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  He remained motionless and unyielding.

  She stared at the fierce intensity in his eyes. ‘I can make up my own mind!’ Katie’s frustration at his unnecessary protectiveness exploded. ‘I don’t need you to make the decision for me.’

  His breath hissed out between clenched teeth. ‘No? You’re claiming control? Fine.’ He took one barely leashed step forward. ‘But some elements I do get to decide.’

  The steel in his voice sent a shock of anticipation into that secret part of her—so thrilling, so stunning, she was rendered speechless.

  ‘My room. My bed. My way.’

  He punctuated each word with another step towards her.

  She couldn’t move, locked in place by the burn of blue. He was so strong, so consuming, and as he stalked closer she felt the overwhelming desire to surrender—to simply melt before him. This was what she wanted. His attention. Nothing but now. All physical.

  She closed her mind to the complications of the future, not even daring to consider the next five minutes. She couldn’t bear the agony of embarrassment.

  She chose just him—just now. ‘Okay.’

  He swallowed and took the last step towards her. In the moonlight she saw the faintest sheen of sweat skimming his skin. He wore only boxers, and they did little to hide the reaction of his body. For a moment she just stared, her heart thudding with a roar of both anticipation and anxiety, before she made herself look away.

  Her knees weakened as desire rushed to pool low in her belly. But with his all-seeing eyes he knew she’d peeked.

  ‘Not pity,’ he teased softly. ‘You’re getting something far more powerful than pity, Katie.’

  That old playboy arrogance was tinder to the spark of rebellion that smoked only in his presence. To the need to fire back at him.

  Her heart quadrupled its pace. She ran her tongue over her parched lips but was barely able to mutter the response that he’d provoked. ‘Prove it.’

  His lips curved, but that sly smile didn’t soften the steeliness in his eyes. ‘Next time you dare me, try taking a breath first.’

  ‘It’s impossible to breathe around you,’ she confessed.

  His hand cupped her jaw. ‘Katie...’

  For a horrible moment she thought he was going to deny her. But then he bent towards her. His kiss tasted of lemon and mint, cool and refreshing. His body brushed against hers, his skin burning through her silk slip. She uncurled her fists, reaching out to touch him, resting her hands on his waist. The kiss deepened. Emboldened, she traced more of his skin, discovering his strength and height and heat.

  His muscles tensed beneath her touch and he tore his lips from hers. ‘Katie—inside.’ He paused and then stepped back.

  He didn’t reach to pick her up and carry her this time. Instinctively she knew he was testing her, ensuring that this was her choice, her decision. Her legs trembled—but not from fear. It was anticipation...pure yearning.

  This once, she promised herself. There was no one else she wanted—that she’d ever wanted. He was a present to herself in this fantasy place for this one perfect night. She couldn’t deny herself and she’d have no regrets.

  His bedroom was even more vast than hers. The curtains weren’t drawn and in the bright moonlight the spacious bed gleamed—a pearled place for private pleasure. She noticed the white coverings were untouched—had he not even tried to sleep tonight?

  Her pulse thundered as she sat on the bed. Her senses were so heightened that the luxurious linen felt deliciously soft and cool on her overly sensitive skin. He didn’t move to join her. Did she have to ask him again?

  But then he released a harsh breath and came to her. As he knelt on the bed beside her he framed her face in his hands and kissed her hard and deep and long. She tumbled into the sensation—all sweet heat and relief—because finally she was here, with him, having what she wanted...needed...from him. With nothing held back.

  He lifted his head and took his time. To her infinite torment he touched her slowly, slipping the thin straps of her soft silk nightgown from her shoulders. Then he tugged it lower, exposing her breasts to his gaze. To his touch. To his kiss. Then he pulled the gown lower still, until she was bared completely. He paused and cocked his head, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he surveyed her with hungry eyes.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he muttered hoarsely, and bent to kiss her belly, then to kiss her lower still.

