Tempt Me

by Cali Caliente

  “Ah, carina, yes. I am honest.” He laid back on the bed and pulled her on top of his hips. “I have never been more honest in my life.”

  She whimpered as he caressed her smooth white skin with his mouth and hands. He ran his fingers around her breasts and flicked the tips with his thumbs. Pulling her down closer, he licked one nipple and the other, enjoying her response. He took a breast in his mouth and sucked. She arched her back and moaned. So pale, so lovely, and so damned erotic. He would take it slow and easy this time. Let her feel all his emotions. He rolled her to the side and brushed her hair back from her face. He had to look into her beautiful eyes—the mirror to her soul—while they made passionate love.

  Slipping one leg between her thighs, he ran his hand over her stomach and traced circles around her sensitive breasts, all the while watching her expressive face. “There is nothing more bellissimo than making love to a woman. You will be mine after this, Danielle.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soft lips, melting into her as his desire flamed. This was the woman he could spend every day and night with, and never look at another woman again. He’d show Bryce he could be faithful to only one, and she wasn’t even a blonde.

  He allowed his fingers to take the path he craved, down her smooth belly to her most private of places. The place where men found love and security. He slipped two fingers inside her warmth and smiled when he discovered she was wet with need. She groaned and ground her hips to encourage him. He fingered deep for her G-spot and the instant he found it, she stiffened with the intensity of her arousal, murmuring little gasps and senseless nothings.

  “Oh, geeze…please…more…”

  He kissed her deeper while his fingers explored and teased until she bucked against his hand. She arched her back, tensed and relished the total relief of a mini climax. Wait until she experienced a full orgasm with him, it would blow her away.

  “Do you wish for more, carina?”

  She ran her fingers through his hair, sending tingles down his back. “I will always wish for more. How do you say my lover in Italian?”

  “Il mio amante.” Her touch was magic to his senses. He was secure and content in her arms. And it thrilled him when she wanted to learn the language of his family.

  “You are the best man I have ever had, il mio amante.”

  And he hoped he would be her last.

  He was ready for love. His uncle was right when he told him he would know when the right woman came along to love for the rest of his life. He’d found her and would not stray.

  He growled and hovered above her, touching her sweet lips with his own, as he let his cock find its way into her warm pussy. Gentle and tender, he whispered sentimental words into her mouth as he pushed deeper, in and out, slowly as though polishing her with his love. He licked her waiting lips. She cupped his face in her hands and sucked his tongue, driving him right over the edge, much faster than he wanted to go. His throbbing release pushed beyond its limits, exploding into her.

  ****

  Danielle held on for the ride of her life. His sweet Italian words caressed her soul as he made slow passionate love to her body. Her heart was involved with this man big time, and she barely knew him. Even more reason to see more of him, right?

  Stars burst behind her eyelids, and she buried her face into his shoulder to keep from screaming. Her release came hard and fast. Wild spasms of joy gripped her body. She panted into his shoulder, never wanting to let him go. She’d heard of love at first sight and maybe this was it. Fate could do amazing things, but this was far beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

  She was falling in love. Too soon, too fast.

  This was different from her engagement to Jon, who led her on and deceived her. But she discovered she didn’t love him after all. What a relief to know. She never loved Jon. They had never shared anything remotely like this in all their sexual encounters. Twice in the past twenty-four hours, this man had sent her to heaven and beyond with his skillful lovemaking. Sex wasn’t everything, but good sex helped a relationship stay strong.

  She sighed, feeling better about life than she had in a very long time. “That was…how do you say it? Bellsihamo?”

  He chuckled against her neck. “Bellissimo.”

  “Bellissimo. I loved every second. Thank you.”

  “Please don’t thank me when I am enjoying this sex as much as you. I want to see much more of you, cara mia.”

  “And I want the same.” She kissed him and savored his taste, a little Italian food mingled with wine. “Please don’t ever lie, and don’t hurt me, Brent.”

  He shook his head, his eyes locking with hers, their deep brown color reflecting the light of her night lamp. “I won’t.”

