Bought: Destitute Yet Defiant (12 page)

A private show?

He wanted her to wear it for him. And she felt far too self-conscious, which was completely ridiculous given what they’d shared the night before.

Instead of changing, Jessie sat down on the rug, looped her arms round her knees and waited for him to return, still confused about why he’d brought her here.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess but she had an uncomfortable feeling that she owed him an apology.

He’d been trying to help Johnny—like he was helping all of the others;
like he’d helped her
.

When he finally strolled up the beach towards her, she was rigid with stress and braced for a difficult conversation.

Silvio ran his hand over his face to clear the water, and stooped to retrieve a towel from the rug next to her, supremely comfortable with himself. ‘Didn’t it fit?’

Realising that she still had the minuscule bikini clamped in her hand, Jessie released it. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t try it on. Silvio, there is something I really need to say to you.’ Her lips felt stiff and he gave a sigh, looped the towel around his lean hips and sat down on the rug next to her.

‘All right. Let’s get the talking part out of the way.’ His gaze focused on her face and there was something so mesmerising about his eyes that Jessie suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

‘I can’t concentrate when you look at me like that.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like you want to…’ Her mouth dried and he gave a slow, dangerous smile.

‘I do want to. I think I made that clear last night. But you obviously have things you want to say, so why don’t we get that out of the way first?’

First?

Hearing him say he wanted her drove all thoughts from her brain. ‘Could you move back a bit?’ she blurted out. ‘I can’t think when you’re sitting this close.’

A sardonic smile on his face, he shifted away from her. ‘Better?’

‘Not really.’ Jessie turned her head away, trying to resist the temptation to stare greedily at his bronzed shoulders and powerful chest. No one else had ever had this effect on her before and she had no idea how to deal with it—how to control it. The feeling was too big. Too powerful.

‘Jessie…’ His voice gentle, he reached out a hand and drew her face round, forcing her to look at him. Trapped by
his gaze, she was dimly aware of the sudden changes in her body—the increase in her heartbeat, the melting feeling that started in her throat and spread slowly down all the way to her knees. She knew that if she’d needed to run now, she wouldn’t have been able to. Possibly not even walk. It was as if he’d cast an invisible spell over her body, the chemistry holding her captive.

For a moment neither of them spoke. His eyes dropped to her mouth and he leaned forward slightly as if he intended to kiss her. It was the merest hint of movement but it was enough to set off a chain reaction inside her. He hadn’t touched her, and yet the mere thought of him triggered the same wild response that had erupted the night before. The world around them ceased to exist and they were trapped inside their own invisible bubble of intimacy.

Jessie held her breath, sensing that she was poised on the brink of another wild, crazy ride and then he said something under his breath in Italian and tore his gaze from hers as if he too was disturbed by the astonishing connection.

‘You want to talk about Johnny.’

Dizzy and disorientated, Jessie tried to focus. ‘How do you know that?’

‘You’re easy to read.’

She sincerely hoped she wasn’t. If he could see what was going on in her head at that precise moment, she’d be too embarrassed ever to look at him again.

Trying to keep her mind on what she wanted to say, Jessie rubbed the tip of her finger over the blanket, mindlessly tracing the pattern to try and keep her mind on what needed to be said. ‘I said some awful things to you about Johnny—I see now that you thought you were helping.’ She’d imagined it would have been easier to look elsewhere, but her eyes were drawn back to his.

‘You were right to blame me. I gave him the money.’

‘You gave him a chance,’ Jessie said huskily, Stacey’s words clear in her head. ‘And he chose not to take it. You tried to help him. And he rejected that help.’

‘Don’t make me into some sort of hero, Jess.’ His voice rough, Silvio’s beautiful mouth curved into a cynical smile. ‘I gave him the money because I could. It wasn’t a big sacrifice on my part. And I made a gross error of judgement. He told me that he was serious about getting his life together. That this time he was going to come off the drugs. I believed him and I shouldn’t have done.’

‘Johnny could be very convincing.’ Jessie forced herself to confront issues she’d never confronted before. ‘I think addicts can be like that. Selfish. Persuasive. Dishonest. They’ll go to any lengths to get their fix. He stole from me, you know. I refused to give him cash, so he just took it.’ It was something she’d shut from her mind, preferring to remember the good things about her brother.

