AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The bag of tomatoes hit the floor with a soft plopping sound. The container of ham followed, making a harder cracking noise.
‘Are you all right?’ Mattia asked as he bent down to pick up the items.
No. Not at all. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ Don’t answer that. Because he’d probably be an expert at mind-reading as well, and boy, was her mind a mess of need and denial, of longing and regret.
He watched her as he moved to the counter to place the now bruised tomatoes on a dish. ‘We’re all set for lunch. My parents are looking forward to meeting you.’
I bet they are. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’ In a way it was true. It was another step closer to resolving everything—one way or another.
Then Mattia asked, ‘What’s your family’s take on this? Are they okay with you raising someone else’s child?’
‘They’ve been nothing but supportive.’
‘Would they be happy if you moved to Italy? Permanently.’
He didn’t need to add that last word. She got his meaning in spades. ‘My parents will back whatever decision I make.’
‘We make, Elene. We.’
‘You’re right. I keep wondering when we’re going to get around to talking about the crux of the matter.’ Leaning back against the fridge, she watched him try and wriggle his way out of that.
‘We’re making inroads by going slowly, getting to know each other in a stronger, more realistic way than we did in Wellington when I was involved with your friend. Introducing you and Aimee to my family is the next step. If I’m wrong, I apologise, but there’re no ground rules to follow here.’
That apology showed how hard Mattia was working with her. She nodded. ‘It’s okay. I’m nervous, that’s all. How did they take the news they have another grandchild?’
‘Surprisingly well. But then I think my parents are beyond being shocked by anything me or my brothers do. I’m guessing you can’t have four boys and not get a few knocks along the way.’
‘Lucky you, having brothers. My sisters are both louder and more outgoing than me.’
‘Trust me, brothers can be a pain too.’
Which brought her back to reality. ‘We still have a lot to learn about each other.’ She’d be gone in a couple of weeks.
Mattia laughed. ‘By this time tomorrow you’ll know more about me than you’d have imagined. And probably more than I want you to find out.’
‘So they’re not going to hogtie me and snatch Aimee away?’ The question was out before she’d thought of being prudent.
‘That’s what’s putting that frown on your brow.’ Mattia crossed and laid a hand on her arm. ‘I promise you no one’s going to grill you, throw you out the door or remove Aimee from your arms.’ The eyes locked on her were almost black with intensity. ‘I won’t let that happen.’
Knock me down. Mattia would stick by her, support and look out for her. They had come a long way. Though it was in his nature to look out for others, she sensed he was more involved with her, with the need to care for her. A man who’d stand by her, especially against his beloved family, was the sort she’d been looking for all her life. Her father had set the benchmark, and she should never have got involved with Craig. Mattia was beginning to understand her better than she could have imagined.
‘I don’t intend coming between you and your family.’ She drew a shaky breath. ‘But thank you. It means a lot that you’d stick up for me.’
He scowled. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’ He was studying her, that intensity ramped up even higher. ‘Sure I like getting my own way, but I’d never bully you to achieve my own gain.’
She swallowed, staring at him. ‘I know that.’
When she tried to move away Mattia put his hand on her other arm, gently held her in place. ‘What Craig did—is that why you were so against me and Danielle? You thought I’d hurt her badly. Like you’ve been.’
Sucking her lips back against her teeth, she nodded. ‘Danielle didn’t bruise easily, yet when you came along I thought she might. I was wrong. There are times I struggle to believe not every male is a bully.’ Why did I ever feel the need to protect Danielle from Mattia? Again she wondered if even then she’d been protecting herself from him because he was out of bounds, having chosen to date Danielle.
‘It’s completely understandable.’ Those large hands were unbelievably tender on her skin.
Don’t move in case he takes them away. She enjoyed being touched by Mattia. He was so sexy, and kind, and caring. The swear word that rose in her mind was blunt. Followed by a blunter thought. You were jealous of Danielle. You wanted Mattia yourself. A shiver tripped up her spine. Had she really? No denial was rushing at her. Elene lifted her eyes to Mattia’s face, drank in the chiselled chin, the dark stubble, the laughter lines at the corners of his mouth. Quite the package. No wonder she’d lusted after him. And now? Now nothing. That had to remain in the past. Now they needed to become friends. Sex with a friend wasn’t a recipe for success when there was so much at stake.
‘Elene.’ Her name was molten chocolate on his tongue, slipping off in a single low breath. ‘Elene,’ he repeated.
