A Moment on the Lips - By Kate Hardy Page 0,47

to be helpless and babbling, too.’

She laughed. ‘I do hope that’s a promise.’

He kissed her again. ‘Absolutely.’

He almost, almost blurted out that he loved her—a near-admission that shocked him to his core.

He’d sworn never to fall in love, never to make the mistakes his mother and sister had made. So how come she’d charmed the barriers around his heart into simply falling down for her? How come the only days in his life that felt as if they had colour in them were the days when he saw her? And since when had hot, mutually enjoyable sex turned into an emotion that scared him witless?

Pushing the thoughts away, he said softly, ‘Today’s been the best birthday I’ve ever, ever had.’

Her eyes filled with tears. ‘Oh, Dante.’

He stroked her face. ‘Don’t cry, Caz. I just wanted you to know that today’s been special. More than special. And I really appreciate it.’

He really appreciated her.

He just didn’t have the words to tell her how much.

CHAPTER TWELVE

CARENZA half woke, aware that something was tickling her face; it took her a few moments to work out that it was the hair on Dante’s chest. She shifted to get more comfortable, and ended up with her face pressed against his neck. And somehow her mouth was open against his skin and she was kissing his throat.

He murmured her name sleepily, and tipped his head back to let her kiss him. She was half lying across him and he shifted, pulling her so that she was on top of him. And then he was kissing her throat, nuzzling her skin, nipping it gently.

She could feel him hardening beneath her, and rocked against him; right now, she really needed to feel him inside her. It was obviously the same for him because he lifted her slightly, then eased inside her as she lowered herself onto him. He wrapped his arms round her and held her close, still kissing her as he thrust into her.

This felt so incredibly good. She loved the power of his body against hers, loved the way he made her feel, each thrust taking her higher. Pleasure rose through her body; heat began to pool in the soles of her feet, then spiralled up through her, tightening and tightening. And then she was falling over the edge. Dante was right there with her, all the way.

As the aftershocks died away he withdrew, gently rolling her onto her side. His body spooned round hers, one hand settling round the curve of her breast and his mouth resting against her shoulder.

Was it her imagination, or did he just murmur, ‘I love you, Caz,’ against her skin?

Wishful thinking, she decided. It was the kind of thing Dante would never admit, even if he felt it. He was positively phobic about relationships. Given his childhood experiences, she could understand why. But somehow she needed to find a way to get him to open up to her … She drifted back into sleep, still mulling it over.

The next morning, Dante woke her with a kiss.

Carenza smiled and stroked his face. ‘Good morning. Did you sleep well?’

‘Yes. You?’

‘Mmm.’ She stretched languidly. ‘But I had the most incredibly realistic dream.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds interesting. Going to share?’

She smiled. ‘You. Me. Sex in the middle of the night.’

His smile faded. ‘That’s odd. So did I.’

And then a really nasty thought hit her. ‘We didn’t. Tell me we didn’t.’

His dark eyes were filled with wariness. ‘What are the chances of us both having exactly the same dream?’

She blew out a breath. ‘Dante, if it wasn’t a dream, then …’ This wasn’t going to be good, but she had to bring it up. She needed to be honest with him. ‘I don’t remember using a condom.’

His face went white. ‘If you fall pr—’

She pressed her finger against his lips. No. She didn’t want him saying that he’d take responsibility if she ended up becoming pregnant. That wasn’t what she wanted from him.

What she wanted from him was what she thought he’d said in the middle of the night.

And, judging from the look on his face right now, it had definitely been her imagination. The sex had been real enough, but love … ? No. Dante wouldn’t let himself love anyone.

She shook herself. ‘Don’t say a word. It’s fine. The chances are pretty low.’

He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Carenza, we had unprotected sex. How can you be so—so unconcerned? So casual about it?’

‘Think how many people try for babies for months