Corcovado and Serena had been captivated by every tiny thing. Standing at the railing, looking down over the breathtaking panorama of Rio, she’d turned to him and asked, with a look of gleaming excitement that had reminded him of a child, ‘Can we go to the beach later?’
Luca’s insides had tightened ominously. She didn’t want to go shopping. She wanted to see Rio. Genuinely.
Before they’d hit the beach they’d eaten lunch at a favourite café of Luca’s. At one point he’d sat back and asked, with an increasing sense of defeat, ‘Your family really aren’t funding you...are they?’
Immediate affront had lit up those piercing eyes. Luca wouldn’t have believed it before. But he did now, and it had made something feel dark and heavy inside him.
‘Of course not.’ She’d flushed then, guiltily, and admitted with clear reluctance, ‘My sister and her husband paid for an apartment for me in Athens...when I was ready to move on. But I’m going to pay them back as soon as I’ve made enough money.’
Darkness had twisted inside Luca. People got hand-outs all the time from family, yet she clearly hated to admit it. And this was a woman who had had everything...a vast fortune to inherit...only to lose it all.
She’d flushed self-consciously when she’d caught him looking at her cleared plate of feijoãda, a famous Brazilian stew made with black beans and pork. ‘My sister is the same. It’s a reaction to the tiny portions of food we were allowed to eat by our father, growing up.’
Her revelation had hit him hard again. The sheer abuse her father had subjected her to. Anger still simmered in his belly. Luca had felt compelled to reach out and take her hand, entwining his fingers with hers—something that had felt far too easy and necessary.
‘Believe me, it’s refreshing to see a woman enjoy her food.’
Her hand had tensed in his and she’d said, far too lightly, while avoiding his eyes, ‘I’m sure the women you know are far more restrained.’
Was she jealous? The suspicion had caught at Luca somewhere deeply masculine. And that deeply masculine part of him had been triggered again when he’d insisted on buying her a bikini so she could swim at the beach, as they hadn’t been prepared.
He took her in now, as she lay beside him, the three tiny black triangles doing little to help keep his libido in check. He was just glad that the board shorts he’d bought to swim in were roomy enough to disguise his rampant response.
As if aware of his scrutiny Serena fidgeted, trying to pull the bikini over her breasts more—which only made some of the voluptuous flesh swell out at the other side.
Luca bit back a groan.
She’d hissed at him in the shop, ‘I’m not wearing that—it’s indecent!’
Luca had drawled wryly, ‘Believe me, when you see what most women wear on the beaches here you’ll feel overdressed.’
And when they’d hit the sand Serena’s reaction had been priceless. Mouth open, eyes popping out of her head, she’d watched the undeniably sensual parade of beautiful bodies up and down the beach.
Luca hadn’t been unaware of the blatant interest her pale blonde beauty had attracted, and had stared down numerous men.
The sun was setting now, and people were starting to cheer and clap as it spread out in a red ball of fire over the horizon, just to the left of one of Rio’s craggy peaks.
Serena sat up and drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She smiled at Luca, before taking in the stunning sunset and clapping herself. ‘I love how they do that.’
Her pleasure in something so simple mocked his deeply rooted cynicism. And then Luca realised then that he was enjoying this too, but it had been a long time since he’d taken the time to appreciate it. Even when he’d been younger he’d been so driven to try and counteract his father’s corrupt legacy that he’d rarely taken any time out for himself. He’d fallen into a pattern of choosing willing women who were happy with no-strings-attached sex to alleviate any frustration.
He’d never relaxed like this in a typical carioca way, with a beautiful woman.
The sun had set and she looked at him now, and all he could see was the damp golden hair trailing over her shoulders, close to the full thrust of her breasts. Her mouth, like a crushed rose petal, was begging to be tasted. And those wide eyes were looking at him with a wariness that only fired his libido even more.
He said roughly, ‘Let’s get out of here.’
Serena couldn’t mistake the carnal intent in Luca’s eyes. He’d been looking at her all day as if he’d never seen her before. And today...today had been like a dream.
Her skin felt tight from the sun and sea, and she didn’t know if it was just Luca’s unique effect on her, or the result of watching the Rio natives embrace their sensuality and sexuality all afternoon, but right now she trembled with the sexual need that pulsed through her very core and blood.
‘Yes,’ she said.
She stood up, and Luca stood too, handing her the sundress she’d put on that morning.
They walked the short distance back to Luca’s car and when he took her hand in his, Serena’s fingers tightened around his reflexively. He wore an open shirt over his chest, still in his shorts, and her heart clenched because he looked so much younger and more carefree than the stern, intimidating man she’d met again the day she’d arrived in Rio.
When they began winding up through the hills, away from the beaches, Serena asked, ‘Where is this?’
Luca glanced at her. ‘We’re going to my home in Alto Gavea. It’s closer.’
Serena’s heart beat fast. His home.
The rest of the drive was in silence, as if words were superfluous and might not even penetrate the thick sensual tension between them.
This part of Rio was encased in forest, reminding Serena of the rainforest with a sharp poignancy. And Luca’s home took her breath away when he turned in to a long secluded drive behind fortified gates.
It was an old colonial house, two-storey, white, with terracotta slates on the roof, and it was set, literally, in the middle of the lush Tijuca Forest.
He pulled the car to a stop and looked at her for a long moment. They were suspended in time, with no sounds except for the calls of some birds.
Then he broke the spell and got out of the car, helping Serena out of the low-slung seat. She let out a small squeal of surprise when he scooped her up into his arms and navigated opening the front door with commendable dexterity.
He took the stairs two at a time and strode into a massive bedroom. Serena only had time to take in an impression of a house that was cool and understated. In his room, the open shutters framed a view showcasing the illuminated Christ the Redeemer statue in the far distance on its hill overlooking Rio.
Everything became a little dream-like after that, and Serena knew that on some level she was shying away from analysing the significance of the day that had passed.
Luca put her down, only to disappear into a bathroom, where she heard the sound of a shower running. When he emerged he was taking off his clothes until he stood before her naked, unashamedly masculine and proud.
‘Come here.’
She obeyed without question. When she stood before him he reached down for the hem of her dress and pulled it up and off. Then he turned her around and undid her flimsy bikini top so that it fell to the floor.
He turned her back and hooked his fingers into the bottoms, and pulled them down until she could step out of them at her feet. In that moment, naked, she’d never felt more womanly or more whole. Or more free of the shadows that had dogged her for as long as she could remember. They weren’t gone completely, but it was enough for now.
He