by Tricia Jones
With easy grace he caught the hand rocketing toward his face, angling her arm until it was behind her back. Before she could react, he’d caught her other arm and done the same. With both arms pinned behind her, she tried to wriggle free, but the movement caused her breasts to flatten against the hard plane of his chest and he tightened his hold.
“You bastard.” Her voice caught on a strangled sob as she tried to pull free. “You don’t know how it was.”
He silenced her frenzied struggle by yanking her harder against him. “I know exactly how it was, cara mia. I know that you did every foolish thing possible to protect my brother.” He jerked her even closer as she tried to break free. “Did you spend long nights in agonizing torment craving a man you could never have? Did you commit yourself to a lifetime of aching for the impossible?”
“Yes!” The snap of the word surprised her, as it did him. It was fuelled by a strange and intangible strength that appeared as if from nowhere. Because she was sick of this. Sick of the skirting around, the trying to appease him. Sick of his accusations, his arrogance, his brutish questioning. She lifted her chin until her determined gaze locked with his. “Yes, I did crave a man I could never have, though why in God’s name I ever bothered I can’t bloody well imagine.”
When she jerked her hands, trying to dislodge his grip, she had the unexpected pleasure of seeing him flinch. “You think you can judge me?” she demanded, as her anger built. “You think you can judge Teo? You don’t know how it was. You never could. Because you do everything right, don’t you, Rico? You’re so bloody perfect that you don’t accept the frailties of others. You don’t accept their flaws, their weaknesses. You think that anything that isn’t done your way is the wrong way. God, you’re so like your father it’s frightening.”
She watched his throat contract, saw a lone muscle work along the hard line of his jaw. His eyes glowed with dangerous intent as his chest heaved against her, and with each angry breath she felt her breasts press hard up against him.
Lust fired deep and low in her belly. Heavens above, how could he manage to arouse her at a time like this?
“Let go of me,” she demanded, bucking against him. “Just let go of me.”
When he did, she stumbled back blindly.
Throwing out a hand to steady herself, she watched him stalk to the balustrade where he stood rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “I don’t judge you, or Teo,” he grated. “I just don’t understand you.”
“Well, I don’t understand you either, so that makes us even.”
There was a long silence as they both stood their ground. Again, Faye found herself staring at the broad expanse of his back. But whereas a little while ago she’d wanted to run her hands over its warmth and strength, now she wanted to beat them hard against the harsh, unforgiving muscle and bone, perhaps pummel some sense into the man.
“I tried to protect Matteo, both because I loved him and because I had promised his mother. I failed.” He cleared his throat. “So there you are, Faye, I have a weakness, a flaw. Does that make you happy?”
“No.” And it certainly didn’t make her happy to acknowledge the sorrow thick in his tone. “But it makes you a little more human.”
He gave a low laugh. “Believe me, I am human. Sometimes I wish to the heavens I was not.”
When he turned there was the strangest look on his face, and it made what was left of Faye’s anger dissipate. He drew in a breath and looked up at the sky. “Do you remember that night you and Matteo wanted to camp out all night?”
The abrupt change of topic had Faye blinking. “You mean, when you set the tent up in the garden down there?”
He looked back at her, a wistful smile playing at the edges of his mouth. “Matteo came indoors after barely an hour, but you stayed out.”
“And you came to get me.” The memory was a sweet one, and Faye smiled back. “I refused to come indoors, so you got us some lemonade and we lay on our backs and you taught me the names of the stars.”
She’d never wanted it to end. Even now she could remember the smell of the grass, the sounds of the night, the warm brush of Enrico’s arm as they lay beside each other. She’d been fourteen and had wished upon every single one of those stars that one day she’d belong to him and he to her.
“It was a night much like this one,” Enrico said, looking back at the sky. “It was when I first realized my brother might be in love with you. He did not speak to me the next day. I thought he was jealous I had spent time with you.”
“More likely he felt embarrassed. He was probably worried you’d think he was chicken.”
“Perhaps.” He pursed his lips, then looked at her. “But you were the one thing in life he seemed to want.”
Again, there was a long silence as they watched each other. Faye’s cheeks heated as his gaze seemed to pierce the deepest part of her. How could he look at her like that and not love her? How could he tear her apart with a gaze that promised much, but delivered so little?
“I never meant to hurt you, Faye.”
There was an aching hole in the centre of her heart, but she kept her eyes on his. “I never meant to hurt you.”
She kept looking at him as he moved in front of her. “I know I am not the man you would have chosen for a husband, but I will try my hardest to make this marriage work for you.”
“What about you?” Faye asked. “What will make this marriage work for you?”
“That I can keep you safe and happy. That I can keep our daughter safe and happy.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Faye fisted her hands to stop from reaching for him. “I meant what will make you happy?”
Another of the long silences threatened, but she was damned if she’d take any more of them. “Don’t give me any spiel about duty and responsibility, I can’t take it. Just tell me what will make you happy, even if it’s not what I want to hear. Just tell me.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I am not sure I understand what—”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Rico. Do you want to see other women?”
