Chapter Thirteen

William went to sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Kissing his hair, Melissa smiled gently down at him. What a day it had been, for both of them.

And for her, it wasn’t over yet.

Her pulse picked up as she walked down the stairs. By the time she reached the entrance to the sitting room she could hear the thumping of her heart. Daniel was watching the television, his large frame bent as he rested his elbows on his knees, his eyes glued to the screen. Carols still played through the speakers and he’d dimmed the lights so the Christmas tree sparkled. The scene made her heart stir. Made her imagine a Christmas like the ones she’d seen in films. A Christmas where people laughed. And loved.

She shook off the sentimental feeling. Her son was the only person she needed to make her Christmas complete.

As she stepped into the room, her eyes strayed back to Daniel and she realised this wasn’t quite the happy, Christmas scene she’d thought. He appeared uncharacteristically tense. Lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the screen.

That’s when she realised he wasn’t watching a festive film, but the repeat of an old tennis match.

On instinct she knelt down in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He leant into her on a sigh. ‘Umm, that feels good.’

‘Are you okay? You look a little down.’

‘Sorry.’ He sat up, indicating for her to sit next to him. Taking hold of the remote control he snapped off the television, then pulled her into his arms. ‘It’s nothing a cuddle with a gorgeous woman can’t remedy.’

‘You don’t need to turn it off on my account.’

‘I’m not. I’m turning it off for me. I watch the damn stuff out of habit.’

‘Or because you miss it.’

He grunted. ‘Maybe.’ When she arched her eyebrows, he gave her a sheepish smile. ‘Okay smart ass. Yes, I watch it because I miss it.’

‘I can’t believe you managed to find any on the television at this time of year.’

‘It’s pretty much always on, if you know where to look.’

‘And you always look?’ Another embarrassed smile. She decided she liked it almost as much as his cocky one. ‘If you hadn’t been injured, what tournament would you have been preparing for now?’

‘The Australian open is in January.’ He arms tightened around her. ‘Instead I’m here, cuddling you. It’s hard to feel sorry for me.’

But she did. He hadn’t deserved such cruel luck. ‘I never asked. How did it go in the US? It must be hard playing in charity tournaments rather than real ones.’

‘Yes.’ And in that single word she felt his loss. All this time she’d been the one moaning about being scared of loving and losing again, but he was right. He’d loved and lost, too. ‘I used to enjoy playing in them when I was a pro, but it’s tough knowing they’re the only tournaments you’re going to be taking part in.’ He dropped a kiss onto her head. ‘Enough about all that. How’s William? Did he settle down okay?’

She smiled as she pictured her happy but exhausted son flaked out on the bed. ‘He went out like a light. Must be the sea air.’

‘I hope it hasn’t made you too sleepy,’ he murmured, nibbling her ear.

Her pulse spiked, but this time it was more with nerves than desire. Wanting him was one thing. Actually having him, she was starting to realise, was something else entirely.

He must have felt her stiffen because he angled his head to look at her. ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’

One glance at his puzzled brown eyes and she knew she had to be honest. ‘Please don’t laugh, but I’m feeling nervous.’

He tugged her closer and she felt his lips smile against her hair. ‘Me too.’

Laughter burst out of her. ‘You? Never. I can’t imagine you’ve ever been nervous about anything. Even match point at Wimbledon.’

‘I was never nervous when I played,’ he agreed, his fingers lightly toying with her hair. ‘Excited, pumped up, but never nervous. I am nervous about how I’m starting to feel about you, though,’ he told her softly, his lips warm on her face as he showered her with kisses.

Her throat closed and she shut her eyes, afraid of what her own might show if she opened them.

Silently he shifted them round so they were both stretched out on the sofa, her laying half on top of him. ‘That’s better. Now I can feel how well we fit together.’

They remained like that for a while, the only sounds those of the carols playing quietly through the stereo, the sea rolling up the beach and the reassuring thump of his heart. Slowly she began to relax.

‘Nothing will happen if you don’t want it to,’ he said quietly, his hands stroking gently along her arm.

‘But I do want it to.’ She raised her head to look into his eyes. ‘Very much.’

‘Good. So do I.’ Carefully he drew the hair from her neck and kissed her nape. ‘Now all you have to do is to relax and trust me.’

She snuggled closer, drawing on his warmth. ‘You make everything sound so simple, so easy. It must be wonderful to have such self-belief.’

He chuckled. ‘It comes from knowing I’m loved. I’ve been exceptionally lucky. All my life I’ve known, no matter what I did, my parents loved me. From the sound of things, you haven’t been that fortunate.’

‘No.’ He’d wrapped himself around her and she felt so secure the next words escaped without her thinking. ‘I don’t think my parents ever loved me.’

‘Oh?’ His arms tensed. ‘When did you come to that conclusion?’

‘It probably wasn’t until my early teens. I was always a bit shy, but there was a time when I brimmed with as much confidence as the other girls I boarded with.’ She slid him a glance.

‘What?’

‘I’m just checking you’re not smirking.’

