Page 92 of Modern Romance December 2025 1-4

Rosamund dropped her hand and stepped away, suddenly trembling. Shedidfeel guilty that he’d been injured because of her. More than guilty. Thinking of him in pain was hard. But this was something else.

Suddenly what had felt so simple had become tainted.

‘You think I use sex as a payment? A way of balancing the books?’ Her stomach rolled so much she felt almost sick. Over the years people had tried to make her feel cheap but it was rare they succeeded. But now… ‘Strangely enough, I’ve never propositioned one of my bodyguards before.’

‘I didn’t mean—’

‘It’s okay, Fotis. I know what you meant.’ He imagined she used her body as a commodity.

‘No! You don’t.’ His voice was strident, a far cry from his usual even tones. He ploughed his hand through his hair, leaving it ruffled and ridiculously appealing. She hated that she noticed. ‘I’m not insulting you. I thought you were feeling sorry for me. You shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened when it’s not your fault. It was mine for letting down my guard.’ He took a deep breath that lifted his powerful chest. ‘I should never have let you leave the premises with me. You could have been hurt.’

To her amazement his voice was uneven.

‘You thought I was offering pity sex?’

Those broad shoulders lifted. ‘It’s a possibility.’

Rosamund shook her head. ‘It was my decision to leave the party with you. You gave your professional advice and I ignored it, so it wasmyfault. I regret what happened to you and Idofeel guilty. But that’s got nothing to do with this.’

‘No?’ He folded his arms, making her wish he’d move away from her doorway so she could go inside and shut the door behind her.

‘No!’

‘Good.’

‘Good? What do you mean?’ Somehow she’d lost track of the conversation. Why had she thought telling Fotis she wanted him would make things easy? Nothing had been easy between them.

‘Two adults acting on pure sexual attraction sounds perfect to me.’

Her mind must have slowed because it took a second for his meaning to sink in. When it did it was like a bomb exploding inside, reigniting the desire his earlier words had doused. ‘Perfect?’

She didn’t think she’d ever had perfect in her life. But the thrill she got just from being close to this man and the confidence he exuded, made her suspect being with him could come close. His eyes glittered with an unholy heat that made her knees loosen.

‘There’s just one thing,’ he added. ‘I don’t do long-term relationships.’ His gaze dropped to her mouth and it was as if he’d drawn a line of heat along her lips then down to her breasts and further, deep into her womb. ‘I’m not after emotional attachment. I don’t want that. If there’s any danger of you getting emotionally involved—’

‘No. There’s not.’ She almost wished there was. But her experiences had soured that possibility. Romantic dreams were for innocents. Rosamund was a pragmatist now. ‘All I’m hoping for is mind-blowing sex.’

‘That,’ he said with a slow-growing smile that twisted her insides in knots, ‘I can deliver.’

He moved so swiftly, he took her by surprise, hoisting her into his arms and up against his chest. She was surrounded by hard male and heat so intense it seemed almost feverish. She planted one hand on his chest, pleased to feel his heart thudding as fast as her own.

He turned his back on her room. ‘Fotis?’

‘What is it?’ He stopped, looking down with a frown. ‘You want to wait?’

Held securely in that iron-hard embrace, shefelthis urgency and saw it reflected in his features. She almost smiled her relief. ‘No! I just wondered why you’re walking away from a perfectly good bed.’

He moved swiftly along the hallway, shouldering his way through another door, and she marvelled at the intriguing feeling of weightlessness as he carried her so easily. ‘Mine has a stock of condoms in the bedside table.’

Her breath snagged at the febrile glaze of desire in his eyes. She’d only seen him fully clothed but she had an excellent imagination. He was a tall man and well-built. She suspected that naked he’d be imposing. He certainly was in her taunting, erotic dreams. She wanted to watch him roll on a condom while he watched her with that naked hunger in his eyes.

‘Then what are we waiting for?’

A smile hooked up the corner of his mouth and something inside her dissolved. Serious or disapproving he was stunning. But amused and approachable he was downright dangerous.

Deliciously, temptingly dangerous. She wanted to lose herself in that smile. In his arms, his body, and not surface for a long, long time.

With an ease that spoke of impressive strength, he lowered her slowly to her feet. Their bodies brushed together, centimetre by centimetre, the friction teasing and delighting. She swayed against him, hands going automatically to his shirt buttons. She started at the top while he reefed the shirt free of his trousers.