The Redemption of Darius Sterne by Carole Mortimer Page A

despicable.’ Andy was incredulous.
    â€˜I know,’ Darius drawled. ‘And I feel so bad about it,’ he added insincerely.
    Andy glared up at him, not sure if she wanted to punch him on his arrogant nose or just slap his face. Either way she knew it would give her only a fleeting sense of satisfaction. Nor was it an action that Darius would leave unpunished—and possibly by deciding that Colin was definitely expendable at Midas Enterprises.
    â€˜Colin is a real person, with financial responsibilities,’ she snapped. ‘He’s not some toy you can play with just to get your own way.’
    Darius shrugged. ‘Then stop being difficult.’
    She eyed him scathingly. ‘Are you really so desperate to secure a date for Saturday evening that you would resort to blackmail?’
    â€˜I’m not desperate at all.’ His humour had faded as quickly as it appeared, his eyes now hard, his mouth a thin, uncompromising line. ‘And I don’t want a date with just anyone, Miranda. I want a date with
you
.’
    She eyed him impatiently. ‘Is this because I said no to you last week? Because no woman is
allowed
to say no to the imperious Darius Sterne? Are you so arrogant, so full of your own importance, that—’ Andy’s insulting tirade was brought to an abrupt halt as she felt herself pulled effortlessly into Darius’s arms before his mouth came crashing down to capture hers.
    It was by no means a gentle or exploratory kiss; it was more like being swept along on a tidal wave as his mouth devoured hers, his arms about her waist moulding her softness against the hardness of his chest and thighs, as his tongue now stroked, caressed, the soft sensitivity of her parted lips, before plunging into the moist heat of her mouth.
    Andy was totally overwhelmed by the onslaught of desire that coursed through her as her hands moved up his chest and grasped onto his shoulders, before her fingers became entangled in the silky dark thickness of hair at his nape as she moved up onto her toes to return the heat of that kiss.
    She was totally aware of the sensitivity, the arousal of her breasts, as her engorged nipples rubbed against the abrasive material of his coat. Only the thin material of her leotard and Darius’s trousers stood between the hardness of his thighs and the heat that now burned between her own thighs.
    Darius was breathing hard when he finally broke the kiss, his eyes the colour of dark amber as he continued to hold her in his arms as he looked down at her. ‘
That’s
the reason I’m willing to use blackmail in order to get you to agree to go to this dinner with me on Saturday evening.’
    Andy felt light-headed as she gazed up at him, and she realised that was because she had forgotten to breathe for the duration of that punishing kiss. A kiss she inwardly acknowledged she hadn’t wanted to end.
    What was
wrong
with her? This man had been nothing but arrogant and pushy since she first met him. To the point that he was now trying to blackmail her into going out with him on Saturday evening, and using Colin’s job as leverage to do so.
    Damn it, she wasn’t even sure she
liked
the man.
    Did she have to like him in order to be aroused by him?
    Obviously not, if the heat of desire that still consumed her was an indication.
    She moistened her slightly bruised lips with the tip of her tongue before answering him, instantly wishing she hadn’t, as she tasted Darius on her lips: a heady mixture of warm honey and desire. She gave a determined shake of her head in an effort to dispel the fog of desire that seemed to have taken over her brain. ‘Will the press be there?’
    â€˜What?’ Darius had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
    If he was honest, at the moment he had no idea what day of the week it was. Kissing Miranda had been so much
more
than he had been expecting. So much more
intense
than anything he had ever