His hair brushed her cheek, the soft bristles of his jaw rubbed against her. There’d be beard rash in the morning, and she didn’t care. Didn’t care about anything but the sweet torture of his soft caresses. She wanted more, needed more. Her hand caressed his waist, pulling him on top of her. The weight of his body was delicious. She sighed and wriggled.
He propped himself up on his arms, pinning her with a mock frown. “If you keep doing that this is going to be over too quickly.”
“Don’t care. We can always do it again.” She extended her tongue to trace his lips.
Cade growled, buried his face in her cleavage, licked back. “You asked for it.” His thumb rubbed over her nipple while his mouth fastened over its twin.
A lightning bolt of heat shot to her core, raising her hips. The slow, steady exploration of her body was over. Her hands tangled in his hair, keeping his mouth where it was as his hands hooked in her panties and pulled them down. Excitement chased away the blood from her face, tingling like the onset of a panic attack. She pulled in a ragged breath, as his clever mouth moved lower, nipping at the hollow next to her hipbones.
“Oh, that’s feels good.” The words puffed out with a breath.
His head lifted, and the most wicked grin ever spread over his face. “Then this, darling, will feel even better.”
Cade’s fingers caressed the back of her knees, angling them apart as his head slipped between her thighs. His hair brushed against her thighs, as his mouth found her core.
Her back arched, fingers clutched white on the sheet as his tongue worked its magic. She wanted to hold on, wanted to touch him…
His hands slid under her bottom, squeezing. Angling her closer. All rational thought fled as her body shuddered then tilted over the edge into blissful oblivion.
In passion’s aftermath, Melo’s palms faintly registered the cool flatness of the sheet. She was panting like a sprinter collapsing at the finish line.
Cade’s head moved slowly up her body, mouth gently kissing as he returned to her. “Okay?” His lips dusted over hers in a butterfly tease.
“Way better than okay.” She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his rigid length against the apex of her thighs. She angled her hips up, moved them from side to side slowly. “Way better.”
“We need a condom,” Cade muttered in her ear. He pulled in a deep breath and moved off her, snagging his trousers from the floor and finding one.
“Give it to me.” He’d shown her such pleasure, Melo burned to return the favor. One hand stroked him base to tip, and his eyes closed as a raw moan shuddered out from compressed lips. He looked wild, so beautifully sensuous her inner muscles tightened. She smoothed the condom over him and opened her legs wide.
“Melo,” he groaned.
His deeply passionate kiss melted her insides. His hands framed her face as his length nudged then penetrated. She gasped as he filled her, and he stilled instantly, eyes searching hers. “Are you okay?”
“Mmmm.” Her body stretched. “Fine.”
He moved slowly at first. Her hands stroked over his back, clutched lower as his thrusts intensified. Their mouths fused, combining them into one ravenous creature. His fingers wove through hers, gripping tightly. Melo’s calves gripped over Cade’s, her feet flexed as the pressure built and swelled, then carried them away in a tsunami of passion.
Cade’s hand stretched across her stomach. His breathing was slow and deep. Sleep had claimed him easily while Melo’s mind raced, reliving the wonder of their lovemaking. A car crunched over gravel outside the window, a door slammed, then the sound of laughing voices drifted up to the window.
Her body stiffened.
“What’s the matter?” The words were slow and sleepy, muttered more than spoken. Cade curled into her back, pulling her closer, lips caressing her neck. “You’re so tense.” His fingers stroked her stomach, dusted over her ribs. “It’s late. We should sleep.”
Melo’s fingers clasped his, moving his hand away. Free from his grasp, she flicked him a quick glance and sat up.
“I need to go.” She climbed out of bed and picked her clothes off the floor. She couldn’t stay here. Adam was staying in the hotel too, as well as the party guests. What was she going to do? Join them for breakfast wearing the same clothes she’d worn at the party? On Cade’s arm? There’d be sneaked looks, grins. A blush heated her face. In the heat of the moment she hadn’t considered the consequences. Tomorrow morning Rosa would be looking for her. And when Melo wasn’t there…
She fastened her bra and stepped into her dress. Glanced at the clock on the bedside table. There was still time to catch a ride back with one of the drivers.
