Chapter 10 #2
“Loss is part of life.” She cupped his face in her palm.
“No. Why should I settle for less than your heart? A man like you could have any woman he wanted. Why marry a young, naive woman who didn’t know what love truly was?
I was infatuated, swept away by all this.
” She waved her hand over the pool, house, and then Dante.
He tried to speak but she placed a finger over his lips.
“You married me because you wanted children. I know, you’ve told me.
But why me in particular? It could have been any woman. ”
She watched Dante’s internal struggle. He knew the reason, but would he admit it?
“Want me to tell you why?”
He shook his head, his eyes narrowing, but before he could respond, she leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Because your heart and body recognized something in me. Your brain might try to deny it, but there is an overwhelming, chemical attraction between us. You can try as much as you like to keep me at arm’s length, but you’re fighting a losing battle. ”
“You’re wrong. This is purely physical. You’re a beautiful, vibrant woman. Any man would want you.”
She pushed her breasts against his chest and watched the flare of need in his eyes.
“I’m not nineteen anymore. I know the difference between desire and love.
The other afternoon, before Nana’s operation, what we shared was so far from just sex.
It was lovemaking at its most exhilarating.
You—made—love—to—me.” She emphasized each word by poking him with her finger.
She let go of his neck and lay back in the water.
“Let’s see if you’re man enough to own up to it. ”
She watched the proud man before her fight against himself. She knew she could win.
What a prize Dante’s heart would be. Dante was the only man she would ever love.
She knew with certainty that this was where she belonged.
She was done fighting against her fear that he would never love her.
At nineteen, Abby hadn’t known how to handle Dante, the rich, experienced, worldly Italian conte.
Now she saw through his outer armor to the man underneath.
Dante was a man like any other, with his own fears and limitations.
He was her man, and he loved her, no matter what he said—or didn’t say. A woman knows. She would do anything and everything to make him admit what she was sure was in his heart.
He loved her. It’s why he’d never pushed for a divorce. Of course! True, he hadn’t come to find her, but she was positive that her leaving had shocked him to his core. He’d been afraid to come for her. Afraid to love her. She would show him love was nothing to be afraid of.
She relished her newfound power over her husband and watched his eyes flare with heated longing as she ran her hands over her breasts and lower toward her hips.
“Stop fighting yourself and come love me,” she said.
“I never could resist you, mio fiore.”
“I’m not asking you to resist me.”
Dante’s eyes darkened as they drifted over her, and his hands tightened on her thighs.
His gaze was penetrating and her entire body was on fire.
The contrast of cool water against her heated skin, the sun baking overhead, intensified the whole experience.
He finally pulled her back into his arms and took her mouth in a kiss as scorching as the sun above them.
“My Abby. Resisting is impossible…”
She moaned with relief as he slid one hand down her back and then lower still.
Her body squirmed in anticipation. Abby rose from the water to hug him, pressing skin to skin.
He was hard and ready against her. His mouth still on hers, Dante lifted her and held her tight as she slid in glorious slowness down the full length of him.
She moaned and moved to take all of him deep within her.
She couldn’t hold still, the urge to move driving her to lift and lower until his hands gripped her hips, holding her fast. The harsh sound of his breathing indicated his unsteady state.
“Don’t move.” His voice strained, he drew his mouth from hers just enough to speak. “I won’t last very long, but I promise to spend the rest of the afternoon loving you.”
Her heart bloomed at the word “loving.” Now she was sure this marriage could work. Dante had so much love locked up inside. If she could just break through the fortress, she knew he could learn to love her.
She could feel Dante deep within her, and his control slipping, along with his mask, was a powerful aphrodisiac.
In his hungry state, his taut features were magnetic, and she couldn’t look away.
They revealed how much of his soul he tried to hide from her, but here, now, the curtain had been ripped aside.
His eyes allowed her to finally glimpse his emotions.
They were filled with wild and turbulent longing, and she kissed him hungrily, her tongue seeking his.
“Abby…,” he cried against her mouth. “I need you.”
She closed her eyes and savored his words, surrendering to the electric sensations shooting through her body at his experienced touch.
But she could feel the tension thrumming through his body too.
He was close to his release, and Abby was determined to be right there with him when he finally tipped them both over into paradise.
She felt him hard and unyielding inside her.
He gave a low growl and pulled her closer until they became one.
Their lovemaking became frantic. With a deep groan, Dante drove into her one last time and lost control, his whole being shaking with the force of his release.
