Best Of Makeovers Bundle Part 22

And she was the nearest available woman.

That was the only reason why he was having s.e.x with her.

If she had any pride, she'd leave right now. Except...this would be the third time they'd slept together. Which, in Max's terms, meant the end of the relations.h.i.+p anyway. Definitely the end, for her-though he'd ruined her for other men. And she wanted to make a memory to last her through the years to come.

Slowly, shakily, she ripped the foil packet open. Rolled the condom over him. Lifted herself up as he lay back, and guided him into her.

'Ah, Cyn.' He s.h.i.+vered and lay back again as she lowered herself over him.

That look on his face. Pa.s.sion. Intensity. But she knew now it wasn't for her, it was for what they were doing. I'm *good* at things I love doing. His work. Cooking. s.e.x.

She needed to keep in mind that they weren't making love. That this didn't mean the same to him as it did to her. For him, this was just physical. What was the saying? 'In the dark, all cats are grey.' Grey as her business suit.

She forced the tears back. Not now. She'd cry for him later.

But now, she'd concentrate on making love. On saying goodbye to him in her own special way. She rocked against him, taking it slow, letting the pressure build and build and build. Not saying a word, but telling him with her body that she loved him. And she understood that he wasn't for her. And that this was goodbye.

Max reached for her hands, held them tightly. As if he were drowning-just as she was. As her movements grew faster, so the pressure of his fingers against hers increased.

'Cyn. Kiss me,' he whispered. 'Please?'

She leaned down and closed her eyes so he couldn't see her heart breaking. And when she kissed him, she knew that she was kissing him goodbye. Even as her climax rippled through her, tiny ripples of pleasure that bloomed and crashed into each other-even as she sank down to rest her head against his shoulder and felt his arms wrap tightly round her-she knew that it was over.

And somehow she had to find the strength to walk away.

When Max came out of the bathroom, Cyn had retrieved her clothes from the floor and was starting to get dressed. 'Where are you going?' he asked, frowning.

'Home. It's over.'

'What?' His head was spinning. They'd just made love. He knew it had been as good for her as it had been for him. And that it had been more than just good s.e.x. Why was she going?

'It's over,' she repeated. 'The third time we've had s.e.x. I know about your three-dates-and-it's-over rule.'

'What are you talking about?' He marched round to her side of the bed and circled her wrist with his fingers.

She lifted her chin. 'You never date women more than three times. You said yourself, you don't want commitment. You left Gina because you didn't want commitment.'

'I left Gina because we weren't right for each other,' he corrected. 'And this-you and me-this is different.'

'No, it's not.' She sounded weary. 'You're still in the thrill-of-the-chase phase. You'll be bored with me by the end of the week, and I'm not going to put myself through the heartache of losing you when you move on to somebody else.'

'Logically, by walking out, you're losing me,' he pointed out.

'But it's my choice.'

'It's not what I'd choose.' He waited a beat. 'Cyn. Stay.'

She looked close to tears and he ached to pull her into his arms. But then they'd end up having s.e.x again. It'd only be postponing this conversation. And the longer they left it, the more painful it was going to be.

'Why? So we can have s.e.x again?'

Ha. She knew it, too. 'No,' he said softly. 'Because I don't want you to go. And what just happened between us wasn't just s.e.x.'

'Wasn't it?'

Oh, come on. Surely she realised. 'It was making love, Cyn, and you know it.' He lifted his chin and stared at her. 'I...Oh, h.e.l.l, this doesn't happen to me. I don't chase women.'

She scoffed. 'Right.'

He winced. 'I don't mean that as it sounded. I don't think I'm G.o.d's gift to women and that any female who comes within a ten-foot radius of me wants to sleep with me! What I mean is, I'm dedicated to my career. Yes, I date a lot. And I keep things light, not serious. But if a woman says no to me, I can live with it.'

'You don't send her flowers and chocolates to wheedle her back into your bed?'

'No. Only you. And I wasn't trying to wheedle you into my bed.' He wanted her back in his life.

'Well, I'm saying no.'

'I said if a woman says no, I can live with it. But you're not just any woman, Cyn.' He blew out a breath. 'This hasn't happened to me before. Ever. The way I feel about you...yeah, it scares me. But it scares me more to think you're going to walk out on me. You're The One. The one I never even realised I was looking for, until I found you. I want to be with you, Cyn. I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms.'

'It's just l.u.s.t. A pa.s.sing phase.' She flapped a hand at him. 'Give it a while and you'll be back to running around with your tall, skinny blondes.'

