Just when she thought that she couldn’t wait another moment longer he entered her. The feeling was exquisite and the volcano of need inside her rose closer to the surface. She tried desperately to have some control over it so she could make the sensation go on and on for ever.
He stroked his hands over the soft roundness of her breasts, playing with her nipples and teasing their hardness with exquisite little butterfly kisses before taking them in his mouth. That was when she couldn’t stand it any longer and she exploded in a million shattering, fantastic pieces.
She moaned a little and found herself gasping, then his lips moved to capture hers as if drinking in her shudders of ecstasy.
He held her close for a while, his hands tenderly soothing now as they moved over the silky softness of her skin.
She could smell the scent of his aftershave mixed with the clean smell of the linen. Nestling closer into the crook of his arm, she smiled sleepily.
‘That was wonderful.’ He growled the words against her ear and watched how her smile curved even more. ‘You were worth waiting for.’
She cuddled closer and allowed her fingers to run over the powerful contours of his shoulder and his arm. It was blissful being held close like this. ‘You certainly know how to please a woman,’ she murmured sleepily.
He laughed. ‘Well … what was it you said? If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.’
She smiled and pressed her lips against his chest in a teasing kiss.
They lay entwined in each other’s arms for a few moments more and then suddenly Marco pulled away from her.
‘Where are you going?’
‘I’ve just remembered that I forgot to put out the rest of the candles in the dining room. They have probably burnt out but I’d better go check.’
He stood up and pulled on his jeans.
‘Hopefully the house isn’t burning down.’ He grinned over at her. ‘I’ve already put out one fire today.’
She tossed one of the pillows from the bed over at him and he laughed as he disappeared.
Charlie repositioned herself in the bed and pulled the sheet over her. She had forgotten how lovely sex was … in fact, now she came to think about it, it really had never been as good as this with Greg.
Feeling sleepy and intoxicated with the afterglow of their lovemaking, she glanced around the room and saw the soft lamplight reflected over the bronze satin covers of the bed. Like her room across the corridor, there was a wood-burning stove in the corner and she could see the glow of flames flickering in the shadows. It felt cosy in here and blissfully quiet.
She closed her eyes and rested for a moment.
When Marco returned Charlie was fast asleep. He took off his clothes and slipped back into the bed beside her and for a while he watched as she slept.
There was an air of fragility about her, he thought. It was there in the softness of her smile and the way her hair was tousled in golden curls on the pillow around her head. Her eyelashes were dark and glossy against the smooth perfection of her skin. He reached out and trailed a finger over the silky smoothness of her shoulder. She stirred slightly and her lips curved into even more of a smile.
He was overwhelmed with a longing to take her again; it swept over him with a fierce intensity, taking him totally by surprise. Dipping his head, he trailed his lips along her shoulder and then upwards along her neck, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume.
She smiled and murmured something sleepily.
‘Hey, gorgeous … wake up!’ His hand moved beneath the covers and slid over the satin of her skin. ‘I want you …’
Her eyes flickered open and for a second their gazes held.
She was aware of a feeling inside her that was very strange. She felt as though she belonged here with him and that she wanted him to hold her against him and never let her go.
He kissed her gently, his lips sweetly provocative.
‘The house hadn’t burnt down, then?’ she murmured sleepily.
‘Not yet.’ With a smile he pulled her closer, his hands coaxing and caressing her with slow deliberation, his kisses heated and yet tender.
The passion that flared between them was so intense and so pleasurable that she felt she couldn’t get close enough to him. She just couldn’t get enough of him.
A shiver stirred deep inside her. Emotions that were this intense were bound to have reverberations. The notion was fleeting though and was quickly taken away by the aching need that he stirred inside her with such ease.
Nothing mattered except this….
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE valley was shrouded in mist. It hung in the air like a mystical presence revealing only the faint gleam of the oyster-pink morning sky and the top of the lush green cypress trees on the hillside.
Somewhere a bell was chiming.
Charlie wrapped her silk dressing gown further around her body and on impulse opened the kitchen door and stepped onto the terrace. The morning air was cool and so fresh that she leaned against the stone parapet and took deep, revitalising breaths.
Behind her she could hear the bubble of water in the kettle on the stove. It was the only sound in the stillness of the morning.
As the sun rose from behind the mountain the oyster-pink of the sky turned flamingo and tinted the white mist with its brilliance. A hint of warmth stole across the day like the breath of summer.
Upstairs Marco was still sleeping in the warmth of the double bed. It had been an incredible night. Charlie had never known such passion. And lying wrapped in his arms afterwards had made her feel safe and contented and cherished … The thought made her frown. Of course, it was passion without love, she reminded herself firmly. So those feelings weren’t correct.
It had just been sex—but the knowledge tore through her, causing an alarming feeling of pain.
Impatiently she raked a hand through the thickness of her blonde hair. This was what people in the real world did—they went to bed with someone they wanted and didn’t analyse it afterwards … they just enjoyed the moment. So why couldn’t she? Why were all these fragile emotions ricocheting through her?
