Page 25 of Their One-Night Rio Reunion
Ana saw Caio’s hand tighten so much around the glass he was holding that his knuckles turned white. A sense of exhilaration gripped her. She was getting to him.
She held out a hand. ‘Can I have some of that, please?’
Caio seemed stricken, frozen in place. But after a few seconds he held the glass out and said, ‘Be my guest. I’ll pour another one.’
Ana took the glass from him, noticing how he was careful not to let their fingers touch. Even so, she felt the crackle of electricity between them.
This was so on.
Caio turned away to pour himself another glass and she could see the play of movement in his muscles under the thin material of his shirt. He turned around and she lifted her gaze.
Caio raised his glass and took a deep swallow. Ana took a more measured sip from her glass, a little thrill going through her at the knowledge that her lips were probably touching where Caio’s had. The golden liquid slid down her throat all too easily, leaving an oaky aftertaste and the burn of alcohol.
‘Why does it have to be me?’ he asked.
Because I don’t want anyone else to touch me for the first time.
It was a visceral, almost violent response. Deeply emotional on a level she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge before. But it had to be Caio. The thought of leaving this place, of not having known his touch, was suddenly terrifying.
Not that she could articulate all of that to him. So she said, ‘Because I know you. I trust you. And I want you.’
But Caio was as immovable as a statue. A trickle of ice went down Ana’s back at the very real prospect that Caio’s control was strong enough to withstand all her very rudimentary attempts to seduce him. She’d laid herself completely bare and now he was going to reject her.
The picture of her mother walking away without a backward glance swam into her mind’s eye, along with the memory of rejection, and the pain of abandonment. Except this time, she’d set herself up for the spectacular fall.
Ana could have been a queen in that moment. She was so dignified. Caio was used to women being direct, but not in such an emotionally honest way. That took guts. He felt humbled by her.
And in that dress...
He felt his final wall of resistance crumbling to dust. But before he could articulate anything he saw her chin dip a little, and some of her bravado falter. She put the glass down on a table beside her and looked at him. He could see the way her expression was closing in. Becoming unreadable. Her body tensing.
‘Look, Caio, I’m not going to beg you—you’re probably right...this would be a mistake. Let’s just forget about it, okay?’
She turned as if to leave, showing her bare back to Caio, her skin luminous in the soft light, the sensual curve of her spine giving her an air of vulnerability. A great roar of possessiveness rose inside him. Feral in its intensity. Maybe earlier he would have taken her cue and packed his lust away in ice, told himself it was for the best that she’d come to her senses, but it was too late now.
‘Wait a minute.’
She stopped. But didn’t turn around.
‘You’re giving up so easily?’
She turned now, eyes flashing. It sent another roar through Caio’s blood. This woman was his and no one else’s, and he would be the first to awaken her. The thought of another man touching her made him feel violent. How had he ever thought he could resist her?
‘I’m not a masochist, Caio. I’ve made it clear I want you to be my first lover but I think you’re just enjoying toying with me.’
He shook his head. ‘Come here, Ana.’
‘You come here.’
The bravado was back.
He put his glass down and crossed the distance between them. He had an awareness of just how petite she was up close. Bare feet. But underneath the bravado he could see uncertainty. It pierced through the fire in his blood to send something alien to his gut. A need to reassure.
He put a finger under her chin and tipped it up. ‘Are you sure about this?’
She said nothing for a long moment and Caio’s pulse tripped. A cold weight lodged in his gut. What if she was regretting her decision? What if she wanted to change her mind? What if she was toyingwithhim?
Suddenly he felt exposed.
