Behind the Castello Doors (18 page)

‘Carissima,’
he whispered, and surged forward—only to halt again when he felt the fragile barrier of her virginity. ‘Beth?’ He stared into her wide eyes, stunned to see the faint trepidation in their green depths. ‘Your first time?’

There was no point in lying. ‘Yes.’ She felt him pull back and frantically gripped his shoulders. ‘Are you going to stop?’

‘Do you want me to?’ he asked hoarsely.

She shook her head, and driven by innate honesty admitted, ‘I want you to be the first.’

Cesario expelled his breath on a ragged sigh. She was so lovely, his English rose. And now she would be truly his.

‘If I had known I would have taken things more slowly,’ he murmured, bending his head to anoint each of her reddened nipples with his lips. He heard her soft gasp, and with great care he slowly eased forward. He felt the initial restraint of her body and slanted his mouth over hers to catch her faint surprised cry as he pushed through the delicate membrane and surged deep into her.

He fitted perfectly, Beth thought, a sweet languor stealing over as the stinging pain of his possession quickly
passed. He filled her, completed her, and she arched her hips to welcome each thrust of his rigid length, discovering as she did so that he was taking her on a journey of such intense pleasure that she hoped it would never end. Urgency replaced her languor, and she twisted her head on the pillow as he drove into her with long, measured strokes, setting a rhythm that took her quickly to the edge of some unknown place and held her there, gasping and sobbing his name, as the first spasms rippled from her central core.

Beads of sweat glistened on his bronzed shoulders and she sensed instinctively that he was fighting to control the insistent demands of his body. His skin was drawn taut over his razor-sharp cheekbones and his eyes glittered with a primitive hunger that sent a thrill of excitement through her. He thrust again, the deepest yet, and she shattered, her slender body arching as spasm after spasm ripped through her in an unending tide of indescribable pleasure.

He gripped her hips and held her tight, increased his pace, faster, harder, while she convulsed around him until with a groan rent from deep in his soul he reached his own release and buried his face in her fragrant hair as his seed pumped from him.

It was a long time before Cesario lifted his head from where he had pillowed it on her breasts. The ragged sound of their breathing had gradually slowed, and Beth became aware that the rain had eased to a soft pitter-patter on the roof of the cabin.

Tension seeped into her when he propped himself on his elbows and stared into her eyes, his hard-boned face as enigmatic as ever. She did not know what he expected. Should she make a witty remark or compliment him on his performance? What was the protocol between two people who had indulged in casual sex? she wondered bleakly.

Her heart leapt with relief when he smiled softly and bent his head to claim her mouth in a tender kiss. ‘So that was your first lesson in making love,
mia bella.
’ He laughed ruefully at her shocked expression when she felt the unmistakable sign that he was already aroused again, his hardened shaft pushing against her hip. ‘As you can feel, I am an impatient tutor, and my body is eager to give you your second lesson.’

‘Why don’t you, then?’ she invited daringly, feeling a flood of silken heat between her legs.

To her disappointment he eased away from her and stood up. ‘Because I must be patient and allow your body time to recover from any soreness.’ He could not resist dropping another kiss on the slight pout of her lips. ‘We have plenty of time,
cara
,’ he assured her gently.

Beth did not like to think of time. The results of the DNA test would be known in a matter of days, and if they proved that Cesario was not Sophie’s father she would take the baby back to England and probably never see him again. He had proved how much he desired her, but she was under no illusion that he wanted anything more than a brief affair with her.

Feeling agitated, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and to her horror saw a small, betraying bloodstain on the sheet. Cesario returned from the bathroom and she flushed when his eyes settled briefly on the mark.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll change the sheet.’ A host of confused emotions surged up inside her, and inexplicably she burst into tears.

‘Shh,
carissima
.’ Cesario swept her into his arms, feeling a curious tug on his heart at the sight of her distress. ‘The sheet is not important. Come.’ He carried her into
the bathroom where the bath was filling, and lowered her into the fragrant bubbles.

Beth let out a shaky sigh as she sank into the warm water and felt the tension seep from her body. ‘I don’t know why I’m being so silly.’ She was embarrassed by her tears and quickly rubbed her hand over her face.

