“That’s better.” He deepened the kiss, loving the way her body softened against him.
They reluctantly parted. He ran his hands up her back, then down her rib cage, as he touched his forehead to hers and sighed her name.
“You make me feel all sorts of things I’ve never felt before,” he admitted.
“I feel them, too. Your touch, your voice, it’s like sensation overload.”
Hearing her confession amped up his arousal. Knowing that he had the same effect on her as she did on him was making it hard for him to restrain the desire spreading through him like wildfire.
They walked a little farther and sank onto the riverbank. Dae pulled Emily’s body against his, and they sat in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the river flowing and, in the distance, the sounds of a city slowing down for the evening.
“Tell me about your work.” Emily slid her hand along his thigh.
Work. Right. They were alone on the riverbank. He tried to focus on something other than how much he wanted to put his hands all over her and how she might not let him after he revealed what he did for a living. But he realized that he couldn’t hide it any longer, and with Emily, he didn’t want to. “I’m into real estate investments and demolition, primarily.”
“Demolition, as in blowing things up?”
He laughed, but it was more to ease his worry about what she really thought about his profession. “You could say that. Sometimes tearing things down means blowing them up.”
“So are you here for investment purposes or demolition?”
Her hand slid up and down his thigh, and damn, if he wasn’t aroused again. He tried to concentrate on her question rather than what she was doing to him. He had to be honest, even if it meant she might back away. He cleared his throat, trying like hell to regain his focus. “Demolition.”
She nodded and leaned in to him. His hands slid down her shoulder to her upper arm. She felt too damn good, smelled too damn sexy. They were alone on the riverbank, just off the beaten path and sitting beneath the shadow of a large tree. The scent of the river mingled with the scent of Emily, and Dae couldn’t hold back any longer. He lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. One slip of his tongue, and she opened to him, allowing his tongue to sweep over hers. She met him stroke for eager stroke, deepening the kiss and making him hotter than hell. Damn, she could kiss. He fisted his hand in her hair and tugged gently, arching her head back, giving himself better access to her sweet neck. He kissed his way along her jaw to the tender spot just beneath her ear, where he nipped at her skin and drew a sensual moan from her lungs. She arched in to him, pressing her breasts against him as he rained kisses along the curve of her neck, then tugged her shirt off her shoulder and sucked her warm skin.
“Dae, you’re driving me crazy.”
Their eyes met, and in the next second their lips crashed together. He palmed her perfect, firm breasts, groaning with need.
“Holy hell, you feel incredible.”
He leaned in to her, gently laid her on her back, and took her in another kiss. He wanted to kiss her until she couldn’t think, until tomorrow afternoon passed and they were together again. He slid his thigh over hers, blanketing her body with his, breathing air into her lungs as his hand traveled under her shirt to the lacy bra beneath. He squeezed the taut peak between his index finger and thumb, wanting so badly to take her breast in his mouth. She arched up and wrapped her leg over his so they were coiled together like mating snakes. Her hips pressed against his, and she moaned into his mouth. He wanted to take her right there beside the river, to feel every inch of her naked body beneath him as he claimed her as his own. He couldn’t resist her any longer. He couldn’t get enough of her, feared he never would.
She drew back, her body trembling, her breasts heaving. Her eyes held his lusty gaze.
“Take me home,” she whispered.
She didn’t need to ask twice. They walked quickly toward the parking lot, kissing every few seconds, until they reached the car. He lifted Emily easily into his arms and set her on the hood of the car, spread her legs with his thighs, and kissed her again. Her center pressed against his hard length, their tongues thrusting, tasting, memorizing the feel of each other’s mouths. He pulled back to clear his mind enough to drive. He could barely think past the need to be inside her.
He set her back on the ground and helped her into the car. “Home. Now.”