And bad things about Silvio
.

‘I know that he stole from you.’ Tiny drops of seawater still clung to his bare shoulders, glistening like diamonds in the bright sunlight. ‘That’s the other reason I gave him the money. I was frustrated seeing you work so hard to keep him.’

‘You did it for me…’

‘Yes, ironic, isn’t it—that it backfired so spectacularly?’ His eyes darkened and Jessie’s stomach melted, her desperate longing for him so intense that the tips of her fingers tingled with the need to touch him.

But even while her body was reacting, her brain was still holding her back.

She’d been angry with him for so long, it wasn’t easy to let it go.

‘Time for a swim.’ Silvio sprang to his feet in a fluid
movement and held out his hand. ‘Are you wearing the bikini or swimming naked?’ His tone velvety soft and tinged with amusement, he stooped and retrieved the bikini from the rug. ‘On second thoughts, I’m not giving you a choice. If you don’t want a repeat of last night, you’d better wear something.’ His searing glance made her catch her breath and she realised that nothing she’d said to him had altered the chemistry between them.

‘I can’t swim,’ she admitted. ‘I never learned. My childhood didn’t exactly include lessons at the local pool.’

He pushed the bikini into her hands. ‘I’ll teach you.’ And then he was sprinting across the sand away from her and into the cold water.

This time Jessie didn’t hesitate. She changed swiftly, not giving herself time to question her decision. The sand was hot on her bare feet and it was a relief to splash into the clear water. She waded in as far as her knees and then stopped.

Without warning, Silvio scooped her up in his arms and carried her deeper. She clung around his neck, her eyes drawn to the dark shadow of his jaw.

He was so strong
.

‘If you drop me now,’ she warned, ‘I’ll never forgive you.’

‘I’m not going to drop you, but you can’t learn to swim in shallow water.’

‘I want to be able to touch the bottom.’

‘If you can touch the bottom, you’ll walk, not swim.’ Without releasing his hold on her, he lowered her into the water and she gasped.

‘It feels deep.’

‘I’m still standing up.’

‘But you’re taller than me!’ She clung to his neck. ‘I mean it, Silvio, if you let me go, I’ll drown.’

‘Do you really think I’d let you drown?’ His eyes were
fierce as he pulled her hard against him. ‘Do you really think I’d let anything happen to you if it was in my power to stop it?’

His body was hard against hers and she couldn’t help be aware of the change in him.

‘You see?’ His voice was full of self-mockery. ‘Even cold water doesn’t help.’ Without giving her time to answer, he shifted her away from him and guided her onto her stomach. ‘You’re out of your depth because it’s easier to learn this way. My hand is underneath you so you’re not going to sink. Now kick your legs.’

Jessie wanted to ask him how she was supposed to learn to swim when all she could think about was his hand on her stomach, but she didn’t want to admit how much he affected her. Determined to impress him, she kicked her legs and followed his instructions. For the next half an hour she did everything he told her, forcing herself to concentrate on staying afloat in the water, rather than on him.

Her face set with determination, she did what he’d taught her. ‘Try letting go of me,’ she panted, and Silvio gave a soft laugh.

‘I let go of you ten minutes ago,
tesoro
. You’ve been swimming on your own since then.’

The shock made her stop moving her legs and instantly she sank like a stone, taking a mouthful of water on the way. Strong hands locked around her waist and lifted her and she gasped in the air, coughing and choking.

‘Don’t try and breathe under the water,’ he advised, and Jessie pushed her hair out of her eyes so that she could glare at him properly.

‘You should have told me you were letting go.’

‘You swam perfectly. It was only when you thought about what you were doing that you sank. You need to have more
faith in yourself, Jess.’ He pulled her against him and her legs wrapped themselves around his waist.

As always she felt incredibly safe with him and she knew that there was no one else in the world she’d rather cling to in deep water.

The sun burned her shoulders and the salt water stung her eyes but she’d never been happier in her life, and when he pressed his mouth gently to hers the flash of excitement was instantaneous, so intense, that she pressed against him and opened her mouth under his.

