Louis walked back to his apartment and stopped on the way to buy flowers and some chocolates from a specialty chocolatier. But then he walked past a jewellery store and found himself turning back to have a look in the window. Sparkling diamonds, midnight-blue sapphires, blood-red rubies, forest-green emeralds and milky-white pearls were displayed in a glorious array.
And then his eye caught sight of a rare pink Argyle diamond from the Kimberley region of Australia. The pink hue reminded him of Ivy’s cheeks when she blushed.
You’re thinking of buying her jewellery? A diamond? Seriously?
Louis ignored the voice in his head and listened to the one in his heart. It was her thirtieth birthday soon and he wanted to buy something special for her. It was an early birthday gift. Nothing else.
When Ivy got back to Louis’ apartment, she expected to find her luggage in one of the spare bedrooms but instead found it in the master suite. Did that mean he intended to spend the whole night with her? Or maybe it was because he didn’t trust her to disappear again without saying goodbye.
She opened her bag and began unpacking her things, feeling a little awkward about hanging her clothes next to his in the walk-in wardrobe. But she didn’t want to drape her clothes over the back of a chair or dressing table and, as they would be in Paris for five days, what else was she supposed to do?
She found some spare coat hangers and hung her clothes on the opposite side of his. He had an assortment of expensively tailored suits and crisp shirts, ties, Italian leather shoes and belts, and cufflinks in a glass-topped drawer. There were casual clothes as well—jeans, shirts and T-shirts, shorts and leather loafers. She found herself trailing her hand along his clothes, breathing in the faint trace of his aftershave and the smell that was unique to him.
‘Have you found enough space for your things?’ Louis’ deep voice spoke from the door of the walk-in wardrobe and Ivy jumped and spun round, her cheeks feeling hot enough to iron her clothes.
‘I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to sleep in the spare room or—’
‘I want you with me.’ His eyes were dark—more inky-black pupils than grey-blue irises. They drifted to her mouth and back again in a slow perusal and a frisson passed over her flesh.
‘So you can stop me running away without saying goodbye?’
He came closer, placing his hands on her hips and shifting her so she was flush against his body. The possessive warmth of his hands sent a flare of molten heat to her core and the unmistakable jut of his erection sent her heart rate soaring. His thighs were like columns of steel, while hers felt like soggy noodles as desire shuddered through her body. ‘I’ll have to find a way to entice you to stay with me.’ His tone was deep, smoky, sexy, and another delicate shiver coursed down her spine.
Ivy stood on tiptoe and placed her arms around his neck, the elevation in height bringing her breasts into closer contact with his rock-hard chest. She gave him a playful look. ‘I wonder how you’ll do that? I’m not easily enticed.’
He glided his hands up from her hips to her ribcage, close to her breasts but not touching them. The desire to have him do so was a tingling ache that was both pleasure and pain. His gaze went to her mouth, his lips tipped up at the corners in a slow smile that heated her blood to boiling.
‘And I’m not easily bewitched but somehow you’ve achieved it.’
His mouth came down to hers in an explosive kiss that sent a shockwave of lust through her body. She opened to the demanding thrust of his tongue, relishing the erotic play that made her tingle from head to foot. His lips were firm yet gentle, teasing her into a response that was almost feverish. She gasped, she whimpered, she clung to him, desperate to take in more of him. He tasted of mint and male heat and mad passion and she couldn’t get enough. His kiss was like a drug to her senses, sending her into a frenzy of need that spiralled through every inch of her flesh. Her most intimate flesh swelled with blood, moistened with excitement, lava-hot and hungry for his possession.
He lifted his mouth off hers, gazing at her with glittering eyes. His hands moved up to cup her breasts through her clothes and she gave another desperate whimper. ‘Let’s get these clothes off you, shall we?’
‘Do let’s.’ Ivy began to unbutton her top, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate, so he took over. Slowly, torturously slowly, leaving a kiss on each section of her skin as he exposed it.
‘Your skin tastes so good.’ His voice was deep and rough, his lips warm and sending sparks of heat to her core. He peeled off her blouse and bent his head to her breasts, still encased in a balcony bra. He gave each upper curve a lazy lion-like lick that made her gasp with pleasure. He deftly unclipped the fastening on her bra and it fell in a silky silence to the floor. He drew in a shuddering breath and stroked his tongue over and around her right nipple, then he gently sucked on her, drawing her into the heat of his mouth. He released her nipple and then ever so lightly took it between his teeth. The soft tether of his teeth to her sensitive flesh sent a wave of tingly warmth through her pelvis.
Ivy clutched at his head, arching her spine, her body raging with need. ‘I want you. Now.’
Louis straightened and gave her a slow smile. ‘I like hearing you beg. It turns me on.’
Ivy shivered at the dark glint in his gaze. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it out of his trousers, and began to undo the buttons with more haste than competence. A button popped off and landed nearby. ‘Let’s even this up a bit. I’m not going to bare all unless you get naked too.’
‘Good plan.’ He shrugged off his shirt but left her to undo the waistband of his trousers, sucking in a breath when her fingers skated over his erection. ‘Your touch drives me crazy.’ He stepped out of his trousers and underwear and came back to work on the rest of her clothes, unzipping her skirt and peeling away her knickers. He feasted his eyes on her naked body, making her feel like the most beautiful and sexy woman on the planet. ‘Everything about you drives me crazy.’
‘Right back at you,’ Ivy said, barely able to speak for the sensations rushing through her body. Urgent needs begged to be assuaged. Needs she’d had no idea she possessed until his touch had awakened her.
Louis scooped her up and carried her out of the walk-in wardrobe to his bed, laying her down before joining her. He glided one of his hands down from the top of her shoulder, over her breast and ribcage, over her stomach and lower abdomen, down the flank of her thigh and then back up again. A slow, sensuous glide that made her aware of every millimetre of her skin, every pore responding to his touch, every nerve tingling. His eyes drank in every curve of her body, making her feel utterly feminine and desirable.
‘So, so beautiful—every part of you.’ His voice had an almost reverential note to it, and it made it all the harder to ignore the way her feelings for him had intensified. Going from a platonic admiration to full-blown passionate adoration—a mature and lasting adoration that she had longed to feel for someone all her life.