by Marinelli, Carol; Hayward, Jennifer; Stephens, Susan; Anderson, Natalie
He was silent for a moment and she heard him stepping around, getting the feel for the space. ‘Paolo should be here in an hour or so to drive us to dinner. He’ll come in through the kitchen entrance; will we hear him arrive?’
‘Yes.’
‘And will he be able to hear us if we yell?’
‘Yes.’ She’d yelled when she was a child a few times.
‘Then…’ He paused. ‘I guess we wait.’
For an hour or so. She leaned against the back wall and slid down into her old familiar corner, blocking her mind from sending her images of what they could do to pass the time. She was not going to be that easy for Alejandro.
‘You know this is dangerous,’ he said a bit roughly. ‘How did you get out of here when you were a kid?’
She cleared her throat. ‘I taped a ribbon over the edge so the door couldn’t quite lock into place, but it was almost shut so no one knew I was here.’ Or at least that’s what she’d pretended. The chef had always known and had always checked on her. Neither of her parents had.
‘What did you do in here all by yourself?’
‘Drew. Dreamed.’ She’d sat with her torch and sketched fanciful creatures—fairies goblins, elves. She smiled self-consciously at the memory—which was stupid, given he couldn’t see her. But it was that kind of place for her—secret and a little bit magic.
‘You couldn’t do that upstairs?’
‘When Mother was at home, my father stayed out very late.’ Her smile faded. She’d sat in the library and waited for him. ‘And when she was away he brought a lot of “guests” home. I preferred to stay out of their way when they were here.’
‘Female guests?’ Alejandro asked expressionlessly.
‘Naturally.’
There was a brief pause. She heard him moving nearer, then felt him sit down next to her.
‘Your mother travelled for work?’
She bit back a sad laugh. ‘No, she’d go on retreats to “find herself”.’ She paused. Her mother would routinely just check out of marriage and motherhood. ‘After the attic was renovated, I stopped coming down here.’ She’d hardly had to come downstairs at all. She could avoid her father’s affairs and absence in her own room.
‘And what happened to your mother?’ That roughness in his voice gave the question an edge.
‘Eventually she didn’t come back from one of her retreats. Last I heard, she’s in Australia. I guess she finally found herself. She gave Dad everything in the divorce—gave up all her material possessions and never came back.’ She’d given up her children too.
But Kitty had had the house and the things she’d made to decorate it. And she’d had Teddy, when he could bear to be home.
Alejandro didn’t say anything in reply to her admission. There wasn’t really anything to say and she was glad he didn’t bother with platitudes. But of course he wouldn’t; he didn’t seem to let anything touch him too closely. Or at least that was the appearance he was so determined to convey. But surely there was more than he showed. She saw those quicksilver flashes of emotion. Of depth. How did she push beyond his teasing, suave exterior?
‘So your time spent drawing and sculpting led you to study art,’ he said, interrupting her thoughts.
‘Collection curation in the end.’ She hadn’t had the true talent to be an artist. ‘While you studied…’
‘Law, economics, commerce.’
‘Oh.’ She shivered at the thought of it.
‘Very useful degrees.’ He nudged her and she heard his short laugh. ‘More so than art.’
‘It isn’t all about making money,’ she fired up.
‘So speaks someone who has never struggled to make the money to keep a roof over her head, or enough to eat. Would you eat cake when there’s no bread left?’ he teased.
‘I’m not as ignorant or out of touch as all that,’ she muttered. ‘I just don’t see why it all has to be about how much money you can make. I make enough for me, whereas you’re out to make as much as humanly possible. Self-made guys like you celebrate the downfall of the likes of my father.’
‘Not at all.’ Alejandro laughed. ‘I would never celebrate anyone’s failure.’
No, but he was single-minded about success and ruthless in achieving it. He wouldn’t give up at a setback; he’d fight back until he’d won in the way he wanted.
