by Rachel Lyndhurst; Carmen Falcone; Ros Clarke; Annie Seaton; Christine Bell
His voice was low and husky, and it was as though someone else was speaking. A spark of mutual need passed between them and her heart pounded against his chest. She kicked her shoes off and he tugged her panties down in one swift movement. He brushed his fingers through the soft hair between her legs and she gasped. At the same time he pushed her legs apart with his fingers, dipped his head, and ran his tongue down the side of her neck, and she shivered. His fingers were slippery and her sex was swollen already. He moved his mouth back to hers and kissed her harder, delving his tongue into the warm depths of her mouth as he worked his fingers rhythmically on the nub that hardened beneath his touch.
Her soft pants mingled with his breath and she cried out softly as her muscles tightened around his fingers. With a sigh, she dropped her head against his chest and rested her forehead against him, breathing deeply. She leaned against him for a moment and then lifted her head and smiled up at him as he lowered his mouth to hers again.
…
Brianna accepted Tom’s kiss and wondered if he could feel the thumping of her heart. He kissed her slowly, and she tried to catch her breath as his lips moved gently against hers. He was hard against the flat of her stomach, and she pushed him back and peeled her dress over her head before moving her hands down to the clasp of his jeans. Before she could unsnap it, he lifted her in his arms and she wrapped her legs around him. She gasped and then laughed as he walked into her bedroom.
He put her on the bed and looked down at her before undoing his jeans and stepping out of them. Removing his shirt and throwing it on the floor, he stood naked before her and stared down at her. She shivered under the heat of his stare and held her arms out to him. He lowered himself and lay next to her, trailing his fingers along her stomach. He dipped his head and caught her erect nipple lightly between his teeth, and a shaft of exquisite pleasure jolted through her. She traced her fingers along his thighs and let them brush against his erection, teasing and pulling back until he rolled over on top of her.
“Wait,” she murmured.
He stiffened, and she laughed and pointed to the bedside table. “In the top drawer.”
Within seconds, he was back again, ready for her, the foil packet discarded on the floor with his clothes.
She chuckled and Tom lifted his head. As the moonlight reflected in his eyes, a strange and unfamiliar feeling shimmied through her. Intent…intimate…his eyes were fixed on her, unblinking. Moving underneath him, she wrapped her legs around his waist, welcoming him to her. Tightening her thighs, she ran her hands around his muscled back and held him close against her. He nuzzled his face into her neck and sucked on her skin as he moved into her. After a few moments he lifted his head and held her gaze again, not taking his eyes from hers as he shuddered and spilled into her.
He gradually relaxed, but didn’t move or speak, seeming to take pleasure in her closeness. When he lay beside her, she followed his gaze as he took in the disarray of the room.
“Mr. Neat and Tidy forgot to fold his clothes.”
“I don’t think he’ll need them for a while,” he said and reached for her again.
Chapter Twelve
Brianna pushed her hair back from her face and wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her arm. She stood, stretched, and cracked her knuckles. God, her back was sore. She’d been sitting at the desk for five hours, but she had finished the three chapters her publisher had requested. The first draft of the whole book was almost complete, and she hoped to get it away by the end of the week. She’d followed the schedule Tom had written out for her to the minute, determined to show him she could be organized and wasn’t a complete airhead.
Why she wanted to impress him with her efficiency, she couldn’t explain. She didn’t want to be super-organized like him, although she had to admit the Tom who was spending each day at the marina was way more relaxed than the man she’d met on the plane.
Smiling to herself, she thought of the routine they had fallen into over the past couple of months. Aunt Carmen had gone off to Naples again visiting friends now that she had sold the business. Tom had taken over the day-to-day running of the boats, but the financial records were still piled on the table on the balcony.
He’d moved into her bedroom after the night at Nonno’s villa. Their days were spent working and their nights were full of passion. She smiled and plugged in her external hard drive—another lesson she’d learned from him. The external drive whirred as she stared through the window with her chin propped in her hand. A cloud of dust down the hill caught her attention. She stood and peered out the window to see who was coming. What the hell was it?
She stepped out onto the balcony and an old rusty bicycle appeared over the crest of the hill. White teeth in a tanned face surrounded by unruly black hair flashed at her in a wide grin as the old bicycle creaked closer. The front wheel wobbled from side to side as Tom rode up the hill toward the villa. Brianna put her hand over her mouth, waiting for the inevitable fall. She giggled at the intense concentration on his face as he fought to control the wobble.
Another thing to tick off his crazy list.
He pushed the last twenty yards with a loud whoop. She ran to the front gate and opened it so he could ride through without stopping. She ran to him and hugged him after he’d propped the bike against the wall.
“You did it! Where on earth did you find the old bike?”
“Ah…your grandfather gave it to me.” He avoided looking at her.
She pulled back and her heart plummeted. “What were you doing there? How come I wasn’t invited?” No matter how hard she tried, her relationship with her nonno was going nowhere. He was still reserved with her, and their meetings were always tense.
