by Maggie Cox
Slowly, as if he were painting a picture, he traced a line with his finger from the base of Kate’s throat to the cleft between her breasts. Impending motherhood had changed her body, and she knew with silent satisfaction and a little spurt of pride that for the first time ever she had a cleavage to envy. Stroking his fingers lightly across the fulsome curves of her breasts, Luca let them dip for a moment to press open the front fastening of Kate’s lacy pink bra. She held her breath. Exposed to the softly warm scented air, her exquisitely sensitive nipples throbbed and contracted almost sharply. Her teeth came down hard on her lip. Then a helplessly husky groan left her throat as Luca put his mouth to a breast and suckled gently.
The silken cavern of the inside of his mouth and the slide of his tongue over her bared flesh was like ambrosia from the gods. An arrow of heat found its erotic target, deep in her core, and devastatingly ignited. Lifting his head momentarily, Luca gave the same exquisite attention to her other breast, and Kate threaded her fingers through the soft dark strands of his hair and clung on even as she silently, passionately begged for mercy. Surely this much pleasure couldn’t be allowed? Surely it was visited only on the lucky few?
Hungrily seeking Luca’s mouth, she accepted his returning rough, hot kiss with an almost unbearable need to have him even closer. She wanted him inside her…to have no distinction between her body and his…to be skin to skin, heart to heart, soul to soul…Her hands all but tore at his clothes, and finally, irresistibly, Luca helped. The erotic game he’d started had given rise to its own wild momentum, and finally they were just reeds, swept away by the powerful rapids that overtook them.
His naked, hard body covering hers, Kate felt her hips soften and her thighs open as Luca’s hands caressed and readied her for his possession. Her heart thumped in a primal drumbeat that steadily grew stronger inside her, and, following the perfect taut musculature of his back down to his buttocks, Kate hungrily reacquainted herself with every fascinating facet, slope and curve of the powerful male body.
‘I will go as slowly as I can.’ Luc smiled ruefully into her eyes as he momentarily stilled above her. ‘I do not want to hurt you, tesoro mio…You must tell me if you need me to stop at any time.’
Stop? Whilst Kate totally appreciated the love and concern Luca was expressing, she wanted to tell him she might not live if he didn’t give them both what they so desperately wanted right there and then and not a second later! Reaching up, she drew her finger softly across a mouth that was so sensually beautiful she almost wanted to weep at its sheer artistic perfection.
‘You don’t have to worry, Luca,’ she told him tenderly. ‘I’m not made of porcelain and neither is our baby! This is perfectly natural and right and you won’t hurt me. Just make love to me…now…please…’
To hear Katherine’s entreaty for him to make love to her made Luca’s heart soar to the heavens. It laid to rest some of the dark ghosts that had haunted him since Sophia had died…that had made him believe he would never know love or happiness with a woman again. Destiny—and Luca absolutely believed it was indeed destiny—had brought this lovely woman to his door, and he would be eternally grateful to the universe for its divine intervention. The sight of the ultrasound picture of their baby had made his heart throb with profound joy and gratitude. It had heightened the already powerful emotions he experienced whenever he was with Katherine.
Seeing her sensational sable hair displayed on the pillow behind her now, and with the uninhibited pleasure in her beautiful face as he started to move inside her, he felt proud, possessive and fiercely protective. His whole body was consumed with burning need for her. She had assured him he wouldn’t hurt her, but still a part of him was conscious that she carried their growing baby inside her, and so he took extra care not to allow his powerful need to run away with him.
The muscles in his arms straining like corded ropes from his effort to maintain control, Luca relaxed against Katherine a little to stroke his palms over her velvet-soft breasts. They fascinated and enthralled him with their darkened caramel tips, and he filled his hands with their lush fullness. Giving in to the pure temptation that they wrought, he put his mouth to them again as he drove himself as deep as he dared into Katherine’s sweet, hot satin centre. Her skin tasted like the most delicious dessert wine he’d ever sampled, and the evocative, heart-stopping pleasure that drenched him as her scalding heat enfolded him was like a star exploding in its dazzling intensity. It took him to the very brink of his carefully imposed self-control and left him trembling.