She really thought he'd do what her dad did? Okay. He'd spell it out for her. 'Firstly, I've never cheated on a girlfriend. Ever. Secondly, what I feel for you isn't just l.u.s.t. That night on the bank of the Thames...' He shook his head. 'I've never, ever done anything like that in public before. You put me in such a whirl, I forget where I am-all I can think about is you. And, thirdly, I don't want a tall, skinny blonde. Want me to show you what I want? What I really, really want?' Without waiting for an answer, he tugged at her wrist and pulled her over to the cheval mirror. He stood behind her, one hand wrapped round her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. 'This is what I want. You.'

Looking at herself naked wasn't something Cyn did. She rarely looked in a mirror, full stop. She certainly didn't study her nude body, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Max obviously sensed it, because he tightened his hold on her waist. 'You turn me on, Cyn. As I think you can probably feel.'

Er, yes. A certain part of his anatomy was speaking very clearly for him.

'What I see before me is a woman who's very far from ordinary. A woman who's clever and whose mind excites me.'

He wanted her to believe he was interested in her mind, mere minutes after they'd just had hot s.e.x? Oh, please, that was the oldest line in the book.

'And your body excites me just as much,' he whispered. 'The first time I met you, you were wearing a face-pack. A mask. Second time round, you were in another mask-the urban sophisticate. I couldn't see any bare skin from the base of your throat to the tips of your toes-and it made me want to unwrap you and discover who you really were. Your clothes skimmed your curves, teasing and hinting and driving me crazy. That's why I kissed you in the car. That's why I wouldn't let anyone else dance with you-I wanted you all to myself.'

She was silent.

'Pure and simple, I just wanted you. I connect with you on...Oh, h.e.l.l, I can't find the right words. In your working clothes, you look who you are-a professional. My equal. And here, right now, in front of me-you're just you. The woman who can turn me on with just one look. The woman I want to be with for the rest of my days. You've no idea how hard I'm trying not to scoop you up in my arms, drag you back to my bed and leap on you. I want to touch you, Cyn. All over. I want to make love to you again. And again and again and again, until we're both sated. Though I don't think I'll ever be able to have enough of you.'

The hand around her waist slid upward, cupped one breast; she watched, almost hypnotised, as his finger and thumb closed around her nipple, and it beaded instantly. 'Your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are beautiful.' He let his hand slide over her midriff until it rested on the curve of her hip. 'Here, you're soft and the perfect hourgla.s.s shape. And, before you protest, remember I'm an architect. I've told you this before. I know angles and proportions. And I know what I see. I see lovely, luscious curves. Curves that drive me crazy.'

His hand slipped lower, between her legs. 'And here...you're so responsive to my touch. I can't get enough of you.'

'That's just s.e.x,' she said dryly.

'Oh, no.' He nibbled her earlobe. 'It's much, much more than just s.e.x. And, seeing as you're the one who brought it up, I've had enough s.e.x to know the difference.'

Her face flamed. 'Grat.i.tude, then. You were scared as h.e.l.l that your business was going down the drain and I helped you find out what was happening.'

'This isn't grat.i.tude, either.' He pulled her closer. 'I'm grateful to you, yes, for fixing my computer and finding out the truth about Helen Jones-but what I feel definitely isn't just grat.i.tude.' He paused. 'Though you're right about one thing. The way I feel about you scares the h.e.l.l out of me, because it's like nothing else I've ever known. I found myself sketching you right in the middle of a blueprint. You've interrupted my sleep for the last week. Want to know why?'

'Why?' she whispered.

'Because you're the only woman I've met who's ever made me want to put her first.'

'No.' She shook her head, not daring to trust what he was saying. 'It's too soon. Too fast. We barely know each other.'

'I think the technical name for it is coup de foudre. When it happens, it happens fast and there's nothing you can do about it. It happened when I found this house. Instant recognition that here was where I wanted to be.' He brushed his lips across the nape of her neck. 'I've known you for, what, two weeks? Three? I dunno.' He shook his head. 'I haven't got a grip on time where you're concerned. Though it's not important. I feel as if I've known you for ever. I know you at a deep level. Where it really matters. You understand me, and I understand you. I've told you things I've never told anyone else, and I think you've shared things like that with me, too.'

Yeah. She had. She'd told him about her dad.

'Prince Charming and Cinderella had their happy ending.' He pressed his cheek against hers and held her gaze in the mirror. 'Why can't we?'

'What are you saying?' That he was Prince Charming?

'I'm saying I want you in my life, Cyn. Permanently. I'll always be a workaholic, and I don't think I could ever change that, but I'll always make time for you. For our children, if you want babies.'

'Babies?' He was talking about babies? 'Hang on, I'm only twenty-seven.' And there was so much more she wanted to do with her career, first.

'We've got plenty of time. There's no rush.' He smiled. 'But, just so you know, I like the idea of having a little girl. A little brown-eyed girl, just like her mum.'

