But he heard her, and he didn’t look away. He lifted his hand to her cheek and stroked it with a gentleness that took her breath away. “I will not disappear without telling you again.”
Despite all the reasons she should be wary of this declaration, something inside her eased. The loosening started in her belly and spread through her body, strong, and unexpected, and the heat that had been anger just moments ago turned into something else.
“I am truly sorry,” he said, softly.
She brought her hand to his, tracing his long fingers, his warm hand, the cords of his muscular forearms, until she reached the rolled cuffs of his elegant shirt.
Oh, how she had missed him. Ann-Sophie had spent the last seven months trying so hard not to think about this simple truth, letting anger and indignation fill all the spaces where want might settle. Now, every feeling she had suppressed was crashing through her, so much more complicated than desire.
Or maybe this didn’t have to be more complicated than desire. Maybe she could just…give in. Give herself a place for all the tension of the past days. Just a little bit.
His fingers traveled down her cheek, over the tender skin of her neck. He traced her collarbone, his fingers lingering just inside the opening of her silk top. The soft material of her pajamas brushed over her skin, and her breasts felt heavy and full as his gaze swept across her face, dipping down to her lips. When his eyes met hers again, they were lit with something that felt raw. Real. There was so much she didn’t know about him, so much they had to work out, but right now, as he looked into her eyes, she felt their connection growing stronger. Attraction sparked and sizzled between them, but there was something else there, a contradiction, both an opening and a closing she didn’t understand.I am having a baby with this man. The idea settled inside her with a flutter of happiness she wanted so badly to trust.
His lips were close. She knew the brush of those lips, the way it felt to have them on her neck, her breasts, everywhere, and her entire body ached for all of it. Silently, Alessandro offered her his hands. She took them, and when he helped her to standing, she brought her hands to his arms, feeling the hard muscles under his perfectly tailored shirt, remembering them. She continued her exploration, tracing the strength of his broad shoulders. Then she slid her hands into his silken black hair and urged him closer. He let out a low groan, a sound somewhere between desire and relief, and his hard mouth met hers. Finally, they were kissing again. She opened for him, and his tongue teased hers, but he slowed, kissing her with an aching tenderness that left her gasping for breath. She let her hands travel down his chest, memorizing, reminding herself of every inch of him.This was real.
His hands brushed over her body, and she tensed. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction, as his hands moved slowly over her stomach, exploring the round fullness. He groaned in that deep, masculine way that left no doubt that he was enjoying every moment of his exploration. She looked up at his eyes, heavy-lidded with pleasure. His thick lashes only partially shielded the heat that radiated from them.
“Many good marriages have been built on less than we have between us,” he said, his voice rough.
A shimmer of wariness radiated through the languid haze of their kiss. “I suppose it depends on how one defines a good marriage.”
“Marriage is whatever we would like it to be.”
Of course, Alessandro Carandini thought about marriage as something that was up to him. Of course, a man of his wealth and power thought that what he wanted out of marriage was stronger than an institution that had survived for millennia. She supposed there was some truth to this idea, that everyone could negotiate their own path to some degree. And yet, if he was so bent on getting married, then there must be something inherent about it that he wanted. Maybe he was withholding that from her, or maybe he was only starting to figure this out. After all, she hadn’t been prepared for the force of her own reaction. Either way, she would not simply trust that everything would turn out to her satisfaction simply because he said it would. Because, as he had so rightly pointed out, trust went both ways.
He was watching her in that way he had more than once since he had shown up at her door, as if he was making an assessment. Then he smiled. “I hope breakfast was to your satisfaction.”
“Somehow it included my favorites from Sweden.” She was still a little befuddled about how Olivia had managed this. But when his smile turned a little smug, she understood that he had been in charge of this feat. Back when he had taken stock of her refrigerator, he must have noted what she liked.
“I want to make sure that you are completely satisfied with your stay here,” he said, that lazy smile teasing at his lips.
She had no idea what to do with this stunning, sexy, charming man in front of her, or with the overwhelming reactions she had to him. So she laughed. The Alessandro she had spent a week with was definitely back. And she was going to end up in bed with him very soon if she was standing this close to him much longer. Ann-Sophie had not ruled out that possibility, but she definitely needed to think it through under less…compelling circumstances.
“I would definitely be satisfied with a swim this morning,” she said. In the pool, they would be outside within sight of others. Also, a little time without carrying the weight of the baby would be heavenly.
“In the bureau you will find a selection of suits in case that might be helpful.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek. “I look forward to seeing you there.”
Alessandro dove into the pool and took a long, slow breaststroke under the surface, then another, letting the refreshingly cool water ease his body. When he reached the shallow end, he turned and sprinted at a punishing speed back toward the deep end. He continued back and forth across the pool, letting the temperature and the exercise soothe his body and his mind. Their kiss had fully awakened the desire that he had felt in Nice, but it was tangled with something new. He knew not to think too much about whatever that new thing was. His disappearance had almost ruined the plan for marriage—he had seen it in her face when she spoke of her father. Ann-Sophie had mentioned her father in passing during their week together, something about him being out of her life, but Alessandro had not registered the way that this had seemed shaped her until he had stumbled on her breaking point. He would not make that mistake again.
He pushed himself, lap after lap across the pool, until his thoughts dissolved, and there was only the cool water around him, shimmering in the sun. He stopped in the middle and stood, slicking back his hair. His control was restored.
Ann-Sophie was sitting at the edge of the shallow end. Her feet dangled in the water, and she leaned back, resting on her hands. Her lush belly was covered with a red swimsuit, a beacon that both called to him and warned him off.
“You didn’t like the swimsuits Olivia provided?” he asked.
Ann-Sophie gave him one of her amused smiles. “I prefer the one I brought. I think the days of string bikinis have long passed for me.”
“I beg to disagree.” He knew better than to approach her right now. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from touching all her new curves, which he found himself thinking about more and more. Instead, he dove back under the water, cooling himself again, and came up in the deep end. “Will you join me?”
She shrugged. “I was going to, but all your lap swimming is exhausting just to watch.”
“I’ll pretend to drown for a few minutes if that helps,” he said.
“No thank you. Then I’ll feel obligated to save you, and I’m not sure I’m spritely enough to manage that.” A gust of wind blew her hair across her face, and she tucked it behind her ear.
He flashed her a smile. “Another option is to splash you a few times.”
“Fine. I’m getting in.” She let out a sweet little huff, then slipped into the water and swam toward him, smiling. The relief of the cool water was written all over her face. He felt a surge of satisfaction that he had given this to her, a feeling that he refused to look too closely at.
