Untouched Until Marriage
Page 7
He glanced at his watch, aware that the crowd in the bar was thinning as guests began to make their way to the banqueting hall. ‘It’s time to go in to dinner,’ he said, proffering his arm to help her down from the stool.
‘How many people will be at this dinner?’ Libby asked nervously, gripping his arm as she struggled to balance on her vertiginous heels while he escorted her out of the bar and along a corridor towards a set of double doors which stood open to reveal long rows of white damask-covered tables set with gleaming silver cutlery and crystal glasses.
‘Tonight’s event is an international trade dinner, and I imagine a couple of hundred guests have been invited.’ Raul glanced down at her tense face. ‘What’s the matter? You look as though you’re about to be thrown to the lions.’
Libby bit her lip. ‘People are looking at me,’ she muttered. ‘Do you think they know who I am—?’ She broke off, flushing beneath Raul’s sardonic glance.
‘If you mean do they know that you were my father’s mistress and the mother of his illegitimate child then, no, I have not advertised that fact,’ he told her coolly. He had been conscious of the interested glances Libby was attracting, particularly from other men, and a primitive, possessive instinct made him move closer to her. ‘People are looking, because your flame-coloured hair and English rose complexion make you very noticeable, cara. And in that dress you are incredibly beautiful.’
He meant it, Libby was stunned to realise, her heart racing when she glimpsed the raw hunger in Raul’s eyes. No man had ever told her she was beautiful before, but as she caught sight of her reflection in one of the huge wall mirrors she could see that the amethyst silk dress suited her colouring and flattered her figure. It was almost impossible to believe that the elegant woman with the mane of tamed, silky curls tumbling down her back was really her, and without thinking she murmured, ‘I wish Miles could see me now.’
Raul’s dark eyebrows winged upwards. ‘Who is Miles?’
‘Miles Sefton—only son of Lord Sefton.’ Libby grimaced. ‘We met when I worked as a waitress at a very exclusive golf club where Miles was a member. I stupidly fell in love with him, and even more stupidly believed him when he said he loved me.’
‘But something happened to make you realise he was not in love with you?’ Raul murmured. The fact that Libby had been attracted to a member of the English aristocracy was more proof of her gold-digger tendencies. He must have imagined the note of hurt in her voice when she spoke of this Miles Sefton.
Libby nodded. ‘When Miles invited me to lunch at Sefton Hall I thought it was because he wanted me to meet his family. But I found out later that his parents had been putting pressure on him to get married, and he’d found it amusing to introduce me as his girlfriend, knowing they would be horrified that he was dating a waitress. That lunch—during which Lord and Lady Sefton could barely bring themselves to speak to me—was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life,’ she admitted. ‘But not as humiliating as when I overheard Miles assure Lord Sefton that our relationship wasn’t serious, and that he was only dating me because he wanted to take me to bed.’
She caught the expression in Raul’s eyes and said bitterly, ‘I know what you’re thinking: why else would a member of the landed gentry have dated a waitress? Still, it proved what my mother always said—that all men are selfish and not to be trusted, and certainly not worth wasting your emotions on.’
Suddenly conscious that her raised voice was attracting attention from the other guests waiting to enter the banqueting hall, she took a deep breath, and moments later a footman appeared to escort her and Raul to their table.
‘Your mother clearly has strong views on the inadequacies of the male species,’ Raul commented dryly when they were both seated. Although perhaps that was not so surprising, he mused, recalling that Libby had told him her father had abandoned her mother before she had even been born.
‘Mum had a lot of bad experiences with men.’ Libby immediately sprang to Liz’s defence. ‘They always let her down.’
Including Pietro Carducci, she brooded, anger flaring inside her when she remembered how heartbroken her mother had been when her lover had failed to call her after the cruise. Admittedly Pietro had made provision for Liz and Gino in his will, but it was too late, she thought sadly. Liz had died believing that Pietro had abandoned her just as Libby’s father had done.
