Pregnant with His Baby!

Dazzled by all the gleaming splendour, she didn’t catch the name as Gianfranco introduced his housekeeper. After a brief exchange in Italian the soft-voiced older woman bid them a polite goodnight and vanished through one of the many doors that opened onto the reception area.

‘Come.’

Left with little choice Dervla did as he bid, though his autocratic manner really grated on her. He led her through a series of doors and down a long corridor. When they reached the end he opened the door and signalled for her to precede him.

Dervla stepped inside. It was a kitchen, though not like any kitchen she knew. The only place she had seen rooms like this was in the pages of glossy magazines. She ran a hand across the surface of a tall larder unit, the burred-oak finish smooth under her fingers.

‘This is the kitchen.’

‘Well spotted,’ he approved, slinging a quick ironic grin in her direction as he slid off his jacket. ‘You like risotto?’

Dervla stared as he pulled open the doors of a massive fridge and began to extract ingredients. ‘You cook?’

‘That surprises you?’

‘It frankly surprises me that you know where the kitchen is.’

He laughed, the crinkly lines around his eyes deepening.

Oh, help, he is so attractive!

He looked, she decided, more relaxed than she had ever seen him, but given the environment she had seen him in up to this point perhaps that was not so very surprising.

‘Don’t you have a chef?’

‘Several. I also have a driver, but that doesn’t mean I can’t drive a car. Though my lifestyle does not allow me the opportunity to practise my culinary skills as often as I would like. Why does that make you laugh? Do you not believe I can cook?’

‘Oh, it’s not that.’ She was quite prepared to believe he could do anything. ‘You have several chefs and think that’s normal … It’s just you’re so super-rich …’ Hands outstretched, she looked around the gleaming, stylish room. ‘It’s as if you live on another planet.’

He gave a fluid shrug. ‘We live on the same planet, Dervla. The important things in life still have no price tag.’

‘Unlike that little lot,’ she observed, nodding towards the gleaming state-of-the-art equipment.

‘The chef likes his gadgets, but I hope you do not think worse of me that I prefer a slightly more … hands-on approach. But a good knife, that is a different matter.’ He took a chef’s knife from a wooden block and balanced it lightly in his hand.

The less she thought about his hands, the better, Dervla decided, sucking a deep sustaining breath before she admitted, ‘I’ll take your word for it. I’m more of a microwave-meal girl myself.’

‘I honestly don’t spend much time in the kitchen myself,’ he admitted. ‘But when I do I find it relaxing. The secret of a good risotto is the stock,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves, and for the second time that day her attention was drawn to the sinewy strength in his forearms.

Actually she was pretty much riveted by him full stop. ‘Can I do anything?’ Like worship at your feet? suggested the sarcastic voice in her head.

‘You can take off your coat, pour us some wine … the wine cooler is just to your left.’ He tilted his dark head towards a glass-fronted cabinet. ‘And make yourself comfortable.’

He tugged out a chair beside the scrubbed table he had placed his ingredients on. Slipping her damp coat off, she folded it across a chair back and, dropping down to her knees, opened the cooler. ‘What wine?’ she asked, feeling totally out of her depth as she stared at the bewildering array of wines on display.

‘Just close your eyes and take pot luck,’ he suggested, before turning his attention to an onion that he proceeded to dice with professional speed. ‘Corkscrew,’ he added, reaching into a drawer to his right and tossing the item in question towards her. ‘Good catch.’

Dervla opened the bottle after a short tussle and filled the two glasses. Sitting in a chair, she set her elbows on the table and, nursing her glass of wine, watched as he continued to chop, slice and stir with economic dexterity.

It was not long before the room was filled with a nose-twitching smell.

‘That looks good.’

His eyes lifted from his creation. ‘You hungry?’

She nodded. Actually the empty feeling in her churning stomach had no connection with anything as simple as hunger.

‘Good.’ He lifted a spoon to his lips, gave a critical nod of approval. ‘About done. If you stir it I’ll set the table. Don’t worry, it won’t bite,’ he added, looking amused as she looked at the spoon suspiciously.

