He quirked one dark brow. ‘But you will?’
‘Well...maybe for one night,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘But only because I don’t want to delay you any longer by putting you to the trouble of finding a less...opulent one,’ she added firmly.
‘Of course,’ Dmitri said, secretly pleased at her capitulation. ‘Is seven o’clock agreeable to you?’
Lily smiled wryly. ‘I’m pretty sure I don’t have any other engagements this evening.’
‘Good.’ He nodded his satisfaction with her answer.
‘Will we be eating in the hotel or going out to eat?’ Lily was frantically trying to think what she had brought with her that was suitable to wear to have dinner with Dmitri—in or out of the hotel. Nothing very exciting, that was for sure; she had packed with the idea of spending all of her time with Felix, not going out to dinner with gorgeous titled Italians!
Dmitri gave it some thought. ‘I believe, as you have been in Roma for a day and a half now and seen nothing of the city, that we should go out to eat. In which case, I advise that you dress warmly.’
Which meant the little any-occasion black dress Lily had packed at the last minute, on the assumption that Felix would take her out to dinner one evening in order to introduce her to Dee, was out of the question. Or was it? Lily had also packed a warm red—very seasonal—woollen cardigan to wear over the top of it. Besides, so far in their acquaintance Dmitri had only ever seen her in jeans or tailored trousers. It would be nice if he were to realise she actually had legs. And not bad ones at that, according to some of the men she had previously dated.
Dated...?
This evening with Dmitri wasn’t a date! He just felt sorry for her, being alone in Rome, that was all.
‘Until later, then, cara.’ Dmitri reached out to take one of her hands in his and lift it to his mouth. The firmness of his lips grazed the back of her knuckles, intent green eyes holding hers captive for several seconds before he released her and turned on his heel to go back inside the hotel room. The outer door closed softly behind him only seconds later.
While Lily remained standing on the balcony, no longer looking out at the spectacular scenery but down at her hand, where Dmitri’s lips had just touched her now tingling skin...
* * *
‘This is amazing!’ Lily savoured a spoonful of the sharp lemon-flavoured ice cream Dmitri had just purchased for her. In a tub. Because, the vendor had informed them, cones detracted from the flavour of his magnificent ice cream.
Dmitri inclined of his head. ‘I am pleased that you like it.’
Lily had enjoyed everything about this evening so far. The little restaurant where they had eaten dinner had been lovely, and Dmitri had been greeted warmly by name by the rotund proprietor. The company had been amazing and their conversation easy, the food absolutely delicious, and the red wine that accompanied it had brought a warm glow to Lily’s cheeks before they had stepped back out into the enchantment that was Rome on Christmas Eve.
They had strolled along with dozens of others to a
piazza with a magnificent fountain dedicated to Neptune at its centre, where there was a busy Christmas market, with woodcutters displaying carvings of magnificent nativity scenes similar to the ones scattered about the city, and children laughing with pleasure as they took their turn on a colourful carousel.
When they’d tired of the market they had strolled on again, this time to watch people skating on an ice rink, laughing when they fell over, or beaming with pleasure when they didn’t.
It had been a wonderful, magical evening, and Lily had been sure that she wouldn’t be able to eat another thing after the delicious meal they had already eaten until Dmitri had taken her to the most famous ice cream parlour in Rome and purchased ices for them both from the multitude of flavours on display—lemon for Lily and chocolate for himself.
And through it all Lily had been totally aware of how disturbingly handsome Dmitri looked this evening, dressed in casual grey trousers and a grey polo-necked sweater, with a tailored black suede jacket worn over the latter, the darkness of his hair tousled by a light breeze. His several inches in height over most of his fellow countrymen added to his already distinguished air.
If Lily hadn’t been completely enthralled by Dmitri before this evening, then she certainly was now. Totally. Unequivocally.
For all the good it would do her.
