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She’d started shouting, telling him that no, she wasn’t leaving. She was never leaving. Not until he talked to her, not until he told her what was going on with him, what she’d done to him to make him treat her so shabbily. How could he do this, cut her out in the cold, when they had lost Edward, when she needed him—and he needed her?
“I remember you kept saying my name, ‘Gen, Gen,’ over and over, trying to stop my tirade, trying to get me to go.”
“But you wouldn’t go.”
“And finally you just grabbed me. And you kissed me. That did shut me up, I’ll give you that.”
“The taste of you.” The low, rough sound of his voice sent ripples of excitement through her. “I kissed you and I never wanted to stop.”
She accused, “But you did stop.”
“At first, yes...”
“And we stood there, both of us breathing too hard, glaring at each other...”
“Until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I kissed you again.”
“Oh, yes, you did. And that time, you didn’t stop.” She heard the triumph in her own voice. “You scooped me up and carried me to the nearest bedroom.”
“Limping all the way.”
“I was glad. So glad—although I did worry that you would reinjure your leg.” She couldn’t help smiling. “We found that box of condoms in the back of the bedside drawer, remember?”
“How could I ever forget?”
“I was so happy we did, because I knew that if we had to go out and buy some, you would have time to come up with some reason why we couldn’t go through with it.”
“But we did go through with it.”
She touched his cheek—the unscarred one this time. “It was glorious.”
“You don’t...regret what happened?”
“No, I do not. You?” Please, please. Tell me you don’t regret it.
But he couldn’t. “I took advantage of you.”
“Oh, stop. You did not. I’m not a child anymore, Rafe. I did what I wanted to do. I wanted you and I...took you.”
“Oh, did you?” Was he pleased? Oh, she hoped so. So often nowadays, it was hard to tell what he felt.
“Yes, I did,” she said staunchly. “And I have no regrets that I did—though I will admit that we really should have checked the date on the condom box.”
“The miracle of hindsight.” He pressed his forehead to hers, his big hands clasping her shoulders. And then his fingers were moving—so light, his touch, for such a huge, hard man. He caught the tails of the ribbons on her shoulders.
And he pulled.
Chapter Five
The bows came undone.
Very slowly, he began to lower them, pulling them away from her body and down. Her innocuous pink nightgown went with them.
“Rafe?” she asked on a sharp, indrawn breath.
“You have objections?” He stopped lowering the ribbons.
She looked down. Her nightgown didn’t seem quite so wholesome now that the tops of her breasts were showing. “I...”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No. I do not want you to stop.”
“You’re certain?”
“Don’t torment me. It’s cruel.”
He slanted her a dark look, still holding the ribbons. Her nightgown covered her nipples, but barely. “What would you know of cruelty?”
She sucked in another sharp breath. Her whole body ached. For his touch, his kiss, to be joined with him. She gritted her teeth at him. “Do not stop. If you do, I’ll start shouting. Just like I did at the villa. I’ll shout the house down. My father will come running. You don’t want to get into trouble with my father. He seems like a nice man. But he’s a Bravo, born and bred in the American West. Bravos can be dangerous when provoked.”
“Now you’ve got me terrified. Say please.”
“I could easily become really angry with you.”
“Say please.”
Under the covers, she pressed her thighs together, trying to ease the ache of wanting just a little. It only made her more aroused. She gave in. “Please.”
And he only sat there, watching her, holding those two sweet pink ribbons. “Honestly, Gen, you are the hottest thing. I think you might burn me.”
“Please.”
“Just sear me to a cinder, right here in this bed. They’ll find me in the morning, nothing but a pile of ash.”
“Take it down,” she commanded. “Do it now, Rafe.”
“Sweet little Genevra. Who could’ve known?”
She gave up. On the pleas. On commanding him. She just sat there and glared at him, eye to eye.
Until, at last, way too slowly, he began pulling on the ribbons once more. Slowly, so slowly, her curves were revealed. Until she felt the cool air of the room across her naked breasts, felt her nipples drawing tighter from excitement.
