‘Yes...’ She felt like screaming for him. Now. But that would be too easy and over far too soon. If this was a seduction, then she wanted it to be just as slow and delicious as he obviously did.
They drifted together in the water, his kisses becoming more and more insistent until here and now were the only things that mattered. But he guided her over to the edge of the pool, levering himself up onto the rocks and bending to help her out.
‘Go and get dressed.’ His lips curved as if this was all part of the game. Getting dressed and going home. Back to his bed, where they could do whatever they wanted together.
His gaze didn’t follow her as she slipped behind the fold in the rocks, and Rose didn’t steal a look at him either. As they walked back down to the car together, he held her hand. They both knew exactly where this was headed and didn’t need to rush.
* * *
He drew up in front of his house. Now was the time to either finish what they’d started or walk away. Matteo didn’t want to walk away.
And, even though he’d given her plenty of opportunity to change her mind, it seemed that Rose didn’t want to walk away either. They’d made their promises. William would never be hurt. They would hold each other and let each other go. They would be tender.
As soon as he switched off the engine she reached for him, and the world went crazy again. Ice melted into a molten pool of lava, reasonable thought was tipped headlong out of the window, and all he knew was that he wanted to be close to her.
Unfortunately, there was only so much you could do in the front seat of a car. He disentangled himself from her embrace, practically falling out of the driver’s seat. It was tempting to sweep her up in his arms, but when he explored the idea briefly it lost its glamour. The gesture was the kind of thing that he supposed might be expected of him, he’d done it a few times before in the distant past when other women weren’t all measured against Rose. But Rose was special, and he didn’t want to carry her up to his bedroom like a rag doll. He wanted her to walk.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t kiss her on the way, though. Let her know that, when they both ended up in the same place, under their own steam, it was a kismet that he wanted more than anything.
By the time they got to the bedroom there was more kissing than walking. A kind of long, rolling embrace, both unaware of anything in their path. Matteo hit his shin on something, and his only perception of pain was that it was yet another of the sharp sensations that seemed to be cascading through him.
They collapsed together on the bed, and somehow Rose ended up on top of him. All he could do was watch as she straddled his hips, her skirt spread out around her legs, her chest rising and falling as her breath quickened.
She bent towards him, her hand sliding under his T-shirt as she kissed him. Another bolt of pleasure shot from her fingers as they found his nipple, pinching it gently.
‘You know...that whatever you give now, you get back...’ He tried to make it sound like a warning, but it was just a promise.
‘I’m counting on it.’ She laughed against his lips, her hand wandering across his chest, and Matteo felt his muscles tense at her touch as he wondered what her next move was going to be.
Suddenly she sat up straight, bunching the frayed neck of his T-shirt between her fingers, her intentions clear.
‘You wouldn’t...’ She probably hadn’t been about to actually do it, but the challenge made it a distinct possibility now. ‘What if this is my favourite T-shirt?’
‘It’s red, you can’t even see the colour.’ She bent down, kissing his lips. ‘I’ll take you shopping and buy you another, honey...’
The sudden reversal of roles, accompanied by the tug as she tore the T-shirt off him, made his head spin. Rose bent to kiss his chest, and Matteo lay back, revelling in the sensation. She took her time about working her way down to the waistband of his jeans and he craved what he knew would come next.
Her fingers teased and then touched. He groaned as she slowly pulled the zip open, freeing him for her caress. Helpless, and loving every moment of it, he let her strip him naked.
‘Like what you see?’ A life spent on the beach and in the water had left Matteo with no inhibitions about his body, but he wanted to hear her say it.
‘Very much. I want what I see...’ Her fingers trailed down his chest and across his hips. Just in case there was any doubt about exactly which part of him she wanted most, she bent, staking her claim with a kiss.
Blind sensation tore a groan from Matteo’s lips. Before she had a chance to do any more, and rip the last vestiges of control away from him, he sat up, pulling her tight against his chest.
‘Oh!’ Gleeful surprise was written all over her face. It was time for him to stake his claim. He moved his hand to the back of her dress, pulling the zip down.
‘Take it off. Then close your eyes.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HE WAS A master of the unexpected. His caress moved across her body until she shivered, leaving her in self-imposed darkness for a moment, before his hands claimed another inch of flesh somewhere else.
Matteo whispered words she didn’t understand, but which sounded impossibly sensual, then proved that it was his lips, his voice that made them so erotic, by translating them into English. He wanted to possess her. He wanted to hear her scream his name, but not yet. Only when she had no choice but to do so.
He laid her down, settling his body over hers. She could feel him. Smell him. Taste his kisses. He moved away for a moment, and then she felt him put something into her hand. Her fingers closed around the foil-packeted condom, and she shivered. While she still held it, there was still more of his exquisite foreplay to come.
She felt his hand slide between her legs, his fingers searching for the most sensitive spots. He made her cry out, and then slid one finger gently inside. Rose felt her muscles close around it, her body arching not just with the pleasure of feeling him inside her but with the heady anticipation of more.
‘Open your eyes.’
