Page 54 of A Very Italian Wedding
‘I’m just practising my seduction technique for the wedding. Isn’t it the best man’s job to seduce the maid of honour?’He spun her again and pressed their bodies together before stepping away, a little unnerved at the fire suddenly burning in his belly. He swallowed, then ignored reason, and the scream in his head that was yelling at him toFor God’s sake stop– and did it again.
‘You don’t need any practice, Ben,’ Rose said, a little out of breath as he tucked her close to his chest. It was dim in the room, but there was enough light from his phone to pick out the flush on her cheeks.
‘Does that mean it’s working?’ he asked, his voice a little husky as he tugged her closer. It caught him off-guard how much he wanted to kiss her. But he had to fight it. He wasn’t looking for this. Didn’t want it – did he?
‘It’s working.’ Rose laughed, pulling away and moving under his arm in time to the music. She stepped away and then pressed her body against his again.
He could feel her slim frame through the spectacular dress, tried not to imagine how it might look without it. Did she know what she was doing to him?
‘I’m getting warmer.’
‘So am I.’ His voice sounded strained, probably because he was positively boiling on the inside now. The track changed again, and the beat slowed, and Ben’s wiggles morphed into something more sensual. He expected Rose to retreat. Surely, she had rules about slow dancing with a stranger? He almost hoped she did.
Instead, her grip tightened as she slowed and guided herself closer until they were facing each other, swaying, still holding hands. Then she looked up, straight into his eyes. ‘I’ve been thinking about my rules,’ she said uncertainly.
‘The ones about dancing?’ Ben asked. He expected her to step away, to demand they stop the music and somehow try to openthe cellar door. Instead, she cocked her head still gazing at him intently.
‘I do have some: you should avoid touching each other or holding hands.’ She looked down at where theirs were still linked. ‘At least until you know each other properly. Dancing can be intimate; not everyone understands that.’ Had her voice grown gravelly, and what did that mean? ‘Sometimes, it’s better to avoid it. There’s no telling where it might lead.’
Ben stopped swaying and looked at her confused. ‘Do you want us to stop?’ He was disappointed, but it was probably for the best.
She shook her head. ‘No, I don’t.’ She pulled in a deep breath and let it out. ‘Do you think there’s such a thing as too many rules?’
Ben searched for an answer as she began to dance again. ‘What do you mean?’ He was out of his depth, with no idea of what Rose wanted from him. She continued to shimmy, and he mirrored her in time to the music. Every time she jiggled an arm, foot or hip – even her mouth – he did the same. It wasn’t intentional – it was more that his body was communicating with hers. That the chemistry between them had given up waiting for either of them to make a move. They’d simply been hijacked by their own impatient hormones.
‘I mean do they work, do we need them, or are they just a way of staying safe – of protecting ourselves from chaos and pain?’ She studied him, her blueberry eyes serious.
Ben shrugged. He didn’t know what she wanted him to say, so he danced and waited, trying not to second-guess her, knowing she’d explain. Thinking – hoping – that he already knew what she was thinking.
Rose studied him and then hitched in a new breath. ‘The thing is, I don’t know either. But I do want to know what you’resupposed to do if suddenly, instead of safety, it’s chaos you crave…’
19
ROSE
Rose hitched in another breath when Ben suddenly stopped dancing and his forehead creased, his beautiful brown eyes watching her intently. ‘Chaos?’ He closed the distance between them until they were standing and staring at one another, the tips of their shoes just touching. ‘I can do chaos.’
His beautiful mouth tipped up in one corner and Rose felt her stomach go choppy –as if she’d just dived into the ocean, leaving behind the safety of solid ground. She sucked in a breath again as her brain – the rational bit anyway – screamed that she should get herself to land again.Pronto. Before she did something she was going to regret.
But she knew it was already too late.
Ben placed a fingertip at the edge of her jaw, and she flinched in surprise, making him pull away. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, frowning.
She shook her head and took a step closer. ‘No, I’m sorry – you just surprised me. I’m jumpy.’ She cupped a hand around his cheek and stroked the peppery stubble. It had been a long time since she’d touched a man, but it felt good. Ben felt good. And he was so incredible to look at – she hadn’t allowed herself to stareat him before, but to hell with it, she was going to look her fill now.
Ben guided his fingertips back to her jaw and tipped her chin again so he could look into her eyes. ‘I don’t know what you’re asking for, Rose,’ he said softly, his gaze zigzagging across her face.
He did know – she could tell from the rigid set of his shoulders, from the way his eyes had darkened, and his body had angled itself even closer to her.
‘You want me to spell it out?’ she asked, trying to keep the reluctance out of her voice.
‘I don’t want to get this wrong,’ he said, his tone and expression frustrated. So unlike the man she’d spent the last few days getting to know. He’d always seemed so confident and sure of himself.
Her stomach knotted – was she wrong about Ben; had she misread him somehow?
‘And now you’re pulling away,’ he said, taking a tiny step closer, sounding disappointed. Until their chests were brushing together.
‘I’m not,’ she said, even though she was thinking about it. All her usual doubts were cascading into her brain like a firework display. A kaleidoscope of her parents’ disastrous relationships was playing at the back of her brain. She swallowed, pushing the noise away. ‘Is it enough to say I want this?’ Her chest tightened as she took the final plunge. ‘I just want to put my rules back in a folder. Maybe I want to pretend they don’t exist. Live out the fantasy, or at least dip my toe in.’ For a while anyway.
