Surrendering to the Italian's Command Page 13

  ‘So what did your mother do when you told her?’

  ‘I didn’t. There was no point—she would have felt so guilty and he never came back.’

  ‘So who have you told?’

  ‘Just you.’

  Just you. The words echoed in his head.

  ‘That’s why I think that over the years it sort of grew into something more than it was.’

  ‘It was what it was—an assault! Such men, I would...’ He slid into his native tongue but Tess got the drift of his savage outpouring before, feelings vented, he held out a hand, ignoring the voice in his head that reminded him he’d wanted just sex and already it was more.

  After the tiniest of pauses she laid her hand in his, only to pull back when he asked, ‘Why now, and why me?’

  She shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes. ‘I don’t know.’ Or didn’t want to know. ‘Right time, the way we met? It was... You make me feel safe and at the same time...’ She ran a tongue across her dry lips. ‘I really like the way you make me feel and I think it helps that all you want from me is...well, sex, because—’ She let out a light shriek as he reached out, grabbed her and pulled her on top of him.

  As he rolled her beneath him, breathless, she arched up into him as, supporting himself on his elbows, he kissed his way up her body. ‘Do you mind about, you know...?’

  He had reached her chest and as he slid one breast from the silken covering and fitted his mouth to the rosy peak she let out a low keening cry, half pain, half pleasure.

  ‘It’s a responsibility, but only a problem if we let it be,’ he growled out as he lowered himself down onto her. ‘I just want to make it as special for you as possible.’

  She moaned and grabbed him, her fingers sliding down the slick skin of his back under the loosened shirt.

  He levered himself up and began to fight his way out and then they were both tearing off clothes, their own and each other’s, with frantic breathless urgency that did not make for speed but definitely raised the excitement stakes as they touched and kissed and tasted their way to freedom.

  Tess was pretty much mindless with need by the time they were both fully naked. She wanted to explore every inch of him. He was so beautiful but she wanted so much more.

  Then, as she was lying there naked, breathless, her entire body burning up with need, she kissed his chest, sliding her hands lower over the flat, ridged muscle of his belly. As her fingers closed over the silky hardness of his erection he let out a low groan and rolled her under him in one smooth motion.

  Teeth clenched, he looked down at her, the driven need in his face sending a fresh wave of lustful longing through her. ‘It has to be now, cara.’

  Face hot, flushed, she nodded and closed her eyes, letting them half open as she heard him reach for a condom and sheathe himself. Then she felt the heat of him against the curls at the apex of her legs and took one deep breath, relaxing in a long, sibilant sigh as he slid into her, increasing the pressure as her body rhythmically tightened around him.

  Her legs lifted, locking around his waist as every thrust took her deeper into the warm darkness, deeper into herself. She was more aware of herself than she ever had been, while also conscious of all of him, not just the place inside her he was touching. But him, the hardness of him, the heat... Danilo! Until the two became indistinguishable, where he began and where she ended unimportant, and they arrived at the same place at the same moment; their cries became one.

  Tess floated back from the place he had taken her and opened her eyes to find Danilo watching her.

  He gave a wolfish grin, still stunned by their primal coupling made more amazing because she came to him a virgin. ‘Are you all right? I didn’t mean—’

  ‘I found it pretty wonderful. I’m left wondering if all egomaniacs are equally good lovers.’ She missed his answering frown. She was asleep.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘HAD A GOOD NIGHT?’

  Natalia smiled. ‘Perfect. The best birthday ever,’ she said, stifling a yawn and adding a rueful, ‘Sorry!’

  ‘You’re exhausted.’

  ‘A bit tired, but I’m fine.’

  ‘You’re not fine, you should go to bed—’

  ‘I can’t. I have to thank people and say goodbye and—’

  Danilo pressed a light kiss to her forehead. ‘All things I think I can do on your behalf. You go to bed.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure?’

  ‘I am,’ he said firmly. ‘Consider it part of your birthday present.’

  ‘Danilo, Tess looks lovely tonight, doesn’t she?’

  He tensed, and silently amended, Tess looked spectacular. ‘Where is this leading?’

  ‘She’s been here five weeks, she’s due to leave next week.’

  Five weeks and the last couple had been spent in his bed. That fire showed no signs of burning itself out. He was beginning to wonder if there was a way for her to stay longer. ‘Yes, I know.’

  ‘Can’t you say something that will make her stay? I just hate the idea of her not being here.’

  His jaw clenched. ‘What do you want me to do, kidnap her?’

  He saw her expression and moderated his tone, adding lightly, ‘Maybe you could visit her there? Take a trip to London?’

  ‘It won’t be the same.’ Natalia sighed.

  * * *

  An hour later Danilo had performed the last of the formal farewells, a situation that had paid surprising dividends when a handshake from one of the last VIP guests to leave had closed a deal that he had not expected to be finalised for weeks yet, so the evening had been a triumph on more than one level.

  Danilo was now standing on the empty helipad when the head of the security detail approached him. He arched a brow. ‘Problem?’

  The ex-army, suited figure shook his head. ‘Nothing of note. Just to let you know we’ll do one final sweep of the grounds and then wind things down.’

