Rico made her feel special and wanted as never before. There was a hollow place inside her that craved fulfilment and understanding, a part of her that yearned for approval and desperately wanted to belong. It had been there all her life and she had tried unsuccessfully to fill it by throwing all her energies into work. But Rico made her feel less hollow, less alone. Just once in her life she wanted to experience what it was like to be desired.
What if she turned him down now and never had the chance for the rest of her life to experience anything like it again? The temptation was too great to resist. She had never felt like this with anyone else. Yes, he overwhelmed her senses. Yes, he had seduced her with his charm and his magnetism, his sexy voice and the hunger in his eyes. But if this was to go further, it was to be her decision, her choice. He was giving her free will, but also responsibility.
She knew a price would have to be paid afterwards, but maybe it would be worth it. And maybe she had subconsciously made her decision when she had agreed to stay the extra night. Scared and excited, Ruth stepped into the room and sealed her fate.
‘Thank you.’ He sounded relieved and sincere, and the warm promise in his voice fired her blood. ‘I will do all I can to ensure you have no regrets.’
After locking the door, he guided her through the suite to the bedroom. Ruth’s heart nearly stopped when she saw the huge four-poster bed that dominated the plush room. ‘Oh, my.’ She only realised she had murmured the words aloud when she heard Rico’s wry chuckle.
‘I am not normally one for ostentatious luxuries and I was surprised when I arrived here to discover I had been assigned an executive bedroom,’ he told her, crossing the room to close the curtains.
Uncertain what to do, a whole squadron of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Ruth hovered anxiously in the bedroom as Rico disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, returning moments later with a satin-lined wicker basket.
‘This I barely glanced at, never expecting to use it,’ he said, setting his treasure on the bedside chest. ‘Now I am grateful for the hotel’s welcome gifts.’
As Rico switched on the two bedside lamps, Ruth had a quick peep into the basket, spotting, amongst other things, massage oil and an unopened box of condoms. She turned round as the main light was extinguished, leaving the room cast in the warm muted glow of the lamps. Her breath lodged in her throat as Rico closed the gap between them, halting in front of her.
‘Take off my clothes.’
The instruction was issued in a husky whisper, the words beguiling, shocking and seducing her. Rico made no move to touch her, or to force her compliance. If she wanted this, wanted him, he was not going to allow her to be a passive bystander. For a moment all her fears and inadequacies rose up, daunting her. She had made a terrible mistake. She couldn’t do this. Knowing every emotion must be reflected in her eyes, she met Rico’s gaze. Seeing the trust and desire there boosted her flagging confidence.
Fingers shaking so badly she struggled to control them, she slowly undid the buttons down the front of his crisp white shirt, exposing tantalising glimpses of olive-toned skin as she went. She bit her lip as she pulled the tails of the shirt free of the waistband of his trousers, her mouth watering as she eased the material off his shoulders and down his arms, her gaze greedily savouring the lean, sculpted musculature of his torso.
A subtle hint of warm cedar mingled with the musky maleness of him and left her heady. She yearned to touch him, but she still felt cautious and unsure of herself, so she sucked in a shaky breath and turned her attention back to her task. Her hands were even more clumsy as they unsnapped his belt, then moved to the fastening of his trousers, but Rico did no more than toe off his shoes and wait for her to continue at her own pace.
As she undid the button and eased down the zipper, her fingers brushed against his arousal. He drew in a sharp breath, reacting instantly to her touch, his stomach muscles clenching. Focused on him and the perfection of his body, some of her awkwardness dissipated, and she slowly drew down the fabric of his trousers, taking his briefs with them, leaving him standing before her, naked and proud. Her heart hammered in her chest and she was unable to drag her gaze from the sight of him, acknowledging his magnificence while at the same time experiencing a flicker of fear at his raw sexuality and blatant maleness.
This wasn’t her, Ruth worried. She didn’t do this. She’d never enjoyed sex before, and even though everything was so different with Rico, and she had responded to him so readily, what if she was a failure and couldn’t please him? Despite being the one fully clothed, she felt incredibly defenceless and insecure. Her gaze inched back up until it met his again and she saw the understanding there, mixed with the heated desire.
