Читать книгу Modern Romance Collection: April 2018 Books 5 - 8 - Andie Brock, Heidi Rice - Страница 20

CHAPTER TEN

‘WELL, GOODNIGHT, YOU TWO.’

Always the last to leave a party, Leah finally got to her feet and moved unsteadily around the debris-strewn table. She kissed Harper, and then, rather more awkwardly, Vieri.

‘Thank you so much for inviting me, Vieri, and for paying for my flight and everything so I could be here. That was very generous of you. Especially after what I did...letting you down like that.’

‘Forget it.’ Vieri waved his hand in a dismissive gesture but Harper noticed there was no rancour in his voice. He looked and sounded positively mellow.

‘And can I just say...?’ She paused, a smile spreading across her face. ‘You two make a lovely couple.’

‘Leah!’ Harper shot her sister a warning glare.

This was typical of Leah, stirring things up. They had had very little time to talk but during a hushed conversation in the privacy of the bathroom Harper had made sure that her sister knew the score, that this was a marriage in name only. Except, of course, Leah refused to believe it.

‘I can’t help it if that’s what I think.’ Leah refused to be silenced. ‘And I’m not the only one. Everyone has been saying so all day.’

Had they? Even though Harper knew that that was just what people said at weddings, she couldn’t help but feel a little surge of pleasure. Because somehow, despite everything, even though it shouldn’t have, today had been lovely. It had felt right.

She put it down to the fact that she and Vieri had achieved their aim—they had made Alfonso happy. In fact, he had appeared positively delighted, a beaming smile across his face for most of the day. Which in turn had made Vieri relax. Harper had seen a new side to him as he had chatted to the guests, laughed with Jaco, clearly enjoying himself. Even now, at this late hour, he appeared to be in no hurry to end the day; instead he cradled a glass of brandy in his hand, absently swilling the liquid around as he watched the sisterly exchange going on. If Harper wasn’t mistaken, there was the tug of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

‘Go to bed, Leah.’ Sitting up straighter, Harper shooed Leah away. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

‘I’m going, I’m going.’ Blowing them both a kiss, Leah tottered off, her feet bare, her strappy shoes held over her shoulder by one finger. ‘Have a good night, you two.’

Alone at last, a dangerous silence settled over the room. Harper cleared her throat.

‘Well, I guess I had better be thinking about going to bed too.’

‘Yes, it’s been a long day.’

‘A successful one though.’ She looked across at Vieri for confirmation but immediately found herself caught in the midnight blue of his eyes. Pulling her gaze away, she only made it as far as the long length of his body lounging back in his chair. With one leg crossed over the other, he appeared completely at ease and even more dangerously handsome than ever. The jacket had gone, the fitted waistcoat emphasising his broad shoulders, his narrow waist. He had loosened his tie and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal tanned forearms, covered in a liberal dusting of dark hair. He looked casual, relaxed, but most of all deeply, heart-wrenchingly sexy. Harper felt her chest tighten.

‘No regrets, then?’ Lightly asked, his question nevertheless demanded an answer.

‘No. I’m glad that we were able to do this for Alfonso.’

‘Good.’ He took a sip of brandy. ‘That makes me feel less guilty.’

‘Guilty?’ Harper laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you ever feeling guilty about anything.’

‘Then that shows how little you know me.’ Suddenly serious, Vieri leant forward in his chair.

Harper blinked. ‘That’s true.’ She really did know very little about this enigmatic man who was now, remarkably, ridiculously, her husband.

‘Then perhaps we should do something about it.’

‘Like what?’ Her words came out as a gasp.

Vieri shrugged his elegant shoulders. ‘I would be lying if I didn’t admit that a few things were coming to mind.’

Their gazes clashed, the few things he was referring to all too clear in the swirling depths of his eyes. Harper felt the frantic beat of her heart in her throat.

‘You are a very special person, Harper.’ The sincerity of his gaze held her captive. ‘I really mean that.’

‘Well, thank you.’ Harper gave an embarrassed laugh but it was silenced by a fingertip pressed against her lips.

‘And I would very much like to make love to you.’