It was impossible for her not to be aware of the encouraging glances Dmitri received from other women—both in the restaurant and as they strolled the crowded streets of Rome. Glances he ignored for the main part, but couldn’t possibly remain unaware of. From beautiful women and not so beautiful women, who all obviously had only one question in their mind: what sort of lover would the tall and handsome Italian make? Strong and masterful? Tender and attentive? Or—perfection!—a combination of the two?
Lily had found herself wondering the same thing...
Twenty-six years old, with only one very unsatisfactory lover in her past, all Lily could think about was a naked Dmitri, beside her, inside her, as the two of them shared a pleasure she had so far only imagined existed.
More ice cream! She needed to concentrate on eating more of this delicious ice cream—if only in an effort to cool herself from the eroticism of her thoughts.
Except glancing up at Dmitri from beneath lowered lashes, watching as he licked chocolate ice cream from his lips, only made Lily’s inner core burn with the need to have his tongue lapping her in that same dedicated way.
Oh, good Lord!
Dmitri disposed of their two empty tubs and paper tissues in a bin before turning to look at Lily, frowning slightly as his gaze was drawn to and remained captured by the fullness of her pouting, rosy-coloured lips, bare of lip gloss following the eating of her ice cream, but all the more alluring because of it.
‘It is almost midnight, so we have a choice as to what we do now.’ His voice was terser than he had intended because of his physical awareness of her.
A tone Lily obviously recognised and misconstrued. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t just rather call it a night? You’ve already very kindly spent the evening showing Rome to me, and—’
‘That was not kindness, Lily, but pride in my city,’ he assured her lightly, determinedly dampening down his physical arousal.
An arousal that had begun the moment she had opened the door of her hotel suite to him earlier this evening. The black knee-length dress she wore fitted smoothly over her breasts and thighs, revealing slender and shapely legs, and she had two-inch-heeled strappy black shoes on her tiny feet. Her hair appeared more silver than ever against the darkness of her dress. She wore light make-up this evening—a brown mascara emphasising her long lashes, a berry-red lip gloss on the fullness of her lips the same colour as the cardigan she’d thrown about her slender shoulders before accompanying Dmitri down in the lift.
At the time it had taken all of his considerable control to resist kissing that red gloss from her sensually pouting lips. Something, he admitted with an inward wince, he was still having trouble with even without the gloss.
Lily looked up at him searchingly for several seconds, relaxing slightly as she was obviously reassured by what she saw in his guarded expression. ‘What are the choices?’
He shrugged. ‘There is the traditional midnight mass in St Peter’s Square, or alternatively we could go and view the floodlit Trevi Fountain by moonlight.’
Lily knew exactly which one she would prefer. What woman wouldn’t prefer to view the Trevi Fountain by moonlight when in the company of a man as disturbingly attractive as Dmitri? But, given her increasing awareness of him, not only was the choice a dangerous one, it also wasn’t just her choice to make...
‘I’m sure I’ll be happy with whichever one you choose,’ she said.
Dmitri smiled. ‘I have attended dozens of midnight masses, but I have never seen the Trevi Fountain floodlit or by moonlight.’
‘You haven’t?’ Lily gasped.
His smile deepened at her obvious disbelief. ‘No.’
She eyed him uncertainly. ‘Are you sure you aren’t just saying that because you know that I’d secretly love to visit the fountain?’
‘No, I am not just saying that,’ he promised. ‘Have you never noticed that when you live close to something so beautiful all your life you rarely, if ever, visit it?’
‘Hmm.’ She smiled ruefully. ‘There are parts of London I’ve never been to, either.’
‘Exactly.’ Dmitri took a light hold of Lily’s arm in order to steer her through the crowded streets in the direction of the fountain, not sure if sitting beside a moonlit fountain with her was the right choice, but knowing that it was the only one he was interested in making at this moment.
She was the only woman he had really seen or been aware of all evening. The glowing blue of her eyes. The pale alabaster of her skin. The fullness of her mouth and the white evenness of her teeth when she laughed. The softness of her curvaceous body.
