Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded

by Abby Green

  Cara willed him to just leave—go back to Rome, or anywhere, and leave her alone. This was why she’d held back; to have him know the intimate anatomy of her life was to invite a level of pain that she’d been avoiding.

  But suddenly Vicenzo was much closer, and Cara felt a warm hand come to her chin, bringing her head around and tipping it up where she couldn’t avoid his gaze. It lit a fire through her that she was terrified he’d see. It was as if telling him the truth and needing so badly for him to believe her had stripped back a layer of skin, bringing her desire to the surface, where she couldn’t hide it or deny it.

  When he said, ‘The flowers on Allegra’s grave?’ Cara’s brain couldn’t figure what he meant for a few seconds. She looked up helplessly, in thrall to the way her body was reacting, and then finally his words sank in. But she was having a hard time focusing, with the feel of his hand on her chin and the fact that he was so close she could smell his tantalising scent.

  She spoke, but it felt like a struggle, and a dart of apprehension went through her. Was he angry that she’d gone to such an intensely private place? That thought made her voice husky, slightly defensive. ‘I like going up there. It’s peaceful…but if you’d prefer I didn’t—’

  He shook his head abruptly, a curious light in his eyes. ‘No. Thank you. It was nice to see them there.’

  His proximity was too much all of a sudden, and there was a new charge in the air around them. Cara stepped back.

  ‘You mentioned the kind of place you’d like to see when we were on the Emerald Coast. There’s somewhere near here. A friend’s place…we’ll eat there tonight.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Cara blustered. ‘We don’t have to go anywhere…’

  But Vicenzo just took her by the arm and led her back inside, Doppo following faithfully.

  ‘Yes, we do. It’s casual, so don’t worry about dressing up…’

  That evening when Cara came into the front hall she felt jittery and jumpy. She told herself fiercely that this wasn’t a date. She knew that the only reason she was still here was because there was the unresolved issue of the debt—but perhaps now she could convince Vicenzo to let her go to find work and start paying him back? She ignored the dull pain in the middle of her chest as she thought about making a bid for freedom…but she knew she couldn’t stand much more of Vicenzo looking at her the way he had done earlier, as if he was really seeing her for the first time.

  And then her mind ground to a halt as Vicenzo appeared at the front door, in low-slung jeans and a thin grey long-sleeved top that lovingly hinted at every defined muscle in his chest. He held one motorcycle helmet in one hand and another in the other hand.

  His eyes raked her up and down, taking in her faded jeans and black sleeveless silk shirt with a high neck. Flat black ballet pumps. Her hair was down, golden red strands coiling over one shoulder like the lick of flame against the shirt. She carried a cardigan over one arm, and Vicenzo didn’t think he’d seen anyone as sexy as she looked right then. Yet the black of the shirt made him feel as if he wanted to march her out to the nearest boutique and dress her in the vibrant colours that would so suit her colouring.

  But she was not a lover, dressing to seduce and entice, even though she was effortlessly arousing him more than he cared to admit. She was his wife, and a whole tangled history still lay between them, revelations or no revelations. And beyond all that was desire, urgent and more powerful than before, beating through his entire body.

  Cara watched as Vicenzo handed her the smaller of the helmets and gestured for her to come outside, to where a huge, powerful motorbike sat waiting.

  ‘Have you ever ridden on a motorbike before?’

  Cara shook her head, her eyes wide as she took in its elegant lines. Excitement licked through her, along with relief that they weren’t going in a car or the Jeep.

  ‘How do we—? I mean, how do I get on…?’

  She watched as Vicenzo lifted one leg over and sat in the cradle of the bike, the material of his jeans stretching tight over hard thigh muscles. The sight was so unbelievably erotic that Cara’s legs turned to jelly. He held out a hand for her and she stepped forward, feeling inexplicably as if she were crossing a line in the sand when she felt him close his hand around hers. He held her hand and put his other one on her waist.

  ‘Just lift your leg over there, at the back.’

