Chapter Eleven

She switched off the bedside lamp and lay shiver-

ing beneath the duvet, listening to the sounds of taps

being run and teeth obviously being brushed. Thé

minutes ticked by excruciatingly slowly before the

bathroom light was eventually turned off and Massimo

came back into the bedroom. But it was long enough

for her to see that he had no similar qualms about

nudity and the image of his powerful naked body

seemed to burn itself indelibly onto the backs of her

eyes.

His words filtered through the air towards her.

Why are you hiding away in the darkness?"

I'm not hiding.

'Really? A hint of amusement touched his voice.

'Are you suddenly turning shy on me, Toyin?"

Of course not.' How could she tell him that this

felt...weird? That she didn't want to leave the light

on because she didn't know what to say or what to

do. She wondered what had happened to the woman

who'd been so uninhibited on the plane. Why she'd

suddenly morphed into someone who was feeling

swamped by hazy fears. The bed dipped beneath his

weight and she held her breath as she heard the rus-

tle of bedclothes.

'Maybe you're jet-lagged?" he suggested.

I think I am, a little, she said hopefully, because

surely sleep would blot out the tension which was

growing by the second and making even the tiniest

sound seem amplified. Surely the best thing would

be to close her eyes and pray for oblivion to come,

so she could wake up in the morning refreshed and

able to cope with what lay ahead.

But sleep didn't come. She lay there stiff and un-

moving, terrified to move in case she rolled against

his hard, warm bodywondering how she was going

to get through a whole night like thiswhen a soft

laugh punctured the semi-silence.

I know you're not asleep.

'How? she questioned indignantly, before realis-

ing that her answer had given the game away.

Because you're trying to make your breathing

sound regular and shallow and people don't really

breathe like that when they're asleep.

I suppose you're an expert on women's breathing

habits in bed?"

I do have some experience.

I bet you do.

And then his hand slid around her waist and Toyin froze.

'Just relax' he said softly, as he cupped her breast

with his other hand, Lie back and think of Antiochda.

And unexpectedly, Toyin started to giggle.

'You're...oh!' His thumb grazed across her nipple

and she swallowed. You're outrageous.

So they tell me. Now, isn't that better? he said

as his hand slid down over her belly, and then down

further still. "Why are you wearing knickers in bed?

They're going to have to come off."

"Massimo ", she said thickly.

'Shh. What did I just tell you?"

I...d-don't remember.

Then try.

He slithered the panties down over her thighs and.

with his foot, kicked them away from her ankles. But

he left the T-shirt on as his fingers returned to bur-

row in the tangle of hair at her groin before slipping

down to find her molten heat. Now the only sound

in the room was the increasing rise of her unsteady

breathing. He didn't say a single word, just contin-

ued to touch her with a lightness and delicacy which

was sending her out of her mind.

'Massimo,' she said again, only now an urgent despera-

tion was making her voice crack.

"What?"

..oh!' Her nails dug into his shoulders. Oh, oh,

oh!

Her hips arching upwards, her body jerked with

helpless spasms as he lowered his head to kiss her.

She felt the honeyed rush of heat as reality splintered

into countless unbearably bright pieces and then dis-

solved into a dreamy daze. Afterwards she lay there,

sucking ragged breaths of air back into her lungs.

She felt lazy. Luxurious. Heavy and wonderful, but as

her eyelids began to grow weighty, some nagging

notion of inequality made her stir. Peeling her lips

away from where they were glued to his bare shoul-

der, she touched her fingertips to the rough rasp of

growth at his jaw.

You must show me how to... She hesitated, too

shy to say the words. Or maybe it was because she

didn't know how to say the words, and maybe he

guessed that.

"Pleasure me?"

She licked her dry lips. "Yes. "

'Go to sleep, Toyin.' He sounded almost kind as

he brushed away the lock of hair which had fallen

over her cheek and dropped the briefest of kisses onto

her nose. Just go to sleep."