Kitabı oku: «Rich and Outrageous», sayfa 7

But it would have to go away if she was to come out of this arrangement with her emotions intact. He wasn’t interested in anything other than a temporary dalliance. He had signed her up for a limited time and she would do well to remember it. This was a contract relationship, a business transaction that had no emotional bearing whatsoever. She would be a fool to fall in love with him now. It was too late. The chance for love had been five years ago. Why hadn’t she realised it at the time? She looked at him across the table and felt her heart tighten painfully. She had missed her chance with him. There was no going back.

It was too late.

‘Is everything all right?’ Alessandro asked.

Rachel gave him a rueful look. ‘I was just thinking about how different things would have been if I’d had more time with you back then.’

His gaze steadied on hers, holding it for a beat or two. ‘We weren’t exactly strangers, Rachel. I’d been working for your father for three years.’

‘I know, but I was only starting to get to know you when we started dating,’ she said. ‘I think I was only starting to get to know myself …’

His smile was fleeting. ‘You were young and used to living a certain way. It would never have worked between us.’

Rachel wondered if that were true. Did a difference in background really matter? Even royalty married commoners these days and lived happily together. Alessandro had qualities she had never seen in any other man. She suspected his difficult upbringing had given him a depth of wisdom that someone from a privileged background could never possess.

The meal progressed until it was time to clear away. Rachel pushed back from the table but Alessandro’s hand came down on hers and held her fast. Her eyes met his, heat pooling in her belly when she saw the dark blue flame of his gaze. ‘Thank you for doing dinner,’ he said. ‘I am sorry I can’t be of much help in clearing away.’

Rachel felt the burn of his touch, making every pore of her skin tingle. ‘That’s OK,’ she said huskily. ‘I’ll make coffee and bring it into the salon, shall I?’

He slowly released her hand. ‘That would be perfect,’ he said. ‘I will meet you in there in a few minutes. I have a call to make.’

When Rachel came into the salon a short time later Alessandro was sitting in one of the leather sofas, his long legs stretched out in front of him. The crutches were against the wall close by. He put his mobile phone away and moved his legs as she put the coffee on the table in front of him.

He patted the seat beside him. ‘Come,’ he said. ‘Don’t hover over there as if you are afraid I am going to bite you.’

Rachel came over and sat down beside him, careful not to allow her thighs to get too close to his. But even so she felt the warmth of his body, and the citrus spice of his aftershave made her long to lean closer to breathe more of its intoxicating and alluring scent. It had been a mistake to sit beside him. She knew it as soon as he turned his head to look at her. There was no way she could disguise her reaction to him. Her breathing was all over the place, her heart rate rising as every pulsing second passed.

He put a finger to her temple where a strand of her hair had fallen across, his touch so light and tender as he brushed it back from her forehead it made her breath hitch in her throat. ‘Like silk,’ he said, picking up another tiny strand and running it through his fingers. ‘Your hair is like spun silk.’

‘It’s too fine and I can never control it,’ she said. ‘Sometimes I think I should just cut it all off.’

He cupped the back of her head, his fingers setting every sensory nerve on her scalp alight. ‘No, don’t do that,’ he said, his eyes locking on hers, dark, intense, serious.

Rachel sent the tip of her tongue out over her lips, a nervous, anticipatory gesture she couldn’t quite control in time. She watched as his eyes moved to her mouth, and the way his tongue did the very same thing over the much dryer landscape of his lips, leaving a faint glisten of moisture that instantly disappeared. She brought her hand up, her index finger tracing the line of his mouth in intimate detail, the smooth skin of her fingertip catching on the dry lines of his lips. ‘You should use lip balm when you go to bed at night,’ she said in a voice that was so soft it was close to a whisper.

His eyes were even darker now as they came back to hers. ‘Is that what you do to keep your lips so soft?’ he asked, placing the pad of his broad thumb on the pillow of her bottom lip, moving it back and forth in a slow caress that sent the sensitive nerves into a frenzy.

‘I—I sometimes forget …’ she said, swallowing as his mouth inched closer.

‘I guess it becomes a habit if you do it often enough,’ he said just above her lips, his voice low and deep and raspy.

‘Yes … it just becomes part of your nightly routine,’ she said, mesmerised by his mouth so close now she could feel his warm breath on her lips.

