Lost in Italy (38 page)

“Stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Selling yourself short.  You’re—”

“I am short,” she quipped.

“You’re the only one making comparisons to women I’ve dated and finding yourself lacking.  I’m attracted to you, Halli.  Not just your body, but the whole obsessive, compulsive, patience-trying package.”

Another backhanded compliment.  Man, he was so good at those.  Then again, why did she care so long as he wanted her?

His hold tightened on her shoulders a moment before he pushed away.  His fingers raked through his dark hair before he braced against the sink.  “I was mad before,” he admitted, head hung low.  “But at myself, not you.  If anyone’s not good enough, it’s me.  I have no business taking advantage of you.  Especially after you’ve been drinking.”

Halli stared at his back in amazement.  “Seriously?  You think that’s what’s happening here?”

“I know that’s what’s happening.  You’re completely out of your element with everything you’ve been through the past couple days.  You said so yourself.”

That much was true.  Sitting across the table from him at dinner she’d accepted the fact she had no idea what tomorrow held.  They could succeed wildly, or fail tragically.  The upside down trip her life had taken scared her to death.  At the same time, unbelievably, she’d never been more aware of the world.

Colors in the garden, in the city, along the roadside and surrounding the lake were brilliant and vibrant.  Food tasted better, smelled better.  She was thankful for every breath of air and even for the scant few hours she’d spent with her sister this afternoon.

What a wild realization that, threatened with her own death, she was learning to live for the first time since she was sixteen.  Trent was a part of that, and she wanted more.

From him.

With
him.

Ironically, it sounded as if she’d have to do some convincing.  The perfect idea waved its hand wildly in front of her warm face.  She leaned against the small bar counter behind her and put the plan in motion, ever thankful for the extra bravery from the wine.

“You know, you’re right.”

He straightened and turned.  His expression of resigned disappointment bolstered her courage further.

“And thank God you’re so honorable,” she continued.  “I had no idea how defenseless, innocent, drunk little me would be against your grand, movie star irresistibility.”

His gaze narrowed.  “Spare me the sarcasm.”

“Then spare me the ego.  Yes, I had a little wine, but I am more than capable of saying no.”

After a moment of steady contemplation, his cocky smile surfaced.  “I can be very persuasive.”

That’s the ego she was looking for.
 
She spread her hands wide, palms up.  “Give it your best shot.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Halli deliberately lowered her gaze, shrugged a shoulder, and looked back up.  “If you’re not up for the challenge…”

Trent pushed away from the sink and took the two steps that separated them.  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I’m always up for a challenge.  You sure you want to be it?”

Yes
.  No.

Oh, God, she was ready to chicken out. 
So much for the wine
.

He didn’t touch her.  Didn’t need to.  Her pulse raced out of control, stunned she’d actually gone through with the split-second decision to invite his seduction.

Live, Halli.  Live
.

She turned her head to meet his gaze.  Their noses almost bumped.  “I’m sure I know my own mind.”

His low, sensual laugh about melted her where she stood.  A deep breath should’ve shored up her will-power to present token resistance for appearances sake, but she only got a heady, seductive dose of Trent. 
Great
.  He’d win before the challenge even began.

He was going to win, she just didn’t want to stroke his monumental ego by caving so soon.

A soft kiss touched on the corner of her mouth.  She kept her eyes open, afraid if she closed them, sensation would completely overwhelm her determination.  Their only physical connection was his lips on hers, but she felt the heat of him from her shoulders to her toes.  Anticipated the moment she’d feel the full effect of his lean, hard length.

His mouth feathered across her cheek, whisper light, warm on her skin.  Somehow, she remained stock still as he brushed her hair back off her shoulder, baring her neck for his exploration.  Oh, her heart pounded, stomach quivered, knees weakened and fingers clenched the counter so hard she nearly lost feeling in them, but she didn’t so much as whimper her consent when he located her weak spot under her jaw, just beneath her ear.

His tongue swirled a pattern over her pulse, drew her earlobe between his teeth, then soothed away the sting of his sensual nip.  He stepped back.  By some miracle, she managed a cool, inquiring lift of her brows.  He considered her with eyes darkened to a combination of moss green and burnt amber.  She held his intense gaze, and her breath.

He shifted to her other side and started all over again.

She wondered if ten more seconds was long enough to hold out.

When she reached a mental count of nine, he lifted his head with a frustrated growl.  “God, you are hell on a guy’s ego.”

The rough edges on his words were her undoing.  She sucked in a gulp of air and reached up to pull him back down.  Full on, mouth to mouth, no more teasing.  Her hands threaded in his hair, pulling closer, closer still.  Surprise held him stiff for only a second or two before he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss like a drowning man who’d been thrown a life preserver.

But she was the one who’d been drowning.  In her rigidly planned, boring, predictable life.  She just hadn’t known it until she’d met him.

Halli dragged her hands down, over the taut ridges of his shoulders, wedged her arms between them, and fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.  For one wild second, she entertained an urge to grab each side and yank them apart.  Would the little round plastic discs pop and fly free, or would the material tear?  Either way, the wine only went so far and regular bravery didn’t cover ripping his clothes off.

But wouldn’t that be fun?

He gave her some room to work and caught his breath at the same time.  “What happened to
‘I’m more than capable of saying no’
, and ‘
I’m sure I know my own mind’
?”

“I can still say no anytime I want to…right?”

A stillness settled in his body and wariness shaded his eyes.  “Right.”