She tugged his shirt and dragged his lips back to hers, his body half in and half out of the car. She was driving him out of his freaking mind. Would it be wrong to recline the seat and make love to her right here and now? Fuck. What was he thinking? He reluctantly pulled back, out of breath and hard as steel. He stared into her eyes, which had gone nearly black, and grabbed the sides of her head harder than he’d meant to as their lips collided again. She fisted her hands in his hair and held his mouth to hers as aggressive as he’d been with her.
Holy. Hell.
“We’re never going…” He kissed her again. “To get out…” Another steamy kiss. “Of here.”
She laughed against his lips. “Go. Drive. Hurry.”
Twenty minutes later he was fumbling for his room key, one arm around Emily, the other hand flipping through the ring of keys. Emily settled her lips on his neck and sent a bolt of heat to his already throbbing erection. He shoved the key into the lock and kneed the door open, then kicked it closed behind them. Moonlight spilled in through the balcony, drizzling light over the bed. With one swift move, he had her back against the door as he turned the lock and tossed his keys and her purse to the floor. His hands moved without any thought. He wanted to touch all of her. Now. He made quick work of lifting her shirt over her head and—holy hell, she’s going to push me over the edge. Her black lace bra exposed the mounds of her breasts and barely covered her nipples. She looked sexier than a Victoria’s Secret model. His hands fondled the perfect, supple mounds as he thrust and kissed her, probing, devouring. She moaned into his mouth and pulled his hips to hers, holding him against her. She clawed and grabbed and pushed at his shirt. He reached behind him and pulled his shirt over his head, sending buttons flying across the room. Her eyes rolled over his chest to his tattoos, and her lips curved up in appreciation. He lowered his mouth to her breast, laving his tongue over her tight nipple through the scratchy lace. She smelled amazing, and he couldn’t get enough of her. She gripped his head, holding his mouth to her breast.
“Oh…yes,” she panted.
He pulled her bra straps down, freeing her breasts. Still supported by the bra beneath them, they were full and beautiful and too much for him to forgo. He licked long, slow strokes around first one nipple, then the other, as he kneaded their fullness. She thrust her hips forward, and he took her in another passionate kiss. The feel of her hard nipples against his chest sent his body into overdrive. He had to have her. He tugged her jeans open, hesitating for a minute, searching her eyes for approval. Without a word she nodded and the edges of her lips curved up. He sealed his lips over hers while he slid his thumbs into the waist of her jeans and tugged them down, biting her lip as he drew back. He released her lip, and air left her lungs in a rush.
His hands slid down her ribs to the gentle curve of her hips. She was bare from the thighs up, save for her panties and her bra, bunched up between her breasts, and she was hotter than any centerfold could ever be.
“Emily, are you sure you want this? I can’t promise to stop if we go one minute further.” He held her gaze.
“Yes. I’m not…I don’t…” She paused, her eyes grew momentarily serious. “I don’t usually do this so early on in a relationship, but yes, Dae. I want you. This. Us. More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
That was all he needed to reach behind her and unclasp her bra. It fell to their feet, and he took her glorious breasts in his hands.
“You have the most amazing body.” He pushed her breasts together and licked and kissed her nipples, then ran his tongue between her brea
sts, first up the center, then down the center of her body, all the way south to her belly button. He kissed her there, slipping his tongue in and out, circling the center, then probing in again, before shifting lower and dragging his tongue along the edge of her black lace panties. She arched forward and reached for her jeans, trying to push them down. He gripped her wrists.
“Not yet,” he whispered.
She groaned.
He licked her through her damp panties, then settled his teeth on her inner thigh. Emily squirmed beneath his touch, her thighs straining against the denim as she tried to widen her stance. He slid his hand between her thighs and stroked her wetness. She squirmed and panted, growing wetter by the second. Her body was so responsive to his touch. He throbbed with need as he drew the top of her panties down. She was waxed bare, which nearly did him in.
“Emily,” he groaned, resting his forehead against her lower belly.
