Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

a smile curving her mouth as she spoke, remembering how they’d rushed up the stairs the evening before, barely making it to the bedroom, phones left on the coffee table, unneeded and unwanted.

His own smile was suggestive, a deliberate sensual curve that sent her stomach tumbling in desire. ‘So, did you wake me for anything in particular, Mrs Harrington?’

She nestled closer, running a hand across his arm again, and this time felt him quiver ever so slightly under her touch. ‘Well,’ she breathed, ‘I thought we might finish what we started last night…’

His eyebrows shot up. ‘Finish? Oh, I thought we finished all right. You’re telling me that you want more?’

She allowed her gaze to travel slowly over him, deliberately lingering on every inch of his torso. ‘If you’re up to it, that is.’

‘Up to it?’ In one fluid movement he turned over and pinned her to the bed, and she wriggled under the delicious weight of him. ‘Do you want me to show you how up to it I am?’

‘Oh, yes, please.’ She wound her arms around his neck. ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

Matteo didn’t move for one eternally torturous moment, just looked steadily into her eyes, his own gaze full of heat and desire. And then, when she thought she couldn’t wait any longer, he dipped his head and kissed her.

She’d been expecting his kiss to be hard. Their lovemaking over the last few days had been frantic, passionate, as if they were both trying to make up for lost time, almost punishing themselves for the time apart. But this kiss was different, sweet, slow and so sensual she could feel her toes literally curl.

Matteo took his time, muttering to her in a mixture of Italian and English as he trailed kisses along her throat, pausing at the pulse in the hollow of her neck, his knowing hands sliding along her body, making her gasp against him. Desperate to speed things up, to take some control, she reached out for him and he captured her hands in one of his, holding her lightly but purposefully.

‘No, you don’t,’ he told her. ‘I believe you threw down a challenge, my lady, and I’m never one to back away from a challenge.’ Anticipation rippled through her at his words and she submitted. It was a most delicious torture, to lie and wait as he leisurely explored her body with his clever, clever hands and teasing kisses. She closed her eyes, giving herself up to sensation, to the feel of him, his touch. This was where she belonged. They fitted together. He and she. For now at least.

* * *

‘Capri at last!’ Charlie said rapturously as Matteo expertly steered the small boat towards the harbour. She watched him do something complicated-looking with the tiller and grinned. ‘I had no idea you were such an accomplished sailor. It’s bringing out all my pirate fantasies.’

‘Later,’ he promised her, and her body weakened at the look in his eyes. A look just for her.

They moored at the main harbour and as she disembarked Charlie looked around excitedly. She’d heard a lot about this fabled isle, home to emperors and sirens. But, although the harbour was undeniably pretty, it wasn’t noticeably fancier than Amalfi, where they had sailed from, or Positano, yesterday’s post-rehearsal destination. Matteo was delivering on his tour guide promise and she was loving every sun-drenched second.

There were boats everywhere, clustered around jetties and moored out at sea, every conceivable style from small rowing boats and dinghies to fancy cruisers. A larger jetty served the ferries and hovercrafts and groups of tour guides waited at the end for the day trippers to disembark, offering them trips to the fabled Blue Grotto. A row of painted houses lined the bottom of the tall peaked cliff, many of them home to shops, cafés and hotels.

‘This way,’ Matteo said, gesturing towards a little building that resembled a station at the foot of the high cliff. Charlie gave him a questioning look and he laughed. ‘We can take the funicular up or if you prefer we can walk, but I warn you, it’s pretty steep.’

‘Funicular every time,’ Charlie said emphatically, and he took her hand as they dodged amongst the tour groups and large family groups in order to join the queue for the steep ascent to the top of the cliff.

They waited in line, hand in hand, just two lovers amongst the many couples day-tripping over from the Amalfi coast and she revelled in the sheer ordinariness of it. As Matteo bought the tickets Charlie adjusted her huge sunglasses and smoothed down her trousers. She’d opted for cut-off capris today, in honour of the island for which they were named. Lime-green, she’d teamed them with a white tank top patterned with tropical fruit. A matching scarf held back her hair and offered some relief from the sun and she’d opted for the large white hoop earrings again. The only thing that didn’t match were her sensible white trainers. Matteo had warned her they would be doing some climbing and so she’d left her heeled sandals behind although she had packed some sparkly flip-flops for later.

It didn’t take the funicular long to ascend to the top of the hill. Charlie looked down at the steep drop and shivered. ‘I always find these things unnatural,’ she murmured to Matteo and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. But she was relieved when the doors opened and she was back on solid ground. Within seconds she found herself in the main square of Capri town and she took in every detail eagerly. The square wasn’t large and most of the space was filled with tables, waiters bustling around, little alleyways and wide paved streets leading enticingly off, all thronging with tourists.

‘What do you want to do first?’ Matteo asked. ‘There’s a really lovely walk up through Capri town to the tip of the cliff and to Tiberius’ villa, then back through some beautiful woods right by the sea. The views are incredible;