by Maggie Cox
The pleasure that consumed her was so amazing that Bliss could hardly bear it. On some deeply unconscious level she wondered if all this time she had somehow, some way, been searching for this man all her life. As he took hungry possession of her body time after time, his hot Italian gaze melting her to her very bones, her mind raced with how she was ever going to settle for everyday reality ever again. The man was so extraordinarily beautiful—like a dream she hadn’t known she’d ached for until she’d experienced it in all its breathtaking glory. Next to him all of the world’s jewels would appear lacklustre. It was hard for Bliss to believe that he could want her with such dazzling ardour when he could surely make love to any woman in the world besides her. Her femininity soared with a power that was exhilarating. In his arms she felt equally beautiful. Wanted and desired beyond reason. To hope for more than this was surely some kind of sin. Dante’s loving had transported her to a heaven previously undreamed of and how many women could claim to have experienced the same?
Knowing she was close to release, Bliss willingly rocked her hips in time with the increasingly demanding rhythm of Dante’s body. Her violet eyes turned dark as a black velvet sea as desire crested to a peak and crashed over her like a giant waterfall dragging her under, until all she could do was simply yield to nature’s awesome power. But, before the erratic cadence of her heartbeat could return to anywhere near normal, Dante too found the completion he had been hungrily intent on, lowering himself against her body in a flood of passionate Italian, his scalding seed spilling into her like liquid flame. In the aftermath, Bliss hardly dared breathe in case she disturbed the intense feeling of satisfaction and joy that washed over her at accepting his loving into her body.
As he rolled over to lay by her side, Dante’s sensuously formed lips eased upwards in a purely male smile of profound satisfaction. It was the smile of a man who had emphatically left his mark on the woman he had chosen and made no apology for doing so.
Bliss was momentarily transfixed by the gesture. Then her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she suddenly fully realised what they had just done.
‘Dante! We—you didn’t use anything! I’m not even on the pill!’
’Maledizione!’ He turned abruptly at her panicked words, a cloud casting itself across his perfectly aligned features. He shook his head. ‘Forgive me, innamorata. I should not have left such things to chance, but I was unprepared myself for what has just happened. Sono idiota! I can assure you there is no other risk, but—you will of course be alert to consequences? Do you want me to assist you, take you to a doctor to be sure?’
Bliss scooted up onto her elbow. A mixture of awe and wonder quickly replaced the concern that had been building on her face as she glanced down at him. Unable to resist the magnetic pull of his strong resolute jaw, her fingers traced the powerfully compelling outline of those passionately seductive lips of his, like a sculptor wondering how she could transfer such sublime perfection to cold, inanimate marble.
‘I’m sure I’ll be all right. It’s a safe time,’ she murmured, not wanting to spoil the wonder of their time together with worry about what might or might not happen in the future. ‘Dante,’ she breathed softly, her gaze drifting across his handsome, indomitable features with open admiration. His big hand captured hers and brought it slowly and sensuously to his lips, where he kissed her flesh with almost reverent adoration.
‘Do you know what you have done to me?’ he asked with a smile that hurt Bliss’s heart. ‘You have given me almost too much pleasure. The kind of pleasure that, once tasted, a man could never forget.’
Could she believe him? Bliss tortured herself jealously, imagining all the other women he must have made love to in the past. Was it only the fact that his body was replete with lovemaking that he paid her such a fulsome compliment? Her only other lover besides Dante had been an eighteen-year-old schoolboy she had had a crush on when she was just sixteen. He had been the most fancied boy in her school and Bliss had been shocked to her bones when she had found out that he had reciprocated her crush with equal ardour. He had even cried when she had told him she wouldn’t see him again after he had helped her lose her virginity. But then he hadn’t known that Bliss had just lost her mother and the only reason she had given herself to him so freely was so that she could feel something other than the horrible sensation of being trapped inside a block of ice for the rest of eternity.
