After a few minutes, when her face was blissfully peaceful, his hands began to move differently. Slowly, he moved past her shoulders to her upper arms, then her neck. He brushed the tender flesh of her earlobes with the flicker of a caress.
By now, the bubbles had mostly disappeared, and he could see the curves of her naked body beneath the water. He had himself under control now—for the moment—but he was also only a man. Too much of this and he might dive headlong into the enormous bathtub with her, to make love to her against the hard marble, amid the slosh of the cooling water.
Lowering his head to the nape of her neck, Vin brushed the red tendrils of her hair aside and kissed her, his lips lingering sensually on her skin.
* * *
Scarlett felt the brush of Vin’s lips against the sensitive skin of her neck, and it was like lightning sizzling through her. All peace disappeared.
The water’s temperature had cooled, and more alarmingly, the bubbles had diminished, no longer providing camouflage. Her breasts were entirely visible now, gleaming wet and flicked with only a few tiny bubbles like decorative pearls. Her hard nipples were rosy beneath the water.
“Scarlett, look at me,” Vin said in a low, savage voice.
She had no choice but to obey. Tilting her head, she looked at his handsome face. Her eyes unwillingly traced his half-naked body, his thickly muscled chest, the trail of dark hair that led downward from his belly to the low waistline of his dark gray sweatpants, and below that...!
Even in the soft candlelight, she could see the outline of him, huge and hard for her. Involuntarily, she sucked in her breath with a whimper.
“I want you,” he growled.
She swallowed. She wanted him, too, desperately. But she was afraid of what would happen if she surrendered to him completely. Would it be the start of a wonderful, loving, lifelong marriage? Or would it be the beginning of a lifetime of misery?
He was physically perfect. While she... She glanced back at her own body and her cheeks burned self-consciously. “But I’m so big...”
“Yes. You are.” His hand reached down to cup a pregnancy-swollen breast, as if feeling the weight. It overflowed his hand as he tightened his fingers around an aching nipple. “And I want you as I’ve never wanted any woman.”
The pleasure of his touch was so sharp and raw it made her gasp.
Lowering his head, he kissed her, his lips hot and smooth as silk. Fire flooded through her. She kissed him back, water sloshing around her as she placed her hand against his cheek.
“Oh, Vin,” she breathed. “I want you, too...”
And she kissed him recklessly.
Abruptly, his arms plunged into the bathtub. Reaching around her, he lifted her naked, wet body from the cool water, carrying her against his hard bare chest as if she weighed nothing at all. He slowly set her down to stand in front of him, her naked body sliding against his, before her feet reluctantly touched the white fluffy rug.
She was eight and a half months pregnant, and standing naked in front of him. She was so heavy. How could he want her? How could any man find her sexy, let alone Vin Borgia, who was so handsome and powerful he could have had any woman on earth?
But he didn’t love her. She shivered. If she surrendered now, would she regret it for the rest of her life?
“You’re cold,” he murmured. Grabbing an enormous white cotton towel, he gently wrapped her in it.
But she wasn’t shivering from cold. Swallowing, she looked up at him, her heart in her throat.
“I’m not exactly your usual supermodel,” she said, trying for levity, but her voice trembled around the edges.
“No. You’re not.” He ran his hands gently through her hair, loosening the topknot so the damp waves tumbled down her shoulders. “There is nothing usual about you, Scarlett. You are special. The most beautiful, resourceful, kindhearted woman I’ve ever known.” Holding the towel, he pulled her closer. “But that’s not why I want you in my bed.”
“It’s not?”
He shook his head. “My need for you is far more primitive than that.” His fingertips traced the bare skin lightly from her collarbone to the hollow between her breasts. “You’re in my blood, Scarlett.” His voice lowered almost to a growl. “You belong to me, and I intend to have you.”