Beyond Temptation (19 page)

The idea would be a vast hype but it would get Yale noticed. She could see so much potential in the plan that for a moment she forgot all the other worries that were making her life so miserable.

‘It could be huge,’ she whispered. ‘You’d be a household name.’

‘It wouldn’t do your reputation any harm, either,’ he commented cynically.

She shrugged, suddenly defensive. ‘I’d expect a percentage,’ she agreed. ‘But you must have known that when you knocked on my door and woke me up yesterday morning?’

‘Perhaps I thought I could win you over with a flattering smile and a kiss?’

He had moved closer. She didn’t know how it happened without her noticing but he was so near she could feel the warmth of his body. A sensuous heat emanated from him like an aphrodisiac. The pulse between her legs beat hard and deep. Her heart skipped a beat, then rushed on, its pace quickened with nervous trepidation.

His nearness had caused a change in the air.

When she entered the room the kitchen had been cool, if not chilly. The air had been redolent with the sultry fragrance of brewing coffee but that had been the only thing that warmed it. Now the air was thick and charged with so much electricity she could taste the flavour of excitement on her lips, like the memory of a passionate kiss.

Staring into the depths of Yale’s dark-brown eyes, Robyn could feel herself giving in to him.

His hand reached out to touch her. She allowed him to circle his fingers in the flowing hair that tumbled down her back. The warmth of his touch against her cool flesh was invigorating. She felt her skin prickle with excitement and realised her body was already responding to his subtle caress. Every nerve-ending trembled with a yearning so strong it was painful.

‘Where are the others?’ she asked suddenly. She backed away from him as she asked the question.

His smile was reassuring. ‘They’re out exploring.’ He edged closer. ‘I gave them some time off. I told them to go and indulge themselves in the local hospitality. I thought it would give you and me the chance to understand one another a wee bit better.’

She pursed her lips and said nothing.

‘Why are you fighting me off?’ he asked.

Robyn shook her head in denial. Instead of answering she changed the subject. ‘You’ve put a lot of thought into using this place as an exhibition. When did the idea occur to you?’

He shrugged. ‘Ideas occur to me at different times. It’s hard to pin them down to a time or a moment. Just like the idea to do this,’ he said suddenly.

Gliding forward in his chair, he pressed his mouth against hers. His arms were locked around her in a passionate embrace. She felt herself being pressed against his powerful, muscular body. The heat of his passion sent a thrill coursing through her body and she couldn’t help but give in to him.

As his tongue pushed between her lips, she returned his kiss with the same intense intimacy. Rather than remaining idle, her hands quickly explored his body. She traced the rise of his broad pectorals through the gossamer fabric of his silk shirt. She easily released the buttons and pressed her hand against his warm flesh. The sensation of running her fingers over his smooth, hairless chest caused her heart to hammer faster.

Breathless with anticipation, Robyn moved her fingers lower.

The waistband of his jeans was fastened with a belt. She snapped it open with one well-practised flick of her wrist. Easing the rivets of his button fly from their denim holes wasn’t as simple but Robyn managed the task without a struggle. As her fingers worked down she was painfully aware of his rigid length straining to be close to her.

Neither of them dared to mutter a word. Even when he broke the kiss and moved his mouth over her chin and down her neck, she didn’t admonish him for touching or caressing her body. This was what she had needed since she awoke yesterday morning.

His hands went to her breasts, stroking both orbs through the fabric of her blouse. His fingers worked their way between the buttons and his warm touch pressed against the hot flesh of her breast. He traced an intimate line along the lacy top of her bra, titillating the tender flesh beneath with his gentle exploration.

Robyn gave a shuddering sigh. She was determined to release the pent-up pressure of her enforced celibacy. When he moved a hand beneath her skirt her sigh turned into a guttural cry of approval. He continued to kiss her throat, working his mouth lower, but it was the intimacy of his probing fingers that inspired the greatest response. He touched the tops of her inner thighs and moved purposefully towards the gusset of her panties. As his fingers brushed the fabric a thrill of euphoria erupted inside her. The pulse of her arousal was dark and all-encompassing. Her entire body was racked with the thud of each beat.