Shock ricocheted through her, swiftly followed by a clench of lust, deep in her groin. It was the way he had just said it, as if it were so easily possible, as if it could just happen. Which of course it could. Harper swallowed hard. But it shouldn’t, should it?

Fighting to find some logic, some reason in this swirl of madness, Harper stood up, gazing at the vaulted ceiling as if the answer had to be hiding there somewhere. ‘But this was never part of our agreement.’ Her voice sounded husky, as if it belonged to someone else.

‘Hang the agreement.’ Suddenly up on his feet, Vieri came and stood before her, cupping her chin in his hand. His cool façade had slipped, revealing the dark passion beneath. ‘Right now I want you, Harper. You have no idea how much.’ His breath feathered across her heated face, his words sending spasms of yearning right through her. ‘And I believe you want me too.’

‘Yes.’ Harper stared into his eyes, suddenly unable to hide the truth any longer.

A smile curved Vieri’s sensuous mouth. ‘Bene. So what do you say? Will you let me take you to bed tonight?’

Oh, God. Harper had never wanted anything more in her life. But she couldn’t just say yes. Could she?

‘I...I don’t know, Vieri.’ Still she tried to rationalise her thoughts that now only drummed with one, sensuous beat.

Reaching forward, Vieri picked up a stray tendril of hair and, after a moment’s hesitation, tucked it behind her ear. ‘One night together, Harper, that’s all I’m asking, all I’m offering. One night of pleasure.’

It was so tempting. He was so, so tempting.

‘I think we deserve that.’

Did they? Harper had no idea what they deserved. But as Vieri’s face came towards her she felt her eyelids flutter closed and when his lips touched hers she knew she was powerless to resist. The kiss deepened immediately, the tidal wave of sensation kicking in again until the pleasure was so strong she couldn’t feel her feet any more, didn’t know which way up she was. With his lips moulded against her own, firm and tight, yet silky and persuasive, their hot possession left no room for doubt or thought of any kind, and she could do nothing but let herself be pulled into the swirling abyss, dragged under by the current, left gasping for air. It was suffocating. It was drowning. And it was impossible to fight.

She wanted him! And even though a quiet voice told her to be careful, warned her of the consequences, a much louder one was screaming at her to do this. To let go, to live for the moment. That if she didn’t, she would regret it. The sort of regret that would stay with her for the rest of her life.

Breaking away from the kiss, she felt for his hand, tipping her head to look up at him, still needing that final confirmation. And there it was. With his pupils dilated until his eyes were almost black, Harper had her proof. She could see that he was hanging onto the very last threads of his control and that was all she needed to know. He wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him. And that was the most empowering feeling ever.

‘Let’s go.’ With a confidence that surprised her, she tugged on his hand, leading him out of the dining room. But by the time they had reached the echoing hallway, Vieri was beside her, one arm around her waist, hurrying them both up the long flight of stairs as if the very devil were on their heels. They flew down the corridor together until they reached their bedroom door.

Or at least the bedroom that they supposedly shared. In fact, as far as Harper knew, Vieri had never so much as set foot in there. True to his word, from day one he had found himself another room in the castello, Harper didn’t know where. She had told herself she didn’t care. So she alone had used this bedroom, slept in the ornate ‘marriage’ bed, dressed in front of the fancy gilt mirror. And even though she had told herself it was a relief, that the last thing she had wanted was the awkwardness of sharing a room with Vieri and all the mixed emotions that would have stirred up, in truth it had only made her feel more alone.

But tonight all that was going to change. Opening the door, Vieri pulled her in behind him but the sight that met Harper’s eyes stopped her in her tracks. The bedroom had been filled with candles, burning low now that several hours had passed. In the flickering light, Harper could see a trail of rose petals leading to the bed, the four posts of which had been decorated with winter foliage and long-stemmed red roses, twisting up and around and over the canopy, giving it a wonderful, Sleeping-Beauty-like quality.

‘It seems the wedding planners have been busy.’ She gave a light laugh, intended to show that she knew this ridiculously romantic setting had no real heart behind it, had nothing to do with Vieri.

‘So it would seem.’ He looked around him, puzzled.

‘I think we can probably guess whose idea this was.’ She raised her eyebrows, giving Vieri a neutral smile.

‘Alfonso!’ They spoke his name together.

