Chapter Ten
DARIO STRUGGLED NOT to collapse on top of Tallulah, his movements clumsy. She let out a staggered moan—her sex still massaging his length through the final throes of her orgasm as he eased out of her body.
He had known their chemistry was extraordinary, but he had never experienced a release so intense, so shattering. He had taken her like a man possessed.
He rolled onto his back, exhausted, even as desire still shimmered through his blood and kept his cock firm.
He had never taken a woman before without protection.
Was that it? He tried to rationalise the stunning wave of afterglow.
The sense he had just reached a higher plane.
Determined it could mean nothing more than sex.
But when she shifted next to him, he snagged her arm, not ready for her to leave his side.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked, his voice groggy as he searched her face for signs of distress.
She had been so tight, but also so wet, so swollen and ready, it had only increased the sense he had never made love to a woman before to whom he was better matched.
Not made love, fucked.
He blinked slowly when she tugged free, desperate to dislodge the haze of pheromones making it hard for him to breathe, let alone think rationally.
‘I… I thought I’d take a shower.’ She clasped her arm across her breasts—the pale skin reddened from his attention—as the vivid blush fired across her collarbone.
Damn, had he ever seen anything more arousing?
The polite reply though was contradicted by her panicked expression.
Had she felt it too, the extraordinary strength of their sexual connection?
She must have done, although with only one lover before him, she probably had no idea how rare such a connection was.
Strangely, the thought of her inexperience helped his frantic heartbeat to slow while his racing thoughts clung to the conviction their connection—however extraordinary—could never be more than sex.
But when she attempted to climb off the bed, he reached for her again.
‘Wait, Tallulah… Did I hurt you?’ he asked.
The blush brightened, but she shook her head. ‘No… I… It felt good.’
He lifted onto his elbow and ran his hand up her arm, to hold her more securely, enjoying her shiver of response.
‘Only good?’ he teased, touched by the way she was blushing so profusely. His heartbeat slowed, the euphoria settling around him when she huffed.
‘Okay, very good… I’ve never had an…’ She bit into her lip, clearly not intending to continue.
‘You’ve never had a what, Tallulah?’ he asked, smiling, because he could already see the answer in her eyes and feel it in the way her pulse was hammering his thumb. It seemed her only other lover had not been very accomplished.
She tugged her arm free a second time. ‘I’m not sure you need a testimonial, Mr Lorenti… I—I mean, Dario,’ she stuttered.
He chuckled, he couldn’t help it, the combination of indignation and embarrassment only making her more endearing. Dio, had he ever met a woman more delightful, or transparent. Her unguarded reactions were almost as enchanting as the way she responded to him with such raw passion.
He’d been concerned about taking this step.
Afraid to want her too much. But why had he, when their affair had the potential to make the next few weeks and months so much more satisfying—as well as making it impossible for those infuriating Trustees to deny this was a real relationship?
It certainly felt real enough now, in the only way that mattered.
He would never be able to trust anyone enough to commit to more than sex. He never wished to be that boy again, so desperate for friendship he had allowed himself to become too needy, too vulnerable. But indulging this hunger with her…that would be a pleasure.
He’d never been so turned on before. There was something about Tallulah that called to his inner caveman, made him want to protect and possess her at one and the same time, unprecedented reactions which he had never had with the other women he’d dated.
But then, he had never met anyone as artless as Tallulah, he decided as he watched her scramble off the bed.
She grabbed her discarded dress, using it to cover her nakedness as she dashed into the bathroom.
As her naked bottom disappeared behind the bathroom door, he let out a gruff chuckle. Apparently, her lack of guile only made her more appealing.
He flopped back on the bed. Rubbed his hand over his chest, no longer disturbed by the rush of heat returning to his cock as he heard the shower.
He had found his fake fiancée’s ability to sense his mood disturbing earlier, but why? This attraction was still only a physical connection. And they had all the time in the world to explore it now.
Climbing from the bed, he massaged the ruined muscles of his thigh as he followed her into the bathroom.
