by Maggie Cox
So when Luca asked her if she intended to ignore this ‘irresistible force’ between them, there was no question in Kate’s mind that she had to give an honest answer.
‘No,’ she whispered hoarsely, laying the flat of her palm against his faintly roughened cheek. ‘I’m not going to ignore it…I think that would be…almost impossible.’
Warm, hard fingers circled the fragile bones of her wrist and authoritatively moved Kate’s arm to her side. With an almost feral sound that seemed to rise up from his very soul Luca seared her lips with a reckless untamed kiss that shocked her. Completely lacking in finesse or tenderness, it made her reel with its almost ruthless demand. But that did not stop her from responding to it with equally raw hunger and need. The flame inside her that had been steadily simmering beneath her every day burst suddenly into an inferno…a scorching hot fire that would raze anything standing in its path to the ground.
Her arms went hungrily round Luca’s neck to help deepen the erotic consummation of lips and tongues, fierce sighs and rasping moans, as liquid heat poured into her centre, making all her muscles tremble with the forceful devouring need that ravished her. Luca’s feverish hands were tracing every inch of her through the mutually unwanted barrier of her clothing, and Kate sensed his impatience and ardour build at pace with her own, until its heated, unconstrained rhythm dictated they lose themselves totally in its potent wild current.
Somehow he removed her dress and she his shirt. Losing her balance in the fever of lust that consumed them, Kate felt the soft plumped-up surface of the sofa cradle her fall, and Luca’s arms were firmly around her waist as they tumbled headlong together. His dark hair was tickling her face and his beard-roughened jaw was scratchy against her soft skin. The heavy, muscular press of his strong, hard body was so wonderful she could have cried. The ache that nothing could ease but him rejoiced in gratitude.
‘I want you so much,’ he vowed hoarsely against the side of her cheek. ‘Too much!’ And a husky litany of sensual sounding endearments voiced purely in Italian followed as his hands purposefully worked her tights and panties down over her quaking legs.
Consumed by sensation, by the wild earth scent of his body, Kate pushed her fingers through the short silky strands of his hair, then brought her hands lower to trace the sculpted indentations that denoted his cheekbones. Cupping his face, she accepted his kisses with unashamed eagerness, inciting more with her own teasing, searching tongue and softly rasping murmurs of pleasure.
Removing her bra, he kissed and suckled her breasts, and they were so tender that Kate sensed a sting of pain shoot through her when he nipped her gently with his teeth. As if realising her sensitivity, Luca stroked the tips of his fingers back and forth across the moist bud at her apex instead, and Kate’s slender thighs opened and softened even as her whole body momentarily tensed in exquisite electrifying shock at his boldly intimate caress. Almost unbearably aroused, and driven by the raw, elemental nature that had irresistibly revealed itself that very first time with Luca, Kate splayed her hands against his chest, touching the sleek, warm musculature that was breathtakingly revealed beneath the silky dusting of soft dark hair.
But he didn’t allow her to continue her exploration for long before guiding her hands purposefully down to the straining zipper on his chinos instead. In a heartbeat, his hard satin length was inside her, pressing upwards and deep into her melting warmth, and in the vivid heat and wild pleasure of their coupling Kate’s heart lifted with hope—her whole being rejoicing to the heavens that she could be with him like this again.
Even before Luca’s powerfully strong body had possessed hers, Kate’s senses had been all but screaming for release. Pregnancy seemed to have doubled her sensitivity and awareness where he was concerned, until even just the scent of his cologne could practically unravel her. And now, as Luca drove into her, staking his powerful claim on Kate’s body and soul for ever with his scalding unforgettable heat, her release came—quick and fast—making her shiver and shake as she was deluged by sensations and emotions that stole her breath and made her gasp and pant for air. Grabbing on to her lover’s powerful shoulders, she kissed the smooth satin flesh that moulded that taut muscle and bone and shut her eyes tight, as if to guard and contain these almost too vulnerably intimate moments for ever.
He had been impatient with her all day. Impatient with the fact she was still wearing clothes, when Luca’s intense desire was to separate her from them as soon as he could. To tear away every flimsy barrier that seemed like a fortified wall, preventing him from seeing her lovely perfection and touching her body as he so desperately yearned to.
Now he was where he wanted to be, the sensation was like lightning crashing, and the soft deluge of sweet summer rain breaking over his naked, hungry, overheated body in an unstoppable downpour. With the powerful physical release of orgasm had come the onrush of long-held in emotion and the breaking open of the desolation that Luca had experienced leading up to and after his wife’s death. Suddenly it was exposed to the light, and shockingly he struggled with keeping away his tears.
He had not cried since he was a small child…not even at Sophia’s funeral. Instead, he had withdrawn from the world for a while as much as he could, and isolation and loneliness had become familiar companions after she had gone. His parents had died too, so there was no one to console him. It had taken him quite some time to reconnect with people again. Work had been Luca’s refuge and his solace. Was it wrong of him to desire this woman so much—a woman who swore it was his baby she carried in her belly—when her touch right now was as essential to him as his breath? Should he feel even guiltier than he was already that his wife had not been able to bear the child they had both longed for? Had he not suffered enough that he still had to pay for what had happened?