  ‘You don’t have to flatter me...’ she moaned, turning her head to press her cheek to the cool sheet, briefly closing her eyes at the intensity of such an intimate touch.

  ‘Don’t hide behind your judgemental ideas of me to reject my appreciation,’ he growled, lifting his head and waiting until she turned and looked him in the eyes. ‘Accept the compliment, Katie.’ He placed his hand on her—intimately. ‘Accept the caress. Or we cannot continue.’

  His gaze, his touch, burned into her—through her—until she had no recourse but to release the pent-up tension in a deep sigh and slide her legs a little further apart.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

  ‘Good...’ He smiled. ‘Because I need to see you. I need to taste you. I need to have you.’

  His words shook a fierce response from her, and his hands stoked it even higher. His fingertips swept over her and his mouth followed, bestowing caresses and kisses both firm and gentle, playful and passionate. All the length of her body sensation ignited—blissful pleasure and a desperate, driving need for more.

  He chuckled as she arched, to encourage him to stroke harder, to touch her right where she was so tormented. But he didn’t. He held back with deliberate devastation.

  ‘Not yet.’ His words sounded slightly slurred as he shifted and began again.

  He teased her to the brink and back again. Once, twice...until she was writhing, shaking and finally asking all over again—begging, in fact. She couldn’t take it any more.

  ‘Please, Alessandro...’

  He smiled that wonderful, wicked, infuriating smile that always made her tumble towards him. And then he moved closer, kissing her lower, then lower, while his hand cupped and his finger teased.

  She shivered as he discovered her hot, wet secrets. Slowly, gently, he slid a single finger inside her. She moved uncontrollably, then tensed as a moment of lucidity hit—as she realised the total intimacy of his touch.

  ‘Let yourself go,’ he breathed against her. ‘Your instincts are good.’

  She had no choice but to obey the dictates of her trembling, aching body, because then he sealed his mouth to that most sensual private part of her. She arched, driving her hips high against him, and screamed in ecstasy as he relentlessly subjected her to the most intimate, most incredible experience of her life.

  The orgasm shot through her, racking every muscle and cell, twisting her inside out in a series of pleasurable pulses, until she finally fell back on the bed in a limp heap. But even as she breathed out that last sigh of supreme delight she realised her body was charged—fully powered and ready for something so much more. Something she instinctively knew only he could give her.

  He lifted himself right away from her.

  Shocked, she watched him stand. ‘Seriously...?’

  He shot her a look—tension intertwined with amusement. ‘Absolutely.’

  She realised he’d retrieved a box from the drawer in the small table beside the bed. Her heart thudded as he finally removed the boxers that had been the only barrier between them and rolled a condom down his length.

  Katie ran her tongue along her lip and then swallowed—unable to look away, unable to speak.

  ‘I’ll take care of you, Katie,’ he said softly.

  But that steely determination was still audible.

  It made her shiver. ‘I know.’

  The moment he came back to her on the bed the chemistry between them combusted. He
gently nudged her legs apart with his, bracing himself over her and kissing her beyond anticipation all over again. He was so, so close, and she’d never been as excited, as aching, in all her life.

  But then he paused to look deep into her eyes. ‘Are you—?’

  She twisted beneath him in an agony of desire. ‘Don’t you dare ask me again.’

  He half laughed, but she could see the strain around his eyes. She put her hand on his jaw, feeling the heat of his skin, the sheen of sweat covering him.

  ‘Katie...’ He cupped her face in return, then slid his fingers to lace them through her hair. His eyes locked on hers. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said. ‘More beautiful than is comfortable,’ he added in an almost inaudible murmur.

  He pressed closer. She drew in a shocked, sharp breath, her eyes fluttering shut as she strained to take him.

  His low groan felled her. ‘Katie... Breathe.’

  She trembled, yielding on a soft sigh as he pushed right inside her. He was so big, his invasion hard and thick, and now he paused, searching her eyes as he slowly took what she offered and gave what she needed.

