‘You spent every holiday with your grandmother?’
‘Because my mother was working right through and she couldn’t look after me.’
‘And your father?’
The question disturbed the calm flow of her thoughts. ‘My father spent every Christmas with his twenty-four-year-old secretary.’
‘Ah…’ Marco’s fingers stopped moving. ‘He had an affair?’
‘It started as an affair, but then he married her and at the last count they had four beautiful children, two boys and two girls.’ The tension flowed back into her veins and she sat up. ‘Why are we talking about my father?’
‘Why not?’ He walked over to the table and picked up his wine. ‘You said that we didn’t know each other well enough and I’m starting to think that perhaps you were right. I want to know more about your life before I met you. It must have been tough, spending every holiday with your grandmother.’
‘I loved it,’ she said honestly. ‘She was a wonderful woman.’
‘You didn’t miss your home? Your mother?’
Her heart beating rapidly, Amy rose to her feet. ‘No, not really. What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?’
‘Calmo, tesoro.’ His voice was soft. ‘Suddenly your voice is rising and you’re very tense. Why does a simple question feel like an inquisition? Is the subject matter that painful?’
‘Painful? I didn’t say it was painful,’ she said quickly. ‘I just don’t see how my past is in any way relevant to our current situation. You don’t need to know any more about me, Marco. It’s irrelevant. Our marriage is over, we both know that.’ She regretted the words instantly, knowing that such a declaration simply invited the very response on his part that she was trying to avoid.
‘It is over? Ah, yes.’ His tone was deceptively casual as he strolled across the room towards her. ‘I remember now. It is over because you feel nothing for me, isn’t that right?’
She didn’t dare look at him and she didn’t need to because his slightly husky, lazy drawl revealed his feelings all too clearly. Amy ceased to breathe. ‘I think I’ll go upstairs and—’
‘You’re not going anywhere.’ Without allowing her time to move, he curved an arm around her waist in an unmistakably possessive gesture and pulled her against him, ignoring her soft gasp of protest.
‘What are you doing?’
‘What I should have done two years ago. When you talk, nothing makes sense so the obvious solution is to try a different method of communication.’ She was breathlessly aware of the dangerous glint in his eyes and then his mouth came down on hers and they were kissing, their mouths hungry, the pleasure hot and instantaneous.
It was like a storm breaking and Amy sank her fingers into the hard muscle of his shoulders to stop herself sliding to the floor. Her legs shook, her whole body trembled and the heat of his mouth coaxed a response from her, even though she was dimly aware that what they were doing now was going to make everything much more complicated later.
She didn’t care about later. She only cared about now, and anyway it was impossible to think or concentrate when his skilful hands were reacquainting themselves with her body. They slid under her jumper and stroked the warm skin of her back and then they moved back to her waist and one thumb circled her navel. And all the time he kissed her, his mouth and hands creating sensations that threatened to consume her.
She’d missed him so much.
The hot, desperate kiss was briefly interrupted as he pulled her jumper over her head and then her shirt followed and her bra until she stood only in her jeans, shaking and shivering in his arms.
‘You are cold?’ He muttered the question against her mouth and she shook her head, wondering how she was expected to answer when she could barely stand.
‘No. Not cold.’
Hot. Dangerously, deliciously hot.
Marco kissed her again and she clung to him as he pulled her gently off balance and lowered her onto the thick rug. Next to them the fire flickered but neither of them noticed or cared.
Amy could hardly breathe and she gave a low moan as his mouth moved to her breast, his tongue teasing her nipple to hardness. He seduced and tormented until the sensation that shot through her body was almost agonising in its intensity. And then he shifted his attention to her other breast and Amy writhed and gasped, her body arching against his as he used all his skill and experience to drag a response from her.
Oblivious to everything except her own need for him, she reached down to touch him and only then realised that he was still fully clothed. With a whimper of frustration she tugged at the belt of his trousers and he covered her hand with his and swiftly helped her.
Amy felt her mouth dry as Marco dragged off his own clothes, revealing a body that was hard and fit. Had she really thought she’d ever be indifferent to this man? He had an amazing physique, the muscles of his shoulders and arms curved, his stomach flat and the movement of his body fluid.
Then he turned back to her and lowered his head, his mouth hot and hard and the touch of his fingers skilled and impossibly intimate. He wasn’t slow or gentle but she didn’t care because this wasn’t about seduction—it was about wild, desperate need. And when he finally parted her thighs she gave a whimper of assent and wrapped her legs around him. Nothing mattered any more. Nothing except this. Nothing except him.
She felt the thickness of his arousal and then he paused for a moment and looked straight into her eyes, strands of inky black hair falling over his forehead, his breathing uneven. ‘Amy?’
‘Don’t stop, Marco.’ She virtually sobbed the words, her hands sliding over his warm skin, urging him forward. ‘Please…’
He hesitated for just a moment and then moved his hips and entered her in a single, smooth thrust that joined them completely.
It had been so long.
