Chapter Nine
Stella held tight as Gio surged forward, hips bucking between her raised thighs. With each thrust he found the perfect spot, nudging her ever higher in a spiral of delight.
Every time she thought it would be different, that the wonderment would have worn off. Instead the enchantment deepened. Both the pleasure and the hunger.
She locked her ankles around his back, glorying in the slide of his flesh against hers and the potency of that most masculine part of him, joined now with her.
It was a cliché yet she couldn’t help feeling that together they created something greater, more profound than the sum of the pair of them. That what they shared went far beyond the physical.
He whispered in her ear, his rich voice thick with desire, saying wicked things that notched her excitement higher, turned every tingle of delight into sensations so intense she couldn’t bear it. When he sucked at her breast the jolt of ecstasy almost lifted her off the bed.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders, nails raking as she tried to hold him closer.
‘Let go, Stella.’ His lips brushed her ear as he surged with perfect precision against the spot that sent her wild. She was losing control. In another second she’d be lost. Slitted eyes met hers, burning with the same fire that raged within her. ‘I’ll catch you, cara mia. Trust me.’
Still she held on, hoping they could meet that peak together. But it was impossible. Tendrils of fire raced through her, drawing her body taut.
Stella gave into the convulsions of pleasure, burrowing her head against his neck, pressing her lips to his skin and drawing in the taste of him.
Gio shouted, a raw sound that came from deep inside.
She felt the tendons in his neck stand proud and realised she’d scraped her teeth across his flesh.
He jerked in her arms, pounding into her in a desperate drive that only fuelled her orgasm.
The feel of him spilling himself in a frenetic pulse of pleasure made the whirling ecstasy perfect.
Later, when she was capable of thought, she recognised that while Gio was an expert lover, the supreme joy came from experiencing his delight too.
Each time it melted more of the emotional barricades that protected her. Barricades she’d clumsily erected after she lost her mother and her world changed.
‘Stella.’ She blinked and met his sultry gaze as Gio rolled onto his back and took her with him, so she lay sprawled across his heaving chest. ‘What you do to me.’
‘You don’t like it?’
Despite his impeccable manners and his consideration, his passion and generosity, Gio liked to be in charge when it came to sex.
That worked for her. In fact it excited her.
But she was still finding her way in this intense, physical relationship.
He had so much more experience and she was working on intuition alone.
‘Like it? You must be kidding. Like is for gelato or music. This is far, far more than like.’
His words wound their way inside, a balm and a glorious affirmation of her own feelings.
He slid his palms down the curve of her back to cup her buttocks then flirted his fingers around her upper thighs, making her breath snag. Sated as she was, Stella felt the tiniest tickle of arousal at his touch. He lifted his pelvis. Even spent, he was a big man and she loved the feel of him.
Yet her stamina was fading and she stifled a yawn that came out of nowhere. They’d been making love since dawn and the sun was high in the sky. Yesterday they’d barely made it out of bed.
He shouldn’t be able to read her thoughts yet she watched Gio’s gaze sharpen then he shifted, holding her close as he rolled her onto her side.
‘You need rest.’ His concerned expression and the tenderness in his tone wrapped around her like the softest blanket. Even so when he drew away from her she was about to protest, but his finger on her lips stopped her.
‘Why don’t you stay here while I have a shower? Then I’ll bring us up some breakfast.’
‘Breakfast together sounds wonderful. Thanks.’
Gio kissed her lingeringly and his gentleness was as compelling as his passion had been. She’d experienced both in the week they’d been here. Glorious, satisfying days. Was it any wonder her feelings for him eclipsed anything she’d known?
Finally he pulled away and took a deep breath, brushing the hair back from her face. He looked like a man who wanted to stay just as much as she wanted him to.
Then he got to his feet, drawing the crumpled sheet up over her nakedness and smoothing it before heading to the bathroom.
Exhausted though she was, her avid gaze ate him up. The play of muscles across his back. The easy swing of his arms and shoulders as he walked. The tight bunch and release of round buttocks and the strength of those long legs. Even the rumpled splendour of his dark hair made her want.