‘Now undress for me, Ruth.’
She couldn’t! The almost imperceptible shake of her head and her startled gasp betrayed her anxiety. She wanted to move away but her feet refused to obey her. Rico’s compelling eyes gleamed with knowledge, promise and a burning hunger that had her blood racing crazily through her veins. There was nothing to bind her. Nothing but that sinful gaze and sexy voice. Yet freedom was an illusion…she was captive to the desire, to the clawing need that intensified inside her.
Trembling, she began to take off her clothes, self-conscious, yet warmed by the appreciation in Rico’s eyes as he followed her every movement, all but devouring each part of her she uncovered. By the time she had removed her ankle boots, socks, jacket and trousers, she still felt acutely nervous, but a strange sensation of power was creeping in as she observed the effect her inexpert striptease was having on Rico. Taking her time, more from nervousness than from a conscious effort to tantalise, she drew her jersey over her head, and then summoned the courage to remove the final garments…a pale green lacy bra and matching panties. As they fluttered from her fingers to the floor, Rico’s breath hitched, his eyes darkened further, and she could see the rapid pulse beat in his neck.
He still hadn’t touched her, yet his hot, hungry gaze felt like a caress. A quiver ran through her. She had never had any particular hang-ups about her body, believing it to be fairly average and ordinary, but the unmistakable appreciation and hunger Rico displayed as he looked at her made her feel special and beautiful for the first time in her life…and not average and ordinary at all.
Rico held out his hand, and Ruth took an unsteady step forward, feeling completely vulnerable and exposed as she slipped her hand into his. She trusted him, but that didn’t stop the tension and anxiety returning as she questioned her ability to satisfy him and to enjoy what was to come. To her surprise, after a light, teasing and far-too-short kiss, Rico had her lie face down on the bed, and she turned her head to see what he was doing, nervous and excited.
He took the massage oil from the basket and warmed some in his hands. A sound somewhere between a gasp, a moan and a sigh escaped unchecked as he touched her. Rico was in no hurry, and his gliding, caressing hands were magical, almost reverent, making her feel cherished as they soothed and stimulated, teasing the tightness out of the muscles in her back and shoulders while at the same time learning and exploring her body. Her arms, legs and the cheeks of her rear enjoyed the same slow, erotic attention, and by the time he was finished, Ruth felt boneless, incredibly relaxed and yet aroused beyond bearing.
But Rico was not yet done. After turning her on her back, he began a lingering, torturous journey from her feet, up the length of her legs, bypassing the female heart of her that desperately craved his touch. He used just the right amount of pressure low on her belly, over the point where the aching knot of want grew tighter and heavier. Journeying on, a combination of light and firm strokes in a circular caress around her navel, had her begging for a more intimate touch.
Ruth didn’t recognise herself. She was stunned at her reactions, at the sounds she made in response to his touch. Then, when she thought she couldn’t bear it any more, he took her to a higher level of pleasure and arousal as his wicked, skilful hands lavished attention of her breasts…still s
low, still judging just how and where to touch, until she thought she was going to explode. Nothing could be better than this. But then he proved her wrong again, inching back down to settle between her trembling thighs and doing impossible, unimagined things with his mouth and his fingers that blasted her straight into the stratosphere.
Crying out, she clung to Rico as her first proper orgasm with a man had her soaring to the heavens. Extending and prolonging her release, he held her as she flew into space, keeping her safe, and wiping her tears of joy as she came slowly back to earth, a series of aftershocks rippling through her.
‘I couldn’t…I’ve never…’ Her breathless, awkward words trailed off, unable to voice just what this had meant to her. She forced herself to open her eyes, seeing understanding and recognition in his own. ‘Thank you.’
‘Thank you for sharing something so special and wonderful with me.’ He kissed her, his lips trailing around her neck. ‘You are amazing, sirena mia,’ he murmured against her ear, nipping and sucking on her lobe. ‘So beautiful, so sensual.’
