The Affair: Week 6 by Beth Kery Read Free Book Online Page A

so caught up in his shame about what she’d seen that perhaps he hadn’t fully understood her.
    “What do you mean?” he asked, his fingers brushing against the delicate line of her jaw. “Don’t tell me you thought that”—he glanced in the direction of the bench—“was remotely like what you saw that night.”
    “No. It wasn’t. That’s my point,” she said softly. “I mean, some of the actions might have been similar, but . . .” She faded off, seeming to struggle with finding the right words.
    “I was making love to you, Emma,” he said starkly, exposing himself in an uncommon way because he hated to see her uncertainty. “I know I told you I wasn’t cut out for the long term, and then you set the time limit on our time together. Maybe you think that means that what we do together doesn’t matter, in any lasting sense . . . that it’s just sex. Just gratification. I disagree. I could be doing the kinkiest thing in the world to you, and I’d still be making love to you,” he said, trailing his finger over her flushed cheek. He saw amazement creep across her expression and raised his eyebrows. “Do you understand?” he asked, stroking her temple and the shell of her ear and relishing her tiny shiver.
    “Yes,” she whispered before she touched his cheek, her simple caress and the expression in her eyes sweeter to him than anything he could ever recall in his life.

Chapter Thirty
    Emma was not thrilled at the idea of rising from the comfortable bed and leaving Vanni’s arms in order to prepare for the dinner at the Hôtel Le Maj. The only consolation she had was that Vanni seemed just as reluctant to leave bed as she was.
    “At least after the race on Sunday, I’ll have you all to myself for nearly a week,” he told her later as they stood in the bathroom together, naked and entwined. He kissed her softly and she felt herself melting against his solid, warm length. His open hand trailed over her ass and she shivered. “Are you sore?” he asked, breaking their kiss but still nibbling at her lips.
    She shook her head, brushing her mouth against his. “It stings a little.” She glanced up at him humorously. “Certainly enough for me to think about it all night . . . again and again. That was your plan, right?”
    His smile was a wry flash of brilliance. “Great. I set myself up for that one. Now I’ll be thinking about it all night, too, knowing you are.” He ducked his head, kissing her again, his hunger palpable. He grimaced when he stepped away a moment later. “I’d like to shower with you, but it’ll lead to other things.”
    “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
    “No, it sounds fantastic,” he said grimly. “
Too
fantastic, because we’re running late. I’ll go and shower and get ready in the room next door.” He released her and stalked toward the bathroom door. She just stood there for a moment, befuddled by the vision of his long legs, strong back, and jaw-dropping ass. He opened the door and passed through it.
    “Wait!”
    He paused and looked around the edge of the door.
    “What should I wear? I mean . . . how formal is this dinner?” she asked.
    “It’s black-tie.”
    She nodded. He gave her a small smile and walked out of the bathroom.
    With him gone, it was admittedly easier to attend to the task of getting ready. With him gone, it was also easier to feel a few flutters of nervousness at the idea of attending a glamorous, high-profile dinner with the world’s racing elite. Luckily, their lovemaking—not to mention some of the sweet things Vanni had said afterward—went a long way to shield her from too much anxiety. The vision of the way he’d looked at her while they lay in bed together just now—
I was making love to you
—went a long way to armor her against worries.
    The flush of her cheeks and brightness of her eyes didn’t dissipate much after she’d showered and blow-dried her hair. When she left the bathroom, Vanni was nowhere to be