‘Let go, my love,’ Katherine coaxed, her breath warm and silky against his mouth. ‘You don’t have to wait…let go.’
Her hips thrust upwards to meet Luca’s and she wrapped her firm, shapely legs around his waist. He murmured something…he barely knew what…. The intensity of the erotic fire that engulfed him had actually for a moment made him lose his mind. Incredibly, even as he surrendered to Katherine’s sensual entreaty, in the same instant Luca felt her tight, hot muscles grip harder around him, then flex and grip again. She gasped, and squeezed her eyelids closed as he pumped urgently into her.
Never before had he and a lover reached the peak of their satisfaction together, at the same time, and the sensations the experience aroused in him were amazing…beyond incredible! He was filled with awe and love for this wonderful woman in his arms. And the thought that they were going to have a child together made Luca’s cup of happiness overflow. ‘Ti amo…Ti amo, Katherine!’ As he held her face between his hands, every lovely feature she possessed became infinitely dear to him. ‘You have to agree to be my wife!’ he told her passionately. ‘Tell me that you will marry me!’
‘Yes, Luca…I will marry you!’
He frowned. ‘I do not take your answer for granted. I want you to be absolutely sure that it is what you want.’
‘Did you not hear what I just said?’ Now it was Katherine’s turn to frown, but her expression was almost instantly replaced by a smile brighter than the Mediterranean sunshine. ‘All I know is that I might lose my mind if I don’t marry you, Luca! Don’t you know by now that you’re the one I’ve been waiting for all my life?’
‘I am sorry I did not trust you as I should have done when you returned to me! In future I will have no doubt about your loyalty—now I know you love me! So…what would you like from me as a wedding present, hmm?’
Lifting a coil of her lustrous hair and curling it round his finger, Luca allowed himself to genuinely relax. If he was the one she had been waiting for all her life, then Luca echoed that statement. Now he was anxious for them to start married life with a completely fresh page—all past mistakes and misunderstandings erased and wholeheartedly forgiven.
‘What about a new house?’ he suggested. ‘I will design one especially to your taste…here or in London. I do not mind where.’
Katherine appeared momentarily troubled. ‘I don’t need you to design me a new house, Luca…although the thought is wonderful! I want to fill this house with the sound of our children’s laughter…just as you said you once longed to do! It is a beautiful house, and I know I will grow to love it. After all…this is the place where we conceived our baby, and it will always be special to me.’
Her sincere words gladdened his heart, and Luca rolled over with Katherine in his arms so that suddenly she was the one who had prime position. As her tousled hair fell back into place round her bare shoulders he fastened his hands on either side of her curvaceous hips, positioning her just where he wanted her. He was already more than ready for her again, and she released a surprised but sensual gasp as he deftly slipped inside her moist heat.
‘Signor De Rossi!’ She waggled her finger at him in mock reprimand. ‘You have a way of taking me by surprise that is quite…’ she moaned softly ‘…quite…wonderful!’
‘And you, my darling—’ Luca grinned back at her ‘—have the seductive allure of Cleopatra and Botticelli’s Venus combined! What is a poor man to do but fall at your feet in complete ado
ration?’
EPILOGUE
Eighteen months later
‘I TOLD you once before that you were a very lucky man, Luca, and I say it again now. You are definitely a man other men would envy!’ Hassan beamed at Luca as the younger man took a sip of his champagne.
They were standing in one of the swish reception rooms of the Dorchester, where Hassan was throwing a small party to celebrate the completion of the fabulous hotel Luca and his colleagues had designed for him in Dubai. Unfortunately Luca had been unable to fly out to Dubai to the much bigger party he had thrown there, because Luca’s wife—the lovely Katherine—was pregnant with their second child and had not been up to flying.