She was standing with her back to him in the shower cubicle.
He noticed the tremor in her slender body as she stood under the steamy spray with her hands braced on the glass tiles—making no move to wash herself…
He could almost hear her brain working overtime, probably trying to rationalise what they had just shared.
Good luck with that. There was no way to rationalise something this elemental. The only thing that made sense was to enjoy it, until it faded.
He cleared his throat. Her head shot round, her eyes widening. ‘Dario? What are you doing in here?’
But then her gaze shot down to the reaction he could not hide. And her cheeks blazed anew.
Crossing the room, he opened the glass door and stepped into the spacious stone cubicle.
‘I thought I would help you wash…’ he said, enjoying the shocked awareness which flashed across her features.
Reaching behind her, he lifted the complementary shampoo off the rainfall shower’s shelf and poured the fragrant liquid into his palm.
‘It’s nice of you to offer…’ she said, her voice shaky.
‘But I’m not sure it’s a good idea. It’s…
It’s been a while since I… And well…’ Her gaze—wary and tense—slipped down to assess his engorged cock.
‘I’m not sure I can do it again so soon,’ she finished.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or wince, the earnest expression on her face only making her more adorable.
He nodded, the regret—that she was probably a bit sore—tempered by the knowledge she had not rejected him outright.
‘I am not an animal, Tallulah,’ he said, as he pressed her shoulder to turn her to face the tiles again. ‘Ignore the erection. I do not expect to have you again tonight. Let me take care of you now.’
‘You really don’t have…’ She began, but then he stroked the shampoo over her wet hair, and she shuddered. A groan broke from her lips when he massaged the flowery liquid into her scalp.
He smiled, his cock throbbing now. Damn, but she was so responsive to his touch, it was going to be a struggle to keep himself under control for the rest of the night and make good on his promise not to seduce her again.
But as he washed her hair, the soft, silky strands felt exquisite against his palms.
Tonight, he wanted her in his bed, so she could get used to his touch—and he could cure her of the embarrassment.
He had been rough, rougher than he would have liked, all those brutal needs combining after the difficult emotional terrain he had been forced to navigate today.
Yes, she had orgasmed, but he needed to call on every ounce of his finesse, and his expertise with women to ensure he did not scare her off. Wanting her this much would not be a problem, he reasoned, as long as he did not overwhelm her.
He massaged the tight muscles in her shoulders, her staggered moans making his cock pound, and a wry smile form.
Their chemistry was unprecedented, but all that really meant was their convenient marriage would be much less of a chore than he had anticipated.
His smile widened as the water cascaded down and he imagined all the ways he would like to take her in the weeks ahead—once she had recovered from their first attempt.
He dismissed the flicker of regret, that they could never share more than a sexual connection…and ignored the pulsing emptiness inside him… It was better this way.
Tali braced her hands against the shower wall in a vain attempt to control the riot of sensations while Dario kneaded her aching muscles and the heat sank into her sex.
How could he make her want him again so soon, when she was still reeling from the first time.
She’d had no idea sex could be so overwhelming, so shockingly intimate.
When he’d thrust so deep inside her she’d been able to feel him everywhere, the connection between them had been so fierce, so strong, so devastating it was as if she was making love for the very first time…
How could the furtive, fumbling encounter in her college dorm room with…
God, she couldn’t even recall his name now, her mind in free fall, as another moan escaped when Dario dug into the muscles in her neck.
She dropped her head forward, her breath trapped in her lungs, her legs becoming weightless, her abdomen heavy. The swell of heat making every erogenous zone beg for his touch.
She could feel his erection brushing her back as he worked her shoulders then swept round to cup her breasts. She flinched, when his thumbs brushed her nipples—still tender from his attentions. He stroked the swollen flesh gently.
‘Your breasts are very sensitive, Tallulah,’ he murmured against her hair. His voice rumbled across her nape, the tone thick with a strange combination of approval and tenderness. ‘I will be more careful next time.’
Next time?
His confidence that there would be a next time only made the twin tides of panic and yearning surge.