The Helen Bianchin Collection (Mills & Boon E-Book Collections) (39 page)

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Authors: Helen Bianchin

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Erotica, #Collections & Anthologies, #Contemporary Women, #General

BOOK: The Helen Bianchin Collection (Mills & Boon E-Book Collections)
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She should have moved out of home into an apartment of her own. Would have, if Teresa hadn't dismissed the idea as ridiculous when she had a wing in the house all to herself, complete with gym, sauna and entertainment lounge. She had her own car, her own garage, and technically she could come and go as she pleased.
Aysha picked up her fork, deftly wound on a portion of pasta and savoured it. Ambrosia. The sauce was
perfecto.
‘Good?'
She wound on another portion and held it to his lips. ‘Try some.' She hadn't intended it to be an intimate gesture, and her eyes flared slightly as he placed his fingers over hers, guided the fork, and then held her gaze as he slid the pasta into his mouth.
Her stomach jolted, then settled, and she was willing to swear she could hear her own heartbeat thudding in her ears.
He didn't even have to try, and she became caught up with the alchemy that was his alone.
A warm smile curved his lips as he dipped a spoon into his minestrone and lifted it invitingly towards her own. ‘Want to try mine?'
She took a small mouthful, then shook her head when he offered her another. Did he realise just how difficult it was for her to retain a measure of sangfroid at moments like these?
‘We have a rehearsal at the church tomorrow evening,' Carlo reminded her, and saw her eyes darken.
Aysha replaced her fork, her appetite temporarily diminished. ‘Six-thirty,' she concurred evenly. ‘After which the wedding party dine together.'
Both sets of parents, the bride and groom to-be, the bridesmaids and their attendants, the flower girls and page boys and
their
parents.
Followed the next day by a bridal shower. Hardly a casual affair, with just very close friends, a few nibblies and champagne. The guest list numbered fifty, it was being catered, and Teresa had arranged entertainment.
To add to her stress levels, she'd stubbornly refused to begin six weeks' leave of absence from work until a fortnight before the wedding.
On the positive side, it kept her busy, her mind occupied, and minimised the growing tension with her mother. The negative was hours early morning and evening spent at the breathtaking harbourside mansion Carlo had built, overseeing installation of carpets, drapes, selecting furniture, co-ordinating colours. And doing battle with Teresa when their tastes didn't match and Teresa overstretched her advisory capacity. Something which happened fairly frequently.
‘Penny for them.'
Aysha glanced across the table and caught Carlo's teasing smile.
‘I was thinking about the house.' That much was true. ‘It's all coming together very well.'
‘You're happy with it?'
‘How could I not be?' she countered simply, visualising the modern architectural design with its five
sound-proofed self-contained wings converging onto a central courtyard. The interior was designed for light and space, with a suspended art gallery, a small theatre and games room. A sunken area featured spa and sauna, and a jet pool.
It was a showcase, a place to entertain guests and business associates. Aysha planned to make it a home.
The wine waiter appeared and refilled each goblet, followed closely by the young waiter, who removed their plates prior to serving the main course.
Carlo ate with the enjoyment of a man who consumed nourishment wisely but well, his use of cutlery decisive.
He was the consummate male, sophisticated, dynamic, and possessed of a primitive sensuality that drew women to him like a magnet. Men envied his ruthlessness and charm, and knew the combination to be lethal.
Aysha recognised each and every one of his qualities, and wondered if she was woman enough to hold him.
‘Would you care to order dessert, Miss Benini?'
The young waiter's desire to please was almost embarrassing, and she offered him a gentle smile. ‘No, thanks, I'll settle for coffee.'
‘You've made a conquest,' Carlo drawled as the waiter retreated from their table.
Her eyes danced with latent mischief. ‘Ah, you say the nicest things.'
‘Should I appear jealous, do you think?'
She wanted to say,
only if you are.
And since that was unlikely, it became easy to play the game.