  She did as he said and found herself straddling the bike, the design of the seat making her slip down tight against him. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered, blushing furiously as she tried to back away.

  He put a hand on her thigh and it stopped Cara dead, the feel of his palm against her making her throb in response. ‘Stay where you are. It’s meant to be like that.’

  Cara gulped. She couldn’t be any closer to him if she climbed into his jeans.

  After she’d put on her helmet, and Vicenzo had turned back to make sure she had it on securely, she could feel his torso tight against her belly. It was all she could do to stay breathing. Then, after putting on his own helmet, Vicenzo took both her hands and brought them round his waist. She could feel his taut belly muscles move as he leant forward to turn on the bike, and as he lifted slightly to push down on the pedal.

  He said to her, ‘Now, just lean into me and hold on tight.’

  Then with a muted roar of the throttle they were off. Cara’s hands clenched tight around Vicenzo instinctively, as she had the initial fear of falling off, but as they came out of the gates, up the small road and turned onto the main coast road she started to relax. For a while she fought the way she found herself leaning into Vicenzo’s back so intimately, but in the end she had to give up and give in to it.

  The road they were racing along ran right along the coast, and the view was so spectacular as the sun dipped lower and lower on the horizon that Cara’s breath was taken even before the wind whipped it away. It was such an unutterably exhilarating experience that Cara was trying to savour each second, taking in the view, the way Vicenzo’s body dipped and swayed with the road, the powerful engine beneath them.

  About ten minutes later they came to a look out point at the side of the road. Vicenzo pulled in and stopped the bike, taking off his helmet. He pointed things out to Cara on the horizon, and back along the coast which stretched out behind them. The setting sun was streaking the clear azure sky with pink ribbons, and as they sat for a minute, just taking in the view, Cara felt her throat tighten. It was awfully pathetic, and they hadn’t even had dinner yet, but this was already the nicest experience anyone had ever given her.

  After driving along the coast for a little longer, they came to a stop on the edge of a beach that glowed white in the gathering warm dusk. Jumping lithely off the bike, Vicenzo turned to help Cara, two hands firm on her waist. She was more than a bit breathless by the time she was standing. Crystalline waters lapped against the shore of the beach, and Cara walked forward to explore, slipping off her shoes to feel the texture of the quartz-like stones. They were still warm from the sun.

  Vicenzo joined her, taking her by surprise when he took her hand. Feeling intensely vulnerable she tried to pull hers away. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to do this.’

  ‘Cara.’ He stopped in his tracks and kept her hand in a tight grip. She gave a little squeal when she felt him snake an arm around her, pulling her close to his body. She tried to hold herself tense but it was a losing battle.

  ‘Things have changed. You feel it and I feel it. You can’t deny that this…’ He moved his hand down and brought her in tight to his body. She could feel him, aroused and pressing against her. Pure lust shot through her. ‘This is all that matters now. Not the past, not the future. This is just for us. It’s got nothing to do with your brother or my sister any more.’

  But it does…the debt. Even as she thought that she looked up, drowning in his dark golden eyes, losing all sense of self. ‘But…the other night…when you didn’t…’

  He grimaced slightly, ‘At the villa?’

  She nodd
ed faintly.

  Vicenzo looked down at her. The revelation of that night and what it had shown him about her still stung. ‘It didn’t feel right,’ he said. And it hadn’t. Apart from her undeniable fragility that night, somehow the thought of making love to her there had repulsed him. He surprised himself now by vowing to sell the villa.

  He stepped back, tugging her gently to keep coming with him. Feeling very muddled, Cara finally did.

  Before long they approached a restaurant with an open terrace, set back from the beach in a clearing. Muted lights shone from open windows and doors, and when they entered Cara felt she was stepping into the most intimate Italian setting. Vicenzo was greeted warmly by a buxom older woman, who then took Cara in her arms and held her to her bosom before lavishing kisses on her face. Cara couldn’t help but laugh, and it felt good. A bubble of lightness was spreading up through her.

