Page 82 of Modern Romance October 2025 5-8

Then his hands were on her hips, hot through the filmy material of her beach coverup. They drew her down to sit on his solid thigh before moving, one arm wrapping around her back and the other lifting her legs over both his. His cradling embrace reminded her of the disparity in their sizes and made her feel…cherished.

‘At last.’ His breath brushed her lips. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.’

Stella planted her palms on his collarbone, insinuating them beneath his shirt, dragging open a couple of buttons in the process. His flesh was steamy and silky, with a tease of crisp chest hair tickling the base of her palms.

‘You needn’t have waited. You could have made the first move.’ Though she was glad she had.

He shook his head. ‘It was tempting, but I needed to be absolutely sure what you wanted. It had to beyourchoice.’

Tenderness rose, along with the now urgent thrum of desire. Sitting on his lap, she couldn’t mistake the solid weight of his erection against her hip. It felt improbably long but instead of feeling nervous, she shifted eagerly on his lap. She mightn’t have gone past heavy petting before but she knew only Gio, deep inside her, could ease the ache gnawing at her.

Stella leaned in, brushing her lips across the base of his throat, kissing her way to his pounding pulse then up his neck. She paused at his ear, gently nipping his lobe and feeling her hunger deepen as his breath hitched and he shifted abruptly beneath her.

‘That’s very gentlemanly of you, Gio. But just so we’re clear, can we have sex now?’

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nothing had preparedStella for the sheer thrill of being carried up the wide staircase in Gio’s arms.

She’d never swooned at good-looking men. Had never wanted to be swept off her feet. In fact, she preferred to have her feet firmly on the ground.

So she’d thought.

Her heart rapped an unfamiliar tattoo and her breath came in short bursts, while Gio seemed unaffected by her weight as he strode upstairs.

But not unaffected byher. His muscles were tense, his jaw hard and his eyes whenever they rested on her held a molten heat that should surely have incinerated her. Instead she thrived on the blaze of desire that burned ever stronger between them. She’d never felt so strong or so sure about anything.

Instead of feeling disempowered, held aloft in his arms, Stella felt resilient and feisty. Desirable as never before.

He reached the next floor and marched down the hall. Despite the tensile strength of his arms there was gentleness in the way he cradled her, as if she were precious. Yet that angular jaw, now dusted with evening shadow, made him look like the marauder, a man who took what he wanted, ready to hold what he’d taken against all comers.

Stella’s breath escaped in a shuddery sigh of delight and she clasped her hands tighter around his neck. She might be used to fighting her own corner but she revelled in Gio’s strength and determination. In his hunger for her.

They entered a bedroom, unlit but for the bright moonlight spilling through the windows, and her pulse quickened. Then he lowered her to the bed.

Her grip on his neck stopped him pulling back. In the shadow his smile looked strained. ‘I just want to get out of my shirt,cara mia.’

Such a simple endearment, yet it pierced her in a way none of the extravagant compliments she’d occasionally received before ever had.

Because he looked like a man on the edge. Because ofher. His hard features were taut, as if made from stone instead of flesh. His nostrils flared and his jaw set hard.

Stella slid her hands from his neck, letting him straighten to heave off his shirt. She watched the play of muscles across his torso and upper arms and her throat dried.

He was magnificent. Gloriously proportioned like an athlete. And he was all hers, for tonight at least.

Her hands went to the tie at the side of her coverup. One tug and it opened. She shrugged her arms free of the fabric, leaning on one elbow to untie her bikini top too.

Gio paused in the act of reaching for the bedside table. His pewter gaze scraped her breasts as she pulled the top free and dropped it to the floor.

A hoarse rush of words reached her ears. Part praise, part curses, as if the sight of her body undid him. One large hand reached for her, only to pause and hover just above her breast.

He didn’t touch her yet Stella could swear she felt his hard palm on her nipple, his hand cupping her breast. Sensation zapped from breast to pelvis, a searing thread of fire. She wanted more, needed more. She arched her back, seeking contact, but Gio shook his head and jerked his hand back.

Stunned, she watched him turn away and yank open a drawer, scrabbling at its contents. ‘Gio?’

‘Just a second.’

He grabbed something and prised it open. Stella watched, fascinated, as he tore a small packet open with his teeth. Belatedly, understanding dawned. She’d been so caught up she hadn’t given a thought to protection.