Page 24 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
Carrie’s stomach dropped. And that told her all she needed to know about how she really felt about the potential consequences.
‘But...’ she said, and stopped, not wanting to sound too desperate. She forced a light tone into her voice, ‘We’re both adults, it’s not as if I’m under any illusions about what this would be...’
Massimo frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
Now Carrie felt self-conscious. ‘I know that it would be one night only. You don’t ever do more than one night...with a woman.’
Massimo’s face had turned to stone. Completely expressionless. Then he said, ‘You’re right. I don’t.’
‘So this would be no different.’
After a beat he said, ‘No, it wouldn’t.’
Carrie didn’t like the little twist near her heart when she heard that, but it was important to let him know that she wasn’t some starry-eyed fool who didn’t know the score.
‘Okay, then.’
Massimo’s expression relaxed. ‘Okay, then?’
Carrie’s heart thumped. She felt gauche. Embarrassed by the fact that she didn’t know how to be sultry. Seductive.
Massimo seemed to take pity on her. He said, ‘Turn around.’
She did so, relieved to escape that gaze. She could see Massimo’s tall figure reflected in the window across the room. She could feel him come closer behind her and shivered a little.
‘Cold?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
He knew that she wasn’t shivering from the cold. He was probably enjoying watching her less than sophisticated reaction. She would have scowled, but he moved even closer, and now she could feel the heat from his body licking around her.
She quivered with anticipation. She had no idea what he was going to do, where he was going to touch her. But then she felt him touch her hair, starting to take the pins out. Gently.
Bit by bit, the mass of her hair came undone and tumbled around her shoulders. Then Massimo put his hands in her hair and massaged her scalp. Carrie’s eyes closed. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting but it hadn’t been this, and it felt good enough to turn her bones to rubber.
‘Your hair...’ Massimo said from behind her. ‘I never expected your hair to be like this. You never leave it down.’
Carrie struggled to wrap her tongue around words. ‘Not at work, no.’
He put his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around. She felt light-headed. Dreamy, but wide awake at the same time. Languorous, but energised.
‘Do you mind if I take off my shoes?’ she asked.
‘Let me.’
Before she could stop him Massimo was down at her feet, reaching under the silken folds of her dress. She lifted her foot and he slipped off one shoe, then the other. It dropped her a few inches, but he was still at her feet. His hand was around her ankle. He looked up at her and her throat went dry at the sight of this beautiful man, kneeling at her feet.
Never taking his eyes off hers, he moved his hand up from her ankle, around her calf and to her knee. She had to put a hand on his shoulder to stay steady.
His hand moved up the back of her thigh.
Her skin tightened all over and a sharp arrowing of need went straight between her legs.
His fingers brushed against the lace of her underwear.
To her dismay and relief, Massimo took his hand away and stood up, letting her dress fall. He didn’t touch her.
For a split-second Carrie wondered if he’d just realised he was making a terrible mistake. But then he said, ‘Carrie, if you want to stop, just say the word and I’ll stop. It doesn’t matter at what point.’