  A cellphone rang in the distance. “Is that your phone?”

  “Could be.” He didn’t seem to care whether he answered it or not.

  But she did. She hated it when people didn’t answer their calls. She wouldn’t be calling them unless it was something important. “Don’t you need to answer?”

  “No. Let it go.” He rolled over and covered his face with her pillow.

  “It might be important. I’ll grab it for you.”

  She hurried out into the living room and dug into his pants pocket to retrieve the thin cellphone. It read, Brent - missed call. Her heart stopped. She dropped the phone where she stood. How could Brent be here, if he was calling on the cellphone?

  Oh God, no…

  Had she done it again? This had to be Bryce. Was he freakin’ crazy? Why was he messing around with her when he had Aurora? A beautiful wife who was about to give him beautiful twins, and they were to spend the rest of their lives together.

  “Who was it, Danielle?” He came up from behind and slipped his strong arms around her waist, and kissed her bare shoulder.

  Tears ran down her cheeks unheeded. She pushed away from him. “Get your clothes on and leave. Right now. Get out of my sight.”

  “Danielle? What did I do?”

  She glared at him with all the confused hatred she could muster. “You know what you did and who you are. Go figure it out. Damn you, Bryce Lovella!”

  She ran into her bedroom, slammed the door and locked it. She listened as he dressed. After a few minutes, she heard the closing of her front door. She waited ten more minutes, watching the clock and hugging her pillows to her chest before she dared peek out to make sure he was gone. For good this time.

  Damn him to hell.

  Her heart trembled in pain and the stress was almost too much to bear. Crying seemed the only way to get over a loser like Bryce. He was a grown man with adult responsibilities. He’d told her right to her face how much he loved her best friend and they were happy together. What a freakin’ load of bullshit.

  Danielle ran to the shower to wash off whatever remained of their intimacy. Tears continued to flow until her eyes were red and puffy, and she ached deep in her chest. “I will never trust a man again.”

  ****

  Moonlight slithered down the road guiding his car through the darkness as Brent sped toward the family farm. His brother was going to pay for this last prank. When the hell did he find the time to switch their cellphones? Bryce had to have done it. He cursed the day they got matching cellphones for the business. It had made sense at the time, but not now.

  Danielle was upset, thinking he was Bryce again. And for all evidence, it sure looked like he was. How else could Brent have called his cellphone?

  Dammit, I’m Brent!

  He was trying hard to make an impression on Danielle, and his brother was messing it up. Bryce was a raving maniac with his revenge. Brent had to admit from her point of view, he seemed a little crazy too. Especially since he had to defend his name and personality, repeatedly. He would get to the bottom of this mess once and for all.

  What right did his twin have to control his life? Danielle meant a lot more to him than any woman he’d met in the past. He wanted to have a chance to get to know her better
and maybe get really serious like he’d never done before. She might not be a blonde, but she was beautiful and he ached to be with her.

  He slid the roadster to a halt next to the farmhouse and glanced down at his watch. Almost one a.m. in the morning. Bryce was probably fast asleep. Tough luck—brother. It was never easy to receive payback when payback was due. He didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. He didn’t want to cool off. The urge to punch his brother in the face while he had the gumption to do so burned too hot.

  Brent walked up the gravel pathway to the back door, unlocked as usual. He walked in and a loud alarm went off. Out of nowhere, he was hit in the knees and knocked to the floor by a huge, furry, brown and white dog. He rolled onto his back and put his arms across his neck and face in self-defense. The dog didn’t try to bite him, it just wanted to sit on him. The damn thing weighed more than he did and it was crushing his chest beneath its massive paws.

  What happened to Brutus? The nice, young, friendly bulldog?

  He wiped dog drool from his face and grimaced. Ugh. Exactly why he didn’t care for pets. Too much work and too messy.

  “Bryce?” His shout bounced off the walls.

  No one came to his rescue.

  No Brutus, no Bryce, and no Aurora. But he was in the right house. This is where he grew up. What was going on? He pet the beast who held him pinned to the floor. The damned animal growled and laid across his chest, panting horrible doggy breath in his face. The dog didn’t seem aggressive, just controlling.

