The Return of Antonides: Christmas at the Castello(36)

'Leo.' Her heart gave a sharp thump.

Her husband was looking up at her, his hands holding the metal ladder steady. Dara dropped the flower arrangement and cursed.

'It's nice to see you still haven't lost your love of daring stunts, carina.'

Dara descended the ladder as quickly as she could manage and  practically fell into her husband's arms. The familiar smell of him  surrounded her, making her sigh involuntarily.

'Surprise...' he whispered huskily against her neck.

His permanent five o'clock shadow brushed against her skin and she shivered. Oh, how she had missed those shivers.

'You're a week early.' She pulled back in his arms.

He smirked. 'I like to be unpredictable.'

She loved it when he smiled like that, filled with mischief. Life was too serious without Leo around.

'I've got a surprise planned. Do you think you can manage a few days away from your work?'

'Right now? Leo, that sounds wonderful, but I'm needed here.'

Dara made a noise of protest, only to have him silence her with a finger against her lips.

'Do you remember your wedding vows, Signora Valente?'

Dara remembered their wedding day as if it had been yesterday. She had  originally planned a simple ceremony on the beach in the Caribbean. But  then they'd both realised there was only one place they could imagine  becoming man and wife, attended by a few select family and friends: the  castello, which had become the setting for the most romantic day of her  life.

'We both agreed to remove that medieval part about obeying one's husband from our vows.' She raised a brow.

'I'm talking about the part where we promised to spend each and every  day loving each other.' His gaze darkened as his hand drifted lower on  her back. 'And it seems I've got about twenty-two days of loving to make  up for.'

His mouth lowered to hers and captured it in a scorching kiss full of dark, sensual promise.                       
       
           



       

A muted cough interrupted them from their interlude. Mia, accompanied  by one of the movers, stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs. Dara  stood back from their sensual embrace, her cheeks flaming.

'Nice to see you home safe, Mr Valente,' Mia said and blushed. 'Shall I book you both into the restaurant for lunch?'

'I've come to steal my wife away, I'm afraid.'

Dara placed a hand against her chest, straightening her blazer as  casually as she could manage under the scrutiny of her staff. 'Leo, I  can't just leave two hours before an event-'

'Actually, you can,' Mia interrupted, blushing even more as both Leo  and Dara turned to face her. 'What I mean is, Dara, you've been working  so hard... What's the point in being the boss if you can't take some  time off? The rest of the team can see this through perfectly well.'

Leo moved forward, grabbing Dara's shoes from the floor. 'Mia, you are the voice of reason.'

Dara shook her head, smiling. 'This is crazy. I have a million things I should be doing.'

'That's what makes stealing you away so much fun.' He winked, pulling  her by the hand. 'Mia, you are only to call my wife if there is a fire  or some other catastrophic event.'

'Understood, sir.' The assistant saluted, giggling uncontrollably as  Leo commandeered his speechless wife from the room in her bare feet.

* * *

'Is the blindfold really necessary?' Dara asked, feeling for Leo's hand in the close confines of his sleek sports car.

'Necessary? Perhaps not,' Leo's voice purred silkily somewhere next to her ear. 'But it adds to my enjoyment.'

Dara reached out, her hand coming into contact with his arm: a band of  hard muscle covered in the rich silk of his dark shirt. 'Well, in two  years of marriage you've never mentioned this particular fantasy.'

Dara's breath whooshed out of her lungs as a warm hand settled  possessively upon her inner thigh. It had been weeks since she'd felt  her husband's hands on her body, and the sensation was just as addictive  as she remembered.

'I've never been one for power plays, but I must say I am enjoying the effect so far,' he murmured seductively.

'I'm open to the blindfold, but I'm drawing the line at handcuffs,' she  replied, focusing on the agonising slowness of his fingers as they  progressed towards the hem of her skirt.

'We're hot enough in the bedroom without adding props, carina,' he  rasped, gripping her thigh and squeezing gently. 'And I'm liable to stop  this car on the side of the road if you don't stop making those  delicious little noises.'

