page15 (1/2)

As she spun, Vito clamped a hand that bruised round her forearidly constrained anger She clashed with glittering golden eyes and paled

CHAPTER SIX

'How could you do that to asped 'How could you embarrass Josh like that?' Wrathfully unrepentant, Vito poured himself a whisky from the decanter on the library table 'I warned you If I hadn't felt sorry for the poor bastard, I'd have hit him! Dio, what sort of a woman are you?'

'What's a kiss on the cheek?' she demanded 'Josh is an old friend'

'And presumably the bed sheets have yet to cool,' Vito breathed with stinging derision

'I won't even dignify that with an answer'

His sensual mouth was set in a cold line of austerity 'He's in love with you As a forive hih to beg? He's a fool If anyone begs in our relationship, it will be you'

She shivered, the bite of thather skin prickle with fear 'You'd have to kill me first'

'No, cara,' Vito contradicted silkily 'All I have to do is take you to bed Soain in the very near future It would seelect you all week'

'I-I don't knohat you're talking about,' she htly

'You looked across at me and then you were all over Hennessy like a second skin' A heady flush washed her co her, indeed had been aith every fibre of her being She was too honest with herself to deny the fact He had hurt her and she had reacted as impulsively as she usually did She was suddenly asha Josh to put himself in such an aard position

'So why did you do it?' Vito drawled

Whipped on the raw once too often, she flung back her glorious head of hair and lifted her chin 'Go to hell,' she said fierily

'If I go to hell, I take you with er, he reached for her 'I want to knohy you found that cheap little exhibition necessary'

A powerful hand elded to her narrow shoulder, denying her the retreat she had been about to ed by dense black lashes and the effect was paralysing Her breath tripped in her throat 'We should get back to the party' Vito ran a blunt brown forefinger up the extended line of her throat and she sed jerkily The atmosphere was heavy, intense Heras she snatched in air Heat was beginning to surge up inside her Long fingers glanced caressingly along her jawbone and she had to fight the temptation to turn her cheek into his pal to be stroked The hand on her shoulder slid down her rigid spinal cord, tracking her raw tension and then sinking into the narrow indentation just below her waist to ease her closer still

'The party,' she repeated shakily, struggling to hold on to thoughts already blurred round the edges His brilliant gaze glittered over her wide eyes and treers spread over the curve of her hip and pressed her into the hard cradle of his lean thighs Exciteh her The bold thrust of his erection against her stomach electrified her She quivered in response and shut her eyes tightly in soundless despair, wanting to feel revulsion, wanting to feel anything but this insane coers and force him even closer

'Why?' he persisted

'Why what?' sheherself 'Hennessy?'

'Giulia… you hurt me' The words came in an unsteady rush

His hands dropped frolass He left her marooned in the centre of the carpet Dazedly, she looked at his with a butcher's efficiency In the soft pool of the lael but the hard, ruthless angles and sleek lines of a predatory aniistered dully, could have beenpunishment And she was painfully reminded of how easily he had walked away from her once before