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Finding her curled up, looking so sexy-sweet in her skimpy shorts, he’d lost interest in talking. A hitherto unknown part of him had wanted to wake her up and shake her, tell her she had all the sense of a deer in headlights when it came to looking after herself with men.
She shouldn’t have been curled up in some baby-doll outfit like Dorothy in a sea of poppies. She should have insisted on separate rooms. She should have shifted to another hotel. She should be halfway back to Rome! She sure as hell shouldn’t trust him! If she were one of his sisters...
Which was when he’d shrugged off his sports coat, removed his watch and phone, drawn over her the quilt folded at the end of the bed to keep her warm.
He’d stood there, looking down at his handiwork, and then asked himself what the hell he thought he was doing.
When no answer had been forthcoming he’d hit the shower.
Right now he felt the same way he had when she’d uttered those immortal words, ‘Maybe this isn’t a good idea.’ Had he really sprinted from the hotel, across the road, and grabbed enough protection to keep the birth rate down on a small island?
All he’d known was that he needed a chemist, needed condoms—needed to make this right for her.
It had only been when he saw her, wrapped up in that robe, looking fearful, that he’d recognised he needed to slow this down, coax her back out into the open. It had almost killed him, but taking the time to dismantle Ava’s protective mechanism had possibly been one of the most erotic encounters of his life.
He wasn’t going to make any sudden moves now.
‘Will you answer a question?’ He made sure he held her eyes seriously, hard as it was not to let his gaze drift down.
She was looking up at him, all her anxiety stamped on her expression.
‘I guess I don’t have a choice,’ she said begrudgingly.
He almost smiled. ‘Ava, you’ve always had a choice. You continually exercise it. You exercised it right into our bed, and now you want to pretend I have once more taken advantage of you when we both know this was what you wanted from the moment I offered you my services.’
‘Services?’
She gave a start as he leaned down and brushed his mouth against her ear, ‘Gigolo, escort, servicer of women.’
He drew back a little, enough to see that her lashes had drifted down, her lush mouth was quivering. She looked softened, delicious.
‘Is that the fantasy you want?’ he murmured over those full lips. ‘Do you want me to be those things for you? Because I will do it, Ava. I’ll be whatever you want me to be in this bed. But don’t ask me not to be tender with you—don’t ask me not to be passionate, to pretend this isn’t important to you.’
‘How do you know it’s important to me?’ Her voice was husky, her eyes downcast.
‘Because...’ he bent a finger around the edge of the robe ‘...my little porcupine...’ he nudged it down until the shadowy cleft between her breasts came into view ‘...otherwise you wouldn’t be curled up so tight right now all I can see is bristles. Ah, look—there it is.’ He dragged the robe open and spread his hand over her stomach. ‘Your velvety little belly,’ he said, and felt the muscles in her stomach contract beneath his hand.
Ava felt the muscles in her pelvis do a similar dance, but if her insides hadn’t been trembling from his declaration of intent—to be tender, to be passionate—she would never have nestled a little closer. Any awkwardness she felt was far outweighed by unhappiness with her own behaviour and trying to make sense of his. This man had not been careless with her feelings, she marvelled. He had, in fact, been careful and incredibly tender.
‘I told you—a porcupine is a rodent,’ she mumbled, moaning as he pressed his mouth softly, coaxingly to hers.
‘You haven’t answered my question.’ He nibbled on her bottom lip.
Ava suspected she might pass out from anticipation.
‘Ask me, then.’ Her voice was full of longing.
‘Why did you come to Rico’s the other night?’
‘I wanted to see if you’d changed.’ She hesitated before throwing herself over the cliff. ‘I wanted to spend time with you.’
He didn’t seem surprised. He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.
‘Si, and why do you think I brought you here, hmm?’
Could it be that simple with a man as complicated as this?
Once again Gianluca Benedetti had taken her assumptions and sent them scattering like marbles.
She didn’t have the energy to go chasing after them.
Instead she put her hands on his shoulders as he kissed the soft seam of her mouth, parted her lips. He stroked his tongue along the inner curve of her bottom lip. He seduced her mouth. He was the most beautiful kisser and when he was inside her he made her see stars.
