One Night On The Virgin's Terms - Melanie Milburne Page 0,34

her female flesh, finally triggering a powerful rush that seemingly came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Waves and ripples of pleasure washed through her pelvis, making her writhe and cry out as if she was possessed by a paranormal entity.

Ivy gasped and flung her head back against the bed, her chest heaving, her body limp as the aftershocks gradually faded. ‘Oh, God, that was... I don’t know how to describe it.’

Louis came up on one elbow and smiled down at her. ‘It will get better.’

She had no idea how it ever could. She had never experienced anything so earth-shattering. She tiptoed her fingers down his sternum all the way to his rock-hard abdomen. ‘Aren’t you going to...?’

He captured her hand before it could go any lower and pressed a kiss to the middle of her palm. ‘Not right now.’ His expression became unreadable and she could sense him pulling away as if an invisible drawbridge had come up between them.

She blinked at him in surprise. ‘But aren’t you...?’

He pressed a finger to her lips to halt her speech. ‘This is about your pleasure, not mine.’

Ivy brushed his hand away and grasped him by the shoulder. ‘But isn’t making love meant to be a two-way thing?’

‘Yes, but there’s plenty of time. We’ve got all night.’ He rolled away and picked up his shirt and trousers from the floor and proceeded to put them back on.

Ivy pulled the bed sheet up over her nakedness, wondering why he’d called a halt when it was so obvious he desired her. We’ve got all night. But wouldn’t most guys want to make the most of it?

She was starting to wonder if one night was going to be enough for her. He had awakened needs and desires in her that thrilled and delighted her. But what was going to happen when this night was over? Back to being friends only. ‘Is this about your one-night-only rule? You can’t bring yourself to sleep with me more than once? Why do you even have such a dumb rule?’

Louis’ jaw tightened. ‘I’ve always been a fan of the casual one-nighter—hence my moniker, Mr Amazing One-Night Stand. Brief hook-ups are less complicated, given my work commitments. I don’t like being tied down in a relationship when I have other demands on my time. But a few months ago I allowed a hook-up to stretch out to three weeks. Big mistake. The woman became increasingly attached and started dropping hints about moving in with me. I broke things off as gently as I could but it didn’t go well.’

He speared a hand through his hair and blew out a breath before continuing, ‘She was clearly heartbroken and I felt awful about causing her that much pain, especially as we’d both agreed at the beginning it was only a short-term fling. She stalked me for weeks on end. I had to block her on my phone and email, to stop the bombardment of calls and texts and emails. It was embarrassing when she’d show up at work in tears, desperate to talk to me. Once she turned up in another city where I was presenting at a conference. Since then, I made a promise to myself never to date anyone longer than twenty-four hours.’

Ivy got off the bed, bringing the sheet with her as a sarong around her body. ‘So, you’re letting one woman who didn’t know how to deal with rejection ruin your chance to ever be in a proper, fulfilling relationship?’

‘But I’ve never wanted anything more than casual relationships.’ His tone was curt. ‘I’ve seen the way fulfilling relationships change over time into full-on war.’

She frowned. ‘Your parents?’

His lip curled. ‘My parents and yours and numerous others.’

Ivy could hardly argue with that. Her parents had seemed happy enough until her father’s affair had been uncovered. The affair had been going on for close to a year. No wonder her mother had gone off the rails once she’d found out. ‘I know not everyone ends up happy forever, but at least it’s worth a try. Falling in love with someone and building a life together is all I’ve ever wanted.’

‘Good luck with that.’ Cynicism laced his tone.

Ivy chewed her lip for a moment. ‘So, why did you date that woman for as long as you did?’

Louis blew out a breath, his brow creased in a frown. ‘She was good company, easy to get along with and—’

‘Good in bed?’

He gave her an unreadable look. ‘It’s not a habit of mine to