‘Well, he is young, and good-looking.' She pretended to consider. ‘Probably a university student working nights to pay for his education. Which would indicate he has potential.' She held Carlo's dark gleaming gaze and offered him a brilliant smile. ‘Do you think he'd give up the room he probably rents, sell his wheels... a Vespa scooter at a guess... and be a kept toy-boy?'
His soft laughter sent shivers over the surface of her skin, raising fine body hairs as all her nerve-endings went haywire.
‘I think I should take you home.'
‘I came in my own car, remember?' she reminded him, and saw his eyes darken, the gleam intensify.
‘A bid for independence, or an indication you're not going to share my bed tonight?'
She summoned a winsome smile, and her eyes shone with wicked humour. ‘Teresa is of the opinion catering to your physical needs should definitely be my priority.'
‘And Teresa knows best?' His voice was silky-smooth, and she wasn't deceived for a second.
‘My mother believes in covering all the bases,' Aysha relayed lightly.
His gaze didn't shift, and she was almost willing to swear he could read her mind. ‘As you do?'
Her expression sobered. ‘I don't have a hidden agenda.' Did he know she was in love with him? Had loved him for as long as she could remember? She
hoped not, for it would afford him an unfair advantage.
‘Finish your coffee,' Carlo bade gently. ‘Then we'll leave.' He lifted a hand in silent summons, and the waiter appeared with the bill.
Aysha watched as Carlo signed the slip and added a generous tip, then he leaned back in his chair and surveyed her thoughtfully.
She was tense, but covered it well. His eyes narrowed faintly. ‘Do we have anything planned next weekend?'
‘Mother has something scheduled for every day until the wedding,' she declared with unaccustomed cynicism.
‘Have Teresa reorganise her diary.'
Aysha looked at him with interest. ‘And if she won't?'
‘Tell her I've surprised you with airline tickets and accommodation for a weekend on the Gold Coast.'
‘Have you?'
His smile held humour. ‘I'll make the call the minute we reach my apartment.'
Her eyes shone, and she broke into light laughter. ‘My knight in shining armour.'
Carlo's voice was low, husky, and held amusement. ‘Escape,' he accorded. ‘Albeit brief.' He stood to his feet and reached out a hand to take hold of hers. His gleaming gaze seared right through to her heart. ‘You can thank me later.'
Together they made their way through the room to the front desk.
The maître d' was courteously solicitous. ‘I'll arrange
with the concierge to have your cars brought to the front entrance.'
Both vehicles were waiting when they reached the lobby. Carlo saw her seated behind the wheel of her Porsche, then he crossed to his Mercedes to fire the engine within seconds and ease into the line of traffic.
Aysha followed, sticking close behind him as he traversed the inner city streets heading east towards Rose Bay and his penthouse apartment.
When they reached it she drove down into the underground car park, took the space adjoining his private bay, then walked at his side towards the bank of lifts in companionable silence.
They didn't
need
a house, she determined minutes later as she stepped into the plush apartment lobby.
The drapes weren't drawn, and the view out over the harbour was magnificent. Fairy lights, she mused as she crossed the lounge to the floor-to-ceiling glass stretching across one entire wall.
City buildings, street lights, brightly coloured neon vying with tall concrete spires and an indigo sky.
Aysha heard him pick up the phone, followed by the sound of his voice as he arranged flights and accommodation for the following weekend.
‘We could have easily lived here,' she murmured as he came to stand behind her.
‘So we could.' He put his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.
She felt his chin rest on the top of her head, sensed the warmth of his breath as it teased her hair, and was unable to prevent the slight shiver as his lips
sought the vulnerable hollow beneath the lobe of one ear.
She almost closed her eyes and pretended it was real. That
love
not lust, and
need
not want, was Carlo's motivation.
A silent groan rose and died in her throat as his mouth travelled to the edge of her neck and nuzzled, his tongue, his lips erotic instruments as he tantalised the rapidly beating pulse.
His hands moved, one to her breast as he sought a sensitive peak, while the other splayed low over her stomach.
