felt.
When his lips, warm and firm, touched her own a deep sigh that was almost relief shuddered through her body. Under the skilful pressure of his mouth her lips parted.
When Francesco lifted his head she gave a soft, throaty murmur of protest.
He ran a brown finger slowly along the soft curve of her cheek and closed his eyes before pressing a long, languid kiss on her parted lips. ‘I love your mouth,’ he slurred.
And I love you, she thought, and felt the salty moisture leak out from under her sealed eyelids.
‘I think …’ she said, trying to ease herself away from him even though every fibre in her body was reluctant to break the contact. ‘I think we should.’
‘Of course.’
The speed and apparent ease with which he disentangled himself on a physical and mental level astonished Erin, whose body was still humming with desire.
She felt the stirrings of resentment as he returned to his seat. He searched her face, the groove above his masterful nose deepening.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I was just wishing that I could turn it on and off the way you apparently can.’
She saw a look of comprehension spread across his face. ‘You did ask me to stop.’
‘I know … I know I’m being unreasonable, but you could have pretended it was difficult.’
‘I wouldn’t have been pretending.’
‘But …’
‘I didn’t think I had to spell out what you do to me, Erin, but I can if you like.’
Erin swallowed as the liquid warmth in the pit of her stomach pooled hotly. ‘I’ll pass,’ she gritted huskily.
‘You never used to be so prissy. Why are you uncomfortable talking about sex? Your candour used to be quite a turn-on.’
She maintained eye contact, but it took every ounce of self-control she had to do so. The tide of warm colour rising up her neck she could do nothing about.
‘I’m fine talking about sex.’ Though from his previous observations clearly she had lost her edge when it came to doing it! ‘I’m just not obsessed with the subject like you.’
He gave a grin that was sinfully attractive as he ran a hand along his jaw. ‘I must shave before we land. You are adorable.’
Hearing the raw, driven note in this disconnected addition made her study him more closely. She immediately saw that he was not nearly as composed as she had first supposed.
She watched the nerve that ticked away like a time bomb in his sexily hollow cheek and was glad that she wasn’t the only one suffering.
‘Dio!’ he groaned, letting his head fall back and sighing. ‘You always were the best sex ever.’
It was remarkable how one slurred comment could totally obliterate the warm romantic glow. What had seemed unique and beautiful now felt crude and coarse.
I suppose, she reflected grimly, I ought to be grateful that he didn’t pretend to feel something that he clearly didn’t.
Erin lifted her chin and smiled. ‘It’s always gratifying to be told you’re the best sex someone has ever had.’
He lifted his head and surveyed her smiling face with bafflement.
Erin could see why he might be confused. Tell the average male that he was the best sex you’d ever had and he would be preening himself, say the self-same thing to most women and they would be insulted, though it did kind of depend on the setting. There were some situations where she could imagine not finding such a comment tacky at all.
‘Have I done something wrong?’
‘Not a thing.’
Her gaze swivelled to his; the intense blue hit him just as strongly now as it had done the very first time he had seen her.
Francesco stretched his long legs out in front of him and crossed one foot over the other.
Erin was almost as surprised as Francesco appeared to be to hear herself say, ‘I should have told you about the baby.’
‘We don’t need to talk about that now.’
‘I need to. I knew I ought to have told you straight away, but I was kind of in shock … and …’ she closed her eyes ‘.I know you think I was a quitter to walk away from our marriage. I know you think that I took the easy way out, but it wasn’t …’
‘Wasn’t?’ He studied her downcast features with a frown. ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying, Erin.’
She shook her head, her luminous eyes starting to feel tired as she looked at him. ‘No,’ she agreed, ‘you don’t see at all. Walking away wasn’t easy, it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,’ she