‘Not silly,’ he assured her in his deep, velvet-soft voice. ‘Just very lovely, and rather more innocent that I had expected,’ he added wryly.

He knew he should feel guilty that he had taken her virginity, but he could not regret the most profoundly moving experience of his life, Cesario thought fiercely. He felt a sense of honour that she had chosen him and another curious sensation—a golden glow inside him that he hadn’t felt for a long time but which he realised with surprise was happiness.

‘I can manage,’ Beth protested when Cesario tipped shampoo into his palm.

His eyes met hers and his gentle smile made her heart ache with a longing that he. She caught her lip between her teeth and told herself to be sensible. Just because he had made love to her so beautifully it did not mean that he loved her. But when he looked at her as he was doing now, she couldn’t help but believe that he cared for her a little.

‘Humour me, hmm …?’ he murmured, and proceeded to wash and rinse her hair before he lifted her out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her.

It was a novel experience to be taken care of, and Beth gave herself up to the tender ministrations of his hands as he dried her and carried her back to the bed. He stretched out beside her and kissed her, parting her lips and tasting
her with little sips that deepened to something innately sensual.

Her skin was like satin, Cesario thought as he explored her with his mouth, sucking gently on each of her swollen nipples before moving lower to ease her legs apart and bestow the most intimate caress of all. She gave a little gasp, shock quickly turning to delight, and he smiled and set about his self-appointed task, using his tongue and all his skill and patience until she writhed and sobbed his name, and he tasted her feminine fragrance as she climaxed beneath him.

‘Sleep for a while,’ he murmured when he took her back in his arms and brushed his lips across her hair.

She looked at him uncertainly. ‘But don’t you want to.?’

‘That was for you,
cara.
’ He ruthlessly controlled his throbbing need and watched her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks.

There was plenty of time for him to make love to her fully and experience the pleasure of their mutual satisfaction, Cesario mused as he settled her head on his shoulder. Whatever the outcome of the DNA test, he saw no reason why Beth should not remain at the castle as his mistress. Not for ever, of course. He did not
do
for ever.

He frowned, wondering why the prospect of ending their relationship—as he surely would eventually—was such an unwelcome thought. But he could not imagine his desire for her fading any time soon. He had been captivated by a green-eyed witch and he was in no rush to escape her magic.

‘I’m sure Sophie has gained a few pounds,’ Beth remarked as she cuddled the baby before handing her to Cesario.
‘Luisa has a set of baby scales and she’s going to weigh her later.’

They were in the castle gardens, enjoying the spring sunshine that shone from an azure sky, although Sophie—who had been propped up on a pile of cushions on the rug—was protected from the sun by a parasol which provided plenty of shade.

Cesario settled the little girl in the crook of his arm and covered her dark hair with a sunhat before he strolled over to one of the ornamental pools so that she could watch the fountain splashing into the water.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve put on a couple of pounds too,’ he murmured, when Beth walked over to join him. His gaze dropped to her low-cut strap-top. ‘Not that I have any complaints,
cara.
Your breasts are definitely fuller. How do you expect me to do any work when you’re such a sexy distraction?’

She laughed and pushed her silky brown hair over her shoulders, her eyes glowing in a face that was no longer pale and drawn but as tanned as the rest of her slim body. A combination of iron tablets and good food meant that she was no longer anaemic. She still did not get much sleep at night, but she could not blame Sophie. The baby now slept through the night, and if she did stir, the nanny, Luisa, now occupied the bedroom adjoining the nursery and was on hand to see to her.

No, her sleepless nights were for a very different reason, Beth mused, feeling the familiar lurch of her heart when Cesario gave her a sultry smile that had the immediate effect of making her blood zing in her veins.

‘Considering how many times we made love last night, I would have thought you would be glad of a few hours shut away in your study while you restore your energy.’

‘I am fully recuperated,’ he assured her dryly, his eyes glinting with amusement and possessive heat. ‘A fact that I intend to prove while Sophie has her afternoon nap.’

