The Spy Who Loved Her: Once Upon an Accident, Book 3 (19 page)

“Danny!”

She came apart beneath him, her body convulsing, her muscles pulling his cock further inside of her. He could not keep himself in check any longer. Before he could even think, his release was upon him. He shouted her name, the pain of holding back from her all these years exploded as he lost himself. He poured his seed into her, his orgasm seemingly going on forever.

Long moments later, he dropped beside her on the bed, his body slick with exertion. Without hesitation, she moved to him, curling against him, her hand slipping over his chest and resting on his heart.

Again he found himself unable to say anything, unable to tell her exactly what was in his heart. Damn, the woman had him in tangles. What was new about that? Nothing. From the moment she had arrived in London looking for a husband at the fresh age of ten and eight, she had held him captive. And now she had truly ensnared him. They needed to make plans…and quickly. While he had not wanted to do it this way, he did not think they had any time to waste. She needed the protection of his name…and fast. Sebastian would not be happy about it, but there could be no helping it. He had not done the honorable thing and stayed away. Hell, he had not even taken precautions. There could even be a babe growing in her belly right now. No, there was no time to waste.

“Anna?”

Her even breathing told him that she had fallen asleep. He wanted to wake her up and demand her acceptance of his suit. But he knew that she was tired. She had not slept well the night before, and today had been a trying day for both of them. The moment she woke up, he would definitely get her acceptance.

It was the last thought he had before he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Sixteen

Anna came awake with a start, terror pounding in her veins, screaming in her head. She had been having the most disturbing dream that involved dark alleys and Daniel bleeding. Her heart beat against her chest, her body shivering with the fear she felt for him. With a sigh, she lay back down and came up hard against a very solid male form. Panic surged, her terror of the dream melting into the present, but it only took her a moment to remember she did not sleep alone by choice.

Daniel
.

She rose again and looked at him. Even in sleep he looked a bit dangerous…or was that her perception of him now. She had always seen him as the playmate, the easygoing one. But this was not the man she knew. There was something so dangerous about him, something that frightened her. Deep down though, there was something else, something that corresponded to this side of him. This man took what he wanted, damned the consequences. Anna had to admit that she loved him as much as the Daniel she had known before.

Loved
.

God, she did still love him. Or maybe she was just falling in love with him. How could she have been in love with a man she apparently did not know that well? But this Daniel—Danny—he was someone she could love. She knew she still didn’t know all of him. There was a bit of him he still kept hidden from her, but she could wait. And while she did, she could definitely make use of the body in front of her.

He had always been fit, but she did not know exactly how beautiful he would be. He turned to his side and she sighed. Sinewy muscles bunched as he reached for her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. It was then she felt the flesh against her, and even after everything, she could feel herself blush.

“What are you thinking about?”

His chest vibrated against her back and she shivered.

“I was thinking I did not know just how pretty you would be without any clothes.”

He chuckled as those talented hands moved over her stomach then up to her breasts. He caressed the underside of her breast then moved to her nipple. Heat built, liquid poured through her veins. She couldn’t think when he did that, when he touched her like this.

“I have never been called pretty before.”

“What?”

Her brain was a blank slate against the pleasure he was giving her. His hand slid down her body, his fingers slipping inside her. She was already damp, needy.

“Danny.”

As if he could no longer hold back, he pulled up and rolled her over onto her back. He covered her body with his as he balanced his weight on his hands. She looked up to the man who had just taken her on a journey she would never forget, her body already humming for the next trip. His hair was a mess, his sleepy eyes dark with need, and she wanted him. There was no way around it, she had to have him, needed him in a way that she surely would end up regretting. But at the moment, she didn’t care. Her heart was stuttering, her breasts ached, her body yearned. How could this be possible? All he had to do was touch her and she lost all thought. It was not something she was happy about. She did not lose control, not to anyone.

“Anna.”

She was not sure if she heard her name, but she saw his lips move. The serious expression on his face scared her. Oh God, she did not think she would be able to let him go, but she knew she would have to. He did not love her and she refused to marry without love. She reached up and cupped his cheek.

“Please, Danny.”

Without closing his eyes, he lowered his head and kissed her gently. This was not the demanding, consuming kiss from earlier. This was soft as a rose petal, but something else was there, something that scared her. He moved his mouth over hers and she felt her name spoken with such a reverence tears burned the back of her eyes.

“I could not be in the same room and not want you.”

She wanted the heady, fast passion of earlier, but Daniel had other ideas. He cupped her face as he continued to kiss her. She allowed her eyes to shut as he slowly deepened the kiss. It wasn’t crazy as earlier, but this was much more dangerous. She was melting, literally melting. Her body, her mind, her body…her heart. She could not hold back from the simple kiss. It was impossible.

She could feel his manhood harden against her and her body respond on instinct. He rolled over, pulling her along, and she found herself atop him.

“Daniel, what are you doing?”

The smile he flashed was filled with masculine devilment. “We are going to try this a different way.”

She looked down at him and her eyes widened. “Really?”

He nodded. “Lift up on your knees and take me inside of you.”

She hesitated and then did as he said. It was a different feeling. She was sore from earlier, but the amazing sensation of being connected to him this way helped her ignore the discomfort. It did not take her long to find her rhythm as she moved up and down, enjoyed being the one in control. He lifted up and took a nipple into his mouth, his expert tongue moving over the tip, then pulling it into his mouth.

