ve told you before, you don’t lie too well,’ he said with a faint little smile. His eyes searched her face. ‘I want your trust as much as your body, Cory. Can you believe that? And this minefield of your past has to be cleared before that can come about. The only way I know to make it happen is to show you who I am. If you don’t trust me then anything we have will be built on shifting sand; the first strong wind that comes against it will send the whole pack of cards tumbling.’
Cory’s throat was locked and she couldn’t utter a sound. She had never felt more confused in her life.
‘You’re bound up by fear; you know that, don’t you?’
‘Fear?’ It unlocked her voice. ‘I’m not afraid.’
‘Yes, you are. I thought it was of me to begin with but the more I’ve got to know you, I see it’s not that. It’s Cory James who frightens Cory James.’
She took a little step away from him. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, backing into the bedroom.
‘You’re frightened that the person you are isn’t good enough or worthy enough or whatever it is.’ A note of anger was in his voice for the first time. ‘It’s a legacy from your parents and it’s rubbish, Cory. You know there’s a part of me that could almost feel sorry for William if the guy hadn’t been such an out-and-out jerk.’
‘What?’ Now she was angry. It put adrenalin where it was needed and burnt up the feeling of a few moments before which had had her wanting to cry. ‘Why?’ she snapped.
‘Because you were waiting for him to let you down, weren’t you? All along. And when it finally happened it confirmed you had been right. He had followed the pattern. You damn near led him into it.’
‘I did not!’ Her face was flushed; she glared at him, her hands clenched at her sides. ‘How dare you say that?’
‘Think about it,’ he ground out. ‘You picked a low-life who was programmed to treat you badly because that’s the way he treats any woman in his life. It’s a kind of victim mentality.’
‘Victim?’ It was fortunate that Nick had brought her to his home rather than a hotel because Cory’s shout of sheer outrage would have woken every guest in the place.
She didn’t have to think about what to do next. Her hand shot out with such speed it surprised them both, but Nick more so.