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‘I—I mean it, Raffaele.’
‘I’m sure you do. You look very determined.’
‘It’s just not right. You must see that.’
‘What I see is a beautiful young woman denying something very natural, very powerful.’
‘I—I…’
‘Yes? I—I admit you’re right, Raffaele?’ He gently mocked her, then took two steps towards her, so slowly. Her entire body erupted as he closed the space. He lifted her hand, put her fingers to his lips. Pressed them gently.
‘You’re going to have a fabulous career, Coral. Kissing me or anyone else isn’t going to make one blind bit of difference.’
She stared at his lips under her pale fingers. She stared at the perfect angles of his face, shaded with stubble. Her eyes drank in the image. It was mesmeric.
‘What you achieve is going to be all your own work. But there’s no reason why you can’t have some fun along the way.’
‘I’m not looking for fun.’
He raised his eyebrows, but he was still smiling.
‘Fun will find you, Coral. A woman who looks like you? As talented and driven as you are? Fun is going to be all round you and you’ll not know which way to turn.’
‘That’s why I intend to avoid situations like this.’
Her words sounded silly, girlish in her own ears.
He still held her fingers. She knew she should pull them free but she didn’t want to. The sensation as he gently massaged each finger, stroking and soothing, was utterly electrifying.
‘Avoidance is a weak form of defence, Coral. You’re going to need to be much smarter than that.’
‘And you’re the very one to teach me?’ she said.
He nodded. ‘You’ll be much better armed when you can tell the good guys from the bad guys. When you can work out who’s safe and who’s dangerous.’
‘Why do I feel like this is dangerous?’
‘I’ve got nothing to gain by kissing you other than pleasure. That should tell you all you need to know.’
She felt almost woozy as he continued to stroke, his fingers now around her wrist.
‘Pleasure?’ she repeated.
‘That’s right. I don’t want to manipulate you. Or stitch you up with a bad contract. Or promise to make you CEO. I just want to give you pleasure. Nothing else.’
He closed his hand round her fingers and gently tugged her towards him.
‘Why deny yourself what you know you want?’
‘I don’t even know what I want any more.’
‘I know you want me to kiss you—don’t you?’
He moved a fraction closer. She could see the eyelashes that framed each eye, the fine line of his eyelid, the proud jut of his nose. She could scent him. No matter what her brain was saying, her body was reacting to this man on a level she’d never experienced before. She was almost completely lost.
‘You can’t always have what you want, Raffa,’ she breathed. ‘Or didn’t your mother ever teach you that?’
He had been about to kiss her, had his head tilted to the side. He stopped and turned away. For just a moment she sensed his immense sadness.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, suddenly recalling his story. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’
He laughed, but it sounded empty. ‘As a matter of fact she did say that to me.’
Coral winced and crushed her eyes closed. ‘I’d no idea…’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s an everyday phrase. People use it all the time.’
His jaw clenched and he shook his head. She swallowed. She’d really hit a nerve.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, and turned her fingers in his hand, squeezing it. Then she clasped her other hand around it and tugged it to her chest. ‘She used it with you and I understand how that must feel.’
He glanced at her as if to say, Really?
‘It’s nothing. I’ve been thinking about her a lot recently. It passes.’
He smiled, but sadness clung like a cloak around him.
‘Raffaele…’ she said.
He looked round and she saw the unreadable eyes, the unbearably beautiful masculine face. The soul-deep passions and sorrowful secrets he held inside.
The tide within her swelled and burst. ‘Kiss me.’
For a moment he stood still, then he stepped forward, clasped her face in his hands, lowered his head. And kissed her. Slowly, gently. The most erotic kiss.
‘Yes…’ The word came out as a sigh as he pulled his head away.
Her eyes fluttered open. He was right. How could something this good be wrong? What harm could result from a kiss? It was only a kiss. And it felt so, so right.
‘Such a pleasure,’ he said, kissing her again.
