Boss Meets Baby(71)

She made a murmur of protest as he slipped his hand gently from her dress, then she realised that the boat had already slowed down as it wound its way through the canals of the city. In a minute they would be at the palazzo.

The boat glided up to the gothic arch of the water gate, and Vito lifted her from his lap. Her legs were unsteady, and before she realised what he was doing he pulled her wrap tightly around her and swept her up into his arms. A lifetime of watercraft and canals had made him nimble on his feet, and within a moment he had whisked her off the boat and carried her straight up to their bedroom.





CHAPTER SEVEN


HE LAID her on the bed and stood over her, discarding his jacket and tie, before kneeling beside her and finishing off undoing the buttons on her dress.

She gazed up at him, smiling at the way his fringe had fallen forward over his face. She reached up to run her fingers through his luxuriant black hair, while he unbuttoned her dress.

Touching his hair suddenly seemed a curiously intimate thing to do. It was silly to think that, considering what had happened on the boat and what was about to happen. But for that moment she found herself thinking that everything would be all right. She could almost imagine the past six weeks had never happened.

‘I’ve missed this,’ Vito said, slipping her dress off her shoulders and pulling it all the way down under her hips.

He let his gaze wander over her as she lay on the bed dressed in nothing but a lacy bra, French knickers, holdup stockings and high-heeled shoes.

She was gorgeous.

‘You are beautiful,’ he murmured, cupping one breast in each hand. They were deliciously warm beneath his fingers, and he felt her nipples harden instantly— against his palms.

She was moving restlessly on the bed, and he knew it wouldn’t take much to bring her back to a state of heightened arousal. She had been unbelievably responsive to him out on the lagoon, and knowing how he was affecting her had also been a powerful aphrodisiac for him. Not that she’d ever had to do much to turn him on—he’d been hot for her from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. And tonight he planned to lay more on her than just his eyes. They were to be married, and he would make her his wife in every sense.

With skilful fingers he slipped his hands behind her back to unhook her bra, and as he tossed it to one side he saw her start to tremble again. Her pupils were dilated with her building need, and as she arched her back, thrusting her breasts up towards him, he knew exactly what she wanted.

‘Oh!’Lily cried out as his mouth closed over her nipple. Glorious feelings rippled through her body, as his sinuous tongue worked magic on her tingling flesh. ‘Oh,Vito!’She said his name again. She couldn’t believe she was really here, that this was really happening.Vito was making love to her again, and everything would be as it had been.

His hands were moving over her body, burning a trail wherever they touched, removing her French knickers and stockings, urging her pulse rate up and up.

She lay naked on the bed, breathing raggedly as Vito finally lifted his head to look at her. A knot of sexual excitement twisted inside her as she gazed into his darkened eyes. She knew he wanted her as much as her body was aching for him.

But he was wearing too many clothes. She needed to feel his skin against hers, run her hands over his hard, muscled body. She reached up to undo his shirt.

‘This is good.’ Vito’s voice was husky as he looked down at her fingers struggling with his buttons. ‘I should have remembered—eating out always made you amorous.’

‘No, it didn’t,’ Lily protested, finally tossing his shirt away. Then she paused and stared at him, suddenly thinking back to when they’d lived together. Some of their most romantic evenings had involved an evening out.

‘Ah—now you remember,’ Vito drawled, lazily pulling his black leather belt through the loop on his trousers.

‘It wasn’t eating out,’ Lily replied.

A strangely hollow feeling moved through her as she suddenly realised that it had been more about having his attention. When he’d spent an evening with her—rather than working—it had made her feel special. Wanted. Worthy of him.

When he’d slipped into bed beside her after a night spent in his office she’d always welcomed him into her arms. But it hadn’t been the same. She’d taken pleasure from knowing that he sought comfort in her arms after a long day of work. But it was never the same as when he’d spent time with her.

‘We’ll test it again tomorrow,’ Vito said, his voice tickling her stomach as he leant forward and scattered kisses over her sensitive skin. ‘We’ll go to Luigi’s.’

Without meaning to, Lily felt herself tense.

Vito sat up and looked at her sharply.

‘What is it?’ he demanded, his voice cold and hard. ‘When I mentioned Luigi earlier you acted strangely. Tell me what this is about.’

‘Nothing,’ Lily said, pushing herself up onto her elbows and suddenly feeling acutely conscious of the fact that she was naked.

‘Tell me.’ Vito swore and lurched angrily to his feet. ‘Is he the one? Is he the one you betrayed me with?’

‘No!’ Lily gasped. She hugged her knees up to her chest and looked at him in alarm. A terrifying change had come over him, darkening his features and making the room crackle with angry energy.