Her Exquisite Surrender: Surrendering All But Her Heart / Innocent in the Ivory Tower / Full Surrender

Angelo had barely opened the door of the villa when she slammed him up against the wall as if she was about to frisk him.

‘Hey, was it something I said?’ he asked.

Her dark blue gaze sizzled as it held his. ‘You promised me dessert,’ she said. ‘It’s time to serve me.’

The entire length of his backbone shuddered as she ran her hand over his erection. ‘Who’s doing the cooking here?’ he asked.

She gave him a wicked look and brazenly unzipped him. ‘I want an appetiser,’ she said.

It was all he could do to stand there upright as she sank to her knees in front of him. He braced himself by standing with his feet slightly apart. When she was in this mood there was no stopping her. He was just happy to be taken along for the ride.

And what a ride it was.

Fireworks went off in his head. He couldn’t have held back if he had tried. She ruthlessly teased and caressed him until he was barely able to stand upright. His skin went up in a layer of goosebumps and his heart raced like a fat retiree at a fun run.

She stood up and gave him a wanton smile that had a hint of challenge to it. ‘Top that,’ she said.

‘I can do that,’ he said, and swept her up in his arms.

He took her to the master suite. He dropped her in the middle of the mattress and then pulled her by one ankle until she was right between his spread thighs. He leaned over her, breathing in her scent, his mouth coming down to claim her in a sensual feast that had her shuddering in seconds. She bucked and arched and screamed, and even batted at him with her fists, but he wouldn’t let her go until he was satisfied that he had drawn every last shuddering gasp out of her.

She lay back and flung a hand over her eyes, her chest rising and falling. ‘OK, you win,’ she said breathlessly.

‘It was pretty damn close,’ he said, coming to lie next to her. He trailed a finger down the length of her satin-smooth arm. ‘Maybe we should have a re-match some time soon, just to make sure?’

She rolled her head to look at him. ‘Give me ten minutes.’

‘Five.’

‘You’re insatiable.’

‘Only with you.’

A tiny frown puckered her brow and she turned her head back to look at the ceiling. ‘Have there been many?’ she asked after a pause.

‘Does it matter?’

She gave a careless shrug, but the tight set of her expression contradicted it. ‘Not really.’

‘I was never in love with anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘I’m not.’

He sent his fingertip over the silky smooth cup of her shoulder. ‘Is it so hard to admit you care for me?’ he said.

She shoved his hand away and got off the bed. ‘I knew you would do this,’ she said in agitation.

‘What did I do?’

She turned and speared him with her gaze. ‘I don’t love you,’ she said. ‘Is there something about those words you don’t understand? I don’t love you. I like you. I like you a lot. You’re a nice person. I’ve never met a more decent person. But I’m not in love with you.’

Frustration made Angelo’s voice grate. ‘You don’t want to love anyone, that’s why. You do care, Tatty. You care so much it scares the hell out of you.’

She clenched her fists by her sides. ‘I can’t give you what you want,’ she said.

‘I want you.’

‘You want more,’ she said. ‘You’ve said it from the beginning. You want a family. You want children. I can’t give you them.’

‘Are you infertile?’

She rolled her eyes heavenwards and turned away. ‘I knew you wouldn’t understand.’

He came over to her and took her by the upper arms. ‘Then make me understand,’ he said.

She pressed her lips together, as if she was trying to stop an outburst of unchecked speech from escaping.

He gave her arms a gentle squeeze. ‘Talk to me, Tatty.’

Her eyes watered and she blinked a couple of times to push the tears back. ‘What sort of mother would I be?’ she asked.

‘You’d be a wonderful mother.’

‘I’d be a total nutcase,’ she said, pulling away from him. ‘I’d probably be one of those helicopter parents everyone talks about. I would never be able to relax. So much can happen to a child. There’s so much danger out there: illness, accidents, sick predators on the streets and online. It’s all too much to even think about.’

‘Most parents manage to bring up their children without anything horrible happening to them,’ he said. ‘It’s easy to look at what’s reported in the press and think that the danger is widespread and unavoidable, but you’re disregarding all the positive parenting experiences that are out there.’

‘I just don’t want to go there,’ she said. ‘You can’t make me. No one can make me. You can’t force me to get pregnant.’

‘I sure hope you’re on the pill, then, because I haven’t always used protection.’

‘Did you do that deliberately?’ she asked with a hardened look.

‘No, of course not,’ he said. ‘You were on the pill in the past … I just assumed … OK, maybe I shouldn’t have. I’m clear, if that’s what’s worrying you.’

‘Yes, well, so am I,’ she said. ‘It’s not like I’ve been out there much just lately.’

‘Have you been “out there” at all?’

She tried to look casual about it, but he saw her nibble at the inside of her mouth. ‘A couple of times,’ she said.

‘What happened?’

She gave him a withering look. ‘I’m not going to discuss my sex life with you.’

‘Did you have sex?’

She looked away. ‘It wasn’t great sex,’ she said. ‘More of a token effort, really. I don’t even remember the guy’s name.’