Soon that familiar tension built within her. Her body tightened and, try as she might, she could not seem to get to that pinnacle. Daniel reached between their bodies and pushed her over into the free fall of release. Even as she was convulsing with it, he rolled them back over. He came to his knees and lifted her hips. He thrust in and out of her. Her body, just recovering from her last orgasm, was pushed into another. She shattered as he shouted her name again.

Anna watched Daniel pull his trousers up and sighed with regret. It really was a shame he could not come back to bed. She did not think she had enough of him in bed.

“I heard that,” he said, amusement threading his voice. “I cannot chance anyone seeing me leave your room.”

She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

“I do not see the reason why. House parties are notorious for assignations.”

He glanced at her. “Not for virgins with good reputations.”

She shrugged, not caring much about her reputation. There was enough of her mother in her to know that she should care, but what had it gotten her? Nothing.

“Now,” he said as he sat in the chair beside her bed and started to don his boots. “I will talk to your mother, but we will have to wait with a formal announcement until after I have spoken to Sebastian.”

And just like that, the slow, easy feeling the night before had given her vanished. Panic replaced it, her stomach muscles clenching in sudden tension.

“Why ever would you worry about them?”

Without looking up, he said, “I have to get their approval for our marriage.”

For a moment, she held the words close to her heart. How many times had she dreamed of this, wished on the first star to hear those words come out of his mouth? She had wanted this more than anything else in the world.

“I did not agree to marry you.”

He looked at her, his face unreadable. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I never said I would marry you.”

Irritation stole over his expression now. “What was last night about?”

“Do you marry every woman you take to bed?”

“Do not answer my question with a question. What did you think going to bed with me meant?”

She shrugged, hoping it looked more nonchalant than she felt. Inside, her heart was pounding, her stomach roiling. The one thing she had ever wanted was here for her. It was as if her fantasy and nightmare had been rolled into one big mess. He did not love her. He wanted her, maybe he needed her. But she knew one day he would leave her. He would grow bored and move on to find a paramour outside of their marriage. And she would die.

She shook her head, trying to show her confusion. “I thought that it was just a night of pleasure.”

Anger leapt into his eyes, turning them a fascinating shade of red. From behind clenched teeth, he said, “I do not think for a moment you really thought that I would take my best friend’s sister to bed without knowing the consequences.”

A knife to the heart would have been less painful. She did not show the pain he had caused. She would deal with that later. Instead, she smiled.

“I do not wish to marry.”

He settled his hands on his hips and frowned down at her. “That is absurd.”

Irritation, anger and pain twisted inside of her, but she would not let him see that. She was never going to be vulnerable to a man again, especially this man who could hurt her so easily.

“No, it isn’t. I have my money, my work…why ever would I need a husband?”

“What about the babe you could be carrying?”

She had to keep herself from touching her stomach, wishing it were true, but she shook her head.

“It isn’t likely.”

“How will you explain it if you are?”

“Then we can discuss marriage. But I see no reason to worry about it now, or chain ourselves to each other because of one night.”

The scorching look he sent her would have burned a lesser woman. “If you think that I am not touching you again, you are insane.”

The words sent a hot thrill racing through her. She had hoped he would not turn away from her. She knew there was a chance when she turned down his marriage proposal.

“So, we can carry on an affair.” She smiled at him which seemed to make him even angrier than before.

“Just like that. An affair?”

She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

“I do not think so.”

Her heart sank. “You have had affairs before.”

“With women who knew the score. They did not expect a marriage proposal in the morning.”

“Neither did I.”

He blinked. “You are telling me you let me take you to bed last night knowing we would not marry?”

“Yes.”

She heard some shuffling in the hallway and knew he needed to leave. Granted, she did not care about her reputation, but she would not want it to reflect badly on her mother.

“You need to go.”

“We are not finished with this discussion.”

Before she could argue with him, he swooped down and gave her a quick, wet kiss. It was enough to curl her toes and have her heart beat out of control.

“I will accompany your carriage back today.”

Her head was still spinning as he opened the door, stuck his head out to check the hallway. He stepped out, but poked his head back in. “I mean it, Anna. We are not done with this.”

With that, he shut the door. She flopped back onto her pillows and closed her eyes. The scenes from the night before played through her head. Every touch, every sigh, every glorious moment. She held those memories close to her heart, and she would for the rest of her life. Just as she would if he kept his promise of taking her to bed again. It would not last, could not. Affairs rarely did, and she knew before long Daniel would end it. That she would deal with when it happened.

She would live in the moment for once in her life. No planning, no worries. She would not think of what was to become of her later, or how she would feel when Daniel took another woman as a lover.

But even as she promised herself that, she felt the tears streaming down her face. She had wanted to say yes to his proposal…to forget the one vow she had given herself years earlier. Marrying Daniel would be heaven and hell…and she would only hurt herself in the end. He did not love her. He wanted her for now, desired her in a way she had never expected from a man. She would be happy for a time, but the moment he took his first mistress, she would break. She would not let him know of her feelings, keep them locked away. She might not be as worldly or experienced as his former lovers, but she understood the way to conduct an affair. Messy feelings of love were not welcomed. And when it came time to part, it would happen without tears, without recriminations.

Now though, with the first light of the morning peeking through her drapery and the soft sounds of the house waking up, she turned her head into her pillow and cried.

Chapter Seventeen

Daniel stormed around his bedroom and ignored the interesting looks Jack kept tossing his way. He knew he was acting like an ass, but he didn’t care. He had lived for thirty years without ever proposing to a woman. Now he had done it twice in less than three days and she had refused him…even after giving him her virginity. He thought she would jump into his arms with joy, thank him, let him love her again. Instead, she had refused his suit and then proposed they have an affair.