Anna had done it! He knew she was good, irresistible even, but tricking Mancini into signing the napkin, now that was a stroke of genius.
“I must admit I was worried you wouldn’t pull it off,” he said softly, releasing her from his bear hug. “But I can see I worried for nothing.”
Anna exhaled slowly.
“This is a fantastic achievement. I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s okay,” Anna ran a hand through her hair, still mussed from his embrace. “Mancini was an easy target, really. He was practically drooling down my cleavage all night.”
She shuddered.
Wanting to comfort her, Rafael reached out and rubbed her bare arms. “Well, it’s all over now, so you can forget about him. Mission accomplished.” Her skin felt warm and very soft beneath his hands.
Anna had gone very still. She stared at him, her eyes filled with desire and confusion. Almost instinctively he began to caress her, his thumbs making little circles on the sensitive flesh at the back of her upper arms.
“Rafael... I don’t think you should be doing this.” Her voice was soft, almost pleading. Rafael got the impression that she was appealing to him to stop, because she lacked the willpower to move away.
“Why not?” He enquired softly. He could feel the heat radiating off her body. A flush crept into her cheeks. “Don’t you like it?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that, I just don’t think it’s a very good idea. We’re supposed to be working together here.”
“And we are,” Rafael confirmed, his hands dropping to her waist. He could feel her slim hips under his thumbs. “I think we make an excellent team, although admittedly, you’ve done all the work so far.” He winked at her. “But I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Anna took a deep breath and twisted out of his grip. She could still feel the imprint of his thumbs on her hips. It was as if he’d scorched her with his sensual touch. To his credit he didn’t react. He simply stood there watching her, a curious expression on his face.
What the hell am I doing? The man is sex on toast and I’m refusing to take a bite. I must need my head read.
“I’m sorry,” she said, ignoring the disappointment flooding her limbs. “I’m not sure I can do this. Firstly I hardly know you, and secondly, I don’t do casual flings. That’s your forte. Not mine.” And thirdly, if you kissed me I wouldn’t be able to stop.
She remembered what he’d said earlier that day in the cafe. He may operate on a casual, no strings basis, but she didn’t. Never had. Wasn’t going to start now.
“You may not want to,” he said softly, looking directly into her eyes. “But your body certainly does.”
Anna felt herself flush. “You’re wrong,” she lied. “You have no effect over my body, whatsoever. I’m totally immune to your touch.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth Anna regretted it. Like he needed the extra challenge.
Rafael smiled, recognising the opening. “Now I know you’re lying.” He reached out and took her hand, pulling her slowly towards him. “And I can prove it.”
Ann tried to look offended, but didn’t quite manage it. Her self-control had deserted her. She watched in a kind of trance as he ran his hand up her arm and buried it into her hair, cupping the back of her head. Tingles shot down her spine and into her toes. Every cell in her body felt alert. Even her hairs were standing on end. She shivered.
“Cold?” He smiled into her eyes.
The bastard knew the effect he was having on her. Anna shook her head. It wasn’t fair. She’d been back less than an hour and already she was putty in his hands. Couldn’t she at least play a little hard to get?
“I think you’ve proven your point,” she whispered, shrugging her shoulders to loosen his grip. He did drop his hands, but only to snake them around her waist.
“You know what I think?” He pulled her so she was flush against his body. Heat flooded her loins and her legs turned to jelly. His face was inches from hers.
“What?” she whispered shakily.
“I think that you want this as much as I do.” He leant forward and brushed his lips ever so slightly against hers. Hardly a kiss, but a frisson of electricity shot through her body.
At her lack of reply he pressed, “Isn’t that true?”
“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. How could she tell him she was afraid of her own emotions, afraid of losing control? He wasn’t the right man for her, there was no doubt about that, yet she couldn’t seem to resist him.
“There are so many reasons why we shouldn’t.”
Rafael was nuzzling her neck, which made Anna’s reasons all the more hard to focus on.
“You mean like the inheritance?” His voice was low and husky in her ear sending shivers down her spine.
