She glanced around. There was plenty of room on the outer deck. And then her gaze met his. The crooning ballad called to her. Ric had gone to a lot of effort. Why not enjoy every moment of this evening? Her problems would be waiting for her tomorrow. For tonight, she would enjoy the evening Ric had gone to such bother to plan for her.
He held his arms out to her, and she happily stepped into them. Her body fit next to his as though they’d been made for each other. As they moved about the floor, she leaned her head on his muscular shoulder and let her eyes drift shut. Instead of all the questions and worries that plagued her at night when she closed her eyes, right now, all she could think about was the strong, reliable man holding her so close.
She inhaled his spicy cologne. It mixed with his manly scent and made quite an intoxicating mixture. She breathed in deeper. A murmur of pleasure vibrated in her throat.
The truth was, they’d been dancing around each other since they’d met. The chemistry had arced between them since that first day in the garden of his uncle’s villa. The first time he’d touched her, the tingles of awareness had zinged through her body. Since then she’d been fighting it. And right now, she couldn’t remember why she’d been resisting him.
Ric was a good guy—strike that—he was a great guy. And she was so tired of fighting the magnetic pull that he had over her heart. Because with each morning coffee they’d shared, with each soul-searching conversation, with each heated glance, piece by piece he’d broken through the wall around her heart.
She stood there in his arms feeling utterly exposed and vulnerable. And at the same time, she felt liberated and excited to find out what would come next.
She once more breathed in his heady scent. Deeper. Longer. It must be going to her head because all she could think about was kissing him. Right here. Right now. And not just a peck on the cheek or lips. No. She longed for a deep soul-stirring, feet-floating-above-the-ground kiss.
But maybe she’d start with an appetizer. She moved her head ever so slightly and pressed her lips to the smooth skin of his neck. Immediately she heard the swift intake of his breath. She smiled. She wasn’t the only one caught up in this evening of a dazzling sunset and twinkle of candlelight.
They stopped dancing. Experience had taught her that life could be short—much too short. And each moment had to be lived to its fullest. Gia decided to live daringly. She trailed kisses up his neck. She lifted up on her tiptoes. When she pulled back, their gazes met. There was passion ignited in his eyes.
And then she pressed her lips to his.
There was no hesitancy. There was need. Hunger. And desire. Oh, yes, lots of desire.
Her hands slid up, taking in the lines of his muscular chest. And then they slid over his broad shoulders. She tried to remember every feeling—every sensation—but every nerve ending of her body had been stimulated and her mind was on overload.
Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. All the while, her lips were moving over his. His tongue delved inside her mouth. H
e tasted sweet like dessert wine. She didn’t know if she’d ever drink that wine without being swept back in time to this delicious moment.
And then Ric swept her up in his arms. He took long, swift strides over to the navy-blue spacious deck lounge. Their lips parted as he gently set her down. And then he joined her.
Suddenly she turned shy. “Ric, we can’t. Not here.”
“Look around. There’s no one to see us.”
She glanced out at the black sea with just the moonlight dancing upon the water. “But what about the staff?”
“Trust me. We won’t be disturbed.” He leaned over and pressed his mouth to hers.
What was it about this man that had her doing things that she would never consider otherwise? Still, the thought of her and him beneath the stars seemed so fitting.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him to her. She didn’t need to dream tonight because no dream could be better than this moment with this amazing man, who had sneaked past her defenses and into her heart.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HAD THAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Oh, yes. It definitely had.
Ric smiled. The next day, he was still trying to wrap his head around the direction dinner had taken. Sure, it had been a quiet, intimate dinner, but he never imagined things would go that far. Okay. That was a lie. He’d definitely thought of it, but never really believed Gia would go for it.
Until now, Gia had been holding him at arm’s length. Sure, they’d shared a kiss or two. But where they’d gone had been so much further than that. And now he had no idea where they went from here.
Before, they’d been two people helping each other get what they wanted—what they needed. She was helping him prove the merits of his program. And he was helping her locate her father. It was a clean, unentangled relationship. It was safe.
But now this thing between them was anything but safe. In one evening, she’d pulled back all the protective layers that he’d spent years wrapping around himself—to never be as vulnerable as he had been when his mother rejected him.
Now Gia had him thinking about life with her in it. When he thought of lunch, he wondered if she was free to have it with him. When he went home, he anticipated seeing her. She even had him bonding with Gin. That dog was an equal opportunity lover, who tucked Gia in at night but gravitated to Ric’s bed sometime during the night.
Gia had stumbled into his life not so long ago and somehow in that short period of time, she’d managed to change everything. He felt off balance and not sure what to do next—with regards to his relationship with Gia—