One Night with Her Italian Doc
Page 11
Any second now Sophie was sure she’d wake up. This had to be a dream. It was the only explanation as to why she’d found herself here under the moonlight with a gorgeous Italian kissing her as though his life depended on it. All the promises she’d made to herself to steer clear of men launched themselves overboard with the first touch of his lips against hers. There was no sane reason to deny herself this taste of passion.
Luciano couldn’t do to her what Ryan had done. He had no intention of marrying anyone and she was the one who’d be doing the leaving in a matter of days. There could be no misunderstanding of their relationship or time to resent each other when every moment together was precious and getting hotter by the second.
The heat of his touch was scorching her skin, sending arousal coursing through her like molten lava. His tongue was rough against hers, and insistent. The firm pressure of his mouth, wrapped up in the warmth of his embrace, was enough to make a girl go weak at the knees. Thankfully, Luciano took the strain, lifting her up against the rail so she could wrap herself around him.
‘Go for it, mate!’
‘Put her down!’
‘Twit-twoo!’
Drunken jeers and wolf whistles ended their clinch all too soon, neither of them wanting to be entertainment for drunken passers-by.
‘Let’s get out of here.’ Luciano took her hand, his face dark and tense whilst she was sure hers was scarlet at being caught smooching in a very public display of affection.
The sound carried down the stairs with them.
‘Idiots.’ They’d spoiled their evening with their childish taunts because it soon became obvious Luciano was escorting her back to her cabin. Date over.
‘I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I should’ve known better than to kiss you where people could see.’ As they reached her door all his good humour seemed to have dissipated thanks to the interruption.
‘You didn’t embarrass me. I was just sorry it ended. Do you want to come in and pick up where we left off?’ Sophie opened the door as she made the bold invitation. By putting herself out there she knew she was risking rejection but this was what she wanted. There was no way she was going home with regrets. She had enough of those already. Luciano was her new start and that meant being honest with herself.
She recognised the flare of interest darken Luciano’s eyes seconds prior to his mouth securely imprisoning hers. She wasn’t going to attempt to break free when this was all she’d dreamed of since that last kiss had robbed her of her senses.
Luciano held her face in his hands, kissing her as though it might be for the last time, and backed her farther into her room. She barely had time to register the implication of the move when he kicked the door shut behind them. This was really happening.
‘I guess this was a date after all.’ She was breathless as she tugged at his shirt, wanting him naked before he had time to change his mind again. He stopped kissing her long enough to strip it off for her then resumed his passionate exploration of her mouth.
She drew her hands over the expanse of his broad chest, exploring the contrast of rough hair and smooth skin beneath her fingertips.
‘Unlike any I’ve ever had before,’ he muttered, kissing the skin behind her ear then across her shoulder.
With an impressive sleight of hand, he undid her zip and peeled away her silk layer. Sophie let it fall around her feet and stepped out of it so she was standing before him in only her lingerie.
‘What changed your mind about doing this?’ Sophie’s voice was breathy with anticipation as he undid her bra and brushed his thumbs across her budding nipples.
‘We’ve only got one life. We should live it to the fullest. Squeeze every drop out of it.’ He plucked the sensitive nubs between his fingers with a glint in his eye that made her breath catch in her throat all over again. This matched up to every hot dream she’d ever had about Luciano.
She was standing there, exposed and vulnerable, shaking with nerves and need. Luciano didn’t have any such qualms as he shifted down her body, his tongue zigzagging across her hyper-sensitive skin until he reached her belly, making her practically convulse with want for him. He hooked his fingers into either side of her panties and slid them infuriatingly slowly down her legs until he was kneeling at her feet and she was completely naked.
Luciano nudged her legs apart so she was open to him, anchored her with his hands at her waist and buried his face between her legs. The instant his tongue darted into her core she had to hold onto his shoulders in case she collapsed, the exquisite sensation rendering the rest of her body immobile. All of her focus was on that one area, proving exactly why Italians had a reputation as excellent lovers. He butterflied in and out of her, drinking her nectar with his fluttering tongue.
Somewhere beyond her closed eyelids and out-of-body feeling she heard the frantic gasps of a woman on the blink of oblivion and realised it was her. Her orgasm came hard and there was no stemming the shudders of ecstasy racking her body.
A determined Luciano didn’t deviate in his pursuit of her complete satisfaction until she was breathless with exhaustion and her legs were quivering as she fought to remain upright. It was no wonder the French called it la petite mort, comparing the post-orgasm sensation to death. She thought she had died and gone to heaven a million times over.
Her chest was heaving as she fought to get her breathing back to normal, with Luciano kissing his way back up her torso.
‘Oh, my. That was...’ No words could describe what he’d done to her or how amazing it had been.
‘We aren’t finished yet.’ He popped his fly open and the sound was even sexier than his laugh.
They tumbled onto her bed, with Luciano still nuzzling against her neck, caressing her breasts with his large hands and generally testing her limits.