‘Like flossing and brushing your teeth,’ he said, caressing her top lip this time, taking his time over the bee-sting curve.

‘Yes …’ She could barely take in a breath; her chest felt so tight, her heart hammering now.

His hands cupped her face, his thumbs either side of her mouth, touching the sensitive corners. ‘I’ve been doing some thinking. If we are to convince others of the authenticity of our relationship we should really practise our moves a little more.’

Rachel’s heart gave a tumble. ‘Moves?’ ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Like kissing, touching, all the things lovers do in public.’

Her forehead crinkled slightly. ‘But I thought—’ He silenced her with both of his thumbs pressing softly against her lips. ‘Don’t think, cara,’ he said. ‘Just feel what is there between us. Feel the chemistry. Feel the electricity. Feel the heat.’

Rachel could feel the heat all right. She could feel it through the pads of his thumbs on her lips. She could feel it in her breasts, the tingles of her skin making her ache for him to touch her there. She felt it in her lower body, the feminine heart of her contracting with a pulse of longing that was activated just by him looking at her. It was magnified a thousandfold with his touch. She moved her lips against the soft pressure of his touch, her tongue pushing through to make contact. She saw the flare of his pupils and heard the intake of his breath as he moved his thumbs aside and brought his head down and sealed her mouth with his.

It was an erotic, heart-stopping kiss. It brought her senses alive in a way she had never imagined possible. She felt every movement of his mouth on hers, every subtle turn, every slide or glide, every dart and thrust of his tongue as he took the kiss to a deeper, far more intimate level. Her insides melted as he pushed her further back on the leather sofa, his weight coming over her, his chest crushing her breasts, making her aware of her tightly erect nipples and how they longed for more of his touch. She felt the stirring of his erection against her feminine mound, the temptation of having him inside her, the feeling of the friction of his body against hers totally and utterly overwhelming. She pushed up against him with her pelvis, aching for more contact, her need for him so desperate she made soft little whimpering sounds that came from deep inside her. It was as if a longing had been unleashed, an inner yearning she had never even realised she possessed until now.

He pushed down against her, the primal grinding of his male body against hers reminding her of everything that was different about them: his maleness, her femaleness, his hardness, her softness. The pounding of his blood as he rocked in time with her delighted her, making her realise just how much she had underestimated the chemistry that had always existed between them. It burned like a fire between them. It was a conflagration of the senses. They had only to be in the same room as each other for it to fire off. She felt that fire now. She felt it in every part of her body, especially now as his tongue curled around hers, calling hers into a sexy combat that mimicked what their bodies craved above all else. She felt it in the tautness of his muscles, the knife-edge tension, and the crawling need of the flesh that was like a thirst that could not be denied. She was thirsty. She was parched. She was desperate to be filled with the essence of him, to feel her female world tipped on its axis, to feel the possession of his body as she had never felt before.

‘I shouldn’t have started this.’ Alessandro pulled back from her, his weight supported by his elbows as he looked down at her.

Rachel didn’t want to stop. She wanted it to continue. She wanted it all. She wanted to feel him take her to the place she knew existed but had never felt personally. She wanted to feel what it felt like to have two bodies totally in tune with each other, the chemistry just right, the need to be fulfilled overtaking any other caution. She didn’t want to think about why she was here and how it had been engineered. She didn’t want to think about the fact that he was intent on revenge. All she wanted to think about was how much she wanted him and he wanted her. That was all that counted. It was not something he could deny, no matter how much he said to the contrary. She had felt it. She could still feel it. She felt it in her own body. It was a raging inferno of need that refused to be damped down with a thimbleful of common sense, which was all she possessed right now.

‘I want you,’ she said, clutching at him. ‘I think I’ve always wanted you.’

He took her hands in one of his and removed them from his chest. ‘No, Rachel.’

She frowned at him. ‘But you want me. I know you do. You’re surely not going to deny it?’

‘No. Of course I am not going to deny it.’ ‘Then … why?’

He moved away from her, spreading the fingers of one hand to comb through his hair. His expression closed over but she could see a tiny nerve pulsing at the side of his mouth as if the control he was harnessing was not quite under his command.

‘Alessandro?’

