by Rachel Lyndhurst; Carmen Falcone; Ros Clarke; Annie Seaton; Christine Bell
The meal continued into the afternoon, and Brianna ended up in her usual giggles when Signore Antoniolli decided to teach her some basic Italian. With the assistance of Tom’s Italian and Aunt Carmen’s English she learned several new phrases. Her working knowledge of the language now included more than casa, vivace, and avocatto.
Signore Antoniolli stood and raised his glass. “Per cent’anni.”
Aunt Carmen nodded. “For one hundred years,” she repeated in English.
“They are wishing us a happy marriage for one hundred years,” Tom said.
Eventually, it became too warm to stay outdoors as the sun rose high in the sky above the open courtyard. Signore Antoniolli picked up his hat and cane, and swept into a deep bow before he took Brianna’s hand in his.
“Congratulazioni, mia cara.”
Aunt Carmen grabbed both Tom and Brianna in a close hug, and then Signore Antoniolli escorted her out of the courtyard and down the cobblestoned street.
Tom sat back and sipped his wine and looked at Brianna, his face inscrutable.
Brianna sat back as well and looked across at him. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“What now?”
“I guess we have to decide where we are going to spend our wedding night.” Tom put his wineglass down and frowned. “Are you too tired to get your things from the hotel and move up to the villa this afternoon, or do you want me to get another room at your hotel to keep appearances up?”
“You sure can’t go back to your aunt’s place.” Brianna looked across at him and a wave of true affection swept over her. She grabbed both his hands in hers and turned his left hand over and looked down at his wedding ring.
“How did you get the rings so quickly?”
“Comes from being organized,” he said with a smile. “And having contacts. Matteo’s father owns the jewelry shop across the square.”
“It’s a beautiful ring and entirely appropriate. Thank you.” She held her hand in front of her and the bright sunlight glinted off the Celtic love knots on the gold ring. “I’m not too tired, and we have plenty of time left this afternoon to move into the villa. Come on, we’ll go back to the hotel. I’ll get changed and then we can spend the night at the house and decide how we are going to play this. I am worried my grandfather is still a wee bit suspicious. He barely cracked a smile the whole time he was there.”
Tom stood and pulled her gently to her feet, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“Did I tell you what a beautiful bride you are?”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to. It’s not as if I’m a real bride.”
“But you are still a very beautiful bride.”
Embarrassed by his words, she tried to play it down. He was so hard to figure out, and she was not going to get sucked in by him.
“A bit different from my usual look, you mean,” she said briskly. “Come on. It’s time to go.”
…
Later that afternoon, Tom stood on the balcony at the side of the villa. It was a beautiful home and full of vibrant colors. The atmosphere in the house suited Brianna’s personality, and he wondered if she took after her mother. He had never met anyone so full of the joy of life, and so open.
Shit. He cursed under his breath. Pull back, mate.
Although after a week in Italy, he was pretty comfortable with the way things were shaping up. He stood on the balcony watching the sea darken as the sun disappeared. Gray waves were whipped up by the early evening breeze, and the chill of the evening settled. He shivered and turned to go inside where Brianna was unpacking.
If it could be called unpacking.
He stood and watched, trying not to laugh. Her suitcase had exploded in the middle of the tiled floor of the living area.
“How did you manage to fit all of that into one bag?” he asked with a grin. Clothes and books, folders and papers, and a tangle of computer cables surrounded her on the floor. There was even a small printer peeking out from underneath a pile of underwear.
She looked up at him and laughed. “Told you I wasn’t organized. Now you’ll get to see it.”
He knelt down next to her on the tiled floor. “Can I help?
“It’s okay, I’ll tidy it up. I’m just looking for my PJs.” She lowered her lashes. “Do I need them?” She paused and then looked up and held his gaze. “We haven’t discussed the finer details of our agreement. After all, it is our wedding night.”