“Where are you going?” Cade’s mouth narrowed into a thin line, and a frown creased above his brows. He climbed out of bed, and grasped her wrists. “Melo?”
Her heart thundered at the sight of his naked form. He really was beautiful. Tall and lean with just the right amount of honed muscle. But being here with him wasn’t right. She didn’t want to telegraph their affair to the world, and if she was still here in the morning…
“Melo. I want you to stay with me.” His voice was deep and so seductive her legs trembled. He leaned closer, lips dusting across hers in a soft, tempting caress.
She pulled in a deep breath, keeping her arms at her side to resist his potent lure. “If I stay then everyone will know we slept together.” She stared into his eyes, willing him to understand. “This is Rosa’s wedding. Her time. If I stay, all anyone will remember is that the bridesmaid had a fling with the best man.”
“Don’t cheapen this.” His eyes darkened, and he stroked a long finger across her cheek. “I care about you, Melo.”
Her heart took flight, but her head wrestled it back to terra firma again. She had to get out of here, away from Cade. Rosa’s wedding must be perfect. Going public with their relationship would get in the way.
“I care about you too, Cade.” She clenched her fists tightly, fighting the urge to touch; one touch and she’d be lost. “But I care about my sister too. And my reputation. I don’t want to be the focus of gossip tomorrow, and if the other guests realize I’ve been here all night…”
“They’ll know about us. Is that so bad?” He pulled her back into his arms, stroked his long fingers down her back. “I’m not ashamed, are you?”
“No.” She stroked his face, stared into his eyes. “But my family is very traditional. If they know we’ve spent the night together they’re going to think we’re serious about each other, and I don’t want to put what we have under that sort of scrutiny. Do you?”
Cade frowned. “This isn’t just a one night stand, for me. It’s a lot more.”
“For me too, Cade.” She wanted love, wanted to be with him. Could he feel the same so quickly? It was frightening to put her feelings out there, but without asking, how would she know? She cleared her throat.
“Back in the bower that day you asked what I was reading.” She’d been embarrassed, and hid the book the moment she saw him. Not wanting to reveal the longing for love that had kept her captive ever since she’d fallen in love with him. “I was reading a romance. A story of two people finally finding their happy ever after.”
Cade pulled back, his eyes wide. “But you were only a kid…”
“I’m exactly the same age as my sister, remember? And Rosa was living love, I was just dreaming it.” Melo’s cheeks burned with the remembered flustered feeling she’d felt when he’d caught her in the act. “I had a very big teenage crush on you, Cade. And I don’t think you ever even noticed.”
“I didn’t,” Cade answered quietly.
He was silent, doubtless running all of their old conversations through his mind, putting the pieces together.
“Are you telling me you still feel it?” his deep voice rumbled.
Melo wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. He didn’t feel the same, and she was on the verge of making a complete fool of herself. “Things are different n
ow. You’re older, and so am I.” She pulled in a breath, and risked it. “But I’ve never slept with anyone I didn’t have real and true feelings for. I think I might be getting in over my head.”
He pulled her down onto the bed. Slid an arm around her shoulders. If he felt the same, surely now was the time he would tell her. The silence stretched for long, painful minutes.
“Now’s really not the time to talk about this.” The words tumbled out breathlessly. She wanted out of this conversation, quick. “I need to be back at the villa tomorrow early anyway. Rosa and Adam can’t know, but I have to do some work.” Her face crumpled. It was impossible, and suddenly the strain of being the only one privy to her father’s secrets was too much. She needed to confide in Cade. Needed his support. “We have a family crisis; the family is in real financial trouble. Marco has asked me to try and find a solution, but…”
“But it’s impossible,” he said.
She nodded. “Damn near. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Cade released her and pulled on his clothes. “All right.” He slipped his feet into his shoes. “Let’s get you home.”