She couldn’t. These feelings were too overwhelming. She didn’t trust herself to look at him.
Slowly, he withdrew his finger. ‘Open them...’
‘Matteo... Please...’
He used two fingers this time, slipping them slowly inside her, mimicking his next move. She could feel his heart beat against hers, and suddenly she had to see his face. As she opened her eyes, she felt a tear trickle down her cheek.
His lazy smile was intensified now by the fire in his eyes. They were both ready, their bodies achingly taut, every touch a sensation every breath a gasp for more.
‘Matteo... Here...’ She tried to press the condom into his hand but he shook his head, silencing her with a kiss.
‘Shh... We haven’t even begun yet.’
* * *
It was like an erotic game of tag, the upper hand passing back and forth between them. The delicious friction of their bodies made her come, choking out his name and making Matteo’s head spin with pleasure. He’d held her close, every screaming nerve in his body begging that this wouldn’t be the end of it, and then felt her move against him.
Her hair, dried by the sun, swirled around her face in a wild mass and her eyes blazed with blue fire. She was more beautiful that he’d ever seen her. Suddenly the game ended and she gasped as he took the condom from her hand. No more him, and no more her.
As he embraced her, he felt her legs curl around his back. Moving together, the last vestiges of any control were lost to the inevitable, unstoppable build of passion.
‘Rose... Rose...’ Suddenly he felt her muscles tighten around him, wave after wave of motion that seemed to crash through the rest of her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, and in that moment he was lost. The last thing he knew, before his own release claimed him, was that
his name was on her lips.
* * *
Her body felt as if she’d been still for too long and now she moved, stretching her cramped muscles until they’d eased. They’d lain for a long time together, the ceiling fan above the bed moving the warm air across her skin like a caress. Rose couldn’t remember when he’d switched it on, or whether it had been on all the time. All she could think about was the thousand ways in which Matteo had touched her.
She tapped his shoulder and received a lazy smile, his eyes still half closed. ‘I don’t suppose...’ Even the thought of food was making her stomach rumble. ‘You haven’t got any leftovers in the fridge, have you?’
‘You are the most perfect woman.’ He lifted her fingers to his lips.
‘What...?’ What had she done now?
‘You make love and then your mind turns to food.’ He grinned, levering himself upright. ‘Stay there...’
‘I’ll go. I want to see what you have.’ Rose rolled off the bed, and he flopped back against the pillows, watching her as she picked up her dress, shaking it to get rid of some of the creases.
‘Take a T-shirt if you like.’ He pointed to a drawer, and when she opened it she saw piles arranged neatly in order of colour. She picked up what looked like the roomiest and pulled it over her head, finding that it reached down well past the top of her legs.
Turning to find that he’d been watching her every move, she planted a kiss on his lips and then walked downstairs to the kitchen. There was a plate of fresh cannoli, obviously bought as an afternoon treat, along with a bowl of strawberries, and Rose arranged them together on two small plates.
‘Just what I was thinking...’ She hadn’t heard Matteo approach, but now she felt his warmth against her back and caught his scent. He reached around her, picking a strawberry from the bowl, and then turned to the fridge, taking a bottle of white wine from the shelf.
‘I would have brought it up.’ Rose had been looking forward to cannoli in bed.
‘Couldn’t last another second without you.’ He grinned, picking up a pair of glasses and walking out onto the patio, even though he was only wearing a pair of loose, casual shorts.
She hesitated and he turned around. ‘It’s okay. This isn’t London.’
No, it wasn’t. The strict separation between outside and inside didn’t apply here. Open doors, open windows were a way of life. She followed him out onto the veranda, where he’d appropriated a cushion from one of the chairs and was sitting on the wide stone parapet to get the best of the afternoon breeze. Rose laid the plates down next to him and fetched a cushion for herself, climbing up to sit next to him.
‘These are lovely...’ She’d wolfed down the first cannoli on her plate, and Matteo laughed, reaching round to wipe a smudge from the side of her mouth. Reaching for the glasses, he opened the bottle of wine and poured a little into each.
The wine was sweet and the taste multi-layered. Matteo put his arm around her and she rested against him, sipping from her glass.
‘It’s funny...’
She looked at him, wondering what had prompted the observation. ‘What’s funny?’
‘After the last couple of hours I would have thought that all I would be able to do was eat a little then maybe take a walk on the beach, maybe sleep a bit in the shade.’
That didn’t sound like a bad plan, even if Rose still wanted to feel him hold her, and the touch of his body still awakened an edge of unsatisfied hunger. ‘What else do you want?’
He kissed the top of her head. Rose reached around, turning his face so that she could kiss him on the lips. The hunger started to grow, turning into an insistence, and Matteo slid down from the parapet, turning to face her.
‘Seems I haven’t had enough of you yet.’ He kissed her again, lightly, and made to draw back, but she pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck.
‘I haven’t had enough of you either.’
He gave a murmur of quiet approval, pulling the cushion she was sitting on, her along with it, a little closer. One hand pushed her legs apart and the other arm wound tight around her waist, supporting her.
‘I won’t let you fall.’
