Valentino's Pregnancy Bombshell by Amy Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

absently swallowed a mouthful of the crisp Pinot Grigio he’d chosen because it came from the area near where he’d been born in the north of Italy. There was no recognition on her face of the glorious crisp, spritzy taste.
    He picked up the plate of olives and brought them close to his face, inhaling deeply. ‘Hmm. Don’t these smell divine?’
    Paige looked at the plate with disinterest. ‘I’m not hungry,’ she murmured.
    Valentino smiled. It was going to be fun reviving her appetite. ‘Who says you have to be hungry to eat?’ He picked up an olive glistening with oil and stuffed withfeta and sucked it into his mouth. ‘Food is to be enjoyed, bella . Not endured.’
    Paige watched as the olive disappeared from sight behind Valentino’s plush lips, leaving the merest trace of oil smeared on his lips. It was a compelling sight.
    â€˜Try one,’ he coaxed.
    Paige, forgetting that her daughter was nearby, suddenly knew how Adam had felt when presented with the apple. She’d bet he hadn’t been hungry either. ‘If I do, will you just go?’
    Valentino grinned. ‘Soon.’ He presented the plate to her and nodded encouragingly.
    Paige rolled her eyes. Anything that got him and his dimples out of her house soon was worth a try. She selected the same kind he had from the array of plump specimens on the plate. She popped it into her mouth, chewed it twice and swallowed it. ‘Happy?’
    Valentino tsked. ‘You need to savour it, bella . Inhale its aroma.’ He picked one up and waved it under his nose, inhaling deeply. ‘Roll it around your mouth.’ He sucked it in with a satisfying phft . ‘Let it sit on your tongue,’ he murmured, shutting his eyes as the salty flavour fizzled on his taste buds.
    His eyes fluttered open to discover her gaze firmly fixed on his mouth. Her black pupils had dilated in the grey pools of her eyes and his breath became constricted in his lungs.
    He pushed the plate closer. ‘Try again.’
    Paige shook her head as his low murmur wrapped seductive tentacles around her pelvis. As if seducing anolive with his mouth hadn’t been bad enough. ‘Are you always this bossy?’ she grouched.
    Valentino stared into her eyes. ‘You are beautiful but you need to eat more.’
    Paige let her gaze drop to the array of olives, embarrassed by his empty compliment. She hadn’t felt beautiful in for ever. ‘I’m just not hungry any more. Not since…’
    Valentino heard the catch in her voice. Understood her silence. It may have been a tiny blip a long time ago which he’d buried beneath wine, women and song, but he understood loss a little. ‘Since your daughter died.’
    Paige nodded slowly as her gaze drifted back to his face. ‘Alessandro?’
    Valentino inclined his head. ‘He mentioned it.’
    He seemed so empathetic, his dark eyes soft like velvet. But how could he possibly know? ‘I wouldn’t expect you to understand.’
    â€˜I understand some.’
    He held her gaze for a moment or two and then dropped it to the plate and picked up an olive. ‘Be careful of this one, it still has its pit.’ He presented it to her mouth and pushed it gently against her lips, stroking it against them. ‘Don’t be deceived by its plainness. The buttery flavour is truly sensational. Creamy. Seductive.’
    No one was more surprised than he when she sucked it into her mouth with no protest. She started to munch and he put his finger against her lips. ‘No. Don’t. Stop. It’s not popcorn. Let it sit in your mouth. Savour it. Roll it around. Tell me what you taste.’
    Paige was as surprised by the request as she was by the fact that there was even an olive in her mouth in the first place or that his finger rested tantalising against her lips. She pulled back slightly. ‘It’s just food.’ She shrugged. ‘It