She was glad Molly had talked her into packing a floaty dress. The shops in Venice were irresistible and this was one crazy purchase she would almost certainly never wear again. Gossamer-fine and very feminine, it weighed almost nothing. And it came out of her overnight bag without so much as a crease.
Nell’s heart started thundering the moment she walked through the door to join him for dinner. Luca had made less of an effort, but then he always looked stunning even in jeans. They clung snugly to his lean hips and the chunky belt drew attention to his firm torso. There was just enough bronze to tempt her gaze beneath the open buttons of his black linen shirt, and she had a thing for powerful forearms, especially when, like Luca’s, they were shaded with dark hair. His feet were bare, which for some reason she found extremely sexy.
And this was dinner with a colleague?
Yes, and if she didn’t know the difference between that and a date, it was time for a reality check. But his hair was still damp from the shower and he smelled great as he held her chair. Full marks for being a gentleman in the dining room; nil for his manners in the bedroom.
A smiling Maria served them a delicious meal. Nell tried out her Italian, and was pleased to find herself understood. She was picking it up almost as quickly as Molly. Luca made no comment, not even when she glanced at him as Maria praised her efforts. He was more sphinx-like than the sphinx, except when she turned the conversation to her scheme—only then did he become animated. On the whole, though, their conversation seemed more of a chore than a pleasure.
She was disappointed, but not surprised, when he stood up the moment they had finished coffee.
‘Well, I think I’m going to get an early night.’
‘You’re going to bed now?’ She stared at him.
‘The mountain air.’ He stifled a yawn. ‘I hope you will excuse me.’
Was she boring him? ‘Of course.’
As the door shut Nell threw herself back in her chair. Luca wiped out by the altitude—Luca, who never tired? She wasn’t affected at all! But then he had been out for a walk…perhaps he had taken one of the mountain lifts in the area. That must be it, because surely it wasn’t high enough here for the altitude to affect him? And she certainly wasn’t ready for bed yet. She had far too much energy—and nothing to expend it on.
Maria pointed Nell in the direction of a gym in the basement, where she worked out, and then took a sauna. After showering, she dressed in the towelling robe she found in the communal bathroom off the gym. Collecting a mug of hot chocolate from the kitchen, she wandered into the snug to take in a film. It was well past midnight by the time she climbed the stairs.
Hesitating on the landing to check everyone was asleep, Nell couldn’t help peering down the corridor towards the bedroom where Luca was sleeping. There wasn’t a sound to be heard, and all the doors were firmly closed.
Retiring to her own room, she went inside and shut the door. Then she opened it again—just a crack. Then a little bit more. Perhaps Luca would want to check up on her, to make sure she was all right?
Or not.
Either way, she didn’t want to lock herself away like Rapunzel in the tower.
The night was long and Nell heard every creak and grumble as the warm timbers cooled. But unfortunately, none of those noises heralded Luca creeping down the corridor towards her room.
Not that she wanted him to, of course.
At breakfast the next morning she was red-eyed and irritable.
‘Sleep well?’ Luca enquired brightly, appearing not to notice how she looked or what mood she was in. ‘The bed wasn’t lumpy, was it?’ he pressed when she didn’t answer.
No; in fact, the bed had been perfect. Wide, firm, cosy…and decidedly empty, as he very well knew. Which was just as it should be. Nell ground her jaw as she made slow progress along the delicious buffet Maria had set out for them.
‘You seem…’
‘Yes?’ she demanded snappily, rounding on Luca.
‘Oh, I don’t know. Edgy?’
‘Must be the altitude getting to me. Only it’s having the opposite effect on me. All you want to do is sleep, while I…’
‘Yes?’
She wasn’t going to admit that he was the cause of her restless night. ‘Well, it’s a strange bed. I can never sleep on the first night.’
‘Really?’ He appeared to think about it. ‘Shall we eat outside? The fresh air will do you good.’
Nell hummed sceptically.
