‘Yes. I did.’
‘Por Dios, you admit it?’ Like a tiger suddenly unleashed, Alessandro stepped forward and let out a punch that sent Jake flying into the snow.
‘Jake!’ Christy gave a scream of horror and ran towards him. ‘Alessandro, no! Stop it. Stop it now! I can’t believe you just did that! What do you think you’re doing?’
‘Protecting what’s mine.’ Alessandro was nursing his hand, his eyes still glittering with fury as he watched Jake struggle to his feet and lift a hand to his split lip.
Christy was forgotten as the two men faced each other.
‘I guess I deserved that,’ Jake said softly, ‘but you’re only allowed the one, Garcia. And now you’d better let me finish my sentence. It’s true that I wanted Christy when I thought she was available. Unfortunately that lasted all of twenty-four hours. Then she saw you and I didn’t get a look-in. You were the only man for her. You still are, but you’re too pigheaded to see it.’
Seeing blood on his chin, Christy took a step towards him but Jake lifted a hand to stop her. ‘I’m fine. I’m going inside now to find my date. There’s nothing like the sight of blood to bring out a woman’s nurturing instincts.’ Despite the bruise on his face, he gave her a saucy wink. ‘I’ll have the jacket back next time I see you, angel.’
She watched as he sauntered away, tears in her eyes. Then she turned to Alessandro in a state of appalled frustration. ‘I can’t believe you just did that. He’s our oldest friend!’
‘He was kissing you.’
‘Well, at least he noticed me,’ she yelled, ‘which is more than you ever do.’
‘I notice you.’ Strong fingers closed around her wrist and he dragged her towards the entrance of the maze.
‘Alessandro, this is ridiculous.’ She tugged at her hand but he kept on walking until they reached the walled garden in the centre of the maze. A fountain bubbled and the moon shed just enough light for her to be able to make out the hard, unyielding expression on his handsome face. Soft flakes of snow swirled around them but both were oblivious to everything except each other and the steadily mounting tension.
‘You think I don’t notice you, querida?’ He backed her against the wall, his powerful body hard against hers, his hand on her waist. ‘You think I’m not aware of you lying next to me in bed at night? You think I don’t notice the silver dress?’
Hunger exploded inside her and she clung to the front of his jacket, the intimate thrust of his body sending her pulse rate skyward.
He jerked the hem of her dress upwards and she gave a soft gasp of shock and excitement as she felt the strength of his hands on her bottom. ‘Well, I’ve got news for you, gatita, I notice.’ He brought his mouth down on hers in a hard, possessive kiss and she melted under the skilled seduction of his mouth.
No one kissed like Alessandro, she thought dizzily as she felt herself go under, sucked down into a sensual world where everything was suddenly hazy.
Her heart thumped, hot tongues of fire licked deep inside her and she slid her arms round his strong neck and held onto his head just in case he had any intention of ending the kiss before she was ready.
But clearly he didn’t.
Without lifting his mouth, he slid his hands inside the silk of her panties and the warmth of his palms was such a contrast to the freezing night air that she gasped against his lips and then cried out his name as his fingers slid inside her, exploring the most intimate place of all.
He was the only man who had ever touched her that way and she felt her body explode with an excitement so intense that it was close to unbearable.
‘I want you,’ he groaned huskily, lifting her with a powerful movement and anchoring her between the wall and his body, ‘Por Dios, I have to have you now. I can’t wait any longer.’
Exulting in the effect she was having on him, Christy wrapped her legs around him, desperate for him to finish what he’d started, desperate to ease the agonising ache that built deep inside her body. And still they kissed, as if they were never going to stop.
As if this were the last time they would ever touch.
In a swift movement that said a great deal about his physical strength, Alessandro held her secure with one arm and then reached down to deal with the zip of his trousers. Breathless with anticipation, she felt him hard and ready against her and shifted her hips with a whimper of need as the white-hot burning low in her pelvis reached almost intolerable levels.
He held her firm and entered her with a powerful thrust and she gasped against his mouth as she felt the slick, velvety thickness of his arousal deep inside her.
She forgot everything except the ferocious needs of her own body and his. She forgot that they were outdoors. She forgot the freezing cold air and the sharp, uneven surface of the bricks pressing into her back. She forgot that their marriage was in crisis.
Her entire focus was the building, throbbing ache that grew and grew deep inside her.
He was hard and demanding, his mouth never leaving hers, each rhythmic thrust creating erotic sensations that bordered on the painful. She tried desperately to move her hips, to alleviate the frantic ache deep in her body but he controlled her utterly and she gave a sob of relief as she felt him change the angle and drive her towards the edge.
She toppled with a force that shocked her and she clung to his broad shoulders, feeling his body tense as he drove still deeper into her and fell with her.
And finally, when their breathing had calmed and their pulses had slowed, he lifted his head and lowered her gently to the ground.