VITTORIO'S WOMAN

by Kimberley Reeves

  Simon tore at the snap on his jeans and yanked the zipper down, a fluent string of Italian expletives spewing from between clenched teeth. Helpless was he? He’d show Signorina Barclay just how helpless he was once she got him into the tub. Shifting his weight from side to side he was able to wedge the jeans down as far as his ankles, the color flaming in his cheeks when he realized he couldn’t get them off by himself without taking the risk of toppling over.

  She kneeled down and tugged his jeans over his feet. “I’ve got it,” Lilly said as she pulled off his socks, totally disconcerted when he remained hunched over.

  His mouth was entirely too close to hers, so close in fact, she could feel the whisper of his warm breath against her cheek. Her heart fluttered when Simon reached out and glided his hands slowly up her arms, her shoulders, her neck; stopping only when they cupped her face in their incredible warmth. Lilly’s eyelids felt weighted down, closing half way as if she’d been drugged when he drew his thumb across her lower lip. His touch was soft and gentle, the feathery caress of his fingertips on her cheek seducing her, luring her closer and closer until there was nothing between his mouth and hers but a breathless sigh.

  The kiss was tentative at first, his lips warm and inviting. Lilly couldn’t have resisted him if she’d wanted to. She didn’t even try to pull away, simply surrendering to the plundering and pillaging of her mouth as if it was his God given right to do so. And as erotic as his kisses had been in her dreams, nothing could have prepared Lilly for the devastation Simon was inflicting on both her body and mind.

  She forgot the promise she’d made to herself to keep an emotional distance from him, forgot that Simon was her patient and just how inappropriate it was to be kissing him. And her temporary bout with amnesia might have stretched out much longer if only he hadn’t leaned back, pulling her along with him. As her body pitched forward, Lilly’s hands instinctively flew up to brace herself and came to rest against the solid mass of Simon’s chest. Heat seeped into her palms, the scorching intensity of it finally jolting some sense into her. Lilly jerked her mouth away from him, taking advantage of his momentary confusion to scramble back out of his reach.

  “You…you shouldn’t have done that,” she choked out.

  Simon touched the spot on his chest where her soft hand had lay only seconds before. Lilly was right, he shouldn’t have done it, because now he knew just how vulnerable he was to her. He’d meant to deliver a punishing kiss, one that would leave her feeling indignant and resentful and send her rushing from the room. But the moment he’d felt the softness of her lips against his, Simon’s whole world had tilted on its axis and he’d been filled with such a sense of belonging, he’d instantly abandoned any hope of following through with his plan. Even now, when he should be mocking her for returning his kiss with such fervent passion, all he could think about was how to get her back in his arms.

  Lilly rose unsteadily to her feet, steeling herself against the verbal jabs she was sure Simon was dying to deliver. But as the minutes ticked by without a single taunt being issued, it became apparent he was just as bewildered as she was by what had transpired between them. His hand continued to the rub the spot where she’d touched him, but it was impossible to tell what was going through his mind when he was so careful to keep his expression guarded. It was Lilly who finally broke the silence.

  “I think it would be best if we forgot this ever happened.”

  Simon nodded in agreement. “Sono spiacente, cara.”

  “Which means?”

  “I am sorry. Believe me, Lilly, I only meant to touch your face.”

  “Curious to know if I was as much a battleaxe as your last therapist?” she teased.

  Simon grinned. “She had shoulders as broad as a man’s and a voice as deep as my own.” He shivered in mock horror. “I regret my attempt to discover if she was really a woman or simply a man dressed like one.”

  Lilly burst out laughing and was elated when Simon began to laugh too. “I know I’ll be sorry for asking, but how exactly did you discover she was a woman?”

  His grin broadened. “If you truly want to know, mio bello, come closer and I will demonstrate.”

  It was tempting, extremely tempting. The man was dangerous with a capital D and she would do well to remember that or she’d end up kissing him again. She had a job to do, Lilly told herself sternly, and she couldn’t allow Simon to distract her from doing what she came here to do.

  “I think I’ll have to pass,” she said lightly, “but thank you for the offer.”

  “As you wish, but the offer stands if you ever change your mind.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Mr. Vittorio. And now it’s time you finished undressing so I can help you into the tub. Unless you’d feel more at ease leaving your boxers on,” she added, suddenly not at all sure she could handle seeing him completely nude. Much to her dismay, Simon seemed highly amused by her suggestion.

  “As you pointed out, I have nothing you have not seen before.”

  Lilly refrained from commenting and kneeled at his feet, admonishing herself for the thoughts that flitted through her mind as she lifted each muscular leg from the leg rest then adjusted the metal braces so he could lower himself to the floor. Simon declined her offer to help him remove his boxers, and for that she was eternally grateful, because she could already feel the heat in her cheeks as well as various other parts of her body.

