‘“Just physical” has had you panting and begging for the past three hours.’ Reaching past her, he grabbed a towel. ‘If it was an Olympic performance you were looking for then between us I’d say we produced a gold for the team.’
‘Get away from me.’ She planted her hands on his bronzed chest and pushed, but he stood with his legs braced, all rock-solid muscle and glorious male nakedness. ‘I don’t want wall sex, floor sex or bed sex. I don’t want any sex! In fact I never want you to touch me again!’ She pushed past him and grabbed her own towel from the heated cabinet, noticing that the rose petals had been turned to mush by the water from the shower.
Finally, she thought wildly, something that was truly symbolic of their relationship.
Wrecked, ruined and a total mess.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘MAMMA!’
Unnoticed by all concerned, Santo watched as Luca wriggled his way out of Dani’s hold and sprinted across the sand to Fia. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly, her smile illuminating her whole face as she lifted him and swung him round.
‘Oh, I missed you so much! Have you been good?’
Observing that outpouring of love and affection, Santo ground his teeth. Only an hour earlier he’d sat across from her as she’d eaten her breakfast in frozen silence. Not once had she looked at him. Any attempt on his part to engage her in conversation had resulted in monosyllabic answers.
Unable to understand how she could be upset after a night of spectacular sex, Santo’s mood had grown darker with each passing minute.
Clearly the night had fallen seriously short of her romantic expectations, but what had she been expecting? He wasn’t such a hypocrite as to pretend that their marriage was a great love match. That was just the story he’d given to the press to lure them away from the truth and ensure that Luca was protected from gossip. Granted the whole rose petal thing hadn’t been one of his better ideas, but he’d taken her mind off them fast enough. The sex had been nothing short of mind-blowing. How could utterly mind-blowing sex have such a negative impact? Surely she should have been delighted that they were so compatible? He’d felt energized and optimistic that his hastily arranged marriage might prove to be more satisfactory than he’d ever imagined. He’d been dragged kicking and screaming into that state by his principles and his overwhelming love for his son. If his wife ended up being a hot fantasy in bed then that was a bonus.
His thoughts interrupted by the delicious sound of Luca’s giggles, he turned his head to search for the cause of such hilarity and saw the two of them engaged in a tickling match that had both of them rolling on the sand. Luca tickled Fia’s neck clumsily and she produced the expected response, squealing with laughter and pretending to wriggle free of him, a reaction that earned her more giggles. Santo watched that tangle of golden limbs with mixed feelings. Whatever he thought of her behaviour, she loved their son, there was no doubt about that. And Luca brought out a side of her he’d never seen before.
She was a different woman. Warm, approachable and open as she shared all of herself with her child.
Their enjoyment of each other was infectious and, without even realising what he was doing, he strode forward to join them, leaning down to join in the tickle. His son chortled and twisted and Santo’s hand brushed against the side of Fia’s breast.
Instantly the warmth faded from her eyes and she sprang to her feet, her expression shifting from happy to hostile in the blink of an eye. ‘I didn’t see you arrive. I thought you were on the phone.’
The immediate change in her stoked his temper. Luca had stopped giggling and was staring between them, confused. Acting on instinct, Santo scooped the child into his arms and then leaned forward to deliver a slow, lingering kiss to Fia’s soft mouth. Heat shot through him but he banked down his own needs and kept the kiss sweet and not sexual.
When he lifted his head, her cheeks were pink and her eyes every bit as confused as their son’s had been.
Something flickered there, something he couldn’t quite identify.
‘Never,’ he said softly, ‘send me that angry look in front of our child again.’
‘Mamma,’ Luca said happily and Santo smiled at him even though he could
feel the hot rays of fury burning from Fia.
‘Sì, she is your mamma.’ And she is very angry with me. ‘And now it is time we went home.’
That announcement was greeted with the same enthusiasm as an imminent storm warning.
She extracted herself from his hold and took a step backwards. ‘I’m not going back to your apartment. I’m going to my restaurant today. And Luca is coming with me.’
‘I agree.’ Santo put Luca down on the sand. ‘You need to get back to your business, and so do I. And Luca clearly has a good relationship with Gina so I’m happy for her to provide additional care while you are working. That arrangement can stay.’
‘You’re happy—’ The outrage in her response died as he covered her lips with his fingers.
‘Later,’ he purred softly, ‘you can thank me for preventing you from saying what you wanted to say in front of our child. Your animosity is unsettling him, tesoro, so from now on you will moderate your emotions unless we are alone together. That was your rule, by the way. Console yourself with the knowledge that I’m more than happy to fight you on whatever level you wish, on whichever surface you prefer once he is in bed.’ Her mouth was warm against his fingers. He wanted to dip his finger inside, then his tongue, and then—
Her eyes darkened. He saw her throat move as she swallowed. Then her gaze slid to Luca, who was watching both of them closely. ‘Your apartment is not a suitable place to raise an active toddler. Don’t eat that, chicco—’ Her tone altering from cool to caring, she reached down and removed the sand from Luca’s fist before scooping him up protectively.
‘I happen to agree with you, which is why we will not be using the apartment.’
‘You said we were going home.’