Tom’s stomach lurched and his mouth went dry. His heart pounded a slow, heavy beat, and the blood pumped through his limbs. He stood there looking at her until Brianna pushed herself to her feet and walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She reached up and ran a butterfly kiss across his lips, and he closed his eyes as the smell of jasmine from her loose hair assailed his senses.
“I know what we discussed, but our agreement was only sealed with a kiss, remember?” she said softly. “Keep the legal mumbo jumbo filed away for when we finish the marriage.”
She looked earnestly up into his face, and the tip of her small pink tongue touched her top lip.
Leaning over close to him, her voice was hesitant, but then her tongue touched his lips in invitation. “Will you come to bed with me, Tom?”
Tom’s world tilted on its axis, but he held her shoulders and stepped back, putting some space between them. He bit down on the anger building in his chest as he tried to find the right words to say without losing his temper and hurting her feelings. He knew it was only gratitude on her part. No matter how much he wanted her, he didn’t sleep with anyone out of gratitude. He shook his head slowly.
“I don’t sleep with anyone because they think they owe me for a favor.”
“No…listen to me, Tom. Hear me out. Looking at you makes me feel, well, you should…you should know. We’re adults, and unless I’m reading you the wrong way, you’re attracted to me as well. So we might as well share a bed and have some fun while we’re here together.” She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on tiptoes. “I know this isn’t for real, and I know neither of us wants that, but it’s the least I can do.”
Tom lifted her hands from his shoulders, placed them by her side, and walked across to the window. He was tempted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but he was determined to walk away from the temptation. It wasn’t the way he wanted it to happen. Not because she felt she owed him something for a marriage certificate. If indeed it ever happened.
She looked up at him, and those green eyes that had been brimming with tears over the past week were alight with laughter, and her lips parted as she stared at him.
“I don’t expect sexual favors because I have helped you out, Brianna.”
She burst out laughing.
“Oh, God, Tom. You’re so uptight. Look, I’ll make you another deal. You helped me out. I’m more than happy for you to be my ‘bidie-in,’ and I’ll help you get over your hang-ups.”
“My what?”
“Oh, you know what I mean,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“No, Miss Psychologist, I don’t know what you mean. And how would you know if I have sexual hang-ups? You’ve known me a week and you don’t know anything about me. And I don’t know anything about you. That’s the reason we need to take this slow.” He glared at her. “If we take it anywhere at all.”
“I think we need to make an agreement. For all I know you’re after half my villa. We should have done that before. I’m surprised you didn’t insist on it, Mr. Organized.”
“A legal agreement?”
“Yes, a legal agreement. Just in case I’m after your marina.”
He laughed. “For what it’s worth.”
She turned away from him and her face was hidden in the shadows. “Just in case you think I might be on the make, we need to make an agreement. Between you and me, seeing we can’t involve the lawyers. I’ll go and get my laptop and you can type it up.”
“No, thank you. We’re not going to do that
while we’re both angry.” Tom forced his anger down. “We’ll sort out an agreement in the morning. Okay?”
“All right, then. I’m going to bed.”
“Where shall I sleep?”
“I’ve put my stuff in the room near the bathroom,” she said, her back still turned to him. “You can have the other one or the lounge. I don’t give a shit.”
“Brianna?”
She turned slowly and her face was closed, her Scottish burr clipped.
“What?”
“You are a very beautiful woman, but I don’t think gratitude is a good basis for a sexual relationship.”
“No matter, I’ve changed my mind anyway. We can live here together as strangers and when your visit’s up, you can go on your merry way with all your finances intact. Our agreement will make sure you don’t try to get half shares in my villa. After all, you don’t trust me. Why should I trust you?”
She slammed the teapot into the sink. “Now, I’m going to bed.” She stomped across the living room into the bedroom and slammed the door.
“I do trust you,” he said quietly.
“Whatever,” came the muffled reply through the closed door.