‘Or perhaps I could recommend something to help you sleep?’
‘No, thank you. I’ll be all right.’
‘I mean, like a bracing walk,’ he clarified.
‘To tire me out?’ There was a band of tension stretching between them that only the most strenuous of walks could possibly alleviate.
‘Exactly.’
Although perhaps that band of tension was all on her side. Luca seemed perfectly relaxed, which had the effect of making Nell even more strung out. ‘Good idea,’ she said without much enthusiasm. Sitting down, she forced herself to eat.
But the picnic in the mountains exceeded all Nell’s expectations. Luca urged her on until they reached a meadow carpeted with wild flowers. Apart from the beauty surrounding her, which was certainly a distraction, there was no problem with her carnal urges—they were well and truly subdued after the demanding trek.
‘You’ll sleep well tonight,’ Luca observed with a maddening degree of confidence.
‘I certainly will,’ Nell said, playing his game as she flopped onto the ground with relief. Rolling onto her stomach, she lifted herself up on her elbows to look beyond the plateau they had reached to the view beyond. The snow-capped mountains formed a crescent around the lush green valley far below them. Dragging her gaze away, she ran her fingers through the mass of flowers that seemed to proliferate where they had set up camp. ‘I never imagined there would be so many flowers this late in the summer. And the air’s so fresh.’
‘The altitude,’ Luca reminded her. ‘We’re high above the pollution from the city here. And plants at this height keep on flowering until the first snows, and even then they peep through until they’re completely buried.’
They sat together on a blanket Luca had brought in a roll on top of the rucksack containing their food. It wasn’t a large rug, and once the food was laid out on it and they were sitting down it was almost impossible to keep a space between them.
Nell held herself aloof, but she noticed that Luca seemed to be a different man in the mountains. He was relaxed and totally at ease with the silence, as if the cool, clean air had gently lifted the stresses of his demanding work from his face.
‘What a contrast it is here to Venice,’ she observed. ‘And yet we’re so close.’
‘When the skies are clear it’s sometimes possible to see these mountains from the city, but it’s been too muggy recently.’
‘But lovely all the same. You’re so lucky to have two of the most beautiful places in the world at your disposal.’
‘Yes, I am,’ he agreed without pretence that it might be otherwise.
As he gazed out across the valley in silence, Nell’s imagination took flight. This was the perfect moment, the moment in which the hero in any novel might reach across and kiss her. As Luca turned to face her their eyes locked and the breath caught in her throat…
‘Turkey or ham?’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Nell blinked at him.
‘Turkey or ham?’ he repeated. He was holding a panini in each hand, offering her the choice.
They munched along in silence, drinking fresh raspberry juice, which was delicious. But, while nothing could have been improved upon and she had no complaints, Nell still felt dissatisfied. She might be determined to resist the attraction between them, but she didn’t want to be ignored by Luca either!
‘You look tired,’ he observed with approval as they started collecting up the picnic things. ‘This should help you sleep tonight.’
‘Yes. Thank you.’
Keeping her features composed, Nell dipped her head and concentrated on the rug she was folding.
She buried her head beneath the pillows and tried to turn her mind to something else. But that wasn’t easy when Luca was sleeping in a room just a short walk away.
It was three o’clock in the morning and she was wide awake. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and checked the clock on the mantelpiece. She slid her legs over the side of the bed, padded to the door and opened it a crack.
Silence greeted her. Deciding to get a drink, she crept downstairs in the dark, not wanting to put a light on and cause concern. Opening the kitchen the door very carefully so it didn’t squeak, she walked inside.
‘Luca!’ She took a pace back. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I might ask you the same question. I couldn’t sleep.’
‘So the picnic didn’t work?’
‘For you either.’ His lips tugged down in wry amusement.
‘Must be the altitude.’
‘Must be.’
There was an edge of irony in his voice. ‘Camomile tea?’ she suggested lightly, spotting various herbal infusions on a shelf.
