‘Do you know, I have never...’ he was right up close to her now and he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her jogging bottoms and began slowly tugging them down ‘...spent so long...’ he propelled her backwards, in small steps, until she had her back to the wall ‘...in the company of a woman I’ve wanted...’ the jogging bottoms were halfway down her legs, but instead of removing her panties he slipped his finger under the silky fabric, unerringly finding the wet slit between her thighs ‘...and been forced to practise such self-restraint...’
He began stroking her, rubbing her clitoris, losing himself in the sensation, letting it flood his mind and overwhelm the raging confusion of his thoughts.
This was exactly what he needed.
Right here. Right now. His chaotic mind was silenced. He felt her wetness and his mind went completely blank, allowing pure sensation to flood through.
‘I have wanted this for so long...’ he muttered, as she squirmed against his exploring finger, barely capable of breathing. ‘I don’t want to make love to you here, standing by the front door, with you pushed up against the wall...’
‘We can go up to my bedroom...’
‘And I don’t want your grandmother walking in on us...’
‘She won’t. She’s having dinner with friends and then they’re going to the town hall fifteen miles away to hear a lecture on orchids. There’ll be a lot of questions...’
‘Where’s your bedroom?’ He drew back, his dark eyes giving her the opportunity to back off, but he didn’t know what he would do if she did. He was so tightly wound that he could scarcely think straight.
Laura trembled, linked her fingers through his, and they took the stairs quietly and quickly up to her room.
He had caught her unawares. She hadn’t had time to anticipate or for her nerves to build, but her heart was beating fast and when they reached her bedroom she paused as the enormity of what she was about to do sank in.
Was this her? Really? What had happened to the dream of finding Mr Right? What had happened to her resolution never to have any sort of relationship with any guy who wasn’t going to be there for her as a life partner?
When she had made that resolution, she hadn’t known about Alessandro, she thought ruefully. She hadn’t yet discovered that there would be someone out there capable of driving all those careful plans out of her head. It just hadn’t seemed possible at the time, not when she had felt bitter and wounded.
When it came to women, Alessandro Falcone was a taker. Those lazy, dark eyes saw, desired, conquered and then, shortly after, when his appetite had been sated, he dismissed.
He had no sense of anything aside from himself. He had no sense of family, no sense of wanting to start a family of his own, no belief in love, no ability to give commitment. He represented everything she abhorred and yet...
Here I am now...
She didn’t switch on the overhead light. Instead, she turned on her bedside lamp, which sent a dull, mellow glow through the room.
‘You seem to have a thing for dogs...’ For a few seconds Alessandro took time out to glance at the room, which was small and cosy. There was a rocking chair by the window in which sat an assortment of stuffed dogs.
‘I should have got rid of them a long time ago.’ Laura laughed a little self-consciously. ‘I always wanted a dog but Gran put her foot down at that and decided that stuffed dogs would do the trick. I’ve never been able to bring myself to dump them. They’re too much a part of my past.’
Alessandro strolled towards her. ‘We have something in common. I wanted a dog as well but, of course, in a boarding school pets were not permitted. I don’t want to talk. I want to touch. Take off all those clothes. Let me see you naked.’
After the briefest of hesitations, during which some small voice urged caution, she began doing as he asked. She ignored the small voice. This was her choice, to live in the present, to enjoy this man with no strings attached. If there were no strings attached, she wouldn’t be disappointed. She knew what she was getting into and she was going into it with her eyes wide open.
And it was now or never. Her grandmother wouldn’t be back for at least a couple of hours. There was no opportunity to do anything at the big house as Roberto was always around. He seemed to think that unless he was supervising things, valuable possessions would end up in the bin.