‘That’s it, just keep it moving.’ His fingers brushed hers as he released the spoon to her and the light contact sent a surge of tingling lust through her body that excited and terrified her.

What am I doing here? I don’t belong in this world. She turned her head to look at him through the silky sweep of her lashes and thought, His world. This is his world and I don’t belong in it.

‘Have a seat.’ He pulled out a chair and motioned her to sit as he lit the candle he had produced from somewhere.

Soft music and it would be the classic seduction scene.

Even the faintest possibility should have had her running for the door, but she wasn’t running. Her heart was beating faster, she felt breathless, almost light-headed.

Anyone would think I wanted to be seduced.

She rejected the idea with a tiny shake of her head. She had never been tempted by casual relationships; the idea of intimacy without love left her cold.

So why was her skin crackling with heat?

‘You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble on my account,’ she said, staring into the flickering flame worriedly.

‘It was my pleasure.’

She turned her head and saw he was watching her, his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. She had the horrible feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking.

‘But as I have gone to so much trouble, it would be churlish of you not to eat the results of my hard labour,’ he chided softly.

Not quite meeting his eyes, Dervla shivered inside, flashed him a half-smile and took her seat.

She would eat and leave. She was in danger, she told herself, of overcomplicating this, making way too much of a casual glance or an ambiguous comment. She had to stop seeing things that weren’t there.

Gianfranco took the seat opposite. He bent forward to top up her glass, but she shook her head and murmured quickly. ‘Not for me.’

She noticed he didn’t replenish his own glass either. He made no effort to pick up his fork, but waited, elbows pressed on the table, his chin resting on his hands, for her to try the food.

‘Well?’

‘It’s delicious,’ she admitted truthfully. ‘Are you going back to the hospital tonight?’

He shook his head. ‘No, Alberto has asserted his independence and thrown me out.’

‘He has more guts than the rest of us.’

While they ate the subjects of conversation remained similar safe, desultory topics and Dervla began to—relax was too strong a word, but her defences lowered slightly and the tension slipped out of her rigid spine. But all the time they spoke and said little she was still very conscious that this was Gianfranco Bruni who was a dangerous man accustomed to getting what he wanted.

And if he wants me?

Dervla took a jittery gasp and got to her feet so quickly that she almost knocked her chair over.

‘That was lovely, but it is late.’ Late to pretend she wasn’t attracted to him and hadn’t been from the moment she had laid eyes on him. ‘I really should be going.’ I really should never have come.

Gianfranco set aside his napkin and rose with the fluid grace that typified all his actions.

‘It’s early,’ he protested, walking around to her side of the table.

Dervla stood there, her heart hammering, twisting the white linen napkin in her hands, her feet nailed to the ground as he came to stand beside her, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body.

She kept her eyes trained on her half-full glass on the table. ‘I really should …’

He touched his thumb to the full outline of her lower lip and she started violently, her questioning sea-green eyes lifting.

‘Your mouth—it looks so soft and lush.’

Their eyes connected and the heat and hunger Dervla saw reflected in the dark surface of his sent a sensual shock wave along her tingling nerve endings.

‘This evening isn’t going where you seem to think it is,’ she blurted, pressing a hand to her breastbone. Behind it her heart was trying to batter its way to freedom.

He arched a sardonic brow. ‘Where would that be?’

She shook her head, finding it hard to catch her breath. ‘I’m not really a one-night stand sort of person.’

‘One night would not be nearly enough.’

The throaty observation drew a faint whimper from her throat that she tried to cover with a brittle laugh. ‘I really don’t think being seen in the right places with me would do your reputation any good.’

‘I’m not interested in my reputation and the only place I am interested in seeing you is in my bed.’

His head tilted to one side, he studied her burning face. ‘I’ve shocked you? You are not comfortable with discussing sex.’

‘I find this entire conversation very uncomfortable.’

‘You would prefer we discuss the weather? We could do but we would both be thinking about sex.’

She lifted her chin and fixed him with a defiant stare. ‘Speak for yourself.’

‘You disappoint me. You did not strike me as a hypocrite.’