Katherine’s mouth was at his shoulder, and the tender little kisses she was delightfully bestowing upon him commanded that it was she and not his past he concentrate on. A sense of grateful relief shuddered through Luca, dispersing his melancholy, and with it came a fragile yet tangible sense of peace.
Examining Katherine’s face as she drew back to glance up at him, her lips tenderly swollen from the passionate kisses they had shared and her dark eyes shimmering like starlight, he knew at that moment that her beauty easily surpassed the lovely signorina in the painting.
‘Come sei bella,’ he drawled, the corners of his mouth lifting in a seductive little smile. ‘Look at you. How lovely you are!’
His gaze moved lower, to her smooth-skinned belly with its just discernible round curve, and he laid his hands over it, silently marvelling that the seed of a child—please God, his child—was flowering inside. A new, more alarming thought suddenly pierced him. What if he had been too passionate in his lovemaking with Katherine? What if he had unknowingly caused some potential harm to the growing infant?
‘What’s the matter?’
He had not been quick enough to hide his concern from his lover’s watchful glance, and she lightly stroked his arm as if to minister comfort even before he answered. ‘I didn’t hurt you…or the child?’
‘What?’ Her slight frown was quickly followed by a smile that was like the dawn breaking. ‘Of course you didn’t! It’s all right, Luca. It’s perfectly safe to make love when a woman is pregnant—and I’m over the three-month mark now, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
‘You are sure?’ Still guilt weighed heavy on him.
‘Of course I’m sure.’
At last he let himself relax, and the sight of her sweet face, and her irresistible scent that seemed to permeate his skin, easily started to arouse him all over again.
Just before lowering his head to steal another hungry kiss, Luca glanced enquiringly into Katherine’s soulful dark gaze. ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked her, smiling.
Her dark gaze shyly looked away.
‘I mean for food!’ he chuckled, delighted by her understandable misinterpretation. ‘I said I would give you dinner, and Luisa, my
housekeeper, has cooked authentic Italian pasta in your honour!’
‘Can it wait a little while longer?’
‘Sì…it can. I only have to heat it in the oven, so we can eat whenever we like. What did you want to do in the meantime, hmm?’ he teased.
Focusing her eyes more boldly back on his, Katherine gave a softly anticipatory sigh, which feathered across Luca’s already waiting mouth.
‘Correct me if I’m wrong…but weren’t you just about to kiss me again?’ she whispered, and his lips sealed hers even before she had finished speaking…
Later that evening, as Luca’s chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the crumbling age-worn edifice of the Victorian end-of-terrace where Kate’s ground floor flat was situated, she turned to the man sitting beside her with a suddenly self-conscious frown.
‘What time did you say we were leaving tomorrow?’
‘Our flight leaves around two-thirty, so I would probably say one…one-thirty at the latest. Why?’
‘Look…it’s going to take me a while to pack everything I need. Why don’t I meet you in the morning instead of coming back with you tonight? Then you won’t have to wait for me and I won’t feel under pressure to rush.’
‘The last thing I want you to do is rush! The whole point of us going to Milan is that you do not feel under pressure to do anything but rest, Katherine! If need be I can arrange for our flight to go later. It is my private jet, so it will not be a problem!’
‘Your—your private jet?’ she stammered.
‘Of course!’ he said, as matter-of-factly as though he’d just suggested getting a train.
Several thoughts went through Kate’s mind at the same time. The predominant one being that she’d be an utter fool to think that their little sojurn in Italy would be more than a holiday. A man as incredibly wealthy and influential as Luca would not want to be saddled with an ordinary little nobody for long…she was sure of it. Even if she was having his baby. Back on his home turf, in his fabulous mansion, he would quickly see that Kate did not fit into such an elite lifestyle. That she was homespun…not priceless silk!
After their sensually charged evening together at his house she felt cold and deflated. Like a popped, discarded party balloon. Forcing a smile to her lips, she tried hard to conceal her inner turmoil. ‘Well, I’ll ring you in the morning, then…when I’m ready. Is that all right?’
‘It is perfectly all right, mi bella.’ Leaning towards her, Luca cupped her face in his hands, his warm breath skimming sensually over her mouth. ‘You promise you will not let me down, Katherine?’
‘What do you mean?’ Even though she’d been the recipient of his wonderful touch all evening, Kate’s senses thrilled to experience it again.
‘If you do not come back with me tonight, you will not run away without telling me where you are?’
She shouldn’t have been surprised that he was still dwelling on what had happened in Milan but, caught off guard, Kate was. Surprised and more than a little pleased that he actually sounded as though he cared…
‘No, Luca. I won’t be running away. I promise.’
‘Good!’ Warm lips grazed hers, sending shivers of unstoppable delight right through the heart of her, and he smiled ruefully when he eventually made himself pull away. ‘Now, go inside and get some rest. You are looking tired again.’
‘I’m only tired because it turned into a much longer night than I expected!’
