Living the Charade

Condom.

Right. Hell.

He reached around and pulled one out of his back pocket, sheathed himself.

‘Are you always this prepared?’

Her husky words and wary gaze stayed him. His usual approach would be to make a sarcastic quip. Keep things light. But her scent was warm on his tongue and for some reason he couldn’t conjure up anything light.

‘No. But after touching you on the beach Saturday I’ve dreamt of nothing else since.’

‘Nothing else?’

Her tone was teasing and it gave him permission to tease her back. ‘Maybe my mother’s lasagna.’

She smiled, her eyes slumberous as she took him in. His erection throbbed under her perusal and her startled eyes flew to his.

His hands tightened on her hips. ‘Do you want me to stop?’ The words felt as if they were ripped out of his throat with a pair of pliers, but he needed to be sure she was totally on board with this.

Her eyes held his. ‘Would you?’

‘Of course.’ Though it might kill him.

‘No, I don’t want you to stop.’ She leaned forward, gripped him in her palm. She closed her eyes as her fingers explored him. ‘I want to feel you inside me.’

He wanted that too—so badly his legs were shaking with need. He pulled her hands from his body before he lost it. ‘Open your eyes.’ His voice was a husky command and it seemed for ever before she raised her sleepy gaze to his. ‘I want to see your eyes as I fill you.’

Her eyes widened and her tongue touched her lips as she nodded.

‘Hold on to me.’ She draped her arms along the line of his shoulders and gripped the back of his neck. Tino pulled her firm breasts against his torso and lifted her.

He’d intended to take her hard, his instinct to plough himself into her, but some sense of civility whispered that this first time he might hurt her, so instead he lowered her with as much care as he could.

Even so, he felt the hiss of air against his temple as her body encircled him.

She was tight. So tight. He stilled. ‘Are you okay?’ Sweat beaded his forehead as he forced himself not to jam her on top of him.

She wriggled her hips and adjusted herself around his girth and his head nearly came off.

‘Now I am.’ Her voice was so damned sexy. Like her smell. ‘You’re just...big.’

Women had told him that before, but never had those words sounded so sweet.

‘You can take me,’ he growled, kissing her brow.

‘I think I already have.’ There was laughter in her voice and then he shifted his hips and surged forward, giving her more.

‘Or not.’ She groaned. ‘I want more.’

God, so did he.

‘Hook your legs around my waist.’ He could barely speak. The urge to pound into her was overwhelming but he needed a soft surface for what he was about to give her—otherwise she’d end up black and blue.

Somehow he made it to his bed, but when he fell on top of her he was so close to coming he didn’t hold back. Her body clung to his as if it had been made just to please him, and when he felt another orgasm building inside her he didn’t know how he managed to hold off long enough to take them both over the edge together, but he was so damned glad he had.

God, had sex ever been this good?

* * *

Miller lay still, unable to move, and yet stricken with the urge to run for her life. She had just had wild, unrestrained sex with one of the beautiful people. Someone so far removed from her real world she couldn’t even leap to see the platform he lived on.

And it had been amazing. He’d filled her so completely, so powerfully, all she’d been able to do was cling to him as he’d carried her into his room and then carried them both into a miracle of erotic pleasure.

At least it had been for her. For him it was probably run of the mill. She was probably run of the mill. Trying not to let her old insecurities swamp her, Miller clung to what was real. Which, ironically, was that this was fake.

Her sickness, his bringing her here—none of that had changed anything between them. And would it matter if it had? She had her goals, her plans for the future, and she wasn’t looking for a relationship. She wasn’t looking to fall in love with anyone yet.

She understood the fundamental rule that one person always loved more than the other, and she also knew that relationships were unstable at best and downright destructive at worst.

And it wasn’t as if Valentino was going to insist on having a relationship with her! He’d probably prefer to be hit by one of his fast cars. And even if he did his job took him all over the world. She knew herself well enough to know she’d never cope with the uncertainty of having a relationship with someone who left her all the time. Would leave her as soon as he was bored.