‘Yes?’ She stopped.
‘It’s not against the clock, sweetheart.’ He leant back again. ‘Do it slowly. And start with your bra.’
Reluctantly she reached around and unclasped her bra. Even though she kept her gaze on the floor, she could feel his eyes burning into her.
‘Hey!’ he said softly. ‘Look at me.’
She forced herself to meet his eyes, trying not to squirm as she slid the straps down her arms and pulled off her bra, fighting the urge to cover herself with her hands. His eyes dropped to her breasts, lingering there beforereturning to her face. ‘And try not to look like you’re being tortured.’
She glanced away again as she felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes. She couldn’t let him see. But thiswastorture. She felt so humiliated, and he was so cold and distant. Surely being with someone like this shouldn’t feel solonely.
‘You have nothing to be ashamed of,’ he was saying gently. ‘You have a beautiful body. You’re a gorgeous, sexy woman and it makes me hard to look at you.’
She pulled the zip of her jeans down slowly. She knew he meant to encourage her, and she tried to take in what he was saying, but she felt so out of it. She hung her head, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face as she felt a tear escape and slide down her cheek.
‘Claire?’
Not thinking, she looked up instinctively at the sound of her name.
‘Jesus, are youcrying?’ Luca was clearly horrified. In an instant he was off the bed and pulling her into his arms.
She couldn’t help the sob that escaped her then, and could no longer hold back the tears as Luca led her to the bed and pulled her into his lap.
‘God, I’m so sorry,’ he said, ‘I’m such an arsehole.’ He stroked her back soothingly as she cried.
Claire curled into him, burying her head in his neck. It was a relief to let go.
‘Ssh,’ Luca whispered, while his warm hand rubbed up and down her spine comfortingly.
‘I’m sorry, I’m being stupid,’ she said finally, brushing away her tears.
‘No, you’re not. I fucked up. You should have stopped me. Why didn’t you say something? I didn’t know I was upsetting you that much.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’ She sniffed. ‘I just had kind of a lousy day and?—’
‘And my prickish ways were the last straw? I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.’
‘No, you were right. That’s what I’m paying you for. I told you not to go easy on me.’ She gave a rueful laugh. ‘Well, that wasn’t very sexy, was it – bursting into tears in the middle of a striptease? Maybe we should start again from the top.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘I’ll try again,’ she said, pushing him away so she could get up.
‘No!’ His arms tightened around her. ‘Hey, we’re not turning you into amachinehere. You don’t have to be up for sex all the time.’ He stroked her hair away from her face, brushed away the last of the tears. ‘I’m sure even Hugh Hefner has his days when he’s not in the mood.’
‘Really?’ she asked sceptically.
‘Okay, maybe not Hugh Hefner,’ he smiled, ‘but normal people.’
This was the best she’d felt all day, Claire realised, all the stress and misery melting away as she laid her head on Luca’s shoulder while his hand ran soothingly over the bare skin of her back.
‘Um, Claire?’ he said eventually.
‘Mm?’
‘Maybe you should put your top back on.’
‘Oh.’ She lifted her head.
‘It really is making me hard looking at you,’ he said, with an apologetic wince, glancing down at her naked breasts crushed against him. ‘And I can’t not look. I’m a guy – I’m genetically programmed to look at tits if they’re on show.’
‘Okay.’ She scrambled off him reluctantly and crossed the room to pick up her top, putting it on with her back to him. When she turned around, he had moved and wasreclining on the bed, propped up against the headboard. She faltered, unnerved at finding herself across the room from him again and wondering how she was going to get back into his arms. But he made it easy for her, holding them open wide. When she dived onto the bed, he brought her close into the warmth of his body.