“Yes, and I’m leaving Italy soon. Not to mention that technically you’re my half-brother.”
Rafael grazed her neck with his end-of-day stubble. Unable to hold back any longer she lifted her hand and thread her fingers through his hair. It felt great to be touching him. She’d wanted to do that for days.
“Mm...” he murmured, kissing his way from her neck back to her mouth. “I’m adopted, remember? Doesn’t count.”
There goes that excuse. Anna was running out of reasons to resist, and her will-power was all but depleted. She gave it one last shot. “I just know I’m going to regret this in the morning.”
Rafael paused, his mouth less than an inch from hers. “I’m not. I’ve wanted you since that night you broke into my house.” At her astonished look he continued, “You almost drove me mad in your skimpy black leggings and tiny top. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. Why do you think I took you out for dinner? I had to see you again.”
Oh hell. Anna felt the last of her resistance melt away. It was going to happen. She knew now that she was going to give herself to Rafael because he had an effect on her that no other man ever had.
It wasn’t just that he was brutally hot, it was his sexual prowess, his confidence she found so attractive. And when he touched her in his slow, deliberate way, she was powerless to resist.
Every woman wants to be swept off her feet occasionally. Right now, it was happening to her. She should enjoy it instead of fighting it.
Teasing her lips with his kisses, Rafael wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I know you want it too, caro. Your body doesn’t lie.”
He increased the pressure on her lips and Anna opened them in response. She couldn’t fight it anymore. He was right. She wanted him. Her body wanted him. Her skin was crying out for his touch. With a moan she succumbed and allowed him entry into her mouth. Heat flooded her body and every pore tingled with anticipation.
Locked together Anna was dimly aware of his hands expertly unzipping her gown. With a soft rush of silk it landed in a pile at her feet. Pausing for breath she stepped out of it.
“God, you are beautiful.” Rafael stared at her body with blatant awe. Emboldened by his praise Anna reached for him and lifted his T-shirt up and over his head. With equal awe she ran her fingers over his washboard abs and traced an invisible line around his waist.
“So are you,” she whispered. Tentatively, she pulled down his trousers which soon joined her dress on the floor. She stared in wonder. He was huge—and rock solid.
How am I going to fit that inside of me? She was momentarily bewildered.
“Touch me,” he ordered. Anna wrapped her hand around his shaft. Rafael groaned and pulled her roughly towards him. She slammed into his taut body. He claimed her lips with his own and kissed the life out of her until she was gasping for breath. There was an urgency within him that was overwhelming. His hands were everywhere, teasing, caressing her to the point of delirium.
“Say it,” he demanded. “Say you want me.”
“I want you, Rafael,” she gasped. Even though the thought of total surrender frightened her, the need to feel him inside of her was stronger.
With a sharp intake of breath Rafae
l picked her up and carried her upstairs as if she weighed next to nothing. At her height, that was no mean feat. They collapsed on his enormous bed, breathing heavily.
Reaching for her panties, Rafael slid them down her legs and pulled them off. He caressed the soft mound of blonde pubic hair, but didn’t enter. Anna arched towards him, begging, needing to feel his fingers inside of her.
“All in good time,” he murmured, worshiping her body with his eyes. Cupping a breast with his left hand he gently rolled the nipple between his fingers until it was as hard as rubber. Anna gasped. Delicious sensations jolted through her body right down to her loins. She writhed in ecstasy.
He retook her mouth with his own, but this time the kisses were deeper, more gentle than before. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him to her. The weight of his body on top of her was erotic, satisfying.
Rafael slipped two fingers between her legs. Anna gasped and clung to him as the desperate ache in her groin intensified. He rubbed expertly until she was moaning with pleasure.
“Please...” she begged, when she didn’t think she could take the tension any more. With perfect timing Rafael plunged deep inside her. Anna heard herself cry out. Rafael’s lean hips undulated on top of her as he built up the momentum. With every deep thrust he drove her closer and closer to ecstasy until she was throbbing with unreleased tension.