‘You almost make me want to believe that’s true.’ Her mouth curving into a softly wistful smile, Bliss rested her hand on the hard, ridged muscles of Dante’s awesome bronzed chest with profound regret. ‘But we probably won’t see each other again after this, will we? You’ll go back to Italy, back to your busy life, and you’ll forget all about me.’
‘Why do you think that?’ Sliding up into a sitting position and fixing a plump damson pillow strategically behind his back, Dante slid his hand down Bliss’s bare arm, secretly delighting in the display of goose-pimples that his touch made appear. As he stared into her worried face, once again feeling the beginnings of desire stirring in his loins as he enjoyed the stunning beauty of her clear violet gaze, Dante’s glance was both possessive and unflinching. ‘You think I can forget what we have between us so easily, as if it means nothing to me?’
‘Even if it does mean something to you, we both know it won’t lead anywhere.’ Bliss’s voice was steady and certain and was highlighted by the determined set of her small, perfect jaw. ‘We have to be realistic. You have to go back home and I need to focus on finding a better job that will pay me a good enough wage to keep the roof over my head. I didn’t expect this to happen. But now that it has…’ She tucked her hair behind her ears and leant back against another pillow, sighing heavily. ‘What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to worry. I’m not looking for a relationship and neither are you, so I can accept the fact we won’t see each other again.’
Did she mean that? Dante wondered with a little frisson of shock and anger running down his spine. Was she really willing to dismiss their passionate interlude so readily? Such an idea was anathema to him. It wounded his pride as well as his already vulnerable heart. But he was not willing to expose such weaknesses to the woman by his side—no matter how passionately he desired her. And she was in for a surprise if she thought that he would just walk away without looking back, as if he had neither honour nor principles. He had made love to her. That was not something Dante took lightly. Especially not when he had experienced a connection with this woman that went deep beyond physical attraction. ‘No, innamorata. I do not accept we cannot see each other again because of such inconsequential considerations. I may have to go home to Italy, but I will be back. We can meet and have dinner, and what is to prevent us from merely enjoying each other’s company from time to time when I am here?’
His emerald eyes lightly skimmed her features, finally alighting with pleasure on her slightly parted, moistened lips, his emphasis on the word ‘enjoying’ leaving Bliss in no doubt as to exactly what that meant. Her skin throbbed with heat as she tried to also understand how Dante could dismiss the glaring difficulty of them possibly having a relationship when they were living in totally different countries and experiencing completely different lifestyles.
‘You really want to see me again?’ she asked in a quiet voice. ‘Because I don’t think it’s a good—’
Dante bent his head and claimed her lips once more in a hard, demonstrative kiss that made her shiver. ‘I want to see you again, and I will. Make no mistake about that. But now I have to go. I have some urgent problems to attend to, as you know. Forgive me, dolcezza. But I promise you we shall see each other again soon.’
Her skin feeling chilled where he removed the warmth of his body from hers, disappointment making her heart ache, Bliss watched him collect his clothes from the end of the bed where he had discarded them and step out onto the carpet to get dressed.
She told herself she should be relieved that Dante didn’t act like a stereotypical pla
yboy when clearly he had all the assets to do just that, but she still found it hard to believe that he really meant to see her again. And saying he wanted to see her again was one thing; actually following through on his intention once he’d returned to his wealthy lifestyle in Italy was another. She should just endeavour to behave like any other sophisticated woman of the world and simply let him go without any expectations. Even if it hurt like hell to do so.
‘Bliss?’ Pausing as he did up the zip on his trousers and pulled on his shirt, Dante examined her in the bed, her softly mussed hair and bare shoulders filling him with an almost impossible urge to join her again and seduce her once more before he left.
‘I will repeat what I have just said. I am coming back to see you just as soon as I can.’