“Going-away present,” she panted. “From Daisy. Hurt like hell. Don’t get used to it.”
“Oh, baby. I’ll make you feel better.”
He licked up the crease of her leg beside her sex, inhaling her sweet scent and drawing another sexy moan from Emily. He moved to the other side, letting the room’s cool air brush over her wet skin, and felt goose bumps travel up her thighs. Using only his index fingers, he looped them under the hips of her panties and drew them down her thighs.
“Dae,” she whispered as she buried her hands in his hair and drew his mouth to her center.
His tongue stroked her lightly, loving the way her body shuddered against him. He spread her thighs with his hands and buried his tongue inside her, using his thumb to circle the sensitive bundle of nerves that caused her legs to stiffen and her body to quake and quiver as his name sailed from her lips. He remained there, loving her, drinking her in, until the last tremor moved through her body. Only then did he reach down and remove her shoes and pull her jeans free from her trembling legs. He kept one hand on her hip to steady her. Her eyes were closed, and she still had one hand fisted in his hair.
“You okay, baby?”
“Oh God, yes.” Her eyes fluttered open, and a sated smile parted her lips.
Dae stepped from his jeans and pressed his naked body to hers.
“You feel so good. I could devour you from morning until night.”
“I can’t…think.”
He kissed her, hard and deep, and she melted against him. “Then don’t.”
He lifted her into his arms and kissed her on the way to the bed. Their hair tangled together, curtaining their kiss from the moonlight. With one hand, he stripped the blanket from the bed and laid her down. Her hair spread across his pillow, and the sight of her in his bed stole his thoughts.
She reached for him, her eyes dark and her voice husky. “Make love to me.”
He sealed his mouth over hers. Christ, he loved her mouth. He reached into the nightstand for a condom.
“I’m on the pill,” she said.
“Ninety-nine percent effective. When you’re one hundred percent sure that I’m the man you want to spend your life with, then we’ll take the one percent chance.” He kissed her as he rolled on the latex sheath. “I never want to do wrong by you.”
Their lips met as their bodies came together, and he drew away to take a moment. She felt so good he had to stop, to revel in the feel of her thighs against his, her tight, wet center swallowing every inch of him, and her chest meeting his. Their foreheads touched as he began to move. Fuck, she felt good. Their bodies moved in sync as their lips met again in a deep, passionate kiss. He quickened his thrusts and felt her heartbeat quickening, her muscles tightening. Her head fell back, lips slightly parted. Her fingernails dug into his lower back as he pushed faster, deeper. He felt the rise of an orgasm and tried to hold back, but as her inner muscles tightened around him, a rush of heat swamped him and he couldn’t. They spiraled over the edge together in a heated, sweaty, intense release as he ground out her name through gritted teeth. His head bowed as he tried to remember how to breathe, and when she whispered, “Again,” he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.
And there was no one he’d rather be there with than his sweet Emily.
He wasn’t sure he could recover that quickly, but her delectable mouth slid to his neck, sucking and licking, teasing him into submission, and within seconds, he was ready to give sweet Emily the loving she deserved again.
Chapter Eight
EMILY FELT THE softness of Dae’s lips on her cheek and smiled as the memory of last night returned, kiss by sumptuous kiss. Her eyes fluttered open as she remembered the way he’d wrapped her in his arms after they’d made love the second time and whispered, “Stay with me.”
He was fully dressed now and smiling down at her with wet hair and a worried look in his dark eyes. She reached up and stroked his unshaven cheek. Her body responded to the feel of his scruff. She probably had whisker burn between her legs, but she didn’t care. She’d do it all over again right now if he didn’t have to leave. She’d never felt so loved, so much like she was in the right place, with the right person, as she had last night.
“Morning,” she said.
He kissed her lips. “I don’t want to leave you.”
