‘I… I thought I’d take a shower.’ She clasped her arm across her breasts—the pale skin reddened from his attention—as the vivid blush fired across her collarbone.
Damn, had he ever seen anything more arousing?
The polite reply though was contradicted by her panicked expression.
Had she felt it too, the extraordinary strength of their sexual connection? She must have done, although with only one lover before him, she probably had no idea how rare such a connection was. Strangely, the thought of her inexperience helped his frantic heartbeat to slow while his racing thoughts clung to the conviction their connection—however extraordinary—could never be more than sex.
But when she attempted to climb off the bed, he reached for her again.
‘Wait, Tallulah… Did I hurt you?’ he asked.
The blush brightened, but she shook her head. ‘No… I… It felt good.’
He lifted onto his elbow and ran his hand up her arm, to hold her more securely, enjoying her shiver of response.
‘Onlygood?’ he teased, touched by the way she was blushing so profusely. His heartbeat slowed, the euphoria settling around him when she huffed.
‘Okay, very good… I’ve never had an…’ She bit into her lip, clearly not intending to continue.
‘You’ve never had a what, Tallulah?’ he asked, smiling, because he could already see the answer in her eyes and feel it in the way her pulse was hammering his thumb. It seemed her only other lover had not been very accomplished.
She tugged her arm free a second time. ‘I’m not sure you need a testimonial, Mr Lorenti… I—I mean, Dario,’ she stuttered.
He chuckled, he couldn’t help it, the combination of indignation and embarrassment only making her more endearing.Dio, had he ever met a woman more delightful, or transparent. Her unguarded reactions were almost as enchanting as the way she responded to him with such raw passion.
He’d been concerned about taking this step. Afraid to want her too much. Butwhyhad he, when their affair had the potential to make the next few weeks and months so much more satisfying—as well as making it impossible for those infuriating Trustees to deny this was a real relationship? It certainly felt real enough now, in the only way that mattered.
He would never be able to trust anyone enough to commit to more than sex. He never wished to be that boy again, so desperate for friendship he had allowed himself to become too needy, too vulnerable. But indulging this hunger with her…that would be a pleasure.
He’d never been so turned on before. There was something about Tallulah that called to his inner caveman, made him want to protect and possess her at one and the same time, unprecedented reactions which he had never had with the other women he’d dated. But then, he had never met anyone as artless as Tallulah, he decided as he watched her scramble off the bed. She grabbed her discarded dress, using it to cover her nakedness as she dashed into the bathroom.
As her naked bottom disappeared behind the bathroom door, he let out a gruff chuckle. Apparently, her lack of guile only made her more appealing.
He flopped back on the bed. Rubbed his hand over his chest, no longer disturbed by the rush of heat returning to his cock as he heard the shower.
He had found his fake fiancée’s ability to sense his mood disturbing earlier, but why? This attraction was still only a physical connection. And they had all the time in the world to explore it now.
Climbing from the bed, he massaged the ruined muscles of his thigh as he followed her into the bathroom.
She was standing with her back to him in the shower cubicle.
He noticed the tremor in her slender body as she stood under the steamy spray with her hands braced on the glass tiles—making no move to wash herself…
He could almost hear her brain working overtime, probably trying to rationalise what they had just shared.
Good luck with that.There was no way to rationalise something this elemental. The only thing that made sense was to enjoy it, until it faded.
He cleared his throat. Her head shot round, her eyes widening. ‘Dario? What are you doing in here?’
But then her gaze shot down to the reaction he could not hide. And her cheeks blazed anew.
Crossing the room, he opened the glass door and stepped into the spacious stone cubicle.
‘I thought I would help you wash…’ he said, enjoying the shocked awareness which flashed across her features.
Reaching behind her, he lifted the complementary shampoo off the rainfall shower’s shelf and poured the fragrant liquid into his palm.
‘It’s nice of you to offer…’ she said, her voice shaky. ‘But I’m not sure it’s a good idea. It’s… It’s been a while since I… And well…’ Her gaze—wary and tense—slipped down to assess his engorged cock. ‘I’m not sure I can do it again so soon,’ she finished. He didn’t know whether to laugh or wince, the earnest expression on her face only making her more adorable.