No, viewing the floodlit Trevi Fountain by moonlight with this beautiful woman was probably not the sensible choice for Dmitri to have made!
A fact born out a short time later, when they followed the sound of the cascading water to turn the street corner and see the Trevi Fountain before them in all its glory. Dozens of other couples had obviously had the same idea as them, and sat or stood together, their arms about each other, gazing at the water pouring down the lit sculptures of mermen and Pegasus and other mythological figures that made up the huge fountain, built so that it backed onto the side of a building, with a large pool of floodlit water before it.
‘I had no idea!’ Lily exclaimed as she came to a halt, obviously awestruck by the sheer size of the fountain as much as the sculptures themselves.
The Trevi Fountain had never been one of Dmitri’s favourite examples of the beauties of Roma—he had personally always considered it as being more spectacular than truly beautiful. And yet here and now, standing beside Lily, the fountain took on a unique and inescapable beauty.
‘Would you care to throw in a coin and make a wish?’
Lily dragged her gaze away from the fountain to look up at Dmitri, his face slightly in shadow from the floodlights. ‘Only if you’ll do the same,’ she teased, very aware that she must appear like some awestruck tourist—probably because at the moment she was one! Even if it wasn’t entirely the beauty of the fountain that held her mesmerised...
‘Something else I have never done.’ Dmitri released her arm to take some change out of his trouser pocket and hold it out to her in the palm of his hand.
Lily took one euro, waited for him to select a coin and turned back to the fountain. ‘Ready? One...two...three!’ She made a wish as she watched the arc of the two coins as they both flew through the air before splashing down into the beautifully clear green water.
As if on cue the bells of Rome began to ring out the midnight hour, adding to her feeling of magical disorientation, of being in a time out of time, when anything might—and could—happen.
‘Felice Natale, Lily,’ Dmitri turned to murmur at her side, as the last of the bells chimed. ‘Happy Christmas, Lily,’ he translated huskily.
‘Felice Natale, Dmitri,’ she responded, her own gaze caught and captured by those mesmerising green eyes.
He reached out to clasp the tops of her arms lightly before running his hands caressingly down their length. He captured her hands in his before his head slowly lowered and his lips gently claimed hers.
Lily’s heart clenched in her chest as Dmitri’s lips moved against hers in a slow and exploratory kiss that made her tremble from head to toe. Her hands moved out to grasp the lapels of his jacket to steady herself before slowly moving up his chest to grasp onto his shoulders. His arms came about her waist as he pulled her into the hardness of his body and their kiss deepened and lengthened.
Lily had longed but not dared to hope that Dmitri would kiss her again. She had ached with that longing all evening as her awareness of him thrummed just beneath the surface of every word spoken, every gesture made.
That awareness flared into heated arousal now, as he crushed her body against his. Their lips parted and they kissed hungrily. The hardness of his thighs was evidence of his desire as Lily’s fingers became entangled in the soft and silky hair at his nape.
Both of them were breathing heavily by the time Dmitri rested his forehead against hers to look down at her with brooding intensity. ‘Do not ask me to apologise for kissing you.’
‘No.’ Apologise? Lily wanted him to kiss her again—not apologise!
He looked down at her searchingly, a frown creasing his brow as he saw the trembling of her body. ‘Are you cold?’
‘I’m not trembling with the cold, Dmitri,’ she admitted achingly.
‘Nevertheless, it is very late.’
‘Or early. Depends on your perspective.’ Lily smiled briefly.
Dmitri’s eyes glittered. ‘You must know that I want you?’
She felt a quiver of excitement down the length of her spine at his admission. ‘I—yes.’ No point in being coy when their mutual arousal must be obvious to both of them!
‘Will you come home with me, Lily?’ Dmitri invited. ‘Come back to the palazzo with me. Stay with me. Of your own free will this time,’ he added softly.
