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 discuss previous lovers with other people.’
‘That’s very reassuring.’
His eyes held hers for a beat or two. ‘What happens between us stays between us. You have my word on that.’
Ivy went up to him and placed a hand on his forearm. ‘Thank you. I sometimes lie awake at night worrying what those guys I dated are saying about me to their friends. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t gone on any other dates.’
He placed his hand over hers, his fingers warm and strong. His grey-blue eyes drifted to her mouth and back again. ‘You don’t kiss like a Victorian prude.’ His other arm came around her body, drawing her closer to his deliciously hard frame. Every female cell in her body rejoiced at the contact, her breasts tingled, her lower body contracted and her heart began to pick up its pace.
Ivy reached up and stroked her hand over the prickly stubble of his lean jaw. ‘How many Victorian prudes have you kissed?’
His eyes became sexily hooded, his hand going to the small of her back, bringing her even closer. ‘I don’t kiss and tell, remember?’
‘Good to know.’ Her voice dropped to a whisper, desire beating with an insistent pulse between her legs. She breathed in the male scent of him, the salty hint of perspiration and the sharp citrus notes of his aftershave. ‘Louis...about the Victorian prude thing...’
She glanced up at him again. ‘Remember when my parents got divorced in my early teens? Well, Ronan probably told you how crazy our mother went, although he didn’t see a lot of it, as he was at boarding school and then university. She had so many boyfriends coming and going. It was like she was trying to outdo my father, to punish him for having that affair for so long. She wasn’t choosy in who she brought home either. It was terrifying at times to suddenly confront a strange man on his way to the bathroom or in the kitchen, helping himself to stuff.’
Louis frowned. ‘Did anyone touch you or...?’
She shook her head. ‘No, thankfully not, but I felt creeped out by it all. And then, I’d visit Dad at his flat, where he was living with his new girlfriend. He would act all lovey-dovey, the way he used to act with Mum. I felt so angry, but I couldn’t say anything, as I didn’t want to lose him out of my life. But I did in the end, anyway.’
‘It must have been a terribly confusing time for you,’ Louis said, still frowning.
‘It was... I feel a bit silly about it now. I mean, I’m almost thirty and I’ve let something that happened so long ago stop me from living the life I want to live. But I truly couldn’t bear the thought of having sex with someone I didn’t know and trust like my mother did after Dad left.’
His look was long and thoughtful, as if her words resonated with his own situation. ‘You coped the best way you could. Don’t be so hard on yourself.’
She gave him a crooked smile. ‘But all that’s going to change now you’ve helped me embrace my sensuality. I don’t know how to thank you.’
He brought his mouth to the right side of her forehead, his lips moving against her skin in teasing little brushes that made the hairs on her head stand up and a warm, treacly sensation flow down her spine. He moved his lips down her face—the sensitive spots in front of and below her ear—and she shuddered with the tickling pleasure of his touch. He kissed the edges of her mouth without actually touching her lips, ramping up her desire for his kiss to a frenzied, fiery ache in her flesh.
Ivy gripped him by the shoulders, her body so close to his she could feel every hard ridge and solid plane, sending a wave of intense longing through her. ‘Kiss me, Louis. Don’t make me beg.’
He framed her face in his hands, his eyes as dark as outer space. ‘If I kiss you, I might not want to stop.’
She licked her lips and held his gaze. ‘Why would that be a problem if I don’t want you to stop?’
He leaned his forehead on hers, their breaths mingling intimately in the space between their faces. ‘I thought I had the willpower, the self-control, to talk you out of your crazy plan to lose your virginity to me.’ He eased back to look down at her. ‘But it seems I overestimated the limits of my control.’
Ivy traced the outline of his mouth with her finger, her heart beating a tattoo in her chest. ‘I want you to make love to me. I want you to be my first lover. It feels right for it to be you and not someone I don’t care a fig about. Or someone who might talk about me to their friends.’