  They were led to an upper level, open to the gathering dusk, which held one single table, looking out over the beach and the sea beyond. If Cara had tried to paint a picture of what she had imagined then this was it.

  She heard Vicenzo say tightly, ‘We should have tried to get here for sunset…’

  ‘Oh, no.’ Cara turned a shining face to him. ‘This is wonderful. The moonlight on the water will be magical…and the stars.’

  Vicenzo mentally shook his head. If he had brought any of his previous lovers here, by now they would have been running screaming for the hills and civilisation.

  Cara reflected on Vicenzo’s words a short while later, as she watched him speak to the waiter in Italian. If what was between them wasn’t about her brother or his sister then what did she have to cling on to for protection? The debt. Like a coward, she skittered away from that thought again. The waiter left and Vicenzo turned to her. Then he smiled, and Cara knew she wasn’t strong enough to deal with a charming Vicenzo. That layer of skin that had been stripped off was nothing compared to what he could do like this.

  Cara felt as if they’d somehow gone back in time to the headiness of that first meeting, before she’d known who he was. It was a revelation to Cara as they started to talk about everything and anything, albeit being careful to stay away from controversial subjects.

  He told her how the family business had been set up by his grandfather, and had once been just a field with an olive grove. His father had expanded on that by starting a chain of Italian stores, and then Vicenzo had made the business a global enterprise in a shockingly small amount of time. Cara thought of his mother and what she had done, and she could see now what must have given him his drive. She told him shyly of how she’d found such solace in the Valentini coffee shop in London.

  She’d never seen Vicenzo like this: relaxed, funny, charming… Even that night in London there had been an edge to him which she just hadn’t given enough credit to at the time, because she’d been so bowled over by the sheer animal attraction that had flared between them.

  Over coffee he looked at her so intently that she finally asked, ‘What? Have I got something on my face?’

  He shook his head, and then asked quietly, ‘Why did you stay with your brother for so long? Why did you put yourself through that?’

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CARA’S belly immediately turned into a ball of knots. It was on the tip of her tongue to say she didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew so much now… She gave a little shrug and looked down at her coffee cup, twirling it around in its saucer. Out of nowhere Vicenzo’s hand came over hers, stopping her nervous movement.

  She looked up reluctantly. ‘Cormac was seven years older than me…’ She looked out to the sea for a moment before looking back. ‘I hero-worshipped him. He could do no wrong. I used to trail after him everywhere, and couldn’t understand it when he didn’t want me around. Even when he was younger he was aware of image…’

  Cara’s voice was low with emotion. ‘Cormac was bright—very bright. He got a scholarship to a private school, but once the other boys knew our dad was a postman they used to tease him mercilessly. I think that’s when he really started to resent our humble background. But our parents were so lovely…’

  Familiar grief welled within Cara and Vicenzo’s hand tightened over hers, stopping her breath for a moment. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. ‘They were just simple, down-to-earth people. Our mum was a housewife… They died within a year of each other. Dad had a heart attack, and I think when Mum found out she had cancer shortly afterwards she just gave up. Cormac had long gone to London, to make his millions in the city. He barely even came home to see Mum when she was dying…’

  Vicenzo felt anger rush through him. She’d taken the weight of her parents’deaths on her shoulders. She’d been just a child.

  ‘And when she died?’

  Vicenzo’s voice was unbearably gentle, making Cara feel like ripping her hand out from under his and begging him to stop playing with her emotions. Like a coward she avoided his eyes, she could feel their intensity on her.

  ‘I went to live with Cormac. He was twenty-three and well able to afford to support me, so he couldn’t say no. Mum had begged me to keep an eye on him. She was so worried. When I got there he wouldn’t let me finish school. He put me to work in his apartment. I managed to home-school myself to get my A levels, and then did the Open University course…’

  She looked up briefly, emotion high in her voice. ‘I was planning on leaving. I had my degree, I had my work at the club… I knew by then that I couldn’t help Cormac. All I was doing was watching him self-destruct. Allegra was lucky to have a brother like you. I always hoped that one day Cormac would somehow turn into someone he wasn’t…’ Her soft mouth twisted. ‘Pathetic, I know.’