“Maria wanted me to see him about some of her business, and it was in an old shed at the back of his villa.”
“And he gave it to you?”
“Well, I offered to buy it.”
But no matter how cross she was with Tom for visiting her grandfather without her, she still laughed.
“You paid for it? It’s almost a relic. It should be in that museum near Aunt Carmen’s. He’s so filthy rich, I can’t believe he made you pay for it. ”
He stood straight and smiled a devastating smile.
“Bri, come here.” He reached out and pulled her into a close hug. “He’s not a bad old stick. You have to make more of an effort with him.”
“I’ve done as much as I can, Tom. It’s him, he just won’t accept me.” She looked up at him and all mirth had fled. Being unable to connect with her grandfather upset her a lot, more than she was going to let on. She’d tried to speak to him about her mother and he’d used the language barrier, and the only information Aunt Maria would share was how they had been close, but not close enough to know her secrets. The few possessions of her mother’s in the house had not given any clue to Rosa’s life.
“When he doesn’t have his eagle eye on us, he just ignores me. I might as well go back to Scotland when I finish the book.”
“I thought you were keen to stay here.” He raised a quizzical brow. She swallowed and warmth suffused her face. She avoided his gaze and turned away, walking back to the kitchen.
“I am, but I have to earn a living.” There was no way Tom was going to know she’d thought about staying on the island after the book was done so she could stay here with him. She quickly changed the subject. “Now what’s for dinner? I was working when Aunt Maria left, so dinner’s a surprise.”
Brianna looked up at him as he followed her into the kitchen. He had a silly grin plastered on his face and folded his arms across his chest. “I crossed another thing off the list today and you haven’t even noticed.” He dropped his knapsack and bent to pull out a piece of paper. Her gaze wandered to his tight butt. A few weeks of manual work and he was in good shape.
“Well, two more things.” He waved the paper in her face. “And if you count tomorrow…three things.”
“What else have you done?” God, sh
e thought, talk about a role reversal. She was turning into a mother hen.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
“Why?”
“Trust me, Bri.” His deep voice sent a thrill through her. “Close your eyes.”
She did as he asked and stood quietly until the warmth of his breath fanned her face.
“Now you can open them.” All she could see was a riot of black curls in front of her. His hair had grown and was becoming more unruly every day.
“I took my specs off. I can’t see a thing. Tell me?”
With a flourish, he pushed his hair back and she gasped.
“Freakin’ hell. I don’t believe it.”
A small gold ring worthy of a pirate hung from his left earlobe.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Tom, you did it.” She bent over and doubled up laughing uncontrollably. He stood there with a grin on his face.
“Yes, I did it, and it hurt.”
“Well, why did you do it, you silly man?”
“Because it was on my list. And I can always take it out when I go back home.”
Her mood plummeted and she realized they would go their separate ways eventually. She couldn’t stay here forever, no matter what she daydreamed about it being otherwise. They’d divorce and he would be out of her life.
“Come here. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Why the sad face? Does the earring look that bad?” He tried to get her to smile.
“I know it’s almost over…and we’ve had such fun. I’m going to miss you.” She spread her arms wide and spun around out of his arms. “And all this.”
“It doesn’t have to end, Bri. We could always stay here.”
She laughed. “Don’t tease me. I said I was going home when I finished the book, and I am.”
He gripped her upper arms, and his hands were warm as he pulled her hard against her chest. “Now tell me you aren’t going to miss this?”
Warm lips slid across her cheek and he blew in her ear. Goose bumps skittered down her arms, and her nipples peaked.
“I need a shower,” he murmured close to her ear. “Come and wash my back?”
She stepped back and looked deep into those blue eyes, unable to resist him.
God, she had no willpower when he was around her.
“I have to finish backing up my work,” she said, her breathing ragged.
“What are you up to? Tantric sex or erogenous zones?” He drew circles around her nipples before walking his fingers down past her waist.
Aroused, but preoccupied with her thoughts, she pushed his hands away. Turning her back to him, she walked across to the large window and gazed out over the sea. “Go have a shower. I’ll back up my work and check what Italian delight is in the refrigerator for dinner.” She watched as he peeled his T-shirt off. A shaft of heat lodged between her thighs. “And then I’ll come and wash your back.”
She headed for the computer and then remembered what he’d said. “What was next on the list?”
“We’re both taking the day off tomorrow and climbing a volcano.” She shook her head in disbelief. She’d created a monster…or at the very least a daredevil.
“I suppose I can spare a day to explore with you, and Tom, I so appreciate what you’ve done to help me. You’ll have that list completely checked off before you know it.”
…
Tom turned the shower on full blast and stepped in. For a moment, he was tempted to turn it to cold—to quell his desire—and then decided he wasn’t going to. He would wait for Brianna to join him and then afterward he was going to talk to her, uninterrupted by the desire that exploded when they were in the same room. Sharing her bed since the night of the dinner at her grandfather’s villa had been amazing, and although they had spent many pleasurable nights and mornings, they’d avoided any discussion of the future.
