“First, I want this.” He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a long, hungry kiss that robbed her of breath. Finally, he let her go. “You taste so good I never want to stop.”
His words caused her to blush before they started across the snow, avoiding their old tracks. It took less energy to make new ones. They spotted some chamois and watched a golden eagle make its way to a peak. Eventually, they reached their destination and skied in through the trees to the one where they’d first found the dying fox.
The sight of the blanket with no food and no Fausto caused her spirits to plummet. “It looks like our plan worked,” she murmured, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
“That blanket should have been thrown out long ago. We’ll leave it here.”
Lanza felt tears sting her eyelids. “He won’t be back, which is the way it should be.” She shoved on, not wanting to dwell on where he was or what might have happened to him. There’d been no sign of a struggle or blood. That was a good thing.
They kept going without looking back. She hated that this day was almost over. The joy of skiing with Stefano, of watching and loving him in this private world, was almost too much for her. Though the sun was close to falling behind the mountains, she wasn’t ready to call it a day. She’d never forget today, but her legs would pay the price in the morning for trying to keep up with him.
Once they reached the chalet, she undid her skis and carried them inside with the poles. Next, she got out of her ski clothes and removed her hat, putting them in the closet. Not waiting for Stefano, she hurried up the stairs to her bedroom. Though she was worried about the fox, her mind and heart were centered on Stefano and how he made her feel.
A hot shower was exactly what she needed; after which she dressed in black wool pants and a tan pullover. Later tonight she’d wash and dry her hair, but right now she needed to thaw the fish in the microwave and get the pasta started for their dinner. He would be hungry and she was eager to fix food he liked. She’d seen boxes of fettuccine noodles on the shelf.
On her way to the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks to glimpse Stefano hunkered down by the box in front of the fireplace he’d turned on...feeding Fausto!
“What on earth...?” She rushed over and knelt down next to him.
“Our little fox followed us home. I was just walking inside the chalet with my gear when I heard yipping and saw him coming running toward me.”
“All the way across in the deep snow? I don’t believe it!”
“I let him inside and brought up the box.”
This time the tears overflowed her lashes. “Oh, Stefano—”
Before she could take another breath, he slid an arm around her shoulders and looked into her eyes with an expression she hadn’t seen before, suffusing her with heat. “Somehow he knows he’s loved.”
Before she realized what was happening, Stefano’s dark head descended and he covered her mouth with his own the way she’d been aching for all day. This
kiss was transforming her.
Suddenly, he was coaxing her mouth open to take their kiss deeper and longer. The divine sensation stopped her from thinking. She went where he led, never wanting him to stop.
Alberto had kissed her each time he’d been with her, but it was nothing like this. With all the reading she’d done, all the films she’d seen and accounts she’d heard from friends, nothing in this world had prepared her for the experience of being kissed by her exciting husband.
Little did he know he was changing her whole world as he pulled her so close she could hardly breathe. Helpless against such pleasure, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck.
His hands roaming over her back and hips lit a fire inside her. It was real and not a part of her imagination. Anything she’d felt with Alberto bore no resemblance to the rapture Stefano was creating with the slightest touch of his hands and mouth. His enticing scent and the slight rasp of his dark beard against her skin drove her growing desire for him to a wild pitch.
The sensual part of her nature had come alive in his arms and she didn’t want to bring it to an end. Lanza was embarrassed for being such a vulnerable mark. It bothered her that the virginal princess was easier prey than Fausto would ever have been if he hadn’t followed them back to the chalet before dark because he sensed danger.
The way Stefano kissed and held her, she was reeling out of control. Her wholehearted response to his lovemaking meant that he could be in no doubt what he was doing to her. She cried out his name as her body throbbed with desire for him.
But at that moment he unexpectedly relinquished her mouth and put her away from him in a gentle gesture. It produced a protesting moan from her.
“I’m sorry for crossing a line with you, Lanza,” he murmured and got to his feet.
“But you didn’t.” She rose to her feet. “I could have stopped it and you know it.”
He shook his head. “The thing is, I made a promise to help you get comfortable with me first.”
“Can’t you tell that’s what’s happening?”
“I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. I don’t want to make any more mistakes with you like I did in the beginning.”
How ironic that she was learning how to do what he did and live in the moment. In fact, that was what she intended to do until they left the chalet. For now she would pretend Stefano could really love her as she loved him. Once they were back in the real world, she feared all would be different.