he had lost. But there was no point in looking backwards. The future was what mattered, and he was determined that he would not be denied another day of Nico’s life.
To Kristen’s consternation, Sergio unbuttoned his wet shirt and slipped it off, revealing his tanned torso and the hard ridges of his abdominal muscles.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have a tumble dryer,’ she mumbled, knowing she should look away, but her eyes were locked on the mouth-watering view of his gorgeous half-naked body.
‘No matter, I always keep spare clothes in the car.’ He picked up a towel and blotted the moisture from the whorls of dark hairs covering his chest. Kristen drew a sharp breath when she saw several red scratch marks on his shoulders.
Following her gaze, Sergio’s mouth curved into an amused smile. ‘You were a wild-cat the other night, cara.’
‘That wasn’t me...’ She came to an abrupt halt, colour scalding her cheeks as a memory of clinging to his sweat-slicked shoulders and raking her nails over his skin when he had brought her to a mind-blowing orgasm flooded her mind. Dear heaven, she had behaved like a wanton creature in his arms.
The sultry gleam in his eyes warned her that he had a total recall of making love to her three nights ago. Her pulse leapt and involuntarily she swayed towards him. Her senses were swamped by his maleness—a mixture of aftershave and the indefinable scent of pheromones. Sexual awareness crackled in the tiny bathroom. She watched his eyes darken and held her breath as he dipped his head towards her.
‘Mummy...’
Kristen assured herself that she was relieved by Nico’s timely interruption. ‘I’d better go and see to him,’ she said jerkily and shot out of the bathroom, followed by Sergio’s mocking laughter.
WHEN KRISTEN WENT downstairs after she had tucked Nico into bed there was no sign of Sergio and she assumed he had gone back to his hotel. She couldn’t understand why she felt deflated. A reprieve from his threatened talk could only be a good thing. But as she filled the sink with water to begin the washing-up he strolled into the kitchen, still bare-chested, and carrying a holdall that she guessed he had collected from his car. Heaven knew what her neighbours must think! She tried to ignore the urgent thud of her heart as he opened the bag and took out a T-shirt, which he pulled over his head.
Unfortunately he looked no less sexy in the tight-fitting black shirt that emphasised his muscular physique. He would look good wearing a bin bag, Kristen thought ruefully. He unsettled her and she wished he would go away and give her some space.
‘I realise we have things to discuss, but I’m tired tonight. It’s been a difficult day,’ she muttered, not sure whether to laugh or cry at the understatement. ‘Do you want to come over tomorrow evening instead?’
Sergio gave her a piercing glance and noted that the shadows beneath her eyes had darkened to purple bruises. Her delicate features were drawn and she looked fragile and barely any older than she had done four years ago. The first time he had seen her, she had been dancing on the beach, he remembered. Actually, she had been practising her gymnastics floor routine, she had explained, blushing with embarrassment when she had realised she’d had an audience. Sergio had been entranced by her slender, graceful body and her fey beauty. She had touched his soul in a way no other woman had ever done. But he had no intention of succumbing to her magic again, certainly not now he had discovered that she had kept his son from him.
‘You seem to be under the misapprehension that I am going somewhere, but I’m not leaving,’ he said curtly. ‘I want to see my son first thing in the morning.’ Sensing that she was about to argue, his expression hardened. ‘The other reason I’m going to spend the night here is to make sure you don’t disappear with Nico.’
‘I wouldn’t do that,’ Kristen said sharply, stung by his scathing tone.
‘You hid him from me for three years,’ he reminded her coldly.
She shook her head, despairing that she would ever make him understand why she had acted as she had. ‘I truly believed you would not want him. When we were together you constantly told me you didn’t want a committed relationship, and having a child is a massive commitment.’ Faced with his implacable expression, she sighed and gave up. ‘Anyway, there’s nowhere for you to sleep. The house only has two bedrooms, and Nico’s room is too small for you to share with him.’
‘Then I guess I’ll have to share with you.’
Unexpectedly, Sergio smiled, revealing his gleaming white teeth. Kristen caught her breath as she was instantly transported back to the first time she had met him on the beach in Sicily. He had been wearing running shorts and a vest top that had shown off his tanned, athletic body. With his dark hair falling into his chocolate-brown eyes, he had been the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on, and when he had smiled she had been utterly blown away by him. They had become lovers within days of that first encounter, she remembered. Four years on, the attraction between them was still potent and three nights ago it had blazed into an inferno. But Kristen knew she couldn’t risk her emotional security by sleeping with him again.
‘I’d rather share my bed with the devil,’ she said tartly, desperate to disguise the ache of tears in her voice as she was overwhelmed by memories of the past.
His brows rose. ‘I didn’t get that impression on Friday night.’
She flushed. ‘That was a mistake. The champagne went to my head.’
‘You only had one glass.’ He gave her a speculative look. ‘I take it you haven’t been drinking champagne today?’
‘Of course not. I was at work, and then trapped on a Tube train for nearly an hour,’ she reminded him drily.
‘In that case, my experiment should reveal the truth.’
Kristen had not been aware of Sergio moving, but suddenly he was far too close for comfort and, as he reached behind her and cupped her nape, she realised too late that she had walked into a trap.
‘Don’t...’ Her voice faltered as his head swooped and his warm breath feathered her lips.
‘I am about to prove that you are a little liar, cara,’ he threatened softly, before he stifled her protest by slanting his mouth over hers.
It was no gentle seduction. His lips were firm and demanding, taking without mercy as he twined his fingers in her hair and hauled her against him, trapping her with his arms, which felt like bands of steel while he ravished her tender mouth.
Kristen’s determination to resist him was dissolving in the honeyed sweetness of his kiss. It felt so good when she had been starved of him for so long. It would be so easy to sink into him and give in to his sensual mastery. Summoning her willpower, she attempted to push against his rock-hard chest, but it was futile. She couldn’t escape him, nor could she deny the hot tide of desire that poured through her veins and pooled between her thighs.
With a soft moan, she opened her mouth for him and trembled when he slid his tongue between her lips. Reality faded, just as it had done three nights ago at the hotel. But suddenly, shockingly, he lifted his head and stared down at her, and the triumphant gleam in his eyes acted like an ice-cold shower on her heated flesh.
‘Don’t