Stella was so needy. For his body obviously, his sublime lovemaking. But for far more. She craved his company. It was rare to feel so completely at ease with anyone else, so accepted.
So happy.
She knew this was a bite out of time. This wasn’t her real life and she had to make major decisions soon about that.
Yet being with Gio had given her a taste of something wonderful.
Proof that happiness needn’t hinge on someone else’s approval.
Particularly when that someone was a father who doled out affection only as a reward for doing what he wanted.
All these years she’d strived to win love.
Acceptance for who she was, not only what she could do.
She’d known it before, but these days with Gio crystallised and intensified that knowledge. Forged it into a weapon she could wield to carve what she wanted from life.
As she lay there, drowsily listening to the shower turn on in the next room, she pondered a bright, new possibility. Maybe she could find love that didn’t come with strings attached.
Gio showed her what life was like with someone who didn’t play games, who had no hidden agenda. Someone who appreciated her for herself.
She smiled, lazy warmth curling in her pelvis.
She and Gio still hadn’t swapped surnames or details of their everyday lives.
That had begun because she hadn’t wanted to reveal too much about herself, but now it felt like an exquisite, shared amusement.
They were lovers who pretended to be strangers when in fact they understood each other intimately.
She knew him, trusted him in ways that gave her hope for the future.
Stella snuggled lower in the bed. Sternly she reminded herself that neither she nor Gio had talked about the future. This interlude would end soon.
Her thoughts frayed as she felt a pang of regret.
But there was a whole world out there for her to explore. She didn’t need to accept an arranged marriage or tie herself in knots eternally trying to win approval.
She’d tell her father she wouldn’t marry the bridegroom he’d chosen.
She’d persuade him to give her the professional opportunity she’d worked so hard for.
If she didn’t succeed, she’d leave the family business and strike out on her own.
It was possible she’d be pushed out of the family but did she really want affection that came with strings?
Determination filled her, and a sense of well-being.
Everything would work out for the best. Either she’d prove herself managing one of the company’s hotels or she’d earn that opportunity somewhere else. Right now that seemed the most appealing option.
She heard the shower switch off and imagined Gio towelling himself dry. Thought of him bringing a tray of food to share with her in bed. He’d tease her and tempt her and make love to her.
He’d make her feel like a goddess. And they’d talk, but today she’d tell him about herself. He’d accepted her request that they not discuss their lives in detail but there was no need now for that embargo.
Stella wanted to share with him. Not just her body but her past and even her problems. She’d love his perspective. She wanted to know so much more about him too. She wanted to know everything.
Maybe, just maybe, this connection between them might intensify. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a relationship that would strengthen over time.
Her heart beat faster and excitement quivered through her. What she felt for Gio was already powerful. She could imagine them building something special together.
It was a delicious possibility, one that made her smile as she slipped into sleep.
* * *
‘Gio?’
Stella moved through the downstairs rooms, but there was no sign of her lover. Her heart gave a little skip at the thought. Lover.
She couldn’t remember smiling as much as she had in the last few days. And when was the last time she’d laughed so freely or so often? When she’d felt so…appreciated?
She reached the kitchen and set down the tray she’d brought downstairs. It was mid-afternoon and she’d only just woken and devoured the breakfast Gio had left for her.
How many hours ago had he brought breakfast? She was grateful for the extra sleep yet wished he’d woken her. She’d rather have spent the time with him.
He was nowhere in the house. But eventually she located him far below the terrace, swimming in the sea.
Planting her hands on the terrace’s sun-warmed balustrade, she watched him swim across the small bay then turn and swim back.
He had the rhythm and power of a professional athlete and it struck her that he had so much energy he must revel in the freedom of sea swimming.
Yet he’d never complained about lolling by the pool with her.
It struck her again how often he put her needs first. He needn’t have offered her this fabulous hideaway.
It was incredible he’d brought her, a stranger, to this private retreat.
She wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging in delight at that proof she was important to him.
He’d felt that immediate connection too.