‘I know. But...’ Rose snatched a glance behind her at the awning that hung from the roof of the veranda. Drawn low, to protect them from the afternoon sun, it flapped lazily in the breeze.
‘It’s okay. The side gate’s locked so no one can get through here. And no one can see us.’ He reached into his pocket and drew out a foil packet. ‘You came prepared?’ She smiled up at him.
‘Not quite for this. I thought maybe later...’
‘But you couldn’t wait.’ Rose ran her finger around the elasticated waistband of his shorts. ‘Neither can I.’
He pulled her a little further forward, right to the edge of the parapet, and she wrapped her legs around him. She felt him tug at his shorts, letting them fall so he could step out of them, and felt his erection press against her leg.
How could this be? The way they’d made love, Rose would have thought that she wouldn’t want sex for at least another week. But she was just as hungry for him as ever, as if Matteo had flipped a switch somewhere and all she could think about was more.
He kissed her, holding her tight, one arm around her waist, the other hand at the back of her head. Rose felt herself begin to tremble.
‘This is not just...’ He seemed lost for words, but that was okay because this was beyond words. ‘I respect—’
She laid her finger across his lips. ‘I get the message, Matteo, and I respect you too. Only right now I don’t want you for your mind.’
‘I’m just a sexual plaything to you...?’ He gasped as she rolled the condom down over him.
‘Yes. Any objections?’
‘None that I can think of.’ She could feel his body, hard and tight against hers. They were going so fast that there wasn’t even a chance to strip her T-shirt off before he was inside her. And then there was nothing to do but just hang on and feel him go for the burn.
They came together, the one, last movement of his hips making them both cry out. Everything that gave her pleasure seemed to give him equal pleasure. Every movement, every touch was for both of them, not just him or her. Rose clung tight to him as their breathing began to slow, feeling sweat trickle down the back of her neck.
He lifted her down from the parapet, setting her gently on her feet. ‘You know...being a sexual plaything isn’t as bad as I’d thought it might be.’ Matteo grinned, kissing her forehead.
‘No? How bad did you think it would be?’
He shrugged, reaching for his glass and taking a sip before he handed it to her. ‘I don’t know really. I had a lingering fear that you might chain me to the bed and take over my kitchen.’
‘No chance. You’re far too good a cook for that. How about sexual and domestic plaything?’
He laughed taking the glass back for another sip of wine. ‘Yeah, okay. That works for me.’
* * *
They showered, and then cooked and ate together. Time slipped away, like sand through her fingers, and before Rose was finished with the afternoon it had gone and she was wriggling back into her dress, smoothing the creases.
He walked her to her car, opening the driver’s door for her. She kissed him goodbye, caught in his gaze for one last time.
‘I loved this afternoon, Rose. I wish you could have stayed tonight.’
‘So do I.’ Guilt stabbed at her, and she reached up to smooth the collar of his shirt. ‘I’m sorry, but I really do have to get back for William.’
‘I know. That’s okay, I was just registering the feeling. I know you have to go.’
‘Thanks.’ Matteo never seemed to blame her when things didn’t go quite the way he wanted them to. He just accepted the way it was. ‘Can we do this again?’<
br />
He smiled down at her. ‘I was very much hoping we might.’
* * *
She drew up outside the house just as Elena was ushering the children out of her car. William sleepily told her that he’d had a great time, and then Rose took over and bathed the children ready for bed.
‘You’ve finished the model?’ Elena was curled up on the sofa next to her husband, Cesare, when she got back downstairs.
‘Yes, I still need to do the colour wash, but it needs to dry out first. In fact, we went for a drive this afternoon up to a hot spring in the mountains.’
‘Ah. Very good for the complexion.’ Elena laughed quietly. ‘You need to go back now to collect your things?’
She must have noticed that Rose hadn’t unloaded the boxes of modelling equipment from her car. To tell the truth, she’d forgotten all about them. ‘No, I... I’ll go and fetch the model during the week.’
‘Why don’t you go now?’
It was only nine o’ clock. She could have coffee with Matteo, maybe a walk on the beach, before she came home again. ‘No, I... You’ve had William all day.’
‘You look after my children all the time. And four children is not so different from three when they’re asleep.’
‘I don’t know...’ Rose was already missing Matteo, but this was crazy. ‘No. It’s okay.’
Elena didn’t appear to have heard what Rose had just said. ‘If you have things to do, and it gets late, you needn’t drive alone at night. Come back in the morning.’
‘No, I—’
‘Go to him.’ Elena ended the conversation with a wave of her hand and picked up the book that was lying next to her.
Right. Rose had just managed to banish the thought that I’ve just had sex was written in large letters across her forehead. Clearly she’d been mistaken. It must be I’ve just had great sex and I wish I could have stayed with him for the night.
‘If you’re sure...’
Elena ignored her and Cesare put down the papers he was reading and took off his glasses. ‘Go. Let the model dry out tonight and bring it up to the site tomorrow morning. If anyone asks for you I’ll say you’ve been working this weekend and you’re spending the morning at home.’
English Rose for the Sicilian Doc Page 13