The Reluctant Wife (6 page)

She trained every muscle, every nerve, and every movement on making it happen, determined to excite him to fever pitch, caressing, pressing, goading with her thighs, muscles, and hands. She took his mouth in a furious kiss, dueling for supremacy with his tongue. She won. She rained kisses down his neck, tasting him, marking him with little love bites.

He labored to catch his breath and she exulted in the tightening of his muscles, his thighs becoming rock hard as he thrust deep within her, the ride becoming wild. She heard her own voice crying uncontrollably for him to come…

And the animal roar in response, rising from deep in his chest, when he finally went taut, lifting her up off the bed as he strove for release, filling her to the hilt as he spilled himself in great racking spasms, making her almost scream with pleasure as wave after wave of rapturous release swept over her—her own following his, pulsating through them both, melting her around him.

The afterglow of triumph buoyed Abby. She hauled herself upright and watched lovingly as Dante’s body slumped against the pillows, utterly spent. Victory felt astonishing. One heady taste of control and she was hooked. Her body still thrummed with pleasure— pleasure she’d taken, not received. The word “submit” was banned with relish from her vocabulary forever. Now they would be about equality.

“You’d best go shower or we’ll be late for lunch.”

His cool tone and dismissive words chased away her contentment. When she didn’t move and remained sitting atop him, too stunned to speak, he added, “If you’re not going first, I will.”

He lifted her off him and laid her on the cool sheets. He still hadn’t looked at her.

As he headed toward the bathroom, he called over his shoulder, “That was most enjoyable. I hope you’re in the middle of your cycle or you’re unlikely to get pregnant.”

Victory crumbled under his cruel indifference. How could he not be moved by what they had just experienced? Their joining had been better and more fulfilling than ever before.

Her eyes welled with tears. It would seem she had won a victory but not the war. Perhaps women taking initiative was something most of Dante’s previous lovers did. What they had shared was nothing special to him—only to her. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t been a virgin when she’d married Dante. She would at least have something to compare their lovemaking to. He had an unfair advantage, which he used with ruthless intent.

“It’s not fair,” she mumbled under her breath. She angrily swiped the tears from her cheeks. She’d die before she’d let him see how much his callous disinterest hurt.

Abby took a deep breath and told herself to toughen up. If she was to survive their deal, she couldn’t fall to pieces every time he snapped at her and pushed her away.

She was now his
for better or worse.
She stood up, squared her shoulders, and headed toward the bathroom. She sure as hell was going to ensure it was for the better.

Chapter Eight

Dante’s hand shook as he reached for the shower tap. His fingers fumbled to turn the jets on to full. He couldn’t get his breathing under control. Each breath sent pain slicing through his chest and he welcomed the hurt.

He deserved it. The look on her face…

He gulped back a curse. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the anguish that had filled her beautiful features when he’d coldly moved her off him, as if what they had just shared was nothing but meaningless sex.

He stepped into the shower, wanting the water to wash him clean. He’d just cheapened an exquisite experience and more than anything he wished he could take it back.

She’d sat magnificently above him, her face a mask of serene contentment. He’d seen the dreamy look of love creep into her eyes. He’d had to fight the overwhelming urge to pull Abby into his arms and declare his feelings for her. To beg her forgiveness for making her run away, and, worse, his cowardice for not following her and begging her to come back to him.

He may be a bastard but he was not self-centered enough to make Abby fall in love with him all over again when he was unsure what the future held. Or if he even had a future.

Her newfound maturity stirred him harder and faster than the first time he’d met her. Their lovemaking this afternoon was more exhilarating—intoxicating—than…there was nothing else to compare it to. No one else to compare it to. And that petrified him. Any more and he’d be hard-pressed to conceal his heart from her. For the first time in many years, he doubted himself. Getting Abby with child was becoming a dangerous pastime.

He picked up the soap and cleared his mind, refusing to fantasize about the woman who lay naked in the next room. He called on all his willpower to stop himself from turning off the shower and striding back to the bed and loving her for the rest of the afternoon—his family be damned.

“Is there room for two or are you finished?”