The charge drew an angry grunt from Dervla, who stood rigidly upright beside him, her fingers busy pleating the napkin. ‘I’m not a hypocrite, but neither am I oversexed.’

The opposite was in fact true … at least it had been until now. Right now her libido had gone global. She had her hands clasped because she couldn’t trust herself not to rip off his clothes.

He bent his head, his breath stirring the soft downy hair on her cheek. ‘You want me,’ he said, his voice low and thick. ‘And you know I want you and you like that. It excites you. I excite you.’

She shook her head, knowing that if she spoke she might give the impression she wanted him to carry on saying these things, that she wanted him to do a lot of things.

And didn’t she?

She shook her head again, scared rigid by the intensity of the feelings crowding in.

‘I’ve wanted to kiss you for the past week. I’m going to do it now if that’s all right with you …?’

His seductive voice made things shudder deep inside her. He wasn’t asking permission, he was just igniting the sparks and expertly feeding the escalating sexual tension another few notches with his honied voice. He didn’t actually expect her to say no because women had been saying yes to him all his life.

And it looks like I’m no different.

And she wasn’t different—for him this was sex with no obligations. Recognising it didn’t make her feel any the less desperate for him. She made a last-ditch attempt to walk away.

‘It really is very late.’ Even she could hear the lack of conviction in her whispered protest.

‘What’s the hurry? You’re not on duty in the morning.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I checked.’

‘Why would you do that?’

One corner of his fascinating mouth lifted in a lazy smile as he touched his forefinger to her cheek. ‘Information is power, Dervla.’ His hand fell away but the dark itch under her skin didn’t.

She wanted him to touch her.

She lifted her chin and tried to look amused. ‘You’ve got no power over me.’ Shame her hormones were not equally autonomous.

‘Pity, you’ve got me in the palm of your lovely little hand.’ He took her wrist and peeled back her clenched fingers like the petals of a flower. His heavy-lidded eyes lifted to her face as he whispered throatily, ‘A very pretty hand.’

His touch was inflicting terrible, probably irreparable damage to her nervous system. Wide eyes welded with a mixture of fear and longing to his strong face, she released a long shuddering sigh and admitted, ‘I don’t really want to go.’

Something flared deep in his eyes, primitive male satisfaction shot through with something less easily identifiable.

‘Then stay, cara.’

‘But I’m not even sure I like you.’

He laughed, throwing back his head to reveal the strong column of his brown throat. ‘If it makes you feel any better, for the first twenty-four hours I was pretty sure that I disliked you.’

‘You didn’t hide it very well.’ She tried to smile and couldn’t—her throat ached with emotion.

‘I wanted sex with you even when I disliked you.’ His lips twisted into a smile. ‘You look shocked again.’

Her lashes lowered. She felt excited, which was far more disturbing. ‘I am shocked that I’m doing this.’

Her breath came in short painful gasps as he leaned forward and bent his dark head to hers. This close she could see the gold tips on his long dark lashes and the fine texture of his golden skin. As he got closer still things went out of focus like a kaleidoscope and the wild beating of her heart became louder and faster.

Anticipation tightened like a fist low in her belly as her lips parted under the gentle but insistent pressure of his mouth.

As his tongue slid into her mouth Dervla moaned low in her throat and grabbed his shoulders, plastering herself up against his lean, hard, vital body as she kissed him back with an eagerness that was close to desperation.

‘Dio Mio!’ He drew a ragged breath and angled his head to look into her face as they finally broke apart. ‘You are everything I imagined and much, much more.’

The glow of dark desire she could see shimmering in his eyes took her breath away and made her head spin even before his lips began to move once more with sensual teasing persuasion against her soft mouth. His hand moved to the curve of her breast and Dervla’s knees turned to water.

‘Not enough!’ she moaned after a few minutes of this torture.

Gianfranco dragged his mouth away from hers fractionally and, breathing hard, he studied her flushed, aroused features. ‘Not enough of what?’ he asked thickly.

Dervla sighed and ran the tip of her tongue across the sensual curve of his upper lip. ‘You,’ she confided.

‘You want more of me?’