‘Leave it, Rachel,’ he said.

‘Did I do something wrong?’ she asked.

He gave her a rueful movement of his lips and then reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. ‘No, you did nothing wrong.’

Rachel put her hand over his. ‘Is it your illness?’ she asked softly. ‘Are you worried you—?’

His brows snapped together and he pulled his hand out from under hers. ‘I said just leave it, Rachel,’ he said tightly.

Rachel swallowed. ‘I’m sorry.’

He let out a breath, which relaxed his tight expression. ‘Don’t apologise,’ he said. ‘You’ve only been here a couple of days. For now I would like simply to spend time getting to know you as a person. I have just invested a large sum of money into your business. I want to know everything there is to know about you.’

‘There’s not much to tell,’ Rachel said.

‘I am sure you are underselling yourself,’ Alessandro said. ‘For instance, I did not know you could cook. What other talents do you have now that you didn’t have before?’

‘They’re not really talents,’ Rachel said. ‘More like interests, I guess you would say.’

‘Such as?’

‘I love wandering around art galleries and museums,’ she said. ‘I once spent the whole day in The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.’

‘When did you visit London?’ Alessandro asked.

‘A couple of years ago,’ she said. ‘It was after my father lost everything. I wanted to escape for a while.’

‘How long were you abroad?’

‘Two months,’ Rachel said. ‘I went to Paris too. I spent days and days wandering around there. It’s such a beautiful city.’

‘It can be a very lonely city on your own,’ he said. ‘It is best to be there with a lover.’

‘I am sure you have been there many times with many lovers,’ Rachel said.

‘I know Paris very well,’ he answered with a ghost of a smile. ‘I will look forward to sharing it with you next week.’

Rachel tried not to think of all the beautiful women he had escorted all over Europe. She’d bet he had not rejected their advances the way he had hers just now. Her doubts and insecurities haunted her all over again. Craig had berated her so often on how she turned him off. It was hard to know if Alessandro was experiencing the same turn off or whether he was still struggling with the limitations from his illness. Either way she felt ashamed about admitting so openly how much she wanted him. It gave him so much more power over her.

‘You didn’t think of coming to Italy during that trip?’ Alessandro asked.

She looked at his expression but couldn’t read it. ‘I did think of it. I had heard you had become successful over here. But I didn’t think you would want to see me after what I did.’

‘So you think I should have forgiven you by now, do you, Rachel?’ he asked, still with that unfathomable look on his face.

‘I think being bitter doesn’t help anyone in the long run,’ she said. ‘I have many regrets over the past. But I like to think I have put in place steps that will stop me making the same mistakes I did back then.’

His dark eyes held hers for a lengthy moment. ‘I guess the next two and a half weeks will prove that one way or the other, will they not?’

‘I want to make amends, Alessandro,’ she said. ‘I really do.’

He didn’t answer immediately. She watched as he rose from the sofa and reached for his crutches. ‘Goodnight, Rachel,’ he said. ‘I will see you in the morning.’

Rachel got to her feet, her hands going to a twisted knot in front of her body. He was dismissing her again, showing her he was not the lovesick young man of the past. He was all sophistication and control now. He had kissed her but he had so easily pulled away while her body still hummed and throbbed like a tuning fork struck too hard.

‘Goodnight,’ she said, her voice coming out soft and husky, but he had already turned and left the room.

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHEN Rachel came downstairs the next morning Lucia was bustling about in the kitchen. She looked up from her task of brewing coffee and smiled. ‘Signor Vallini told me you are staying on for the rest of the month,’ she said. ‘That is very good. It will be good for him to have company. He needs to be distracted from work. He works too hard. No wonder he got sick. I tell him all the time. All work no play makes for a very out-of-balance life.’

‘He’s certainly very driven,’ Rachel said.

‘You knew him before, sì?’ Lucia asked.

‘Yes, did he tell you?’

Lucia chuckled. ‘He didn’t need to tell me. I am not blind. I see the sparks that fly.’

‘He hates me,’ Rachel said with a slump of her shoulders. ‘We were dating for a short time five years ago but I ended up engaged to someone else.’

‘Ah, now it all makes sense,’ Lucia said.