Normally they would have been the sweetest words he’d ever heard, but instead they made his mouth clamp shut. The bathroom held a large, three-sided walk-in shower, with tiles on two sides and glass on the third. There was no way he could stop her from stepping in behind him. Close behind him. Too close.

“Don’t worry, I’m not about to pounce on you. I might not have had sex for a few years, but I’m sure I can resist even the legendary lover, Dante Lombardi.”

He heard her turn the second showerhead on.

“In fact, the last thing I fancy right now is you anywhere near me, so I’ll turn the water to ice cold. It might relieve your condition.” She gave a triumphant laugh.

The need to defend himself overtook his brain, and his mouth opened. “Since you deserted me, excuse me if my body is not used to seeing a naked woman in my bathroom.”

She didn’t reply. She simply looked at him with a smug, seductive curl on her lips.

The male in him reacted. He turned to fully face her, no longer hiding his rampant erection. “If I wanted you again, I’d have you begging me to take you within a few minutes. I know every inch of your skin. I know exactly how to make your body break into song.” He turned off the tap. “Fortunately, I’m more concerned with having lunch in time to ensure we meet your grandmother’s arrival.”

A tide of scorching heat flooded her cheeks and she briefly looked away. He watched her shoulders slump.

“I’m sorry.” She grabbed his arm as he made to leave her to her shower. “I haven’t thanked you properly for all you are doing for my grandmother.”

He paused and let the feel of her small hand on his forearm soothe his aches. “There is no need for thanks. I know what it is like to lose people close to you.” When she still did not let go of his arm, he added, “Besides, a child is more recompense than I deserve.”

Her hand dropped, as he knew it would.

“A life for a life, is that the idea?”

He remained silent.

“I don’t believe you’re that cold-blooded. You’re capable of love. You love your family. There is more to this and I mean to understand it.”

“Leave it, Abby. Just take this deal at face value. You’ll suffer less if you don’t fall in love with me again. I promise you that.”

…

Lunch went smoothly. Everybody was trying so hard to disguise their amazement at Abby’s return. Now they were off to the hospital to see her grandmother.

Abby held tightly to the seat as she sat alongside Dante in his sports car while he expertly edged it through the city’s busy traffic. She loved the rumble of the powerful engine and felt safe with Dante in control behind the wheel.

“I should be able to make up the fifteen minutes. Don’t worry, we won’t be late.”

They’d been late to the luncheon, where she’d had to suffer all the family’s teasing over their freshly showered arrival. It was good-natured banter and she got a reminder of what a fabulous actor Dante was. She could almost believe he was a man totally besotted at being reconciled with his wife.

The luncheon had been the soothing balm she’d needed. Dante might not be welcoming, but his family certainly was. Her grandmother would love being fussed over by the gregarious Lombardi extended family. It should help her recuperation immensely. For that, and his help in quickly organizing the surgery, she owed him.

She reached forward and turned the car’s air-conditioning up another notch. Dante’s mood should have cooled her significantly, but her nervousness over her grandmother’s condition, and the pointed questions she’d no doubt face when they met, made her perspire.

“Are you too hot or too cold?”

She eyed him over her sunglasses.
Not as cold as your heart,
she wanted to yell. Instead, not trusting herself to speak, she shook her head.

“I can put the top down if you like.”

“No, I’m fine,” she said lying.

The black Porsche suited him to a tee. It was powerful, fast, and sleek, and it screamed wealth and sex. Everything about the car matched the man. Why had she not seen it before they married? The car hardly spoke of a man used to compromise.

Because all she’d seen at nineteen was the excitement of him, the beauty of him—and the fairy tale.

The one thing the Porsche Carrera definitely did not represent was
family man.
Before she thought about what she was saying the words popped out of her mouth. “I think you’ll need a new car.”

“I’m going to, actually. I’m awaiting the new Carrera GTS.”

“That’s not what I meant. This car is not suitable for children.”

She watched the frown lines appear around his eyes and his mouth firm.

“In what way?”

“Besides being too fast and dangerous? The baby’s seat can’t go in the front and there isn’t enough room to safely position it in the back. Let alone fit a stroller.” She watched his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I’d make the most of driving this car while you can.”

