His hands shook as he traced them over every dip and curve of her body. He feathered kisses over her breasts and his breath grazed her inner thighs as his caresses became ever more erotic. And when he lifted himself over her and possessed her, with a bone-shaking tenderness and a possessiveness that thrilled her, Carlos told her in the language of lovers that he would worship her always and for ever.
EPILOGUE
‘YOU ARE A miracle-worker,’ Betsy told her husband of two years.
They had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary with a romantic weekend in Mallorca.
‘We can go anywhere in the world,’ Carlos had said when he’d suggested the trip. ‘The best hotel or a luxury cruise ship. You choose.’
‘I choose Casita Viola. We never did get around to making love on the beach.’
Carlos had taken care of that, and had made love to her with such dedication that she had felt she loved him even more, if that was possible.
‘What miracle have I performed?’ he murmured now, as he came over to where she was standing by the window in her art studio. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest, his lips nuzzling her ear.
She pointed to the garden, where her parents were each pushing a pram up and down the lawn. ‘Mum and Dad have been here for three days and they haven’t argued once. They even get on with each other’s new partners. What did you do?’
‘I very cleverly made you pregnant with twins, so that they had a granddaughter each to coo over.’ Carlos winced as they watched Sebastian charge across the grass and kick a football, which sailed over the pram where six-month-old Ana-Marta was sleeping. Betsy’s mother was pushing the other pram, with baby Alicia inside. ‘I don’t know where our son gets his energy from.’
‘I wonder...’ Betsy said drily. ‘I can’t decide if he is going to be a famous footballer or a tennis champion, but all that matters is that he is happy.’ She turned in Carlos’s arms and captured his beloved face in her hands. ‘Have you any idea how happy you make me?’
‘I love you.’ He kissed her lingeringly. ‘I never believed I could be this happy. A beautiful wife and three gorgeous children—what more could I want?’
‘How about four gorgeous children?’ Betsy grinned at his startled expression. ‘All that sex on the beach in Mallorca has given us a lovely surprise.’
Carlos laughed and hugged her tight before he scooped her up and carried her over to the sofa. ‘I’m delighted by your news. But how do you feel about falling pregnant so soon after having the twins?’
‘I feel that I am the luckiest woman in the world. You are my world, Carlos. You and our children. My parents, your father, Graciela and Miguel, Chico... It’s my dream come true. Family.’
‘For ever,’ he said softly, before he kissed her. ‘By the way, I have locked the door, querida, and you will have my undivided attention.’
Coming next month
CLAIMING HIS BOLLYWOOD CINDERELLA
Tara Pammi
The scent of her hit him first. A subtle blend of jasmine and her that he’d remember for the rest of his life. And equate with honesty and irreverence and passion and laughter. There was a joy about this woman, despite her insecurities and vulnerabilities, that he found almost magical.
The mask she wore was black satin with elaborate gold threading at the edges and was woven tightly into her hair, leaving just enough of her beautiful dark brown eyes visible. The bridge of her small nose was revealed as was the slice of her cheekbones. For a few seconds, Vikram had the overwhelming urge to tear it off. He wanted to see her face. Not because he wanted to find out her identity.
He wanted to see her face because he wanted to know this woman. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted… With a rueful shake of his head, he pushed away the urge. It was more than clear that men had only ever disappointed her. He was damned if he was going to be counted as one of them. He wanted to be different in her memory.
When she remembered him after tonight, he wanted her to smile. He wanted her to crave more of him. Just as he would crave more of her. He knew this before their lips even touched. And he would find a way to discover her identity. He was just as sure of that too.
Her mouth was completely uncovered. Her lipstick was mostly gone leaving a faint pink smudge that he wanted to lick away with his tongue.
She held the edge of her silk dress with one hand and as she’d lifted it to move, he got a flash of a thigh. Soft and smooth and silky. It was like receiving a jolt of electricity, with every inch he discovered of this woman. The dress swooped low in the front, baring the upper curves of her breasts in a tantalizing display.
And then there she was, within touching distance. Sitting with her legs folded beneath her, looking straight into his eyes. One arm held the sofa while the other smoothed repeatedly over the slight curve of her belly. She was nervous and he found it both endearing and incredibly arousing. She wanted to please herself. And him. And he’d never wanted more for a woman to discover pleasure with him.
Her warm breath hit him somewhere between his mouth and jaw in silky strokes that resonated with his heartbeat. This close, he could see the tiny scar on the other corner of her mouth.
“Are you going to do anything?” she asked after a couple of seconds, sounding completely put out.
He wanted to laugh and tug that pouty lower lip with his teeth. Instead he forced himself to take a breath. He was never going to smell jasmine and not think of her ever again. “It’s your kiss, darling. You take it.”
Continue reading
CLAIMING HIS BOLLYWOOD CINDERELLA
Tara Pammi
Available next month
Copyright ©2020 Tara Pammi
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Housekeeper In The Headlines (Mills & Boon Modern) Page 17
