Page 196 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

This was only the first of many public outings that would demand their closeness. If she was going to simmer with unwanted desire each time, it was going to be a very long six months. She had to figure out a way to control herself. Had to remember that for all the reasons Domenico was right, he was also very,verywrong for her.

They imagined different futures. He wanted a wife permanently at his side and she wanted,needed, a life of her own.

Engaging in anything remotely physical, even entertaining thoughts of such caresses, would only muddy the waters and it would be far better for them both if they stayed unmuddied.

But as he moved her effortlessly across the floor, Rae’s body continued to purr under their tempting closeness and the expert press of his hands against her flesh. His touch had always been her undoing and Rae could feel it starting to occur again, that unravelling of herself as her body slowly surrendered to his compelling touch of possession.

Had it not been for the eyes continuing to follow them, primarily Luisa and her friends, Rae would have drifted off entirely, but their predatory watchfulness kept her rooted in reality, their hard and hungry gazes making her stomach writhe and twist.

Because Luisa had been right. Domenico did have options, plenty of them. There was a queue of women waiting for a chance to be with him and once their charade was over, once it became public knowledge that their marriage was dead, a few of them would probably get that chance.

If they hadn’t already.

That sudden burst of thought had tears pressing up against her eyes and an inexplicable emotion gushing through her and sticking at the back of her throat. She knew, however, that was how they wanted her to feel, insecure and vulnerable. It was the way she’d often felt at these events and around these ruthless, predatory women. But, as far as they were concerned, Domenico was still hers.

And her only job tonight was to show exactly how much he did belong to her, how his heart beat for her and his body hungered for her.

Only her.

Twisting her face inwards, the tip of her nose glided along his smooth, tanned jaw and Rae allowed herself to succumb to the scent of him, dark and strong. Playing along, Domenico tipped his head down, his lips within easy reach, just like that night in the hallway, but, unlike that night, Rae didn’t hesitate, extending her neck so that their mouths met.

That first feather-light brush of their lips was shattering. He tasted better than she’d allowed herself to remember. Like desire and hope and passion. The gentle motion of their mouths changed as her hands slid up his powerfully muscled chest and curled around his neck. The answering press of his lips became harder, his mouth shaping to hers with more ferocity, seeking more of her passion, which she eagerly gave. Domenico held her more securely, the band of his arms around her back crushing her breasts to the solid expanse of his chest, and Rae very nearly melted, having forgotten just how amazing it felt to be held against the broad wall of beating flesh. As if nothing could hurt her ever again. As if there was no safer place for her in the whole world.

The heat crackling between them could have burned her dress right off her body and Rae didn’t know if it was his heart or her own that she could feel racing. But she knew she wanted the kiss. Wanted it with every catch of her breath and every flutter of her pulse. Wanted it more than she remembered ever wanting any kiss, and she didn’t want it to prove something, but wanted it for herself.

It was Domenico who drew back first, keeping tight hold and staring down at her, his eyes alight. ‘What happened to your ground rules?’ he demanded huskily.

Good question, Rae thought, feeling intoxicated, her mind fuzzy.

‘It seemed necessary,’ she lied, the words coming too slow. ‘We were being watched. And I was under orders to be convincing, was I not?’

His eyes flashed as if he found her answer provocative somehow, and his face adopted the set expression that preceded an interrogation that always got him the answers he wanted. But then it was gone and he was drawing back and leading her from the dancefloor.

‘I think that’s enough for tonight,’ he said as the music ended. ‘We’ll leave now.’

She blinked with surprise. ‘But we’ve not been here that long.’

‘Long enough,’ he countered. ‘And after that kiss, no one will find our departure strange. Everyone will assume we’re in a hurry to get home and continue our reunion.’

Rae’s cheeks flamed. But that was exactly what the kiss had felt like so it had most certainly looked just as passionate. Burning with mortification, she let Domenico take her hand and lead her from the ballroom, but, as soon as she could, she pulled her hand free. She said nothing on the journey back to the palazzo and, once they arrived, she ran up the stairs, tossing a hurried goodnight over her shoulder.

Domenico watched Rae fly up the stairs, his mouth still tingling with the incendiary passion of that brief kiss. The taste of her remained on his lips and the fever she had stirred in his blood with her unrestrained hunger continued to scorch his veins.

He had been doing his best to keep his attraction contained behind bolted doors, to avoid any repeat of the lapse that had happened the night of Elena’s funeral, but with that unexpected kiss she had blasted the doors wide open, allowing the scorching desire to stream through him unchecked, and all he wanted to do was continue what she had started.

Wanted to tease her mouth with his, suck her lower lip between his teeth. Wanted to slide the black silk from her body and see with his own eyes what she wore beneath. Wanted to hear her whimpers, then her pleas and then her screams as he drove her towards blissful oblivion.

He wanted everything he had tasted in that kiss and, before he knew what he was doing, Domenico was following her up the stairs, taking them two at a time, his feet keeping pace with the roaring and pounding of his blood.

Reaching her door, Domenico wrapped his fingers around the handle...only to suddenly stop.

Because suddenly he was outside a house and the door was being opened and the eyes staring back at him turned to the coldest stone when he stated who he was. And then, as if the words spoken hadn’t been cruel enough, the door was being shut in his face.

A cold sweat dampening the back of his neck, Domenico released the handle and backed away from the door.

She could spurn his advance, deny the fire that had powered that kiss. Reject him. And he could not bear that. Not again, and not from her.

So he would ignore it. He would drag every last drop of feeling back under his control, close those doors and seal them with an extra bolt. He would bury that desire beneath pragmatism, smother the flames with the memory of her betrayal and keep himself safe from another stinging rejection.

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