‘I should give you a massage now,’ Ruth told him, wanting to experience everything.
He shook his head and kissed her. ‘Not this time. I’m too close to the edge. And this night is all about you and your pleasure.’
Ruth had no time to be disappointed at not being able to explore Rico’s body as he had hers because she was soon lost in sensation as his hands and his mouth took her back to paradise. He kissed her all over, his unshaven jaw a delicious caress over her super-sensitive skin as he lavished attention from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and back again, lingering at her breasts, tormenting each proud, aroused crest until she thought she would expire from the overload of pleasure.
When the time came, Rico encouraged her to help him with the condom, guiding her fingers as she learned the feel and shape and texture of him. Her confidence increased and she lost her inhibitions, her hands roving over his body, hungry and greedy, as his own caresses brought her up to yet another peak.
Ruth was unable to hold back tears at the beauty of the moment when he finally joined his body with hers, overwhelmed by the incredible intimacy, the shocking, earthshattering ecstasy. Throughout it all, Rico’s husky whispered words told her how special she was, how incredible she felt, how wonderful she made him feel. And then neither of them had the breath to talk. Together they plunged over the edge of the precipice and spiralled into the abyss, her cries mingling with his as wave after wave of pleasure, even greater than before, crashed through her.
‘I’ll never forget tonight,’ she murmured eventually, sated and overwhelmed.
A husky rumble sounded in her ear. ‘We have only just begun, sirena mia.’
With a sexy, wicked, bad-boy smile, Rico turned her in his arms and proceeded to show her just what he had in mind…again and again and again.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘THANK you so much, Dr Baxter. I was really scared, but seeing a female doctor made me a lot more comfortable.’ Rhona Nairn, a slim twenty-one-year-old, readjusted her clothing. ‘You’ve been so kind and reassuring.You, too, Nurse Neason.’
Washing her hands, Ruth smiled at the young woman who was the penultimate patient on her Friday afternoon list. ‘We’re glad to help,’ Ruth replied, thankful that the procedure she had just performed had been quick and trouble-free.
‘That’s what we’re here for, lovey,’ Esther Neason agreed, patting Rhona on the shoulder before she returned her attention to tidying the treatment room. ‘Anything else I can do, Doctor?’
‘I’d be grateful if you could make sure that the sample is sent off to the pathology lab without delay,’ Ruth requested, checking a final time that the correct details were on the label of the container which held the excised tissue in a solution of formalin to preserve it.
‘No problem.’ The practice nurse smiled as she bustled about the room. ‘I’ll see to it myself and make sure it goes straight away.’
‘Thanks, Esther.’
Ruth always enjoyed working with the older woman because Esther was efficient and calm, and she had a gentle way with patients. She was also the person who had made her most welcome when she had joined the practice, Ruth reflected, recalling the many times she had been grateful for the matronly nurse’s kind words and quiet understanding. With Rhona ready, Ruth thanked Esther again, then led her patient back to her consulting room.
‘What causes cervical polyps, Dr Baxter?’ Rhona asked as she sat down a few moments later.
‘The cause isn’t completely understood. They might be due to an injury, congestion in the cervical blood vessels, or because of increased levels of oestrogen. Another theory is that they may arise after an infection and accompanying inflammation. They grow from a mucous membrane, and can be found in many other parts of the body, such as the nose, ear or stomach. Some women have no symptoms at all with a cervical polyp, while others have bleeding between periods and after intercourse…as you did,’ Ruth explained after she had finished typing up instructions for a prescription for Rhona. ‘Usually they are quickly removed. Yours was a single polyp that was easy to access, which is why I was able to remove it and cauterise the root straight away.’
Rhona nodded, her brow knotted in concentration. ‘Will it come back?’