She undid the last button, flattened her palms on his hot skin, and watched her hands slide up the wide expanse of his chest.  The bruises on his torso gave her a moment’s pause, but she pressed on.  Just the right amount of dark hair tickled her palms, and underneath, the strength and hardness of him felt so good.  So did taking charge.  Having control of this situation gave her a sense of…freedom.

Completely unlike herself.

Scary, yet exhilarating.

She smiled without a single flicker of uncertainty over her actions.  “Then I’m sure I know this is what I want.”

His mouth slanted across hers in an all-consuming, wet, wild kiss that ratcheted the heat between them to an impossible level.  They turned, spinning the few feet from the counter to the panel that concealed the sleeping berth.  Trent slid it open with one hand, spinning again to pull her down on top of him as he lay back on the bed.

He sucked in a gasp and arched his back.  “
Ow
.”

Halli braced her hands on the bed and levered her weight off him.  “Sorry, what—oh.”

In the dim light filtering in from the galley, she saw he’d pulled the gun out from underneath him.  His long reach deposited the weapon on a tiny shelf at the head of the bed, while his other arm kept her from moving too far away.  The constant reminder of danger only served to reinforce her decision.

Knees on either side of his hips, she straddled him, hips snug against his hard arousal.  He drew her down for another kiss.  The auburn cascade of her hair was brushed out of the way, only to glide back along her cheeks when his touch skimmed her shoulders, back, and waist, to grasp her hips.  Fingers flexed, then sought bare skin under her shirt.

Halli sat up and criss-crossed her arms over her stomach to grab the hem.  His hands caught hers, stilling her action before dropping to rest on her thighs.  He lay beneath her, completely still.

“There’s something I need to ask, and I want the truth.”

Her stomach protested his serious tone, but she waited for his question.

“Does this have anything to do with the money?”

Relief released her tension.  She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this was easy.  Her hands splayed on his flat stomach as she leaned forward with a soft laugh.  “As if.  Even Julia Roberts only got three thousand in
Pretty Woman
.”

Abdominal muscles tightened beneath her touch just before his hands snatched hers and he moved to sit up.  “Damn it, Halli—”

In a quick movement, she linked her fingers with his and used her weight to keep him horizontal.

“I’m kidding—geez.  No, it’s not about the money.”

He had the strength to overpower her easily, wanted to by the look in his eyes and rigid arms, and the way he held them both mid-way off the bed.  She got right up in his face.  “Frankly, the suggestion is insulting.”

His gaze held hers without apology.  “I don’t want you to feel obligated, or that it’s the least you can do.  Then
I
would be insulted.”

The words she’d said about desert earlier caught her off guard. 
For a million cash, it’s the least I can do.

Halli quit pushing and abruptly sat back on his thighs.  He rose up and braced his hands behind him.  As they faced each other in the intimate position, she took a moment to honestly analyze the motivation behind her out-of-character decisions tonight.  The result kept her from climbing off his lap.

“Am I thankful?  Yes.  Amazed at your generosity?  Yes.  Do I feel like I have to have sex with you to show my appreciation?”

He seemed to hold his breath.

“No
.
”

His expression told her he wasn’t sure she told the truth and she huffed in annoyance.  “You’re the one who keeps saying how boring I am, so—”

“I didn’t say you were boring.”

“You’ve said it more than once.”

“I said
Wisconsin
Halli sounds boring,” he corrected.  “Italy Halli is anything but.”

“Then chalk this up to Italy Halli’s decision to enjoy what life has to offer before the moment passes her by.”

She took a deep breath, suddenly nervous again.  Somewhere along the way, he’d stopped being Trent Tomlin, International Movie Star.  The man in front of her was so much more than the selfish playboy the public read about in the tabloids, and she wanted to be as close to this man as a woman could be.

“Tomorrow’s going to come soon enough,” she said.  “Give me something else to think about.  Something else to feel other than scared to death.”

The plea nearly stopped Trent’s heart in his chest.  “You’re sure?”

“Obligated is the last thing I’m feeling right now, so, unless you’re looking for an excuse to stop…?”

He flipped her onto her back so fast she barely had a chance to gasp in surprise.  Looming over her, he nudged her legs apart with one knee and covered her body with his.  Need pulsed through him, centered where her hips cradled his.

“Does it feel like I’m looking for excuses?”

She shook her head.  A small smile curved her kiss-swollen lips and he couldn’t help but claim them again, thinking he could drink her in for hours and not get bored.  Moments later, she dragged his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms.  As he wrestled his bandaged arm free of the sleeve, she did the criss-cross move again and arched her back to drag her shirt over her head.

Yeah.  Getting naked was good, too.  He stared at the lace-edged, white satin bra he’d left on the bed for her back at his villa. “Damn, I was hoping for the black.”

“Excuse me?”

“The underwear you picked.  I was hoping for black.”

“Oh.”

He located the spot along her jaw where her pulse raced, and now that she wasn’t fighting to prove a point, he succeeded in eliciting a sexy purr of pleasure from her lips.  The sound deepened when he brushed his palm over her satin and lace covered nipple, teasing it to a hard peak before cupping her breast through the material.  She fit perfectly in his hand, but he couldn’t wait to take her in his mouth.

“Wait a second,” she protested.  “After all the staring you did at my chest last night, you never noticed my bra wasn’t black through that white shirt?”

Kisses feathered across her collar bone and the exposed curve of her breast brought him closer to his goal.  “I was more focused on the
Wet & Wild
.”

“Typical.”