‘He worked hard, you know,’ she tried to explain. ‘He just made mistakes. Plenty of them.’ She sighed. ‘He was trying to groom Teddy to take over the family business but Ted hated it and was hopeless. They fought a lot.’
‘And you hung out in the attic.’
Kitty shifted restlessly; somehow she’d ended up talking more about herself and still learned nothing much more about him.
‘But you love your father, even though he let you down,’ Alejandro said.
‘He has his weaknesses,’ she replied. ‘We all do.’
‘I don’t.’
She laughed, pleased to hear that amused confidence in him again. ‘Yes, you do. You’re arrogant and stubborn.’
‘What you call weakness, I call strength,’ he countered, unabashed as always. ‘Stubbornness is determination and it helps me succeed.’
‘Bully for you,’ she grumbled. ‘There’s no success that comes with impulsiveness.’
‘You think not?’ He laughed softly. ‘You successfully bring fun. Laughter. The unpredictable.’
‘Are you suggesting I’m unpredictable?’ she asked archly. ‘Coming from you, that’s high praise.’
‘Are you suggesting that I’ve finally charmed you?’ he teased.
‘Oh, no, I still see through you.’ Except she couldn’t see him at all; she could only hear the warmth in his tone. ‘I know you only want one thing.’
Temptation whispered within her. She wanted it too. And she was tired of fighting her attraction to him. Here in the dark, no one would know. Here she could still learn something about him. She could learn the physical. She shivered again. She was too aware of his nearness, of the possibilities.
‘It really is pitch-black, isn’t it?’ she muttered, trying to distract herself.
‘Are you scared?’ That thread of amusement sounded, warming her.
Honestly, she was always scared when he was around. Not of him but of her reaction to him. She felt him shift beside her. His arm pressed against hers, so did his leg.
‘I used to be afraid of the dark,’ she confessed distractedly.
‘But you got over it?’
‘Teddy locked me in here once, not long after we first discovered it. I was terrified. But after a while I got used to it and I refused to let him know how much it bothered me. Then I found it didn’t bother me anyway and I didn’t have to pretend any more. This became one of my favourite places to hang out.’
‘You faked it till you made it?’ His chuckle was soft.
‘I guess.’
‘I like the dark,’ he said gently.
‘Oh?’ She half expected some comment about his liking the dark because he was usually in bed then, but there was a serious note in his voice. ‘Why?’
‘It’s safe—you can’t be seen.’
His answer surprised her to silence. What—or who—did he want to hide from? Why didn’t he want to be seen? Was he scarred in some way? Her mind raced with questions. She was about to ask but then she heard him—it was almost a whisper.
‘You can’t be found.’
‘You liked to hide?’ She never would have guessed that.
He drew in a quick breath. ‘Mmm…’
He didn’t elaborate. Of course he didn’t.
Why had he needed to feel safe?
She reached out, unable to resist any longer—offering the reassurance of touch. His stubble was rough beneath her f
ingertips. Who was she kidding—this was what she wanted. Here, in the dark, no one would know. She couldn’t see. He couldn’t see. It could be secret, and maybe a little bit magic.
‘Catriona?’
‘Shh.’ She just wanted to explore.
‘Do you know what you are doing?’
She smiled in the darkness and leaned closer to press her lips to his jaw. His muscle jerked beneath her lips.
He turned his head towards her and she felt his breath on her face. ‘Don’t start something that can’t be stopped. Not unless you are very, very sure.’
She would never be sure of anything much. Except that right now she liked exploring what she could of him. She liked it here in the dark where she too could hide and neither of them could see. But she could feel.
His hand cupped her chin, he gently traced her lip with the tip of his finger, and she couldn’t resist a quick slide of her tongue. His finger paused and she heard his swiftly indrawn breath.
‘This isn’t a good idea,’ he said roughly.
But, before she could reply, he kissed her gently.
‘Yes,’ she whispered when he drew back.
