The Italian's Final Redemption - Jackie Ashenden Page 0,35

on his chest, glorying in the heat of his body and the feeling of strength. It didn’t frighten her, not any more. She knew to the depths of her soul that he would never use that strength to harm her, not the way her father did, and now all she wanted was to explore that strength. Touch that power. Have it turned on her to bring pleasure, not pain.

He released her hand and his arms were around her, pulling her close so she was where she wanted to be, pressed up against him. His mouth had turned hot on hers, the kiss more demanding, and yet even now expertly controlled. More and yet not more than she could handle.

She wanted to handle it though. Because, now she wasn’t afraid, all that was left inside her was strength.

His hands slid from her hair down her back and suddenly she was lifted in his arms, held tight to his chest as he crossed the room to one of the long, low sofas. He put her on the cushions, sitting her upright, then came down on his knees in front of her.

She reached for him but he only took her hands in his, turning them palm up and pressing a kiss on each one. Then he put them on the couch and held them there, his gaze fierce on hers. ‘Keep them there,’ he ordered, his voice full of dark heat. ‘Let me give you this, civetta. Let me show you how good I can make you feel.’

Lucy took an unsteady breath, shivering all over, held fast by the fierce, hungry look in his eyes. She nodded.

He took his hands away from hers then put them on her knees, easing them apart so he could kneel between them. She took another trembling breath as he came closer, his lean hips between her thighs, his bare chest inches away. He was so tall that, even sitting, she was barely at eye level with him, the breadth of his shoulders blocking out the night behind him.

Calmly he took her chin in one hand, holding her still as he leaned down and kissed her again, his lips hot, the kiss so achingly sweet that she moaned. He deepened it, his tongue dipping inside her mouth, and as he did so she felt his fingers slide beneath the silk of her robe.

Clothes had arrived for her that afternoon, but she hadn’t gone through them all, and she hadn’t been bothered to find any nightgowns or pyjamas. She’d gone to bed naked and now he knew that too, his fingers burning like a brand on the sensitive skin of her shoulder as he stroked her.

It felt so good that she trembled harder, shivering all over as his grip on her chin loosened and his fingers spread out along the side of her jaw, cupping it, his thumb stroking along her skin as he kissed her deeper. With his other hand he eased the silk of her robe aside, the tips of his fingers brushing down her side and lightly following the curve of her bare breast.

Lucy shuddered, the tips of her nipples abruptly achingly sensitive. She wanted him to touch them, but he didn’t. He only caressed her side and then traced circles over her skin, teasing her, maddening her. His mouth left hers and trailed down the side of her neck, leaving kisses like fallen stars and nips like hot sparks. Making her shake, her fingers curling into the material of the sofa cushions, holding on tight.

She wanted more, so much more, but he was going so slowly and being so careful, and he didn’t need to. She wasn’t afraid, not of him. Not any more.

‘Please, Vincenzo.’ She’d never called him that to his face before, but it felt right on her tongue. It felt perfect. ‘Please... I w-want—’

‘Patience,’ he murmured against her skin, kissing down between her breasts as his hands caressed her hips and thighs. ‘I know what you want and I’ll give it to you, I promise. But anticipation will make it sweeter. And besides, I want to savour you.’

He did? Was she worth savouring? Her mother had died protecting her and sometimes, in her lowest moments, she wondered if her mother’s sacrifice had really been worth it. Because after Kathy had died her only value lay in what she did for her father, her analytical brain and her facility with numbers. And it was a value predicated on hurting others...

So no, sometimes she