He was behind her without having seemed to have moved at all, his fingers parting her dark hair from her neck, his lips brushing her nape.
'Do you? Do you want my babies so badly, Natalie?'
'I didn't mean... I never meant...' Desire rushed through her like a tidal wave, defeating her. She was panic-stricken at her own folly but he pulled her back against him, holding her unyielding body against his warmth.
'I hope you did,' he said quietly, his voice low and dark, 'because no other woman is ever going to have my children.'
'Don't talk to me! I don't even want to hear your voice.' She was desolate, caught once again in his spell— and so easily.
'Because it bothers you?'
'You say words you don't mean. Unbelievable.' Her own voice was choking, trembling because she had lost all control of her feelings. His power was sweeping into her, slowly and surely as the hands moulded her fragile shoulders.
'I said I would follow you across the world and here I am.'
'Why? Why?' she asked brokenly.
'Because I love you. Because you're mine. Send me away and I'll just come back. I'm that sort of person.'
'You let me go. You just let me go. You thought that Neil…She spun round to face him, tears on her cheeks, and he locked her against him with no hope of escape, his strong arms a circle around her waist.
'Surely you've heard of jealousy? It's the gut-wrenching feeling you get when you see somebody with the woman you love. I had to go away and cool off.'
'And what about that woman? Annette. You told her about us. You told her everything about the night that—'
His eyes darkened to anger and his grip on her waist tightened to near pain. 'Like hell I did!'
'So how did she know?'
He shrugged angrily. 'A shot in the dark that paid off because a green-eyed little witch was too unsure of me to think straight.' It was her fault again. She could see that clearly and he found himself facing that green blaze of temper he had seen when he had first met her, and so many times since.
'And what about all those other women?'
His lips quirked at her stormy insistence and it made her more angry than ever. She moved fretfully but he merely tightened his already punishing grip.
'What other women, my silly love? I've worked too damned hard all my life to be cast as Casanova. The only woman who has taken more than a few hours of my time has been my tempestuous sister, who is now firmly under Kane's thumb. The only woman I want is you.'
Natalie was still not appeased. Weeks of misery could not be simply pushed aside like that.
'You let me go,' she said flatly, the fire dying out of her suddenly. 'And you can let me go now. You're hurting me.'
'Then let's try another arrangement.' He swept her up into his arms, frowning as he felt her loss of weight. Before she could protest he was sitting on the settee, Natalie securely held in his lap. 'This is something we haven't done before,' he said with every appearance of satisfaction. 'We'll have to practise it until we get it off perfectly.'
Now she had no desire to move away. His hand was stroking her back and those dark eyes were looking into hers with such possession that she felt her whole tight little world begin to melt and disintegrate. He hadn't kissed her and he looked as if he had no thought to do it either.
Tears formed at the back of her eyes and she looked up at him mournfully.
'Why didn't you come when I left? You knew when I was going.'
'Why didn't you come to me? You knew where I was,' he countered, and she began to struggle fiercely, angry and frustrated.
'It's my fault! I know! It's always my fault!'
'Shh.' He held her still, pressing her head to his shoulder. 'I'll not tease you again, my sweetest Natalie. Kane told me something I had to have a good think about. He wants me in Venezuela, like yesterday. Sometimes I get into places where a woman would be. endangered and I already know your ability to get into scrapes. Plenty of women go out to the sites, even when it's bad, but not my woman. I wanted to see it before I decided.'
'Decided what?' She was almost holding her breath, gazing up at him with wide eyes, and he smiled down at her, his lips brushing hers for the first time, just lightly.
'Decided to tell Kane to get himself another hatchet-man. You see, I'm getting married and my woman is a delicate butterfly who has to be treated very carefully.