A Shadow of Guilt(45)
As the dawn light filtered into Valentina’s room, bathing everything in a pinky gold, Gio sat in a chair in the corner of her room. He’d pulled on his trousers, leaving them open, and just watched the woman who lay sleeping in the bed.
She was on her front, the sheet provocatively resting just over her buttocks, revealing the long smooth curve of her back. One arm was curled up to her chest where he could just make out the swell of her breast. His body tightened predictably and Gio grimaced at the response.
Her other arm was flung out by her head and her cheek rested on the pillow, long black lashes casting a shadow on flushed cheeks. Still flushed. He remembered how it had felt to sink into her velvet hot embrace, how tight she’d been at first…. His own body tightened even more and Gio gave up castigating himself for such a helpless response.
It had been the hardest thing in the world to extricate himself from Valentina’s embrace but a part of him hadn’t relished the prospect of her expression when she woke to find herself curled around him so comprehensively. And another part of him had needed to get some space … to try and rationalise the sheer scale of what had just happened.
Gio had never experienced sex like that … so intense and primal. His face grew stark—admittedly, many of his previous experiences were a blur from those two hellish years. But even before that … it had never been like this. He’d never lost control, lost himself so completely. Mario had used to tease him mercilessly: You won’t be able to cut yourself off forever, Gio. One day you’ll meet someone who won’t let you stay so aloof….
The truth was, Gio had envied the ease with which Mario had fallen in and out of love. Gio just hadn’t had that capacity. Emotions for him were a dark and dangerous place to explore. Once, when he’d been tiny, he’d gone to his father with something he’d made, desperate to try and get his attention, acutely aware of how his older brothers seemed to effortlessly get and hold their father’s attention in a way he couldn’t.
Gio had stood in front of his father holding out the model airplane he’d spent hours working on. He could remember that all he’d wanted to say was, I made this for you. But under his father’s arctic judgemental glare the words just wouldn’t come out.
His father had snapped at him, irritated at this hesitance, and Gio could remember how his hands had trembled. The less he’d been able to speak, the more angry his father had become until he’d ripped the airplane out of Gio’s hands, thrown it to the ground and stamped on it.
A lot of his father’s vile words from that day were forgotten, but not the acrid sense of betrayal and hurt. Or the way his mother had shrank into the shadows, unable to stand up for her youngest son, too scared of directing that wrath towards her when she was so desperately trying to get back into her husband’s favour.
He’d learnt to draw inwards that day, to protect himself.
A movement from the bed made Gio focus on Valentina again. He welcomed the distraction. She was uncurling her arm from her side and Gio could see the swell of her plump breast. With fire igniting in his veins again he stood up and went over, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.
Slowly she opened her eyes. He saw her try to focus, to assimilate the information her body was undoubtedly giving her. And then she saw him. Those amber feline eyes widened, the flush on her cheeks deepened. Gio’s chest constricted when he could see the myriad questions about to come out of her mouth.
Without thinking he put a finger to her lips, their softness making him ache. ‘Shh … don’t think … don’t say anything … just let it be ….’
Gio watched her wary response, and then as if some inner turmoil had been resolved she nodded imperceptibly. He took his finger away and said throatily, ‘How do you feel? Are you sore?’
Even as he watched he could see the glowing embers of desire in her eyes, and his arousal soared. Looking endearingly shy now, she just shook her head against the pillow.
‘Good,’ Gio said and bent down to press a kiss to her mouth. She turned onto her back, opening up her body to him again and Gio fell back into the glorious blaze once more.
CHAPTER EIGHT
VALENTINA WAS IN deeply unchartered waters. She was standing in her shower with her eyes closed and Gio was massaging shampoo into her hair. She felt like purring. She also felt like turning around and pushing him up against the wall and kissing him all over. She could feel his erection brush against her buttocks and had to put her hands out to touch the tiles, afraid she’d fall down in a heap at his feet under the teeming hot spray.