The Millionaire's Rebellious Mistress - By Catherine George Page 0,49
must have been able to take his pick of the women students. And probably of the damsels at Medlar House before he’d even left school.
‘I’m no Casanova,’ he assured her, reading her mind, then laughed suddenly into her neck.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘I’ve just noticed that the storm has gone and the lights are on downstairs, and I think they’ve been on for some time.’
CHAPTER TEN
SARAH LAUGHED, but stayed his hand as he reached to turn on the bedside lamp. ‘Not just yet. Leave me with romantic candlelight for a while.’
Alex slid from the bed to fetch a dressing gown from his wardrobe. ‘What would you like? More wine? Or now we have power again I could make coffee.’
‘Could you make tea instead?’ Sarah said hopefully, controlling an urge to dive under the quilt now Alex was covered and she was not.
‘I certainly could. Anything else?’
‘My handbag. It’s near the sofa somewhere.’
‘Right. I won’t be long.’ Alex bent to plant a swift kiss on her mouth. ‘Don’t go away.’
Sarah made a beeline for the bathroom, for the swiftest shower on record, then wrapped herself in the towelling robe hanging behind the door. She switched on the bedside lamps and blew out the candles, tidied the bed, and went barefoot downstairs just as Alex came into the main room from the kitchen, carrying a loaded tray.
‘What the blazes are you doing down here?’ he demanded. ‘I was just coming up to you with the tea.’
‘I couldn’t let you carry it up that staircase when I can drink it just as well down here on the sofa.’ She smiled, relieved when his eyes softened.
‘I usually take a tray up to bed on a Sunday morning,’ he informed her, and raised that eyebrow again. ‘At least you’re still here. While I was making tea and so on, I wondered if I’d find you dressed and ready to leave when I took it up to you.’
Sarah flushed. ‘I can still do that, if you like.’
Alex stalked to the table beside the sofa and put the tray down so hard the cups rattled. ‘No. I do not like. I wanted you to stay in my bed so I could rejoin you there. Not necessarily for more sex—though I wouldn’t say no—but just to stay there together until we went to sleep.’ He cast a look at the robe. ‘A trifle large, but it looks good on you.’
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I had a very quick shower.’
‘I certainly do mind. If I’d known I would have postponed the tea-making and had one with you.’
‘I seem to be getting things wrong here,’ she said crossly. ‘You’ll have to forgive me, Mr—’
He held up a hand. ‘Don’t!’
‘I was going to say,’ she went on with dignity, ‘that I’m not sure of the right procedure on these occasions. My former brushes with—with romance were not sleepovers.’
Alex’s eyebrows rose. ‘Are you saying you’ve never slept with a man?’
‘Yes,’ she said shortly, and picked up her bag.
‘You’ve changed your mind about leaving?’ he said sharply.
‘No. I just want to slap some moisturiser on my face.’ She glared at him. ‘If that’s all right with you.’
He took in a deep breath. ‘Let’s start again. Sarah—my darling Sarah—come back to bed with me to drink your tea.’
She thought it over. ‘OK.’ She glanced at the teapot. ‘But I’d better carry that.’
‘Off you go, then. I promise not to leer at your back view while I follow.’
‘Not much to leer at in this dressing gown!’
Alex smiled. ‘Ah, but I know exactly what’s under it.’ To his delight Sarah flushed hectically, snatched the teapot from the tray and marched over to the stairs.
When Sarah had said yes to dinner at home with Alex, she’d known perfectly well that dinner was probably not the only thing he had in mind. And if bed was involved she had been prepared for that. Welcomed it, looked forward to it, had been so excited by the prospect she’d put new underwear at the top of her shopping list for her trip to Hereford. But her imagination had never gone as far as picturing the fun of a midnight feast in bed with him. It was long past midnight by this time, but the principle was the same. She curled up against his banked pillows, smiling when he offered her thick slices of buttered toast.
‘No wonder I had time to shower if you were getting this together,’ she commented as he handed her a plate.