In her fingers she felt the insistent pulse of his cock. His long and solid length twitched eagerly in her palm and she dared to look down at him. A sigh of longing spilt from her lips. She had imagined him to be well built but the size of the huge erection in her hand left Robyn feeling as though she had grossly underestimated the artist. The nearness of his mammoth length, and her urgent need for it, left her dizzy. She stroked the hard shaft from the base of his balls to the tip of his dome.

He uttered a garbled response. Passion, excitement and eagerness had combined to make him inarticulate. His hand pulled roughly on the front of her blouse and the fabric tore. The kitchen’s chill touched her bare flesh. And then she was warmed by the caress of his exploring fingers.

Yale kneaded the pliant flesh of her breasts and lifted one orb free from its cup. Her heart raced. Her mouth was dried by dangerous excitement as she realised how close she was to succumbing.

All the time, she stroked her hand back and forth along his stiff shaft. She glanced down occasionally, fascinated by the sight of his purple head, disappearing beneath the pale flesh of his foreskin. A bead of pre-come had appeared and was now lubricating her hand as she ran her fingers up and down him. The scent of him had become an intoxicating aphrodisiac.

With one of Robyn’s breasts released, Yale moved his lips from her throat and began to draw his tongue across her flesh. She shivered. Her hand tightened around his length and she encouraged him with soft words of praise. When he dared to flick his tongue against the bud of her nipple her words trailed off to a murmur.

His fingers worked deliberately between her legs. He had eased the gusset of her panties to one side and his fingers inched closer to the heated lips of her sex. He stroked the pad of one finger against her pussy, his subtle touch inspiring a spike of pleasure. Robyn felt dangerously close to climax already. She knew that another soft caress like that would leave her racked by her body’s natural response to such teasing.

Because he sat beside her, she was able to point his cock towards her sex. The idea of having him enter her sent another dizzying wave of anticipation rushing over her. The prospect seemed too beautiful to deny and she slowly pulled him closer. Her heart pounded insistently as he eased himself from the chair. He held her in his arms, lifting her slightly from the chair, and edging the tip of his shaft daringly close. The head of his cock stroked along her bare thigh. The muscles it touched trembled with her greed for his entry.

He held the panties to one side as he supported her weight with his arms and hands. The head of his cock brushed the lips of her pussy and she knew that a gentle thrust from either of them would have been sufficient. To have his gorgeous long cock slide into the warm haven of her sex, Robyn knew, would only take a slight push of her hips. She savoured the moment. Her heart raced faster and every pore sang joyously as the couple shifted closer to the penetration she wanted.

And then her conscience struck.

It hit her like a splash of cold water. She suddenly realised exactly what she was doing and knew how potentially dangerous the situation was. Thoughts of Harold, his outrage and a ruinous divorce all tumbled through her mind. The images didn’t just dampen her mood: they quashed all feelings of excitement.

‘No!’ She levered herself free from his grip, ignoring his baffled frown. ‘I can’t do it. Take my word, OK? I just can’t.’

‘Jesus!’ he exclaimed, lurching towards her.

Robyn took a step back.

‘You take playing hard to get to a new extreme.’

‘Leave it, Yale,’ she whispered. The words sounded tortured with unbidden desire. She didn’t know how she had managed to stop herself giving in to him. A large part of her body still wanted to relent and she struggled to suppress that urge. ‘Just leave it.’

He shook his head. Incredulous disbelief was etched on his face. He was adjusting his pants, hiding his cock from her view, but that didn’t stop her desire for it. Mixed with the expression of disbelief, he wore a thoughtful look that she found disturbingly intense.

‘I was wrong when I called you a nutter,’ he said firmly. ‘There’s a damned sight more than that going on inside your head, isn’t there?’

‘Not that much more,’ she allowed grudgingly. ‘If things were different …’ She paused and amended her thoughts. ‘In a month or so, things should be back to normal and then …’ Her voice trailed off as she realised the thought was more hope than fact. With a heavy sigh, she turned her head away from him and leant miserably against the kitchen wall.

‘I want to paint you.’