His passion-filled cries sent her headlong into her own release, caught in an explosion of ecstasy, their mutual pleasure sending her into orbit.
She gripped his neck, fighting the pull back to reality.
His heavy breathing was an indication of his still-turbulent emotions.
Abby dropped her head against his shoulder and let the sound of the water sloshing around them calm her racing heart.
“See, it’s not just incredible sex. It’s more,” she whispered.
Dante let his actions speak for him. He shifted his grip on her, swung her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and walked up the steps, out of the pool, heading toward the master bedroom suite.
“Damn you, Abby,” he muttered under his breath but loud enough for her to hear.
She remained silent, not sure what mood had taken him. When they reached the bedroom, he kicked the door closed behind him and walked to the bed. Gently lowering her onto the cool sheets, he followed her down, shifting himself over her, his eyes holding hers.
“I want more. More than I should want.” And he set about proving just how much more he wanted, and she proved how much more she was happy to give.
Dante was proud to have Abby by his side at the dinner with Zanetti.
She played her part brilliantly. The aftermath of their lovemaking this afternoon proved to be the icebreaker.
Even he could see the love shinning in Abby’s eyes.
A part of him hated that he could be giving her false hope.
Not false hope that he loved her, but false hope of a happily ever after.
“My wife has given me her seal of approval.” Paulo Zanetti joined him on the balcony offering him a port.
Dante accepted the glass with a raised eyebrow.
“Delores likes Abby. Told me she sees a bit of herself in your wife. A quietly determined young woman.”
Dante looked through the open doors of the terrace and into the drawing room. “Abby’s that all right, I’m only just learning.”
“Why did you wait so long to bring her home? I wouldn’t have let a woman like Abby slip away. Makes me wonder what your agenda is.” He gave Dante a sly look. “My wife might be easily fooled, but I’m not.”
Dante took a deep breath. This deal hinged on his next words. He looked across at Abby and she smiled at him. It felt like a sucker punch to his stomach. She was beautiful. He turned to Paulo. “Pride can make a man lose all perspective.”
“So why bring her back now? Is it to make me feel more inclined to sell my company to you?”
“Tell me something. You love your wife, that’s obvious. Yet you never had children. Does it not destroy you to have no son to hand your company to?”
“We were not blessed with children. My fault, not my wife’s. She was desperate for a child. I offered to let her go, to be free to marry another, but I was blessed by God. She refused because she loves me.”
“You never adopted.”
“No. For various private reasons.”
Dante nodded. “I want children. I want my family’s lineage and the company my father sacrificed so much for to be safe.”
“Ah! I see. The mortality card. You want children and Abby is still your wife. This drive to suddenly procreate has nothing to do with these tests you’re having.”
“How did you find—never mind. You’ve done your homework,” he said with annoyance.
“Would you expect anything less from me? So, are you ill? Should I worry that you won’t be at the head of the Lombardi Group for long?”
“No. I’m fine. The tests are simply a precaution.”
Paulo looked across at Abby. “Does your wife know about your hospital checks?”
“No. And I don’t want her to.”
“I see.” And he took a sip of his drink.
“I admire your need to protect your family, but that woman loves you. It’s not fair to keep a part of yourself from her.
What are you afraid of? I’m seventy-five years old.
I’ve lived a wonderful life. Not because of my company—that can’t keep you warm at night, it can’t ease your hurts, nor share your triumphs.
Delores is the most important thing in my world. ”
“My family is my world.”
“Isn’t Abby part of that family?” He patted Dante on the shoulder. “Take your charming wife home. I’ll let you know my answer by the end of the week.”
“You’re quiet,” Abby said in the car on the way home. “I’m sorry if my acting wasn’t up for the job.” She couldn’t hide the hurt in her tone. “At least I can strike off one part of my deal.”
“Sorry, yes. Thank you. You were magnificent. Delores loves you, and Paulo thinks I’m an idiot for leaving you in England for so long.”
“We passed the test then. It’s just you don’t appear very pleased. I thought you’d be happier. Isn’t this why you urgently needed me back in your life?”
“Hmm. Pardon? Yes. Yes, it was.”
Something was wrong. If their act as a besotted husband and wife had worked, Dante should be ecstatic.
“Then why are we not celebrating? You’ve got what you wanted. You’ve got your company and you’ve got me back in your bed. Why the long face?”
“Perhaps what I’ve wished for has changed.”
“Has it?”
He didn’t respond. He merely took her hand in his.