  Brent wasn’t going to push his authority and piss the beast off. No sense in getting bit.

  Where the hell was everyone anyway?

  At least the alarm had stopped ringing. Maybe Bryce had installed a security system for Aurora. Someone would come to his rescue soon, right?

  ****

  Danielle stared down at her cellphone in her hands. Magically, it rang. She stared at it and wiped a single tear. It was Rory. How could she talk to her knowing Rory’s fiancé had left a few hours ago? She was ashamed of her actions. Yet, she couldn’t ignore her best friend. Not in her current condition. Rory was nearly seven months pregnant with twins.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh, Dani, I’m glad you’re home. I’m at the hospital. And—”

  “Are you okay?” Her heart raced with trepidation, thinking about the babies and the problems that could arise with multiple birth pregnancies.

  “A false alarm, that’s all. Everything is okay. But I need to ask a favor.”

  She was relieved the babies and Rory were all right. “Sure, anything.”

  “Bryce is tied up at work. He didn’t come home last night. Something about the refrigeration system again. I had to call a taxi and left the house in such a hurry, I forgot to let Brutus out of the bedroom…and we have a new dog too. That’s why Brutus is shut in the bedroom. He didn’t want to share with The Hulk.”

  “The Hulk?”

  Aurora giggled. “He’s a St. Bernard rescue dog. They’re Italian, you know. We’re only fostering, for the time being…maybe. Bryce loves him a lot. He’s a good dog, but he takes better to women than men. The first night Bryce brought him home, The Hulk knocked Bryce to the floor and sat on him until I rescued him. It was funny, but painful for Bryce. I had to give the dang dog a rawhide bone to get him up off Bryce’s chest.”

  Danielle laughed at the description. Served the traitorous jerk right. “I can’t believe you named a dog The Hulk.”

  “You’ll see why when you meet him. Can you just go out to the farm and put Hulk outside in the sheep pen? Brutus can be walked on a leash, and it’s okay to leave Brutus free in the house. He’ll be fine until I get home.”

  “Are they keeping you much longer?”

  Rory sighed and sounded tired. “I’m not sure. They’re monitoring the twins right now. Just as a precaution. I had some spotting earlier. The doctor said it was perfectly normal, but he wants to make sure there isn’t something he’s missing.”

  “Okay. Well, you take care of you and those babies. Don’t worry about the dogs. I’ll drive out and make sure everything is okay at the farm. Is first light okay? I hate country roads at night. Besides, I’m not familiar with the area. I might drive right by the farm in the dark.”

  “First light’s fine. Thanks so much. I appreciate it, Dani. Sorry to bug you at four a.m., but I didn’t have anyone else to call. I haven’t been able to reach Bryce or Brent.”

  Imagine that? Bryce being responsible and being there for his wife-to-be, instead of making love to her best friend. Ouch. It still hurt and angered her more than she wanted to think about. If she could find a punishment for Bryce, she would make sure he suffered. Big-time.

  “Don’t worry, Rory. I’ll get ready now. I can leave in about an hour.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Bryce installed a security alarm thingy. You know, it’s one of those fake ones meant to scare burglars off. Reach to the right inside the door by the light switch and punch the numbers one, two, three, and it will turn off.”

  “One, two, three…got it. Take care. And don’t worry. I can handle this.”

  Danielle hung up the cellphone and released a long-held breath, but it didn’t help. How was she ever going to tell Rory the truth about her cheating rat fiancé? She had to do it eventually. Bryce was already making up excuses about having to stay longer at work. Seriously? How often does that really happen?

  ****

  Brent woke to the sound of footsteps on the gravel drive outside. The damned dog was sound asleep, sprawled across his chest. He was crushed to the floor and couldn’t wait for release. When had Bryce gotten a new dog? He’d never mentioned it. The back door cracked open. But did the massive dog leave his chest? No. He just lifted his huge brown and white head, and looked at the pair of sexy legs that walked into the house.

