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‘I want more,’ she heard herself say without any recollection of having decided to utter that sentence.
But there Gio stood, six feet five inches of vibrant masculine energy and an innate authority that made her feel ridiculously safe, as though nothing bad could happen in a world with him beside her.
‘More...?’Gio queried, visibly taken aback by that abrupt announcement.
‘You said I had to tell you, so I’m telling you!’ Leah snapped, her voice taking on a shrill edge of mingled annoyance and embarrassment. ‘I want more.I don’t want the separate bedrooms, the cool polite approach or the conversations that only relate to the twins.’
A blinding smile slowly slashed Gio’s lean, dark features and it lit Leah up inside like a torch. He strode forward, reaching for her with both hands, drawing her close. ‘I had to wait for you to make a decision,’ he breathed in a raw undertone. ‘That’s been a challenge. I’m not patient. I’m not used to letting anyone else have control.’
‘But why didIhave to make that decision?’ she asked shakily, the tension of the moment almost overwhelming her.
‘Because you chose to walk away after our first night together and when we got together again during your pregnancy you walked away that time too,’ Gio reminded her with dark-toned precision. ‘I couldn’t afford to take anything for granted in this marriage and I need more than your passive participation for the sake of the children.’
‘I’m not a passive person,’ Leah whispered unevenly.
Her breath caught in her throat as he backed her up against the wall with the stealth and grace of a panther stalking prey, only no prey, she thought ruefully, had ever been more willing to be caught than she was at that moment when she finally understood why he had put her on the spot. For the first time she saw their relationship from his side of the fence and, inside herself, she cringed. She had continually closed him out, shut him down, never giving an inch, never giving him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, the loss of her brother and the father who had simply disappeared had contributed to her insecurity. And then, Oliver had destroyed her ability to trust and she had allowed the impact of that ultimately meaningless relationship to almost wreck her future.
‘Prove it,’ Gio urged, pulling her close, unashamed to let her feel the bold thrust of his erection.
Leah was done with prevaricating, making excuses for herself and hiding behind her pride. She let her fingers trail from his broad shoulders up into his black hair, tousling the silken strands that she had grasped in rapture many, many months earlier. A pulse of fierce anticipation beat between her clenched thighs, a wanting so powerful it consumed every thought and feeling.
‘It’s been too long,’ she whispered.
‘Way too long,’ Gio husked feelingly against her soft lips before he parted them and crushed her mouth hungrily with his.
Her senses spun as he bent down, scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. In mid-air she kicked off her sandals, a glorious sense of freedom engulfing her because, for once, she was doing what shewanted, not what her zealous inner critic told her she should do. There was not an ounce of self-denial left in her entire thrumming body. ‘And don’t you ever call me passive again,’ she told him in a warning hiss. ‘You can blame my inhibitions on Oliver—’
‘Oliver...?’
Leah rested silencing fingers against his beautiful mouth. ‘Let’s not talk about him today—maybe tomorrow,’ she suggested.
‘Sore subject?’
‘Very much,’ she confirmed with a shiver of remembrance, but for the first time grateful that it was all behind her and that she had met someone infinitely superior.
He extracted her from her sundress, his gaze raking over the scarlet silk bra and knickers he exposed and lingering with all-male appreciation. ‘You look amazing,’ Gio said gruffly.
‘Well, I’m not quite pristine any more,’ Leah pointed out, wanting to mention her defects to warn him ahead. ‘I’ve got stretch marks now—’
‘Makes you even sexier, the mother of my son and daughter and still shaped like a glorious hourglass I can’t keep my hands off,’ Gio intoned raggedly as he scored an appreciative fingertip over a brown swollen nipple showing through the lace bra and groaned out loud, abandoning restraint to tug down the cup and suck the straining bud into his mouth.
Sensation shot through her quivering length as he pushed her back on the pillows and employed his mouth and fingers on the pointed peaks. The hunger followed in a surge and pooled at the apex of her thighs, a hot, melting liquidity that made her dig her hips into the mattress. The bra got in the way and was swiftly removed while Leah divested Gio of the silk shirt that showed off his well-delineated abs. He scored a teasing fingertip across the damp triangle of silk stretched taut between her legs and her spine arched and she moaned because she was achingly sensitive there. The remainder of their clothing was scrapped in a mutual scramble of seething impatience.
Fully naked, they rediscovered each other with exploring hands and willing mouths.
‘I’ve wanted you for so long,’ Gio framed roughly, his touch contrastingly gentle as he dipped a finger between her wet folds, testing her readiness as she arched up to him with a sound of need that she could not suppress.
A savage groan escaped him as her change of position put them into even more intimate connection and he pressed her legs back and forged into her with bold, shuddering force. ‘Don’t let me hurt you,’ he urged.
‘I like forceful,’ she whispered suggestively in his ear, her entire body clenching in delight round his fullness. ‘I’m no delicate flower.’
Gio took her at her word, abandoning the careful approach, locking into the excitement that had ignited in both of them. He twisted his hips, grinning down at her wickedly when she uttered a little cry of appreciation and wrapped herself round him tightly, drawing him in deeper to enjoy the moment more. He was like a well-oiled machine, possessing her with potent energy and strength, setting off fireworks of sensation within her until at last she reached the pinnacle and jerked and cried out as a tide of sweet sensation swept over her.
‘I’m not finished yet,bella mia,’ he told her rawly, flipping her limp body over and urging her up onto her hands and knees. ‘Is this OK?’
‘Just be warned. It’ssoOK, you’re not getting out of this bed for a month!’ she teased breathlessly, her heart still hammering wildly with excitement. She was shaken by the sheer heady surge of passion and intoxicating pleasure engulfing her. And there was a glorious enervating flood of joy that she was finally with Gio again and one step closer to achieving the normal marriage she craved with him.
‘Is that a promise?’ Gio growled.