Melo let herself into the darkened villa, and strode into the office. She flicked on the light, closed the door carefully and leaned against it with closed eyes. Her skin still tingled from Cade’s touch. He’d kissed the mole on her cheek, then slid his lips down to tease the corner of her lips in a caress that had almost been her undoing before opening the car door. She’d wanted to stay.
Her legs shook as she crossed the room to the old polished oak desk. She flicked on the desk light and pulled out the file she’d been working on. Then powered up the computer. If she went to bed she’d just lie awake thinking of Cade. He’d been so tender, so vulnerable when he spoke about his father’s addiction and the loss of his family home. If she couldn’t find a solution to their problems her family’s home and business were in jeopardy too. She popped the end of her pen, pushed her hair back behind her ears, and opened the file.
An hour later, Melo pushed her hands through her hair. It was impossible. Marco had used the company money like his own personal bank account. Signed a contract without consulting anyone else, and made no prudent allowances for what would happen if it all went wrong.
As it had done. She stared at the line of figures proclaiming the truth in blood red. Proclaiming the end of life as they knew it.
There were only two possibilities. The first was to bring in a partner to The Bellucci Winery, but with the obvious signs of mismanagement, that would be almost impossible. And Marco would never agree. He was always adamant the company should remain a family business. She puffed out a frustrated breath. If he’d originally let her do what she was so good at, this never would have happened. She’d played the dutiful daughter role too long. Stood on the sidelines while her father gambled with their future. Now there was no option but to confront him on it.
The other option burned in her gut. Marco had suggested they sell land, and it had been no throwaway line either. She’d seen the flash of knowledge in his eyes. The gleam that hinted he’d thought about it, and was concealing something. Something important.
She pulled out the map showing the Bellucci lands marked in diagonal red stripes. The vineyard, a few acres of scrub, unproductive except for the old olive trees her grandfather had planted.
And the land where her grandfather had proposed to her grandmother. That her grandmother had bequeathed to Melo in her will. Cold fingers tightened around her heart, and squeezed. It was the only saleable location.
Marco’s glance had been laced with guilt. The reason hit home, hard. Beautiful, unspoiled, facing the azure sea. The most desirable spot on the island. The place she’d dreamed of building her house.
Paradise Beach.
Chapter Seven
The door creaked open, then the room flooded with light as the curtains were pulled back. Melo’s eyelids flickered open. Her eyes felt gritty, as if she’d been crawling all night through the desert. She rubbed at them, wishing she were still asleep.
A boisterous body compressed the mattress. Rosa.
“Where did you get to last night?”
Melo clamped her eyes shut again. Playing dead.
“I know you’re awake. I saw you. Come on, Melo.” Rosa’s tone altered from bossy to persuasive. A finger stroked Melo’s arm. “I brought coffee.”
Melo breathed in and opened her eyes to take in Rosa’s grin. Could there be anything worse than a happy bride? She scooted up in bed, resting her back against the headboard, and felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Rosa’s mood was infectious, it was impossible to stay grouchy at her for long.
“Coffee first,” Melo said.
Rosa obediently placed the china cup in her sister’s hand. Her feet were tapping on the floor and her whole body was doing the tell-me-all-about-it twitch. She bit at her bottom lip as Melo slowly drank, impatience rolling off her in waves.
Melo took her time. Payback for the early morning wake-up call. It was a familiar scenario. When they were children Rosa had always needed to know everything now. She hadn’t changed. And her sister taking it slow had always tickled and teased.
“Melo!” A high-pitched, frustrated plea.
They’d always shared everything.
Melo capitulated. “It was a lovely party, wasn’t it?”
Rosa’s gaze held hers steadily. Like a captain navigating the rocks watches the lighthouse. Unblinking. But her hands fluttered on her lap.