  Wait a minute. He recognized those legs. He looked upside down at the pretty face he never thought he’d see again. He wanted to speak, but he could barely breathe. The dog weighed close to two hundred pounds, if not more.

  “My, my. What have we here? Looks like The Hulk found one of the rat twins to sit on. Which one are you, I wonder? Brent the nice twin I’ve yet to meet? Or Bryce, the ratty twin who screwed me twice, mind you, while currently engaged to my best friend?”

  He gasped and winced, it hurt to breathe. He might have cracked ribs the way his chest burned. If the dog would only move—

  “Can’t speak for yourself? I take it you’re the ratty twin, Bryce. Since your nice red convertible is parked outside. Why aren’t you at the hospital with your almost wife?”

  Aurora was at the hospital? If she assumed he was Bryce, then where the hell was his brother? He should be with Aurora at a time like this. He had to get up. He pushed at the oversized dog to no avail.

  “Oh, Rory told me he won’t move without a bone. I hear he likes you so much this is how he gets his treats. He just sits on you until he gets what he wants. What a novel idea. Maybe I’ll just leave him there and see how long he’ll stay.”

  He closed his eyes. She was still pissed off. How could he get her to help him out of this uncomfortable situation? “Please…”

  “What? I barely heard you.” She stepped closer and bent down.

  If only she’d get the damned bone or whatever removed this beast. “Dani—”

  The sassy expression changed on her face. Maybe she did have compassion after all. She hurried over to a large lidded jar marked Biscuits on the counter. She undid the clasp and pulled out two treats. She didn’t have to say a word.

  Bingo. The big dog jumped up off his chest and ran for the treat.

  Brent rolled to his side coughing. God, his chest hurt like hell. Gasping and holding his sides, he wondered if the dog had broken a rib or two. He’d been pinned beneath the monster beast for several hours.

  “Are you okay? Let me get the dog outside. I need to let Brutus out too. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared out the door with the huge dog in tow. The damn dog went w
illingly with her. Why not? She looked hot in a short navy skirt and tight purple t-shirt. He’d follow her too, if she’d let him.

  She passed back through and ran up the stairs. Brutus barked and the patter of heavy feet came down the stairs and over to the door.

  “Hey, Brutus. How ya doing?” Brutus hurried over to give him a lick and returned to the door. Obviously, he had to go pee.

  He struggled to stand as she walked outside with Brutus on a leash. His left side burned with pain like a hot poker jabbed into his ribcage. He staggered to the downstairs guest bathroom and closed the door. He glanced in the mirror and knew what had changed her mind. His shirt was soaked in blood. He unbuttoned his shirt as he took a pee and noticed a scratch, not too deep and most likely from the dog’s massive paws.

  “Bryce, are you in there?” Danielle’s voice was filled with concern outside the door.

  He wished he could milk his injury to gain her sympathy, but remembered she’d kicked him out of her life and didn’t want to see him again. Yet, here she was. He wondered what brought her out to the farmhouse at this godawful time of the morning. Unless his brother really was two-timing Aurora and seeing Danielle on the side. Nah, Bryce loved Aurora. But it would make perfect sense as to why Danielle accused him of being Bryce last night, or was that early this morning?

  He zipped up his fly, washed his hands and opened the door. He hadn’t bothered to cover the scratch he needed to clean up. Nor did he want to argue about who he was again. “Did you get the dogs outside?”

  “Yes. You’re hurt. Let me see.” She pulled back his shirt to reveal the long scratch. “Let me clean it up for you. Where’s your first aid kit?”

  “I’m fine. I need to get going. I have work to do. I can clean up at the market.”

  She slipped inside the small bathroom with him and opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. “Nope. Not here.” When she bent over to check the cupboard below, her sweet butt pushed against his groin. “Okay, my hunch is right. It must be upstairs. Come with me.”

  Giving him little choice, she grasped his hand and tugged him along behind her. Her touch was warm and comforting. A stirring of desire overwhelmed him, and his male libido ached to be soothed.