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 bodyat 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 wasproud 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. Iwant 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?”
