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‘We—’ she whispered as he began to ruck up her skirt, but already her thighs were parting for him ‘—mustn’t.’
‘Do you want me?’
‘Yes,’ she gasped breathlessly as she skated her fingertips hungrily over his chest.
Alessio greeted her remark with a low laugh of triumph, but he realised that his hands were unsteady as he undid her black skirt and let it pool to the floor. His fingertips brushed against her moist panties and she moaned as he slid them over her hips. As they floated down to join her skirt, he unzipped himself and never had he felt so big, or so hard. ‘Do you want me?’ he questioned again, but her urgent kiss was answer enough.
‘Yes,’ she crooned against the thrust of his tongue.
He dealt with the condom—bitterly resenting the time-wasting element of having to protect himself and that realisation provoked a flicker of incomprehension. But then he was lifting up her legs and wrapping them around his hips and all his reservations were forgotten as he pushed inside her. Deep inside her. He swallowed.Madre di Dio.It wasincredible.Incredible.Had any woman ever felt as tight as this?
Somehow he slowed the pace down—even though the primitive need to spill his seed was threatening to overwhelm him. Every sinew in his body was taut as he thrust into her body, until she began to come—making a series of small cries as she spasmed around him. And then he surged inside her, with soft words torn from his lips in a voice which didn’t sound like his own.
It took a long time for him to move. He wanted to remain exactly where he was, lost in the slowly receding waves of satisfaction, but they couldn’t stay like this all evening...because this was very definitely not his style.
‘So. Now what?’ he questioned throatily.
Nicola didn’t answer—the intense pleasure still washing over her literally making her unable to speak. She couldn’t believe she had responded to him like that—so rapidly and so...
She swallowed.
So shamelessly.
Had she really just had sexat her place of work? What if Sergio had returned unexpectedly, or if theunusualactivity in the rear of the gallery had alerted the central security system to the possibility of a trespasser on the premises? She could hardly protest that Alessio di Bari was a bona fide gallery customer, when his clothing was in such telltale disarray and there was the small matter of the empty condom wrapper lying on the floor.
Her heart was pounding as she let her legs slide to the ground, relieved to feel the earth beneath her feet again. As the potent aftermath began to recede she wondered how she could have been so stupid. All her life—all her life—she had worked hard to find a job like this—yet she had been prepared to risk it all for a quick thrill with a man who regarded her as nothing but a temporary diversion.
But any anger she felt she would direct at herself, not him. She had wanted that urgent coupling just as much as he had, and she didn’t have a clue what to do next. What on earth was she supposed tosay? Recognising the need to maintain her dignity, she began scooping up her crumpled clothes. ‘I need to freshen up,’ she said.
Alone in the lavish bathroom which her boss had installed during the gallery’s recent refurbishment, she did the best she could with the limited resources available, thankful for the luxurious toiletries which were always kept there. Removing the clips from her updo, she gave it a brisk brush—because at least the thick curtain of hair gave her something to hide behind.
Afterwards, when Alessio wordlessly took her place, she went to the office and busied herself with emails which could have easily waited until Monday, but at least they kept her teeming thoughts occupied, so that when a shadow fell over the desk it took her almost by surprise. And so did the way Alessio levered her to her feet and lifted her fingers to his mouth, grazing his lips over them in a way which made her shiver with desire. But if that curiously old-fashioned gesture disarmed her, his next words put her instantly on her guard.
‘My car is outside.’
‘And?’
‘I’ll give you a lift home.’ His gaze roved over her white blouse—now a little creased—and her black pencil skirt, and his slow smile was speculative. ‘I assume you’ll want to get changed before dinner? I’ll get them to put the table back.’
A disturbing thought flew into Nicola’s mind. Had he deliberately come here to seduce her so that afterwards he could snoop around to see where she lived? This was followed by an impatient sigh, because that reallywasbeing paranoid. As if he cared! As if he’d even given her that much thought. So take back control. Tell him whatyouwant, rather than obediently doing what he says all the time. ‘To be honest, I don’t want that at all. Too much of a rush,’ she explained, with a quick glance at her watch. ‘Can’t you cancel the booking?’
‘Of course I can. Though most people wouldn’t pass up on a table at the Starlight.’ His blue eyes glinted from between shuttered ebony lashes. ‘Unless you have something better in mind?’
‘Obviously nothing’s going to top one of London’s most famous restaurants,’ she said. ‘But we could always go and...’ Nicola shrugged, momentarily distracted by his bright gaze and trying not to read too much into what had just happened. But he had come to find her, hadn’t he? He had even said that he couldn’t wait until eight o’clock, which was a pretty big admission from a man like him.
So didn’t that alter things, if only a bit? She had tasted his luxurious billionaire lifestyle—maybe it was time he sampled hers. And yes, it might emphasise the huge material differences between them, but surely it would also put them on a more equal footing. ‘We could always...’ She hesitated. ‘Eat a sandwich in the park?’
‘Eat a sandwich in the park,’ he repeated, as if she had just suggested a solo mission to the moon.
‘Why not? It’s a lovely sunny evening and...well, autumn will be upon us before you know it.’ Her confidence growing, she picked up her handbag, unable to deny her pleasure at seeing that look of bemusement crossing over his face. ‘There’s a great deli on the corner of Maddox Street. Come on, Alessio. Play your cards right and I’ll treat you.’
CHAPTER TEN
THEFAINTHUMof traffic was louder than the birdsong, but the air was warm, the evening was golden and for the first time in a long time, Alessio felt completely relaxed. Sated by sex and food, he stretched his arms above his head, his attention caught by the sight of Buckingham Palace, which stood at the far end of the park. But the gilded gates and imposing structure of the majestic building were far less arresting than the sight of the woman perched on the ground opposite him, her bottom nestling snugly on his suit jacket.
He narrowed his eyes, still faintly disconcerted by the position in which he now found himself. Had he really removed that expensive piece of clothing and thrown it carelessly onto the dusty ground for her to sit on? Indeed, he had. His throat dried as his gaze moved over her. She had kicked off her sensible work shoes and suddenly he found himself fixated by the sight of her bare calves. It was crazy. Just a short while ago his fingers had been inching up her legs towards her panties, yet now those slender ankles seemed to exemplify a very different but equally potent kind of eroticism.
The evening was, he acknowledged wryly, turning out like no other. Instead of enjoying the splendour of the Granchester Hotel’s world-famous restaurant, he had eaten a crab sandwich on rye, followed by a punnet of strawberries, while sitting beneath the dappled shade of a London plane tree. And for once, Nicola Bennett didn’t appear in the least bit cool, or shuttered. Her cheeks were tinged with pink. Her eyes looked dark and glittering—an aftermath, no doubt, of the rampant sex they had recently enjoyed. She looked vibrant and delectable.