Eyes dilated, she tilted her head back to bring his dark features into focus. ‘No, I want all of you.’

Gianfranco sucked in a deep breath through flared nostrils and, winding his fingers into her bright hair, pulled her head farther back, exposing the long graceful curve of her pale throat.

Dervla’s lids drifted closed as he pressed his lips to the hollow at the base of her throat and then made his way by means of a series of erotic kisses up to her mouth.

She gave a startled little cry as he suddenly swung her up into his arms. ‘What are you doing?’

He strode towards the door and kicked it open. ‘I don’t want the first time to be on the kitchen table.’

‘I don’t mind where it is so long as it happens.’ Did I just say that?

CHAPTER NINE

BREATHING hard, but not, it would seem, from the exertion of running up two flights of stairs carrying her—Gianfranco had taken them two at a time and not shown any signs of fatigue—he kicked open the door to this huge bedroom dominated by a large four-poster.

Probably the rest of the furnishings were just as impressive but Dervla was not actually interested in the décor. Her entire attention was focused on the man who laid her down carefully in the middle of the vast bed, before switching on a lamp.

He was still breathing hard as, kneeling on the bed, he tugged his shirt from his trousers and fought his way out of it.

Dervla’s gasp was audible. Desire clutched low in her belly as she stared at him in silent awe.

He was hard and sleek, his golden streamlined body carrying not an ounce of flesh to blur the perfection of the muscle definition in his chest and ridged, hair-roughened stomach.

She wanted to touch him, feel his bare skin against her own; she wanted to taste him, and feel his hands on her body. She wasn’t aware that she had expressed her growing desperation to fulfil these ambitions until he slipped the buckle on his belt and promised in a throaty drawl, ‘You will, cara, you will …’ His eyes didn’t leave her face for a second as he slid his trousers down over his narrow hips and kicked them away. He stood there for a moment wearing just a pair of boxers that did little to disguise the strength of his arousal.

Propped up on one elbow, he arranged his long lean length alongside her. He trailed a line of kisses down the curve of her jaw as he reached for the hem of her top.

Dervla gave a sensuous little wriggle to assist him as he lifted it over her head and flung it across the room.

Feeling the air on her overheated skin and enjoying the sensation, she laid her hands flat on his belly and felt the convulsive contraction of muscles underneath his silky, hair-roughened skin.

‘You have bruises,’ she whispered, her eyes darkening as she traced the uneven outline of one of the livid areas of discolouration along the crest of his right hipbone. ‘It must have been agony!’ she accused, thinking of how he had maintained his silent vigil.

‘No,’ he said, taking her hand in his and moving it lower. ‘This was agony,’ he contradicted thickly. ‘This is agony,’ he rasped throatily as he pulsed hard and hot against the constraints of her hand.

He didn’t just fill her hand but her mind and soul, stretching her emotional capacity to the limit and onto a new, mind-expanding level.

‘You’re the only medicine I needed, or wanted. I knew that I would find the comfort I needed in your body.’

There was dark colour scoring his jutting cheekbones as he held himself above her, staring with hot, hungry eyes at the rapid rise and fall of her straining breasts inside their lacy covering.

‘Virginal white,’ he murmured, his smile inviting her to share the joke as he reached for the front-fastening clasp.

Some joke!

The unintentional reminder made Dervla tense, but then his hands were cupping her bare breasts, weighing them in his big hands. The incredible sensation left little room in her pleasure-soaked brain for misgivings.

Her eyes drifted closed as she listened to his accented voice, telling her she was perfect and sounding flatteringly shaken about the discovery.

Any residual qualms totally vaporised when his thumb began to tease first one straining peak and then the other into burning life before he applied his lips and tongue to the same task.

Convulsed with pleasure, her entire body responding to his lightest touch and caress, she was barely aware of his stripping away first her jeans and then her lacy-edged pants until she felt his fingers slide into the bright curls at the apex of her legs, searching for the slick, hot centre of her.