‘I won’t make the same mistakes as Mum,’ Libby said fiercely. ‘Most of the men she dated when I was a child were creeps. I’m never going to put Gino through the misery of feeling that he has to compete with a new man in my life.’
Raul frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that until Gino is eighteen he is going to be the only man in my life. Romance is a fool’s game anyway, and in my experience highly overrated,’ Libby said bleakly, remembering the tears she had wasted over Miles.
‘You can’t seriously intend to remain single for the next seventeen years?’ Raul could not hide his surprise at the vehemence of her tone. ‘Wouldn’t you like to get married one day? Perhaps have more children so that Gino grows up as part of a family?’ He kept his tone deliberately casual while he digested the unwelcome news that Libby did not seem to have marriage on her agenda.
She shook her head. ‘It’s a nice idea, and I suppose if I’m honest a part of me wants to believe in the fairytale of falling in love with a man who would be a wonderful stepfather to Gino and all of us living happily ever after. But the reality is that something like one in three marriages end in divorce, and I’d rather concentrate all my energy on Gino than risk a relationship that may not work out.’
She paused, unaware of the wistful expression in her eyes as she added, ‘I can’t deny that I’d love Gino to have a proper family: a father, brothers and sisters. It was what I wanted more than anything when I was a child. But the fact is that Gino’s father is dead. He only has me, and I will do my best to be a mother and a father to him.’
The arrival of a waiter to serve the first course put an end to the conversation. Raul sipped his wine and considered what Libby had told him. He was frustrated that she did not fit the image he had formed of her when he’d first realised that she had been Pietro’s mistress. He had formed many unpleasant ideas of her, and had never expected her to evoke his sympathy. But now he recalled how Libby had said that when she had told Pietro she was pregnant with his child he had ignored her. She clearly believed that his father had let her down, as her own father had abandoned her mother. She had read in the papers of Pietro’s death and must have known that she would have been entitled to a maintenance award for Gino, but instead of contacting the Carducci family she had disappeared and it had taken him months to find her.
The possibility that he might have misjudged Libby tormented Raul’s mind throughout the dinner and the interminably long speeches which followed. But sitting beside her, inhaling her delicate perfume while his eyes strayed to the creamy upper slopes of her breasts displayed so tantalisingly above her low-cut dress, proved an even greater torment for his body. Lust was another emotion he had not expected to feel for his father’s mistress, he thought irritably, shifting his position slightly to ease the uncomfortable sensation of his arousal straining against the zip of his trousers.
Libby was relieved when the after-dinner speeches finally came to an end. She had understood very little about EU trade policies or new business opportunities in China, and as her concentration had wavered she had grown increasingly aware of the man at her side. Raul seemed to have taken his suggestion that they should be friends for Gino’s sake to heart, and throughout the meal he had subjected her to the full megawatt force of his charisma. He was a witty and entertaining companion, and every time he smiled she found it impossible to resist his sexy charm.
‘What’s happening now?’ she asked him as they stood up from the table and joined the throng of guests walking out of the banqueting suite.
‘Now everyone races towards the bar, desperate f
Libby glanced around and realised they were now in a vast ballroom. ‘I don’t think I’d better risk any more alcohol after the two glasses of champagne I had at dinner.’ She caught her breath when Raul slid his arm around her waist and led her onto the dance floor.
‘Wise choice,’ he murmured, lowering his head so that his warm breath fanned her cheek. The feel of his lean, hard body pressed close against her warned Libby that he was a far greater risk to her equilibrium than another glass of champagne, but she told herself that she did not want to spoil their tenuous friendship by pulling out of his arms. ‘Relax,’ he bade her, his voice as sensuous as molten honey, and she could not prevent a quiver of reaction when he traced his fingertips lightly up and down her spine.
She lost all sense of time as they drifted around the ballroom, hip to hip, her breasts crushed against the steel wall of his chest as he imperceptibly tightened his arms around her. Other guests passed them by on the dance floor, but she was only aware of Raul. When he finally loosened his hold and eased away from her the dull ache in her pelvis had intensified to a hot, frantic throb, and she stared at him dazedly when he steered her towards the door.
