Her mind was suddenly flooded with things she wanted to do, perhaps trace the hair on the torso to test its texture or maybe bring her lips to his skin just to see how he tasted. But one did not do these things to a sleeping man, even if said man was slated to become one’s fiancé.Wake him and exit, she repeated to herself.
But she was wary of touching him. Every inch of his body felt aggressively sexual. With an unsteady breath, she settled on the bed next to him, her hip so close to his chest. Heat from his body radiated through the silk of her pajamas, reminding her once again that this was not a dream. She watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and she studied the harsh planes of his cheeks and nose and forehead, softened in his sleep. She studied the defined muscles of his shoulders, taking in their hard solidity as more electric heat zapped through her. Her breaths came faster as the need grew inside her. She had the urge to press her body against his to soothe this ache in her belly, between her legs.
Which was completely inappropriate. Massimo wassleeping, for goodness’ sake. Catarina raised her hand to her chest, as if to steady the flutter of her own heart, but when she moved, she could have sworn that his muscles tensed. She froze.
“Massimo?” she whispered.
Nothing. She was imagining things again. Just her own guilty conscience, she decided.
She swallowed, steeling herself for her reaction to the feel of his smooth skin under her fingers. Maybe, she thought wryly, this could also act as a dose of self-styled exposure therapy to tone down the way her body reacted to this very real, very physical, man in front of her. She let out a huff of exasperation.Just wake him and leave, Catarina!His biceps lay at rest, cast so invitingly over his head. There was nothing inappropriate about touching his arm, right? Her fingers trembled as she reached across and brushed her hand over the bulge of his muscles.
All at once, those muscles came to life. Before Catarina could react, Massimo moved, and she found herself on her back with him over her, pinning her down. She no longer had to wonder about what was under the covers because a long, thick erection was pressed hard between her legs. She let out a moan before she could stop herself.
“Dio,” he muttered, his voice a husky rasp. “What are you doing?”
Her senses were overloaded with the heat of his body, the scent of him so much more intimate, cologne and something that smelled like pure masculinity.
“I… I…” Catarina struggled to respond, struggled to focus her brain when he was everywhere. But she had gone over her answer too many times to forget it. “I was checking on your concussion. You’re not supposed to sleep the full night with a head injury.”
For a moment he studied her, as if he was weighing her answer, but then something that could have been dark humor settled in his gaze.
“Are you sure?” he said softly. “If you wanted to see me naked, you just had to ask.”
Her entire body was exploding with heat with his words, with his warm, muscular torso pressed against her. Her breaths were coming in short pants, which was only making his case about her intentions stronger.
“I’m talking to a man arrogant enough to try to outrun an avalanche,” she muttered. “Of course you would assume I’m here for sex.”
“How quickly you jumped from seeing me naked to sex,” he said, his voice full of lazy desire. “Interesting.”
Embarrassment flashed heat to her cheeks, but Catarina tried her best to glare at him. “Next time I won’t bother checking if you are still alive.”
“Already planning for next time?” A smile teased at his lips. Then, slowly, Massimo lowered himself onto his elbows, bringing his body to hers. His lips were so close, and she told herself she should resist. Instead, she arched to meet his mouth.
Catarina was everywhere. Her hair spread across the pillow, a backdrop that highlighted her bewitching brown eyes and lush mouth, and her voice rang inside him like a song. Her pert breasts skimmed his chest, and her thighs had parted the moment he had taken control, welcoming him. That scent that emanated from her now was mixed with something blatantly sexual that hijacked every breath of his, urging him to bring his face to her neck and inhale.
This woman was going to be the death of him. He had awakened the moment she entered the room, but had kept still, using his well-honed restraint to put aside temptation and try to discern what she was after. What was her angle? At first, he had assumed she was trying to get the upper hand by crawling into bed with him. That he could have handled.
But instead, as he lowered his mouth to hers, he saw a raw, open longing in her eyes that threatened to take over all rational thought. And before he could weigh whether or not this could still be a complicated game of manipulation, she pressed her lips to his. Massimo groaned as an electric current seemed to arc between them, making every inch of his body come alive. He took his time, tasting her sweet mouth, opening for the soft slide of her tongue as his suspicions faded to the back of his mind.
He wanted this woman. Every inconvenience she had caused him dwarfed in comparison to the want that coursed through him. She shifted, spreading her legs farther, adjusting to fit perfectly under his, and Massimo struggled to keep his sanity as her soft gasps stoked the fire in him higher. The promise of more pleasure was within reach. Just the thinnest scraps of silk separated them from the ecstasy he couldn’t stop thinking about. He could have her over and over if he played this right, he reminded himself. If he kept himself under control.
So he forced himself to pull back. Catarina let out a soft whimper that triggered another surge of heat, threatening to overwhelm the thread of control he was hanging on to. He had missed the opportunity to use her desire against her earlier in the day, but now with her below him, the path forward was clear. She wanted pleasure from him, too, making this fire between them a tool. If stoked high enough, a fire had the power to bend even a will of steel, to forge what he ultimately wanted: the convenient fiancée he thought he was getting, who understood the necessity of both their roles in this partnership. Ultimately, he needed a wife who would not, under any circumstances, distract him, preoccupy him or do any of the things that had continued to ruin his father’s life and tarnish their family’s name. Because even if Catarina was not his mother, he could not ignore the burning need that suggested he was, in fact, at risk of becoming his father.
His cock was notched between her legs, and he flexed his hips experimentally, to see how she reacted. She let out a quiet moan and flexed her own hips, sending a new ripple of pleasure through him. Yes, she definitely craved this.
“Why are you here, Catarina?” He moved more deliberately this time, slowly dragging his cock between her legs, drawing out the pleasure, biting back the drive to finish that was burning in his throat. “Did you come to my room to learn what this feels like? Did you come here so I could show you?”
Massimo did it again and again, moving against her, pressing against that spot that drove her wild. She closed her eyes, as if she was losing herself in the pleasure, and he let her for one more stroke, another, listening as her breaths came faster, turning to soft moans. The music of her voice threatened to overwhelm him, but he resisted. He would not get carried away again. He would stay in control and bring this to the end. He gritted his teeth and dragged his cock against her one last time, then stopped.
Catarina’s eyes fluttered open, and she swallowed visibly. Her eyes begged him to continue, and his own body clamored for him to respond. He resisted. He ignored her soft, lush lips, begging to be kissed, and reminded himself of his goal and the promise of future pleasures it brought.
“Answer,” he rasped, his voice heavy with the pleasure that threatened to spiral out of control. “Why are you here?”
Her eyes were wide as she blinked up at him, silently begging for more. Though he had told himself he would withhold what she wanted, he moved his iron-hard length between her legs yet another time, and she gasped, as if she was on the edge of ecstasy. As if all it would take to bring her to a climax was one more tilt of his hips. Massimo found that he wanted to give this to her. The drive to please her called from deep inside, casting an ominous shadow over his thoughts.
He waited for her answer, but she didn’t reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and moved her hips against his. He glared down at her, telling himself to pull away, but the sound of her gasp held him in place. She moved again and again, using his body to take her own pleasure, testing his sanity until she let out a cry and came apart. A burst of primal satisfaction flooded him as her song of ecstasy threatened to topple the balance that tipped inside him. He fought against the need that pounded inside him. He knew where that path led, and he would not follow it.
Chapter Six
