by Annie Seaton
“That’s good. Don’t say a word, hear me out. I was a bitch last night. I was upset, but when I thought about it, I know I was unfair to you. You’re the one doing the favor and it was mean of me to say I didn’t trust you.” She paused to take a breath. “Open your eyes, so I can see what you’re thinking.”
Tom obeyed and lay there looking up at her, calling on his sheer strength of will to stop the blood pumping to his groin. He failed.
“We’re both adults. If I insulted you by offering to sleep with you again last night, I’m sorry, but the truth is I wanted you. Every time I looked at you yesterday, all I could think about was taking that suit off you and peeling your white shirt off. But I went about it the wrong way last night—”
“You’re babbling. Now listen to me.” Tom swallowed as her smooth skin rubbed against his thighs. “We’ve only known each other a week, and we’ve landed ourselves in a situation. You know I trust you. If I didn’t, I would never have offered to marry you. I don’t want to take advantage of you and the situation.”
She smiled at him and wriggled on his legs and the sheet dropped again, revealing the swell of her full breasts.
“I don’t think it would be taking advantage of me, and isn’t that what counts? It’s more than gratitude. More like friends with benefits.”
He sighed when she repeated the words that had been in his head a couple of minutes ago.
“We are friends, aren’t we, Tom?” She lowered her voice to a sexy purr and the Scottish lilt in her voice sent desire rocketing through his entire body.
“Brianna, whatever we are…can we talk about it later?” The heat was moving between his face, his neck, and his burgeoning erection and he couldn’t think straight. Her nipples peaked above the sheet and he groaned.
“Now don’t go getting in a fankle,” she said
“A what?”
“You know, a tizzy, a right state.”
“Ah, but Brianna, I’m already in a right state and…er…I don’t have any clothes on.” He tried to grab the sheet, which was crossed over her legs, and it slipped, revealing her breasts, and she didn’t pull it back up. Instead, she lifted the sheet and peeked underneath it. “Well, well, Tomas…” she said with a cheeky smile. “What a coincidence. I don’t have any clothes on either.”
She leaned forward and her hair brushed his chest. She picked up his hand and moved it behind his head, closing his fingers around the black pine bedpost.
Tom gulped and closed his eyes again as her moist warmth moved forward over the tip of his erection.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m saying sorry, seeing you don’t want me to say thank you. It’s the morning after our wedding. We had a civilized agreement which”—she leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers— “we sealed with a kiss. I think we need to change the agreement. After all, we’re both old enough to know what we want, aren’t we?”
She sat back and lifted the sheet, peeked underneath, and smiled down at him.
“Aren’t we, Tom?”
Tom couldn’t move. The weight of her pressed onto his thighs, and he was sure he was about to lose it. He usually hated not being in control, but this situation was getting more enjoyable by the minute.
“I have a plan,” she said and looked across at the bed table. Tom followed her quick glance and almost choked when he saw a row of foil packets placed in a neat line along the edge of the table. They hadn’t been there the night before.
“Now…I’m sorra for losing my temper last night.” Her Scottish burr became more pronounced as she spoke, and he narrowed his eyes when the pink flush deepened high on her olive cheeks. He held her gaze and noticed her lips trembling slightly. Warmth filled his chest as he understood what she was playing at.
It’s all an act.
She was as nervous as a virgin bride, scared he would reject what she was offering.
“Okay, tell me your plan.” At least he could control his voice. He made a mammoth effort to sound calm and to ignore the woman with no pants on, her feminine core brushing against his bare skin each time she moved. As if reading his mind, she wriggled to get more comfortable and his calm flew out the window.
Christ, he was going to burst like a lovesick adolescent if she moved again.
“First things first,” she said and reached over and tore the corner off one of the condom packets, holding his gaze. “Are you happy for me to continue?”
“Yes,” he managed to choke out.
“And we are going to rework our deal?”
Tom gulped and nodded, his gaze fixed on her hands, which were moving lower.
She pulled back the sheet and gently sheathed his erection, her fingertips brushing his stomach lightly and trailing up his chest to his lips after she covered him. With a deep groan, he placed his hands behind him and pushed himself up so his chest was against her breasts and his lips were a breath away from hers. He played his tongue along her full bottom lip and she opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed his mouth against her soft lips. His tongue outlined them and when she tried to speak again, he put his finger against her mouth.
“No words,” he murmured against her mouth. “Now, I’ll show you my plan. Step one,” he said, and he rolled her over so she was lying beneath him.
She sighed into him and he grinned back at her as a bubble of delight rose in his chest.
“Step two.” He pulled the sheet from them and threw it onto the floor.
“Step three.” He lowered his head and began to trace lazy circles around her peaked nipples with his tongue.
“Step four.” He ran his hand down her stomach and hips and brushed his fingers across her swollen nub.
He lifted his head, increased the pressure of his caress, and watched her face. Eyes closed, her head was thrown back against the pillow and her lips were slightly parted as she took small breaths. The flush on her cheeks deepened and she moaned when he increased the pressure of his fingers and slipped one finger inside her. Every rational thought slid from his brain when she responded instantly to his touch and tightened around him. The last of his doubts slid away and a wild hunger consumed him. As she came and cried out, he forgot all about agreements and all the promises he’d made to himself.