‘It’s midnight, and we have a forty minute drive back to the Villa Giulietta,’ he informed her gently. ‘I assume you would prefer to go back to the villa, so that you are there when Gino wakes tomorrow morning, rather than spend the night at my apartment?’
‘Oh, yes—definitely,’ Libby agreed quickly, shame sweeping through her when she realised she had not thought about Gino for the past few hours. How could she have forgotten him so easily when he had been the most important person in her life for the past ten months? The truth was that Raul dominated her senses. Even now her treacherous body trembled at his closeness as he ushered her across the foyer and out of the hotel.
They were both silent on the journey from Rome. Raul appeared to be lost in his thoughts, and after one glance at his hard profile Libby closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to lessen her awareness of him. Eventually the crunch of the Lamborghini’s tyres on the gravel drive told her they had arrived back at the villa, and as she lifted her lashes she could not restrain a gasp at the sight of the vast black lake spread out in front of the house, dappled with silver moonlight and reflecting a myriad diamond stars.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ she whispered in an awed voice.
Too impatient to wait for Raul to walk round and open her door, she jumped out of the car and headed towards the lake. But walking in her high heels on the gravel was almost impossible, and she stepped onto the lawn and kicked off her shoes before running down to the water’s edge. The damp grass was cool against the soles of her feet, and the soft breeze from the lake whispered across her skin like a lover’s caress. She tipped her head back to stare at the stars and laughed in sheer delight at the beauty of the night.
‘I love the way the moonlight casts a silver path across the black water. It makes you want to strip off and dive in.’ She spun round to Raul, her face alight with pleasure.
Her boundless enthusiasm was irresistible, he thought, his mouth curving into a smile. ‘I’m all for you stripping off,’ he murmured dulcetly, ‘but you may get a shock if you dive in. The water temperature drops considerably at night.’
Heat scalded Libby’s cheeks. ‘I was speaking figuratively,’ she mumbled, her heart jerking unevenly beneath her ribs as Raul walked towards her, his eyes glinting with sensual promise. He halted in front of her, so close that she could feel the heat from his body, and her breath hitched in her throat when he slid his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face to his.
‘What a pity,’ he murmured, the amusement in his voice fading to be replaced with a stark hunger. ‘There’s nothing I would not do at this moment to see you naked in the moonlight, cara.’
‘Raul…’ Libby’s faint protest drifted away on the breeze. She had wanted him to kiss her since he had walked into the hotel bar earlier and stared at her with undisguised desire blazing in his eyes. All evening she had ached for this moment. The chemistry between them was too overpowering to be denied, and now, as he slowly lowered his head, she trembled with anticipation and a wild, ferocious excitement that exploded in a starburst of pleasure at the first brush of his lips across hers.
Raul wanted to take it slow, to savour the moist softness of Libby’s mouth in a leisurely tasting, but his plans were blown sky-high the moment he claimed her lips and felt her instant response. Passion did not simply flare between them, it roared into hot, urgent life, as untamed and out of control as a forest fire, consuming them both. He pulled her into the cradle of his hips and groaned when she moved sinuously against him, his erection so immediate and so shockingly hard that there was no way she could not be aware of it.
Her breasts were crushed against his chest, and he could feel the hard peaks of her nipples through his silk shirt. Dio, he had never felt such hunger for a woman. Desire pounded in his veins and demolished his ability to think. His usual cool logic had been replaced with primitive sexual need and he tangled his fingers in her fiery curls and tugged her head back to expose the slender column of her white throat.
Libby could not restrain a little moan of pleasure when Raul slid his lips down her neck. Every nerve-end-ing in her body was attuned to the brush of his mouth on her skin, and a tremor ran through her when he trailed hot, hungry kisses along her collarbone and bare shoulder. Held tightly against him, she was unaware that he had slid the zip of her dress down until the strapless bodice suddenly felt loose. Heart thumping, she tried to ease her mouth from his to protest, but he increased the pressure of his lips in a sensual assault that left her dazed with desire, and when he finally lifted his head she did nothing to stop him as he slowly peeled her dress down until her breasts spilled into his hands.