  He was beautiful in every sense of the word and she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from traveling down his magnificent physique. Bulging arms, broad shoulders and a mouth watering corded chest that tapered down to meet his flat belly and lean thigh muscles. She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes widening at the size of his erection.

  “You…you must be getting some feeling back,” she said hoarsely, then added lamely, “That’s a good sign.” Lilly grimaced. Oh yeah, that sounded very professional. So much for her proclamation that he didn’t have anything she hadn’t seen before!

  Simon eased out of the chair and lowered himself to the ground, his lips pressed tightly together. He’d been so shocked to feel the rush of blood in his loins, it hadn’t occurred to him that it was the first sensation he’d had below the waist since the accident. For all the good it did him, he thought bitterly. So what if he could still get aroused, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. What woman in her right mind would want a man who couldn’t even bathe himself?

  “I can do it myself,” Simon growled when Lilly tried to help him into the tub.

  “Nonsense,” she shot back. “It would be difficult enough with your legs out of commission but without your eyesight you’re likely to fall in. Now stop fussing and let me guide you in or you’ll get your eye patches wet.”

  “I do not fuss,” he said indignantly.

  Nonetheless, he let Lilly maneuver his legs over the edge, more because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself by falling in than anything else. And as much as he hated to admit it, the hot water felt wonderful, especially once she turned the jet streams on and the tension began to ease from his body. Simon reposed against the back of the tub, patiently waiting for Lilly to gather the shampoo and body soap, his surly mood temporarily soothed by the relaxing motion of the heated water. It was so relaxing in fact that he’d nearly drifted off to sleep when he heard the soft splash as Lilly climbed into the tub with him.

  Lilly lowered herself to her knees beside him. “This tub is big enough to qualify as a small pool,” she said in awe.

  Simon sat up slowly, desperately fighting to keep his hands at his sides and his voice steady. “Are you trying to kill me, cara?”

  “What are you talking about? I wasn’t going to try and drown you,” she laughed, “I was just going to wash your hair. I think you can manage the rest on your own even without the use of your eyes.”

  “I was not talking about…”

  Simon stopped abruptly, sickened by the idea that Lilly saw nothing wrong with what she was doing. His image of her as a swe
et, innocent young woman was slowly beginning to crumble, and that was almost as disheartening as the condition his body was in right now.

  “I’ll need you to move forward so I can get behind you,” she intruded on his thoughts. “I think it would be easier that way.” Lilly waited for him to move but when Simon remained immobile, she presumed he was just being stubborn again. “Come on,” she tried to cajole him, “it will only take a minute, and I promise you’ll feel much better when we’re done.”

  Reaching out, she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to help guide him and was taken aback when he jerked away from her.

  “Exactly what kind of therapist are you?” he ground out accusingly.

  “A very good one,” she shot back. “Good Lord, Simon, I’m just trying to wash your hair not seduce you.”

  “You think it is not an act of seduction to climb into the tub with me? Madre di Dio, do you do this for all your male patients?”

  “Well…no, but honestly Simon, this isn’t exactly a conventional tub and it would be almost impossible for me to do it any other way. And to tell the truth, I usually only bathe the younger ones…”

  Simon’s chest puffed in indignation. “You think I am too old for you?”

  “That’s not what I…”

  “I am only thirty-six, Lilly, and though the accident has taken its toll on me, you can hardly say my body is not fit.”

  “Of course not,” she protested. “I wasn’t trying to…”

  “Does it give you a thrill to touch these younger men?”

  Lilly’s anger rose hard and sharp. “You have a dirty mind Simon Vittorio! How dare you accuse me of inappropriate behavior towards my patients!”

  His lips curled into a cruel smile. “You can ask that of me after the way you just kissed me?”

  Lilly’s face turned a brilliant scarlet. “I didn’t kiss you, you kissed me!”

  “Oh no, cara, I may have made the first move but I assure you I know when a woman is enjoying the feel of mouth on hers, as you most certainly did.”

  “So what if I did? What has that got to do with your nasty insinuations that I take liberties with the children in my care? There’s quite a difference between a man who exudes sexuality from every pore of his body and a young child, Simon, and I resent…”

  “Children,” he repeated, his anger totally diffused, “what did you say about children?”

  “Not that I owe you an explanation,” she snapped, “but most of my patients are children. I only took this job because Milana sounded so worried about you and now I sorely regret being so weak.”

  “So I am an exception?”

  “Oh, you’re definitely that,” she bit out caustically, “and believe me, I will refuse any future offers to care for adult males.”

  “Are you saying you have not done this before?”

  “Given a man a bath? On occasion, but I’ve never gotten in the tub with them. Most of the people I care for don’t live in the type of luxury you do, so I’ve never had to improvise before by putting on a swimsuit to get the job done.”