‘It’s uncommon for them to recur. And it’s almost certainly benign. The vast majority of cervical polyps are. But we send them for testing just to be one hundred per cent sure.’ Ruth stressed the point, wanting to make certain that the young woman understood and was not unduly anxious. ‘The result from your test should be back in seven to ten days, but I don’t want you to worry, Rhona…conducting the test is standard procedure and not a sign of anything more serious.’
‘That’s OK, Dr Baxter. I feel much calmer now.’ Rhona smiled, running the fingers of one hand through her short ginger hair.
Ruth was pleased to have been able to identify and relieve Rhona’s problem so swiftly. ‘I’m glad. Now, I’m going to give you a course of antibiotics to counteract any possible infection.’ The prescription emerged from the printer and Ruth signed it before handing it over.
‘Thanks so much.’
‘My pleasure,’ Ruth assured her. ‘If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call. I’m away for the next two weeks, but Dr Catriona Robson, one of the senior partners, will be here and you can ask to speak to her if you find that easier.’
After Rhona had gone, Ruth wrote up her notes, feeling increasingly edgy as the time for her final appointment approached. It was a consultation that had been arranged over a week ago and Ruth had scheduled it for the last slot so that she would not be rushed and could take some extra time if it was needed. She set down her pen, unable to concentrate. Any moment now Judith Warren would arrive, eager to hear whatever additional information and advice Ruth had been able to glean at the conference about CVID and how it might affect young Pippa.
Thinking about the conference, the Warrens and CVID made her think about Rico.
As if she didn’t think about him all the time.
Ruth covered her face with her hands as wave after wave of turbulent emotions crashed through her. She was amazed she had survived the last three days. Somehow she had managed to appear outwardly calm, but everything inside her was in turmoil, and the only way she had made it through each minute, each hour and each day had been by throwing herself into her work. By keeping busy she hoped to stop herself thinking. By keeping busy she could try to forget the most incredible experience of her life…and her guilt at having run away.
Because there was no escaping the fact that running away was exactly what she had done. Panicked, overwhelmed, scared and unsure, she had taken the coward’s way out because she had not known how to handle the situation. And now she felt ashamed, as well as guilty. Not to mention even more confused than she had been when she had woken up before dawn on Wednesday morning, her limbs entangled with Rico’s, her head pillowed on his chest.
A ragged br
eath shuddered out of her lungs as she looked back at her magical night with him and what had happened since.
Her time with Rico had been beyond anything she could ever have imagined and he had far surpassed everything he had promised her. In one night he had swept away years of pain and torment caused by the words that had shattered her self-esteem and wounded her so deeply. Rico had proved in no uncertain terms that with him, at least, she was sexual and wanton and insatiable, and not only could she give him extreme pleasure but she could enjoy multiple orgasms herself.
At first, the intensity and explosive passion of their wildly erotic time together had shocked her, but Rico had refused to allow her to be shy. After he had relaxed her with the slow, sensual massage and then taken her to paradise for the first time, he had spent much of the rest of the night coaxing out an uninhibited side she had never known she had. He had encouraged her to give all of herself, and had given everything of himself in return. She couldn’t believe the liberties she had allowed him to take, or what she had done with him and to him. He had made her feel vulnerable but incredibly alive as he had taken over her body and shaken her to her very foundations. He had also made her feel powerful as a woman able to pleasure a man. Her man.
And therein lay the root of the problem. Rico was not her man. He had offered her an unforgettable night out of time and she had taken it. She had known there would be a price to pay for it, and had believed she could handle it. But she couldn’t. Not now she knew what the cost would be. Because now she had had a taste of paradise, one night was not enough. She wanted more. All of Rico. For ever.
Was it possible to fall in love in two days? Never having experienced these feelings before, Ruth wasn’t sure. But when she had woken in Rico’s arms after very little sleep, she had looked at him and had known deep inside that this man had changed her and that her heart and her body and her soul were bound to his. Fearful at the way her life had been turned upside down and knowing she could never let Rico discover her feelings, she had slipped out of his bed, out of his room and, quite possibly, she had thought at that moment, out of his life.
Italian Doctor, Dream Proposal / Wanted: A Father for her Twins Page 9