The sudden intimacy overwhelmed her and then he started to move and each powerful stroke felt shockingly delicious. All she was aware of was him, the intoxicating scent of him, the skilled touch of his fingers, the hard male pulse of his body. He didn’t take it slowly and she didn’t care. Frantic, desperate, she urged him faster and he drove his body into hers with ruthless, reckless hunger until the tingle and burn inside her grew into something that couldn’t be contained and her body exploded.
Her climax was shockingly intense and she heard his harsh groan and knew that her body had driven through his control and tipped him over the edge. He exploded inside her and her fingers dug hard into the slick muscle of his shoulders, clinging as they rode the storm, oblivious to everything around them.
Eventually the wildness eased and they lay for a moment, their bodies still joined and their minds still numb.
And then Marco rolled onto his back, drawing her against him. ‘That was incredible. You are incredible.’
Amy closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the aftershocks to pass.
What had they done? What had she done?
For a moment she lay there, her body still weak and drugged from the after-effects of his love-making. ‘We shouldn’t have done that.’
‘Why not? We’re still married, tesoro. Sex is part of a relationship.’
‘We don’t have a relationship, Marco, not any more.’ More than a little confused, she sat up and immediately felt the hot burn of his gaze on her body. Horribly self-conscious, she reached for her jumper and pulled it over her head. ‘Nothing has changed.’
It took him a moment to answer and he rubbed a hand over his face, as if forcing himself to concentrate. ‘You can’t truly believe that.’ His voice was soft and when he finally looked at her, his gaze was dark. ‘Everything has changed, amore.’
‘No, it hasn’t.’ She reached for her jeans and wriggled into them. ‘I—The sex was great, Marco, you know that. But it doesn’t change the fact that we no longer have a relationship.’
He lifted a brow in silent mockery. ‘A moment ago, when I was inside you, did that not feel as though we had a relationship?’
&nb
sp; She felt her face turn scarlet. ‘Don’t talk like that.’
He gave a soft laugh. ‘How can you still be shy with me? You are the most complex, confusing woman I’ve ever met. You don’t mind indulging in hot, mindless sex but you don’t want to talk about it. Don’t pretend that nothing has changed between us, Amy. That would be foolish. And a waste of time. I’m not stupid and neither are you.’
She rose to her feet, unable to resist a sideways glance at his naked body. He was magnificent—his body lean and muscular, his stomach taut and flat, his olive skin liberally dusted with a pattern of dark hair that emphasised his virility and masculinity.
‘Marco, don’t do this. Please, don’t do this.’
He rose to his feet, completely unselfconscious. ‘You’ve lost weight.’ Ignoring her plea, he slid a hand around her waist and drew her against him. ‘But you’re still beautiful.’
Amy put a hand on his chest. ‘No.’
‘Yes,’ Marco purred softly, sliding his hands inside her jumper and smoothing her spine. ‘Let’s go upstairs to bed. This time we take more time. Lentamente. Gentilmente.’
Slow. Gentle.
Amy felt the smooth masculine tones connect with her insides. ‘That would just confuse things even more and I’m confused enough already.’
‘I am not at all confused.’ He brushed her hair away from her neck, lowered his head and delivered a lingering kiss to the base of her throat. ‘I am entirely clear about everything. And now we have the whole weekend ahead of us to make up for lost time.’
‘No!’ Dizzy from his touch, Amy gave him a push and forced herself to step backwards. ‘No, Marco! I meant what I said—nothing has changed. You’re not listening to me! I’m talking and you’re just not listening!’ Not trusting herself to be so close to him and not touch him, she walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness. Beyond the glass came the faint sound of the sea crashing onto the rocks below the house. ‘All right, so we had sex—good sex—but it doesn’t change the facts. We want different things. You still want a family and I still want a career.’
‘Ah, yes.’ He sounded unperturbed. ‘A career. You don’t love me enough, isn’t that right?’
‘That’s right.’ After what they’d just shared, she couldn’t look at him. ‘I don’t.’
‘And you always have sex with men that you have no feeling for, no? That is so typical of you, isn’t it, tesoro?’
How did he know so much about her when they’d spent so little time together? She forced herself to turn, noticing in a glance that he’d pulled on his trousers but his torso was still bare. ‘I can understand why you might read more into what just happened but, please, don’t. It really was just sex, Marco. And it wasn’t that surprising. The chemistry between us always led us into trouble.’
His gaze was brooding. ‘Talking of trouble—since you are still so set on following this career path and not having a family, we probably ought to talk about contraception.’
‘There’s no need. It won’t happen again.’
‘I wasn’t talking about the future,’ he said gently, reaching for his jumper, ‘I was talking about the past. We just had unprotected sex, amore. Do you want the morningafter pill? I have some in my bag.’
She froze. ‘No.’ Her mouth was so dry she could barely answer the question. ‘No, that won’t be necessary.’
‘Why not?’ He moved towards her, his eyes intent on her face. ‘You have decided that you will take your chances? If you become pregnant, you will have a family and abandon your ideas of a career? You are leaving the choice to fate perhaps?’
‘None of those things. There just isn’t any way I could get pregnant.’ She kept her tone casual, assuming that he’d take her comment to mean that it was the wrong time of the month, but he swore softly in Italian and his eyes darkened with anger.