  Danilo glanced towards the thin ribbon of silver light created by the last of the cars as they moved down the drive and nodded. ‘Good job.’ He loosened his tie as the man walked away, speaking into his earpiece, before setting off in the opposite direction. He had his own plans to wind down too.

  Fuelled by urgency, Danilo strode back towards the palazzo, crossing the terrace, which earlier had been packed with people but was empty now, save for the catering staff who were piling empty glasses and discarded champagne bottles onto trays with quiet efficiency.

  Conscious of a steady buzz of anticipation in his blood, Danilo entered the ballroom where the band were packing up their instruments. He paused, his eyes moving around the room, searching as he had been doing all night, only now he did not need to be covert about it. It was not a guilty pleasure—just a pleasure.

  He no longer had to fight the tug. He could cross the room, he could breathe in her fragrance. Obviously he could not have spent the evening with her beside him, an indulgence that would have been misinterpreted or even been considered a public declaration of sorts; it would be unfair to expose her to that sort of speculation.

  The knowledge had not lessened his sense of frustration as the evening had progressed and he had seen Tess dancing with other men, smiling at other men, laughing up at other men.

  Which was good! He had wanted her to enjoy herself, not hide in a corner. Not that such a thing would have been possible in that eye-wateringly sexy green dress, but maybe he’d wanted her not to enjoy herself that much.

  Dio, who was he kidding? He hadn’t wanted her to enjoy herself at all without him, he had wanted her. Just wanted her, beside him, with him...for them to be an official couple—and it was not possible.

  Why not?

  The question, so unexpected that he had no set answer to fall back on, sent a vibration of shock through Danilo. He had put his personal life on hold after the accident to focus on Natalia. It had been a choice and perhaps there had, he realised, been an element of the hair shirt about it, a way to expiate his sins; he deserved to suffer, not that he wou
ld ever suffer as much as his sister had.

  Even then, he thought contemptuously, his sacrifice had not gone as far as abstinence. He had justified this by thinking of these disposable liaisons as a practical release valve that left him with nothing but an empty feeling. Had any of this not so noble sacrifice helped Natalia?

  The only thing it had proved was that he was a shallow, selfish bastard.

  When he had begun sleeping with Tess it had been meant to be more of the same, but she was a very different sort of woman. He had always known that, but it had felt safe because she would be out of his life very soon. She would be out of his life. His lips compressed, self-disgust a metallic taste in his mouth.

  With a painful and uncomfortable flash of insight he suddenly saw tonight from her point of view. He had acted as though he were ashamed of her, that she wasn’t good enough for his friends, whereas in reality she was too good for them, and too good for him.

  The tightness in his chest increased as he stared at the woman he had fallen into a relationship with. The question was, had he fallen in love with her too?

  Suddenly he saw the evening as fighting his instincts to prove to himself that he could, to prove to himself that nothing had happened, as something very different. But if he felt that putting her at a distance would have prevented the truth that was hammering away inside his skull he could not have been more wrong.

  A young man carrying a tray neatly sidestepped to avoid a collision when Danilo stopped dead without warning. He stood there amid the detritus of the festivities, staring at the figure who stood beside the piano player, the internal conflict stamped on his lean features.

  The pianist, a young man who’d had a crowd of admirers around him all night, a fact Danilo suspected was attributable as much to his blue eyes as his talent, was smiling up at her, laughing while his fingers moved casually across the keys.

  This time Danilo did not fight any impulses. He crossed the room in seconds and slid his arm across her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

  ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

  ‘I’ve been right here.’ She lowered her chin to hide the hurt she knew he would see in her eyes, then, turning her head into his chest, she let herself stay there, giving herself a moment before she tilted her head back to meet his eyes. ‘Has everyone gone?’

  Of course they had, or he wouldn’t be here now talking to her, after ignoring her all evening. She pushed away the quiver of resentment.

  You knew what you were getting into, Tess, so no point crying foul now. He had never pretended. Sometimes she wished he would, which probably made her weak, or an idiot, or both?

  If she’d been asked to put their relationship into words it would have sounded furtive...even sordid and, yes, there were moments when she asked herself what she was doing. Asked herself what had happened to her pride. But those moments never outlasted his kiss. When they were together everything felt right.

  But tonight, as she had watched him from a distance as he’d worked the room, as important and powerful people had vied for his attention, she’d realised that she had started to live for those moments when the door closed and the rest of the world went away.

  The fear the knowledge brought with it went soul deep. She had always prided herself on facing the truth but tonight had made her realise how close she had come to reading more into his desire than was there, of convincing herself that their love-making could not be so perfect if there was no emotional connection underlying it. She had forgotten that simply wanting something to be didn’t make it happen.

  For Danilo what they shared was sex, great sex, but just sex. This was the reality; tonight was the reality. In bed they were lovers and outside she was nothing to him and next week she would be less than nothing, a memory.

  ‘Not quite everyone, cara. We are here.’ He half turned her as his warm hands slid down her shoulders, pulling her into him. ‘And I have just realised that we have not had a dance.’ He glanced towards the young pianist, who nodded, and a moment later the room was filled with the sad, sweet sound of a classic romantic ballad.

