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Luca glanced at her. ‘We’re going to my home in Alto Gavea. It’s closer.’
Serena’s heart beat fast. His home.
The rest of the drive was in silence, as if words were superfluous and might not even penetrate the thick sensual tension between them.
This part of Rio was encased in forest, reminding Serena of the rainforest with a sharp poignancy. And Luca’s home took her breath away when he turned in to a long secluded drive behind fortified gates.
It was an old colonial house, two-storey, white, with terracotta slates on the roof, and it was set, literally, in the middle of the lush Tijuca Forest.
He pulled the car to a stop and looked at her for a long moment. They were suspended in time, with no sounds except for the calls of some birds.
Then he broke the spell and got out of the car, helping Serena out of the low-slung seat. She let out a small squeal of surprise when he scooped her up into his arms and navigated opening the front door with commendable dexterity.
He took the stairs two at a time and strode into a massive bedroom. Serena only had time to take in an impression of a house that was cool and understated. In his room, the open shutters framed a view showcasing the illuminated Christ the Redeemer statue in the far distance on its hill overlooking Rio.
Everything became a little dream-like after that, and Serena knew that on some level she was shying away from analysing the significance of the day that had passed.
Luca put her down, only to disappear into a bathroom, where she heard the sound of a shower running. When he emerged he was taking off his clothes until he stood before her naked, unashamedly masculine and proud.
‘Come here.’
She obeyed without question. When she stood before him he reached down for the hem of her dress and pulled it up and off. Then he turned her around and undid her flimsy bikini top so that it fell to the floor.
He turned her back and hooked his fingers into the bottoms, and pulled them down until she could step out of them at her feet. In that moment, naked, she’d never felt more womanly or more whole. Or more free of the shadows that had dogged her for as long as she could remember. They weren’t gone completely, but it was enough for now.
He took her hand and led her into the bathroom, which was fogged with steam that curled over their sticky, sandy bodies. Standing under the hot spray, Serena lifted her face and Luca covered her mouth with his, his huge body making the space tiny.
When he took his mouth off hers she opened her eyes to see his hot gaze devouring her. And just like that she was ready, her body ripening and moistening for him, ravenous at the sight of Luca’s gleaming wet and aroused body. He lifted her and instructed her to put her legs around him—then groaned and stopped.
She looked at him, breathless with anticipation. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘No protection, preciosa. We need to move.’
Serena was dazed as he carried her out of the shower, her legs still wrapped around his waist. She could see the pain on his face at the interruption but she was glad... She’d been too far gone to think about protection herself.
He put her down on the bed and reached for a condom from his cabinet, ripping the foil and sheathing himself with big, capable hands. Serena felt completely wanton as she watched this display of masculine virility.
And then he was coming back down over her, pushing her legs apart, settling between them, asking huskily, ‘Okay?’
She nodded, her chest tightening ominously, and then Luca was thrusting in so deep her back arched and her legs went around his waist. It was fast and furious, his gaze holding hers, not letting her look away.
Bliss broke over her after mere minutes. She was so primed—as if now it was the easiest thing in the world and not something that had been torturously elusive when they’d first made love.
Serena bit into Luca’s shoulder as powerful spasms racked her body just as he reached his own climax, his body thrusting rhythmically against hers until he was spent. He collapsed over her and she tightened her arms and legs around him, loving the feel of him pressing her into the bed, his body still big inside hers.
Eventually he withdrew, and Serena winced as her muscles protested. Luca collapsed on his back beside her, his breathing as uneven as hers. She looked at him to find him watching her with a small enigmatic smile playing around his mouth.
He came up on one arm and touched his fingers to her jaw. ‘You make me lose my mind every time...’ he admitted gruffly.
Serena looked at him. Somehow his confession wasn’t as comforting as she’d thought it might be. It left her with a definite sense that Luca did not welcome such a revelation.
And then he was kissing her again, wiping everything from her mind, and she welcomed it weakly. She was far too afraid to face the suspicion that she had fallen in love with this man and there was no going back.
Three days later
‘Miss DePiero? Senhor Fonseca said to let you know that he’s been unavoidably detained and you should eat without him.’
‘Okay, thank you.’ Serena put down the kitchen phone extension and looked at the chicken stew she’d made, bubbling on the state-of-the-art cooker. Unavoidably detained. What was that code for?