With a low laugh Vieri took hold of her hand and navigated them along the path of petals towards the bed. ‘He is completely shameless. He will stop at nothing to bring us together.’

‘I know.’ They sat down together on the bed, Harper’s heart banging loud enough to wake the entire castello as she looked at their hands clasped together in Vieri’s lap, thought of where they might soon travel. ‘And it seems he has succeeded.’

‘Yes.’ The air between them thickened, vibrating with desire. With his fingers stroking against her palm, Harper felt her eyelids close, her whole body tingle with erotic awareness.

‘You want this?’ His breath whispered softly against her face.

‘I want this, Vieri.’

She had never wanted anything so much in her entire life. It was an all-consuming yearning that obliterated all doubt, took all reason and turned it into so much dust. The need for him to be hers, to possess her, as no man ever had, was so strong, so overwhelming, that it didn’t matter that she knew they had no future together. Tomorrow didn’t matter. Hell, an hour’s time didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Vieri took her in his arms and made love to her right now.

Opening her eyes, she gazed at the chiselled features of his handsome face, registering the slash of heat beneath the olive skin, the determined set of his jaw showing his restraint, the way he was holding back. But most of all she saw the swirling depths of desire in his eyes; she saw how much he wanted her. And that was all she needed.

Her hands flew to his chest, rapidly unbuttoning his waistcoat and pushing it over his shoulders before pulling his tie undone. She moved to start on the buttons of his shirt but Vieri took over, sweeping her effortlessly from the bed and setting her onto the floor where his hot gaze swept over her, scorching her flesh from head to toe. Kicking off her shoes, Harper stood on tiptoe to reach for him, linking her arms behind his head, suddenly aware of the difference in their heights, how very tall he was. But feeling for her hands, Vieri released their grasp and took her arms above her head, so that her breasts tugged upwards. Their eyes met.

‘Stay like that.’ It was a hoarse demand, a whisper of promise.

Bending down, he took hold of the hem of her dress, bunching the slippery fabric in his hands and starting to lift it up, revealing her ankles, then her calves. As he rose to standing he took the dress with him until it had slithered past her bottom and her waist and, with a final flourish, like a triumphant matador, he pulled it up and over her head.

‘Molto bella.’ Tossing the dress to one side, Vieri took a moment to look at her, his eyes travelling hungrily over the white silk stockings, the matching panties, and then to her breasts, naked and heavy with need. But Harper felt no shyness as his gaze raked over her, no embarrassment or awkwardness. Instead his intense gaze empowered her, made her feel beautiful, as if she could do anything. She tingled with a glorious heat that spread to every cell in her body, finding its way to her core where it burned hot and bright and insistent.

Only when his eyes alighted on the scar that arced down one side of her belly did she falter, her arm instinctively moving to cover it. But Vieri lifted her hand, running his finger tenderly along the fine ridge of the scar tissue.

‘What’s this?’

‘A kidney transplant. Years ago, when I was sixteen.’ She spoke quickly, hoping that would be explanation enough.

‘You needed a kidney transplant?’

‘No, not me, Leah. I was the donor.’

‘Cristo, Harper.’ Vieri moved his hands to her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. ‘Has your entire life been dedicated to saving others?’

‘Pretty much.’ Harper pulled back to look into his eyes.

‘And now?’

‘Not now. Trust me, Vieri, this...’ She moved provocatively against him. ‘This is just for me.’

‘For us.’

‘Yes,’ she corrected herself. ‘For us.’

With a slow, sinful smile, Vieri reached to release the pins in her hair and Harper shook her head so that the loose curls tumbled over her shoulders, over her naked breasts.

‘You look...’ he swallowed hard ‘...incredible.’

His words brought a heady surge of power, stripping away any last inhibitions, making her bold, making her sure. Never had anyone looked at her like that before, made her feel like this before.

Her hands moved back to his shirt again, fumbling with the buttons until she was able to push the fabric apart, expose Vieri’s broad, muscled chest to her greedy eyes, her itching fingers. She placed the flat of her palms against the wall of his chest, revelling in the feel of his hot, hard skin, the brush of tight, coarse hair. His muscles flexed beneath her touch, his obvious strength and power thrilling her senses, tightening her core still further. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the beat of his heart, picking up the rhythm with her own pulse that pumped the blood rapidly through her veins.