  Silently they stared at each other as he pressed ever so slightly closer, sliding deeper into her tight, slick body. She moaned at the sensation—so full, so overwhelming. And just at the moment when she thought it was too much he kissed her—tenderly, but taking her totally. His tongue caressed her slow and deep, matching the rhythm of his hips, pressing close and then releasing before thrusting closer, then closer again.

  She more than melted. She moved—breaking free of his kiss to gasp in delight and arch closer as she suddenly realised just how good this was.

  ‘That’s it,’ he muttered, bearing down on her again. ‘Take me.’

  His hand swept lower, his fingers teasing the secret place where they were pressed close. She felt his rigid length deep inside, stroking her. It felt so good. Her mouth parted as her breathing became erratic and moans of excitement escaped. Her gaze was locked on his. She felt his determination, his approval as she tumbled deeper into a vortex of intensity where heat and darkness coalesced.

  She cried out again as pleasure swept over her in a great wave. She wound her arms tight around him and literally rode him through it—the cause of her pleasure and her anchor through the storm of sensation.

  And then...when she finally returned to calm...she refused to release him. She held his roughened jaw between her palms, looking right into his eyes.

  His smile slipped a little. ‘Katie...’ Half warning, half praise. ‘You okay?’

  She nodded. She could hardly speak for the intensity of her satisfaction. She simply sighed his name. ‘Alessandro...’

  He smiled, then kissed her as if he was pouring his soul into her. ‘A little more,’ he whispered. ‘Just a little more. Okay?’

  ‘Yes.’

  It was more than okay. She didn’t want this to end. She hadn’t had everything yet. She hadn’t had him shaking in her arms the way she’d shaken in his.

  He smiled as he watched her, apparently able to read her mind. ‘Come with me this time.’

  It should have been impossible. The orgasm she’d just enjoyed had been so intense. Only his words triggered a lick of electricity that she recognised. She felt the heat and damp of his skin, the tension holding him fiercely still as he locked against her and her own desire surged. She wanted him to let go too.

  Primal instinct kicked in and her body took over. She curled her leg around his waist, locking him deeper to her, and slid her arms more tightly around his back.

  ‘Your instincts are good,’ he’d assured her. And he was right. Because this felt even better.

  The look in his blue eyes became even more brilliant. ‘Katie—’

  ‘More, Alessandro. Please.’ She’d loved all his tenderness, but she wanted his passion too.

  With a groan he pressed his hands beside her, levering himself up so he could drive deeper into her. This wasn’t pleasure. This was beyond anything that could be defined that simply.

  Her lips parted as she panted with every pounding thrust. She squeezed him with her arms and legs, aching to hold him more tightly, more deeply inside her. She couldn’t get close enough. She still couldn’t get close enough.

  ‘Katie...’ he choked. ‘Katie...’ He lapsed into unintelligible Italian.

  This was what she wanted.

  This was even better than before.

  The ripple took her by surprise, tearing through her, seizing every muscle, making her fingers like claws that dug into him. And he was the same with her—buried to the hilt and then some. Rammed together—clutching, kissing, totally connected—they shared every inch, every sensation.

  ‘I had no idea...’ she gasped.

  It wasn’t a trickle of goodness. It was a river—a shimmering cascade of delight spreading throughout her body and beyond. Seeping into him too, into this bubble they’d created. This cocoon of such intimacy, such connection.

  She’d never felt as close to anyone. Never felt as secure. Even if it was only for these few moments, it was the best feeling of her life.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Katie...’ The lightest puff of teasing disapproval.

  She couldn’t summon the energy to open her eyes, but she smiled a little sadly. ‘I mean it.’

  He held her close and rolled, lifting her to lie on his chest. He cradled her as the last shivers of delight skimmed her skin.

  ‘Thank you.’ He released a long, satisfied sigh.

