Billionaire's Defiant Mistress by Heather Longton

to get on with my life, Carlos in turn will get on with his.”
    “And jumping into his bed, then jumping out of it again to go back home is going to be simple, is it?”
    “I don't see why not.” There was a frightened little voice inside of her which was telling Sarah he was right. But she so wanted to go and stay with Carlos that she didn't want to risk listening to any doubts.
    “Okay. I wish you the best of luck and you know where I am when you need to pick up the pieces.” Gareth couldn't exactly offer his blessing but he could offer his support and show he cared, even if it was a struggle to do so. He left the room and Sarah continued packing her things.
    It wasn't the goodbye she would have chosen but she wasn't going to allow Gareth's disapproval to dent her excitement. How could anyone dent her excitement when her senses had been sent into overdrive by Carlos's suggestion? He had made it sound so perfect. Resisting the arrangement had seemed impossible as it was the only sensible option to take. As he leaned across the table in the restaurant she was overwhelmed by the physical sensation of wanting him to kiss her again. His dark gaze into her eyes had washed over her, making her feel weak but warm inside.
    “When I think what happened, I feel guilty,” Carlos had whispered over the dining table. “If I had known it was your first time I would have –” Sarah waited for the continuation of the sentence, but the pause continued.
    “You would have what?”
    “I assumed you would have slept with a man before me,” he said quickly, ignoring her question. “A fair assumption, don't you think? At your age, a woman usually has some experience. A man approaches love-making differently when the woman is innocent. It is slower, and without expectation. Your first time is not what I would have planned – even though I did give you pleasure.” His dark eyes glistened with meaning and had set her heart racing. “It is why you should come and stay with me, and you can discover even more. What do you think?”
    Sarah had felt her cheeks blush. It sounded heavenly, despite what he said next. Had she taken as much notice of the next part and ignored the excited churning in her stomach, she would have fled for the hills.
    “You must know it is a temporary arrangement. At Christmas, it ends. I must be honest with you about that.”
    Sarah really didn't care. It was easy to ignore the voice of reason because she wanted it too much. Moving in with Carlos was the most exciting thing she had ever done and she was determined to enjoy every second of it, with no regrets. So she gave Gareth a hug goodbye, then carried her case outside to where Carlos's car was waiting.
    The drive was soon over, Sarah spending the whole journey ignoring the nagging voice which questioned what she was doing. Sitting in the back of a chauffeur driven limousine does make it easier to ignore any doubts. Pulling into the driveway of a large house helps to push those doubts further to the back of the mind.
    Elaine opened the door, and welcomed Sarah, with a careful smile on her face. “Hello, Sarah,” she said brightly, “I was expecting you. Carlos won't be back until about six o'clock so I will help you settle in. I'll show you your dressing room, and you can unpack – unless you'd like me to do that for you?”
    Sarah felt unsure. Elaine seemed very comfortable with the fact a stranger was moving into her well ordered house. Was this something she had to deal with very often? And she really didn't want her humble belongings gone through by the housekeeper. But Sarah hid her feelings behind an equally polite smile. “Thank you very much – but I will be fine unpacking myself.”
    Elaine led the way to a previously unseen room, which led directly to the master bedroom. It was a changing room and was bigger than the bedroom she just left behind, but there was no bed in this one; just shelves, cupboards, a couple of floor length mirrors and a