“Oh God, I’m coming,” gasped Anna, bucking vigorously beneath him as spasm after glorious spasm overtook her body. Rafael gave a groan and gripped onto her as he plunged into her over and over again, securing his own release.
Sunlight fell in through the window directly onto Rafael’s face, waking him with a start. In the heat of the moment last night he’d forgotten to draw the curtains. He turned his head to the side. There, still sleeping peacefully beside him was Anna, looking angelic and surprisingly rested despite their energetic night.
Rafael slipped out of bed and drew the curtains gently, so as not to wake her. Let her sleep, she needed it. Last night had been incredible. He stirred just thinking about it. Sex with Anna had quite literally blown his mind. That body of hers... magnifico!
He turned on the shower, closing the bathroom door. Images of Anna writhing naked beneath him and later bucking on top of him flashed before his eyes. In bed she was totally uninhibited. He loved that about her. She was a breath of fresh air. Rafael felt himself getting hard. He climbed into the shower and immersed himself under the steaming hot water. Contrary to what he’d thought, his desire had not faded since he’d had her. Rafael knew one night was not going to be enough.
Even though they’d made love again, much later, it had been no less phenomenal than the first time. If anything it was more intense with each of them taking their time to explore the other fully. He could honestly say that from the tips of her toes to the golden hair on her head, she was perfectly put together. Getting out and rubbing himself dry, Rafael marvelled at how Anna’s body reacted to his touch. She was so responsive. When they’d had sex the second time, he’d barely begun kissing her and already she was wet and ready for him. He found her sensuality an incredible turn-on.
Standing, now fully dressed, at the foot of the bed he allowed himself a long moment to gaze at her perfect sleeping form. She lay on her side with one long smooth leg thrown over the covers. Last night those legs had been wrapped around his waist. His eyes roamed over her firm thigh and curvy hip before following the delicious line of her body up to where the swell of her right breast rose enticingly, pale and soft, against the white bedding. Rafael swallowed. Even now he could take her again.
The sexual chemistry between him and Anna was undeniable. Rafael couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone more. Ever the pragmatist, however, Rafael didn’t kid himself his euphoric feelings this morning were anything more than symptomatic of the night they’d experienced together.
He’d had his fair share of passionate love affairs. Sometimes the desire took a few days to work its way out of his system, other times it was longer, but the effect was always the same. Eventually, Rafael lost interest. He had no doubt the same would happen with Anna. Now that she was living under his roof he couldn’t avoid her, not that he wanted to, but in his experience, constant contact was the best antidote to desire. That’s why he never took his relationships to the next level and moved in with anyone. It was a sure passion-killer.
Anna awoke wondering where the hell she was. She sat bolt upright, squinting against the brightness of the room. Slowly the events of last night came back to her. Dinner with Mancini... Coming back to Rafael’s apartment... Sex with Rafael... More sex with Rafael.
She winced. The dreaded morning after. Where was he anyway? The bathroom door was open and she smelt soap. He must have already showered, dressed and gone downstairs.
She heard singing coming from the kitchen. Rafael singing? Jumping out of bed she opened the door a crack and listened. Yes, that was his voice. A pleasant tenor reverberated from the kitchen. Giggling she closed the bedroom door and padded over to the mirror.
“Christ!” Look at the state of her. Hair out ninety-degrees, mascara smudged under her eyes, swollen lips from too much kissing... She looked well and truly... well, yes. That.
Where the hell were her clothes? They must still be downstairs. Well, she wasn’t going to saunter down naked to fetch them so she needed a plan B. Looking around her eyes fell on one of Rafael’s shirts, freshly ironed and hanging on his wardrobe door. Perfect. Sliding it on Anna returned to the bathroom, freshened up and tried to sort out her wayward hair. Luckily, because it was long and straight it required very little maintenance. A few hand pulls and she’d transformed her tangled locks into respectable bed-hair.
Time to face the music.
“Hello, gorgeous,” called Rafael as she made her tentative appearance in the kitchen. He kissed her full on the lips. “You look so delectable I should take you right back upstairs and ravish you all over again.”
