Nero brought her beneath him, positioning her as he teased her with just the tip of his pulsing erection. She loved the way he cushioned her buttocks with his hands. ‘Oh, please,’ she begged him. ‘Don’t make me wait this time.’
She heard herself add to this a brazen request in words that to her knowledge she had never spoken out loud before. Nero didn’t seem shocked. He stared into her eyes and kissed her as he eased inside her, filling her completely. ‘Yes, oh, yes,’ she cried as he stretched her beyond what seemed possible. He waited until she relaxed before he moved again, and when he did she whimpered with surprise that such pleasure was possible as he thrust deeply before slowly withdrawing again.
‘No,’ she cried out, ordering him back immediately.
Nero laughed softly as her fingers bit into his shoulders and her teeth closed on his skin. She was soon gasping for breath as he started moving to a steady and dependable rhythm, taking her higher and closer to the promised goal with each firm stroke. Could it be possible to hover so near the edge and still feel safe? The tango might have brought her here, but this was the best dance on earth. She was rocking on a plateau of pleasure with a great dam waiting to burst behind her eyes and in her mind.
‘Look at me, Bella,’ Nero commanded.
As he claimed her attention she obeyed, and with one final thrust he gave her what she had waited a lifetime to achieve. Briefly, it took her out. Shooting stars invaded her head as pleasure exploded inside her. Sensation ruled and she embraced it hungrily, screaming out her release as the violent spasms gripped her, and they went on and on until she was completely spent and left to float gently on a tide of lazy waves.
‘More?’ Nero suggested dryly.
‘Why are you smiling?’ Bella demanded groggily, barely able to summon up the strength to speak.
‘Once is never enough,’ Nero murmured against her lips.
‘You’re so right,’ she agreed on a contented breath. ‘That was so good, I think you’d better do it all over again just so I can be sure I wasn’t dreaming.’
Laughing softly, he brought her on top of him. ‘It’s your turn now. Ride me, take your pleasure. Use me as you will.’
She laughed into his eyes, feeling safe and strong—so safe she missed the flicker of something out of sync in Nero’s eyes. She was still buzzing with how it felt to be liberated sexually—to be free and fulfilled. Nero had shown her that this was how it should be—and how it would be from now on. He was unique. Fate had brought them together. They shared so much—and not just this, she thought as she began to rock to a primal rhythm. They shared careers, and a whole raft of other interests… Nero was a friend she trusted, and now he was her lover. Could anything be more perfect?
Bella sucked in a sharp breath as Nero’s hands began to control her movements. While one guided her h
ips, encouraging her, the other moved skilfully at pleasuring her. Her mouth opened in a gasp of surprise as Nero quickly brought her to the brink again. Lost to all rational thought, she allowed him to finish what he had so expertly begun and in the final moment before she took the plunge into pleasure she screamed out his name, and might even have whispered that she loved him.
Holding her safe in his arms, Nero stroked her hair until she fell into a contented sleep, while he stared unseeing into the shadows at the far end of the barn.
Bella slept soundly until a sharp ray of sunshine breached her closed eyelids. Stretching contentedly, she reached out a questing hand. The prickle of hay greeted her. It took her a moment to get her thoughts in order to process this. Party… Nero… Last night… Incredible.
And all these disjointed thoughts were bound by one certainty. She was in love. Nero was the man she loved. Thanks to him, she was transformed from Ice Maiden into something unimaginably different, Bella thought with a happy sigh, and last night Nero had put the seal on her love by proving that he felt the same. They had laughed and learned about each other and, trusting each other completely, had made the most spectacular love together.
So where was he?
She called his name, not really expecting a reply. Nero would be down at the stables with the horses. Considerately, he’d left her to sleep. He’d even brought a blanket from the house to cover her. Drawing it close, she sighed a second time. Did life get any better than this? She moved with remembered pleasure, but found it impossible to settle. The silence hung heavily all around her, making the barn feel incredibly empty, making her feel shut out.
So it was time to get up, she reasoned sensibly. She couldn’t lie here all day with just a blanket covering her. Nero had folded her clothes. They were so neatly stacked there was something alarming about it. She couldn’t put her finger on it exactly, but it could be interpreted as making order out of chaos. Last night had been chaotic and passionate—and amazing. Did Nero think so too? Or was he trying to make sense of the passion that had consumed them both?
And now she was overreacting as usual, Bella reassured herself. The Ice Maiden with her frozen shell and vivid inner life—she could put all that behind her now. Last night had changed everything—and she refused to think anything bad. Sitting up, she dragged the blanket round her and smiled like a contented kitten. She ached all over—in the most pleasant way. The impossible had happened. She had something going on with Nero, something deep and special. She felt like a real woman for the first time in her life, well loved and completely fulfilled. The Ice Maiden had gone for ever. Bella Wheeler had a new life now. Hurrying to get dressed, she threw on her clothes, brushed off the hay and didn’t even bother to tie back her hair. What was the point when she’d leap straight in the shower when she got back to the house? And, anyway, well-loved women didn’t bother with scraping their hair back. Flinging open the barn door in this new mood of abandon, she closed it quickly and then opened it a crack. Nero had his back to her and he was discussing something with a couple of gauchos. One of them was holding Misty, saddled and ready for him to ride.
Well? That was part of the deal. She brushed off any lingering qualms.
Once Nero gets used to riding Misty, he will never be able to let the pony go.
Nero should ride Misty—she wanted him to ride her pony. He’d been far too considerate so far, never trespassing on her enjoyment of riding her favourite horse—always giving way while she had been staying on the estancia.
Stealing another look out of the door, Bella’s heart picked up pace. Nero was so poised, so utterly in command. The dark blue top emphasised his tan, and he was freshly showered with his hair still damp. Clean breeches, highly polished boots, and muscular legs it seemed incredible to her now she had been kissing only hours before. The conversation in rapid Spanish was indecipherable but, judging by Nero’s gestures, he was telling the gauchos to take Misty back to the stables and get the mare ready for Inglaterra—she could hardly mistake that.
To hell with what people thought of her. Quickly, she slung the high-heeled sandals over her wrist and left the barn barefoot in her tango dress to confront Nero.
The men had gone, taking Misty with them. Nero was standing alone with one hand on the back of his neck and his head bowed as if the woes of the world were on his shoulders.
Swallowing deep, she could feel her own life splintering in front of her eyes. There was no pretending she didn’t know what was going on. They had grown too close for the smallest nuance in Nero’s behaviour to escape her. Her time in Argentina was at an end. They had always known this was a temporary arrangement. The scheme for the children was a success—they all wanted to come back and had promised to recommend the project at Estancia Caracas to their friends, which was all Nero or Bella had wanted. The prince would be pleased too, Bella told herself numbly. She had fulfilled her duty. ‘Nero… Good morning,’ she said lightly.
‘Bella.’ He turned, but the light in his eyes was swiftly dimmed.
He had made her strong, and now it was time for her to be strong for Nero—for both of them. ‘So the time has come,’ she said without emotion, angling her head to one side. Damn it, the smile wouldn’t come. ‘It’s been—’