“You’re right. I’ll need to get something that is safe and sturdy. With loads of airbags.” He finally looked briefly at her. “What do you suggest? A station wagon perhaps?”

The thought of a man as virile and as testosterone-filled as Dante driving a station wagon made her laugh out loud.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. Driving a station wagon.”

“I’ll drive whatever car is best for our child.”

“A child means the world to you, doesn’t it?”

He remained silent concentrating on the road. “It isn’t only about duty, though. I admit I want a son to carry on the Lombardi name and title, but it’s more than that. And, yes, I married you because I thought it was time to be a father and…you were very desirable.”

The truth hurt. He’d never loved her. Even though she’d known it deep inside, the shock of hearing him admit it made her heart shrivel up.

“It was my brother’s death that made me understand I couldn’t take anything for granted. It was time and you—the first time I looked in your eyes I realized you’d be perfect.”

“Every girl’s dream. To be swept off her feet to become a baby-maker.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not getting to know you properly first. I thought marriage to me, to be a part of my family, was what you wanted.”

He was looking at the road, straight ahead. His mouth was a firm line and she could almost see regret etched on his forehead. Regret for marrying her or regret that he’d been so dictatorial?

“Would you have married me if you’d known I didn’t want children right away?”

His foot pressed the accelerator. “No.”

A profound sadness swept her. Abby looked out the window so he couldn’t see her eyes fill with tears. She took a deep breath to try to stifle the shock. She didn’t know why the pain his words caused was unbearable when she’d already known the truth.

She tried to cover the silence. “You’ll make a wonderful father.”

He shifted in the bucket seat.

“How do you know?”

She turned and looked at him.

“Because you’re ruthless and determined in everything you do, and that would include protecting and loving your children—or anyone lucky enough to have your love.”

For an instant she envied Dante’s child.

He reached over and took her hand, raising it to his lips for a brief kiss.

“Our child will be blessed with two parents who love him. I wouldn’t have married you if I hadn’t known you’d be a fine mother. You have a big heart and you see the best in everyone.”

“Him? It could be a girl.”

He grinned. “Then it will be very enjoyable ensuring she has a brother.” The deep husky notes in his voice sent shivers of desire tingling through her.

“What happens if you find a woman you could love? You might want a child with her instead.”

His cheeky schoolboy grin faded and he wore the stern mask of the conte. “I never wanted a divorce. It was you who asked to end this marriage. I married you and if you become the mother of my child, there is no way I would dishonor that. Before our deal, divorce was something I wouldn’t contemplate—ever.”

“Ever is a long time.”

He suddenly swung to look at her.

“Sometimes it is not long enough.”

The road drew his attention once more.

“I have to fly to Paris tonight for business. I’ll be back before your grandmother’s operation tomorrow afternoon.”

“My grandmother will want to know why I have decided to return to you. I’d rather not let her know the real reason. It will upset her and she needs to be stress-free.”

He raised an eyebrow and nodded. “What would she believe?”

Abby bit her lip and clamped her hands together to stop herself from biting her nails. Her grandmother would notice. “Um. The only reason she would take at face value is that we realized we have been idiots and that we love each other too much to throw everything away for silly pride.”

“You could tell her I told you the truth about trying to contact you when you first left. We both realized we’d made mistakes and we want to give it another try.”

“I’ll tell her that when I got here, I saw you were absolutely miserable without me, and you begged me to come home.”

“Begged?”

She laughed. “Okay, begged might be a bit far-fetched. I can’t ever see you begging for anything. I’ll tell her that we’ve both grown up and we spent the whole first night talking everything through.”

“And?”

“And I realized that I should fight for my marriage and you realized you couldn’t live without me, so we compromised.”

Dante made a grunting noise.

“I understand you don’t know the meaning of the word compromise, but for my grandmother, can you please try?”

“No.”

Her mouth dropped open. His hand reached over and gently pushed her jaw closed, and he ran his thumb along the outline of her bottom lip, sending a thrilling fizzle through her.

“I’ll do it for you, mio fiore.”