…
Tom’s weight pressed down on Brianna and she shivered. He trailed his fingers around the inside of her thighs while she caught her breath. She reached down, needing to feel, to touch, desperate to get closer to him. Her seeking fingers encircled his warm flesh.
“Now,” she moaned as her senses leaped into overdrive. Satisfied on one level, she needed to feel him inside her, and she moved her hips against him in a plea for completion. She held his gaze as his control disappeared, and he thrust into her in one swift movement. He filled her and in a sudden rush of panic, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of absolute vulnerability as warmth rushed into her chest. Her throat tightened and tears pricked at her eyes.
Jesus.
This felt so right, it was like coming home to a place she had always wanted to be, and it terrified the hell out of her. She didn’t want this feeling, but it was too late to change her mind now.
Holy shit, what have I started?
A confident smile played around Tom’s mouth and he moved his hands to pull her closer to him and bury his face in her neck. His teeth nipped at her soft skin and a shaft of desire jolted through her and chased away her doubts. Waves of pleasure built for a second time and she stared back at him, out of control, physically and emotionally.
Even though she had been attracted to him, she had never dreamed the sex would be so powerful. She closed her eyes and let the moment overtake both of them, and all thoughts slipped from her mind.
…
Tom woke much later in the morning. The sun had passed over to the other side of the villa and the room was dim. Instead of worry in his chest and a sexy weight on his legs waking him, Brianna’s warm, even breath puffed against his lips. Her hair tickled his nose, and
he opened his eyes as one of his favorite songs flitted through his thoughts.
I could stay lost in this moment forever.
He stroked his hand down her cheek and pushed her hair away from her face back onto the pillow. She sighed in her sleep, snuggled into him, and her soft breasts pushed into his bare chest. His body responded, and he leaned closer to nuzzle his lips into her cheek.
“It’s time we were up,” he murmured.
A rhythmic creaking sound drifted in through the open window, and he lifted his head away from her hair and turned to the sound. The grating of a key in the metal gate on the back balcony followed. He shook Brianna’s shoulder when he heard a voice call out, “Allo? Allo?”
“Brianna,” he whispered. “There’s somebody in the kitchen.”
“What?” She sat up and smiled at him, her expression relaxed and contented.
“There’s somebody in the kitchen.” His words were confirmed by the running of water and the clanging of dishes in the sink. Then a quavering female voice burst into song.
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, Ting-a-ling-a-ling and you’ll sing, ‘Vita bella’
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay
Tippy-tippy-tay like a gay tarantella.
“What the fuck? Who’s in my house?” Brianna clutched the sheet, wrapping it around her as she climbed out of bed. She marched to the door, followed closely by Tom, who grabbed his jeans from the floor and pulled them on. He put his hands on Brianna’s shoulder and stepped past her. A short elderly woman with rosy cheeks and gray hair pulled tight into a bun grinned at them across the living room. She clapped her hands delightedly and laughed.
“Oh, so happy for you…so, so happy!”
“Ah, excuse me,” Brianna said. “Who are you and where did you get the key to…er…my house?”
The woman shuffled across the tiles and met them at the doorway. She grabbed Brianna and kissed her on both cheeks, and Tom reached for the sheet when it started to slip.
“Oh, you are so like your mama.” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes.
“You knew my mother?”
“I am your prozia Maria and that foolish old man sent me here to spy on you,” she said. “And to cook and clean,” she added as an afterthought.
“Prozia?” Brianna turned to Tom with a quizzical look.
“Great-aunt,” he said.
He turned Brianna back into the room and a flush warmed his neck while he spoke to Maria. It would be obvious to anyone they’d been in bed together and Brianna’s slumberous eyes and flushed cheeks confirmed it. Even though they were technically married, guilt settled in his chest.
“We’ll be out in a moment. Perhaps you could put some coffee on?”
“Nessuna fretta…no hurry. And I will cook for you prima colazione.” A broad smile crossed her wrinkled face and she spread her arms wide. “You need to build up your energy again.”
Wiping her eyes, she beamed at him with delight and turned back to the kitchen.
Tom nodded, bemused, and then followed Brianna to the bathroom, attempting not to step on the bedsheet trailing along behind her. He closed the door quickly when she dropped the sheet. She stepped across to the shower and turned the jets on, at ease with her nudity. When she turned to him and held out her hand, he was tempted to forget all about the woman waiting in the kitchen.
“I have more family. She knew my mother. I am so, so happy.” She looked across at him with a cheeky grin. “Want to wash my back?”
Tom gulped and resisted the invitation. He kept his gaze locked on her face, trying to forget the feel of her bare body pressed against his minutes ago. “No, come on. We have to sort out what she’s doing here.”
“No one said the house came with a housekeeper and a cook,” she said with a smile.
…
Ten minutes later, after they’d washed and dressed, the aroma of cooking enticed them to the kitchen. Maria clucked around, fussing until she was satisfied their plates were loaded with sausages stuffed with tomato and cheese. She filled a plate with delicate pastries from a basket in the kitchen and placed a large jug of what looked like crushed strawberry ice in the middle of the table.
