One Night On The Virgin's Terms - Melanie Milburne Page 0,27

disappointed when it comes to having sex with me.’

His eyes darkened to a midnight-blue. ‘You won’t disappoint me.’ He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lip where her teeth had just been. ‘Now, let’s get you unpacked, and we’ll have a drink in the garden before dinner.’

Ivy followed him up the stairs with her body still buzzing from his passionate kiss. If she’d had the confidence, she’d have insisted he make love to her right now. Why wait when they were alone for the whole weekend?

But maybe he was right not to rush her. She needed to take things slowly, to be more in control of what happened with her body. Her previous dates had pressured her, and it had made her panic, and they hadn’t taken the rejection well. One had made insulting comments about her body that she had been fretting over ever since. She wanted it to be different this time. To be able to enjoy every moment without embarrassment, or feeling pressured and on edge, or fearful of being body shamed.

Louis led her to a room on the second storey that had a beautiful view of the back garden and the rolling fields beyond the estate. Her bedroom was decorated in cream and white, which gave the room a spacious and luxurious feel that would rival that of any top hotel. Her eyes went to the queen-sized bed and molten heat pooled between her legs at the thought of lying in it with Louis, his body buried deeply in hers...

He placed the bags on a velvet-covered linen box at the end of the bed and straightened to look at her. ‘There’s an en suite bathroom through there.’

‘Where’s your room?’

‘Farther down the hall.’

‘How much farther?’

He released a heavy sigh and reached to tuck a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear. ‘Don’t take it personally. I often get up at night and tinker away on my computer. I wouldn’t want to disturb you.’

Ivy searched his features for a crack in the firewall of his self-control. He kept glancing at her mouth as if unable to pull his gaze away. And there was a doggedness about the line of his jaw, as if he was calling on every bit of willpower to stop himself from acting on the desire she could see shining in his eyes. ‘You work too hard.’

He gave a lop-sided smile and released her. ‘I’m going to rustle up some dinner. Come down when you’re ready.’

Louis left her to unpack and went downstairs to check if his housekeeper had followed his instructions to leave supplies for dinner. Yep. Done, and done well. Who said you couldn’t get good help these days?

The dining room was set up, the fridge and pantry stocked, the champagne and wine on chill. A casserole was in the slow cooker, filling the kitchen with the fragrant aroma of chicken and herbs. There were even flowers from the garden on the table and throughout the house, filling the air with a summery smell.

The garden was bathed in golden early-evening sunlight, making him wonder why he didn’t come down here more often to relax. Like ‘commitment’, ‘relax’ was another word he’d shied away from in his quest to succeed as an architect. The thing was, he now had the success he’d always aimed for, but he still kept striving. He was stuck in work gear, always going at full throttle, because that was all he knew now. It was all he wanted, right? Work. Achievement. Success.

Louis opened the fridge and took out the champagne. He got two glasses from the cabinet and placed them on a tray, along with cheese, crackers, fruit and pâté. He heard Ivy’s footsteps coming down the stairs and along the passage to the kitchen and something deep and low in his pelvis tightened. Sheesh. Even the sound of her footsteps got his blood roaring.

She came into the kitchen wearing a long, summery, Bohemian-style off-the-shoulder dress that highlighted the creamy perfection of her neck and shoulders. Her hair was bundled up in a makeshift up-do with some loose tendrils cascading about her heart-shaped face. She glanced at the champagne and smiled, making her eyes sparkle. ‘That’s my favourite.’

‘I know.’ Louis picked up the tray and nodded towards the French doors leading to the garden. ‘Let’s take this outside and enjoy the sunlight before dinner.’

Ivy walked ahead of him and opened the door, then followed him out to the garden. ‘I love your garden. Was it