Pursing her lips, Bliss nodded, dragging the bedcovers more securely up to her chest. Whether she could believe what he said or not, she would hold on to the tiny hope that Dante would keep his word. She was helplessly distracted by his indomitable male beauty that made her small, plain bedroom seem far too inadequate a setting for such a magnificent jewel; his promise had the unsettling effect of making her feel somehow protected. Shocked to realise it, Bliss determinedly shook off the sensation of warmth that had stealthily crept into her limbs at his words. Was she building herself up for a big fall, hoping against hope that he might come back?
‘Dante?’
‘What is it?’ His heated gaze honed in on her small heart-shaped face and those ravishing black-lashed violet eyes. Never before with a woman had he been in such turmoil about whether to stay or leave.
‘Give Renny a kiss for me when you see her, won’t you?’
Briefly absorbing the swift stab of pain inside his chest that her words elicited, Dante nodded curtly. ‘Sì. No problem.’ And with that, he turned abruptly and left.
CHAPTER SIX
FINDING herself unexpectedly in a lull as customer demand in the store eased towards the end of the afternoon, Bliss took a moment to examine her overly bright eyes and pinked cheeks in the oval make-up mirror on the counter. She hadn’t had the best start to the day. She’d woken feeling hot and shivery with a sore throat, but had convinced herself to ignore the feelings and just get ready for work. Now at nearly five in the afternoon she was feeling even hotter, the ache in her throat was akin to the pain of swallowing stinging nettles and she could no longer deny that she was obviously coming down with a cold. She prayed it was nothing more than that, because next week she would start her new job as a receptionist in a recently opened alternative therapy centre near where she lived and for once she was looking forward to the prospect of changing jobs. At least she would be working in an environment that was helping people, she’d told herself when she’d come away from the interview. The surroundings were bright and pleasant, and soothing ambient music was piped from unseen speakers throughout the day to calm frayed nerves and imbue customers with a sense of peace after the stresses of the outside world. It might not be enough to launch her into the career of the century, but at least she would be doing something useful. Surprisingly, the pay wasn’t bad either.
Just before she turned away from the mirror, Bliss experienced the most acute tingling bordering on pain in her breasts. The sensation took her by surprise and she saw the alarm that registered in the darkened pupils of her vividly coloured eyes reflected back at her. Her hand went almost inadvertently to her trim, flat stomach beneath her fitted black skirt and about the same time she sensed her womb contract. Seeking the high chrome stool behind her that they used for customers who wanted make-up advice, Bliss eased her way onto it almost in a daze, her heartbeat thundering inside her chest. A realisation was surfacing somewhere in her brain yet again—a realisation that she’d been trying desperately to push away for some time now in the hope that she wouldn’t have to face it.
Almost six weeks ago to the day, she had succumbed to the temptation of Dante di Andrea and allowed herself to be caught up in a tide of passion so profound that every inch of skin on her body was bathed in heat every time she recalled it. Despite his impassioned vow that he wanted to see her again, he had been conspicuous by his absence. Not that Bliss had really believed that he would come back. He was probably still in Italy, far too absorbed in his work to even remember the woman he had bedded so passionately one fine spring morning in London. Tears stung her eyes, angry, confounded tears because she had acted so foolishly and so thoughtlessly without a mind to what could happen. They definitely weren’t tears of regret or sorrow that the man she had given herself to with such unthinking fervour had apparently deserted her, despite his promise. She’d never wanted the commitment of a relationship, so why did her stomach turn over at the thought of not ever seeing Dante again? The handsome Italian had got to her badly with his devouring emerald gaze and spine-tingling attention and there was apparently nothing Bliss could do about it, no matter how much she might protest that she wasn’t looking for a relationship.
But…Oh, Lord, I can’t be pregnant! Groaning beneath her breath, Bliss shut her eyes to absorb the waves of shock and distress that were washing over her. Placing her hand on her already feverish forehead, she sighed deeply. She wasn’t usually a ‘bury your head in the sand’ type of person, but somehow she had found herself acting exactly that way. She had convinced herself that they’d slipped up at a safe time, and so she hadn’t taken the morning-after pill. She’d had signs that she might be pregnant since missing her period, but she had somehow subconsciously clung to the idea that she wasn’t. Now it was time to face the truth.