‘There isn’t a day that’s passed that I haven’t regretted what I did,’ Rachel said. ‘I was too young to see what I was throwing away. If we’d had more time together things might have been so different.’

‘He will forgive you in time. He is a passionate man. It is the Italian blood in him. He is proud too. Very proud.’

‘Is that coffee for him?’ Rachel asked, pointing to the tray the housekeeper was setting up.

‘Yes,’ Lucia said, handing it over the counter. ‘He is in the study.’

The door of the study was closed so Rachel had to balance the tray on one bent knee in order to free her hand to knock on it.

‘Entrare.’

She entered the room and Alessandro looked up from his computer screen. ‘Where’s Lucia?’ he asked.

‘I thought I’d give her a hand,’ Rachel said. ‘Where would you like this?’

He waved a dismissive hand to a side table near the window overlooking the gardens. ‘Leave it over there,’ he said, returning his gaze to his computer screen.

Rachel placed the tray where he said and came to stand by his left shoulder. ‘What are you working on?’ she asked.

He looked at her irritably. ‘Don’t you have things of your own to do?’ he asked.

Rachel stood her ground. ‘Why are you being so prickly this morning? Did you get out on the wrong side of the bed or something?’

His dark blue eyes clashed with hers, a tussle of wills, a heated exchange, and the unmistakable sexual tension building with each pulsing second. Almost without realising she was doing it Rachel reached out with her hand, a butterfly touch to the lean shape of his jaw. Her soft skin snagged on the masculine stubble even though he had shaved that morning. She trailed a finger down to his mouth, outlining his lips, top and bottom, all the while feeling her stomach dip and dive as his eyes darkened immeasurably.

‘What do you think you are doing?’ Alessandro asked in a voice that sounded deep and scratchy.

‘I’m not sure …’ Her hand fell away as her creamy cheeks bloomed with a soft tide of pink.

Alessandro captured her hand and brought it back to his mouth, his lips moving against the tips of her fingers, watching as her grey-green eyes flared with desire. It pleased him that she wanted him. It was part of the plan: to make her want him and then walk away from her the way she had done to him. Making love with her was something he had dreamed of for years. He dreamed of the silk of her skin moving against his, the movement of her lips, the way she met his tongue with hers, dancing around it until she finally capitulated. Their kiss last night had almost undone him. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to touch her and caress her until she remembered only his touch, no one else’s. He wanted her like a force that came from somewhere so deep inside him he had no idea how to turn it off. It consumed him. He had lain awake last night burning with need, his body hot and hungry for her and only her. But he was not sure if he could trust his body just yet. What if he couldn’t perform as she hinted at last night? That would be the ultimate humiliation and one he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t use against him once the six months’ confidentiality clause was up.

He kept her hand in his, resting it on the top of his thigh, his other arm going around her to bring her closer so she could see the computer screen. ‘I am working on a new development in Florence,’ he said, ‘a refurbishment and overhaul of an old hotel that has been badly managed. It is a big project.’

‘It looks it,’ she said. ‘It looks like a good position.’

‘Yes, location is everything, of course.’

He could smell her perfume and the fragrance of her hair. He could feel the warmth of her hand where it rested on his thigh, burning into his flesh, making his blood pound to fill him. It was exhilarating to feel the nerves come to throbbing life. Maybe his doubts were unwarranted. His body felt as alive as it had ever been, maybe even more so. He clicked on a few more properties for her to see to distract himself from pulling her into his arms. ‘This is one I did in Madrid, and this one in Sicily.’

‘The decor is wonderful,’ she said. ‘Do you have a team of interior designers?’

‘Yes, I have a lot of very hard-working staff in the corporation,’ Alessandro said. ‘But I do a lot of the groundwork myself.’

She looked at him again. ‘It sounds like you work very hard.’

‘It’s the only way to get ahead.’

She looked down at her hand resting on his thigh. ‘Alessandro …’

He swivelled in the chair so she was in between his thighs, trapped by him. He felt the increasing strength in his muscles. Had her presence here awoken those weakened nerves? For weeks he had struggled with his exercises and yet within a couple of days of having her here his body had come to life in a way he had not thought possible. He burned for her. He ached and burned to possess her, to feel her wrap herself around him, to be his in the most elemental way possible. But while he craved physical closeness with her there was no way he was ever going to allow her close emotionally. He had to keep thinking of her as a gold-digger even if she had changed. It was his armour against her.

