Chapter Nine
MASSIMO GLANCED UP as a shadow broke the light, impeding his vision. ‘You shouldn’t be awake.’
‘I think that’s my line,’ she countered dryly. ‘You realise it’s three a.m.’
He gestured to the table. ‘I had some work to do.’
‘Yeah, the three-screen setup doesn’t give it away at all. So much for taking a break, or am I the only one required to do that?’
Massimo silenced the incoming call and flipped his phone screen side down. Somehow, he would fit all the damned demands in, but the only ones he wanted to deal with this second were hers.
‘Don’t you need to answer it?’ She moved closer.
Not when she was all fiery challenge. ‘I’ll phone them back later.’
‘You should have more free time than anyone. You could have any number of managers in place.’
‘I do, but there are a lot of companies to oversee and ultimately the buck stops with me.’
‘Or maybe you like being so busy there isn’t time for anything else.’
No, generally, there wasn’t anything else he wanted to do. He didn’t like to stop, definitely not be left with nothing but his thoughts. But Lily, as always, provoked him. ‘I like being with you.’
That was the irony. That was why he was up working now. Her calling him on it made him confront the fact that he didn’t want to miss a moment during the day with her. For the first time, work wasn’t his entire life; it was interfering with it.
‘You like having sex with me,’ she corrected.
He smiled even as he felt outrage rise. Because whilst true, it was also unfair. She liked that every bit as much as he did.
She tightened her silk robe as she tilted her nose slightly in the air. ‘I don’t expect you to be by my side twenty-four-seven. That would be too much.’
Would it? He would have agreed with her only days ago, but disturbingly, the prospect didn’t feel like too much now.
‘You don’t need to sacrifice sleep because you think I’ll be unhappy if you don’t spend every waking moment trying to make my life complete,’ she added sassily. ‘You don’t need to entertain me.’
Oh so he was trying too hard? He didn’t think so.
He knew she liked him entertaining her. It was what she wanted now.
But her insistence that she didn’t need his attention all the hours of the day ought to please him.
That she understood the world, the constraints and demands on his time, meant their marriage might actually work.
The company would always come first for him.
It had to. But instead of appreciating her acceptance of the limitations on his time, he was unaccountably irked.
He stood and slowly advanced towards her, watching the signs of her ignition.
‘So you don’t want me to entertain you now? ’
Her breathing quickened. ‘Not when you have more important things to do. I wouldn’t want to be too demanding. Your previous partners must have been very high maintenance.’
Well, he’d never bothered to sit up late to get work done just to have more time for a woman before.
‘Partners?’ he teased her.
‘Girlfriends, lovers…’ She looked awkward.
‘You think there have been a few?’
She pressed her lips together. ‘Have you really not slept with anyone in ages?’
‘Why wouldn’t you believe me? You’re the same.’
‘But I’m not…’ She huffed out a sigh. ‘You have a lot going for you.’
‘You mean money.’
‘Amongst other things,’ she mumbled endearingly.
‘No lovers. Not even any princesses. I promise.’ He’d been jealous of every guy who got to work with her in the garage. Even his own cousin. ‘I dated in the past but it’s amazing how many people don’t like how much time it takes to oversee a conglomerate.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You’re saying they got bored and didn’t stick around?’
‘Even the ones determined to give me a long leash eventually get fed up with the other demands on my time.’ He reached for her hand.
‘Leash?’ Her eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh then please, let me give you a leash long enough to reach the moon.’
‘This is why you’ll make the perfect wife.’ He laughed and tugged her to the sofa and sat her on his lap. ‘Were your previous lovers demanding?’
‘My one boyfriend was my older brother’s friend, so you know who he chose.’
His anger rippled. One boyfriend. Years ago. She’d been alone so long.
‘Why has there been no one else since him?’ He kissed across her collarbones. ‘Why no other little snack?’
She shrugged. ‘I was busy.’