‘What’s up, gorgeous?’
She opened her eyes to find Trudy standing there, her pretty face frowning back at her with concerned curiosity. ‘Not feeling well?’
‘Can we go for a coffee after work?’ Bliss suggested, knowing there was nothing for it but to share her fear about the possibility of her being pregnant with her closest friend. Right now, even though she’d like nothing better than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next three days, Bliss knew she couldn’t keep her secret anxiety to herself without driving herself crazy. Trudy was always good to talk to and often came up with the best advice.
‘I’ll meet you out front in half an hour,’ Trudy agreed without a murmur, the other girl realising instinctively that this must be something serious.
‘So basically it’s decision time, isn’t it?’ Taking a sip of frothy coffee, Trudy focused her steady blue gaze on the dark-haired girl sitting opposite. Bliss hadn’t touched her coffee, finding herself suddenly nauseous at even the thought of drinking it. She sat in the half-empty coffee house staring down at the polished wooden table, first absently fingering the sugar bowl, then turning her unopened caramelised biscuit over and over in her hands, her thoughts as jumpy and ephemeral as a butterfly.
‘Decision time?’ she repeated, her thoughts finally focusing.
‘The baby. Bliss, you’ve hardly been listening to one word I’ve said!’
‘Yes, I have…’
‘You’re going to have to decide, and soon. You’re starting a new job on Monday, what are you going to tell them?’
‘Let’s not panic, right? I don’t even know if I am pregnant yet until I do a test.’ But even to her own ears her sensible-sounding statement lacked even an ounce of conviction. She was pregnant with Dante’s baby. She could deny it to herself until the sun stopped rising in the sky, but that would be irresponsible and juvenile, and Bliss prided herself on being neither of those things.
‘I’m not having a termination.’ There; she’d said it. She’d voiced the one solid realisation that had come to her in the last half hour. Bliss didn’t doubt bringing up a baby on her own as a single mother was going to be her biggest challenge to date, but even harder was the idea of a termination. This was her child, a precious life that was growing inside her. The thought made her heart leap.
‘Why did I know you were going to say that?’ Catching her hand in her own, Trudy reached out to Bliss as the true friend she was,
instantly understanding the decision her best friend had made without judging it one way or the other. ‘It’s going to be hard, you know that? And what about the father? This Daniel di—’
‘Dante.’ Unable to prevent herself from colouring at the easily familiar way she pronounced his name, Bliss finally took a sip of her coffee and instantly felt sick. ‘Excuse me. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.’ Unceremoniously scraping back her chair, she hurried towards the ladies’ toilets, leaving Trudy staring after her with concern as she went.
Not finding Bliss at home, Dante drove round the block several times to gather his thoughts, contemplating where she could be and speculating at what time he could expect her to return. He refused to believe she was away, or wouldn’t be returning home that evening. He was far too impatient to see her for that. All the way on the drive over from the di Andrea hotel in Belgravia he had wrestled with what he was going to say to her, since there had been no communication between them for six long weeks. Already he’d realised that she would not be impressed with the excuse that he’d been heavily involved in important negotiations back home to acquire two new hotels, one in St Tropez, and the other in Lake Como. The one in Lake Como he and his father planned to make as a gift to Tatiana. Antonio di Andrea, ill as he was, wanted his ‘baby girl’ and his youngest grandchild to come home again and this was the way he proposed to persuade her. Before she’d gone to the UK, Tatiana too had worked with the family in the hotel business. Then she’d gone to England to study, where she’d met and fallen in love with Matt Ward. Now Antonio had been diagnosed with a serious heart complaint and he fretted he would not live to see his darling Renata grown. Dante had promised to help persuade Tatiana to see the sense in returning home to Italy. Lake Como was beautiful and helping to run the hotel would, in time, assist her in coming to terms with her terrible loss.