in anger?’
He didn’t answer.
Despite the seriousness of the discussion, a bubble of laughter rose up Orla’s throat. ‘You are so your father’s son.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘When you get angry you make threats you don’t mean. Like your threats of taking custody of Finn… I wonder if he’ll inherit the Valente temper,’ she added musingly.
Tonino stared at her, part in disbelief. Was she taking his parents’ side? Surely not? If it had been one short argument he would get her point but he’d lived with their hot fury for months, a period when his mother could hardly bring herself to look at him. The first big argument had come the evening he’d ended it. He’d done the right thing by telling them personally and immediately.
He’d found solace from their fury in Orla’s arms. He’d turned his phone off and cloistered her in his oldest apartment. Those magical days together had pushed the mess he’d created far from his mind. Unfortunately it had given his parents the time and space to build everything up so when he’d next seen them, they’d been ready to unload their venom at him. Reeling at their selfishness, reeling from Orla’s disappearance, he’d unloaded right back at them.
‘There are some lines that should never be crossed,’ he said shortly. ‘And now that I’m a father it makes their reaction even more unforgivable.’
‘Oh, come on.’ Her shades masked her eyes, but he could swear he heard her eyes roll. ‘They’re only human. Life’s too short to hold on to grudges.’
‘Can you forgive your mother?’
‘That’s completely different. She was always a useless parent.’ And then she surprised him completely by climbing onto his lap and straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. ‘Remember, to err is human, to forgive divine.’
‘When are you going to forgive me?’
‘I’m working on it.’ And then she kissed him with such tenderness that if Finn hadn’t been sleeping beside them, he would have ripped both their shorts off and taken her there and then.
LATER THAT NIGHT, dressed only in Tonino’s shirt, which she’d adopted as her own, and replete in his arms, Orla made circles around his nipples. ‘Can I ask you something?’
He answered sleepily, ‘Anything.’
‘Did you have any feelings for Sophia?’
She had no idea how she was going to feel whatever answer he gave, but it was a question that had been bugging her since their earlier trip to the beach. It took such a long time for him to answer that she thought he’d fallen asleep, but then a hand burrowed into her hair.
‘I was attracted to her—Sophia is a beautiful woman—but that’s as far as my feelings towards her went.’ He sighed. ‘The chemistry was not there. Not for me. I assumed familiarity would breed desire but I was wrong—all it bred was contempt. We’d been childhood friends but the more I got to know the grown-up Sophia, the less I liked her.’ He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, his voice dropping to a murmur. ‘But it was only when a beautiful Irishwoman walked into my hotel that I knew I had to end the engagement.’
Her heart skipped.
Tonino kissed her head and tightened his hold around her. ‘You, dolcezza, were the most beautiful woman I had ever set eyes on. I spent the day organising the refurbishment of your room when I should have been in meetings with lawyers and accountants.’
He felt the heavy beats of her heart pressing against his stomach. He felt the stirrings of arousal.
‘I could not stop myself from fantasising about you. I fantasised about stripping you naked and making love to you.’ The stirrings grew stronger. ‘They were fantasies that told me I had to end things with Sophia—how could I marry her when I felt such intense desire for someone else? I did the honourable thing and ended the engagement immediately. I did not ask you out until after I’d spoken to her. When we made love, I was a free man.’ Moving smoothly, he manoeuvred her onto her back and covered her body with his. ‘And I am still a free man. Marry me and you will have me for ever.’
She stared up at him, her eyes like dazed orbs.
Cupping her cheeks, he pressed his nose to hers. ‘You, dolcezza, are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. There is no one like you in this world. I have never wanted anyone the way I want you. You are under my skin and in my blood. I want you there for ever.’
And then he kissed her.
Orla, hypnotised as much by his voice as his words, sank into the firmness of his mouth with a sigh, a throb deep inside her already singing its head off in anticipation.
He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted her?
Well, she’d never wanted anyone but him…
‘Finn can have a good life here,’ he murmured as he kissed her neck. ‘He will have family, cousins to play with, sunshine, ripe fruits…everything he needs to thrive.’ He captured a nipple over the cotton of the shirt covering her body and sucked it greedily. ‘If you won’t marry me, live with me. Move in…’ He moved lower, kissing her shirt-covered belly, taking hold of her thighs and gently spreading them. ‘You will be close to Aislin and Dante.’ He moved even lower and gently raised her bottom. ‘I know how much you miss them.’
‘You…don’t…play…fair,’ she groaned, stickily wet and aching for him.
‘I play to win.’ He pressed his thumb to her swollen clitoris.
She moaned and grabbed hold of the pillow.
‘Tell me this doesn’t feel like winning to you too.’ And then he replaced his thumb with his tongue and any semblance of coherent thought vanished as Orla was suffused in intense, hedonistic pleasure.
‘We’ll stay until the party. Save Finn having to do all that travelling.’
Orla’s whispered words cut through the sleep pulling Tonino under.
He kissed her shoulder and murmured, ‘If you move in he won’t have to do any travelling between our countries.’
‘I know.’
‘Think about it. For Finn’s sake.’
And, as Tonino finally fell into the oblivion of sleep, his last conscious thought was that it would be for his own sake too.
The next ten days passed with nothing more said about marriage or them living together. At first Orla had been glad of the reprieve but the longer time passed, the less she trusted it.