Heat flooded her. Because of her name on his lips. Her toes were lifting her towards him, narrowing the gap between their bodies, aided by his hands pulling softly on her arms until her breasts were against his lower chest. Still gazing up at him as if she’d been struck by lightning, she didn’t consider backing away, only knew the longing deep inside to kiss him, to taste him, to know his mouth on hers.
Lowering his head slowly, as though giving her the chance to pull away, Mattia’s mouth came tantalisingly close before he hesitated. His eyes were smoky, watching her, waiting for what?
Not pulling away. Not this time. Elene stretched those last few centimetres to place her mouth on his, feeling the strength and gentleness, the fullness, the need his lips invoked.
A groan spilled between them, escaping from Mattia as he kissed her back. Kissed her deep, sensually. Making her hope, beg, that she could return the favour equally as mind-blowing, as heating as what having Mattia’s mouth devouring hers was doing to her. A kiss was a kiss—so wasn’t true. The kisses she’d known never produced sparks and made her boneless, hadn’t sent torrents of mindless need racing to every inch of her body and especially to that place now throbbing with such longing.
Pressed up against him, his arms wrapped around her keeping her there, Elene lost track of everything except those lips, that slick tongue venturing into her mouth, the strength of his body she was so entwined with they’d become one. A hunger opened wide, had her feasting harder.
‘Mattia,’ she whispered around their kiss. Mattia. Mattia? She was kissing Mattia when they had so much to resolve? The heat chilled, her skin lifted in bumps. The need remained, not building, not dying—just there, tormenting her in its persistence. ‘Mattia.’
Immediately he jerked his mouth away, brought his hands to her upper arms to hold her steady. ‘Elene,’ he gasped. ‘That—’ He stopped, staring at her as if an alien had entered his home.
Considering everything, she probably was one. Or had her inexperience been that obvious? She shrugged away from him, found the strength to walk across the room to the other side of the counter, putting space between them before she did something silly like grab him and start all over with another bone-melting, brain-exploding kiss. ‘That shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry.’
Anger reflected back at her as he growled, ‘Don’t you dare apologise. We’re adults and know what we’re doing.’
‘We do?’ She sure as eggs didn’t. All she could definitely say was she’d loved every moment of the kiss and would do anything for another—except she knew she couldn’t. Not if she wanted to survive intact.
‘I guess.’ The fingers he dragged through his dark hair were shaking.
She’d rattled him. Good. She wasn’t in this pickle al
one. His indecision was heart-warming, showing yet another side to a man she’d always believed beyond indecision. Especially about something as simple as a kiss. But it hadn’t been a simple kiss. Not in her book, any rate.
‘See you in the morning.’ There’d be no avoiding it since they were going to see his family. Her heart squeezed. The Ricco family on top of that kiss was stacking up to be insurmountable trouble. Why had she instigated it? Why, why, why? Hey, it had been the kiss of a lifetime, worth any amount of trouble. She snatched up her half-full glass of wine as she went past the table. She needed it. Badly. To soothe her messed-up mind. Not to mention to cool her deliciously bruised lips, to calm her rapid heartbeat, something to sip as she meditated on what just happened.
I kissed Mattia Ricco. That was what happened, no more, no less. Oh, yeah? There was plenty more to it, otherwise why were her legs like logs, her feet chunks of floppy rubber?
She should’ve grabbed the bottle. There wouldn’t be any sleep going on tonight and imbibing would be a pleasurable way to fill in an hour or two. There’d be some cruising through her mind for ideas on how to handle meeting the Ricco clan. Mattia might have said he had her back, but making a fool of herself wasn’t an option. Nor did she want to be answering awkward questions, but how to prepare for them when she couldn’t be certain what they’d be?
Settling back against the headboard of the enormous—made for two and sex—bed, she sipped wine and looked across the room to where Aimee’s cot had been until that morning, when they’d shifted her to another room since she’d settled in so well. Elene sighed. Tracing the outline of her mouth brought X-rated ideas of what she would like to do with Mattia next time they kissed.
Except there wasn’t going to be a next time.
* * *
Elene was quiet on the drive up to Naples. She was exhausted, having lain awake until the early hours, her head spinning with a long litany of all things Mattia.
He’d woken her with a mug of strong coffee and some ciabatta with tomatoes before getting Aimee ready for the day. One day he’d make the perfect husband for some lucky woman. Just not her.
