It occurred to him that he still knew far more about the responses of her body and what gave her pleasure than she did.
Up his hands went, over her knee, brushing the silk of her dress aside as he reached her thigh. This was where he had to be gentler, her inner thighs one of her most tender areas.
She kept perfectly still, only her deepening breaths indicating any response as his fingers inched ever upwards, his hand burrowing under her dress, deliberately keeping away from her most intimate area, teasing her, tormenting her.
Sliding his fingers back down her leg, he switched his attentions to her other leg and began the same sensuous trail.
Dio, but this was turning him on.
When he reached her thigh this time and kneaded his way to her hip, he hooked his finger into the side of her knickers.
Her breaths were now coming in ragged spurts, her cheeks flushed.
Taking hold of the elastic on her other hip, he gently tugged her knickers down. When the soft dark hair between her legs was exposed, her eyes flew open.
There was such desire and trust in that stare. When she looked at him like that all he could think was that he wanted it to be like this between them always.
It was too late for thoughts like that. Too late to erase the past. Too much had gone on between them but he couldn’t shake the thought that she’d said she trusted him unaware that, come tomorrow, he planned to destroy her.
This would be his last gift to her.
Stefano threw her knickers onto the floor then placed a hand on her ankle and gently pulled her legs apart. She writhed beneath him and he pressed a hand to her belly to steady her and placed a kiss on her inner thigh.
When he pressed his mouth into the heart of her she gasped and jolted as if she’d had a volt of electricity shot through her. A hand flailed out and touched his head.
He inhaled, breathing in her scent that he had never tired of, could never tire of.
Taking greater care than he had ever done in his life, checking his own ardour, which wanted nothing more than to rip both their clothes off and take her without ceremony, Stefano kissed and caressed the most intimate part of her to gradually open her up to him.
The fingertips on his head moved imperceptibly in tiny circular movements. Her breaths caught then deepened and tiny moans escaped her lips. The fingers on his scalp tightened and dug into him until finally, with the breathiest of gasps, her back arched and she shuddered.
Only when he was certain her climax was over did he haul himself up and put his hands either side of her head to stare down at her.
Anna had faced down everything life had thrown at her before, ne
ver flinching or hiding away. Over the past few days they had made love countless times, done everything possible, but this... This felt different. She felt different and opening her eyes to meet Stefano’s gaze was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. She was afraid of what she would find there.
As she forced them open she knew the thing she most feared was not finding what she suddenly realised she so desperately wanted to see. Love.
She swallowed and met his gaze.
Her breath came unstuck again. If not love, there was tenderness in the dark, swirling green depths and it filled her chest so completely that she hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a long kiss.
‘You’ve got too many clothes on,’ he said gruffly into her mouth, his hands sliding down to her waist.
‘So have you.’
He made deft work of the belt. As soon as it was unclasped, her dress unwrapped itself, only one small button holding the last of the material together, which he undid with no effort before sliding an arm behind her back to unclasp her bra.
Gathering her to him, he pulled her up so he could slide the sleeves of her dress and bra down her arms, leaving her naked before him.
‘Dio, you’re beautiful,’ he muttered.
‘Your turn,’ she whispered, lying back down. She stretched her arms above her head, luxuriating in his dilated gaze.
He removed his shirt, then got off the improbably large sofa only long enough to shed his trousers and underwear.
And then he was back on top of her, his mouth covering hers, and with one long thrust he was inside her.