  Vicenzo’s hand tightened on hers as a dart of pain struck him at how he’d let Allegra down. ‘Not pathetic at all. Very human. And he was a fool.’

  To Cara’s relief he seemed happy to leave it there, and then to her surprise she realised they were the last in the restaurant. As they walked out he turned to face her, all shadows and angles in the moonlight.

  He reached for her hand and raised it to his mouth, breathing in her scent, that evocative musky rose. It twined its way around his senses, making every part of him tighten with anticipation. He pressed a kiss to her palm and said softly, ‘Thank you for telling me about your brother, Cara.’

  By the time they were pulling up outside the villa on the bike she was a quivering wreck. During the ride Vicenzo’s top had risen up, so that Cara’s hands had been in direct contact with his naked lower belly. When she’d tried to move her hands at one stage, Vicenzo had placed his hand over hers. The temptation to explore and feel that hard belly, and lower, under the top of his jeans, had been sheer torture not to give in to. Every jolt along the road had forced her against him even more, and right now she didn’t think she’d be able to stand once she got off the bike.

  Before she could do anything Vicenzo had taken their helmets and put them away, and then he lifted her bodily off the bike and into his arms. Cara looked up in surprise and saw that his face was tight with need, a muscle clenching in his jaw.

  ‘You know there’s only one place this evening can end, don’t you?’

  Cara tried to breathe, tried to force some clarity and rationality into her mind. But all she could see and all she could think about was Vicenzo. It took a monumental will, but she pushed back and forced him to put her down. She avoided his eye and the clamour of her pulse. If he took her to his bed she feared that she’d break into tiny pieces. It had been so much easier to deal with him when he mistrusted her. Had believed the worst.

  ‘Look, I don’t want—’

  A hand came under her chin, forcing her head up to meet his incendiary gaze. ‘You don’t want what, Cara? This?’

  He pulled her into him and she melted. She tried to fight it but she couldn’t. She was already breaking into tiny pieces and she couldn’t stop it.

  ‘I want you, Cara.’ He framed her face with both hands and pressed
a kiss to her lips.

  Her eyes closed in mute desperate supplication. How she wanted him too. This time when he picked her up into his arms and looked at her she just gave a defeated little nod. That was all he needed.

  Vicenzo carried Cara through the silent house to his bedroom. Her heart was thundering so badly she felt a little faint. Inside the darkened room Vicenzo put her down and turned on a lamp near the bed. It cast a small pool of light, but Cara couldn’t take in her surroundings; she could only see Vicenzo.

  She started to tremble, and her breath hitched when she felt Vicenzo come to stand behind her. He lifted the hair from the nape of her neck and pressed a kiss there. She felt his fingers come to the buttons of her shirt, opening each one, his fingers grazing her skin as it was bared. The trembling got worse.

  Vicenzo’s blood was roaring through his veins and his arteries. He was so hard he quite literally ached. He turned her around and looked down. Her eyes were huge pools of hazel-green. Her mouth was a plump invitation that he had no intention of ignoring. Kissing Cara was like tasting the sweetest nectar. His lips slanted over hers and she opened her mouth in such an innocently provocative way that he forgot all about taking off her shirt, and concentrated on tasting and exploring her sweet mouth. It was only when he felt her hands fluttering near the bottom of his top that he drew back and sucked in a breath.

  She was looking up at him and with a glint in her eye she lifted up his top. Vicenzo raised his arms and helped her to pull it all the way off. She reached out and explored, feeling how the muscles moved and clenched under that satin olive skin. Hard flat nipples stood up to blunt points when she touched them, and they got even harder when she leant forward and explored with her tongue. Vicenzo grabbed her head, tangling his fingers in her hair, then pulled her head back, slightly shocked at how turned-on she was making him.