‘I’ll go. I want to see what you have.’ Rose rolled off the bed, and he flopped back against the pillows, watching her as she picked up her dress, shaking it to get rid of some of the creases.

‘Take a T-shirt if you like.’ He pointed to a drawer, and when she opened it she saw piles arranged neatly in order of colour. She picked up what looked like the roomiest and pulled it over her head, finding that it reached down well past the top of her legs.

Turning to find that he’d been watching her every move, she planted a kiss on his lips and then walked downstairs to the kitchen. There was a plate of fresh cannoli, obviously bought as an afternoon treat, along with a bowl of strawberries, and Rose arranged them together on two small plates.

‘Just what I was thinking...’ She hadn’t heard Matteo approach, but now she felt his warmth against her back and caught his scent. He reached around her, picking a strawberry from the bowl, and then turned to the fridge, taking a bottle of white wine from the shelf.

‘I would have brought it up.’ Rose had been looking forward to cannoli in bed.

‘Couldn’t last another second without you.’ He grinned, picking up a pair of glasses and walking out onto the patio, even though he was only wearing a pair of loose, casual shorts.

She hesitated and he turned around. ‘It’s okay. This isn’t London.’

No, it wasn’t. The strict separation between outside and inside didn’t apply here. Open doors, open windows were a way of life. She followed him out onto the veranda, where he’d appropriated a cushion from one of the chairs and was sitting on the wide stone parapet to get the best of the afternoon breeze. Rose laid the plates down next to him and fetched a cushion for herself, climbing up to sit next to him.

‘These are lovely...’ She’d wolfed down the first cannoli on her plate, and Matteo laughed, reaching round to wipe a smudge from the side of her mouth. Reaching for the glasses, he opened the bottle of wine and poured a little into each.

The wine was sweet and the taste multi-layered. Matteo put his arm around her and she rested against him, sipping from her glass.

‘It’s funny...’

She looked at him, wondering what had prompted the observation. ‘What’s funny?’

‘After the last couple of hours I would have thought that all I would be able to do was eat a little then maybe take a walk on the beach, maybe sleep a bit in the shade.’

That didn’t sound like a bad plan, even if Rose still wanted to feel him hold her, and the touch of his body still awakened an edge of unsatisfied hunger. ‘What else do you want?’

He kissed the top of her head. Rose reached around, turning his face so that she could kiss him on the lips. The hunger started to grow, turning into an insistence, and Matteo slid down from the parapet, turning to face her.

‘Seems I haven’t had enough of you yet.’ He kissed her again, lightly, and made to draw back, but she pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck.

‘I haven’t had enough of you either.’

He gave a murmur of quiet approval, pulling the cushion she was sitting on, her along with it, a little closer. One hand pushed her legs apart and the other arm wound tight around her waist, supporting her.

‘I won’t let you fall.’

‘I know. But...’ Rose snatched a glance behind her at the awning that hung from the roof of the veranda. Drawn low, to protect them from the afternoon sun, it flapped lazily in the breeze.

‘It’s okay. The side gate’s locked so no one can get through here. And no one can see us.’ He reached into his pocket and drew out a foil packet. ‘You came prepared?’ She smiled up at him.

‘Not quite for this. I thought maybe later...’

‘But you couldn’t wait.’ Rose ran her finger around the elasticated waistband of his shorts. ‘Neither can I.’

He pulled her a little further forward, right to the edge of the parapet, and she wrapped her legs around him. She felt him tug at his shorts, letting them fall so he could step out of them, and felt his erection press against her leg.

How could this be? The way they’d made love, Rose would have thought that she wouldn’t want sex for at least another week. But she was just as hungry for him as ever, as if Matteo had flipped a switch somewhere and all she could think about was more.

He kissed her, holding her tight, one arm around her waist, the other hand at the back of her head. Rose felt herself begin to tremble.

‘This is not just...’ He seemed lost for words, but that was okay because this was beyond words. ‘I respect—’

She laid her finger across his lips. ‘I get the message, Matteo, and I respect you too. Only right now I don’t want you for your mind.’

‘I’m just a sexual plaything to you...?’ He gasped as she rolled the condom down over him.

‘Yes. Any objections?’

Tags: Annie Claydon Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net