Cesare lowered his head, waiting for her response. Could this be a tease? A taunt to bring him to his knees while she demanded some additional divorce settlement?
Once more Ida cut through old expectations with devastating simplicity. She swayed closer, her breasts in that pretty dress against his bare torso, her hips nestling against his groin.
Triumph melded with need and, yes, desperation, turning his body to unyielding hardness. But as he bent his head, inhaling Ida’s fresh spring scent, his touch was gentle. Their lips met and clung and Cesare felt his hands tremble. As if he’d waited so long for this that he couldn’t believe it was real.
Her cheeks were soft, her lips too. That made him leash the hammering urge to take her quickly. Instead he wanted to savour every sensation.
Savour Ida.
He swiped his tongue across her open lips then delved further, fascinated by the quick clench of her fingertips where they clung now to his upper arms. Then she relaxed, leaning against him as her tongue briefly touched his.
It was crazy but Cesare felt that brief connection like a thunderbolt passing through his body. He tingled all over as if from an electric shock.
He angled his head for better access, exploring her mouth, losing himself in lush sweetness that tasted faintly of cherries. Their tongues met again, not a darting foray this time but a sliding caress. His eyes closed as, stunned, he registered the extent of his arousal. Just from a kiss!
Ida’s hands crept up his shoulders, around his neck and into his hair, tugging him to the edge of pain. The sting only made his senses spark as he deepened their kiss. It was the most flagrantly erotic yet strangely innocent kiss he could remember.
It took him to the edge in seconds. Four years of celibacy took their toll. That had to be the reason this felt like nothing he’d ever experienced.
Cesare dragged air through his nostrils, seeking control. Then Ida rose on her toes, her breasts pushing against his chest as she kissed him deeply.
Thought crumbled beneath that ardent onslaught. Cesare dropped his hands to her hips, holding her high against him, giving back kiss for kiss till he heard it again, that tiny purr of pleasure from the back of her throat.
It galvanised him. Firming his hold, he swung her round and settled her back against the door jamb, stepping in close so she didn’t slide down to the floor. Her hands tightened in his hair and then he was helping her lift her legs around his hips.
His hands met soft layers of fabric then smooth, cool skin, and fire ignited.
‘Ida.’ Her name was a gravel growl in his throat and lower, in his belly where the need for her had been building for so long.
‘Cesare.’
Did he hear it or just feel the vibration of her assent through their locked mouths? Either way, nothing had ever sounded so good.
Sweat broke out at the back of his neck as he lifted his hands, dragging them up her slender frame to cup her breasts. They fitted his hands perfectly and, though he longed to tear her free of the fabric, he restrained himself.
Cesare settled for massaging her breasts, finding her nipples through the flimsy fabric and rolling them between his fingers, feeling her body jerk in response and her pelvis thrust towards him.
He lifted his mouth, ignoring her protest, to nuzzle her throat, kissing and nipping and hearing her sighs turn to moans that drove the ache of desire to sharp pain.
His groin felt as if it were in a vice. That one wrong move would undo him.
Cesare shut his eyes and drew a deep breath filled with hyacinths, the rich perfume of warm woman and the beckoning, indefinable scent of arousal.
‘I want you, Ida. I need you.’
There was no thought of hiding the truth. Or the fact she’d once been his enemy.
Nothing mattered butthis.
‘Yes, please.’
Please? As if she sought a favour!
His lips curved against her fragrant skin. This would be a mutual favour.
‘Hold tight,’ he murmured, sliding his arms around her narrow waist and straightening.
It was hard to think when Ida clung to him, when her delicious heat was pressed against his erection. But higher levels of thought weren’t required. His body knew what to do, hold her tight and get to his bed as soon as possible. He was barely aware of crossing the threshold but suddenly he was by the bed, illuminated by a single lamp. He turned so that when they fell to the mattress she was on top.