Page 10 of Under Her Skin

She had absolutelyno idea of the effect she had on men, he decided. He walked a few yards behind her with other people strolling between them, but he could see male heads turning as she passed by. Her long hair was pulled up into a messy bun at the nape of her neck and her outfit was an obviously well-loved, fraying T-shirt and blue jeans that clung to her shapely hips and legs. She wasstunning.

Flavia had been equally beautiful, but far younger—only eighteen—when he’d killedher.

He still remembered everything about that night and how perfectly he planned it. It was a costume party at the Villa Charlotte. She’d agreed to meet him outside at the gate leading to the lake. She had been dressed as a wood nymph, her dress floating around her and her beauty enhanced by the moonlight. The perfect ‘O’ of her mouth as he slid the knife into her. The horror and pain in her eyes. He’d held her as she bled out in hisarms.

Ssh, ssh, my pretty one. It’s all overnow…

She hadn’t spoken, but the ‘Why?’ was in hereyes.

Because you lovedhim…

Her eyes closed for the last time as the last of her blood pumped from the many stab wounds, and he had quietly set her adrift on the lake, looking like Ophelia: her body soaked in her blood, her hair streaming about herhead.

Damn it. His cock was hard again.Control,he told himself sharply. It’d been twenty years since Flavia, and now it was time to remind Arturo Bachi that anytime he dared to fall in love, he would lose everything until one day he’d get themessage.

He had no idea if Arturo would fall in love with this new girl, but he sensed that something was different about her—something special. He hoped Arturo would fall in love with this beautifulwoman.

Because it would make it so much more satisfying when he killedher.

ChapterSix

As she was drying off after her shower, Hero heard a soft knock on the door and knew instinctively who it was. She’d been imagining him as she’d stood in the steamy heat, picturing his hard, naked body wrapped around her frombehind…

Wrapping the towel around herself, she walked over to the door and asked, “Who isit?”

“Arturo, principessa. Forgive me. I couldn’t stayaway.”

Smiling, Hero opened the door and looked up at him. “Hello again.” He was wearing a navy sweater and blue jeans and looked boyish andbeautiful.

For a second, she just stared at him, then stood aside to let him in. As he moved past her, she closed the door behind him and then deliberately let her towel drop. Arturogroaned.

“Bellissimo…” He dropped to his knees and gripped her hips, pulling her directly into him, and Hero went willingly. “Bella, bella,bella.”

His low voice reverberated against her clit, and she moaned softly as his tongue lashed around it. There was something so erotic about being naked while he was still dressed. Arturo tumbled her to the bed, pushed her knees to her chest, hooking her ankles over his shoulders, and took his time to go down on her. His fingers bit into the flesh of her thighs, his tongue was relentless as he brought her to orgasm, leaving her breathless andpanting.

His mouth moved up to find her nipples as he unzipped his fly. She helped him free his cock, stroking the length of it before guiding him inside. God, she wanted him so badly. She clung to him as they fucked, each thrust harder and more ferocious. They were clawing at each other like animals, the bed shifting under their movements, the headboard banging relentlessly on the wall, but neithercared.

Their need for each other was feral. Arturo fucked her into the most glorious orgasm of her life, and Hero screamed out his name, again and again, delirious with pleasure. He fucked her again on the floor, then once more in the shower, and when he came, he pumped thick creamy cum deep inside her belly, and she arched her back, pressing her breasts against hischest.

They didn’t speak. Their lovemaking went on into the early hours, and by the time he kissed her goodbye, she was exhausted but satisfied. She almost asked him to stay but knew it would be amistake.

Still, when he pressed his lips to hers and whispered, “Tomorrow?” she nodded, knowing she would need her fix of himagain.

It was only later, when she was alone, that she realized they’d forgotten to use acondom.

Arturo drove home,smiling. God, she was intoxicating, and now he knew her name.Hero.Hero Donati. No wonder she’d been bemused when he’d named them ‘Beatrice and Benedict’ fromMuch Ado About Nothing.He’d been so close to the truth, only one character away. He hated leaving her at the hotel; he wanted her in his bed always, but he knew he had to tread carefully. She was clearly a flightrisk.

At home, he opened his laptop and typed her name into the search engine. Nothing. He added ‘Chicago’ and pressed Enter. He would have missed the entry entirely if he hadn’t scrolled down the page. A deathnotice.

Thomas and Beth Lambert,beloved husband and daughter of Hero D. Lambert. Funeral to be held at St. Maria of Sacred Heart, Thursday, 5thJanuary. No flowers, please. Donations to Chicago Children’sHospital.

Ashock ran through Arturo.She had been married? Had a child? Reeling with the shock, he searched further until he found the newspaperreport.

Father and DaughterKilled in HorrorSmash.

Chicago:A father and daughter were killed Christmas Eve when a drunken driver crashed into their Toyota in heavy snow at Kenosha. Schoolteacher Thomas Lambert, 30, and his three-year-old daughter, Beth, were fatally injured, with the child pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. and Mrs. Lambert were transported to the nearest emergency room where Mr. Lambert died five days after the crash. His wife, Hero Lambert, 26, remains in a coma in critical condition. The driver’s blood alcohol content was found to be five times the legallimit.

Adrunk driver.In one second, Hero’s life was destroyed. Arturo felt sick and a little guilty for invading her privacy. If she had wanted him toknow…