When he raised his head, the depth of emotion on his face made her breath catch.
‘I need you, Ruby,’ he repeated his earlier statement. Only this time, she was sure he didn’t mean sexually.
The knowledge that things would never be right between them sent pure, white-hot pain through her heart.
Unable to find the right words to respond, she cradled his face. Locked in that position, his eyes not leaving hers, he surged inside her and resumed the exquisite, soul-searing lovemaking. Eventually, he groaned his release and took her mouth in a soft, gentle kiss, murmuring words she understood but refused to allow into her heart.
Tears sprang into her eyes and she rapidly blinked them away, glad that he was rising and putting his clothes back on.
‘I can stay here, or we can return to my place.’ Although his tone wasn’t as forceful as before, she knew he wouldn’t accept a third choice.
‘I’ll come back with you.’ Despite all that had happened, she still had his dinner party to cater for.
They dressed in silence and she studiously avoided the puzzled glances he sent her way.
When he caught her hand in his in the lift on the way to the ground floor, she let him. When he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it, she sucked in a deep breath to stop the tears clogging her throat from suffocating her.
In his car, he pulled her close, clamped both arms around her and tucked her head beneath his chin. In the long drive back to the Upper East side, neither of them spoke but he took every opportunity to run gentle hands down her arms and over her hair.
Unable to stop herself, she felt tears slide down her cheeks.
Dear God, what the hell had she done? Of all the foolish decisions she could’ve made, she’d gone and fallen in love with Narciso Valentino.
‘Qualunque cosa che, oi facevo io sono spiacente,’ he murmured raggedly in her ear. Whatever I did, I’m sorry.
The tears fell harder, silent guilty sobs racking her frame.
He led her to the shower the moment they returned to his penthouse. Again, in silence, he washed her, then pulled a clean T-shirt of his over her head. Pulling back the covers to his bed, he tugged her close and turned out the lights.
‘We’ll talk in the morning, Ruby. Whatever is happening between us, we’ll work it out, sì?’
She nodded, closed her eyes and drifted off to a troubled sleep.
She jerked awake just after 5:00 a.m., fear and anguish churning through her body. The need to tell Narciso the truth burned through her.
She needed to tell him about the meeting last night. Needed to let him know that Giacomo’s thirst for revenge burned brighter than ever.
Her fear for her parents had blinded her to the fact that she was stronger than Giacomo’s blackmail threats. There was no way Ruby would do as Giacomo asked.
She loved Narciso, and, if there was any way he reciprocated those feelings, she didn’t intend to walk away.
But she had to warn him that Giacomo might come at him by a different means once he found out Ruby had no intention of walking away.
Turning her head, she watched Narciso’s peaceful profile as he slept. Her heart squeezed and she sucked in a breath as tears threatened.
She’d never have believed she could fall in love so quickly and so deeply. But in less than a week she’d fallen for the world’s number-one playboy.
But there was far more to Narciso than that. And if there was a chance for them...
Vowing to speak to him after the party, she slid out of bed, dressed without waking him and left the bedroom.
Armed with the black card he’d given her yesterday, she went outside and hailed a taxi. The market in Greenwich was bustling by the time she arrived just before six. For the next hour, she lost herself in picking the freshest vegetables, fruit and staples she needed for the dinner party.
Next, she stopped at the upmarket wine stockist.
Narciso had enough wine and vintage champagne so she only selected the spirits and liqueurs she needed for her cocktails.
She was leaving the shop when her phone buzzed. Heart jumping into her throat because she knew who it would be, she answered.
‘You left without waking me,’ came the quiet accusation.
‘I needed to get to the market before sunrise.’
He sighed. ‘I’m sorely tempted to cancel this event but I have several guests flying in specially.’
‘Why would you want to cancel it?’
‘Because it’s coming between me and what I want right now.’
Her heart thundered. ‘Wh-what do you want?’
‘You. Alone. A proper conversation with no disturbances. To get to the bottom of whatever last night was about.’
‘I’m sorry, I should’ve told you...’ She stopped as a phone rang in the background.