The Bride Fonseca Needs(24)

He'd said it like a young boy, blurting something out before he could lose his nerve, and Darcy's chest squeezed even tighter.

She pushed the emotion down and nodded once. 'Thank you. Now we can go,' she said.

Once she felt on a more even keel with Max she was like a child, with  the full excitement of what he'd organised for her-whatever his  motive-finally hitting her.

They were helped into the basket alongside the pilot, and then suddenly  they were lifting off the ground and into the clear dawn-streaked sky.  Darcy wrapped her hands tight around the basket's edge, eyes wide at the  way the ground dropped away beneath them.

It was pure terror and exhilaration. Max stood beside her as the pilot  edged them higher and higher, but she couldn't look at him, too afraid  of what he might see on her face.

Time and time again her father had promised to do this with her and it  had never happened. And now she was here with her husband. Except he  wasn't really her husband.

Emotions twisted like a ball in her gut and she took a deep breath.

Max's hand covered hers. 'Okay?'

When she felt more in control she looked at him and smiled. 'Perfect.'

The balloon made lazy progress over the spectacular countryside, with  the pilot pointing out Lake Como and the other lakes. Far in the  distance they saw the snowy tips of the Alps. Milan was a dark blur in  the distance as they passed over fields and agricultural lands.

Darcy was entranced. When the gas wasn't firing, to propel the balloon  higher, she thought she'd never experienced such peace and solitude.

When she could, she tore her eyes from the view and looked at Max. 'Is this your first time in a balloon too?'

He nodded and smiled, leaning one elbow on the basket-edge. Darcy had  the uncomfortable sensation that he'd been looking at her and not the  view. And she hated it that she was relieved he hadn't done this with  anyone else.

She teased him now. 'You're not twitching at being so far from communication and Montgomery?'

Max lifted his phone out of his pocket and held it up to show that it had no bars of service, then put it back. 'Nope.'

He sounded inordinately cheerful about the fact, and Darcy marvelled again at this far more relaxed Max.

The view filled her eyes so much that it almost hurt as the sky got  lighter and lighter, exploding into shades of vivid pink and red as the  sun came up over the Alps in the distance.

She didn't notice that Max had been doing anything until he produced a  glass of sparkling wine for her and another for himself. He offered one  to the pilot, who smiled but declined.

Max clinked his glass off hers and then the view was blotted out as his  mouth came over hers and she fell deep into a spinning vortex that had  only a little bit to do with the fact that they were suspended above the  earth in a floating balloon.

Only their mouths were touching, but Darcy felt as if his hands were  moving over her naked flesh. When Max pulled back she had to grip the  edge of the basket tight, afraid she might just float off into the sky  altogether. She was telling herself desperately that it had only been  for the benefit of the pilot. To keep up appearances.                       
       
           



       

She took a sip of the wine and the bubbles exploded down her throat and  into her belly. She couldn't be more intoxicated right now than if  she'd drunk three bottles in quick succession.

They sipped their wine and gazed over the view in companionable  silence. Every now and then the pilot pointed something out, or Max  asked him a question about the balloon's mechanics.

Darcy hadn't even realised she was shivering lightly until Max came and  took her empty glass and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around  her, his hands over hers.

She settled into the hard cocoon of his body far too easily. Stripped  bare by the experience. His fingers entwined with hers and his head bent  and he feathered a hot kiss to her exposed neck. She shivered again,  but this time it wasn't because of the cold.

They stood like that for a long time, and then the pilot said something  low to Max and she felt him take in a breath behind her. Even though  she knew what he was going to say, she didn't want it to end.

'We have to turn back... The air is starting to warm up...'

Darcy was glad he couldn't see her face. Tears stung her eyes but she said lightly, 'Okay.'

The ride back seemed to pass in a flash, and all too soon they were  descending and the ground was rushing to meet them. They landed with a  soft thud and a small bounce before the crew grabbed the basket and held  it upright while they got out.

Max got out first and then lifted Darcy into his arms. For a moment he  didn't put her down. Something in his eyes held her captive. And then  she realised they had an audience and she blushed and scrambled down.

She went to the pilot and pressed an impetuous kiss to his cheek. 'I  know you must be used to it-but, truly, that was magical. Thank you.'

The man looked pleased, but embarrassed, and said gruffly, 'You never get used to it. Grazie, Signora Roselli.'

Max took her by the hand, and as they walked to the car Darcy was aware  that she'd made a decision. It was as if the balloon ride's unique  perspective on the earth had shown her an eagle eye view of just how  fragile life looked from above...how silly she was being not to reach  out and grab precious moments, no matter how finite they might be.

The thought of continuing to deny herself after what she'd just  experienced made her feel panicky-as if something incredibly precious  might slip out of her grasp for ever. She didn't care about the  consequences.

Max stopped at the car and faced her. He had a look of resolute  determination on his face. 'Ready for the next part of the surprise?'

Darcy looked at him. She wouldn't put it past him to have organised  something like a trip to Venice for the day... But she shook her head  and said clearly, 'No more surprises.'

A range of expressions crossed Max's face: irritation, disappointment, renewed determination...

She took a breath. 'I don't mean what you think I mean. I'm wooed, Max.  I don't even really care if that balloon ride was a purely cynical move  on your part, I loved it too much and thank you for planning it. And  I'm done fighting you. I want you. Take me back to the villa.'

* * *

Max wasn't sure how he drove in a straight line back to the villa. He  kept Darcy's hand in his and the journey was made in silence, with the  mounting anticipation coursing through his body saturating the air  between them.

When he glanced at Darcy he could see a similar kind of tension on her  small face and it only made his blood flow hotter. Dio. He wanted this  woman so badly. More than he'd ever wanted anything.

Some kind of warning prickled over his skin at that assertion, but he ignored it.

She'd accused him of being cynical in his decision to organise the hot  air balloon ride and he might have been...before. But he'd only thought  of it the previous day, when they'd stood on the roof of the Duomo in  Milan and she'd been disappointed not to see the Alps.

Max had remembered Dante talking about taking a hot air balloon ride  with his family and seeing the Alps, and at the same time Max had  recalled Darcy mentioning it some months ago.

In truth, the experience had moved him far more profoundly than he  would ever have expected. He'd never seen the earth from above like that  when not encased in a plane, with stacks of facts and figures in front  of him, hurtling towards yet another meeting to shore up his funds, his  reputation. That had all felt dangerously inconsequential when floating  soundlessly through the sky.

Max was aware of the fact that this marriage to Darcy was not  proceeding at all the way he might have expected when he'd first  proposed the idea...the means to his end were veering way off the track.  But right now he couldn't care less. All he cared about was Darcy and  the fact that she would be his.                       
       
           



       

* * *

When they got back to the villa it was early afternoon. Darcy knew she  should be feeling hungry because she hadn't had much breakfast, but she  was only hungry for one thing: Max. Now that she'd decided to stop  fighting him-and herself-the full extent of her desire was unleashed and  it was fearsome.

He held her hand as they went into the villa and Julieta greeted them,  clearly surprised to see them back early-evidently Max had had more  plans for the day, but Darcy was too keyed up to care what they might  have been.

She heard him say to Julieta that she could take the rest of the  weekend off if there were some provisions in the kitchen. The  housekeeper only lived in the gate lodge nearby, but still Darcy's face  burned with embarrassment, as if it was glaringly obvious what they  intended to do.

But the woman took her leave cheerfully, after extracting a promise  that they'd ring if they needed anything. Evidently she was used to such  instructions.