Quick to reassure him that she was feeling fine, Kate still couldn’t help colouring hotly as she thought about the highly sensual ways in which she and Luca had kept themselves occupied all evening. Her body ached and throbbed from her lover’s seductive attentions still, and the memory of them would probably keep her awake for most of what was left of the night, she was sure!
‘Sì…it did’ His sexy blue eyes glanced back at Kate with disarming frankness, and in response the tips of her breasts surged almost painfully against the suddenly too thin material of her dress and jacket.
‘I’d better go.’ Turning towards the passenger door at her side, Kate looked round in surprise as Luca caught hold of her wrist to hold her back for a moment.
‘You will need to do your packing in the morning now. Are you sure you do not want me to stay over so I can help you?’
As enticing as the invitation was, right then Kate needed thinking space. So much had happened in the short time since she’d seen Luca again, and the repercussions were making her head spin! Plus, she didn’t really want his distracting presence beside her when she came to selecting which clothes to pack for their trip. In his world—where women went to top designers to purchase their clothes—the reality of Kate’s wardrobe would no doubt come as a bit of a shock—and no doubt a disappointment too.
Again it crossed her mind that when they returned to Milan the comparisons between her very ordinary way of life and his exceptionally wealthy and extraordinary one would inevitably start to become more pointed as the days went by. Once he was back in the realm of his equally fabulously rich friends, the stark differences would start to make themselves all too clear, and Luca would surely only come to regret bringing Kate with him?
‘I’d rather do my packing myself, if you don’t mind?’ she replied, shrugging. ‘But thanks for offering.’
‘Then sleep well, Katherine.’ He moved back into the luxurious butter-soft leather seat with his usual enviable ease, his stunning good looks that next to other mere mortals could make them look shockingly plain in perfect harmony with the unashamed opulence of the car’s interior. ‘In the morning take as long as you need to get ready then ring me, yes? I will come and pick you up.’
‘I will. Goodnight, Luca.’
He blew her a kiss and all but made her legs turn to water….
Awake long before the dawn, Luca had restlessly paced his bedroom and then the high-ceilinged rooms of the drawing room and kitchen as he tried to come to terms with the great frustration that gnawed away at him because Katherine had not slept in his bed.
One would think that once he had made love to her again his body would be satisfied, but no. All it had done was remind him of what he had been missing and indeed craving all these months without her! Now, instead of feeling refreshed and renewed from a good night’s sleep, Luca felt bad-tempered and impatient—and his mood was not helped by the idea that Katherine might not keep her word about ringing him…that she might indeed decide at the last minute not to accompany him to Milan after all.
Why had he let her go back home so easily? Why had he not insisted he stay the night and waited for her to pack the next morning?
Thinking about the coming baby, and what any new desertion would mean to him, Luca swore softly but vehemently under his breath. He was not acting like a man who wasn’t sure that his lover’s baby was his at all. On the contrary…He was behaving as if there was no question that he was the father of Katherine’s child!
Thinking of her passionate, uninhibited response to his lovemaking, Luca suddenly didn’t doubt it. Something deeply intuitive, some strong inner sixth sense, finally convinced him that she was telling him the truth. Consequently he told himself it was only natural that he should feel so fiercely possessive about the child, and be beyond furious at the thought of her keeping it from him. But then there was this…this addiction he had developed for Katherine herself. He could neither easily explain it nor want to! In fact it was probably a good thing that they were at least compatible in that area, Luca concluded broodingly. It would certainly make things a lot more simple when he put to her the idea that had slowly been taking shape in his mind in the early hours when he could not sleep!
Several hours later, as he put down the phone at the end of a call to his office, his gaze morosely followed his chauffeur Brian as he carried Luca’s luggage outside, to store in the back of the waiting Rolls-Royce. Glancing down again at the time on his watch, he vented his impatience out loud.
‘Dio! What does she think she is playing at?’
About to follow Brian out to the car and instruct him to drive to Katherine’s flat, he heard the telephone on the hall table ring. Luca pounced on it, his heart hammering hard in his chest.
‘De Rossi!’ he snapped.
‘Luca?’
‘Katherine! Why have you not rung me? Where have you been? I have been ringing you all morning!’
‘I’m in the hospital,’ she returned, her voice definitely sounding a little shaky.
‘The hospital? What is wrong? What has happened?’ Feeling his blood turn to ice, Luca gripped the receiver hard, his knuckles turning white.
‘I’ll tell you when I get back home,’ she replied, sounding a little more in charge than before. ‘I’ve got a taxi waiting to take me, so I’ll see you there.’
‘Katherine!’
But the disconnect signal sounded in Luca’s ear before he could get a response….
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS SOON as Kate saw the familiar Rolls-Royce parked outside the building where she lived, with its uniformed chauffeur in the front, all her limbs seemed to turn as insubstantial as cobwebs. As her footsteps slowed helplessly, her anxious gaze fell upon Luca’s tall, arresting figure in a black cashmere coat, impatiently standing on the concrete steps that led up to Kate’s front door.
As soon as he saw her approach the tension she sensed in him began to reach out and envelop her. Sucking in a deep breath for courage, and feeling a little light-headed, she made herself walk forward.
