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‘I’m not ready to let you go,’ he cut in arrogantly and placed his hand back on her breast, his fingers trapping her nipple now and making her eyes close as she bit back a moan. She trapped his hand with hers, but that just made it feel even more erotic, with her hand on his over her breast. She took it away again quickly.
‘Dante, I’m not some kind of pet. You can’t keep me.’
‘And can you really tell me that you’re ready to leave, to walk away from this …?’
He moved on to his back and pulled her up over him in one fluid movement so that she straddled him. He spread her legs around him with his big hands. She could feel his erection and bit her lip.
No, she wasn’t ready to leave him … She loved him, like a fool.
Abruptly he moved again, sitting up and, taking Alicia with him, he lifted her slightly before lowering her back down on to his rigid shaft. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breasts were crushed against him, her legs wrapped tight around his waist, ankles locked behind him and as he moved and surged within her she looked deep into his eyes as they both crested the wave. It was this intense, this amazing, every single time. And he was right—she couldn’t walk away.
Breathing jaggedly in the aftermath, sweat on her brow, her limbs shaking, Dante pressed a kiss to her damp neck and asked again, ‘So … what’s it to be?’
Two Months Later …
A smile of pure masculine satisfaction curved Dante’s mouth as he walked into his apartment in the centre of Rome. He could hear the shower running and was already imagining Alicia, twisting and turning under the spray, hair in long tendrils down her back.
He shed his clothes with indecent haste and his smile got bigger as he walked confidently to the door of the bathroom. His desire was as strong as ever, if not even more urgent. He opened the door and saw the small figure through the steam, hands held high washing her hair, lifting her breasts. He stepped in and she jumped in fright.
‘Dante!’
‘Si … cara. Here, let me do that …’
She let him turn her so that he could run his hands around her front to cup her soapy breasts. He smiled again against her skin and when he pressed close, letting her feel his erection and a shudder ran through her, he knew that he’d made the right decision in making Alicia his mistress. Life was good.
Later, Alicia looked at Dante across the dinner table in the apartment. With each day that went by she was falling deeper and deeper into a dark hole that threatened to engulf her utterly. For the past two months she’d been playing a role—the role of his mistress. A fool’s role. Perfectly compliant, by his side for every occasion and always a smile on her face hiding the fact that, inside, she didn’t even know how her heart kept on beating.
He was as astoundingly gorgeous as ever. Even more so. He’d let his hair grow a little, which had softened his features. She sighed and played with her wineglass, having to take her eyes away because it simply hurt to look at him.
He reached across and took her hand, turning it palm up. She steeled herself and looked at him as blandly as she could. ‘There’s a function on this Sunday night for my charity in Milan … and on Saturday we have the annual Lake Como water sports competition for the kids. You will come?’
As if she had a choice … She could have laughed. What might she say? Actually, no, I want to stay here in Rome in this cool and sterile apartment, alone.
She forced a smile. ‘Of course, that would be lovely.’
He smiled too and it made her chest tight. No words of affection, no words of tenderness or love. And Alicia wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer, because she knew that the only reason she’d come at all, had even agreed to this arrangement, was because she had stupidly dreamt that perhaps, with a bit of time to get to know each other, Dante would come to feel something for her. Instead, she’d come to realize that he felt nothing for anybody. His brother, maybe. But that was it.
The awful thing was, she couldn’t fault him. He was attentive, considerate, generous to a fault … and, as for the bedroom. When he’d surprised her in the shower earlier, it had scared her how much her body still craved his … needed his. Even after this period of time. No, she
thought firmly to herself, she would have to be strong, would have to walk away … soon … as soon as she had the strength.
That Saturday, Dante drove them in a Jeep to the part of the lake which was the water sports centre. They’d arrived at the villa last night from Milan and Alicia had been delighted to see Julieta again, and even had a few words of Italian to try out this time—she’d been taking classes in Rome. The weather was unusually warm for October. In jeans and a T-shirt with a light fleece top, Alicia was relieved to have been able to get some clothes more suited to her own naturally casual style.
When they arrived about a hundred children ranging from three years old to seventeen, stood milling around near the pontoons. And as soon as they saw the Jeep a huge cheer went up. Alicia couldn’t believe it when Dante stopped and got out; they all rushed forward to greet him, some of the younger ones already tugging at his hands and pulling him forwards. She was so stunned that she nearly fell out of the jeep. He looked back at her and smiled ruefully before he was swallowed in the crush. Alicia had never seen him look so boyish … or happy.
A young woman with a pleasant smile approached her. ‘You must be Alicia.’
She nodded and smiled.
‘I’m Maria, the manager of the orphanage.’ She gestured to the kids. ‘They’ve been so excited for weeks now; this trip is one of the most popular every year.’
‘You mean there are others?’
Maria nodded. ‘Oh, yes, we have several, here and in Milano—all over Italy, actually. Water sports, activity centres, horse-riding … you name it.’
Alicia just shook her head, thoroughly bemused now to see Dante and several other instructors in wetsuits striding around and organizing the kids.
‘Come on, I’ll show you where you can sit and watch.’