Dara smiled to herself, hearing his laboured breathing. 'I'll behave  myself if it means avoiding an accident. Still, I'm not opposed to you  being so out of control.'

He chuckled. 'I'll make note of that.'

Less than fifteen minutes later the car had moved off the motorway and  onto rougher terrain. She had expected him to take her to the private  airfield where they normally housed the jet, but he wouldn't have needed  to blindfold her for that. The past Christmases of their relationship  had been spent travelling abroad. Sipping champagne at the top of the  Eiffel Tower...exploring deserted beaches in Bali. She wondered what on  earth he had planned this year. Curiosity made her stomach jolt with  excitement as she felt the car suddenly pull to a smooth stop.

Leo jumped out from the car, ordering her to wait as he opened her door  and helped her out into the crisp night air. He gently removed the  blindfold, allowing Dara a moment as her eyes adjusted to her  surroundings.

She looked up at the familiar facade of Castello Bellamo and felt her  breath catch. Thousands of tiny twinkling fairy lights adorned the steps  to the double doors. The entrance glowed as though lit up by some kind  of magical force.

'The real surprise is inside.' Leo took her by the hand and led her up  the steps and through the open doors into the grand hallway.

The castello had always been a magical place to her, with its vaulted  ceilings and mysterious corridors. But now it simply took her breath  away. Thick garlands of flowers adorned each side of the staircase, and  tiny ornamental elves sat on a side table surrounded by candlelight. The  light from the chandelier above had been left dimmed for maximum  effect, and she could see a warm glow emanating from the doorway leading  into the front sitting room.

'Leo, the place looks like something from a fairy tale.' She sighed,  wandering through the archway. Her breath caught as she took in the  enormous Christmas tree that dominated the room. The tree had to be at  least nine feet tall, and was perfectly decorated in an array of red and  gold. 'Did you do this all by yourself?' she asked, still stunned by  all the effort he'd gone to.                       
       
           



       

'I had some help,' he admitted. 'I remembered you spoke about how much  you loved the traditional family Christmases you had as a child.' Moving  his weight onto one foot, he leaned against the archway and watched  her. 'Do you like it?'

Dara turned to him, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she realised  that her powerful jet-setting husband was actually nervous.

'Leo, this is so thoughtful, I'm actually-' She swallowed down her emotion, trying not to ruin the moment with silly tears.

'What's wrong? Have I upset you?' Leo was by her side in an instant and  enveloping her into his strong embrace. 'I know that we usually spend  this time of year somewhere warmer and more exotic. Are you  disappointed?'

Dara shook her head quickly, looking up into the brilliant emerald  depths of his eyes. He was so serious, so concerned, and yet she  couldn't seem to find the words to assure him that this was wonderful.

'It's perfect,' she rasped. 'Thank you.'

She felt his arms relax around her, pulling her closer into the wall of  his chest. She tilted her head up and claimed his mouth in a kiss full  of heat and promise.

* * *

Leo groaned and smoothed his hands down Dara's back slowly, allowing  his hands to rest on her supple curves. She was still as addictive as  ever, his wife. And he'd be damned, but he couldn't wait another moment  before having her.

The soft rug before the fire made for an excellent makeshift bed. He  lowered them both to the floor slowly, unbuttoning his shirt in the  process. Dara began to pull at the buttons on her own blouse, but Leo  had other plans. He laid a hand gently on top of hers.

'I've been fantasizing for weeks about undressing you,' he whispered  sensuously as he ran a slow, torturous hand down her ribcage.

Dara shivered, heat rising in her cheeks. 'You still fantasize about me?' She looked doubtful.

'Amore mio, you are the only woman who gets me like this. Look at me-I'm rock-hard and struggling for breath after one kiss.'

Dara's eyes sparked with possession as she laid her hand on his belt  buckle. 'I'm glad. Because I plan on being the only woman for a long  time yet.'

Leo sucked in a breath as her fingers undid the buckle, lowering the  zip of his trousers in one smooth movement. Her hand wandered,  momentarily grazing his erection and making him groan.