‘Yes, this isn’t a good idea or yes this—?’
‘Just yes.’ She pressed forward blindly, seeking his mouth again.
And it was a good idea. It was a very, very good idea.
Her kiss wasn’t gentle. She sank into it, relishing the freedom. Here, in the dark, she relinquished her hold on her desire. It burst free—heating the small space. She wanted to explore him. She ached to touch every part of him, to feel the slide of his skin against her own. She wanted—
He groaned and reached out quickly. Unerringly finding her waist, he lifted her onto his knee, capturing her completely.
‘I think you like to take risks, Catriona,’ he muttered harshly.
‘Alejandro…’
He answered her plea wordlessly, his hot mouth crashing down on hers while his hands explored, lifting under her tee. She moaned as he unclasped her bra and her tight breasts sprang free. He palmed them for a moment and she wriggled on his lap, feeling his hard erection digging into her. Oh, yes, this was what she wanted. This was everything she wanted.
She lifted her arms as he tugged the fabric up, ridding her of both the tee and the dangling bra in the one movement. Then he swept his palms over her naked back, pushing her forward so he could kiss her bared skin, working his way across her body until he sucked her painfully tight nipple into his mouth. She cried out as heat flamed low in her belly.
‘I want to taste more,’ he said gruffly. ‘I want everything.’
He moved, lifting her and placing her on her back beside him. It took nothing for him to slip off her shoes and run his hands up her legs to unsnap the fastening of her jeans and then slide them and her panties down and off.
She was naked now. And hot.
‘I want to see you,’ he groaned.
But he couldn’t and she was pleased because here in the darkness she was free. His hands were warm, his mouth hot as he licked his way up the inside of her thigh. Her legs splayed and he took control, pushing them wider to make room for him between them. He kissed her core, holding her in the most carnally explicit position she’d ever been in in her life. She couldn’t control the sobs of pleasure as his tongue caressed her, teasing her most sensitive nub with swirls and licks until she shivered uncontrollably. She was so close.
‘Please,’ she begged him. ‘I want you.’
He broke free to brace above her, his body pressing against hers in agonising temptation. ‘You had to do this now? When we have nothing here? No bed? No protection?’ He swore furiously and at length. ‘You madden me.’
‘We can just…’ She drew in a shuddering breath and writhed under him. She was so close. ‘I want to touch you.’
He paused and it gave her enough time to reach up, feeling for the buttons of his shirt. She undid them, sliding her hand beneath the cotton to feel the damp, silken heat of his skin. She tracked her hand through the light dusting of coarse hair and briefly wished she could see him. He shrugged off the shirt completely and she lifted higher, so her tongue could follow the path of her fingertips. His skin was warm and a little salty and she wanted to taste more too.
But he slid his hand between them. She moaned as he parted her, exploring. He swore again. She trembled as he stroked her, drawing her tension out, making it impossible to bear. Because it wasn’t enough. His fingers, his tongue weren’t enough. She wanted all of him.
‘I can’t take it any more,’ she muttered brokenly. ‘Please.’
‘Please what?’
In the darkness, in the warmth, in the delirium only he seemed to be able to stir, it was safe to speak. Safe to say exactly what she wanted from him.
‘Take me,’ she whispered in absolute hedonistic abandonment. ‘Take me hard.’
‘Oh, hell, Catriona!’ he ground out, frantically moving against her. ‘I can’t resist feeling you—I’ll ensure—’
She heard the slide of his zip and melted. ‘Yes. Oh, yes.’
‘I’m clean… I’ve never had sex without protection in all my life.’
She was so eager she didn’t care. ‘Just do it,’ she begged. ‘I want to feel you.’ Inside. Here. Now.
‘Just for a moment.’ He flexed his powerful body, controlled and slow, but she felt his muscles shaking.
‘Yes.’ Just this once.
She thought she was going to die if she didn’t experience it all with him.