‘What is it you want, Rachel?’ he asked. ‘More money? Is that why you are offering yourself to me on a platter? You want to build up your coffers a little bit more now you can see how rich I am?’

Her eyes widened in affront and she tried to pull out of his hold but he kept his thighs firm against hers. ‘Why do you always misread my motives?’ she said. ‘I’m not offering myself, not like that. I thought … I don’t know what I thought. Last night when you kissed me.’

‘You think you want me,’ Alessandro said. ‘But it’s the money you really want.’

Her face coloured up, hot and angry, the grey in her eyes like lightning flashes in amongst the green. ‘You think I would sleep with you just because you’re rich and powerful? Is that the type of woman you think I am?’

Alessandro gave her a cynical smile. ‘I know exactly the type of woman you are. You are intent on success. If you have to sleep your way to the top you will do it.’

She curled her shapely top lip at him. ‘Is that what you did, Alessandro?’ she asked. ‘Did you sleep with a bunch of rich women to get where you are today? Is that how you did it? Did you prostitute yourself with any old rich hag to—?’

‘Silenzio!’ He pushed himself upright in anger, his barked command ringing in the air.

Rachel took an unsteady step backwards but her hip caught the edge of the desk. She winced in pain and lost her footing. Alessandro reached out to stop her from falling but it meant he had to lift his hands off the desk where he had placed them for balance.

It all seemed to happen so fast and yet each moment was like a freeze frame of a slow-motion film in her brain. She could feel herself going down when Alessandro’s strong hands gripped her, but, because he couldn’t totally rely on his legs, the weight of him coming down tipped her further off balance. But rather than land heavily on her, he somehow twisted his body at the last minute and cushioned her fall. She fell on top of him, the air knocked right out of her lungs, her hair hanging over her face, her startled gasp of shock the only sound in the sudden silence.

‘Are you all right?’ Alessandro asked, his chest rising and falling.

‘Y-yes … are you?’ Rachel asked, pushing up on her hands to look down at him.

‘I’m fine,’ he said, taking a deep breath. ‘Sorry I couldn’t stop you from falling.’

‘It wasn’t your fault.’

‘I forgot about my legs,’ he said with a rueful grimace. ‘They’re getting stronger every day but not strong enough to make such sudden movements.’

‘It must be very frustrating for you,’ Rachel said, somehow not able to move from where she was lying over him. She felt magnetised to him. She could feel his body below hers, every delicious male inch of him swelling in attraction.

‘It is immensely frustrating,’ he said, looking at her mouth.

Rachel moistened her lips. She made a move to get up but one of his hands went to her lower back and pressed her down against him. She felt the kicking motion of her heart and the answering echo deep and low in her body when that very same hand glided the entire length of her spine to the nape of her neck. Every sensory nerve went on overdrive, tingles racing across her scalp as his other hand pushed back the curtain of her hair, anchoring it over her left shoulder.

‘Stay right there,’ he said in a deep, rough around the edges tone.

Rachel felt her insides clench with desire. This was crazy. She was not the sort of girl to succumb to physical lust like this but her body seemed to have other ideas. It was thrumming with a need so strong she felt every nerve in her body quivering with anticipation of sensory release. ‘Alessandro, please believe me when I say this is not about the money,’ she said. ‘It’s never been about the money. I’ve never felt this way before.’

He looked at her for an endless pause, his eyes surveying every nuance of her face. ‘I have always dreamed of this moment,’ he said.

Rachel managed to croak, ‘You have?’

He gave one of his barely there smiles. ‘Feeling you like this, your body on mine, feeling the pulse of your blood.’

‘You can feel that?’ she asked.

He placed a hand against her breast where her heart was pounding. ‘I can feel it,’ he said. He slowly spread his fingers so they came into contact with her breast; the whole time his gaze was locked on hers, drawing her inexorably into his sensual orbit.

Rachel leaned into the caress, her flesh erupting into flames at the intimate and possessive touch. Her nipple was a tight nub of need, the soft curve of her breast an aching globe that craved the naked glide of his hand and fingers. She wanted him to uncover her, to rip her clothes from her roughly, to devour her with his lips and tongue, but he did neither.

