Reunited with Her Italian Ex by Lucy Gordon Page B

felt herself—to deny the kiss or indulge it joyfully?
    But he was going to indulge it. That was her decision, and she would give him no choice. She slightly softened the pressure of her mouth so that the kiss could become a caress, her lips moving over his in a way she had once known delighted him. She sensed his response in his tension, the sudden tightening of his arms about her.
    Now she was ready to taunt him further. The pressure of her mouth intensified, and his breath came faster as his excitement grew. His lips parted as he explored her more deeply. He was no longer merely receiving her kiss but returning it in full, seeking to take command but not succeeding. The command was hers, and she would keep it whether he liked it or not. Her spirit soared. She was winning.
    He drew back a little. ‘Natasha—’
    â€˜Take warning, Mario. Two can play this game. You won’t defy me again. If you do I’ll make you sorry.’
    She felt him tense, saw his eyes full of disbelief as he understood her meaning. Then it was all over. ‘You had to do that, didn’t you?’ he rasped. ‘You had to tease me—make me think—but it wasn’t a kiss. It was revenge.’
    â€˜Revenge can be very sweet,’ she said, pushing him away. ‘That’s one of the things I learned from you. Did you think you were going to get away with what you did back there? You just had to show me that you were the boss, and how I felt didn’t count.’
    He shook his head. ‘You won’t believe this,’ he said in a hard voice, ‘but I kissed you because I wanted to. I’m ashamed of that now because it seems so stupid to imagine that you had any kindly feelings left. But, idiot that I was, I thought some part of you might still be the old Natasha, the sweet-natured girl I loved and wanted to be with.
    â€˜But you warned me about that, didn’t you? You told me that Natasha was dead. I couldn’t believe it, but I believe it now. You did this to get your own back by reminding me of what I’ve lost.’
    â€˜You lost it because you didn’t want it,’ she said.
    â€˜Keep telling yourself that,’ he said quietly. ‘In the end you may come to believe it. In those days I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman. And I could have told you that if you hadn’t vanished when you did. You landed us in this desert, not me. You did it by losing your temper and acting without thinking anything through. We didn’t have to end up here. We could have been married by now, and expecting our first child. Instead—well, look at us.’
    â€˜Stop it!
Stop it!
’ she screamed, turning away from him with her hands over her ears.
    â€˜Yes, the truth can be very painful, can’t it? I could have devoted my life to loving you. Instead, I’ve come so close to hating you that it scares me.’
    â€˜Well, at least that’s getting the truth out into the open. You hate me.’
    â€˜I didn’t say that. I said I came close to hating you. I’ve never been able to take the final step, but I have a feeling that will come soon.’
    She made no reply. The unexpected glimpse he’d given her of his own feelings had set off an aching misery inside her. He didn’t hate her, but he would if he could. She wanted to scream and bang her head against the wall.
    She turned away but he pulled her around to face him.
    â€˜You won’t let me tell you my side of it and I think I know why,’ he raged. ‘Because you’re a coward, Natasha. You’re afraid to know the truth. If you had to face the terrible thing you did, you couldn’t bear it. Everything could have been so different for us if you hadn’t condemned me so quickly.’
    She didn’t reply. Something inside her choked the words back before they could escape.
    â€˜If you knew how I planned that day,’ Mario said. ‘I’d