Luca tipped his whisky glass towards her. ‘Can I tempt you to something stronger?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’ Temptation was behind them, where she intended it to stay.
Two minutes later, the tension humming through her body, the awareness twanging her nerves, Nell was wondering why on earth she hadn’t grabbed a cold drink and fled instead of putting the kettle on. But she was quite safe, she reminded herself—wild hair, no make-up and comfy men’s pyjamas from a market stall hardly made it look as though she was attempting to seduce him!
The drink was ready at last. ‘I’m off to bed, then,’ she mumbled.
Luca gave her a fast glance. Was he imagining it, or had she been dawdling? ‘Goodnight.’ He kept the voice clipped, impersonal, but he didn’t start breathing properly again until he heard her bedroom door close a few minutes later.
If this was what it meant to behave with propriety, to court a woman properly, to turn Nell from rejecting him because she thought he only wanted sex into pursuing him because he showed no interest, he could only hope she had an epiphany soon—like right away, before the frustration made something explode.
He’d done with wooing like a sloth, Luca decided the next morning. He’d had no sleep at all and it clearly wasn’t working. Some things just weren’t meant to be. He’d have breakfast first and then go where his instinct was telling him to go, do what he had to do…
He followed the delicious aroma of coffee, toast and freshly scrambled egg into the kitchen, then pulled up short when he saw who was cooking. ‘Where’s Maria?’
‘It’s her day off, isn’t it?’ Nell pointed out.
She didn’t look up from the eggs she was stirring in the skillet and her hair had fallen forward over her face so all that he could see was a fine trace of pale silhouette edging a dark cloud of silky hair. He wanted to run his hands through it, over it and then down the expanse of naked neck showing above the simple top she was wearing. Then he would transfer his attention to her breasts before licking his way down to her navel…
‘Soft, moist and runny, or dry?’
He stared at her, speechless.
‘Eggs,’ she elucidated. ‘Scrambled eggs. Some people can’t bear them sloppy. I prefer them that way myself.’
‘Right. Yes. Me too. You didn’t have to make breakfast, but I’m glad you did.’ He let the smile back into his voice. ‘Maria would have been only too happy to make something before she left, though.’
‘I didn’t think it was fair to keep her on her day off. I’m quite capable of scrambling an egg.’
‘I’m sure you are.’ He wasn’t even aware that his voice had faded as they stared at each other.
‘Taste?’ She held out the wooden spoon.
He hesitated, not trusting himself to behave.
‘People like different amounts of seasoning. I wasn’t sure…’ Now it was the turn of Nell’s voice to dwindle. ‘Luca, what’s the matter? Don’t you feel well? I know you couldn’t sleep last night, but…’
‘I’ve never felt better,’ he said honestly, watching her blue eyes darken. But he wanted more than a quick coupling…a lot more. The sexual charge between them was always there, but he was greedy for more now. He wanted to connect, to belong, to share, to open up…He wanted so many things that he had never wanted before, and had never had the opportunity to claim for himself.
‘Mustn’t let the eggs spoil.’ She turned back to the cooker, clearly flustered by what she could see in his face.
‘More toast?’ she murmured later as he was tucking into a second helping.
Damn, she was a good cook. ‘Mmm,’ he said, wiping his lips on a napkin. He stood up to save her crossing the kitchen with the fresh slices. When she passed him the plate the toast slipped, and as they both dived to save it somehow they became entangled. His hand moved up her arm to her breast—
‘No, Luca!’ Freeing herself, she held up her hands as if to ward him off. ‘We came here for a rest.’
‘You came here to be with me,’ he told her, sure of his ground.
She raked her hair in a gesture he recognised from years back. ‘That isn’t fair. You’re not fair!’
‘What? Telling the truth isn’t fair?’
‘Oh, it’s so easy for you, isn’t it? But I know it’s all an act!’
