Miranda Lee -The Blackmailed Bridegroom Page 7

  She paced up and down the spacious room, oblivious and uncaring of its luxury, her anxiety increasing with each passing minute. Logic suggested it would take Jed time to pack her clothes, but logic was not as strong as the intuitive feeling that something else was going on in the apartment next door besides clothes-packing. Her ears strained to detect any sounds of scuffling or shouting through the walls, but of course million-dollar penthouses were well insulated.

  Agitated beyond belief, Paige found herself eventually making her way through the huge sliding glass doors and standing on the equally huge balcony. Again she strained to hear sounds, but nothing came to her ears but the faint sound of music from one of the opened windows below. Sighing her frustration, she leant against the curved steel railing and let the fresh sea breeze blow the heat from her face.

  Distraction came in the form of the view of Sydney Harbour. It was magnificent, and very different from that at her own home, which was understandable. The two residences were on opposite sides of Port Jackson, for starters, and opposite sides of the bridge. Antonio's penthouse was also much higher, so that a larger body of water plus the whole of the inner city area was set out before her in one vast, hundred-and-eighty-degree(pan-orama.

  At that hour, and with the night sky perfectly dear of

  cloud, it was a sight to behold. The stars competed with

  the city lights to create a fairyland carpet out of the black

  waters of the harbour, a perfect foil for the bridge and

  the tall buildings beyond. In the distance, (Darling

  Harbour glowed. No doubt its brand-new glitzy casino

  still buzzed with tourists and compulsive gamblers, but

  the rest of the city was pretty quiet. It was Monday night,

  after all, and those balmy summer evenings which

  brought Sydneysiders out onto the harbour in droves

  were still a few weeks off.

  Paige shivered as a swirl of much stronger wind

  brought her out in goosebumps. Truly, it was too cool

  to be comfortable out here, and she turned to go inside.

  So much for Antonio's suggestion that they sit out on

  his balcony sipping coffee. He must have known it was

  out of the question. Which meant he'd probably never

  intended to bother with supper at all. Till this awkward

  business with Jed had cropped up, it probably would

  have been straight to the bedroom. :

  And she would have been with him all the way!

  The thought annoyed her, and she slammed the glass

  door behind her. Why on earth was the infernal man

  taking so long?

  The need for further distraction drove her to look around the place. Frankly, she was surprised and impressed. Although identical in floor-plan to Jed's penthouse, Antonio's was furnished in a more sophisticated and elegant style. The floors went from a gray granite in the foyer and hallways to a deep burgundy carpet in the living rooms, the furniture a mixture of lacquered black wood and the coolest of cream leathers.

  Jed's place was over the top, with lots of dark studded leather, animal print furnishings and mirrors. Oh, yes, Jed liked mirrors!

  Each place reflected the personality of its owner, Paige began to appreciate. Jed was a show pony, who needed pseudo-macho accessories to boost his self-image. Antonio didn't. His natural class and taste shone through in the things he'd chosen to surround himself with. This was the home of a man who knew what he was, and what he wanted out of life.

  Antonio had obviously done very well for himself over the years, Paige realized as she wandered over to stare through the glass wall at the city skyline once more. A million-dollar view to go with the million-dollar penthouse. That Jag he'd been driving tonight wasn't cheap, either. And his clothes spoke for themselves. Still, her father was no fool. He would be paying Antonio a huge package to make sure no other company headhunted him.

  And, of course, Antonio had no dependants to drain away his finances. No doubt he meant to keep it that way, too. If a man meant to marry and have children he didn't leave it this late to start. Not that Paige knew exactly how old he was. But he had to be in his mid-thirties.

  The sound of a key rattling in the front door lock propelled Paige back to the moment at hand and over to the foyer, her heart pounding as Antonio came in. Frantic blue eyes searched his face and hands for any evidence of a scuffle.

  But there wasn't any.

  Besides being unmarked, his hands were also empty.

  'Jed wasn't in?' she asked, perplexed over what could have taken him so long if he hadn't been fighting or gathering up her clothes.

  Antonio's smile was wry. 'He was in all right.' ' 'Oh? He wouldn't give you my clothes, then?'

  'He couldn't give me your clothes.'

  'Oh, my God, what did you do to him?' Paige burst out, frantic that Antonio might have done something really stupid. There was a wild glitter in. his eyes which worried the life out of her.

  'Nothing,' he denied, and, taking her arm, steered her back into the living room. 'Nothing much, anyway,' he muttered darkly.

  'I think I need a drink,' he announced, and, leaving her in the middle of the room, he stalked over to the black-lacquered bar in the comer and poured himself a large whisky. 'You want something?'

  'No, thanks. And what do you mean by nothing much!

  She watched agitatedly while Antonio took a deep swallow of whisky, then smiled a very rueful little smile. 'Let's say he'll be sporting a bruise bigger than yours tomorrow. And he won't be in a hurry to service the dolly-bird he had stashed in his bedroom. Other than that, he's fine.'

