‘For what, amore?’ he whispered.
‘You’ve obviously done this a lot and I...well, I haven’t. As you know, I had a boyfriend in college, but there’s been no one since Bea was born.’
Dante held her closer. ‘And was he a skilled lover, this college boyfriend?’
‘No, he was much better at playing rugby,’ she said unevenly. ‘But I was fond of him and he made me laugh.’
‘It is good to laugh together,’ agreed Dante, and kissed her with mounting urgency. ‘We shall laugh together many times, I hope, but at this moment, tesoro, I want you in all the ways a man wants a woman.’
Rose fully expected an onslaught as he sought instant relief for the tension she could feel building in his body, but instead Dante took infinite pleasure in kissing and caressing every inch of her with clever, inciting hands that tuned her entire body to such a pitch of longing she gave a hoarse little cry of protest as he paused an instant to use protection then took her mouth in a devouring kiss as his body fused with hers in a jolt of such pure sensation she fought for breath, her heart hammering against his. She lay relishing the almost painful pleasure of it for an instant before he withdrew slightly then thrust again to what felt like the very heart of her, his eyes like blue fires burning down into hers as he began showing her exactly what the art of loving should be. He kissed her as he made love to her, the rhythm slow at first until he felt her desire mount to match his, but at last he took her hard and fast towards the culmination that finally overwhelmed them both and, with a smothered cry, she came apart in his arms, and he surrendered to his own release.
Dante drew the covers over them and turned her in his arms to hold her close. ‘Rose,’ he whispered later, ‘I do not wish to move, but soon I must take you back to the guest room. Bea might come looking for you and find the bed empty.’
She nodded, flushing. ‘You’re right.’
‘Tomorrow,’ said Dante with emphasis, ‘we bring your clothes to my room and tell our daughter you will be sharing it with me.’
Rose braced herself as she shook her head. ‘I’d rather not do that until things are more settled between us, Dante.’
‘Ah!’ His face darkened. ‘This is my punishment, Rose?’
‘Punishment?’
‘For my sins,’ he said bitterly. ‘I did not tell you about Elsa, I left you with child—’
‘Since the child is the light of my life, I wouldn’t punish you for that, Dante.’ She looked at him in appeal. ‘I just want you to slow down a little, to give me more time to get used to—’
‘To me?’ he said quickly. ‘Yet, here in my arms, I thought I made you happy, Rose.’
‘You know you did,’ she said, flushing, and turned her head way. ‘That part of our relationship would obviously be good.’
‘All of it will be good,’ he said with passion. ‘But if you want me to wait until you are also sure of this I will do so.’ He gave a mirthless laugh. ‘I am good at the waiting. I have been waiting for you for years, Rose.’
She turned on him sharply, her eyes flashing. ‘If that’s true, why didn’t you come looking for me once you were free?’
His chin lifted. ‘Charlotte told me you had someone else in your life. She would not say who it was, so I believed, naturalmente, that it was a man.’ He shook his head in wonder. ‘While all the time it was the daughter I did not know I possessed.’