‘An act? What act?’ Suddenly he was shouting too. And then she was tangled in his arms again, half-kissing, halffighting. But even then she managed to surprise him. Reaching up, she laced her fingers through his hair in an attempt to drag him down to her.
‘No, Nell!’ He pulled back.
‘No?’ The black passion in her eyes turned to blue ice.
‘No. We’ve tried that already and we know it doesn’t work.’ His voice was steady, reasoned, but he could see twin spots of fury forming on her cheeks. It was always like that between them, passion so close to the surface it only took the slightest encouragement to break free.
‘What, then?’ Her voice was anguished as she turned her face up to him. He knew it reflected all the hurt and anger she felt inside. ‘How should we behave towards each other, Luca?’
He held her firmly when she tried to break away. ‘I’ll tell you how, and it isn’t like this. I don’t want to have sex with you. I want to make love to you—and there’s one hell of a difference.’
His words hung in the air between them as if they both needed time to absorb what he’d said.
‘Luca…’
Cupping her chin, he made sure of her silence the only way he knew how. When he let her go again she stood breathless, staring up at him.
She had no idea that he could be so tender, or that a kiss started in passion could turn into music that sang in her soul, tuning her body to his so acutely she knew they were one.
He nuzzled her face again, rough stubble against soft skin. Closing her eyes, she let her lips part and gasped to feel his tongue. He was teasing her, withdrawing before she had time to get used to the sensation, then capturing the full swell of her bottom lip, tugging gently, so gently he almost made her cry. It raised every tiny hair on the back of her neck, and as her limbs softened with desire his arms went around her and he lifted her, carrying her across the room towards the door…
Luca’s bedroom was almost identical to her own. Shady and cool, with linen blinds drawn low across the picture windows. Beyond them the windows must have been open because the cream shades were billowing lightly in the stiff morning breeze.
She shivered as he set her down.
‘You’re not cold, are you?’
‘I think we both know I’m not.’
Luca’s eyes were slumberous, hiding his expression. ‘I suppose I should know everything about you, since I’m a doctor. And it’s not like me to misdiagnose.’
‘There’s always a first time, Doctor.’ Humour had always
been a cover for their insecurities and awkwardness. Now, suddenly, it had become something more, a secret connection that was a symbol of the journey they had taken together.
‘I’d better check I can still remember where all your pleasure zones are located. It’s been so long I may have forgotten what to do.’
‘I doubt it,’ Nell murmured, sinking lower on the bed as Luca lay down beside her, ‘but if you have forgotten, after my experience at the carnival I should be able to talk you through it.’
‘I can’t wait.’ He smiled as he dropped a kiss on her brow, on her eyelids, on her mouth…
He was so gentle with her, his fingers light as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His hands moved over her, sending tiny darts of pleasure coursing through her. She was on fire for him. She wanted everything he could give her…but she wanted his kisses most of all.
Tilting her chin, he stared into her eyes. ‘You frighten me,’ he whispered.
And then she didn’t have chance to question him because his lips claimed hers, his tongue probing, seeking, while his hands showed all the longing she dared hope for.
‘I frighten you?’ she murmured later, searching his gaze. ‘I’ve never felt like this before…’
‘Then that’s good,’ Luca whispered against her mouth, ‘because it wouldn’t be fair for only one of us to suffer.’ Tracing the length of her arm with one fingertip, he finally took her hand and laced their fingers together. ‘I want this to last, Nell.’
‘For how long?’ she whispered.
‘Forever.’
‘Forever?’
But he silenced her with another kiss, and then, brushing his chin against her face, he made her whimper. She could feel his warmth and his strength in every fibre of her being. ‘It’s like the first time…’ Turning her face up, she stared deep into his eyes. ‘I want you, Luca.’
‘I think I know that.’ He smiled as he kicked off his shoes, and then, removing her sandals, began caressing her feet, manipulating them skilfully.
She moaned softly. ‘I didn’t even know I liked this…’
‘Then you have everything to discover.’
A Venetian Affair Page 31