He flipped her over to her back, but gently, as if turning something incredibly precious and fragile. She was now looking up at him, his dark midnight-blue eyes still holding hers in a mesmerising lockdown.

‘I have never wanted anyone like I want you,’ he said. ‘But I need to know this is about mutual attraction, not you feeling you have to sell your body to save your company.’

She looked deeply into his eyes. ‘I am grateful, but you have to understand I would never sell myself for any price. I did that before and I have always regretted it. You have no idea how much. But I want you for you. Not because of money, just because I want you. I want to know what it feels like to have you inside me. I want to know what it feels like to be in sync with someone physically. I’ve never felt that before.’

He frowned as he looked down at her. ‘You weren’t satisfied with Hughson?’

‘I hated sleeping with him,’ she said, lowering her eyes. ‘It was a chore. He blamed me but I kept thinking of how it felt to kiss you and I always wondered …’

He lifted her chin to keep her gaze locked on his. ‘You wondered what?’

‘I wondered what it would feel like to be with you,’ she said. ‘I often wondered if I had slept with you back then if I would have made the same choice.’

He was still frowning darkly. ‘So you hadn’t slept with him before your engagement?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘We’d kissed as teenagers. I had a massive crush on him for most of my adolescence but I’d never gone that far. I had a mild fling with someone in my final year of school but even that was something I’d rather forget.’

He began stroking her face, a gentle rhythmic motion that was so tender it made her heart swell. ‘So if I was to make love to you now it would be like your very first time,’ he said.

She smiled up at him ruefully. ‘I guess so …’

His eyes held hers for a moment, his expression clouding. ‘Rachel, there’s a chance the first time between us might not live up to your expectations.’

Rachel felt the all too familiar doubts surround her like unwanted guests. ‘I can learn how to be better at it,’ she said. ‘I know I need to relax, everyone says that about sex, that it’s in your mind, not so much your body. You can teach me. I feel safe and comfortable with you. That will help, won’t it?’

Alessandro cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing over her bottom lip. ‘I wasn’t talking about you, cara.’ He paused for a beat, wondering if he was shooting himself in the foot but doing it anyway. ‘It’s my performance I am most concerned about.’

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘Just being with you will be enough. I just want to be held by you.’

Alessandro was not used to feeling his heart contract as if it had been slammed between two bookends. He’d been expecting ridicule but instead had got compassion. It made him wonder if he had misjudged her. Her revelations about her sexual history with Hughson had stunned him. Alessandro had always seen her as a highly sensual young woman. He had felt it every time she had been in his arms. How that brute had destroyed her confidence with his selfish handling of her was unforgivable. She deserved so much better. Even if he couldn’t give her everything she wanted at least he could give her back her sexual confidence.

Rachel frowned as he made to get up off the floor. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

He pulled himself upright and held a hand out for her. ‘I am not making love to you for the first time on my study floor,’ he said. ‘I have a little more class than that these days.’

Rachel stood in the circle of his arms. ‘I think you’ve always had class, Alessandro. I just didn’t see it the first time.’

He smiled a little ruefully as he reached for his crutch. ‘I would like to be able to carry you upstairs to my room but I am not quite able to do that as yet. I’m afraid you will have to walk there all by yourself.’

She brushed his mouth with hers. ‘How about I meet you there in a few minutes?’

He kissed her back, lingeringly. ‘Don’t take too long,’ he said, trailing a finger down her cheek.

She held his hand to her face for a moment. ‘I won’t,’ she promised.

Alessandro was in his bedroom when Rachel came in. She had dressed in a silky bathrobe but last minute shyness had made her keep her underwear on. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing earlier and she wondered if he had done that to give her an out in case she had changed her mind. It made her realise how much her feelings towards him had changed. Two days ago she had thought she hated him and yet now she felt as if he was the only man on earth she could ever love.

‘I wondered if you might change your mind,’ Alessandro said. ‘If you have, it’s fine.’

‘I’m here because I want to be here,’ Rachel said. ‘No one has forced me.’

‘Come here.’ He patted the bed beside him.

She walked to where he was sitting, feeling shy and awkward. ‘I’m not very good at this,’ she said. ‘I hope you’re not going to be disappointed.’