The frown deepened into a scowl. “No. And I will not allow you to see other men.”
“I’m not talking about other men.” She wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. “What I’m trying to say, and making a complete pig’s ear out of it, is that I don’t want you to be unhappy so—”
“Then love me back.”
They both froze in place.
Faye stared up at him, her mind spinning until she felt almost dizzy. Enrico looked as if he’d signed his own death sentence.
“What did you say?” She tried to bank down the jumps of anticipation her stomach was making. “What did you mean—”
“I do not know what the hell I mean,” he said, rubbing his neck. “All I know is you mix me up and confuse everything.”
She inched forward, her heart joining in the festivities as her insides jumped. “Don’t do that, don’t clam up on me.” She moved until their bodies bumped. “I want to know what you meant.”
His eyebrows drew together again. “What I meant—what I wanted—meant to say, was that I don’t want any other woman.”
A little bit closer. “Yes?”
“I want…” He took a huge breath, “I want…you.”
She couldn’t actually get any closer, so she moved her hips against him. “Why?”
His Adam’s apple bounced. “Why what?”
“Why do you want me?”
The muscle in his jaw worked overtime. “Faye…”
Her heart was thumping so hard, he surely had to feel it. “For the sex?”
“No.” When she raised her eyebrows he laughed, and it seemed to ease some of the tension coming off him. “Well, not just the sex.” His expression grew serious again. “I have feelings for you. I know you loved Matteo, but if you give me the chance I swear I will try to make you happy.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “You’re a fiercely intelligent man, Rico, but sometimes you can be incredibly den
se.” His tentative smile almost broke her heart. “I love you,” she whispered softly. “I’ve always loved you. I’ve never wanted anyone else. Ever.”
He stared at her as if she’d grown two heads, while his hands remained poker-stiff at his sides.
“I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. I know that’s a cliché, but it’s true. You didn’t even know I was there half the time, but I was always aware of you. Always. Teo and I were friends and I loved him that way, but you’re the man I want. You’re the man I want to spend my life with. I don’t expect anything from you or from our marriage that you can’t—”
Her breath came out on a whoosh as his arms banded around her and she was crushed against him. “I expect much from our marriage,” he warned, his glorious eyes shimmering with something Faye dared not hope for. Her stomach leapt as his mouth feathered against hers. “I have wanted you also, hoped for you,” he said against her lips. “You, my darling Faye.”
Then she was wrapped in him, lost in a kiss that was tender and achingly beautiful. When he drew away, he kept their mouths close. “I love you,” he said softly, his breath whispering across her lips and making her soul leap. “I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Faye slipped her fingers into his hair. She was in a dream, a wonderful floating dream. “You already make me happy,” she said, reaching up for a kiss. “You don’t have to do anything else, just keep on loving me.”
“We have much to make right.” His gaze raked over her face. “Much to talk about and plan. And this we will do together.” His fingers dove into her hair and he tilted her head back. The fierce look in his eyes was matched by the demand in his voice. “Tell me again that you love me.”
“I do,” Faye smiled. “I love you. I always have.”
He touched his lips to hers…brushed…tasted.
“And I love you.” He said it carefully in English, before repeating it in his native tongue. “I will spend every moment, every day, proving to you how much.”
“Ti amo,” she said and clung to him as he took the gentle brush of mouths to another level. Then another. Until there was nothing soft or tentative, just red-hot passion and need. As if every one of the hungry years spent apart needed satiating. Urgently.
Later, in their room, when a little of that need had been soothed, Enrico pulled Faye into his side. The sheets were a tangled mess and Faye giggled as he battled through them to grab her thigh.
“You dare to laugh at me?” he growled, smiling when she laughed again. “You will pay for that.”
Faye snuggled in, letting him position her leg so it was draped over his. There was a smug smile on her face as she snuck her arm over his broad, hair-roughened chest. Her whole body was warm, a little tender in places, while her breasts tingled in the aftershock of her husband’s greedy attention. And heat still pulsed where he’d been deep inside her.
She snuggled some more. “Rico…?”
“Hmm?”
His hand slid sensuously down her thigh and she had to really focus on what she wanted to say. “We need to get one thing straight.”
“And what is that, bellissima?” His voice was husky, his leisurely stroke becoming more dedicated. Faye knew exactly what that meant. If she was going to say this, she’d better be quick.
“I want to carry on working.” Because his hand showed no signs of slowing, Faye hooked herself onto one elbow and looked down at him. He looked all slumberous and sexy, with a smile on his face that managed to be both acquiescent and resolute. “I thought I’d finish off the library,” she said firmly. “There’s this auction coming up in Rome, they have two first editions which will complete your collection—”
“Our collection,” he corrected.
“Our collection.” Faye amended, with a smile. “So I thought I’d bid for them. And I want to finish cataloguing the collection, and… What?”
He had his eyes closed and he was grinning. Faye slapped him gently on the shoulder. “What?”
