His Christmas Virgin by Carole Mortimer

delicately. ‘Both of us, I would have thought.’
    â€˜Maybe we’re both thinking too much,’ he murmured broodingly. ‘Have you eaten dinner yet?’
    Mac looked at him sharply. ‘Not yet, no.’ Surely he wasn’t about to repeat his earlier suggestion that the two of them go out to dinner together?
    â€˜I only had a few prawns for lunch,’ he reminded her ruefully. ‘How about you?’
    â€˜I had a piece of toast when I got home. But I’m hardly dressed for going out to dinner, Jonas.’
    â€˜Who said anything about going out?’ He looked at her quizzically.
    Mac felt an uncomfortable surge—of what?—in her chest. Trepidation? Fear? Or anticipation? Or could it be a combination of all three of those things? Whichever it was, Mac didn’t think she should stay here alone with Jonas in his apartment any longer than she absolutely had to.
    â€˜It’s very kind of you to offer—’
    â€˜How polite you are all of a sudden, Mac,’ Jonas cut in. ‘If you don’t want to have dinner with me then just have the guts to come out and say so, damn it!’ His eyes glittered darkly.
    She gave a pained frown. ‘It isn’t a question of not wanting to have dinner with you, Jonas—’
    â€˜Then what is it a question of?’ he demanded harshly.
    Mac swallowed hard. ‘I’m not sure I belong here…’
    Jonas scowled. ‘What the hell does that mean?’
    She gave an awkward shrug. ‘I— This apartment is way out of my stratosphere. That bottle of wine you just opened probably cost what some people earn in a week.’
    â€˜And?’
    â€˜I am what I am. How I am. I hate dressing up in fancy clothes and “being seen”.’ She winced. ‘I’ve already been through one experience where a man thought I would make a nice trophy to show off on his arm at parties—’
    â€˜And you think that’s what I want, too?’ Jonas asked.
    Mac looked a little confused. ‘I’m not really sure what you want from me.’
    â€˜Then that makes two of us,’ Jonas told her with asigh. ‘For some inexplicable reason you have a strange effect on me, Mary “Mac” McGuire.’ His gaze held hers as he reached out and took the wine glass from her slightly trembling fingers, placing it on the table beside his own before grasping Mac’s arms to pull her slowly to her feet so that she stood only inches away from him.
    Jonas looked down at her searchingly, noting the almost feverish glitter in those smoky grey eyes, the flush to her cheeks, and the unevenness of her breathing through slightly parted lips. Parted lips that were begging to be kissed.
    His expression was grim as he resisted that dangerous temptation. ‘I’m going through to my bedroom now to change out of my suit. If you decide you don’t want to stay and help me cook dinner then I suggest you leave before I get back.’ He released her abruptly before turning on his heel and going out of the room in the direction of his bedroom further down the hallway.
    Mac was still trembling somewhat as she stood alone in the kitchen. She should do as Jonas suggested and leave before he came back. She knew that she should. Yet she didn’t want to. What she wanted to do was stay right here and spend the evening cooking dinner with him before they sat down together to eat it in this warm and comfortable kitchen…
    Except she knew that Jonas wasn’t suggesting they just cook and eat dinner together. Her remaining here would mean she was also agreeable to repeating their earlier shared kisses.
    Mac sat down abruptly, totally undecided about what to do. She should go. But she didn’t want to. She knew she shouldn’t allow that explosive passion with Jonas at the restaurant to happen again. But she wanted to!
    She was still sitting there pondering her dilemmawhen Jonas came back