Brianna leaned over the table and dipped her finger in and licked it.
“Mm. What is that?”
“Granita…from your strawberries.” Aunt Maria pointed to the baskets hanging outside the kitchen window.
“My strawberries.” Brianna turned to Tom with a delighted smile on her face.
After pouring fragrant coffee into three large mugs, Great-Aunt Maria sat down at the table with them, and folded her hands across her ample stomach and beamed.
“He ees a stupid old man,” she said in a firm voice. “And I will tell him so.”
Tom looked across at Brianna, concern spiking through his chest. He was keen to see her reaction. After all, here was yet another family member she hadn’t known about. She’d been burdened with so much over the past few days, and they hadn’t even had a chance to talk about them ending up in bed this morning. All agreements had flown out the window and now he had no idea where things stood between then.
Or where he wanted them to stand.
He needn’t have worried. Brianna pointed to the food laid out on the table.
“Thank you. Can I call you Aunt Maria?” A wide smile crossed Brianna’s face. “I can’t quite get used to having a family. You will have to tell me all about everyone. I can’t wait to meet them. Do they live on Lipari?”
Aunt Maria had a working knowledge of English, and with Tom translating between them, they managed to get the gist of what she had said about the foolish old man—Brianna’s grandfather.
“He no trust.” She wagged a finger. “He thinks you only want ze house.”
The guilt stuck in Tom’s throat and he looked up and caught Brianna’s eye. She shook her head imperceptibly.
“But I was not going to tell him what I saw.” She cackled with delight. “Now I can tell him ze truth and tell him what I saw.”
She drained her coffee and smacked her lips.
“Sunday—at the big house. You will come for dinner and meet all the family. Si?”
Tom looked across at Brianna and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Si.”
Aunt Maria gave Tom directions to find the big house in Lipari and what time to arrive. She gathered up her empty baskets after telling him she would be back each morning to prepare their evening meal. Tom and Brianna followed her to the door and waved to her as she wheeled her bicycle out the gate.
He turned to Brianna as Aunt Maria disappeared down the hill. The worry that had been niggling at him since he woke up came back in full force.
“Brianna. I think we need to have a chat about the terms of our agreement…now.”
…
His less-than-subtle reminder of the need to discuss their agreement, and right now, fired her temper. For Christ’s sake, they’d had sex, she’d just met her second relative and found out she had a whole family on the island waiting to meet her, and he wanted to have a chat now. Deep down, she knew her anger was fueled by her unexpected reaction to being with him this morning, but she buried the thought as deep as she could. Her life was complicated enough without going there.
Now.
Determined to present a light “things aren’t serious” front to him, she pushed her chair back and came around the table and placed her hands on his shoulders. Bending her head, she brushed her lips lightly across his.
“Now, Tomas, why do we need to talk?” She looked at him from under her lashes and ran her hand down his chest. “We already have a signed agreement. The only difference is that sex is now part of it. So if you want to add a—what do you call it?—condition, codicil, postscript, or whatever, just do it and I’ll initial it. I’ve apologized to you for being a bitch and nothing else has changed. Has it?”
He looked at her without speaking and she felt like a right cow again, but she was damned if he was going
to see the effect he’d had on her. She needed to put those feelings away and think about it later.
“So,” she continued. “We’re married. My grandfather is satisfied. You have your work at the marina. I have my book to write, and we also get the benefit of great sex.”
She patted his shoulder, feigning a confidence she didn’t have, and turned away before he could see her pursed lips. She was as nervous as hell about what he wanted. If he wanted out of the agreement already, she didn’t know what she’d do. And not just because of her mother’s villa. Gathering the dishes from the table, she walked across to the sink.
“Agreed?” she said evenly. She needed to be in control here.
When he didn’t answer, she turned around and came face-to-face with him. He’d walked silently over to the sink in his bare feet. He placed his cup on the draining board, lined up neatly next to the other dishes. She waited for him to disagree, but he pushed his body against hers and bent his head. He wound her hair through his fingers and took her mouth in a hot kiss. Her head spun and she grasped at his shirt to keep her balance. Her back pressed into the cold stone of the sink and she moaned as his tongue plundered the depths of her mouth. Pulling back, he looked at her.
“We’ll change the agreement. Friends with benefits.”
Chapter Eleven
The hot morning sun burned Tom’s skin as he rubbed the sandpaper up and down the bottom of the boat. Aunt Carmen had gone to Naples to visit her daughter, and he’d taken over the running of the marina. Matteo, the young boatman, had shown him how to strip the paint and remove the old putty and caulking cotton in the boats lined up for recaulking. He grinned to himself. If Nick and Alex could see him now, they would give him a hard time. But the rhythmic motion of the sandpaper was what he needed to ease his temper this afternoon. It was much better than poring over the jumbled financial records. He’d borrowed Matteo’s car and taken the boxes of financial records across to the villa. He had spread them out on an old table on the covered balcony, and it would give him something to focus on after dinner each night and help him stay away from Brianna.