She wanted to urge him to quicken the pace, to dispense with her clothes while she feverishly tore every barrier from his body until there was nothing between them.
She wanted to be lifted high in his arms and sink down onto him, then clutch hold of him as he took her for the ride of her life.
Everything about him was too controlled. Even in bed he never lost that control completely, as she did.
There were times when she wanted to cry out that while she could accept Bianca as an important part of his past,
she
was his future. Except she never said the words. Perhaps because she was afraid of his response.
Now she turned in his arms and reached for him, her mouth seeking his as she gave herself up completely to the heat of passion.
He caught her urgency and effortlessly swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
Aysha's fingers worked on his shirt buttons, unfastened
the buckle on his belt, then pulled his shirt free.
His nipples were hard, and she savoured each one in turn, then used her teeth to tease, aware that Carlo had deftly removed most of her clothes.
She heard his intake of breath seconds ahead of the soft thud as he discarded one shoe and the other, then dispensed with his trousers.
‘Wait.' His voice was low and slightly husky, and she ran her hands over his ribcage, searched the hard plane of his stomach and reached for him.
‘So you want to play, hmm?'
C
ARLO caught hold of her arms and let his hands slide up to cup her shoulders as he buried his mouth in the vulnerable hollow at the edge of her neck.
Her subtle perfume teased his senses, and he nuzzled the sensitive skin, tasted it, nipped ever so gently with his teeth, and felt the slight spasm of her body's reaction to his touch.
She was a generous lover. Passionate, with a sense of adventure and fun he found endearing.
He trailed his lips down the slope of her breast and suckled one tender peak, savoured, then moved to render a similar supplication to its twin.
Did he know what he did to her? Aysha felt a stab of pain at the thought that his lovemaking might be contrived. A practised set of moves that pushed all the right buttons.
Once, just once she wanted to feel the tremors of need shake his body... for her, only her. To know that she could make him so crazy with desire that he had no restraint.
Was it asking too much to want
love
? She wore his ring. Soon
she
would bear his name. It should be enough.
She wanted to mean so much more to him than just a satisfactory bed partner, a charming hostess.
Take what he's prepared to give, and be grateful,
a tiny voice prompted.
A cup half-full is better than one that is empty.
Her hands linked at his nape and she drew his head down to hers, exulting in the feel of his mouth as he shaped her own.
She let her tongue slide against his, then conducted a slow, sweeping circle before initiating a probing dance that was almost as evocative as the sexual act itself.
His hand shaped her nape and held fast her head, while the other slipped low over one hip, cupped her bottom and drew her close in against him.
She wanted him
now
, hard and fast, without any preliminaries. To be able to feel the power, the strength, without caution or care. As if he couldn't bear to wait a second longer to effect possession.
The familiar slide of his fingers, the gentle probing exploration as he sought the warm moistness of her feminine core brought a gasping sigh from her lips.
Followed by a despairing groan as he began an evocative stimulation. It wasn't fair that he should have such intimate knowledge and be aware precisely how to wield it to drive a woman wild.
His mouth hardened, and his jaw took control of hers, moving it in rhythm with his own.
She clutched hold of his shoulders and held on as his fingers probed deeper, and just as she thought she could bear it no longer he shifted position.
A cry rose and died in her throat as he slid into her in one long, thrusting movement.
Dear God, that felt good. So good. She murmured
her pleasure, then gave a startled gasp as he tumbled her down onto the bed and withdrew.
His mouth left hers, and began a seeking trail down her throat, tasting the vulnerable hollows at the base of her neck, the soft, quivering flesh of each breast, the indentation of her navel.
She knew his intention, and felt the flame lick along every nerve-end, consuming every sensitised nerve-cell until she was close to conflagration.
Her head tossed from one side to the other as sensation took hold of her whole body. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop before it became unbearable, but the husky admonition sounded so low in her throat as to be indistinguishable.
