it both ways,” he broke in on her.
“This isn’t a black-and-white situation.”
“So you admit there’s some gray area where we can negotiate?”
She let out a troubled sigh. “I shouldn’t have come up here.”
“Are you saying good-night, then? I can assure you I’d much rather you came in my room the way you did a long time ago, but the decision is up to you.”
Close to a faint from wanting to be with him, she turned to go back down the stairs. The next thing she knew, Vincenzo had caught her around the waist with his strong arms. “Oh—”
“Is this what you want, Gemma? Yes or no?”
Heaven help her. “Yes—”
VINCENZO PULLED HER into his room so her back was crushed against his chest.
“After our troubled reunion days ago, I didn’t expect a welcome home like this. I love this dress, by the way. You’re not so covered up.” He kissed her neck, sending curls of delight through her body.
There was a playful side to him that seduced her. Though he was still dressed in trousers, Gemma could tell he was shirtless. His male scent and the faint aroma of the soap he used were intoxicating. She struggled for breath. “I didn’t know if you were up here or not.”
“I’d barely arrived and was getting ready to drive to the pensione to find you.” He buried his face in her hair like he’d done so many times in the past. “You have no idea how beautiful you are. I couldn’t get back fast enough. When did you let this profusion of silk grow out?”
“Mamma liked it short, but I got tired of the style.”
“It’s breathtaking and smells divine.”
He’d always said wonderful things to her. “I don’t remember your voice being this deep.”
His low chuckle excited her. “Yours is the same.”
“I think you’re taller than you once were.”
“So are you, in high heels. I don’t think I ever told you how much I love your long legs.” He turned her around so he could look into her eyes. “Do you think we’re through growing up?”
In the dim glow of a lamp she saw a glimmer of a smile hover at the corners of his compelling mouth.
“I don’t know. You’re still the tease I remember.”
“And you still blush. Give me your mouth, Gemma, so I’ll know not everything has changed.”
She put her hands against his chest with its dusting of black hair. “Please don’t kiss me again, Vincenzo. I was simply trying to find you so I could explain what I meant the other night after you followed me to the pensione to talk. Everything came out wrong. I’ll go downstairs while you finish getting dressed and meet you in the lobby, where we can have the conversation we should have had.”
Gemma tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly in his grasp. “The last time you came to this room, I had to let you go too soon because I was afraid you could be in danger. That’s not the case anymore, and I’ve waited too long for this moment.”
He lowered his mouth to hers and began kissing her. A kiss here, a kiss there, then one so long and deep her legs started to give way. Vincenzo picked her up in his arms and carried her past the square hunting table in front of the fireplace to the hand-carved bed.
The suite had been redecorated in nineteenth-century decor with every accoutrement befitting his title. But Gemma wasn’t aware of anything except this man who was kissing her senseless. No longer the eighteen-year-old she’d adored, he was a man already making her feel immortal.
When she’d come to his bed ten years ago, he’d been suffering, in pain, and they’d had to be so careful how they kissed and held each other. Not wanting to make it worse, Gemma had had to be the one to make it easier for him to get close to her and caress her.
Tonight that wasn’t their problem. With one kiss Vincenzo had swept her away to a different place, exciting her in ways she hadn’t thought possible. He rolled her over so he could look down at her. His hands roamed her hips and arms as if memorizing her.
“I could eat you alive, bellissima.” He kissed every feature of her face before capturing her mouth again and again. One kiss turned into another, drowning her in desire. Vincenzo was such a gorgeous man, she couldn’t believe he was loving her like this. “I know this is what you want, too. You can’t deny it. You’re in my blood and my heart, Gemma.”
“You’re in mine,” she cried softly. “I can’t remember a moment when you weren’t a part of me.”
“I want you with me. It’s past time we were together.”
She cupped his striking face in her hands. “That’s what you say now.”
He kissed the tips of her fingers. “What kind of a comment is that? You think I’m going to change? Wouldn’t I have already done that over the years we’ve been apart? I’ve already asked you to marry me. What more proof do you need? That’s a commitment to last forever.” He plundered her mouth with another heart-stopping kiss.
Gemma moaned. “All lovers say that. If you were a normal man, I could believe it.”
He raised up on one elbow, tracing the outline of her lips. “You don’t think I’m normal? We’ve been apart too long. Spend the night with me and you’ll find out the truth.”
“I don’t mean that kind of normal, and you know it.”
“With you lying here in my arms, your lambent green eyes as alive with desire as your body, I’m in the mood to humor you. I hunger for you, Gemma.”
“You’re not thinking clearly, Vincenzo.” She fought tears. “I can’t marry you.”
Lines marred his arresting features. “Of course you can. A duca can do whatever he likes, choose whatever woman he wants, just like any other man.”
“I know,” she whispered, turning her head away. Oh, how well she knew after learning the dark secrets inside the walls of the castello. His father’s and uncle’s proclivities for other women had been one of the great scandals in all Lombardi.
He caught her chin so she had to look at him. “Let’s get something straight once and for all. I have despised the class system all my life and fought against it growing up. The idea of finding the right princess to marry in order to gain more power and money is revolting to me. Your love sustained me growing up. It means more to me than any riches or possessions.”
She eased away from him and sat up, smoothing the hair off her forehead. “You say that now.”
“I’ll say it now and until the end of our days together.”
“Vincenzo—”