He paused. Then thrust. Hard.
‘Alejandro.’
One word shot from his mouth in reply—crude and very much to the point. But she was too far gone, her body rigid and locked on his. She gasped harshly, clutching him closer, her legs parting that bit wider, wanting him closer, closer still, even as he filled her so completely.
‘I cannot stop,’ he rasped hoarsely. ‘I can’t…’
‘Yes,’ she cried, trembling and twisting beneath and about him as her orgasm ravaged her body. So, so ecstatic.
Suddenly he moved—hard, rough. Pulling back, only to thrust hard again. His hands tightened, holding her in place so he could drive deeper into her, pumping faster and faster.
‘Oh, yes,’ she gasped, her breath knocked from her. She rocked, meeting every fierce thrust, pushing their pace faster still, her hands greedy on him. It was carnal and hot and wet, and he was big and bossy and she was going to orgasm all over again. ‘Oh, yes.’
She didn’t want him to stop. Not ever. Undone at last, they pounded together, frenetic and free. She was hurtling towards another orgasm, her last barely over. Her mouth parted as cries of delight tore from her. It was so good. So good. But at that ultimate moment he suddenly pulled out of her. She arched high but it was too late. He was gone.
His seed spurted over her stomach in hot, pulsing bursts as he braced above her, his agonised groan ripped from deep within.
She moaned too, a sound of torn satisfaction, of frustration. She’d wanted to ride through that tornado of bliss with him this time, but he’d wrenched out of her embrace.
‘It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.’ He groaned again and cursed softly. She felt the absence as he lifted right away from her.
She lay still, shocked by how rapidly their passion had escalated into something so out of control. So reckless. So breathtakingly sensational.
‘Like how?’ Gingerly, she eased up into a sitting position, licking her dried lips as she felt the literal distance between them growing.
‘Over so quick. Too quick.’
And it was over. She didn’t trust her voice to answer. Her emotions were all over the place and she didn’t want to sound tearful. It had been the most sublime experience of her life but all that exquisite joy she’d felt had been sn
atched away. Suddenly she felt vulnerable. It had happened. They’d had sex. He’d got what he wanted from her. And now it was over.
‘Damn it, what time is it?’ he muttered roughly. ‘We need to get out of here.’
Kitty didn’t want to get out of here. She wanted to curl in a ball and stay hidden for ever. She didn’t want to look him in the face again. He’d made her feel things no one else ever had. Never had she enjoyed sex like that before. But it meant so little to him—how could it mean so little?
She realised there was suddenly a small light illuminating his face—in that slight glow he looked serious and distant.
Her body chilled as she realised what he was doing. He was tapping the fancy watch on his wrist. He was sending a damn message? Eventually he glanced in her direction and now there was a small smile on his face, as if he was pleased with himself.
Oh, she’d just bet he was.
‘Did you just use your smart watch to send an email to get us out of here?’ She glared at him even as the light went out and she knew he couldn’t get the benefit of the full death stare she had on him. ‘Only now?’
‘Only now, because I just remembered that I had it,’ he replied calmly. ‘Until now, I was somewhat distracted.’
‘But you could have sent a message sooner. Before…’ She trailed off then cleared her throat determinedly. ‘You could have sent a message when we were first stuck in here. But you didn’t.’
‘Catriona.’
She didn’t answer him. She was too busy whipping herself into a fury.
‘Catriona.’
Eventually he sighed and she heard his low laugh but she was not finding anything funny right now. She felt around on the floor for her clothes, not bothering with her bra or undies. She tried wriggling awkwardly into her jeans but they were all twisted and she couldn’t figure them out in the stupid dark and she hated knowing that he could hear her struggling and was probably laughing inside at her expense. In the end she shoved on her tee and hoped it was the right way round, and who gave a damn about her shoes anyway.
‘Alejandro?’ a voice called.
Of course Paolo would arrive in less than ten freaking minutes.