He wanted to make babies with her? This sounded serious. But just how serious was he? 'So if I wanted to move out of London, if I wanted to go and live in the country, you'd agree?' she tested.

'I'd hate it. I'd absolutely hate it.' His eyes glittered with honesty. 'But, yes, I'd do it for you.'

She believed him. 'I don't want to move,' she admitted. 'I like living in London.'

'Come and live with me?'

'Give up my house, you mean?'

He shook his head. 'You don't have to. We could live half the time at your place and half the time at mine. Whatever you like.'

'What about your work?'

He shrugged. 'I can work just as well at your house.'

'What, with just a drawing board and a laptop?'

'I lived and worked here when I didn't even have a full set of floorboards or a proper roof,' he reminded her. 'Cyn, I don't care where I live. Or where I work. As long as I'm with you.'

'But...' she frowned '...you love your house.'

'I know. Like I told you, I fell for it, the first time I saw it. I knew it was the right place for me. But I've discovered that I love you more,' he said simply. 'Last night, when I came home, the house just felt empty. Bricks and mortar. It wasn't enough for me, any more. It didn't feel right, without you in it too. I wanted to drive back over to you, hammer on your door and beg you to come back with me. Or beg you to let me stay with you.'

She took a deep breath. 'I don't know if I'm ready for this.'

'Then we'll wait until you are ready.' His face was very, very serious. And very nervous; was it her imagination, or was he worried that she would turn him down? 'I'll wait for you, however long it takes. I want you with me, Cyn. I want you to be the one I wake up to every morning. I want to fall asleep in your arms at night. I want to share my life with you, through the good times and the bad.' He held her close. 'Let me prove to you how much I love you-and that I'll never, ever let you down.'

Then it finally hit her. Max had said he loved her. He loved her more than his house, more than his job. He loved her. And he was ready to make a commitment. To her.

So maybe it was time to take some risks. Because, with Max by her side, they weren't really risks after all. They were possibilities.

'Would you build me an office?' she asked.

'Sure. Where?'

'How about here?'

She actually felt his heartbeat speeding up. 'You're going freelance?'

That was something else she liked about him-he was bright. She didn't have to spell everything out for him. 'Maybe that way, we might get to see a bit of each other. Between work.'

He smiled. 'I used to hate sharing my s.p.a.ce. When I was working in a practice, I couldn't wait to have an office all of my own. But these last two days, working with you...You distract me, but I don't want to go back to being on my own. How about instead of me building you an office, I let you rearrange mine? Share it with me?'

He was offering her his heart. His home-yeah, that definitely meant his heart.

Though there was still that tiny, tiny nagging doubt. 'You were engaged before. To Gina. And it didn't work out.'

'Because we were both too young. Because she expected me to put her first. Because we weren't right for each other. With you, it's different. We're both old enough to know what we want out of life. You don't expect me to put you first, but I want to.' His gaze held hers in the mirror. 'That's how I know this is the real thing. That you're The One. I love you, Cyn.'

He loved her.

She couldn't shake the fears. 'But you loved Gina. And you left her.'

'I thought I loved her,' he said honestly. 'And I did. But I didn't love her enough. And, believe me, the way I felt about her is nothing like the way I feel about you. It's like the difference between a flatplan and three-D. Between monochrome and technicolour. Between stereo and mono. With you, it's like having an extra dimension. An extra sense. Something that just isn't there with anyone else.' He took a deep breath. 'I love you. And I want to be with you. Always. That's why I couldn't just leave it when you told me it was over. Why I sent you chocolates and flowers and poetry and music. If-well, if my computer system had been fine on Friday, I would have come over to your office and persuaded you to have lunch with me. And I would have told you how I feel about you. How it's like nothing else I've known-and I don't want a life without you. I need you, Cyn. Without you, I'm not complete.'

He meant it. He really loved her. He'd fallen for her, the way she'd fallen for him. Instantly. 'I've told you things I've never told anyone else,' she said quietly. 'So maybe it's time to tell you another. I love you.'

A heartbeat pa.s.sed. Another. And then he spun her round to face him. His mouth found hers-urgently, desperately. 'This is a story you're never going to be able to tell your mum,' he said when he finally broke the kiss. 'Or mine.'

She frowned. 'What?'

He grinned. 'That I proposed to you when we were both stark naked and standing in front of a mirror.'

'You haven't-' she began-and was silenced when Max dropped to one knee and lifted her left hand.

'"Come live with me and be my love,"' he said softly. 'I don't care if the wedding's tomorrow or next year or in a decade or when we're ninety. I just want you to be with me for the rest of our lives. I love you, Cynthia Reynolds. And I need to know...Will you marry me?'

It was too soon. Too fast. Crazy.

And absolutely right.

So there was only one thing she could say. 'Yes.'