He was skilled, so very highly skilled in giving a woman pleasure. The slight graze of his teeth, the erotic laving of his tongue. He knew just where to touch to urge her towards the edge. And how to hold her there, until she begged for release.
Aysha thought she cried out, and she bit down hard as Carlo feathered light kisses over her quivering stomach, then paused to suckle at her breast,
His mouth closed on hers, and she arched up against him as he entered her in one surging movement, stretching delicate tissues to their utmost capacity.
He began to move, slowly at first, then with increasing depth and strength as she became consumed with the feel of him.
His skin, her own, was warm and slick with sweat, and the blood ran through her veins like quicksilver.
It was more than a physical joining, for she gifted
him her heart, her soul, everything. She was
his
. Only his. At that moment she would have died for him, so complete was her involvement.
Frightening, shattering, she reflected a long time later as she lay curled into the warmth of his body. For it almost destroyed her concept of who and what she had become beneath his tutelage.
The steady rise and fall of his chest was reassuring, the beat of his heart strong. The lazy stroke of his fingers along her spine indicated he wasn't asleep yet, and the slight pressure against the indentations of each vertebrae was soothing. She could feel his lips brush lightly over her hair as she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
 
It was the soft, hazy aftermath of great lovemaking. A time for whispered avowals of love, Aysha thought as she woke, the affirmation of commitment.
Aysha wanted to utter the words, and hear them in return. Yet she knew she would die a silent death if he didn't respond in kind. She pressed a light butterfly kiss to the muscled ridge of his chest and traced a gentle circle with the tip of her tongue.
He tasted of musk, edged with a faint tang that was wholly male. She nipped the hard flesh with her teeth and bestowed a love-bite, then she soothed it gently before moving close to a sensitive male nipple.
She trailed her fingers over one hip, lingered near his groin, and felt his stomach muscles tense.
‘That could prove dangerous,' Carlo warned as she began to caress him with gentle intimacy.
The soft slide of one finger, as fleeting as the tip of a butterfly's wing, in a careful tactile exploration. Incredible how the male organ could engorge and enlarge in size. Almost frightening, its degree of power as instrument to a woman's pleasure.
Aysha had the desire to tantalise him to the brink of madness, and unleash everything that was wild and untamed, until there were no boundaries. Just two people as one, attuned and in perfect accord on every level. Spiritual, mental and physical.
A gasp escaped her throat as he clasped both hands on her waist and swept her to sit astride him.
Excitement spiralled through her body as he arched his hips and sent her tumbling down against his chest.
One hand slid to her nape as he angled her head to his, then his mouth was on hers, all heat and passion as he took possession.
The kiss seared her heart, branding her in a way that made her
his
...totally. Mind, body, and soul. She had no thought for anything but the man and the storm raging within.
It made anything she'd shared before seem less. Dear Lord, she'd ached for his passion. But this ... this was raw, primitive. Mesmeric. Ravaging.
She met and matched his movements, driven by a hunger so intense she had no recollection of time or place.
Aysha wasn't even aware when he reversed positions, and it was the gentling of his touch, the gradual loss of intensity that intruded on her conscious mind and brought with it a slow return to sanity.
There was a sense of exquisite wonderment, a sensation of wanting desperately to hold onto the moment in case it might fracture and fragment.
She didn't feel the soft warmth of tears as they slid slowly down her cheeks. Nor was she aware of the sexual heat emanating from her skin, or the slight trembling of her body as Carlo used his hands, his lips to bring her down.
He absorbed the dampness on one cheek, then pressed his lips against one closed eyelid, before moving to effect a similar supplication on the other. His hands shifted as he gently rolled onto his back, carrying her with him so she lay cradled against the length of his body.
Slight tremors shook her slim form, and he brought her mouth to his in a soft, evocative joining. His fingers trailed the shape of her, gently exploring the slim supple curves, the slender waist, the soft curve of her buttocks.
It was Carlo who broke contact long minutes later, and she trailed a hand down the edge of his cheek.
