He told himself he’d been frantic because he’d been waiting all night.

He told himself he wasn’t used to waiting for anything.

Then she whispered, ‘Please, Dominic.’ She touched the knot on his sweats. ‘If it’s all right with you, I mean, if you’re not too freaked out.’

‘Never with you, baby.’ And speculation gave way to a more familiar lust.

He opened the knot for her, lifted her enough to drag his sweats down his hips, adjusted the sweetest houseguest he’d ever had on the head of his dick and uttered a low animal sound as she slowly consumed him.

Once she was resting on his thighs and thoroughly impaled, her impatience, momentarily assuaged with her drug of choice buried deep within her, she whispered, ‘I’m sorry, but I need you twenty-four seven too.’

He felt his cock swell inside her, felt the flame-hot surge slide up his spine, felt his adrenalin kick up a notch and explode in his brain. ‘We’ll take care of that,’ he said on a forced breath, needing to answer her. ‘I promise.’

‘It’s frightening to be this obsessed,’ she whispered, briefly resting her forehead against his before sitting back with a sigh.

‘And insatiable,’ he said with a smile.

And overwhelmed with affection. Deeply felt, terrifying to them both.

‘We should be more sensible,’ Kate said.

‘I agree.’

They’d both always considered their level-headed intellects their greatest assets.

‘Irrational desire is …’

‘Irrational,’ he finished. ‘We’ll deal with it.’

‘You make it sound easy when I’m panic-stricken or maybe sad, no, mostly sad.’

He felt every nerve prickle. He went quiet. Then he blinked and said, ‘Don’t be sad. It’s not a death sentence. We’ll figure something out. OK?’

She nodded because her throat had closed up.

He touched her cheek with the pad of his finger. ‘You’re lovely, this is lovely, you make me happy. No more tears. Only good times for you and me. Now pay attention,’ he said with a small smile, changing the subject in the way he knew best. ‘Now, hush. Do you feel that?’ He moved his hips so he touched all her soft, moist flesh, carefully, slowly, lazily, as if he had all the time in the world when they both knew they didn’t. ‘How about this?’ he flexed his hips upwards, ‘Better now?’

She shivered with delight, whimpered, moving her hips restlessly, asking for more.

She came the first time in under two minutes. No surprise. What was a surprise was the fact that he came with her the second time because he couldn’t wait. He was like a kid fucking for the first time, his heart pounding, his blood surging, ready to explode in seconds.

Her high thin scream was like getting a personal best at the Olympics, like winning a gold medal. Her happiness washed over him in a warm, white glow, illuminated him from inside, offered him a momentary glimpse into a world he’d never known.

Lying quiescent in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her body momentarily sated, her unquenchable need for him temporarily quenched, she was wildly happy, foolishly lovesick. He was too perfect, she wanted him too much, it was madness on a grand scale.

All too soon, or inevitably, the orgasmic splendour dimmed and the real world returned with a vengeance – reminding Dominic of who he was, who she was, and why they were here. Abruptly lifting Kate from his lap, Dominic set her on her feet, handed her a cloth napkin from the table, took one for himself, used it, pulled his sweats up, tied a quick slip knot. Then he rose, picked up her robe, helped her on with it, grabbed her birth control from the table and slid it into her robe pocket. ‘You’d better take care of this,’ he said brusquely. ‘I’m not operating with a full deck on this issue.’

He needed time to bring his life back to normal, to let the crazy die down. To return to the fun and games instead of this bullshit earnestness. It was the last thing he wanted: major emotional upheavals he could do without. A goddamn relationship with a woman wasn’t in the cards. He knew better. He knew how much misery it could bring if things went wrong.

He dipped his head so their eyes were level. ‘Are you OK with that?’

She nodded, unnerved by his sudden coolness.

He held out his hand. ‘Come see your new toy.’

She quickly took his hand, wanting to please him, to erase his cool, clipped tone. She’d never wanted to please a man before; it was unnerving. On the other hand, she was addicted to his touch, to the pleasure he offered, to the brand new world of carnal desire he’d revealed to her. And her insatiable appetite for the incomparable Dominic Knight, for the sweet, wild joy of fucking him took precedence over any unnerving doubts.

When they entered the bedroom moments later, Kate stopped, wide-eyed. ‘How large a staff do you have here?’ The flowers were all new, masses of purple iris, dramatic contrast to the brilliant colours in the room. The bed was pristinely made, piles of fresh white towels had been placed on a table at the foot of the bed, their clothes from yesterday removed.

‘I’m not sure.’ He glanced down at her. ‘Would you like me to ask?’

She sniffed. ‘Very funny, Mr Plutocrat.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s adequate, that’s all I know. Leo does the hiring.’

‘Are they all ninjas? You never see a soul.’

‘I didn’t think you wanted people around. If you do, just say the word.’