Anna laughed and took a seat at the high breakfast table in the centre of the kitchen. “Please no. Give me a chance to recover first.”
Rafael met her gaze. “I will.”
He placed two steaming mugs of freshly plunged coffee on the table and opened the oven. “Croissants okay with you?”
“And breakfast,” mused Anna. “This is five-star treatment.”
“You deserve it,” he replied, winking at her.
“You’d better be careful or I might start falling in love with you.” It was a joke, but somehow it didn’t have the desired effect. Perhaps because it was a bit too close to the truth.
Rafael’s gaze clouded over and he took a seat opposite her. “Love? What’s love got to do with it?” His sudden seriousness was disturbing. “We’re having fun. Let’s not ruin it.”
“Oh yes, I forgot you’re allergic to the L-word.”
He gave her a pained look. “Come on, that’s not fair.”
“You don’t believe in love, you told me so yourself. Anyway, don’t worry. I was only joking. In case it wasn’t obvious, I had lots of fun last night, too.”
Despite her cheery tone Anna was worried. For her sex with Rafael was so much more than just sex. She didn’t have flings.
Until now.
With Rafael it was different. With him it was pure enjoyment. It was physical and sensual and orgasmic. She’d never experienced anything like it before in her life. To say she was overwhelmed was an understatement.
They steered clear of messy subjects like sex and love for the rest of the morning managing to get by with lots of small talk and jokes.
After cleaning the apartment they decided to head back to Capri. This time Rafael was silent as he gazed out over the Bay of Naples, apparently lost in his own thoughts. Anna was fine with that.
“I think I’ll enjoy the sunshine,” she called, as she placed a big straw hat over her face, lay down on the deck and pretended to doze.
What would the next few weeks hold? She had to get the DNA test done and
sent off to the lab to compare with Giovanni’s. That was the most important thing right now. She was eager to confirm that she really was Giovanni’s daughter. Even though she’d never met him, the knowledge that she had a real, flesh and blood father helped in some way to give her that sense of security she’d always longed for as a child.
She couldn’t deny the money would make a huge difference to her life. What would she do with ten million dollars? Travel, invest in property, start her own business... the possibilities were endless. As the boat sped over the white crests towards Capri, Anna mused about many things, but what she refused to dwell on was Rafael and the night of passion that they’d shared.
The sun was still high in the sky when they got home. “Let’s have a drink on the terrace,” Rafael called as he threw his keys on the table in the entrance hall and disappeared upstairs.
“Okay,” said Anna and strolled out to the back terrace. It was bathed in sunlight and framed with potted citrus trees, bursting with lemons. Anna gasped in delight.
The back garden extended for almost an acre down a terraced slope, where plenty of olive groves soaked up the sun’s rays. In the distance, the cobalt blue Mediterranean sparkled merrily.
“Gosh, it’s stunning here,” she gaped unable to tear her eyes away from the scene before her.
“Yes, I’ve always loved this house,” remarked Rafael coming up behind her. “I used to come here as a teenager during the holidays.”
“So this was Giovanni’s house,” said Anna, her eyes flickering with interest. Her gut instinct had been spot on when she’d broken in here that morning.
Rafael nodded. “I moved in when he died.”
So he’d gotten the house, too. Interesting.
“Come and have a look around.” He led her down to the olive grove. “I mess around here in my spare time. Maria, that’s the housekeeper, likes to bottle the olives. There are jars of the stuff in the pantry.” He grinned at her easily.
Anna envied his care-free stance on what had happened last night—but then he was a man. Sex to them was just... well, sex. Nothing more. Nothing to be afraid of. No emotions other than the primal ones. Rafael knew exactly how to behave. He’d probably been in this situation many times. He touched her intimately as they walked around the garden, running a hand over her bottom or grazing the underside of her breast with his fingers. Although she smiled and went along with it, Anna couldn’t shake the uneasiness that had settled over her that morning. It was almost as if she was speeding towards a precipice when suddenly she’d discovered the breaks didn’t work.
The Italian Inheritance Page 11