Marriage suited his friend, mused Hassan. There was a kind of contented aura about Luca these days that Hassan had detected more and more during their past few meetings together. He had told Luca that marriage would bring him much contentment and pleasure—but then Katherine De Rossi was a very special woman. Very special indeed! Priding himself on being a connoisseur of the fairer sex, and having had the privilege of getting to know her a little since she and Luca had married, Hassan could readily attest to that.
‘You will not get an argument from me today about that!’ Luca smiled.
‘And today you must tell me all about your next project, now that my wonderful hotel is finished!’
‘My next project?’
A small buzz of heat ricocheted through Luca as he thought about the next thing he planned to do, after this little gathering came to an end. He was taking a whole month off and spending it with Katherine and his son in Italy. They were flying out to their home in Milan this afternoon, and from there the plan was to do the ‘grand tour’—with Luca as guide, of course. He was going to introduce his beloved family to the culture and delights of Rome, Venice, Pisa, and of course Tuscany—where they planned to spend quite a few lazy, sybaritic days soaking up the sunshine and sampling the tempting and delicious foods of the region.
And when little Orlando was asleep at night he and Katherine would make love into the early hours of the morning. That particular thought was the main reason for the warmth flowing through Luca’s body now.
‘My next project is a purely personal one, Hassan,’ he informed the older man. ‘I’m taking a month off and spending it in Italy with my wife and son.’
‘And she is well, the beautiful Katherine?’
‘Very well…thank you.’
Luca’s mobile phone rang and making his apologies to his friend, he rescued it from his inside jacket pocket, seeing immediately that the call was from the lady in question.
‘Ciao, come va?’
‘Bene…how are you? Enjoying the party?’
Luca was teaching Katherine Italian and she was making good progress…except that she more often than not reverted to English for quickness.
‘Mi manchi…’ Lowering his voice, Luca smiled, inevitably wanting to be with his wife rather than here, making small talk with a bunch of too-earnest businessmen. But Hassan’s business had been good for the De Rossi firm, and his hospitality and friendship were second to none. So Luca would not be churlish about having to spend time with him at a party meant to celebrate their mutual satisfaction and success at the completion of this project.
‘I miss you too, and I can’t wait to see you so that you can help ease this ache I seemed to have developed in your absence!’
Katherine had replied, and Luca’s smile turned into an out-and-out grin. She was a little minx, teasing him like that when he was too far away from her to do anything about it! Dio! Was he going to get his own back when he saw her!
‘How is Orlando?’ he asked, deliberately changing the subject to a far less provocative one—although he did need to hear that everything was okay with his adorable little son.
‘Wonderful! I took him for a walk in the park, and right now his nanny is watching over him as he’s having his afternoon nap…Which is why I’m waiting for you in the lobby, my darling!’
‘You are here? At the hotel?’ Luca whispered fiercely, moving even farther away from his friend and clenching his jaw as the small buzz of heat inside him suddenly grew hotter.
‘Why don’t you come and find me?’ Katherine replied teasingly. ‘But hurry, because if you’re much longer than a couple of minutes I might just change my mind and go home again on my own!’
‘Dio! Wait and see what will happen to you when I find you! Do not say I did not warn you!’
‘I can’t wait! I have the most vivid imagination, Luca—you know that…And now you’ve deliberately put all kinds of delicious ideas into my head!’
‘You are killing me—do you know that?’ He shook his head from side to side in wonderment, in not a little physical discomfort.
‘I’m sorry. I know I’m a tease. But I can’t help it! I love you so much. And now, with this new baby coming, I love you even more!’
‘Anch’io…Ti amo, Katerina,’ he crooned into the phone, with a brief glance over his shoulder at the almost too patient Hassan, whose beaming smile seemed to be growing ever wider! Luca had pretty much guessed the other man knew who was keeping him so preoccupied on the phone. In fact, he was beginning to suspect that his friend also knew that the lady in question was waiting for him in the lobby!
‘Hurry, Luca! I’m waiting…’
Luca returned to where he’d stood before the phone call. ‘Katherine has turned up and is waiting for me downstairs…’ He started to explain to Hassan, his jaw reddening helplessly.
