A Proposal to Remember

He dispensed with his jeans and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her though to the bedroom and kicking the door closed behind them.

Her silky dark hair brushed his cheek and he lowered his head and kissed her hungrily before laying her on the bed and coming down on top of her.

She stroked a hand over the muscles of his shoulders and the trust in her eyes made something twist inside him.

He knew that they ought to be talking, not making love, but the moment for talking was long past.

All he could do now was make sure that her first time was the best time she’d ever have.

The talking would have to come later.

Zan lay trembling on the bed, both hands holding onto Carlo as he kissed her.

She loved the feel of solid muscle under her fingers, loved his combination of strength and gentleness.

The truth was, she loved him.

He lifted his head, his breathing ragged as he looked down at her, his dark eyes unbelievably sexy. Then he murmured something in Italian and the tone of his voice made her heart thump against her chest.

‘You’re doing it again,’ she pointed out huskily. ‘You’re talking in Italian and I don’t understand a word.’

His smile was intimate. ‘I said that you are very, very beautiful, cara mia.’

His hand moved slowly but deliberately down her body and suddenly she found it hard to breathe. He lowered his head and kissed her slowly and the excitement he roused was so intense that it frightened her.

She pulled away slightly, stunned by how out of control she felt.

Carlo’s eyes searched hers and then he gave a very male smile that showed that he understood. ‘I know…’

He kissed her again, this time teasing her tongue into an erotic dance with his, arousing feelings so powerful that she pressed against him in an unspoken demand for more.

Without lifting his head, he moved his hand lower and curved it over her breast, the rough pad of his thumb teasing her hard nipple.

Sensation stabbed low in her abdomen and she gasped against his mouth and instinctively parted her legs.

He lifted his head and stroked her dark hair away from her face with a hand that wasn’t quite steady.

‘You are incredibly responsive, tesoro, and you have a disastrous effect on my self-control.’ His eyes smiled into hers and he kept their gazes locked together as his hand moved lower.

Zan felt his hand on the soft skin of her thigh and then his fingers slid inside her flimsy panties, his eyes never leaving hers as he found what he was looking for.

Her fingers tightened on the muscles of his shoulders and she tensed slightly.

‘Don’t be shy with me.’ He murmured the words against her mouth, kissing her gently as he removed her panties. Reassuring her as his skilled fingers worked their magic. Excitement exploded inside her and she slid her hands over his skin, touching his warmth and maleness, moving her hips in an instinctive quest for satisfaction.

Carlo slid down her body, using his mouth in an exploration so thorough and intimate that by the time he finally slid back up and settled himself on top of her she was a seething, uncontrollable mass of sensation.

Desperate to know him as he knew her, she reached down to touch him, but he caught her hand and shook his head.

‘No way, tesoro, I’m too close.’

‘But—’

‘There’ll be time for that later.’

She felt his weight on top of her, his strength as he parted her thighs, and suddenly a flash of trepidation penetrated her consciousness.

Totally attuned to every response her body made, he slowed the pace, his dark eyes suddenly gentle as he looked down at he