Page 66 of Bargaining

“Yes.” Her eyes were full of vulnerability and hope. Full of pleading with me to play along. “Mine is ... Natalia. I came here with my husband, but he doesn’t pay me attention.”

My heart pounded at what she seemed to be offering. A chance to put the book to one side? It had been so heavy, and I’d carriedit for so long. There were no blank pages, but I longed for one so desperately. I’d never returned to Ecclesdale in order to keep the Ackroyds safe from my father and because I hadn’t wanted to infect her with my bitterness and anger, but one night? How could I refuse?

I forced my tone not to betray my eagerness and frighten her away. “My name is Sean.”

“That’s a good, honest name for a handyman.” Her voice held a hint of amusement.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Natalia.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it. Tingling lit my stomach. “Your husband is a fool for not paying attention to such a beautiful wife.”

“He doesn’t care about me at all. He works all the time. He went back to London and left me alone in his fancy suite for the night. I’ve been lonely for a while now.” She chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at me. “And I think there’s a problem with the walls in the suite.”

The air crackled between us. “What kind of problem?”

“A problem for a handyman. Something fell off the wall and now it needs to be ... nailed.”

Her cheeks flushed bright red. The double meaning in her smile couldn’t have been more obvious. My heart pounded, but amusement made my lips curve. I’d always fantasized about getting this woman into bed, but I’d never reckoned on the foreplay being the opening to a bad porno.

“Nailed? I suppose you’re looking for a man with a large hammer?”

Her lips curved into a smile as she fought to suppress her laugh. “I do appreciate a man who is good with his hands.”

We both needed to go into this with our eyes open. I needed to know that she was sure. She needed to know it wasn’t too late to back out. “A blank page. For one night?”

Her gaze was tentative, and her voice barely above a whisper. “One night.”

“You’re sure?”

All traces of humor slipped from her face. She swallowed. “Yes.”

Shit.A rush of nerves went through me. We were doing this.

“Then I’d better have a look at this wall.” Gathering her in my arms, I guided her down from the stool. My lips found her ear to whisper low. “Sean is good with his hands, but even better with his tongue.”

Chapter 30

Charlotte

“You didn’t tell me your thoughts on the Sistine Chapel.” Cole’s rough whisper was hot against my cheek as he laid me down on the bed.

“I haven’t seen it yet.”

I pulled him down so that his hard body covered mine. We’d lost my dress and his trousers on the way to the bed. This was Rome’s fault. The buzz and the heat and the limoncello and the sadness around Cole’s eyes. I captured his mouth in a kiss, savoring the warmth and softness of his full lips. This man made me feral with lust. Shivers raced through my body, and I ached with the need to be full of him. His slow, teasing kisses shredded my patience. He was always so measured and unhurried. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint not to rip off his clothes when he was kissing me so slow and deep in the elevator.

Raising his mouth from mine, he peered into my eyes with a slight frown. “What? Why not? I thought you’d been to the Vatican?”

I frantically worked the buttons of his shirt. “I did, but I didn’t get the chance to see it.”

He spoke between hot open-mouthed kisses on my neck. “Why not? Isn’t that the part you were looking forward to?”

I’d had the chance, but something had held me back. I didn’t even know what. It was stupid. I’d built it into too big a thing. What if it didn’t live up to my expectations? “I don’t know. I just got too in my head about it. I can’t explain.”

He hesitated, watching me. “But you’re planning to go? There’s so much in there that you’ll love.The Last Judgement. The Creation of Adam...”

Seriously? Now?I was more interested in the creation of bone-melting orgasms. Some reckless impulse had driven me in the bar downstairs. Cole had opened up in a way I’d never thought him capable of. There were still things I couldn’t excuse, and his revelations hadn’t suddenly made him a suitable prospect for a genuine relationship. But I couldn’t help how my body craved him. If it was for one night, then I’d take one night.

I pulled off his shirt and took in his glorious, powerful presence in his tented boxers—the dark hair covering his defined pecs, his toned abs, the delicious V of his hips. This is what he’d been hiding beneath those sharp suits. A perfect marble sculpture made flesh and bone.

“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t go and see it if you had the chance?”