Castellano's Mistress of Revenge by Melanie Milburne Page A

alone.’
    Although Ava couldn’t see Marc’s eyes on account of his sunglasses, she could feel the cynicism of hisgaze all the same. ‘You expect me to believe you personally nursed him?’ he asked.
    Ava lifted her chin. ‘It was the least I could do. After all, he had been very good to me.’
    â€˜Oh, yes,’ he said with a lift of one side of his mouth. ‘He was very good to you indeed. He apparently paid you a minor fortune, didn’t he? Where is it now, Ava? Where is all the money he paid you over the years?’
    Ava felt a footstep of unease press on the base of her spine. ‘That is none of your business,’ she said, instinctively stepping backwards, momentarily forgetting the body of water behind her.
    She teetered for a nanosecond before Marc took her by the upper arms, his fingers warm and firm against her flesh. Her towel slipped to the pool deck, but Ava hardly noticed; she was far too aware of how close he was to her body and how hers was responding to him as if she had no choice in the matter. Her breasts pushed against her bikini top, the sensitive nipples tight with the ache to feel him touch her. Her hips were within touching distance of his, the temptation to press herself against him and feel his hardness was almost unbearable.
    â€˜Large amounts of money have been going from your account to your sister’s in London,’ Marc said. ‘Do you want to tell me what that money was for or should I have someone investigate it for me at the risk of causing embarrassment to your sister or her husband or both?’
    She glared up at him with stormy grey-blue eyes. ‘How dare you invade my privacy, not to mention my sister’s, like that?’
    His fingers tightened as she tried to sidestep his hold. Anger was on her side, however, and somehow he misjudged his footwork. With a tangle of limbs Marc found himself falling, taking Ava with him into the open blue mouth of the pool.
    She came up spluttering, her arms flailing at him in fury, knocking his sunglasses off in the process. ‘You did that on purpose, you…you…beast!’
    Marc captured her wrists and pulled her up against his body, his blood surging to his groin as soon as her pelvis rammed against his. Her body felt like silk against his, soft and sensual, her limbs curling around his to keep herself afloat. He took advantage of every sweet moment, relishing in the feel of her mound against the press of his erection. She was fighting herself rather than him, he realised with an inward smile of satisfaction. He could feel it in the way her body pressed and pushed against him simultaneously, as if she resented what she was feeling but wanted it anyway. In the end he made it easy for her—he bent his head and his mouth swooped down to cover hers, his tongue delving deeply to bring hers to submission.
    Within seconds she melted with a sigh, her tongue dancing with his, her arms lacing around his neck as he nudged her to the edge of the pool where it was shallow enough to stand. He stood with his thighs apart, her slim form fitting perfectly against him, her mouth hot and wet and urgent under the heated pressure and exploration of his.
    The blood roared in his veins, thundering in his ears until all he could think about was sinking into her slick velvet warmth. He had wanted to wait, to have herbegging for him, not the other way around, but his body was on fire with flames of need so intense he could feel them licking at him with long tongues of blistering heat. His whole body throbbed with it, the powerful attraction he had always felt for her seemed to have intensified now he finally had her in his arms. He had never been so close to losing control, or at least not since he was a hormone-charged teenager. The thought of exploding within her, feeling her convulsing around him made his blood sizzle as it raced through him. He ached with the pressure, the need so great he moved