‘Careful,’ he growled against her lips, ‘or all the cold water in the world isn’t going to help me.’

Surprised by the comment, Jessie pulled away slightly. ‘That’s why you wanted me in the water?’

He gave a wry smile. ‘Let’s just say that the self-control on which I pride myself appears to be non-existent where you’re concerned.’

Feeling a rush of excitement that she had that degree of effect on him, Jessie slid her hands into his wet hair. ‘You’re saying I’m irresistible?’

His jaw tightened and she had a feeling he was gritting his teeth. ‘Something like that. If you don’t want to make it worse for me, you could stop wriggling.’

Jessie stilled, but the urge to move her hips was almost painful. ‘We could go back to the beach…’

‘No.’ His mouth drifted over hers with tantalising slowness. ‘Not yet. You wanted foreplay. This is foreplay. If I die in the attempt, you’ll have to resuscitate me.’

‘Mouth to mouth.’

‘You’re already doing that part.’ His hands were tight on her hips, although whether he was holding her against him or preventing her from pressing any closer, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that her entire body was on fire.

‘I think foreplay might be overrated.’

‘Don’t be impatient.’ His tongue traced her lower lip, teasing, coaxing until Jessie’s entire body was burning.

Unable to help herself, she ground her hips against him and he gave a throaty groan and tightened his grip on her thighs.

The contrast of the cool water against her heated skin somehow intensified the whole experience and Jessie moaned with relief as he slid one hand down her back and then lower still.

Tensing with anticipation, the entire focus of her body was centred on that one part of her, and when his skilled, gentle fingers finally touched her there she almost passed out with pleasure.

‘Are you sore after last night?’ His intimate question increased the colour in her cheeks.

‘No.’

‘This time I’m not going to hurt you,’ he promised thickly, and Jessie gave a low moan of desperation.

‘If you don’t do something soon, I might have to hurt
you
,’ she muttered, and he gave a faint laugh and took her mouth again, his kiss gentle but explicit.

His fingers continued their intimate exploration but it wasn’t enough and Jessie shifted against him, too aroused to control her movements.

She felt his other hand on her thigh and then the bottom half of her bikini dropped away and she felt cool water against the burning centre of her body—
felt him hard and ready, against her
.

His mouth still on hers, Silvio anchored her hips and held her still, his fingers tight on her trembling thighs as he eased into her gently. He felt smooth and hot and she cried out against his mouth and tried to take him deeper but he held her fast, the strength of his hands preventing any movement on her part.

He seemed determined to torture her, his movements so slow and provocative that Jessie felt as though her entire body was going to explode. The contrast between his powerful heat and the coolness of the water made the experience all the more intense and she moaned his name in quiet desperation.

The only sound was the hiss of the water as it touched the beach and the harsh sound of his breathing as he struggled for control.

‘Can you feel me?’ His voice husky, he drew his mouth from hers just enough to speak. ‘You’re mine now, Jessie. No one else’s.’

She was about to say that she didn’t want to be anyone else’s but then he finally released his iron grip on her hips and allowed her the freedom she craved. The sinuous movement of her hips took him deeper still and her eyes drifted shut because it was no longer possible to think of anything except how he felt inside her. He was silk and steel, raw passion and elemental energy, but most of all he was her man.

The only man she’d ever wanted
.

He drove deep inside her, his rhythm smooth and controlled, so skilled that she might have thought he was detached about it if she hadn’t opened her eyes to look at him. One glimpse of his taut features revealed how much it was costing him to hold back and she kissed him hungrily, her tongue seeking his.

‘Silvio—please…’ she begged against his mouth, driven wild by the electric sensations shooting through her body.

Didn’t he feel the same way? Or was he determined to prove that he was capable of control around her?

If that was the case then he obviously lost the battle because he gave a low growl and surged deeper, the movement driving her higher and higher until she was poised on the edge of paradise. Jessie couldn’t breathe or think. She was
aware of nothing except what his body was doing to hers. And then he drove into her one more time and she was caught in an explosion of ecstasy, the pleasure so sublime that her mind shut down. As her orgasm fluttered along the length of him she heard him groan and lose control, both of them flying upwards to the same place.