“You. My wonderful wife.” Opening his eyes, he turned to look at her. “Whatever makes you happy has my support. But I think you may soon have other things to occupy your time.”
Faye frowned. “What things?”
“Well, we have been very…active…for some hours now, and I haven’t used protection.”
Faye settled back next to him, the smug smile returning. “And you think making me pregnant will stop me from working?” She gave a long, reproachful sigh. “Oh, my darling Rico. And just when I thought I’d succeeded in bringing my old fashioned husband into the twenty-first century.”
In one easy movement, she found herself underneath him. “Some things,” he growled, “are best done the old fashioned way.” He settled himself between her legs. “Some things, when done well, cannot be improved upon. Twenty-first century or not.”
And as he prepared to take her to heaven and back one more time that night, Faye could only agree.
About the Author
Look for these titles by Tricia Jones
Now Available:
His Convenient Affair
Flat broke and desperate, Kate Hartley runs to her ex-husband for help. However, his help comes with a high price. One she can’t refuse.
Buying Mackenzie’s Baby
© 2006 Kim Rees
The morning after a high society party finds Kate Hartley in her ex-husband’s bed. Just a stupid mistake; something to put behind her… Until she discovers that she is pregnant.
Mack had never wanted children; had only married her in a rush of lust. Kate knows this. Nothing would drive her to ask anything of him. Nothing. But she’s homeless and flat broke. And it isn’t only her welfare now.
However, Mack has his own agenda. Kate had fooled him once; married him for his money. Whored herself… It was why he had divorced her. But now his grandfather has threatened his mother’s home if Mack doesn’t marry and produce an heir.
He had vowed never to marry again. But Kate Hartley is his only choice.
And payback can be sweet…
Warning: This book contains explicit sex.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Buying Mackenzie’s Baby:
She took a deep breath, her hand delaying on the lock. Mack’s scent wrapped around her, light, subtle. Kate rested her forehead briefly against the cool wood of the door, feeling Mack’s fist pounding on the other side. He was the only man who had ever held her, held her and made her feel completely safe. Tears burned in her eyes, slipping again over her cheeks. It had been an illusion, a fantasy she had created. And then he’d tired of the naïve girl she had been.
She twisted the lock and pulled open the door.
“Kate.” Unwilling, she met the hot anger in his gaze. She winced against the fingers biting into her upper arms. “Why lock the door?”
Kate shrugged off his fierce grip. She was numb in the face of his fury. It was stupid to hurt so much. Seven years. Worse was to know that inside her grew a tiny life, a part of the man she still— What? Wanted? Needed? Kate sighed. Now that would be stupid.
She found her abandoned glass and gulped down the rest of the water, wanting the raw taste in her mouth eased. “After I left your expensive hotel room, I wasn’t thinking. I thought it would be all right.” Her laugh was bitter. “No. Truthfully. I really wasn’t thinking.”
“Your point?”
She held his narrowed gaze and forced out the words. “I’m pregnant.”
“Jesus, Kate, that was careless!”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
He was pacing now. “You were looking for sex that night. Didn’t you at least think to take some precautions?”
Her stomach knotted. He made her sound like a whore. “How dare you—”
“What do you want me to do?”
Kate would have loved to have told him that she was simply doing the honorable thing and keeping him informed. But that had never been an option. Her overdraft was strained to breaking and in a few days
she wouldn’t have anywhere to live. His reaction brought out bitter words. “Give me your money.”
Fear washed over her as Mack stalked towards her, his face filled with fury. She shrank back into her seat, but couldn’t resist when fierce hands dragged her up. “I will not pay for your abortion.”
His words shot through her. She had never once thought of doing that. “I—”
“Or do you think this is your chance to get your claws into me again?” Mack’s voice was cold, tight. The familiar burn in his eyes seared her. His fingers uncurled from her arms and she crumpled back into the softness of the chair.
How had she ever felt anything for the cruel, selfish man standing over her? “You think I want this? Your baby inside me?” She ignored the brief, unwanted tightening of her heart. She had once thought having their baby was her future.
“If it is mine.”
Nothing was worth this. Nothing. She would scrounge somewhere to stay, sell her few possessions. Survive without him. Vainly, she still wished she had her wedding and engagement rings. But Mack, knowing their worth, had taken them back.
Kate leapt to her feet, her spine straight. “You were always the slut in this relationship, Mack.” She took no delight in the shock that flashed across his harsh face. “I’ll deal with this,” she waved a hand at her flat stomach, “myself.”
“I won’t let you have an abortion.”
“You can’t dictate my life, Mack.” Let him think what he liked. She and her baby would do very well without him. She lifted her chin and turned towards the door. “I’ll be more than happy never to see you again.”
A slow hand clap followed her footsteps. “You always do indignation so well.” The sneer to his voice cut her. “Now, if you’ve finished with your theatrics?”
Anger twisted again in her gut. He had always thought this of her, thought her shallow. Kate stopped and turned, making herself hold his hard gaze. “What’s there to discuss? You already doubt that the baby’s yours.”
“Yes, I do.”