Dervla shuddered with a nameless need as he pressed soft kisses to her closed eyelids and touched the tight, throbbing, sensitised flesh at her centre. The shockingly intimate invasion drew a keening cry of startled pleasure from her tight, aching throat. His caresses took her to the brink of something outside her experience but he pulled back quite literally before she crested the peak.

‘Oh, God, I’m …’

‘You’re perfect; we’re perfect,’ he told her before he slid down her body, kissing his way down the gentle curve of her stomach. ‘This,’ he added, kneeling between her parted thighs, ‘will be perfect too.’

Dervla sighed as she stared greedily at his magnificent glistening naked body. She didn’t doubt for a moment his ability to deliver perfect in many forms. It was only her doubts concerning her ability to fulfil his apparently pretty high expectations of her that brought a faint frown to her damp brow.

‘I have to have you … Dervla, you are driving me out of my mind.’

She responded by looping her arms around his neck, arching her back and pressing her bare breasts provocatively to his chest.

She was conscious of his breath hot on her neck as he pushed his way past the swollen lips of her resisting flesh and into her.

Her body arched under him and a sigh of amazement was wrenched from the very depths of her being.

‘Per amor di Dio!’

Barely even conscious of his stricken exclamation, Dervla wrapped her legs around his hips and clung onto his sweat-slick shoulders. At some level she did register the tremors that shook his big body as he held himself in check, but there were so many other incredible things happening that mostly she just registered how unbelievable it felt to have him hard and thick inside her.

‘This is incredible, you’re … oh, my—!’ she gasped as he sank a little deeper.

She cried his name over and over like a litany as he filled an emptiness she hadn’t known existed inside her, sinking deeper into her silken tightness, coaxing her towards the moment of total fulfilment, his own body shaking with the effort his restraint cost.

Then in the final moments as she hovered on the brink he ditched that restraint and with a cry plunged into her until they both reached the splintering climax simultaneously.

As he shuddered into her in the final convulsions of release she gave herself to him without reserve.

‘Oh, Gianfranco!’ she gasped, taking his face between her hands and pressing a fervent kiss to his lips. ‘You have no idea how glad I am I stayed. You are totally perfect.’ He actually looked like a man who had just been hit by a thunderbolt, but what did she know? That was probably normal. With a sleepy sigh she curled up in his arms and gave a contented sigh.

‘We are here.’ The chauffeur consulted his watch. ‘The ferry is due in five minutes. Would you like me to meet Alberto?’

Dragging herself kicking and screaming back to the present, Dervla struggled to escape the power of the erotic recollections. There was a tinge of guilt to her smile as she shook her head and touched a shaky hand to her hot, flushed cheeks.

She cleared her throat, struggling to regain her composure as she replied, ‘Thanks, Eduardo. I’ll meet him myself.’

A cold shower not being an option, she could really do with some fresh air!

As she was stepping out of the car Gianfranco was consulting his watch as he pulled into the fast lane of the motorway. His private jet had got him into the country before his son and by his calculations, barring any major snarl-up on the way, he ought to be in London a full thirty minutes before his runaway wife and son reached the house.

His expression hardened as he contemplated the inevitable confrontation that lay ahead.

She had behaved badly. Gianfranco was consumed by coruscating anger every time he considered her crazy conduct. But even while he condemned her he knew that his own actions might not stand up to strong scrutiny.

In his more rational moments—pretty few and far between over the last couple of days—he knew some might consider he was a more legitimate target for the anger he directed towards Dervla.

He had married her when he knew she wanted more than he was able or willing to give. Hadn’t something like this been inevitable?

But she knew the ground rules … and he refused to acknowledge what he felt for her was more than lust. Strong lust certainly, but nothing more. He repudiated the sly suggestion from the argumentative voice in his head that he’d been selfish to marry her.

Selfish? He’d given her everything she’d asked for—not that she had ever asked for anything except his support and advice in getting the hospice off the ground.

So if she asked for her freedom you’d let her go? Let her find a man she deserves, because she deserves better than you!

What, and let her loose to be the target of the first unscrupulous bastard with slick patter and a hard-luck story? His jaw tautened as, with an aggressive snort of disgust, he treated the ridiculous idea with the contempt it deserved.