  She’d not expected words of love—of course she hadn’t. But now she felt their absence. It was an alarmingly vast emptiness that ached.

  That ‘everything’ she’d said she didn’t want from him...?

  No.

  She refused to recognise the extent of that yearning. This would only be a temporary pleasure. That was what it was for him. This gnawing feeling inside was simply lust all over again. Purely physical. She’d be satisfied with his body, his skill, and she’d have her fill of him.

  And now, impossibly, when she’d been exhausted only moments ago, she was energised again.

  ‘Katie?’

  Of course he’d sensed it.

  His hands tightened on her waist and he shifted, sliding her beneath him.

  ‘Show me more,’ she said, and kissed him before he could answer, desperately drowning the doubt that was trying to curl its cold tendrils around her heart.

  Oh, Katie, what have you done?

  CHAPTER TEN

  TROUBLE SLITHERED LIKE a clever snake, avoiding detection until it was too late to stop its strike. While last night had been wonderful, it had also been dangerous. More than she’d thought possible.

  Katie showered beneath cold water, desperate to settle the confusing thoughts and feelings swirling in her head. It was just sex. Natural. Normal. Nothing profound. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet her heart pounded. Instinctively she knew her response was more intense than ‘normal’. Her instincts were good, and they were right on this.

  This wasn’t some ‘people-pleasing’ problem like Alessandro had teased her about. She’d been utterly unable to resist the temptation of him last night, and this morning that impulse was even stronger. She’d naively thought it would have eased. Wasn’t that what happened when you scratched an itch? It went away. It wasn’t supposed to itch more. Lots of people had casual flings or one-night stands and moved on.

  Only she’d sunk deeper into the pool of infatuation. Truthfully, she was halfway to falling for him completely. He’d helped her. He’d listened. He’d been kind. But he also challenged her constantly, while invariably making her laugh at the same time, and that just made him magnetic. Add the way he could please her physically and she stood no chance.

  She mocked herself for being sentimental—for weaving fairy tales into her fantasies. As a lonely teen she’d drea
mt of being swept off her feet and being ravished, of being taken away to some wondrous kingdom where she was safe and secure and loved for all time...

  But Alessandro wasn’t Prince Charming. There was no happy-ever-after in his world. This was only fun—moments that meant nothing. Last night had been merely that for him, and while she knew that he’d truly wanted her, soon enough he wouldn’t.

  Already that thought terrified her more than it ought. Because she knew too well how being unwanted hurt.

  She had to protect herself—she had to be stronger. He’d told her to take what she wanted, but how could she when she knew she was putting herself at risk?

  He’d also wanted honesty...and that she could give him. She’d grown some courage in the last couple of days. She could do what she needed to do—what was best for her.

  * * *

  Alessandro sat out on the terrace and scrolled through his emails, trying to distract himself while waiting for Katie to emerge. He’d slept late, but when he’d woken she’d still been in a deep slumber and he’d not wanted to disturb her, despite the ache in his gut tempting him to touch her.

  Grimly he put the tablet on the table, giving up on any semblance of concentration on work. He shouldn’t have said yes to her, but he’d been powerless to say no when he’d wanted her more than he’d wanted anyone.

  Unfortunately, he still did.

  His skin tightened at the merest recollection. Unease tensed his muscles even more. Her lack of experience and her lonely upbringing made her vulnerable. Yet she’d teased him that he didn’t go into relationships deeply enough. Why would he need to when he’d never intended to get married? But now he had—and he didn’t want to hurt her. Somehow he needed to keep this from getting more complicated.

  He gritted his teeth, because the obvious way was by shutting down the physical aspect of their relationship. Except all he wanted was to get back into bed with her.

  ‘Good morning.’

  He glanced up at her soft greeting and couldn’t help smiling as colour flooded her face as she walked towards where he sat. There wasn’t a part of her he hadn’t kissed and yet she still blushed. He hungered to peel off her clothes and see that flush over all her skin. Right now.