Page 21 of On His Bride's Terms

He kissed her again, an arm going under her back, arching her up to him so that her breasts were pressed against his chest, the hair there a delicious abrasion against her sensitised skin.

She moved restlessly under him, growing bolder, a hand seeking and finding his erection, wrapping around him, and glorying in the sheer evidence of his arousal.For her. It was the biggest aphrodisiac in the world.

And then he took his hand from him, saying again, ‘I won’t last. I need to be inside you.’

Faye needed no encouragement. She spread her legs around him and he guided himself to the centre of her body. Their skin was slick. Faye was panting. Primo teased her for a moment, dragging the head of his erection along her folds. She lifted her hips, causing him to impale her a little. Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.

He let out a huff of laughter and said something like, ‘I knew we’d be good together.’ But she couldn’t be sure. She was half crazed.

‘Please...’

‘Open your eyes. I want you to be sure you know who you’re making love to. Not some random stranger from a masked ball.’

She looked at him. ‘Of course I knew it was you...’

Even as you tried to pretend it wasn’t, reminded a little voice.

Faye put her hands on Primo’s arms. ‘Please, Primo...’

It was as if saying his name broke some last shred of his control and he was sinking into her, stretching her so wide that she gasped.

He stopped. ‘Am I hurting you?’

She shook her head, unable to speak. She squeezed his arms, urging him on, and he sank deeper. Faye could feel her body accept him and mould around his length, taking him in all the way until she didn’t know where he ended and she began.

She’d never known making love could be so...intense. And Primo had barely even moved. And then he did, pulling back out and then moving in again. Slow, methodical movements, making the tension wind tighter and tighter.

His movements got faster, and Faye’s entire body was as taut as a bow. He put a hand under her bottom and squeezed the firm flesh, then brought his hand around to where their bodies met. With one flick of his finger, a storm broke inside Faye’s body and she was sent flying so high she wasn’t sure if she’d ever return to the woman she’d been.

Primo’s movements were more frenzied, wild, and with a guttural cry he stilled inside her, his body jerking as he too was split apart by pleasure.

CHAPTER FIVE

WHENPRIMOWOKE, he kept his eyes shut and savoured the feelings in his body. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so heavy. Replete. Images and sensations came back to him. Soft lips...sweet mouth. Firm breasts with spiky nipples...rolling them in his mouth and sucking...making her moan. Silky, heavy hair trailing through his fingers...wrapping that hair around his palm as he drove into the tightest, silkiest embrace...his body responding instantly, hardening...

Primo wanted her again.Now.

He squinted in the soft dawn light coming in through the curtains and put out a hand...but met nothing. His eyes opened fully and he came up on one arm. The bed was empty, but still faintly warm. She wasn’t long gone.

He sank back. He didn’t have to investigate further to know that she was already gone. His instinct had been right. Together, they’d been explosive. More than he’d even anticipated. He’d never felt such chemistry with a woman before.

His gamble to come to Venice to seduce her had paid off.

He hadn’t felt resentful or irritated that his new wife wouldn’t give him a wedding night. He appreciated that they hardly knew each other. And that this marriage was founded on the back of a business deal.

He’d known she was skittish around him. Clearly her first marriage had burned her. She’d said it hadn’t been good.

The lingering satisfaction in Primo’s body made his mouth curve up in a smile. Maybe now that she’d seen how good they were together she would relax a little more into her role as his wife.

Primo sprang from the bed and walked naked over to the French doors, pulling them open. He stepped out onto the balcony and looked down to see a water taxi moving away from the landing pier, a distinctive head of black hair, tumbled over shoulders, and the scarlet flash of a dress. The taxi sped away, taking his wife to her next destination.

Primo’s smile got wider.

He had no doubt that she was going to lead him a merry dance, but if last night was anything to go by he would enjoy every second of being married to Faye MacKenzie. And sooner or later, she would give up on thoseterms.

At that moment there was a sound of collective giggling, and Primo looked away from the taxi to see another taxi near the palazzo, full of tourists who were all looking up at him and pointing. He put his hands modestly over his groin area and, still grinning, bowed and went back inside.

Faye willed the boat taxi to go faster, so people wouldn’t be able to look inside and see her sitting there still dressed in her costume, hair undone, make-up melted off in the heat of passion.

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