‘You are exquisite,’ he muttered hoarsely.
His voice was no longer coldly arrogant but rough with need, and Libby’s faint spark of resistance melted away as he stroked his thumb-pads across her nipples so that they immediately hardened into tight, tingling peaks. Somehow, without her being aware that they had moved, Raul had guided her beneath the shadow of a tall pine tree, and she leaned back against the trunk, grateful for its support as he lowered his head and closed his lips around one nipple while he continued to roll its twin between his fingers.
The pleasure of his mouth on her breasts was indescribable, and she instinctively arched her back, no thought in her head other than that he should continue to stroke his tongue across each sensitive crest. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this clawing, clamouring need that caused her entire body to throb with desire. She wanted Raul with an instinctive, primitive hunger—wanted to feel his naked skin on hers and to take the solid length of his erection that she could feel jutting into her belly deep inside her.
He tugged up her long skirt until it bunched around her waist, and she trembled with anticipation when he slipped his hand between her thighs, forcing her to part them slightly, before he ran a finger over the lacy panel of her knickers. At the same time he drew one nipple fully into his mouth and suckled her. The sensual tugging sensation sent arrows of pleasure from her breasts to her pelvis. With a little sob she arched her hips towards his hand, and caught her breath when he slid his finger inside her knickers and discovered the slick wetness of her arousal.
She had never allowed a man to touch her so intimately before—not even Miles, whom she had been so sure she had been in love with. This hot, pulsing need that Raul was arousing in her was lust, not love—she knew that—but right then she did not care what the feeling was called. She was just desperate for him to assuage the burning ache between her legs. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, unable to hold back a gasp of wanton delight when Raul ran his thumb-pad very delicately over her clitoris. The effect was instantaneous. Spasms of pleasure ripped through her, causing her muscles to clench; her legs buckled beneath her and she gripped Raul’s hair as he cupped her bottom and lifted her, holding her tight against his rock-hard arousal.
‘Please…’ The spasms were fading, but instinct told her he could give her so much more pleasure.
‘What are you asking for, Libby?’ His voice was deep and harsh, slicing through the sensual haze that enveloped her. ‘Do you want me to take you here and now on the damp grass, in full view of the house?’
Dear God, yes! That was exactly what she wanted. For a few seconds Libby stared at Raul’s hard face, all angles and planes in the moonlight, and felt a frantic urge for him to lie her on the ground, strip off her knickers and plunge his swollen shaft into her moist, willing flesh. But the sound of his voice and the cold gleam in his eyes catapulted her back to reality. What was she doing? How could she have behaved with such wanton eagerness that she had practically begged him to make love to her?
‘Dio! You said there will be no man in your life while Gino is a child, but clearly you will find it impossible to remain celibate until he is an adult. You are desperate for sex,’ he taunted savagely. ‘But I warn you now: I will not allow you to entertain your lovers at the villa. Gino is not going to grow up with a succession of “uncles”.’
Libby shook her head, feeling sick as desire slowly ebbed and shame took its place. ‘I don’t have any lovers,’ she said shakily. ‘I’ve never felt like this before. You…’ She closed her eyes to try and blot out the memory of how she had responded to him, and realised that honesty was her only hope of convincing Raul she was not the immoral slut he clearly believed she was. ‘You make me feel things I’ve never felt for any other man,’ she admitted huskily.
Raul’s self-control wavered at Libby’s breathy confession, and the temptation to seize her back in his arms and pull her down onto the grass—to take her hard and fast, as his body was screaming at him to do—almost overwhelmed him. Almost—but not quite. Nostrils flaring with the effort of dragging oxygen into his lungs, he stepped away from her and watched her dispassionately as she dragged the bodice of her dress up to cover her breasts. There was a way he could have everything his heart desired: control of Carducci Cosmetics, and this sultry green-eyed witch in his bed. He would be a fool not to seize his chance.
-->