  Paige didn't know whether to shout hooray or to cry. In the end, her dismay overrode her satisfaction that Antonio had indeed pulverized the man. 'Jed had a...a woman with him?' she choked out.

  'Why do you think I hit him?'

  Paige did not know what to say. Or think. She just stood there, her head and shoulders sagging. What a fool she'd been to have felt guilty over Jed even for a moment. His anger last night had not been the result of a broken heart, but a bruised ego.

  'He couldn't give me your clothes,' Antonio added. 'Because he'd burnt them.'

  'Burnt them!' she exclaimed, both startled and shocked. 'Why would he do such a terrible thing?'

  'Men like him don't take rejection well,' Antonio stated drily. 'Not many men do, actually. I would say, when he woke and found out you were gone, he had to have something to destroy. Since you were no longer there in person, your clothes were his only option. After that, he went out and found another woman to bolster up his poor, pathetic male ego. He didn't love you, Paige. He never loved you.'

  Paige could see that now. But it was still an upsetting situation. 'God, I'm an idiot,' she cried, and buried her face in her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes, tears of despair and self-pity. Her father was right about her. She had no idea about men. Jed had fooled her far too easily. Some smooth flattery. Some clever lies. And she'd simply believed him.

  She shuddered at her gullibility.

  Antonio's taking her gently into his arms seemed so natural, yet it brought a fresh well of emotion flooding her heart, and her eyes. With a strangled sob, -she laid her head against his chest, tears spilling down her face.

  'Poor Paige,' he crooned as he held her to him, one hand firmly around her waist, the other stroking her hair down her back.

  Poor Paige indeed, she had to concede as she wept. Poor, silly, stupid Paige!

  She'd actually thought she'd taken her life in hand this year. She'd done that course, got herself a new job, a new wardrobe and, she'd mistakenly thought, a new man, to banish Antonio from her mind and heart for ever.

  Well, her new job was gone. So was her new man. Even her nice new clothes!

  And now she was back, living at her despised home, and loving Antonio more than ever!

  Her thoughts gradually brought her back to the reality of that very momen
t, which was that she was actually in Antonio's arms, and he was holding her to him very, very closely. So closely that she could feel his heartbeat under the palms of her hands, and a telling hardness pressing against her stomach.

  This was what she'd been waiting for all her life, wasn't it? Wasn't it? '

  Her tears dried as the heat in her body rose, her own heart quickening. Her weeping stopped, and a tense silence gradually filled the air. Antonio's hand stilled on her back. She felt his pulse-rate pick up speed.

  'I think, perhaps,' he said thickly, 'that I should take you home.' And he pushed her away to arm's length.

  Paige's head lifted, her eyes wide upon his.

  'You're upset,' he ground out, his own eyes like black coals upon hers.

  If he'd looked at her with pity, she might have fled. But he didn't. His eyes reflected a passion which was intoxicating in its intensity.

  'But I don't want to go home,' she told him huskily, and a storm of indecision filled his face.

  'I doubt you have any idea what you want, Paige. You never have.'

  'There's one thing I've always wanted, Antonio,' she insisted on a raw whisper. 'And that's you...'

  'Like you thought you wanted Waltham?'

  'I never wanted Jed the way I've always wanted you.'

  His hands lifted from her shoulders to take her face and tip it upwards. 'Don't expect me to tell you I love you,' he said darkly, his impassioned gaze lancing hers.

  'I don't,' she managed to say quite coolly, even though she was trembling inside.

  'You told Waltham you only slept with men who loved you. Which was why he said he did.'

  Paige was taken aback that Jed would admit such a thing, till she accepted that Antonio might have coerced the information out of him. 'What else did he tell you?'

  That last night was the first time you'd had sex together. Was that true?'

  'Yes.'

  'Did he use protection?'

  'Yes.'

  'Have all your other lovers always used protection?'

  'What? Oh...oh, yes. Always.' Brad had been very careful about that.

  'Good.'

  His mouth began to descend, stopping only millimeters from hers. 'Once I kiss you,' he warned, 'there'll be no going back.'

  'I won't want to go back.'

  'I was talking to myself, Paige,' he muttered. 'Not you.' And his mouth closed the gap.

  Antonio fought a deep self-disgust as he started to kiss her. He knew what he was doing was wrong. On all counts. Paige might sound sure about this, but she had to be especially vulnerable at this moment, distressed over what had happened the night before, and now tonight. Her confidence as a woman would be down, her self-esteem shaky. The classic scenario for a rebound

  affair. The perfect set-up for him to sweep her off her feet before she had time to think too clearly.

  Her declaration that she'd always wanted him didn't mitigate Antonio's guilt. If anything, it made it worse, knowing he was taking advantage of that old teenage crush of hers even more cruelly than if he'd done so when she'd been seventeen.