He was all hard muscle and soft kisses lying on top of her and she wanted to fold him right into her body. Except there was that niggling voice of her conscience refusing to shut up about him not being ready for this. But when he brushed against her inner thigh, she knew he was more than ready.
His hot breath in her ear started another tremor throughout her already satiated body. He entered her quickly, stretching and filling her all at once, and her gasp was drowned out by Luciano’s groan. It was good to know she wasn’t the only one finding this overwhelming.
He gave her a shaky smile before pressing another kiss on her lips, his eyes filled with a dazed look that showed he was experiencing the same thing she was. When he began moving inside her she knew it was the beginning of something out of this world.
It wasn’t long before her exhausted body sprang back to life, greedy for more, urging Luciano to take her back to that heady paradise again. As she tightened around him, the pace between them increased to fever pitch, both desperate to reach that release and the promise of bliss. He was like a drug to her now, every hit pushing reality further away and making her want this to last for ever.
‘Sophie.’ He cried out her name at the height of his climax, pulling her with him. Together they toppled over the precipice, breathless but happy when they finally came back down to earth.
Despite the air-conditioning, Sophie was perspiring from the heat they’d generated.
‘So much for the shower I had.’
Luciano lay beside her, continuing to map her body with his hands and mouth. ‘Are you complaining, mi amore?’
‘Not. At. All.’
He cupped her breast and took her nipple in his mouth, sucking until she was straddling the line that bordered pain and pleasure.
‘Luciano... I need a breather.’ She giggled, exertion taking its toll after so many years of celibacy.
‘Sorry. I just can’t get enough of you.’ His need was growing steadily against her by the second.
They were the words every woman wanted to hear. Yet Sophie couldn’t help but interpret them with
some trepidation.
In a matter of days this was all going to be over. It wasn’t simply the euphoria of being post-orgasm, she wanted more of this, more of him. Why did she always fall for the wrong man? Or the right man at the wrong time? If she’d met him during the freedom years she might have joined him on the cruise life and had a series of adventures. As it was, she had a job and a mortgage to return to while Luciano was rediscovering his zest for life. Without her. That made her sadder than anything.
For now, she wanted to stay in this loved-up bubble of a holiday romance where anything was possible. They didn’t have much time left together before she had to go back to reality. Like all the best vacations, she never wanted this to end.
‘What’s stopping you from taking what you want?’ Her words came out of the bravado of a woman who wanted a lifetime of memories to take back to England. She was lying naked, coyly batting her eyelashes, whilst her hand was straying down his chest, his taut stomach and towards his solid arousal.
He gave another groan but the expression on his face was one of pure pleasure. ‘I thought you needed a breather?’
‘I’m breathing. See?’ She drew in a few exaggerated breaths delighted in his lustful eyes watching her breasts rise and fall.
With a territorial growl he rolled her onto her back and pinned her hands above her head. Her pulse spiked with anticipation and awareness that he could do anything to her he chose. And that she trusted him not to do anything to hurt her.
‘What is this spell you’ve cast over me, Sophie? You’re all I think about. All I want.’ There was such genuine confusion in his voice that she felt guilty about distracting him from the grief he’d clung to.
‘I’m sorry.’ Tears pooled in her eyes. She’d been selfish. Only thinking about herself and her needs when Luciano had told her he wasn’t ready for another relationship. No matter how short-lived.
He frowned at her and released her from his hold. ‘Don’t ever be sorry for who you are. You’ve done nothing except remind me I’m alive.’
His kiss was sweet and tender and made her cry all the more. When they joined their bodies together once again, making love slowly this time, she knew the tears had been of self-pity. She’d fallen for him, but in only a few days she’d have to let him go and return to her responsibilities. This couldn’t be any more than a holiday fling, and that was never going to be enough for her.
* * *
Luciano had forgotten what it was to wake up lying in bed beside someone. Disoriented at first, he wondered why he was so warm and why he couldn’t move. He opened his eyes to see Sophie’s naked body wrapped around his. Rather than pulling away, he snuggled in closer. Her soft breath against his skin and her arm draped possessively around his midriff were things he could get used to. He’d found the peace of mind and joy in his life that he’d been searching for since losing Renata. She was always going to have a special place in his heart, but so was Sophie.
She’d shown him how important it was to receive support as well as give it. Made him see he was allowed to have fun, to explore everything the world had to offer without having to feel guilty about it. Taught him to live the life he was lucky to have. Most of all, she’d taught him to open his heart again. He’d taken the next step with Sophie because he was ready for it, ready to let someone into his life again.
She was sleeping soundly on his chest, unaware of the revelations going on inside him. Sophie had opened up a whole new world to him, one outside his grief and the ship. The problem was she was leaving in a couple of days. That was why it was more important than ever to stop denying himself the right to be happy again. Even if it was only for a short time.