Chapter Ten
The soughing of the waves washing back over the pebbly beach below the villa woke Tom before sunrise. His chest was heavy as he remembered the argument with Brianna.
God, he was so damn attracted to her, and he knew he’d hurt her feelings. It had taken him ages to get to sleep. Logic told him it was way too soon to get involved with her. He was still not ready to go down that path, no matter how much she tempted him.
He tended to avoided situations like this—he hated conflict and messy emotions. Give him a financial problem to sort out any day. When you didn’t depend on anyone else, you didn’t have to deal with all the emotional crap that came with it. He much preferred his life to be organized and predictable.
So what the hell was he doing? He’d been happy with the agreement as it stood, and then Brianna had to go and ruin it all last night. He hated not being in control.
Friends with benefits was not the way he operated.
He dozed back off and woke a while later when the bed creaked and moved. He rolled over to his side. Or rather, he attempted to roll over. A weight on his chest and legs prevented him from moving, and he opened his eyes slowly. Tom groaned and immediately closed them. He kept them squeezed shut, hoping he was still asleep and this was a dream, but a little giggle and a tickle of hair on his bare chest convinced him he was awake and his wife of less than twenty-four hours was straddling his bare legs.
Brianna was perched on his thighs with her knees resting on each side of him on the crisp white sheets. “Open your eyes. I know you’re awake.”
Tom obeyed reluctantly. Her black curls tumbled in wild disarray over her bare shoulders and skimmed the edge of the sheet she clutched in front of her breasts.
“Brianna, what…what the fuck do you think you are doing? Stay there any longer and I won’t be responsible for what happens.” He closed his eyes, covered them with one hand, and waited for her to leave.
No such luck. Or more to the point, he was about to get lucky.
“I’m apologizing to you.”
“Apologizing?”
“Yes, I was a right cow last night.”
He opened his eyes again and tried to pull the other side of the sheet up over his bare stomach, but it slipped from his grasp and slid farther down her front, revealing the tips of dusky nipples. Oh God, her knees were on either side of him. He swallowed as the blood beat thick and heavy, and pulsed straight to his groin.
“Don’t say a word,” she whispered.
He opened his mouth to speak. She leaned forward and placed her fingers over his mouth. Her breasts brushed his bare chest through the sheet, and he closed his eyes again and took a deep breath.
“Now I want your full attention for a wee while, and if I start babbling tell me to put a sock in it.”
Tom was in no state to think about socks or anything else. His brain had joined the lower half of his anatomy. He nodded without opening his eyes, fighting between the fading desire for her to leave and the need to grab her and roll on top of her.
“That’s good. Don’t say a word, hear me out. I was a bitch last night. I was upset, but when I thought about it, I know I was unfair to you. You’re the one doing the favor and it was mean of me to say I didn’t trust you.” She paused to take a breath. “Open your eyes, so I can see what you’re thinking.”
Tom obeyed and lay there looking up at her, calling on his sheer strength of will to stop the blood pumping to his groin. He failed.
“We’re both adults. If I insulted you by offering to sleep with you again last night, I’m sorry, but the truth is I wanted you. Every time I looked at you yesterday, all I could think about was taking that suit off you and peeling your white shirt off. But I went about it the wrong way last night—”
“You’re babbling. Now listen to me.” Tom swallowed as her smooth skin rubbed against his thighs. “We’ve only known each other a week, and we’ve landed ourselves in a situation. You know I trust you. If I didn’t, I would never have offered to marry you. I don’t want to take advantage of you and the situation.”
She smiled at him and wriggled on his legs and the sheet dropped again, revealing the swell of her full breasts.
“I don’t think it would be taking advantage of me, and isn’t that what counts? It’s more than gratitude. More like friends with benefits.”
He sighed when she repeated the words that had been in his head a couple of minutes ago.
“We are friends, aren’t we, Tom?” She lowered her voice to a sexy purr and the Scottish lilt in her voice sent desire rocketing through his entire body.