  “A swimsuit? You are wearing a swimsuit?”

  “Well, of course I am. What did you think, that I would jump in fully clothed?” Lilly’s eyes narrowed when Simon merely shrugged. “Oh, my God, you thought I was naked, didn’t you?”

  “What was I supposed to think?”

  “Well I…oh, this is a ridiculous conversation! Just move so I have enough room to wash your hair.”

  Chuckling, Simon used the strength of his arms to inch himself forward. “I have never met anyone like you before, Lilly. I cannot decide what I want to do more, shake you or kiss you senseless.”

  “I’ve already taken leave of my senses, so any more kissing is out of the question.”

  He didn’t bother presenting any arguments to the contrary, she’d find out soon enough just how wrong she was. In the meantime, he would enjoy her gentle ministrations and devise a new plan; one that included making her so sexually aware of him she’d have no choice but to leave. It was obvious she felt guilty for having crossed the line by kissing him, and it was just as obvious she had been powerless to stop herself from responding. All he had to do was keep at her and eventually she would feel obligated to leave, or risk losing her self-respect. Poor Lilly wouldn’t stand a chance once his scheme to seduce her was in full swing.

  He tipped his head back obediently so she could wet his hair and nearly groaned out loud when Lilly began to massage the shampoo into his scalp. He almost regretted the necessity of driving her away, but Simon refused to bind her to him emotionally when he was incapable of binding her to him physically. She deserved better.

  ***

  “Grazie, Signorina Lilly,” Luisa said with tears in her eyes. “Lei è angelo, un regalo da Dio.” Still muttering praises in her native tongue, Luisa hurried off to the kitchen with the food trays, leaving Lilly alone with Milana.

  Lilly turned to Milana. “What did she say?”

  “She thanked you and called you an angel, a gift from God.”

  “Just because I got Simon to eat and take a bath? Once I have him walking again, I expect she’ll want to nominate me for Sainthood too.”

  Milana moved to the sofa. “You have no idea how much this means to us. Simon has always had such an enormous appetite, sometimes I wondered where he put it all. For him to refuse to eat…” she dabbed at her eyes, smiling apologetically. “It’s just not like Simon to give up so easily. When he wouldn’t eat or sleep and kept chasing off the people who were here to help him, it really scared us.”

  “What about your parents? Couldn’t they do anything to snap him out of it?”

  “He refused to let them come here. He couldn’t bear to let them see him like this. Simon is the oldest you see, and he’s always been the strong one, the one we all turn to when things go wrong or need fixing. I think his pride is even more crippled than his legs are right now.”

  “I assume your siblings have been banned from his island too?”

  “Yes, and they wouldn’t dare defy Simon.”

  “But you did,” Lilly said with sincere admiration.

  “Unlike the rest of my family, I’m not afraid of Simon’s bark, which irritates him to no end I can tell you. I know you have no reason to believe me based on the way he’s behaving right now, but Simon is a good man. Beneath that gruff exterior is an honorable man with a heart of gold who would do just about anything for those he loves. I was beginning to think we’d lose him, but you’ve given us hope, Lilly, real hope.”

  “You understand Simon’s rehabilitation relies a great deal on his own desire to recuperate.”

  “Yes, but it’s you who will spark that desire.”

  A slow blush began to work its way up her neck. She knew there was no way Milana had seen Simon kiss her, or the shameless way she’d kissed him back, but there was something in the mischievous glint in Milana’s eyes that made Lilly think she at least suspected.

  “I’ll do my best,” Lilly promised, then quickly changed the subject. “Tell me about your family. How is it that Simon’s accent is still so pronounced and yours is barely noticeable?”

  “Simon grew up in Italy and still goes back home quite frequently. There’s a ten year difference between us, and by the time he was twenty-five he was already running the family business and making millions. Oh, we’d done well enough while my father was at the helm, but Simon just seemed to have the golden touch and we became filthy rich.”

  Lilly had to laugh at that. “I know how you feel, except in my family it’s my sister Caitlyn who turns everything to gold.”

  “I hate to sound snobbish, but I love the freedom money gives me and my family. Of course we all have a role in the business, but it’s Simon who’s made it what it is today. Anyway, I was fifteen when he decided to move the home base to America and naturally we all came with him.”

  “So you were educated here.”

  “It’s what Simon wanted. And what my brother want
s, he usually gets. What about you, Lilly? You mentioned earlier that you were born into wealth, so your sister can’t be the only one who knows how to amass money.”

  “It’s my shares in the family business that was the catalyst for my financial independence. I never had any interest in helping run it and that was okay with my family. They’ve been very supportive of my career choice.”

  “What type of business is it?”

  “A string of resorts that went international when my mother and father merged, both in marriage and business. My mother is Jade Sinclair and my father is David Barclay. Have you heard of the Sinclair-Barclay Resorts?”