Lily’s heart leapt, her breathing ragged as she continued to look up at him. She knew exactly what Dmitri was asking, and what she would be agreeing to if she accepted his invitation; their desire was as tangible as the water that continued to cascade into the pool behind them.
If she went back to the palazzo with Dmitri now then Lily knew that they would end up in bed together—spend the night together with no thought of tomorrow.
Because there could be no tomorrow for the two of them. Only this one night.
But Lily wanted that so badly she physically ached with the wanting!
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue before answering him. ‘Yes.’
His gaze heated, became molten green glass. ‘Yes?’
‘Yes,’ she repeated with a choked laugh, wondering at her own daring, but knowing there was no other answer she could give him.
She was in the romantic city of Rome, with the most attractive man she had ever met, and the intensity of his kisses, the heat in his gaze, the hardness of his body, were all evidence that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
Or was ever likely to happen to her again.
It seemed that wishes made beside the Trevi Fountain really did come true, after all...
CHAPTER TEN
‘IT’S not too late to change your mind if you’re having second thoughts?’
The two of them had walked back to the palazzo hand in hand. Lily was lost in the euphoria of the pleasures yet to come, but she began to tremble as Dmitri had put in the code which would allow them to enter the palazzo by the small door set into the larger wooden doors.
A trembling he was obviously well aware of as he maintained his hold on her hand...
Did she want to change her mind?
No!
Yes!
She didn’t know what she wanted!
Not true. She wanted Dmitri.
At the same time she was having second and third thoughts. Oh, not about wanting him. No, Lily’s doubts were all about herself and her own lack of experience.
Dmitri was in his mid-thirties, had no doubt bedded dozens of beautiful women, whereas one less than satisfactory experience when she was at university—possibly such a disaster because of her own lack of expertise as much as the boy’s—didn’t auger well for spending the night with a man as experienced in lovemaking as Dmitri.
‘I can take you back to your hotel if that is what you would prefer?’ It was impossible for him to mistake the look of panic in her expression as she stood beside him beneath the light illuminating the doorway into the palazzo.
She swallowed b
efore answering. ‘Before we go in I just want you to be aware—I don’t want you to be disappointed when we—I just—’
‘Lily?’ He turned to take both her hands in his as he looked down at her shrewdly. ‘You have not done anything like this before, have you?’ he asked.
‘No! I mean, yes!’ She gave an impatient shake of her head at the inadequacy of her reply. ‘Yes, I have. But it was only the once. And it was years ago—very disappointing—and I don’t want you to feel that same disappointment with regard to me,’ she said desperately as she looked up at Dmitri with pained blue eyes. ‘I know that you must normally...date experienced as well as beautiful women, and I’m—’
‘A very beautiful woman,’ Dmitri interjected huskily.
Her cheeks became flushed. ‘That may or may not be true—’
‘Oh, it is very true, Lily,’ he assured her.
‘But I’m not experienced,’ she insisted firmly.
If Lily truly believed that information would disappoint him, then she was completely mistaken. Just the thought of being Lily’s first real lover only deepened the hunger he felt to make love to her.
At the same time her revelation dispelled any lingering doubts he might have had in regard to her friendship with Danny.
‘Lily.’ Dmitri’s hands moved up gently to cup either side of her face. ‘I already know from our kisses yesterday evening and tonight that I will not be disappointed,’ he murmured.
The colour deepened in her cheeks. ‘You do?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Dmitri smiled at her encouragingly. ‘And we will take this as slow or as fast as you wish it to go. Or not at all.’
‘Not at all?’ Lily looked up at him uncertainly, wanting to know how he knew their lovemaking wouldn’t be a disappointment, but feeling too embarrassed to ask.
He nodded. ‘The bedroom you used last night is still available to you if you wish it.’
Lily was completely reassured by the sincerity in his expression as he met her gaze so unwaveringly. He meant what he said. She instantly felt her nervousness fading and desire returning. ‘I believe I would like to see il padrone’s bedroom before making a decision—if that’s okay with you?’ she murmured.
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