Stella lifted one shoulder. Her old school friend Ginevra had accused her of being a workaholic, of not taking time for herself. ‘Maybe you’re right.’
‘How long since you’ve had a vacation? It feels to me like this isn’t so much a holiday as a chance to regroup.’
She frowned. Gio understood so much about her, even things she hadn’t explained in detail. She wasn’t used to people taking time to learn her the way this man did. It was unsettling and at the same time thrilling.
‘I don’t remember.’
School trips didn’t count and since she’d begun working full-time, any trips were work-related.
‘You know the saying about all work and no play?’
Gleaming eyes snared hers and her pulse pounded. ‘You’re accusing me of being dull?’
His gruff laughter belied the idea, but almost instantly his expression sobered. ‘Far from it.’ He leaned in, near enough that her skin prickled in awareness. ‘I’ve never known a more intriguing woman.’
Yet he didn’t look particularly pleased. Intent, yes, but frowning too.
Maybe he prefers women who aren’t ‘intriguing’. Maybe he appreciates women who say what they want without second thoughts.
She imagined him with gorgeous sophisticates who flirted easily and had scintillating banter. Who wouldn’t think twice about declaring their interest in a man.
Stella had never been such a woman. She’d grown up serious and cautious, scoping situations for pitfalls. Always thinking before she acted.
The few times she’d been tempted to believe in a man’s apparent interest she’d discovered it wasn’t really about her.
Was that why she’d actually been considering her father’s monstrous suggestion—to marry a stranger to further her career and cement her place in the family? Had she become so used to letting her father dictate her life?
There are times when you just have to jump. When you have to trust your instinct and go with it.
Stella’s chair ground back across the flagstones as she shot to her feet. Her pulse thudded, hard as a hammer against her ribs, but as she looked into Gio’s face an unexpected calm fell over her.
She knew what she wanted, had known from the first. She’d wasted days telling herself it wouldn’t be sensible to act on her feelings, though nothing she’d ever felt had been as undeniably right as this.
She moved around the table, Gio twisting sideways in his seat to face her.
He wore a dark shirt over swim shorts and his hair was tousled where he’d towel-dried it then run his fingers through it.
Stella wanted him with every atom of her being.
She stopped when her legs touched his knees. Instantly he sat straighter, knees opening, and she stepped between his legs. It was delicious and something rose, pure and powerful inside her.
The half-hidden lights cast intriguing shadows as he tilted his head up, holding her gaze. Silver eyes gleamed with a fervour that seemed to reflect her need.
Suddenly it was easy to be impulsive. ‘I’m attracted to you, Gio. I want you.’
For two heartbeats he didn’t respond but she sensed,knewthis was mutual.
Then his hands were on her hips, hot through the filmy material of her beach coverup. They drew her down to sit on his solid thigh before moving, one arm wrapping around her back and the other lifting her legs over both his. His cradling embrace reminded her of the disparity in their sizes and made her feel…cherished.
‘At last.’ His breath brushed her lips. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.’
Stella planted her palms on his collarbone, insinuating them beneath his shirt, dragging open a couple of buttons in the process. His flesh was steamy and silky, with a tease of crisp chest hair tickling the base of her palms.
‘You needn’t have waited. You could have made the first move.’ Though she was glad she had.
He shook his head. ‘It was tempting, but I needed to be absolutely sure what you wanted. It had to beyourchoice.’
Tenderness rose, along with the now urgent thrum of desire. Sitting on his lap, she couldn’t mistake the solid weight of his erection against her hip. It felt improbably long but instead of feeling nervous, she shifted eagerly on his lap. She mightn’t have gone past heavy petting before but she knew only Gio, deep inside her, could ease the ache gnawing at her.