  Danilo tipped his head, the formality of the gesture in sharp contrast to the sensual glow in his eyes, which stayed on her face. ‘May I?’

  Tess hesitated and pulled away a little.

  Danilo frowned. ‘Is something wrong?’

  She could have said, Yes, I’ve fallen in love with you and I have no pride left. But she didn’t. Tomorrow was soon enough...one last night and then tomorrow she’d walk through the door before it was closed in her face, salvaging at least a little pride.

  Her throat thick with emotion, Tess shook her head.

  The furrow between his dark brows relaxed as, holding her gaze, he took her hands and placed them on his shoulders. After covering one with his own he placed his free hand in the small of her back before beginning to move to the music.

  ‘I can’t dance,’ she cautioned, struggling to hide the deep sadness inside her. ‘I’ll tread on your toes.’

  ‘A price worth paying to hold you close, cara,’ he whispered in her ear.

  The combination of the husky sentiment and the waft of his warm breath on her ear made Tess shiver. Eyes closed, she leaned her face against his chest, aware of the strong, heavy thud of his heartbeat. A couple of bars in and she had forgotten about her two left feet. It was that rare thing—a perfect moment. Everything else vanished and there was only the man who held her and the music and them together as one.

  The people still working in the room stopped what they were doing to watch the duo who circled the room and others, drawn by the sound of the virtuoso performance by the young man who was destined one day to headline at opera houses all over the world, appeared at doorways and stood watching as the couple circling the floor, oblivious to the audience and their surroundings, lost in the music and each other, continued to move as one.

  ‘The music has stopped, Danilo.’ It was still in her head. She would never forget the sound—they had a song but no relationship...how ironic was that?

  ‘I know.’

  ‘People are staring.’

  ‘Let them.’ They were still moving to the music playing in her head—could he hear it too? The silk of Tess’s dress hissed against the marble floor as Danilo twirled her out through the doors and onto the terrace before finally stopping. It was totally deserted now; the extra tables had gone and the moonlit night was silent.

  Danilo hooked a finger under her chin and forced her face up to his. As their eyes meshed he took a deep breath, struggling to identify the unfamiliar feeling that tightened his gut as nervousness.

  ‘I have to check on Nat. She had a headache. Then...’

  One last night, she added silently, to remember.

  The emotional ache in her throat threatening to emerge as tears, Tess blinked hard to stop them spilling and raised herself on tiptoe. The glow in his eyes as their glances connected—she could have easily read more into it than simple lust but she wouldn’t let herself—made her head spin.

  ‘I’ll be waiting,’ she said simply before she brushed her lips lightly over his.

  The tantalising contact drew a groan from his throat. He hooked a hand behind her head and kissed her back with a hunger that made her knees sag. She clung to him for a moment after he pulled back.

  ‘Don’t be too long.’

  Desire flared hotly in his eyes at the plea. ‘I won’t be.’ Urgency made his voice raw as his soul-stripping scrutiny slid over the curves of her body, outlined in clinging green silk. ‘Don’t take it off. I want to.’

  He was in the lift that gave direct access to his sister’s suite when his phone rang. A glance at the number drew his brow into a frown.

  ‘I’m sorry, I’ve just realised what time it is... I’ll ring back tomorrow.’

  Danilo cut across the British consultant’s apology. ‘Now is fine.’

  ‘I know your sister cancelled her last appointment but I just wanted to be sure—does she want to resc
hedule?’

  The lift drew to a smooth halt but Danilo did not move. ‘My sister cancelled her appointment?’

  ‘I assumed...’ The other man’s discomfort was obvious in his voice as he added quickly, ‘No matter. I will discuss it with her tomorrow. It’s just her phone was off. Don’t worry, I’ll speak with her tomorrow.’

  Danilo slid the phone back into his pocket and stood there staring at the blank wall. Natalia had cancelled an appointment? He did not know that she had even had an appointment, and now she had cancelled?

  He flinched as guilt hit him in the gut with the force of a sledgehammer blow. This was what happened when he took his eye off the ball, when he forgot where his priorities, his duty lay. This had happened because for the past couple of weeks he had spent his days thinking about nights with Tess.

  Why was he even asking himself if he loved her? The question was irrelevant. He couldn’t afford to be in love. Besides, Tess deserved a man who could give her more than he was able to offer.

  He straightened his shoulders, prepared for what was to come, but as the doors slid silently open he realised that actually he wasn’t!

  * * *

  Despite the promise Danilo made, the ice in the bucket that held the unopened bottle of champagne Tess had carried up to her room had dissolved into water by the time her bedroom door finally opened.

  Normally Danilo slipped quietly into her room. This time there was nothing furtive about his appearance, but Tess, who was sitting on the bed at the time, did not make the mistake of reading anything good into the fact, as he’d wrenched the door open so hard the solid oak had rattled on its hinges.

  When he slammed it behind him with equal force and turned his cold, contemptuous stare on her face the moment stretched and her dismayed confusion increased.

  She’d seen Danilo frustrated and snappy, she had seen him irritated, she thought she’d seen him angry. Now she realised that she was wrong. She hadn’t.