She turned to face him, blinking back the threat of tears. His statement had been so unexpected she didn’t believe she had heard correctly.

‘Say again?’

‘I want to paint you. You’re a picture of desires and repression and frustration and temptation. It’s a picture I want to paint.’

Robyn could feel her anger rising. He was talking with absolute sincerity and the thought appalled her. It was one thing for the bastard to excite her when she had no avenue for release. It was another thing for him to enjoy her misery and want to exploit it for one of his paintings. The outrage continued to well in her as he started to grin.

‘Can you hold that pose while I get my easel?’ Yale asked quickly. ‘The light isn’t perfect in here, but I think the combination of colour and shadow should –’

‘Bring one brush in here and I’ll shove it up your arse.’

He blinked, surprised by her sudden change of mood.

‘I didn’t mean to –’

‘Get out of my sight, Yale,’ she hissed through gritted teeth. ‘As you’ve just noticed, I’m in a pretty emotional state right now. If you don’t get out of my sight you could suffer the full force of it.’

His mocking smile rose to the challenge. ‘I’ve had worse threats than that.’

Robyn flexed her fingers. Talon-like nails spread from the tips of her fingers like claws from a lion’s paw. ‘This is your last chance,’ she said firmly. ‘Get out of here now.’

‘Do you know what I think you need?’

Robyn glared at him, not trusting herself to make a reply.

‘I think you need this …’

He gave her no chance to struggle or fight. With the lithe grace of a pouncing animal, he pinned her to the wall. She had raised her hands, preparing to strike him with the tips of her nails.

But he was too fast.

He pushed her back against the wall, holding both hands firmly. Guiding her arms over her head, he held both wrists in one hand and began to caress her with the other.

‘Get off me,’ Robyn hissed. ‘Or I’ll knee you in the –’

He kicked one ankle away, cutting off her threat before it had begun. Robyn stumbled and was held against the wall by the strength of his one arm. Her legs were splayed wide apart. The soles of her shoes threatened to slip on the brick floor. It was an awkward position that allowed her no opportunity to retaliate with her legs, knees, arms or elbows.

She glared furiously at him.

‘Why don’t you just do what you want to do?’ he asked. His words were spoken in a gentle, coaxing voice that she found thrilling. ‘You know you want me to do this,’ he reminded her. His fingers reached for her nipple.

She hadn’t had the chance to tidy her clothes after their session of heavy petting. Unhappily, she realised her bare breast was there for him to stroke. She glanced down and saw him tweak the tip of her nipple between his finger and thumb before gently rolling the bud of flesh from side to side. A gasp caught in her throat and she whispered a muffled plea.

‘No more. Please. I’m sorry if you thought I’d strung you along. I was only …’

He pressed his lips over hers. His tongue slid into her mouth. She tried to close her lips against him but that only served to increase his determination. He squeezed the tip of her breast until she gasped with half-pained pleasure. As she opened her mouth to release the sound he thrust his tongue deeper.

Shaking beneath him, Robyn closed her eyes and tried to make sense of the maelstrom of emotions whirling through her mind. Her body wanted him with a desperation that she could no longer fight. Admittedly, she was sure to lose everything if she succumbed. She knew that Harold’s threat hadn’t been an idle one. But, for the moment, that didn’t matter. If penury and divorce were the price she had to pay, her body seemed more than willing to pay it.

He rubbed his jean-covered thigh between her legs. Rough denim caressed the lips of her sex through the fabric of her panties. Her warmth responded to him as the inner muscles of her pussy clenched with avaricious hunger. He continued to tease her breast and kiss her, seemingly unaware of her mood change. His hand pinioned her arms above her head with ruthless strength.

‘Your dilemma would make for a marvellous painting,’ he whispered.

She barely heard the words. Her thoughts followed a more prosaic line.

‘If you won’t let me paint you like this, then I know the ideal setting for you.’

Robyn silently begged him to continue kissing her.

‘I can see you tied to a bed,’ he whispered.

She gasped, thrilled by the suggestion of being bound for him.

‘I can see you bound on a bed with your arms and legs stretched out. I can see you bound on a bed with your naked body there for me to capture.’

A tremor of excitement coursed through her.