Page 49 of Bride of Betrayal
Angelica’s heart spasmed. He looked so much younger and carefree. She scowled at him. ‘You’re evil.’
‘I know, and I fully intend to be a lot more evil.’
Angelica reached for his shoulders and somehow, gathering strength into her jelly limbs, she pushed him so that he fell onto his back on the bed. She pressed him down and said, ‘Not so fast.’
Leo was unperturbed. He put his arms behind his head, reminding her of how he’d gained her trust by letting her restrain him. Another heart spasm. She should have known to trust him from the start…but then they wouldn’t have had all of this…
She started pressing kisses to his chest, finding the flat disc of a nipple and teasing it with her tongue. She put a hand on his lower belly, feeling the muscles contract, and explored further, circling his erection with one hand as she made her way down and down until he was now rigid with tension.
Taking her time, she let her hand explore his stiff flesh, feeling how the skin slipped up and down over the shaft, and then, when she could see perspiration on his brow, she bent forward and put her mouth around him.
Madre de Dio…he was going to die right here on this bed. And he knew if he did he would die happy. Angelica was a sorceress, taking him to a place he’d never been before, because he usually didn’t like lovers performing oral sex on him—until Angelica, that was. He’d always felt too exposed. But the first time she’d done it to him, back when they’d first got together, it had been so innocent and obvious that she hadn’t known what she was doing that he’d given into the temptation, and now…he’d created a monster.
She was as merciless as he had just been, pushing him over the edge before he could stop himself, taking all of him, and then sliding back up his body, with those soft curves, and a smile like the Cheshire Cat.
Leo hauled her up all the way. They were glued together. He cupped her bottom and then gave one cheek a playful slap. ‘You’ll pay for that.’
‘Promises, promises.’
She put her head down, into the place where his shoulder met his neck, her breath feathering over his skin. A feeling of intense peace washed over Leo, the kind of peace he’d never thought he’d experience again.
He ran his hand lazily up and down Angelica’s back, letting himself recover, and then he heard a gentle snore and smiled, letting that sense of peace lull him into joining her.
Chapter Eleven
When Leo wokethe next morning he felt both amazingly relaxed and hungover. But not from drink. A sex hangover. Images filled his head. After he and Angelica had initially fallen asleep, they’d woken again a while later, filled with mutual hunger. A hunger that had bordered on desperation sometimes.
They’d finally fallen asleep again around dawn. And now… Leo cracked open his eyes. The sun was high outside. And the bed was empty beside him. He put out an arm. It was cold.
He came up on one elbow, feeling as if he’d missed his footing even though he was lying down. He threw back the covers and got up, heading straight for the shower. Afterwards he pulled on the first things to hand, jeans and a loose shirt, a niggling sense of unease trickling down his spine.
He went out into the main part of the apartment and for a second didn’t notice anything but then he saw her. She was standing at the open windows, looking out onto the canal.
She was dressed in the jeans she’d worn the previous day, sneakers and a sweatshirt. Hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked ridiculously young. Then he noticed the suitcase beside her and her handbag, across her body.
The unease intensified. Maybe she’d got booked for a job. ‘Angel?’
She turned around and Leo noticed that she was pale and her face was set. She also had shadows under her eyes but then that wasn’t a surprise. They hadn’t had much sleep.
Trying not to let the unease show in his voice, he said, ‘Are you going somewhere?’
She nodded. ‘I’m afraid I’ve been lying to you, Leo, and myself a little bit too.’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’ Suddenly he felt cold, thinking that perhaps all this time, when he’d believed in her story, maybe he’d missed an even bigger agenda…
Oblivious to his cynical mind whirring into action again, she said, ‘The truth is that I still love you, Leo. I never stopped. I convinced myself I had, or that it hadn’t been love, but it was a lie.’
She shrugged minutely and tried to force a smile but Leo could see the emotion in her eyes and, like a coward, he would have preferred in that moment that perhaps she had been lulling him into a false sense of security for some nefarious end. This was far more threatening. He could feel himself closing off, shutting down.
She said, ‘Believe me, I get the irony of being back in more or less exactly the same spot having the same conversation, three years later.’ She let out a short harsh laugh that didn’t sound like her at all. ‘You’d think I’d have learnt by now.’
‘I didn’t give you much choice,’ Leo had to concede. ‘I dragged you back into my life.’
He said now, ‘Angel… I’m sorry I can’t say what you want to hear. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted in my life…a lifetime commitment, family.’ So why did the words feel like ash on his tongue?
He noticed her throat working as she swallowed. ‘I think the worst of it is that I understand, because I lost someone too. And I grew up surrounded by the threat of violence all the time.’
‘But…this is the thing…none of us are guaranteed a life without pain, or loss. Some experience more than most, granted…but do you not see that by choosing to close yourself off to the risk of losing anyone ever again, you’re doing a disservice to the memory of your parents? And your brothers?’
