A REASON FOR MARRIAGE

Simon chose his words with care, having realized in the past few minutes that he still needed to go slowly with this particular woman, that to do anything else would only drive her away. “I am asking you to accompany me to a party on Saturday rather than leaving me to spend the evening alone in a room full of strangers.”

She shook her head. “You must know your host to have been invited in the first place.”

“He is a business associate. Nothing more.” Simon shrugged dismissively.

Sara smiled wryly. “There are sure to be dozens of beautiful women there, so I doubt you’ll remain alone for long-”

“And I would prefer to take my own beautiful woman,” he interrupted firmly.

Her cheeks warmed. “I am not your-”

“Sara, please.” Simon cut off her protest gruffly. “For business reasons I have to attend this party, and for personal reasons I would like you to accompany me.”

When he put it like that… Every instinct of self-preservation Sara told her to say no to his invitation. To stand by her earlier decision to recommend he use another interior designer, and then refuse to see him again. She should say no. She had to say no. She must say no.

“In that case I would be pleased to accompany you. Thank you for asking me,” she heard herself say softly.

Simon chuckled huskily when he saw the chagrined expression appear on Sara’s face immediately after she had accepted his invitation. “Sometimes instinct can be stronger than logic, hmm…?” he suggested mischievously.

“And sometimes instinct can be a complete pain in the-!” She broke off with a grimace. “I’ll meet you here, if that’s okay?”

“Because you do not wish me to come to your apartment?” Simon guessed easily.

“Not at all.” She frowned her irritation. “I’ll probably have some preliminary sketches and color charts to bring over for you to look at by then, anyway,” she added briskly.

It was in an effort, no doubt, to put their relationship back on a businesslike footing. A businesslike footing Simon felt sure Sara had previously decided they wouldn’t even be having.” Bring them, by all means. I had intended to arrive at the party at about nine o’clock, so if you were to come here at eight, that should give us time to look at your sketches before we leave.”

“Fine,” Sara agreed tersely-and realized she had just committed herself to the redesigning of his apartment.

She looked so annoyed with herself for doing so, so irritated, that Simon didn’t know whether to laugh or kiss her.

“It is no good, Sara, I have to kiss you again!” He groaned as he moved to put his arms lightly about her waist. “Please don’t punch me again. Just one kiss, hmm?” he encouraged throatily, lowering his head slowly towards hers. She seemed too surprised to protest.

Simon was determined not to send Sara hurtling off into the night this time, so he restrained his need to devour her and kissed her slowly, lightly, tasting her lips as she stood stiffly in his arms rather than giving in to the desire to swing her up into his arms and carry her off to his bedroom.

He kept a tight rein on his control until he felt the first quiver of Sara’s response and she began to return that kiss, her lips parting hesitantly as her hands moved up to rest lightly against his chest. It was the most erotic and yet at the same time most frustrating kiss of Simon’s life, as he allowed Sara to set the pace of their passion rather than take control as he usually did.

He was finally rewarded for his restraint as he felt her relax in his arms and she began to kiss him back in earnest.

Simon groaned low in his throat as he felt the press of her breasts against his chest, the softness of her hips nestling against his arousal. Her hands moved up over his shoulders until her fingers became entangled in the thickness of hair at his nape and the kiss turned hungry.

Simon wrenched his mouth from hers in order to seek out the dips and hollows in her bared throat, his breath moving across her skin in a fiery caress as his hands moved restlessly up and down the length of her spine, igniting trembling desire wherever they touched.

Sara’s breasts felt full and hot, and between her thighs she was aching in need for the touch of Simon’s caressing hands-

“No!” She pushed her hands against his chest and held herself away from him, her breathing ragged and deep as she stared up at him in increasing horror. “This is not what I want, Simon,”

His arms remained like steel bands about her waist. His eyes were dark green pits of hell, his breathing as ragged as her own as he obviously fought for control. “What is it you want, Sara? Tell me and it shall be yours,” he promised fiercely.

What Sara wanted was to go back to her previous numbness, to the place where her emotions had been as colorless as the decor in this apartment rather than the blazing colors of fire!

She breathed shallowly. “I want to collect my things and leave.”

“But you will come back on Saturday?”

Sara knew that she shouldn’t-that she should consider running instead, as far and as fast as her car and credit card would take her. Which, considering the money currently in her bank account, was a very long way. But, having finally stood up to Bruce years ago and put an end to the torment of their relationship, and then remained living and working successfully in New York, she had no intention of being forced to leave now just because Simon Hamilton was making life uncomfortable for her.

She straightened determinedly. “I’ll come back on Saturday.”

“That is good.” Simon’s smile was still strained as he indicated she should precede him out of the kitchen to collect her things from the sitting room.

What was good about it? Sara wondered slightly dazedly once she was safely back in her car, driving back to her apartment. It couldn’t possibly be ‘good’ that minutes ago she had been so physically aroused by Simon that she wouldn’t have cared if he had laid her down on the coldness of the black and white tiled kitchen floor and taken her right then and there…