  His conscience demanded he not do this. His own self-respect demanded he tell Conrad to shove his blackmailing bargain and stick his job. He'd survive without Fortune Productions!

  But would he survive without making love to Paige?

  The chemistry which had always sparked between them was much stronger tonight, and dangerously out of hand. With her lips already softened and parting under his, Antonio's conscience was easily ignored, his earlier anger at being manipulated by Conrad totally abandoned. He no longer cared about anything but kissing the beautiful girl in his arms.

  As his tongue dipped deep into her mouth, and she moaned softly, his last rational thought was to wonder if he had any condoms anywhere in the place. But then she moaned a second time, and that thought too was consigned to the same place as his conscience.

  Paige's hands slid up his chest and around his neck, clasping her to him lest he somehow dematerialize.

  'Antonio, she whispered once, when his mouth lifted briefly. But then he was back, kissing her again, taking her breath away, making her see just why she'd waited so long, and why she hadn't been able to love any other man. She'd thought Jed would be an-experienced and ardent lover, able to push Antonio out of her mind. Instead, he'd been quick, and crude. She'd hated every

  second of their brief coupling, then shuddered with revulsion when he'd tried more intimate things with her afterwards.

  But when Antonio's mouth moved hotly and hungrily over hers a wildly uninhibited passion began to burn through her body, a passion which demanded intimacies. She could not wait to touch him all over, to stroke his skin and kiss his most private places. In turn, she wanted his hands on her, stripping away all her clothes, exploring every inch of her naked flesh, searching out every forbidden erotic zone. Her body was his to enjoy and to use. She would give it to him. - Willingly.

  Wantonly.

  Lovingly.

  They were both breathless by the time his hands fell to her clothes. Paige helped him, undoing the small pearly buttons between her breasts when he had trouble, tugging the silky garment back off her shoulders and letting it flutter to the floor, leaving her naked to the waist.

  Touch me, she begged him silently. Touch them. Oh, please, Antonio. Please.

  Antonio's breath sucked in sharply at the sight of Paige's magnificent breasts, with their lush fullness and rose-tipped peaks. They stood out in their arousal, taut and tempting. But he didn't touch them, forcing himself to wait till she was totally naked before him.

  'Take off the rest,' he ordered thickly, and after the briefest hesitation she obeyed him, swiftly, completely. Dear God, what that did to him, seeing her eager compliance to his wishes, watching her quite stunning beauty unfold before his eyes.

  She was even more lovely than he'd imagined. A golden goddess. A temptress beyond description.

  Paige's head swam as she stood there before him, watching his smouldering gaze move slowly over her totally nude body. She could not have been more turned on if he was actually touching her. Her stomach tightened. Her breasts swelled. Her thighs quivered.

  'Don't move,' he ordered, and set to slowly undressing himself in front of her.

  First his jacket Then his top. Both discarded without a care. His eyes were solely on her, eating her up, telling her with every searing glance that he wanted her more than any man had ever wanted her.

  His shoes were kicked off, his socks soon after. And then it was down to the nitty-gritty. His trousers and his underpants. Her mouth dried as he dropped the first, then stepped out of the second.

  Her breath caught in her throat. Oh, yes...he wanted her more than any man had ever wanted her!

  Paige stared down at him, then up into his face, and knew she was about to experience something very different from anything she'd ever experienced before. This would be nothing like Brad's gentle, easy-going style of lovemaking, or Jed's ghastly wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am brand of sex.

  'Come here,' he commanded.

  She felt as if she was in slow motion as she moved back into his arms, her lips gasping open at the feel of their naked bodies meeting, then melting together. She lifted her face to be kissed, but he didn't kiss her, just stared deep into her wide, dilated eyes.

  'You do realize,' he warned in a strangled voice, 'that I can't wait a moment longer.'

  'Neither can I,' she heard herself say, and he made a sound she would always remember. A raw, guttural groan which encapsulated everything and nothing of what she'd hoped he'd one day feel for her. Her own feelings were indescribable, her love for him momentarily abandoned in favor of sheer lust. She could never have dreamt of such urgency, or such a need. She simply had to have Antonio inside her, had to feel his flesh filling hers, stamping her body with his unique brand of sexuality.

  'Just do it, Antonio,' she urged wildly. 'Do it!'

  With another of those tortured groans, he pushed her legs apart and penet
rated her then and there, filling her with a savage upward thrust which brought a stunned cry to her lips. She'd known he would be a passionate and primitive lover, known he would take her breath away. What she hadn't known was that she would thrill to such caveman treatment. When his large hands cupped her buttocks and hoisted her up off the floor she buried her face into his neck lest he see what was in her eyes.

  But hiding her face from him was impossible when he carried her over and tipped her back across the high, wide leather arm of the sofa in the centre of the room. Her mouth opened on a gasp as her head and shoulders sank into the squashy cushions, her hair flying everywhere, her arms flopping up above her head. Her sex, however, remained firmly fused with Antonio's.