She shrugged, pretending indifference, but her heart was banging in her chest. ‘If you’d rather not?’
‘Oh, I’d rather,’ he said with a look that made her body flame with lust.
She toed off her trainers, wishing she’d dressed for the Arctic and had more clothes to remove. Luca was in serious danger of winning this game. How would such an experienced man judge her when he saw her naked? But it was exciting and fun, and every bit the adventure she’d dreamed about...the adventure she wouldn’t be telling the Browns about.
She should have known he’d go commando. He’d lowered his zipper and allowed his shorts to slide down his lean frame. Currently, they were hanging on his thighs. Reaching down, he pushed them the rest of the way and, stepping out of them, he stood in front of her, unconcerned. ‘You still have some way to go,’ he commented.
She would not look down. ‘My rules state—’ She gasped as Luca yanked her close.
‘Your rules count for nothing,’ he assured her in a seductive growl as he nuzzled his stubble-roughened face against her neck.
‘Oh—’ Breath shot from her lungs. She couldn’t help but rub her body against his in the hunt for more contact between them, but Luca held her firmly away.
‘Not so fast,’ he said, all control, while she was a gasping mass of arousal. ‘I can see I have some training to do.’
‘Please,’ she said, making his eyes flare with amusement.
‘Nice bra,’ he commented as he deftly removed it.
Now that was definitely going to give him the wrong idea. She’d chosen something frivolous for Italy. It had seemed such fun at the time. And safe. When she had been shopping in a brightly lit department store with not a single good-looking man around, the flimsy bra and thong had seemed harmless. The brand was quite exclusive, meant for show rather than practicality. Designer lingerie in bright pink silk chiffon bordered with palest aquamarine lace was hardly Callie’s usual choice. She was more of a sensible white cotton type. She could only imagine what Luca was thinking.
‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured, reassuring and disarming her all in one breath.
‘No, I’m not.’
‘I guess there’s only one way to convince you,’ he said, laughing softly.
He drew her closer, inch by inch, and then he kissed her. And this was not a teasing brush of his lips, but something more that drew emotion out of her, until she was happy and sad, excited and confused, all at once. She was happy to be here with him, and sad because she knew it couldn’t last. He excited her. Her body was going crazy for more—which he knew. And she was apprehensive too, in case she got this terribly wrong. There were so many ways she could get this wrong.
‘Stop,’ Luca murmured against her mouth. ‘Stop thinking and just allow yourself to feel for once. Go with your instincts, Callie.’
Her instincts were telling her to rub herself shamelessly against him, to part her legs and find relief as quickly as she could for the throbbing ache of frustration that he’d put there. And she had mightily encouraged, Callie conceded. She wanted this badly. Even more than that, she wanted the connection between them to last, but she had to face facts: Luca was an itinerant worker, as was she, and so they’d both move on.
He kissed away her doubts as he lowered her slowly to the ground. Stretching out his length against hers on the cool swathe of grass, he made sure that the world faded away, leaving just the two of them to kiss and explore each other. It was as if time stood still. Water still bubbled nearby, and a light breeze still ruffled the leaves overhead, but they were in another world where her senses were totally absorbed in Luca’s warm, clean man scent, and the feel of his powerful body against hers. His chest was shaded with just the right amount of dark hair that rasped against her nipples as he moved. She was filled with desire for him, and only felt a moment of apprehension when he reached into the pocket of his discarded shorts and she heard a foil rip. She was glad he had the good sense to protect them both, because she had no intention of pulling back. She had no regrets. None.
When he dipped his head to suckle her mind exploded with sensation. Moving her head on the cushioned earth, she bucked her hips repeatedly, involuntarily, responding to the hungry demands of her body. In the grip of sexual hunger, she reached for his shoulders and held on tightly, as if she were drowning and Luca was her rock. She had stifle a gasp of excitement when he moved over her. The weight of him against her thighs was new to her, and a little frightening. She had to tell herself that this was what she wanted, and that nothing was going to stop her now, nothing.
‘I’m right here,’ he soothed as if he could sense her apprehension.
‘Don’t I know it?’ she joked half-heartedly.
‘Seriously. Stop worrying. I would never hurt you.’
She stared into his eyes and saw the truth behind his statement. It was as if that had opened the floodgates to hunger, to curiosity, which left her fierce with passion, as well as uncertain as to what Luca was used to. Goodness knew, her experience was limited, to say the least. She was on a journey of discovery, Callie consoled herself, and this was an adventure that would carve a memory so deep she would never forget this moment, or this man.
Luca whispered against her mouth, ‘Trust me, Callie,’ and then his hands worked their magic and she was lost.
‘Oh...that’s...’
‘Good?’ he suggested in a low, amused murmur.
Her answer was a series of soft, rhythmical sighs. ‘Better than good,’ she managed to gasp.
‘More?’ he suggested.
The hands cupping her buttocks were so much bigger than hers, and his skilful fingers could work all sorts of wickedness.
‘Would you like me to touch you here?’
His tone was low and compelling. ‘So much,’ she admitted, sucking in a shaking breath.
One of Luca’s slightly roughened finger pads was all it took to send her mindless with excitement. He knew exactly what to do. He started stroking steadily, rhythmically, applying the right amount of pressure at just the right speed.
‘Good?’
Was she supposed to answer? She daren’t speak. She was frightened of losing control.
‘Would you like me to tip you over the edge?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Yes, you are.’
Staring into Luca’s laughing eyes, she knew he was right.
He kissed her as he explored her, a shallow invasion at first with a single finger, and then deeper, with one, two, and finally three fingers. ‘You’re so ready,’ he commented with approval.
She rocked her body in time to the steady thrust of Luca’s hand. It wasn’t as good, or as immediate as when he attended to her achingly sensitive little nub. It was a different feeling, and one just as compelling in its way. It made her want him to lodge deep inside her. The urge to be one with him was overwhelming.
Nudging her thighs apart with his, he continued to touch her in the way that took her mind off everything else. The delicious sensation of having him enclose her buttocks in his big, warm hands while he touched her lightly at the apex of her thighs was startlingly good. He found new ways to tease her, moving his body up and down until she was so aroused he could slide in easily, but then he pulled out again, provoking her more than ever. ‘Don’t stop!’ she exclaimed with frustration.
He ignored this plea and continued to tease her. Wild for him, she begged for more in words she’d never used before.
‘Like this?’