“Brianna, whatever we are…can we talk about it later?” The heat was moving between his face, his neck, and his burgeoning erection and he couldn’t think straight. Her nipples peaked above the sheet and he groaned.
“Now don’t go getting in a fankle,” she said
“A what?”
“You know, a tizzy, a right state.”
“Ah, but Brianna, I’m already in a right state and…er…I don’t have any clothes on.” He tried to grab the sheet, which was crossed over her legs, and it slipped, revealing her breasts, and she didn’t pull it back up. Instead, she lifted the sheet and peeked underneath it. “Well, well, Tomas…” she said with a cheeky smile. “What a coincidence. I don’t have any clothes on either.”
She leaned forward and her hair brushed his chest. She picked up his hand and moved it behind his head, closing his fingers around the black pine bedpost.
Tom gulped and closed his eyes again as her moist warmth moved forward over the tip of his erection.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m saying sorry, seeing you don’t want me to say thank you. It’s the morning after our wedding. We had a civilized agreement which”—she leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers— “we sealed with a kiss. I think we need to change the agreement. After all, we’re both old enough to know what we want, aren’t we?”
She sat back and lifted the sheet, peeked underneath, and smiled down at him.
“Aren’t we, Tom?”
Tom couldn’t move. The weight of her pressed onto his thighs, and he was sure he was about to lose it. He usually hated not being in control, but this situation was getting more enjoyable by the minute.
“I have a plan,” she said and looked across at the bed table. Tom followed her quick glance and almost choked when he saw a row of foil packets placed in a neat line along the edge of the table. They hadn’t been there the night before.
“Now…I’m sorra for losing my temper last night.” Her Scottish burr became more pronounced as she spoke, and he narrowed his eyes when the pink flush deepened high on her olive cheeks. He held her gaze and noticed her lips trembling slightly. Warmth filled his chest as he understood what she was playing at.
; It’s all an act.
She was as nervous as a virgin bride, scared he would reject what she was offering.
“Okay, tell me your plan.” At least he could control his voice. He made a mammoth effort to sound calm and to ignore the woman with no pants on, her feminine core brushing against his bare skin each time she moved. As if reading his mind, she wriggled to get more comfortable and his calm flew out the window.
Christ, he was going to burst like a lovesick adolescent if she moved again.
“First things first,” she said and reached over and tore the corner off one of the condom packets, holding his gaze. “Are you happy for me to continue?”
“Yes,” he managed to choke out.
“And we are going to rework our deal?”
Tom gulped and nodded, his gaze fixed on her hands, which were moving lower.
She pulled back the sheet and gently sheathed his erection, her fingertips brushing his stomach lightly and trailing up his chest to his lips after she covered him. With a deep groan, he placed his hands behind him and pushed himself up so his chest was against her breasts and his lips were a breath away from hers. He played his tongue along her full bottom lip and she opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed his mouth against her soft lips. His tongue outlined them and when she tried to speak again, he put his finger against her mouth.
“No words,” he murmured against her mouth. “Now, I’ll show you my plan. Step one,” he said, and he rolled her over so she was lying beneath him.
She sighed into him and he grinned back at her as a bubble of delight rose in his chest.
“Step two.” He pulled the sheet from them and threw it onto the floor.
“Step three.” He lowered his head and began to trace lazy circles around her peaked nipples with his tongue.
“Step four.” He ran his hand down her stomach and hips and brushed his fingers across her swollen nub.
He lifted his head, increased the pressure of his caress, and watched her face. Eyes closed, her head was thrown back against the pillow and her lips were slightly parted as she took small breaths. The flush on her cheeks deepened and she moaned when he increased the pressure of his fingers and slipped one finger inside her. Every rational thought slid from his brain when she responded instantly to his touch and tightened around him. The last of his doubts slid away and a wild hunger consumed him. As she came and cried out, he forgot all about agreements and all the promises he’d made to himself.