The older man’s smile was as impish as that of a small boy who’d been up to some mischief. ‘Yes, I know. We arranged the surprise between us, your delightful wife and I!’ he confessed shamelessly.
Luca shook his head. ‘You do not mind if I leave the party early?’
‘I will make your apologies to everyone. They will understand, seeing as your beautiful wife is pregnant again and needs her husband to be home with her!’
‘You are a good friend, Hassan.’ Luca shook the other man’s hand with not a little haste, his mouth quirking upwards into a conspiratorial grin. ‘And I will see you when you are next in London, in a few months…I promise!’
‘It has been a pleasure and a delight doing business with you, my friend,’ Hassan warmly responded. ‘Go well. And do not forget to give my best regards to the exquisite Katherine!’
‘What is the meaning of this?’
Feigning a cross expression, Luca stalked across the lobby to where the bewitching brunette in a red silk dress was drawing admiring glances from hotel patrons, as she sat on a leather sofa, rubbing one delightfully shaped stockinged foot, with her discarded high-heeled satin shoe on the floor beside her.
Her expression one of innocence personified, Katherine stared up at Luca as if utterly perplexed as to why he should apparently be so mad at her. ‘You took your time!’ she scolded him. ‘Another minute and I would have jumped in a cab and gone home again!’
Ignoring her completely irrational answer, Luca shook his head and sighed, then sat down beside his wife on the sofa. ‘What is the matter? Are your feet hurting again?’ he demanded, taking one of the aforementioned feet tenderly between his hands. ‘It is your own fault, Katherine! You should be at home, resting, not haring around London like a teenager! You are pregnant, remember?’
‘Are you saying that I’m too old to be haring around?’ she asked sweetly, batting her curling black lashes at him. ‘By the way…did you give my love to dear Hassan before you left?’
‘I did no such thing!’ Luca replied, horrified.
They had been married for a year and a half, but he was still prone to flashes of quick and intense jealousy if Katherine even joked that she found another man remotely attractive—much less told him to pass on her love to one! He knew she did it just to provoke him, and although he was intensely glad to see her now, Luca wished they were at home, so he could quieten her teasing with an afternoon of torrid lovemaking. At least until Orlando woke up from his na
p! Perhaps if they hastened home now they could do exactly that?
Anticipation building inside him, Luca sighed. Hassan was perfectly right, of course. Luca was a lucky man. The luckiest man in the world as far as he was concerned! After the pain of his past he could never have imagined a future so bright and so full of love. His feelings were beyond grateful. ‘Katherine?’
‘Yes, Luca?’
‘You are a little minx, but I love and adore you and our son more than I can ever say!’ He stopped rubbing her foot and gave her a quick hard kiss on the lips. As her satisfied sigh feathered over him, Luca grinned. ‘And I love the new baby that is coming too! You have given me more love and happiness than I could ever have dreamed of, my angel!’
The teasing disappeared from Katherine’s beguiling dark eyes, to be replaced by a serious look. He heard a distinct sniff, and his stomach clenched with concern.
‘Katherine?’
‘I’m all right, darling. I’m just feeling a little emotional…especially when you say such lovely things to me! It makes me wonder what I’ve done to deserve all this…you and our beautiful children! I get so scared that it will be taken away from me!’
Glancing back into her lovely face, Luca shook his head. ‘Nothing bad is going to happen to any of us, sweetheart. I promise you that! We made a vow not to dwell on the things in the past that hurt us, remember? Instead we will approach every day we are blessed with in confidence and faith. Look, why don’t I contact Brian and ask him to meet us out front right now? If we leave soon then maybe we can have some time together before Orlando wakes and we are needed.’
‘Shirley is with him, and she won’t mind if we make ourselves scarce for a while. She knows how much I’ve been pining for you!’
Luca’s anticipation at getting his beautiful wife alone, for a couple of hours at least, almost made him groan out loud with imagined pleasure. Standing up, he temporarily crouched to slip the black satin shoe back onto her slender foot, then helped Katherine to her feet.