She gathered the sheet over her chest and sat up against the headboard. “Then don’t.” She knew she shouldn’t ask him to forgo his work for her, but the words slipped out before she could check them. Where had the request even come from? It felt wrong coming from her, a woman who lived to succeed. Or at least she had, until meeting Dae. Now she was questioning her drive to work harder than everyone else. To be better. To excel no matter what the cost.
His lips curved into a smile. “I wish I could. Tonight, though. Let’s meet here. What are your plans for today?”
“Let’s see…” She peeked beneath the sheets. “I think I’ll get dressed and go to my own room so I can shower.”
He lowered his body onto hers and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now I have the image of you naked in the shower in my mind. How am I supposed to work?”
She laughed. “It’s not that great—trust me.”
“Oh, now I know how untrustworthy you are, too, Miss Braden, because you have the most incredible body I’ve ever seen.” He pressed his hard length to her hips and kissed her.
“Oh.” Maybe I can convince him to blow off work. Or maybe I should just blow him. I have got to stop. It’s so unfair. Work comes first, and of all people, I should know that.
He lowered his forehead to her chest. “You kill me.”
She laughed again, remembering his comment about what her big Os looked like. “Sorry. Sort of.”
“Yeah, I bet you are.” He kissed her again and brushed her hair from her face.
“I’m going sightseeing, but I’m not sure it’s going to be much fun alone.”
“Yes, it will. You’ll have a great time. Why don’t we meet back here for dinner? And if you’re having too good of a time, just text me and I’ll meet you wherever you are.”
“Really?” Wow. She’d never been with a guy who had been so amenable to her.
“Absolutely. I only have another few days before I have to fly out, and I want to spend as much time as possible with you.”
Her stomach sank. “When do you leave?”
“Well, let’s see…Today’s Monday, and I leave Thursday. So if we include today, I leave four days from now.”
Only four days. Only three more nights. Why did that seem so tragic? She swallowed against the desire to beg him to stay longer. She had so many questions. He’d never even told her where he lived. She glanced away, taking in the tidy room. His clothing from last night was folded neatly and set on the chair in the corner. A hairbrush sat on the dresser, his leather wallet beside it. She realized that she didn’t know that much about him, and she desperately wanted to know more. Everything. She wanted to know everything about him.
“Four days,” she said softly. “Where will you go when you leave Italy?
”
“Denver. I have a business meeting about a property I own out that way.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to run. I’ve got a meeting in an hour. Text me throughout the day? Send me pictures of all the great places you go?”
She smiled. “Sure.” She suddenly felt a little funny. He was trusting her to be alone in his room. “Don’t worry. I’ll get out of here in a minute and lock up when I leave.”
“Em, I wouldn’t care if you stayed all day. Make yourself at home.” He kissed her, then rose from the bed. “Adelina said to tell you good morning.”
Emily cringed. “You saw her already? And she knows we were together?”
“With only two rooms rented in the villa, I’d imagine not much gets past her. I’ve been up for hours. She and Serafina had just come back from wherever it is they go to pray for the safe return of Serafina’s husband when I got downstairs. We had coffee together this morning.”
“Hours?” Oh my gosh. “You should have woken me up.”
He touched her cheek. “You’re adorable when you blush.”
She felt her cheeks flame even more.
“You looked so peaceful. Besides, after last night, I assumed you needed the rest.”
She fluttered her lashes. “I would have totally been up for getting up early to mess around before you left.”
“I…You…” His jaw clenched, and he closed his eyes for a beat, clearly struggling with having missed out on an opportunity—or maybe debating it for another day.
“You’re cute when you’re befuddled,” she teased.
“Jesus, I adore you.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Actually, it was partly selfish. I love seeing you in my bed. Naked.”
“You’re impossible. You’re just trying to make me blush again.”
“I think you know by now that I’m not impossible where you’re concerned. I’m a sure thing. And you’re right. I love to see you blush, but I really love to see you in my bed.” He grabbed his wallet, blew her a kiss, and reached for the door. “Ciao, bella.”
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