‘Hey, I don’t doubt for a moment that you have confidence. You seem to find it easily enough when you’re arguing with me.’

She smiled. ‘That’s not confidence. It’s just standing up for myself. I guess what I’m saying is I used to be a more positive person, but over time my parents’ lack of interest chipped away at it. I can remember being excited about giving a ballet performance because it was a rare chance to see them during term time. Of course they didn’t turn up.’ His chest rose sharply, but he didn’t say anything. ‘There were other concerts, other occasions, and in the end I stopped hoping. It became easier to believe they wouldn’t come. Then I wasn’t disappointed.’

‘And the glass became half empty.’

He understood. The realisation helped her to voice what she’d never told anyone. ‘I’m pretty certain I was an accident. My parents were both devoted to their careers, probably even more than they were devoted to each other. Taking care of a child really got in the way so they palmed me off on nannies and boarding school. They never wanted me.’

‘In which case they were stupid. And you’re the most gorgeous accident I’ve ever met.’ As he spoke her fingers ran idly across his chest, the pleasure of touching him helping to dull the painful memories of her childhood. When they meandered lower, he groaned. ‘You’re also going to cause an accident if you carry on doing that.’

She snatched her fingers away. ‘Sorry.’

‘Oh no. Don’t ever be sorry for touching me.’ In one swift movement he stood and lifted her into his arms. ‘I think we should continue this upstairs.’

Carrying her as if she was weightless, he climbed the stairs and into his bedroom, laying her carefully on the huge bed. ‘Do you think you can stand me undressing you?’ he whispered hoarsely. ‘Because I need to do that. I need to do it very much.’

She nodded, trying to relax as he peeled off all her layers. ‘I hope you won’t be disappointed with what you find. Models tend to look better with their clothes on.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’ With hands that were sure and confident, he expertly undid her bra.

Slowly, almost reverently, his long fingers touched her bare breast and she stifled a gasp. As his head bent to kiss her nipple, his tongue making clever circles around the sensitive peak, she couldn’t prevent the strangled cry that escaped her, or the instinctive arch of her back as she silently urged him to continue.

‘My God, Melissa, you take my breath away.’

His eyes found hers and he made no attempt to hide his feelings. She saw his hunger, his desire and, as his eyes travelled up and down her body, his frank and total admiration. And under that heated gaze, the girl with the awkward, misfitting features, felt truly beautiful. ‘Thank you. I think you’d take my breath away, too, if you took your clothes off.’

Smiling wickedly he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and unsnapped his jeans. Now it was her turn to watch hungrily as muscles rippled beneath a tanned skin. A dusting of dark hair drew her eye from his chest to his stomach, and lower. Unable to resist, she smoothed her fingers over his hot skin. As the muscles tightened a thrill raced through her, dark and urgent.

‘Lay down,’ he urged, pushing her onto the mattress. She tried to keep her eyes open, not wanting to miss the sight of his powerful body as it moved over her. But then he touched her between her legs, and her eyes slammed shut. As his hands worked what had to be magic, she had no room in her mind for anything but feeling.

Her orgasm came quickly and gloriously, leaving her totally drained.

‘Still nervous?’

Her eyes slowly came back into focus to find his face hovering over hers. There was a smugness in his smile, though the tension around the edges of it hinted at his continued control. She let out a sigh of deep feminine pleasure. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever feel tense again.’

Capturing her mouth in his, he thrust into her in one lusty, fluid movement.

Daniel lay on top of her, totally spent. If a burglar burst in, he doubted he’d have the energy to raise his head, never mind chase the guy away. He knew he must feel like a lead weight but he couldn’t move, not just yet. Not when she’d drained him of his last breath.

When he thought he could find his voice, he lifted his head. Her eyes were closed but her expression could only be described as serene. ‘You slayed me, Melissa. Totally slayed me.’

Her lips curved and her grey eyes blinked open. ‘Ditto.’

With a groan he eased himself off her and lay back against the sheets, dragging her body so it fit snugly against his side. ‘I know I promised you a whole night of passion, but that was before you drained every ounce of energy from me.’

She curled into him. ‘I only have Lawrence to compare with, but tonight was … well … wow. Just wow.’

Only Lawrence. It was a reminder of how far she’d allowed him in. ‘Are you going to stay, so we can be wow again in a while?’ He felt her smile against his skin and was amazed when his body stirred. Not dead, after all.

‘I’d love to, but I want to make sure I’m in the spare bed before William wakes up.’ She raised herself up, resting on her elbows. ‘I’m not sure how he would take finding us in the same bed. I hope you understand.’

He did, though he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t disappointed. ‘By my calculation that still gives us several hours to concentrate on exploring each other, to our mutual satisfaction.’

‘I thought you were drained of energy?’

He shrugged and, quick as a fox, pulled her up so she was lying on top of him. ‘What can I say? I was a professional athlete. We’re known for our stamina.’

He then set out to demonstrate, time and time again, how good his stamina really was.

As dawn broke slowly on Sunday morning, Daniel carried her to the spare room and tucked her into bed.

When he returned to his own bed, he slept like the dead.