A future he could not envision without her now.
It was time for a serious talk. The past couple of months had been the happiest he’d ever had, and he’d be damned if he was going to let her go. She’d let her guard down before. Now it was time to convince her they had a future together.
He stood under the sharp needles of spray and tipped his head back, letting the warm water run down his body. The door of the bathroom opened. She was going to join him after all. The earring must have made him irresistible.
Brianna appeared in the bathroom, her face drained of color, and he knew immediately something was very wrong. His gaze dropped to his cell phone clutched in her hand.
“Tom…it’s…it’s your mother on the phone. She wants to talk to you. There’s been an accident.”
His stomach clenched as he stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel as he reached for the phone.
“A car accident.” Her voice broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Your brother’s fiancée.”
Chapter Thirteen
The ferry receded into the distance and Brianna touched a hand to her lips. Despite his grief, Tom had held her close and kissed her for a long time before boarding the ferry. Her skin still tingled where he’d gripped her. He’d pushed her away gently and stared down at her, rubbing his hands up and down her sides, as though he was reluctant to let go.
“Promise me you’ll be here when I come back?” he asked.
“I’ve still got three chapters to do before I go home.”
“I’ll be back in a week or so. No longer.”
She stood on tiptoes and kissed him again, and pushed him toward the boarding ramp as the ferry horn warned that departure was imminent.
“Are you sure you are going to be all right by yourself?” His brow creased in a worried frown.
“I’ve lived alone for ten years. I’ll be fine. You worry about taking care of yourself and your family. Ring me when you arrive.”
“Don’t forget to charge your cell phone,” he said with the first glimmer of a smile since the phone call from his mother. He held her gaze until the ferry accelerated with a churning of water and disappeared around the headland.
After saying good-bye, she made her way to the Internet café, where she e-mailed her completed chapters to the publisher and answered the many e-mails waiting for her. She smiled at the messages from her family.
Brianna. We know you are a bad letter writer, but at least e-mail and tell us you’re still in Italy?
She replied to her mother and sent messages to Phil and her sister, and to as many friends she could find in her address book.
Finally she admitted to herself she was avoiding going home to the empty villa. It wouldn’t be the same by herself. Placing her backup drive in her knapsack and checking that she had water in her drink bottle, she decided to walk home along the cliff path between the villages.
Thoughts crowded her mind as she wandered along the path, the warm sun beating down on her head. A mass of wildflowers covered the cliff down to the rocky beach below, and she paused to pick one every so often until she had a small posy in her hands. At the halfway point, she rounded a headland and Mount Stromboli appeared before her, rising majestically out of the ocean, plumes of smoke puffing from the live volcano.
Tears filled her eyes. She sat on the grass and wiped them away angrily. They should have been over there today, climbing the volcano together and crossing another thing off Tom’s stupid list.
Life sucked, it really did.
Her heart went out to Tom’s brother. Losing his fiancée so young would be so hard to bear. Even though she didn’t know him, she knew from the way Tom spoke he thought the world of him, and no one deserved the grief he was going through. She was missing Tom so much already. She had to get her act together. It would be good practice for when she went back home. Okay, so she’d miss him for a while, and then she’d get on with her life.
She didn’t need this emotional crap.
She’d gotten along quite well by herself over the last ten years. She had a great job, she had friends, and her adopted family was always there for
her…and now she had a second family as well. Always a free spirit, and that’s the way she wanted to stay. Families were too complicated. She wasn’t going to get tied up with anyone for life.
She wiped away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling and then picked up her knapsack and marched toward Canneto. There was a book to be finished, and she would edit it as quickly as she could. When Tom came back, they would do their Stromboli trip and then she would go back to Scotland and get on with her life…alone.
Italy had been a nice interlude, even if she hadn’t found out much about her mother. At least she knew where she came from, and she had a nice villa for her vacation every year.
She walked up the hill to the villa and groaned when she reached the crest.
Oh shit, not today.
The white Mercedes was parked outside the gate and her grandfather stood stiffly beside it. Brianna slowly covered the distance between them and stood next to him. He gestured to the driver and the uniformed man went around to the back, opened the trunk, and lifted out a large cardboard box.
The old man nodded at her. “Brianna.” His voice made her name sound so musical.
“Nonno.” She nodded back and stood waiting to see what he wanted.
“I come in?”
“I suppose. If you want.” She shrugged and turned to the ornate metal gate. If he wasn’t prepared to make an effort, she was just about ready to give up. She pulled the key from her knapsack, and was surprised when he held out his hand and took the key, opening the gate for her. The driver followed them in, and her grandfather gestured for him to put the box on the table and wait outside.
Brianna waited for him to speak first. She was in no mood for any more emotional stuff. He could say what he wanted and leave, although her gaze kept flicking to the box the driver had placed on the table.
He surprised her again by walking over to the sink and filling the coffeepot and putting it on the stove. He knew his way around; it was obvious he’d been here before. She sat and waited and didn’t speak, but surprisingly the silence was not uncomfortable.