Why had she woken up this morning and been filled with an aching void of need?
All she knew now was that she should never have gone to bed with him! It had been a mistake—a wonderful and very enjoyable mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. She should never have lowered her guard and allowed her weakness for him to get the better of her. All it had done was to leave her wanting more from him on a deeper emotional level and that was one thing she knew Marco would never be able to give.
A sound from behind made her turn around. Marco was in the doorway, watching her. Their eyes met and held and for a few breathless moments the memory of what had happened lay between them with a sensual heat.
His dark hair was still tousled from sleep and he was wearing a pair of black pyjama bottoms and nothing else. How was it that he looked even sexier when he was disheveled? she wondered. She longed to go over and kiss him, and smooth his hair back from his face with tender fingers. But actions like that were not for the cool light of morning. In fact, she couldn’t ever allow herself to act like that around him again, she told herself fiercely.
How was she going to work with him now? she wondered in anguish. How would she ever get back to a place of safety where she could pretend indifference?
‘Buon giorno, Charlie.’
The velvety Italian tones made her want to melt. Hell, but this was no good! She was going to have to pull herself together.
‘How are you feeling this morning?’ he enquired with a lift of one eyebrow.
‘Fine … I slept really well.’ She tried very hard to match his casual, laid-back manner.
‘You got up very early.’
‘I couldn’t wait to have a look outside at the view,’ she lied. In truth she had made herself leave the warmth of his arms because she had liked being there too much, and she couldn’t bear the fact that he might wake and see t
hat in her eyes.
‘Would you like a coffee?’ she asked now trying to be cool and collected.
‘Si.’ Marco watched as she made her way carefully around him and went back into the kitchen.
His eyes flicked over her, taking in her bare feet before moving upwards over the curvy silhouette of her figure. Then they lingered on her face. He noticed not for the first time that she didn’t need make-up. Her skin was fresh and clear and had a kind of luminous quality. Her lips were a soft peach and her hair tumbled in a sexy cascade over her shoulders. He remembered how she had felt beneath his touch, the silk of her skin, the heat of her passion. He had enjoyed every moment of last night and she had left him wanting more.
Charlie was acutely conscious of the fact that his dark eyes were moving over her with that boldly assessing gaze of his. She wished she had brushed her hair before coming downstairs … because she was sure the dishevelled look didn’t do her any favours, unlike him.
She raised her chin a little as she looked over at him. ‘You are making me a bit nervous,’ she admitted suddenly.
‘Am I?’ He looked at her with amusement. ‘Why is that?’
‘Because you are looking at me with such concentration! And it’s too early in the morning for that. I need at least an hour getting ready before I can pass such scrutiny!’
Marco laughed. ‘You are very amusing, Charlie!’
She shot him an impatient look. She didn’t want to be amusing! She wanted to be gorgeous and beautiful and all the things that drove him wild … the way he drove her wild. The thought made her angry with herself. Why should she care what he thought? She needed to get real. Last night was about sex and nothing more.
‘What’s with that look?’ he asked softly.
‘What look?’ She put his coffee down on the counter beside him.
‘That I’m not taking any of your nonsense look.’
Despite herself, Charlie laughed, she couldn’t help herself. ‘And you say I’m amusing!’
‘Do you regret last night?’
The question caught her off guard. She couldn’t look at him now. ‘No, it was … fun.’ She tried very hard to sound unruffled. ‘I just think we need to concentrate on more important things now.’ It took every last ounce of strength to make herself look up at him. ‘We have work to do this morning.’
She noted an edge of approval now in the dark, steady gaze that held hers and she realised that she had unwittingly reinforced the idea that she was in tune with his theories … that practicality had to come above emotion. She was obviously a better actress than she had imagined, she thought sardonically.
‘You’re right, of course.’ He reached out and trailed a finger softly over the side of her face, tracing its contours as if committing them to memory. And suddenly she just wanted to forget any pretence and go back into his arms again, and to hell with practicality.
‘But after a night like last night we really should say good morning properly.’
The provocative note in his voice and the way he was looking at her sent darts of awareness and need instantly racing through her. She tried desperately to ignore them but they didn’t want to leave. ‘You mean … buon giorno?’ She tried to make light of his words and copied his Italian with a smile.
‘That’s very good,’ he murmured, tracing one finger over the softness of her lips. ‘I could make an Italian out of you yet. But I was thinking more along the lines of actions speaking louder than words …’
Then he bent his head and kissed her. It was the most fabulous sensation—possessive and sensual and spine-tingling all at the same time. For a moment she found herself kissing him back, then reality started to seep in and she realised that this was a mistake. This shouldn’t happen again. She couldn’t allow herself to get pulled further into a situation she couldn’t cope with.
Because the fact was that she was a million miles away from ever being in tune with Marco’s theories and his cool, carefree attitude towards love and sex would just annihilate an old-fashioned hearts-and-flowers girl like her.
Hastily she pulled away from him. ‘We need to draw a line under this now, Marco, and get back to how things should be.’
