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A spiral of intense pleasure was twisting inside her, like a wire being tightened and tightened and yet still it wasn’t enough. When she writhed impatiently, he increased the pressure—fingering the slick flesh until she didn’t think she could bear any more. And then suddenly she broke free, crying out her disbelief as she clung to him. As her body began to clench, her last rational thought right then was that he held her completely in his power and that, worryingly, shelikedit. It didn’t make her feel weak—it made her feel strong. Stronger than she’d ever felt before.
‘Wow,’ he murmured, after a moment, his lips drifting across her head to bury themselves in her hair. ‘Who knew that the cool Miss Bennett could be so responsive?’
Through her blissful haze, Nicola felt him pull away from her. ‘Oh,’ she objected, in a heavy, slurred voice.
‘This part is vital,cara. But don’t worry. I won’t be long.’
Nicola watched as he removed a condom from his discarded jeans and a feeling of horror swept over her as she realised she hadn’t even checked whether he’d been carrying protection. What if he hadn’t? Would she still have let him go ahead? The terrible thought swam into her mind that, yes, sheactually thought she might—and the irony of that didn’t escape her. Was she, who had always been so critical of other people’s failings when it came to unprotected sex, not quite as strong-minded as she’d always considered herself to be?
But now all she could think about was the naked man who was getting back into bed, his powerful limbs gleaming in the moonlight. Restlessly, she writhed as he stroked on the protection, his mercurial eyes glinting with provocation.
‘Impatience isn’t a trait I would have associated with you,’ he murmured.
It wasn’t a trait she would have associated with herself, but all Nicola’s usual certainties seemed to have vanished. He moved over her, his warm weight pinning her against the mattress, and as she tilted her hips in silent invitation it became important that she acknowledge him. To do something she had consciously refused to do before, for reasons which now seemed insane. As the blunt tip of his erection brushed against her molten heat, she gazed up into the charcoaled silver of his features and her heart pounded.
‘Alessio,’ she said unsteadily.
His eyes narrowed as if he had recognised the significance of the word.
‘That’s the first time you’ve ever said my name,’ he observed.
As she nodded, his palm curved around her hip, anchoring it with careless possession. ‘Had you been waiting for such a moment as this, Nicola?’ he murmured. ‘Is this all it would have taken? If I’d done this to you sooner, would you have whispered it? If I’d locked the gallery door and pulled you into the back room and taken you up against the wall behind that bronze statue, with your panties around your ankles, would you have said my name then?’
If she’d been hoping for romance it seemed she was to be disappointed, but somehow the Italian’s gritted words were turning her on even more. So that what was intended to be a protest at his audaciousness came out as a shuddered repetition of his name and his own moan sounded almost helpless as he entered her.
And Nicola realised that hehadlied to her, because itdidhurt. He was so big and she was so tight that she couldn’t hold back her startled gasp of pain. She saw Alessio’s smile disappear, his look of disbelief turning into one of grim recognition, and for one awful moment she wondered if he was going to stop and she would never know what it was like. The fleeting thought occurred to her that she might die without ever making love properly.
But he didn’t stop.
He just carried on, but now his movements seemed governed by deliberation, rather than the mindless passion of before. Little by little, he eased himself further into her body and little by little her muscles stretched to accommodate him, until he had buried himself so deeply it felt as if he were touching her heart.
His thrusts were slow and careful and despite it being the most amazing thing which had ever happened to her, she was aware of him watching her. As if he were an observer rather than a participant. Did that matter? Even if it did, Nicola was powerless to fight what was happening as sensation began to bombard her. Did he realise she was close to that mindless release all over again? Was that why he increased his rhythm, so that she was caught up in a frenzy of excitement?
‘Alessio,’ she whimpered, as wave after wave of bliss swamped her.
Only this time he wasn’t listening—he was too intent on his own pleasure. His eyes were closed and his hard features shuttered as his body shuddered out its own release. She lay beneath him, trying to recover her breath along with her composure—but that wasn’t easy when Alessio was still pulsing inside her. But this was exactly where she wanted him. She wanted him to stay inside her for ever.
Yet something was urging her to reclaim some of the power she had acceded to him and she sucked in a deep breath of resolve. Everything Nicola had learned in life had been by observing other people’s reactions, because she didn’t trust her own not to let her down. But if this silence continued much longer, she would start to fill it with her own worst imaginings. Or his. She didn’t want him worrying that she was going to regard this as a big deal and reminded herself that she wasn’t some hapless little victim. She had come into this with her eyes wide open—well, not all the time, obviously—and Alessio needed to know that.
‘Are you disappointed?’ she questioned slowly.
‘Am Idisappointed?’ He pulled away and frowned. ‘Wow. I’ve been asked a lot of questions after sex, Nicola—but that one is definitely a first.’
‘How reassuring to discover that I can be original, even if I am just one of a crowd!’
Her cool words washed over him and Alessio felt a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Usually, he couldn’t wait to roll off a woman’s body and distance himself, yet for once he wanted to stay buried in her silken sweetness. But since avoiding pregnancy was the most important consideration of all, he carefully withdrew before turning back, his body tightening as he surveyed the wildness of her blonde hair spreading over the pillow, just like every fantasy he’d ever had about her. He tried—and failed—to reconcile the unflappable Nicola Bennett with the sweet virgin who had given him her innocence. He wondered why she had chosen to frame her question so negatively, instead of gushing out the breathless praise which always fell on his ears at such a moment.
Because the sex had been exceptional. Even for him. No, especially for him, he conceded reluctantly. Her swift transformation from ice to fire had first surprised him, then blown his mind. He had been entranced by her. He could never remember feeling so exquisitely aroused as when he had pushed into her molten heat. But there had been another surprise waiting...and Alessio was a man who was rarely surprised—especially in the bedroom. ‘Why on earth would I be disappointed?’ he drawled.
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ There was a pause, which he had no intention of filling, before she gave an awkward shrug. ‘Because I didn’t tell you—’
‘That you were a virgin?’
She nodded.
Alessio nodded. This kind of analysis was abhorrent to him, but shewasinexperienced and maybe he needed to take that into account. It was better to ensure she wasn’t harbouring any hopes which could never be realised—at least, not by him. He had been accused of many things by women—but falsely dangling the prospect of happily-ever-after had never been among them. But then, he’d never had sex with a virgin before. His heart missed a heavy beat. Nor expected to enjoy it quite so much.
‘That would only be a problem if it were significant,’ he drawled. ‘If, for example, you thought I was so blown away by your innocence—which, incidentally, I was—that I would immediately demand you marry me. Well, then,sì, I would be disappointed. And so would you, for that matter,cara, because that’s not going to happen. Not now, not ever.’
