The Bride's Awakening - By Kate Hewitt Page 0,22

lips hard against his, pressing, not knowing what to do. Feeling a fool.

Then Vittorio opened his mouth, somehow softening his lips—how did he do that? Ana wondered fuzzily—before she stopped thinking at all. His tongue slipped into the warmth of her own mouth, surprising her and causing a deep lightning shaft of pleasure to go right through her belly and down to her toes. Her hands came up of their own accord and bunched on his shirt, pulling him closer so their hips collided and she felt the full evidence of his desire; he hadn’t been lying. He had wanted to kiss her.

That knowledge thrilled her, consumed her with its wonderful truth. This was not a man who had been left cold by her kiss, by her body. His body had betrayed him. Right now, at least, he wanted her. As a woman.

A sense of power and triumph surged through her, making her bold. Her hands slid down the slippery fabric of his shirt to the curve of his backside, pulling him towards her. She heard Vittorio’s little inhalation of shock and smiled against his lips. He moaned into her mouth.

His mouth remained on hers, exploring the contours of her tongue and teeth, nipping and sliding, the intimate invasion making Ana’s head spin and her breath shorten. She’d never known kissing could be like this. The few chaste pecks and stolen smacks at the end of a date didn’t compare, didn’t even count—

And then it was over. Vittorio released her and Ana took a stumbling step backwards, her fingers flying to her swollen lips.

‘Well…’ she managed. Her mind was still fuzzy, her senses still consumed by what had just occurred. Then she looked at Vittorio and saw how smug he seemed. He was smiling as if he’d just proved something, and Ana supposed he had.

‘I think that quite settles the matter, wouldn’t you say?’

‘Nothing’s settled,’ Ana retorted sharply. She wouldn’t have her future decided by a simple kiss—even if there hadn’t been anything simple about it at all. It had been amazing and affirming and even transforming, the evidence of Vittorio’s desire changing everything—or at least it could change everything. ‘You said I should have a few days to consider.’

‘At least you want to consider it now,’ Vittorio replied, and Ana knew nothing she said could take away his smug sense of superiority that he’d been able to kiss her senseless. He looked completely recovered, if he had been shaken by that kiss, which Ana suspected he had not. Not like she had. All right, he’d desired her—for a moment—but perhaps any man would react the same way when a woman threw herself at him, which was essentially what Ana had done.

Except Roberto hadn’t. When she’d thrown herself at him, desperate to prove herself desirable, he’d remained as still and cold as a statue, as unmoved and emotionless as a block of cold marble. And when she’d finished—pressing herself against him, kissing those slack lips, he’d actually stepped back and said in a voice filled with affront, ‘Ana, I never thought of you that way.’ A pause, horrible, endless, and then the most damning words of all: ‘How could I?’

Still, Ana thought, gazing at Vittorio with barely disguised hunger, was that brief stab of desire—that amazing kiss—enough to base a marriage on? Along with the respect and affection and everything else Vittorio had promised?

‘I’ll consider it,’ she said at last. ‘I didn’t say I would say yes.’

‘Of course.’

Ana touched her lips again, then dropped her hand, knowing how revealing that little gesture was. ‘I should go home.’

‘I’ll have my driver take you.’ Vittorio smiled wryly. ‘I’m afraid I’ve drunk a bit too much whisky to handle a car myself, and of course I would never jeopardise your safety.’

Ana nodded in acceptance, and Vittorio pressed the button by the door again. Within seconds a servant appeared. He issued some quick instructions, and then turned back to Ana. ‘I’ll see you to the door.’

They didn’t speak as he led her through several stone corridors back to the huge entryway of the castle. The doors were already open and a driver—in uniform, even at this hour—waited on the front step.

‘So this is goodbye,’ Ana said a bit unevenly.

Vittorio tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing her cheek. That smugness had left his eyes and he looked softer now, if only for a moment. ‘For now.’

Ana tried not to react to the touch of his hand. She felt incredibly unsettled,

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