And even though Molly could see no real affection on his proud Neapolitan features—nothing but sexual hunger glittering from his dark eyes—that didn’t stop her from reciprocating. Was it the delicious memory of his lovemaking which made her open her arms to him and close them around him tightly? Or was it more basic than that? As he peeled her dress, shoes and underclothes from her body before impatiently removing his own clothes she began to wonder if there was some deep-rooted need to connect physically with the man whose seed was multiplying inside her.
Or at least, that was her excuse for what was about to happen.
‘Salvio,’ she gasped as his finger stroked a slow circle around the exquisitely aroused peak of her now bare nipple. ‘Oh!’
His naked body was warm against hers. ‘Shh...’
It was more of a command than an entreaty but Molly heeded it all the same, terrified that words might break the spell and let reality flood in and destroy what she was feeling. His eyes were hooded as they surveyed her body, seeming to drink in every centimetre. Was she imagining his gaze lingering longest on her belly? With her notorious curves, she probably looked pregnant already. But now he was kissing her neck and her eyelids were fluttering to a close so that it became all about sensation rather than thought and that was so much better.
Encouraged by the hand now sliding from breast to thigh, Molly flickered her fingertips over the taut dip of his belly, her touch as delicate as if she were making pastry. And didn’t his groan thrill her and fill her with a sense of pride that she—inexperienced Molly Miller—could make a man like Salvio react this way? Emboldened by his response, she drifted her hand over his rocky thighs, feeling the hair-roughened flesh turn instantly to goosebumps, and something about that galvanised him into action, because suddenly he was on top of her. He was kissing her with a hunger which was almost ferocious and, oh, it felt good. Better than anything had a right to feel. She could feel the graze of his jaw and his lips felt hard on hers, though his tongue was sinuous as it slipped inside her mouth.
She gave a little cry as she twisted restlessly beneath him and he gave a low laugh which was tinged with mockery.
‘How quickly my little innocent becomes greedy,’ he murmured. ‘How quickly she has learnt what it is she wants.’
His words sounded more like insults than observations but by then he was stroking her wet and urgent heat and Molly was writhing beneath his fingers. She moaned as the sensation built and built and she realised what was about to happen. He was going to make her have an orgasm with his...finger.
‘Salvio,’ she cried out in disbelief, but just as she went tumbling over the top he thrust deep inside her. She gasped as he filled her completely—even bigger than she remembered—and he gave a loud moan in response. And so did she. It felt as if her world were imploding. As if a jet-black sky had suddenly been punctured by a million stars. As if the two of them were locked and mingled for all time. Molly clung to him as she felt him momentarily stiffen before thrusting out his own shuddering pleasure.
He stayed inside her for countless minutes and Molly revelled in that sticky closeness because, in a funny sort of way, it felt as intimate as the act of sex had done. Maybe even more so, because now neither of them were chasing the satisfaction which had somehow left her feeling empty and satisfied, all at the same time.
But eventually he withdrew from her and rolled to the other side of the bed. Molly was careful to hide her disappointment as he threw the duvet over them both, quickly covering her up, as if the sight of her naked body offended him. She licked her lips as she waited for him to speak, planning to take her lead from him. It was the habit of a lifetime—of allowing her employer to dictate the conversation—because, technically, Salvio was still her employer, wasn’t he? And it seemed vital that she stay quiet for long enough to hear his thoughts. Because what was said between them now was going to determine the rest of her baby’s life, wasn’t it? His attitude towards her unplanned pregnancy was of vital importance if they wanted to have any kind of amicable future. Not that she was expecting much from him. Not now. She’d thought she could rely on kindness until she’d realised she didn’t really know him at all. And now her heart began to pound with anxiety as she wondered whether she should have given herself so easily to him. Could she really hope for respect in the circumstances?
She found herself studying him from between her lashes as she met the hard glitter of his eyes.
‘So now what?’ he questioned slowly.
She took him literally, because wasn’t it simpler all round if she remained practical and continued to do her job? ‘I ought to go down and turn off all the lights—especially the tree lights.’
His face was incredulous. ‘Excuse me?’
She pushed her hair away from her face and wriggled into a sitting-up position, though she was careful to keep the top of the duvet modestly covering her breasts. ‘I haven’t switched off the lights on the Christmas tree—and there’s also the fire, which we’ve left unguarded,’ she said. ‘I can’t possibly go to sleep until all that is in place.’
‘The fireguard?’ he echoed disbelievingly, looking momentarily bemused before nodding. ‘Wait here,’ he said, and climbed out of bed.
Quite honestly, Molly didn’t feel as if she had the strength or inclination to go anywhere—especially not when an unclothed Salvio was walking towards the door, seemingly unaware of the fact that it was the middle of winter and the snow was thick on the ground outside. She gazed at him as if hypnotised—her eyes drinking in the pale globes of his buttocks, which contrasted so vividly with the burnished olive of his thighs. And then he turned round, frowning with faint concern as he surveyed her, as if he had suddenly remembered that she’d just announced her pregnancy and wasn’t quite sure how to deal with her any more.
‘Can I get you anything?’
She guessed he was being literal too and that it would have been pointless to have asked for a crystal ball to reassure her about her baby’s future. And pointless to have asked for some affirmation that he wasn’t planning on deserting his unplanned child, even if he wanted nothing more to do with her. But unlike her brother, Molly had never been a fantasist. She cleared her throat and nodded. ‘A drink of water would be nice.’
She waited for him to say something like, I’ll bring it to your room, but he didn’t. Which presumably meant it was okay to stay here.
Of course it was okay to stay here—they’d just had sex, hadn’t they?
But it wasn’t easy to shrug off a lifetime of being deferential and Molly even felt slightly guilty about rushing into the luxurious en-suite bathroom and availing herself of the upmarket facilities. She splashed her face with water and smoothed down her mussed hair before returning to the bed and burrowing down beneath the duvet.
And then he was back and Molly quickly averted her eyes because the front view of the naked Neapolitan was much more daunting than the back had been—particularly as he seemed to be getting aroused again.
Did he read something in her expression? Was that why he gave a savage kind of laugh as he handed her the glass of water? ‘Don’t worry,’ he grated. ‘I’ll endeavour to keep my appetite in check while we discuss how we’re going to handle this.’
The large gulp of water she’d been taking nearly choked her and Molly put the glass down on the bedside table with a hand which was trembling. ‘There’s nothing to handle,’ she said shakily. ‘I’m having this baby, no matter what you say.’
‘You think I would want anything other than that?’ he demanded savagely.
‘I wasn’t... I wasn’t sure.’
Salvio climbed into bed, disappointed yet strangely relieved that her magnificent