‘Of course.’ He agreed with her immediately, and she noticed that, unlike her, he was completely relaxed. He glanced at his watch. ‘I’ll go shower and get dressed and we’ll meet downstairs in my office in, say, half an hour. How does that sound?’
‘Fine.’ She swallowed hard. In reality she wanted to go upstairs and lock herself away for the rest of the weekend. She really didn’t know how she was going to maintain a professional distance after this. Hurriedly she picked up her coffee and turned away.
Marco watched her go with a look of deep contemplation in his eyes. He was well aware that she wanted to pull up her barriers now and close him out but, while he was content to allow her to do that for the business side of their relationship, he had no intention of allowing her to retreat from him completely. He had worked too hard to reach her for that. He had other plans for Charlie.
‘Will you take a copy of these notes?’ Marco put a stack of papers down in front of her. ‘Oh, and try and get Professor Hunt on the phone. I could do with talking to him about our meeting on Sunday.’
‘I’ll get on to it straight away.’ Charlie reached for the desk diary. This was really weird, she thought as she leafed through the pages to find the professor’s number. Somehow their professional barriers were in place … somehow they had been working alongside each other all morning as if nothing had happened last night.
Charlie couldn’t quite figure out how they were managing it. Maybe it was the fact that they were in a room that was very reminiscent of Marco’s office in London. Or maybe it was just the way Marco could totally tune in to his work with a single-minded absorption, something that had always fascinated her about him.
She put his call through, then got up to switch on the scanner. Marco’s velvet tones resonated through the book-lined room as he talked to his colleague. She glanced over at him, momentarily distracted from what she was doing. Even when he was talking about business he sounded sexy.
As if sensing her gaze he glanced up and their eyes collided. The impact made her stomach contract with a sudden need that hit her out of nowhere. Hurriedly she looked away and tried to concentrate on what she was doing as he finished his conversation.
‘I think we are just about finished here,’ Marco said a few moments later as he replaced the receiver. ‘The rest of it can wait until we get back to London.’
Charlie collected the copies that were churning out from the machine. He was right—they had managed to sail through everything in a relatively short space of time. The trouble was, she didn’t want to step out from behind the screen of work. ‘You’ve got to sign the letters on your desk,’ she reminded him.
‘I will do it later.’ He stood up and glanced at his watch. ‘Time to go out.’
She frowned. ‘Actually, Marco—’
‘It’s a beautiful day and I did promise you that there would be time for sightseeing.’ He cut across her as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘And you can’t come all the way to Tuscany and not see Florence. It would be a sin.’
The matter-of-fact tone dented her reservations. She really would like to see Florence. And at least if they were in a city they would be surrounded by other people, so it was hardly high-risk for seduction!
‘OK … but do you mind if I phone home first? I’d like to check everything is all right with Jack.’
‘Sure.’ He smiled. ‘Use the landline.’
They left the villa half an hour later. The sun was shimmering down from a clear blue sky and a heat haze danced over the winding roads. Charlie was glad that she had taken the time to change out of her trouser suit into a dress. She felt summery in the feminine blue and white creation.
Relaxing back in the comfortable leather seat, she watched as the countryside passed by and told herself that she was only going to think about the sce
nery … nothing else.
In the distance a mountain village dazzled the senses with shimmering gold turrets amidst a profusion of terracotta roofs. Vineyards criss-crossed the land in geometric patterns, the grapes incandescent and heavy, ripened by long months of sunshine.
They stopped for coffee before heading on towards Florence, the Tuscany capital. And instead of the mood between them being tense or uncertain there was a surprising light-hearted feeling of exhilaration. They found themselves laughing over the most trivial of things, and suddenly just enjoying the moment was all that seemed to matter.
Charlie didn’t think she would ever forget that day, strolling around in the heat of the sun, marvelling at the architecture, the medieval churches, the art and history of the city blending so easily together. They ate lunch outside at a pavement café and then lingered over a glass of Chianti as they watched the people go by.
After lunch Charlie shopped for some presents to bring home. Marco watched as she deliberated carefully over what to buy Jack.
‘Which do you think I should get?’ She held up a shiny red remote-control car and a boxed game.
‘I think the car,’ he said firmly. ‘Jack loves cars.’
‘Yes … but the game is educational, it will teach him something about Italy. Plus it looks fun.’
‘Then you should get both.’ Marco smiled.
‘Just what I was thinking.’ She put the toys in the shopping basket, a gleam of enjoyment in her eyes. ‘He’ll be really thrilled.’
There was something very … endearing about Charlie, Marco thought as he followed her further around the shop. He noticed she’d caught the sun today and had a sprinkling of freckles over her nose now. She really was very attractive. Not magazine-model beautiful but seductively alluring in a much warmer and interesting way.
He liked the lively glint in her eyes that spoke of intelligence and good humour … and the way her lips curved upwards; so soft and sensual. He even liked the way she was taking so much trouble over choosing the perfect presents for Jack.
Things were really working out quite well. She was great in bed, plus she was very businesslike—a wonderful combination.
Mistress to the Mediterranean Male (Mills & Boon By Request) Page 37