Wickedly Wicked

Chapter Ten

Dropping his jacket on the armrest, he sat down on the couch and motioned for her to do the same.

Lilliana complied but kept some distance between them. Her dress slid a few inches up. His gaze followed the hemline. She pulled it down. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Real smooth. She gave herself a mental kick.

"What was the favour you wanted from me?" The relaxed lines of his shoulders belied his determination for an answer.

They were back to it again. Seeing no way out of it, she replied, "It's no longer important. Lara and I are taking care of it."

"Right." Thomas scowled, but to her relief, he didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what I've been up to?"

No, she wouldn't go down that road again. It led to heartbreak, tears and disappointment. "You seem better than ever. They say whatever you touch, it turns into gold."

"I'm married no more." He looked into a corner, a far-away look entered his eyes. "Don't you want to learn the gory details?"

"I don't believe we know each other that well anymore." Lilliana swallowed hard. This was getting way too personal. She wasn't ready for this. Where was the bloody wine he had promised her? Was it a ploy to lure and torment her with reminders of the past?

"You've changed," Thomas said, annoyed. He sounded as if he wished to shake her until he got what he wanted. Whatever it was.

Not able to take the accusation he levelled at her, Lilliana got up and walked over to the panorama of the glittering buildings and the fathomless Atlantic Ocean. She weighed her words before saying. "People move on, Thomas."

Silence followed, shattered by footsteps. They receded from the living room, Lilliana only turned when she heard him approaching her in a rustle of clothes and a muffled tread.

He held two flutes in each hand filled with fiery liquor. "You always loved red wine, and I think it's something that hasn't changed about you. I ordered the white tonight, and you barely touched it."

Lilliana stiffened at the well-aimed barb. Damn him for mocking her. Agitated, she took the wine from him. Their hands lingered, and their eyes snared. The room crackled with tension that lay thick between them. Taking a shaky breath, she was amazed the window panes hadn't exploded into a crystalline powder.

Cutting her gaze away, Lilliana faced the bedazzling view again. It was a cowardly act, but he was fracturing her defences. Not looking at him was the only way she could stand her ground and not beg him to worship her body like she had always wanted.

"Nobody can change so much, Lilliana," he whispered from behind her. His breath skittered on her nape, making her tremble with a sweet ache.

Seeking distraction, she sipped the wine and gasped at the earthy taste. Her palate burst alive with senses, revelling at the aroma and the many intricate layers of the creamy texture. The stuff was potent and self-decadent.

"This wine is the best I have had so far," Lilliana murmured through her appreciative sighs she could no longer contain.

"It's Cabernet Sauvignon from one of my recently purchased wineries, a bestseller," Thomas said huskily. "Only the best for you. Always."

His voice was so low that Lilliana had to crane to hear him. She rubbed her neck, all knotted up from the verbal foreplay. If she caved in to his artful seduction tonight, would he regret it in the morning?

"You are tense," Thomas said. There was a sound of the glass being put down somewhere.  Then he took hers away. The movement caused their bodies to graze. She sputtered. If she took one step back, she would mould into him.