“It was wonderful. Until I realized you’d disappeared. And Cade too.” Her voice dropped. “I searched everywhere for you. Adam did too. We checked the garden, the bedrooms…”
“I went out.” Melo focused at the coffee grounds in the bottom of her cup. Rolled one between her front teeth. Talking about Cade seemed wrong. What had happened between them too young, too new to share. Her gaze flickered to Rosa. Her sister wasn’t letting it go. Melo breathed out. Here goes. “Cade and I went to the hotel.”
“I knew it!” Rosa’s eyes shone, and the nervous energy bottled up in her slender form exploded out as she sprung off the bed. “You and Cade! Oh, Melo it’s just perfect.”
Melo put the cup on her bedside table, and Rosa sat down again, grabbing Melo’s hands and bouncing them on her knee in a childlike expression of glee.
Melo’s heart clenched. “It’s nothing serious.”
The burning desire to consummate the heat that flared every time they were together had overtaken them both. But Cade thought she was an experienced woman of the world. She’d done all the chasing at the poolside. And he’d been inflamed by her flirting with Sebastiano. After spending the night together, she yearned for him to want her as much as she did him. But in her heart she knew it was different for him. It had been hot, easy sex, nothing more.
“Come on, Melo. It is. You’ve always been in love with Cade. You used to tell me.” Rosa stroked Melo’s hands slowly. “It’s a good thing.” Her glance flicked to Melo’s face. “Isn’t it?”
When I grow up, I’m marrying Cade.
She’d said it often to Rosa when they were teenagers. Had written it in the diary hidden under her bed. Had believed it with all her heart. She’d been a child-woman, with a wide open heart which had ached for Cade. In her romantic fantasies Cade had returned to the island. Wooed her. Told her how he’d dreamed of her too. Told her he loved her.
“It’s early days yet,” Melo replied quietly.
Today’s Cade was different. Older, harder, more determined. In a lot of ways she didn’t know him at all. Her stomach clenched, and she pulled her hands away from Rosa’s. Their lovemaking had been wonderful, but his silence last night had been telling. There’d been no talk of tomorrow. No talk of love.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Melo pulled back the cover and stepped out of bed. She needed distance. Needed time alone to think, before the woes of the world came rushing in. “I’m going to Paradise.”
Rosa’s fra
ntic body movements stopped. She stepped closer, and grasped Melo’s hand. “Is everything okay?” Her eyes searched Melo’s and a tiny frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “Did Cade…”
“Cade was wonderful.”
Melo looked away. Wonderful, but not in love. The realization burned. And she couldn’t really blame him either, she’d been right there, as carried away as he was. But where did they go from here? Tomorrow was the wedding, and then he’d be gone. Back to his life.
“But?” Rosa murmured.
“But I… Oh God, Rosa. I don’t know. What future is there in it?” Her hands clenched into fists. Her head ached with possibilities. And the knowledge today she had to talk to her father and insist they cancel the improvements to the winery. And once again, carry the weight of everything on her shoulders. “I just need to get away for a while. I need to think.”
Rosa leaned forward and kissed her sister’s cheek.
“It’s an easy day today. Everyone’s doing their own thing. No one will miss you, I’ll cover.” She squeezed Melo’s hand. “It’ll all work out.” She stepped back, watching Melo with concern in her eyes. “I’m here when you want to talk about it.”
Melo nodded. “I know.”
Rosa was exasperating, demanding, spoilt. But Rosa was loyal too. Rosa would always be there.
****
The white sand of Paradise Beach was so fine it was like walking on clouds. In the early morning, the beach was deserted, apart from the sea birds that wheeled and cried overhead. Melo walked across the line of tiny shells that formed an undulating line marking the tide’s last foray toward land, fingering the necklace around her neck.
The sound of waves breaking on the beach was soothing. Melo closed her eyes, feeling the silk slide of the mother of pearl under her fingers. Nonna’s shell. Her grandmother had worn it around her neck every day. Then, when she was dying, she’d called Melo into the bedroom, and with arthritic fingers had carefully unclasped it.
Marrying Cade Page 7