‘I get first take on the shower. You make the coffee,' she whispered.
His slow smile caused havoc with her pulse-rate. ‘We share the shower, then I'll organise coffee while you cook breakfast.'
‘Chauvinist,' Aysha commented with musing tolerance.
His lips caressed her breast, and desire arrowed through her body, hot, needy, and wildly wanton. ‘We can always miss breakfast and focus on the shower.'
His arousal was a potent force, and her eyes danced with mischief as she contemplated the option. ‘As much as the offer attracts me, I need
food
to charge my energy levels.' She placed the tip of a finger over his lips, then gave a mild yelp as he nipped it with his teeth. ‘That calls for revenge.'
Carlo's hands spanned her waist and he shifted her to one side, then he leaned over her. ‘Try it.'
She rose to the challenge at once, although the balance of power soon became uneven, and then it hardly seemed to matter any more who won or lost.
Afterwards she had the quickest shower on record, then she dressed, swept her hair into a twist at her nape, added blusher, eye colour and mascara.
She looked, Carlo noted with respect, as if she'd spent thirty minutes on her grooming instead of the five it had taken her.
‘Sit down and eat,' he commanded as he slid an omelette onto a plate. ‘Coffee's ready.'
‘You're a gem among men,' Aysha complimented as she sipped the coffee. Pure nectar on the palate, and the omelette was perfection.
‘From chauvinist to gem in the passage of twenty minutes,' he drawled with unruffled ease, and she spared him a wicked grin in between mouthfuls.
‘Don't get a swelled head.'
She watched as he poured himself some coffee then joined her at the table. The dark navy towelling robe accented his breadth of shoulder, and dark curling hair showed at the vee of the lapels. Her eyes slid down to the belt tied at his waist, and lingered.
‘You don't have time to find out,' he mocked lazily, and she offered a stunning smile.
‘It's my last day at work.' She rose to her feet and gulped the last mouthful of coffee. ‘But as of tomorrow...'
‘Promises,' Carlo taunted, and she reached up to brush her lips to his cheek, except he moved his head and they touched his mouth instead.
‘Got to rush,' she said with genuine regret. ‘See you tonight.'
Her job was important to her, and she loved the concept of using colour and design to make a house a home. The right furnishings, furniture, fittings, so that it all added up to a beautiful whole that was both eye-catching and comfortable. She'd earned a reputation for going that extra mile for a client, exploring every avenue in the search to get it right.
However, there were days when phone calls didn't produce the results she wanted, and today was one of them. Added to which she had to run a final check over all the orders that were due to come in while she was away. An awesome task, just on its own.
Then there was lunch with some of her fellow staff, and the presentation of a wedding gift... an exquisite crystal platter. The afternoon seemed to fly on wings, and it was after six when she rode the lift to Carlo's penthouse.
‘Ten minutes,' she promised him as she entered the lounge, and she stepped out of heeled pumps
en route
to the shower.
Aysha was ready in nine, and he snagged her arm as she raced towards the door.
‘Slow down,' he directed, and she threw him an urgent glance.
‘We're late. We should have left already.' She tugged her hand and made no impression. ‘They'll be waiting for us.'
He pulled her close, and lowered his head down to hers. ‘So they'll wait a little longer.'
His mouth touched hers with such incredible gentleness her insides began to melt, and she gave a faint despairing groan as her lips parted beneath the pressure of his.
Minutes later he lifted his head and surveyed the languid expression softening those beautiful smoky grey eyes. Better, he noted silently. Some of the tension had ebbed away, and she looked slightly more relaxed.
‘OK, let's go.'
‘That was deliberate,' Aysha said a trifle ruefully as they rode the lift down to the underground car park, and caught his musing smile.
‘Guilty.'
He'd slowed her galloping pace down to a relaxed trot, and she offered a smile in silent thanks as they left the lift and crossed to the Mercedes.
‘How was your day?' she queried as she slid into the passenger seat and fastened her belt.

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