Free The Impatient Groom by Sara Wood

only... I wanted to apologise.’
    â€˜You? Apologise?’ he queried, emotion roughening his voice.
    â€˜It’s because of me all this has happened,’ she said brokenly. ‘I can’t imagine what it’s like...’ She bit her Hip, fearing she was making things worse. ‘You’re having to re-live a tragedy. I’m so sorry.’
    â€˜It’s not your fault,’ he said curtly.

    â€˜Nevertheless, I feel responsible,’ she ploughed on. ‘You’re being kind to me by hanging around but...’ her voice shook ‘...I think you should leave and let me give a press conference or something. It would take the heat off you—’
    Slowly he turned, unwillingly touched by her concern and courage. And she’d softened his anger. Taking her face between his hands, he gazed down at her.
    â€˜You’re blameless,’ he said quietly, disturbed by the brightness of her wide, silvery eyes. And her lashes were wet, as if she cared... He felt emotion welling up and clenched his jaw to quell it. ‘You are totally innocent. And I’m afraid you have no idea what you’re getting into,’ he muttered under his breath.
    She stood there, sweet and anxious, tiny pearly tears seeping from the corners of her eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, he’d kissed the latest droplets just before they reached her mouth. She shuddered. With pleasure.
    He couldn’t resist stealing a kiss from her softly parted lips.
    And once he’d started there was no stopping him. He kissed her again and again, harder, deeper, searching passionately for her response and finding it. Her body was pressing against his, her hands mussing his hair as she pulled his head more surely down and a kick of excitement rocketed through him when he realised that she was as eager as he for this.
    The softness of her mouth was extraordinary. The sweetness of it made him groan. She threw her head back and shook her glorious hair from its pins. He drew in a sharp breath of need and kissed her throat and the warm, delicate skin just behind her ear while she trembled in his arms and ottered satisfied little moans.

    Slowly he eased her willing body towards the sofa, kiss by kiss, pushing her forward with his hips. She must know what he wanted. For the moment he was content to kiss her, to feel the soft, firm curves of her supple back and waist and hips beneath his palms.
    â€˜Sophia!’ he whispered, sliding her skilfully onto soft cushions.
    He saw the wonder in her eyes and tenderly kissed each delicate lid as he half lay across her. His mouth and fingers gently worked aside the straps of her dress. The feel of her silken, faintly perfumed skin against his lips was like an aphrodisiac.
    Something else was happening to him; a choking surge of emotion was filling his heart and chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
    He didn’t stop to question it. The needs of his body were driving him to take her chin between finger and thumb and kiss her senseless while he slid a shaky, questing hand to tentatively cup one full, high breast.
    Sophia gasped but made no attempt to stop his exploration. Hazily she stared at him, utterly bewildered by what was happening. She couldn’t believe that Rozzano found her attractive. Or that he wanted to kiss her, let alone... A warning sounded somewhere in the back of her brain. Why? it said. And she ignored it.
    His smoky lids were lowered, the twin black curves of his lashes showing dark against his skin. As if in a dream, she saw his lashes lift till he gazed into her eyes. For a long time he held her gaze and she was incapable of looking away. Extraordinary things were happening to her. A melting of her flesh and bones. And there wasn’t a scrap. of sense in her brain. Only the fact that he was holding her and looking at her with sultry desire and she was being overwhelmed by an unstoppable joy.

    Her arms came up and wound around his