He brushed his fingers through her hair, letting the silky tresses fall onto his chest. She stirred beneath his touch.
‘Is everything okay?’ she mumbled, her eyes closed, her arm still wrapped around his torso. He didn’t want this to end and was tempted to close his eyes again and go back to sleep.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to do that just yet. ‘I’m going to have to go back to my own cabin, mia cara.’
‘It’s the middle of the night, Luciano.’
‘I can’t risk anyone seeing me coming out of a passenger’s cabin in the morning.’
‘I thought I was staff now?’ She drew a circle around his nipple with her fingernail, trying to distract him...and succeeding.
‘It would look bad for the company. They don’t approve of relationships between crew members either.’
‘We have a few hours left before dawn. No one’s going to see you.’ She was dotting feathery kisses across his chest, making it impossible for him to leave now.
‘Uh-huh? What have you got planned until then?’
‘I can think of a few things.’ Sophie shifted across to straddle his hips. She was like a goddess, naked and wanting, and she was all his. For now.
When they were moving together, his hands at her waist as she ground against him, he was in ecstasy. It wasn’t only the sex that was great, they had a real connection he’d never thought he’d have with anyone else. There didn’t seem to be a logical reason to let her disappear out of his life. Once she stepped off this ship they weren’t likely ever to cross paths again. If these past years had taught him anything, it was to savour the good times with loved ones because you never knew when it could all come crashing down. In this instance he knew the date he’d lose Sophie. This time he could do something to prevent his heart from being broken.
It was easy to say ‘live in the moment’ and accept what they had for now, but the moment was almost over. He was done being passive. Now was the time to be proactive.
She’d told him she wasn’t happy with her life in England and he was almost ready to go home again. Given the chance, Sophie would love his part of Italy. She wanted to travel. It was up to him to let her know that was an option because he’d spent so long telling her he wasn’t ready to move on again.
They could sort something out if they wanted this to work. After being on his own for so long, he knew he could do a long-distance relationship if it came to it. As long as he knew he’d get to do this with Sophie again, he’d survive.
He’d talk to her tomorrow when they were able to think more clearly. The things she was currently doing to him made Luciano feel as though his brain was about to explode, along with every other part of him. He thrust his hips up, plunging deeper, faster inside her until she was tightening around him, her hands clawing at his chest as she rode to climax with him.
The one thing he was sure of was that he was going to make the most of their time together in case it was their last. He sure as hell wanted to give Sophie reason to remember him, if not come to the same conclusion he had. That what they had together was worth more than a mere fling.
CHAPTER NINE
IT WAS CANNES TODAY. Sophie had never been to France and was looking forward to visiting the most romantic country in the world with her lover. Unlike her, however, Luciano was working. Now they were in port, he’d had to oversee patient transfers to the nearest hospital and was responsible for follow-up appointments for those who had injuries from the rogue wave. She could’ve undertaken this excursion on her own but had chosen to wait for him to join her. It was strange how quickly she’d become used to being part of a couple.
It wasn’t necessarily a good thing when she was going home at the end of the week and this trip was supposed to have been about finding herself again. Getting involved with a man hadn’t been part of her plan. Edith’s perhaps. She’d be over the moon to discover Sophie had had an affair in her absence.
They’d had only one night together thus far, but one that had left her throat raw from her very vocal orgasms and afraid to run into anyone from the neighbouring suites.
‘Je voudrais...that one,’ she said in her pitiful pidgin French that would have made her high-school French teacher weep.
‘Let me get it for you,’ Luciano insisted, and she was sure he handed over more than it actually cost.
A few euros lighter and one hat heavier, they made their way along the seafront. Wearing her black-and-white swing dress and shades, she liked to think she was channelling her inner Audrey Hepburn to fit in with the sophisticated surroundings. Luciano would make a handsome co-star who would’ve fitted in perfectly amongst Hollywood leading men like Cary Grant or Gregory Peck.
Last night had surprised her in more ways than she could possibly have imagined. It was so unfair that she couldn’t have that passion in her life for ever. After a while it would fade, as she knew all too well, but that didn’t stop her hoping it was possible to maintain that level of passion in a relationship. Sadly, life with Ryan had shown her otherwise. He’d decided the only way to recapture that intoxicating desire had been to find it with another woman.
Luciano would have to remain a lovely, sizzling memory because anything more would eventually turn into disappointment. She wasn’t going to repeat history. Especially when she knew how much baggage he was carrying with him.
For now, she was an exciting distraction for him. Ultimately, he was a man who would want to settle down, replace the wife he’d lost and probably the family he’d been denied. He wouldn’t find that with her.
That was what she was telling herself. She didn’t know how she was going to manage to say goodbye. The thought of going home was more depressing than ever. It was hard enough swapping this relatively stress-free life in such a beautiful setting for her hum-drum existence. Because that was all it was: an existence. Out here she was properly living. And a lot of that was down to Luciano’s company inside and outside the bedroom.