Building her career, her security. But no wonder she’d been so keen that night on the plane and he’d never felt so lucky that she’d deigned to choose him. Why couldn’t she see that he could give her career and security and damned hot sex? ‘Lily—’
‘Shhh.’ She brushed her lips against his. ‘Don’t talk. I just want to—’
Massimo braced, breathless as she did what she wanted.
‘Are you using sex to avoid further conversation?’ he teased.
She shot him a look—a contrary mix of hedonism and hidden hurt. ‘As if you’re devastated.’
Lily lifted her arms to the sky, leaning from one side to the other, stretching the kinks from her spine.
‘What are you doing?’
She turned and saw Massimo settling into a sun lounger up on the deck. She’d thought he might sleep in.
‘Callisthenics, some weights, then a twenty-minute swim,’ she answered.
The pool had a resistance setting so she could swim for ages and get nowhere, and she’d gotten a yoga mat and some weights delivered to the villa and set up a small circuit.
‘In a bikini?’
‘Why not?’ She eyed him defensively; she didn’t want him suggesting she shouldn’t overexert herself in the heat. ‘I’m building my muscles. I need to prove my strength if I’m to make it into the pit crew.’
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Clearly thinking before speaking. ‘You’ve been told you’re not strong enough?’
‘So many times it’s very boring.’
‘Yet, motivating because you can’t resist defying convention.’ He frowned. ‘None of our female mechanics have made it into pit crew. Do you think it’s gender bias?’
‘Maybe.’ She swung her arms in opposite circles. ‘It’s ironic when you consider that women are stronger than men.’ She caught his raised brows. ‘Generally, we live longer. Case closed.’
‘But Lily…’ He looked mournful. ‘Would you really want to live without me?’
‘I can’t wait to.’
‘Yet, you want to stand in front of a car hurtling towards you at eighty kilometres an hour?’
‘You know how good the brakes are.’ She sighed and swung her arms the other way.
‘Obviously not while I’m pregnant. But just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t maintain my strength.
’ She paused as he slipped his T-shirt off and settled back bare chested in the sun.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to move inside?
I wouldn’t want to get your laptop wet.’
‘You won’t,’ he said softly. ‘I can safely read my report from here.’
His sunglasses didn’t hide the fact that he was watching her. Avidly.
Lily lifted her head and flaunted her flexibility as well as her strength—yes, she showed off, feeling a provocative sensuality as she moved.
But he didn’t move; he was rock still while she grew increasingly hot.
In the end she had to dive into the cool water far sooner than planned.
Even then she was aware of him still watching as she swam.
In minutes she gave up and rested her arms on the side of the pool and watched him watching her.
‘How far through your report did you get?’ She smirked.
‘How far through your twenty minutes did you get?’ he countered, but then slammed the lid of his laptop shut. ‘It’s impossible to get anything done when you’re around to watch.’
A bubble of joy rose within her. His haste mirrored her need exactly.
She wanted him—now, always. He hauled her out of the pool, as decisive, intense, driven as ever.
Her limbs liquefied as he kissed her. Her knees weakened, her body becoming a pliable mass in the languid heat.
She loved learning how to do the same to him—seeking out his vulnerable points, discovering the preferences he couldn’t hide—the sudden clench of jaw, the agonised groan he could no longer contain.
These were all wins for her. He was as alone as she, but just for now they could have this; she would make the most of every moment she could.
She caressed him, indulging every decadent sense until stark need gripped them both until they were lost in that mindless storm of ecstasy.
Then she pressed her face to his chest, hiding how increasingly vulnerable she felt in the aftermath.
She didn’t ask how long they were staying in their gorgeous little villa.
She didn’t want to know and she was very happy to use sex to avoid serious discussion.
Except it wasn’t avoidance; it was rapidly becoming addiction and it was absolutely becoming a problem.
Massimo reworked his routine. He remained in bed until she woke, then made the most of her snuggly hot morning mood.
After breakfast, she worked out by the pool.
He’d been aware of her athleticism—he’d repeatedly explored her slim, supple, strong body—but watching her physical training was a delicious torment now he indulged in daily.
She did it as she did everything else—with full-bore intensity.