Vieri moved to shrug off his shirt, then dealt with the buttons of his fly, pulling off his trousers, along with his shoes and socks. Down to black boxers now, straining against the power of his arousal, he stood gazing at her for a couple of long seconds, silent apart from the telling rasp of his breath. Then, dispensing with his last item of clothing, he waited, watching her watching him. Harper’s eyes widened. With his naked body illuminated by the candlelight he looked like the embodiment of perfection in masculine form. So virile, so potent, so totally magnificent.

He reached for her again, sweeping aside the curtain of her hair and leaning forward to breathe against her neck, then plant a trail of hot, heavy kisses from below her earlobe to the base of her throat.

Trembling with anticipation, Harper felt his hands slide down her arms, over her waist, to the top of her thighs above her stockings where his fingers sensuously traced the bare flesh, circling inwards towards her very centre. Harper gasped, his velvet touch stealing her breath, clenching every muscle in her body, turning her inside out.

Her small step closed the space between them, trapping his hands where she wanted to feel them so very badly, at the very heart of her, the heat of her, her most sensitive core. But Vieri took his hands away, pressing them firmly against her buttocks, clenching hard to pull her against him so that the gloriously, shocking swell of his arousal pressed against her tummy. Harper drew in a sharp breath of shock.

‘For you, Harper,’ he moaned softly before covering her mouth with his own, kissing her tenderly, but with such possession, such need, that there was no doubting his intent. ‘Just wait one second.’

Pulling away, he crossed over to where his trousers had been discarded on the floor and, slipping his hand into the pocket, he brought out a foil wrapper. Ripping it open with his teeth, he turned to face her again, sliding the condom over his magnificent form with practised ease.

Then he was hers again, spanning her hips with his hands and lifting her effortlessly off her feet. Harper threaded her arms around his neck, Vieri’s soft Sicilian curse sounding like the most erotic word in the world as he moved them backwards onto the bed where he laid her down, his body held over her by locked elbows on either side of her head.

He kissed her again, his hand moving between them to trace the flimsy silk of her panties, before removing them to brush against her tight curls as his fingers found their way to her centre that throbbed, hot and wet and desperate with need. Harper squirmed into his touch, silently urging him on until one finger unerringly found just the right spot and he started a torturous, teasing, circular movement. With a wild gasp, she grasped at his shoulders to anchor him down, to give her more. He expertly increased the pressure until Harper felt herself start to shake, a tremor spreading through her body, taking her over completely. With a sigh she gave herself over to it, closing her eyes and drifting with it, shuddering more dramatically with each wave that rippled through her, dimly aware, but not caring in the least, that her small mews were growing louder with each blissful, clenching contraction.

Eventually she stilled as Vieri’s hand withdrew. She opened her eyes.

‘Sie bellissima!’

His lips closed over her mouth again as he repositioned himself until he was exactly where he wanted to be and with a deep, shuddering thrust, accompanied by a groan of pleasure, he was inside her.

She gasped out loud, the sharp twinge of pain holding her rigid, clawing her nails into his back.

‘Harper?’ Immediately he stopped, pushing himself up on forearms ridged with corded veins as he stared down into her face.

‘It’s nothing.’ Harper made herself breathe and the pain was gone, replaced by the most glorious sensation of fullness, of being joined, as she felt her tightness expand to hold him. She put her arms around his neck to pull him back down. ‘Really.’

‘Harper, if you want me to stop...’

‘No!’ That was the very last thing she wanted. She raised her head to find his lips, digging her hands into his hair. And after a moment of hesitation he was kissing her back, lowering his body, sliding further into her with slick, juddering sureness that felt more right than anything she had ever felt before.

He started to move, slowly at first, but increasing the speed with the rasp of his breath, his thrusts becoming deeper, faster, until Harper felt the dark waves of ecstasy start to roll again and, with a glorious sense of abandonment, she gave herself over to this most incredible of sensations. She heard Vieri groan, utter something low and primal in his native tongue as with one, last punishing thrust he shuddered his own release, deep inside her, before falling down to be wrapped in her arms.