Page 21 of The Venetian One-Night Baby

Sabrina could feel her colour rising. ‘I’m sure that seems like a long time to someone like you, who has sex every ten minutes, but I had a bad experience and it put me off.’

He took the toast out of her hand and held her hand in both of his. ‘Sabrina...’ His thumbs began a gentle stroking of her wrist, his eyes meshing with hers. ‘The bad experience you mentioned...’ His throat rose and fell as if he was trying to swallow a boulder. ‘Were you—?’

‘No, it was completely consensual,’ Sabrina said. ‘I was eighteen and fancied myself in love and felt ready to have sex for the first time. I never wanted my first time to be outside the context of a loving relationship. But my so-called boyfriend had another agenda. He just wanted to crow to his friends about getting it on with me. I overheard him telling his friends I was hopeless in bed. The gossip and rumours did the rounds of my friendship group. It was humiliating and I wanted to die from shame. Up until you, I hadn’t been brave enough to sleep with anyone else.’ She chanced a glance at him from beneath her lowered lashes. ‘Go on, say it. Tell me I’m a frigid freak.’

His frown carved a deep V into his forehead, his hands so soft around hers it was as if he were cradling a baby bird. ‘No...’ His voice had that raw edge again. ‘You’re no such thing. That guy was a jerk to do that to you. You’re gorgeous, sensual and so responsive I can barely keep my hands off you.’

His words were like a healing balm to her wounded self-esteem. So what if he didn’t love her? He desired her and that would have to be enough for now. His gentle touch made her body ache to have him even closer, skin on skin. She leaned in and pressed a soft-as-air kiss to his mouth, just a brush of her lips against his. ‘Thank you...’

His mouth flickered as if her light kiss had set off an electric current in his lips. He drew her closer, one of his hands going to the back of her head, the other to glide along the curve of her cheek, his mouth coming down to within a breath of hers. But then he suddenly pulled back to frown at her again. ‘But that night we made love... My God, I probably hurt you. Did I?’

Sabrina wound her arms around his neck, sending her fingers into the thickness of his hair. ‘Of course you didn’t. You were amazingly gentle.’

‘But you were practically a virgin.’ His expression was etched with tension. ‘I should have taken more time. I shouldn’t have made love to you more than once. Were you sore? Did I do anything you didn’t like?’

She shook her head. ‘No, Max. I enjoyed every second of our lovemaking. I just wish...’ She bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

‘Wish what?’

‘Nothing. I’m being silly.’

Max inched up her chin with the end of his finger. ‘Tell me.’

Sabrina took a breath. ‘I’ve only had sex four times in my life, one time I don’t want to even think about any more. The other three times were so amazing that I sometimes wonder if I imagined how amazing they were.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘I’m asking you to make love to me again.’

His eyes searched hers. ‘Is that really what you want?’

She looked into his smouldering eyes. ‘I want you. You want me too...don’t you?’

His hand slid under the curtain of her hair. ‘It scares me how much I want you. But I don’t want to complicate things between us.’

‘How will it complicate things if we sleep together? It’s not as if I’m going to get pregnant.’ Her attempt at humour fell flat if his reaction was anything to go by.

He closed his eyes in a slow blink, then he removed her hand from him and stood up. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina, but I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you.’ He scraped a hand through his still-damp-from-a-shower hair. ‘You’re not thinking straight. It’s probably baby brain or something.’

‘Baby brain?’ Sabrina choked out a humourless laugh. ‘Is that what you think? Really? Don’t you remember how amazing that night in Venice was?’

‘Sabrina.’ His stern schoolmaster tone was another blow to her flagging self-esteem.

She pushed the tea tray off her legs and set it on the other side of the bed. ‘Or maybe sex is always that amazing for you. Maybe you can’t even distinguish that night from the numerous other hook-ups you’ve had since.’ She threw him a glance. ‘How many have there been, Max?’ Tears smarted in her eyes but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from throwing the questions at him, questions she didn’t really want answered. ‘Is that why you’ve refused to sleep me with since that night? How many have you had since then? One or two a week? More?’

He drew in a long breath and then released it. ‘None.’

‘None?’

He came and sat beside her legs on the bed and took her hand again, his fingers warm and strong around hers. ‘None.’

Sabrina used the back of her free hand to swipe at her tears. ‘Are you just saying that to make me feel better?’

‘It’s the truth. There hasn’t been anyone because...’ He looked down at her hand in the cage of his, a frown pulling at his forehead.

‘Because?’

His gaze met hers and a wry smile flickered across his mouth. ‘I’m not sure.’

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