He withdrew instead. This wasn’t how he wanted her. And then there was something else.
“You said something earlier...about finding out what the fuss is all about. Did you mean me or sex in general?”
“I meant sex with you. After all the buildup, I’m warning you I have ginormous expectations.”
“I will provide you with satisfaction of massive proportions.” He took her hands in his good one. “But there’s one thing I need to know. Are you a virgin?”
“Are you going to have sex with me now?”
He growled at the word sex. “No.”
“Well, when you decide to make good on your promises, I’ll let you know. Until then, that’s privileged info.” Her fiery eyes crackled with ire. “What’s it to you anyway?”
“Just finding out my variables. If you’re a virgin, I’ll live with it. If you’re not...I’ll also live with it.”
“Both variables sound equally unwelcome to you. Which is hard luck for you, since these are the only two available.”
He stroked a finger down her hot cheek, loving the way it trembled at his touch. “I actually welcome either. I would just appreciate a heads-up as to which is the truth, as it would dictate my...approach.”
Scoffing and choking on mortification at once, her eyes and lips became petulant. “Then why won’t you take me to bed now and end the suspense once and for all?”
“Because I made a promise to you that I would take it slow.”
“But I’m telling you I no longer want slow.”
“Only because you want to punish me.”
This time her scoff was pure derision. “Gee, I didn’t realize taking me to bed would be such a hardship.”
“You can’t forgive me, so you want to have me so you can get me out of your system and get rid of me. Just wanting this is as harsh a punishment as you can deal me.” Releasing her tresses from the elastic band, his groan echoed her moan as he massaged her scalp, sealed her lips with his and poured his pledge into her. “But I’m in your system to stay, minha Eliana.”
The way she melted into his kiss—like all the parts of him he hadn’t known had been missing fitting back into his being—made his head spin with hunger.
Before he forgot all the big talk about not taking her now, he released her.
She gasped, “I—I do forgive you.”
His heart thundered. “You do?”
“For last night. But I can’t forgive you for today.”
“You mean showing up uninvited at the orphanage? Attending your performance without your consent?”
She pushed at him, furious tears surging in her eyes. “How about dangling yourself in front of those deprived kids, especially a boy like Diego? He is starved for an adult male presence in his life. Then you appear like a genie that could grant him his every wish, treating him as if he mattered to you and making idle promises. Didn’t you think you’d be adding another letdown to a lifetime defined by abandonment?”
The lash of her disapproval felt like salt in every open wound. “I meant every promise I made to him.”
She jumped to her feet, glared down at him. “That you’d visit him? Once? More? Then what? Don’t you realize the hopes he could be pinning on you? And that he’s already hero-worshipping you?”
He rose to his feet, met her glare with his. “Are you telling me not to see him again?”
“I’m telling you it’s dangerous, it’s thoughtless and it could end up damaging him. I saw his expectations soar just realizing you exist, and when you showed him interest and regard, it developed into a tangled mess right before my eyes. A fall from such heights back to the bleakness of his reality would be devastating.”
She had a point. No matter that this boy so reminded him of himself at the age when he’d also found himself without a family, he had to tread carefully. He’d felt an incredible connection with Diego on sight, almost as strong as the one he’d felt with her. And although he did have intentions he would see through, he didn’t have a clear-cut plan in place yet. So for now, he just sighed, nodded in concession.
Taking this to mean he wouldn’t pursue the matter further, she exhaled. “About the check you cut to the orphanage—care to give me a number? Just so I know how bad the heart attack you gave the sisters was?”
“A million dollars.” At her gasp, he elaborated, “I estimated it’s what they need for immediate needs, and for rebuilding the parts of their convent and the orphanage that got damaged in the last tropical storm. But once they give me a comprehensive list of what they need for the children I’ll provide them with open funding.”
She gaped at him. Then she swallowed. “Thank you.”
He bent and caught the convulsive movement in her throat in an openmouthed kiss. He really couldn’t keep his hands and lips off her for longer than a few minutes. “Thank you.”
Throwing her head back, giving him license to worship her, she moaned, “Thank me for what?”
He raised his head. “For guiding me to Casa do Sol. My aid work is focused on organizations for children, but so many are inferior hellholes while others use children to bait donations that end up lining the pockets of the managers. I always have to deal with inefficiency or crush corruption before I can benefit the children. When I found you’ve been mostly working with Casa do Sol since you came to Rio, I investigated and found out that it’s the one orphanage that’s above all suspicion, as well as the one offering their children the best quality of life. That’s why I wrote them a check on the spot.”
That appreciation he was already addicted to was back in her eyes. Now it mixed with bashfulness. “That was very...thorough of you. Not to mention very thoughtful.”
“It’s just a start. If you have any ideas for improving the orphanage, or specific wishes for the children, make me a list. I will make them all a reality.”
“Thank you, I will.” She suddenly hid her face in his chest, peach staining her cheeks. “I didn’t know you had such an ongoing involvement in helping children. I’m sorry I accused you of being oblivious to their needs.”
A finger below her chin raised her eyes to his. “You were looking out for the children’s best interests.”
“I shouldn’t have interpreted your actions in the worst way just because I was angry with you. I’m really sorry.”
The whole world darkened as her eyes filled. She was that upset she’d misjudged him.
He hugged her fiercely, needing to absorb her dismay. “I am too powerful, and your worry that I might thoughtlessly step over the vulnerable without noticing was well founded. You couldn’t know what I do as I keep those activities a secret.”
She buried her face in him again, shaking her head. “I still shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
He tilted her chin up again. “You’re painfully fair. I love this about you, as long as the pain you inflict in your fairness isn’t on yourself.”
“You don’t mind if I inflict it on you?”
“I welcome anything you inflict on me. I invite it.” A deep drugging kiss. “I beg for it.”
After he let go of her lips, she let out a crystalline laugh. “Diego read you right on the spot, too. He said you looked like Batman in his secret identity. That guy is also a billionaire philanthropist.”
“With the difference that Bruce Wayne advertises his philanthropy. I can’t even