Amy watched him, confused by his reaction. Only a moment ago he’d offered her contraception. Surely he wouldn’t want her to get pregnant, given the mess that their marriage was in?
So why did he look as though he wanted to put his fist through the window?
Marco ran out of the back door and onto the coast road. It was dark but he didn’t care because he knew the road as well as he knew his own kitchen and he needed to burn off his anger.
She’d turned down the morning-after pill.
There was no way she could get pregnant. Wasn’t that what she’d said?
So what did that mean? That she was already taking contraception?
They’d been apart for two years so there was only one reason why she would be using contraception.
Jealousy dug its claws in deep and he increased his speed, pounding along the road, ignoring the punch of the wind and the bite of the cold as he tried to outrun his demons.
Obviously it was as he’d first suspected.
She’d found someone else.
Was that why she’d been crying? Was that why Nick had encouraged him to find out more about her past? Was this man an ex-lover? Someone she’d known before she’d met him?
Marco pounded along the road, his mind full of questions.
Was this mystery man the reason she’d been so intent on ending their marriage?
He ran until the breath tore through his lungs and then he stopped, breathing heavily, forcing his mind to work.
This was Amy. Amy. Not any other woman. She wasn’t a woman to take a string of lovers. Despite the evidence, it didn’t fit with what he knew of her.
Amy would only indulge in a physical relationship with a man if she cared deeply.
But if she didn’t have another man, why was she using contraception?
Marco ran a hand over the back of his neck, remembering the way she’d clung to him and urged him on, remembering the sort of woman he knew her to be, and knew that he wasn’t mistaken in her feelings for him.
She cared deeply. For him. After what they’d shared that afternoon, he knew that she was still in love with him. So why was she so intent on denying it?
Why did she want to end their marriage?
Amy lay on the bed with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, full of regrets. She should have kept her distance from Marco. She should have known that she wouldn’t be able to resist him.
If only she’d walked away from him the moment she’d felt the tension sizzling between them.
If only she had more self-control.
If only—the two most useless words in the human language.
The slam of the door downstairs announced that Marco was back from his run, but judging from the violence of the sound his temper hadn’t improved.
Hardly surprising perhaps, running in the freezing wind in the darkness.
Amy closed her eyes, feeling nothing but sympathy for him. Their impulsive love-making session had left her feeling equally confused and frustrated. That was what happened when you gave in to chemistry.
It produced complications.
It was some consolation that he had no more self-control than she did.
The door to her bedroom opened and she turned her head and saw him standing in the doorway, broad-shouldered and powerful. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead and he’d clearly pushed himself to the limit physically.
His eyes glittered darkly and his mouth was set in a grim line. ‘Is there someone else?’
‘I’m sorry?’ The question was so surprising that she sat up instantly, her eyes wide. ‘What do you mean, someone else?’
‘It’s a plausible reason for you to end our marriage.’
‘Marco, I’ve told you why I ended our marriage. There isn’t anyone else in my life.’ And there never would be. She had nothing to offer any man.
‘So why are you taking contraception?’
‘I never said that I was—’ She broke off, realising too late that she’d revealed far too much yet again. How did people ever lie and cheat? She was hopeless, absolutely hopeless.
‘You said that there was absolutely no chance th
at you could possibly become pregnant.’
Her heart pounded against her chest. ‘It’s just not the right time of the month.’
‘Nature isn’t that predictable, as you and I both know. If you are truly this career person now, why would you want to risk having a baby?’ He strode into the room, his eyes fixed on her face. ‘I’ve been thinking about this, going through the facts, sifting through the options, and I’ve only come up with one possible explanation for the way you’re behaving. You don’t think you can become pregnant, is that right?’
She felt the colour drain from her face. ‘Marco…’
He watched her and nodded slowly. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? You can’t have a baby.’
Amy shrank back on the bed, her arms around her knees like a child. ‘Go away, Marco.’ She was shivering again and the headache was back. ‘I want to be on my own.’
‘Well, that’s tough, because when you’re married there are two people involved.’ His voice soft, he sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘An honest woman makes a hopeless liar, Amy, and you are an honest woman. Since the day you told me you were leaving, nothing you have said has made sense.’
‘Marco, please—’
‘You are a mass of inconsistencies. You keep telling me that you want a career and although you are undoubtedly an excellent doctor, it’s always been clear to me that what you really long for is a family. You say you don’t want children and yet I see you with them and you are warm and kind. And you say that you don’t love me but when we are together…’ he reached out and slid a hand under her jaw, gently insisting that she look at him ‘…you give everything, tesoro. What we shared earlier—that wasn’t sex, it was love.’
She sucked in a juddering breath. ‘Don’t do this. The truth is that none of the reasons matter. The end is the same. I can’t be with you.’
His thumb gently stroked her jaw. ‘We both know that is nonsense. We were meant to be together.’
‘No.’ Tears welled up and spilled onto her cheeks. ‘Don’t let’s have this conversation! I’ve already cried more today than in my whole life!’
Caroline Anderson, Sara Morgan, Josie Metcalfe, Jennifer Taylor Page 27