He chuckled when Beth blushed furiously. ‘I can’t imagine what the staff must think about the amount of time we spend in bed,’ she muttered.

‘You know all the staff are charmed by you. Even Teodoro smiles when your name is mentioned, and several times I’ve caught him feeding your ugly dog titbits from the kitchen.’

‘Harry’s not ugly—he’s adorable. Aren’t you?’ she said, bending down to stroke the ever-faithful scruffy dog who looked up at her with adoration in his soulful brown eyes.

Was it crazy to feel jealous of the attention Beth lavished on a mutt? Cesario asked himself impatiently. He contented himself with the knowledge that soon he would sweep her upstairs to the master bedroom and lay her down on his huge four-poster bed. He would remove her clothes and she would strip him and run her soft hands over his chest and thighs, before closing her fingers around his swollen shaft.

He glanced down at Sophie and saw she had fallen asleep in his arms. Her long dark lashes curled on her pink cheeks. She was as pretty as a doll, and he felt a gentle tug on his heart as he carried her into the castle and handed her to the nanny. Any day now they should hear back from the clinic. Was it crazy to hope that Sophie
was
his daughter? Cesario wondered. The circumstances surrounding her conception were not ideal. He still found it hard to believe that, in a drunken state, he’d had sex with a woman he had no recollection of, but he had to accept the possibility that he had slept with Melanie Stewart. If Sophie was his, he would have no regrets about her birth.

‘I think we should follow Sophie’s lead and take a siesta,’ he told Beth as he scooped her up and strode towards the stairs.

She wound her arms around his neck and appeared to consider his suggestion. ‘I suppose we could. Or you could give me another riding lesson. Or we could visit the falconry. Or sit in the library and read about the history of the castle and your, I have to say, rather bloodthirsty ancestors.’

Cesario silently reflected on the past two weeks which, if he was honest with himself, had been the happiest time he’d known in the four years since he had lost his son. And it was all down to the woman in his arms.

‘No wonder I get so little work done when I prefer to spend all my time with you.’ He paused on the landing and kissed her with fierce passion, until reality faded and she clung to him, her body pliant and desperate for his possession.

‘I wish you didn’t have to go away later today. Four days is a long time and I’m going to miss you.’ Beth sighed, uncaring that she might be giving too much away. They had barely spent any time apart since they had become lovers, and she hated the prospect of four long days and even longer nights without Cesario.

‘I’m afraid my trip to Japan is unavoidable,
cara
.’ He hesitated, and then said gruffly, ‘I’ll miss you too.’

How had she slipped into his life without him realising how important she had become to him? he wondered. He wasn’t looking forward to his business trip because it meant four nights when she would not fall asleep in his arms, and he would wake in the mornings to an empty bed rather than to her smile.

‘I may be able to wrap things up quickly and come home
early. And I don’t have to leave yet. What would you like to do for the next hour,
mia bella
?’

‘I would like you to make love to me, please,’ she told him, in an innocent voice that did not match the wicked gleam in her eyes.

Cesario laughed out loud, and then halted abruptly and gave her an intent look. ‘The castle isn’t used to the sound of laughter. It was a rare occurrence when I was growing up here, and since Nicolo died this has been a place of sadness.’

‘There wasn’t a lot of laughter in my childhood, either,’ Beth admitted. ‘I never knew I could feel like this—’ She broke off, afraid he would guess how she felt about him. But it wasn’t in her nature to be secretive. ‘You make me happy,’ she whispered.

Cesario wanted to tell her that she made him happy too, but the lessons of his childhood were deeply ingrained. He had never in his life told anyone how he felt. He was not good at expressing his emotions verbally, he acknowledged. But every time he made love to her he showed her with tender caresses of his hands and mouth that she had crept under his guard, and he could not imagine a time when he would want to let her go.

His mobile rang as he strode into the bedroom and deposited Beth on the bed. He felt a pang of guilt for his PA as he went to switch off the phone. Donata had spent the past couple of weeks postponing his appointments and making excuses for why he was unavailable. But when he glanced at the caller display he saw that it was not his secretary, and his heart lurched.