Free A Night With Consequences by Margaret Mayo

would have dearly loved to spend more time with him, making magical love—and it had truly been magical—she knew that it would be impossible. ‘You do not fully realise my situation. I’m sorry, Blake, but—’
    ‘I’m not forcing you to stay,’ Blake said, trying to make his voice sound as gentle and persuasive as possible. ‘But I do think you deserve some relaxation. You’ve worked very hard and I’d like to show you my appreciation.’ She enchanted him, and one night of passion was not enough. He wanted to spend more time with her. Taking her virginity and then coldly dismissing her to resume normal office life was not what he wanted. She deserved better. He wanted her to know that it had not been a one-off. He did not want her to think ill of him.
    Not that he was looking for anything long-term. He had no intention of settling with any woman ever again. To hell with all that. One go at marriage was enough. But at least he could show Kara that not all men were bad.
    ‘OK, I’ll ring my mother,’ she said, still sounding reluctant, ‘and see what she says. Maybe a couple of days. I don’t want to lumber Aunt Susan with her for too much longer.’
    Blake would have liked to spend more than two days with her, but he knew that to push the issue would end up with her refusing to go with him at all. ‘I’m sure you won’t regret it,’ he said, touching his hands lightly to her shoulders and dropping a kiss on her cheek.
    The sweet, dewy softness of her skin and the intoxicating smell of her was almost his undoing. What he really wanted to do was kiss her and pleasure her again. But he did not want her to think that he was using sex as a way of persuasion, so he reluctantly backed away, leaving Kara to go to her room.
    Her mother, surprisingly, was happy for her to stay longer. ‘You deserve a break,’ she said. ‘And your aunt is glad of my company’
    ‘Everything is all right?’
    ‘Of course. I’m safe here, Kara.’
    Kara knew what she meant. Her biggest fear was that the loan shark her father had lumbered them with might catch up with her.
    Her father, as well as being a bully and a tyrant, had taken out a loan in her mother’s name, telling her that it made good business sense for tax purposes. Her mother had been too frightened of him to argue. His building company had begun to go downhill because he had spent most of his money on gambling and drinking, but it had not been until after his death that they’d discovered the loan had never been repaid and that exorbitant interest rates made it look asthough it never would be.
    The man after their money was a sharp-faced, cold-hearted individual, without an ounce of compassion. She could not leave her mother to deal with him. Even thinking about him caused her to shudder. But she could not tell Blake about him either. Her mother did not want anyone to know. She found the shame of the whole situation too embarrassing, even though it was most of Kara’s salary that went towards paying off the debt.
    Kara quickly packed and drew in several deep, steadying breaths before taking the few steps along the corridor back to Blake’s room. His door was open, as though he was waiting for her. And his suitcase was also ready to go. His brows rose as he waited for her to speak.
    ‘I’ll come with you,’ she said quietly.
    ‘Your mother and aunt are all right with it?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘But you are not?’
    ‘I’ve never been on holiday with a man.’ In fact she had never been on holiday. Even saying those words caused her heart to flutter alarmingly. Would she be throwing herself in at the deep end without being able to swim? Would she regret it? Would she lose her job because of it? A multitude of questions swam through her mind.
    ‘You are afraid of me?’
    Not Blake. It was her feelings that she was afraid of. She was afraid that at the other end of the spectrum it would all be too much for her, that she would never want it to end. That she would