“I didn’t think you’d want to deal with the complaints tomorrow if any of your other guests saw me in the hallway wearing what I sleep in.”
“Why, what do you wear?”
He pushed the door shut and pulled her to him. “Nothing.”
“I should have known. And I doubt the guests would have been grumbling, at least not the women. They probably would have booked an extra week if they thought they’d get another peek.”
“Then I’m still invited to stay?”
She rose on her toes, ran her tongue along the seam between his lips. “Pajamas can be overrated. I don’t always sleep in them either.”
Antonio lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He covered her mouth with his and Lucia tasted his desire as he slanted the kiss one way then the other. Neither seemed able to get enough, as if their lives depended on deepening the kiss. They feasted, ravenous with a passion to experience what each had craved for weeks.
He held her tighter, carried her over to the bed, and then turned and sat down with her legs still cradling him. He reached for the hem of her satin camisole. His fingers brushed her bare midriff as he skimmed the material up. Delicious little shivers danced along her nerves like a flock of giddy ballerinas flitting across the stage that was her skin.
Antonio whisked the thin barrier off and tossed it aside to land where it would. His lips found her neck, lingered there, tasting, nuzzling, and stoking her desire with each nip, every lick and glide, turning the little shivers into trembling quakes of need.
Lucia didn’t think she’d ever wanted to make love to a man more than she did in that moment. She yanked the tails of his shirt out of his jeans and pulled it higher, running her hands up the sides of his torso. Firm, smooth, bunching with lean muscle, she knew he was going to be even more gorgeous with his clothes off. Could a woman stand that much beauty in a man?
Yeah. She thought she could handle it. She drank him in with her eyes, as he did her, as if they were desert dwellers whose thirst might never again be quenched.
He was, indeed, a fabulous specimen of a man.
SHE SEDUCED HIM. A siren he couldn’t, didn’t want to resist. Antonio trailed his mouth over her beautiful body, wanting to memorize every dip, curve, and swell, every inch of this woman who’d enchanted him.
The feel of her, the scent of her, the touch of her hands caressing his back and shoulders, destroyed him. He moved against her, restless with need but wanting to take his time, to savor what he’d only fantasized about until tonight.
He slid his hand up her ribcage, over her breast, felt the strong beat of her heart there, steady but fast, and he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The muscles in his shoulders bunched, tension building as he tried to hold back, wanting to stretch the seconds into minutes, the minutes into moments he’d never forget.
She wasn’t having it. Lucia took hold of his head and pulled him up, captured his mouth. Lips clung to lips as she clung to him. Beneath him, she burned, sexy, silken, and seductive as hell as she took the wheel and drove him out of control.
Something inside him burst and he lost the battle. His fingers sought out the root of her pleasure. A gasp rushed past her lips, into his, and he lapped it up, his senses on overload.
He molded his mouth to hers for another searing kiss before trailing it across her cheek, down her neck and then lavished her breast. She moaned, let herself go, writhing as he licked and tugged, and he thought he’d go mad.
She arched, a plea for him to take more, give her more, snapping his will. They were both frantic with desire as she gave, he took, and tried to give back to her, to answer her demands as the thin threads holding his sanity together began to unravel one by one.
Neither seemed capable of speech, too caught up in the frenzy to be able to form words. He dipped a finger inside her heat and she let out a groan that seared his soul. He inserted another and she began to ride them, hot and hungry, slick with readiness. He could stand no more.
He buried himself in her pleading warmth and she cried out. Antonio struggled to hold on, to give her more pleasure than she’d ever experienced, to drive her as crazy with need as she was driving him before she found her release.
They rode each other, hot, flaming higher and higher still as he took her beyond the bounds of anything he imagined possible. And then he felt her tighten, shudder, and fall apart in his arms. Her cry of release snapped the final tether of his will and he drove into her, his own release ripping away the last vestiges of strength he’d managed to hang on to before he poured himself into her.
They lay depleted, skin against skin, pounding heart against pounding heart, their breathing labored, mingling together so he wasn’t sure which was his, which was hers. When enough time passed he could speak, he rose up on one elbow and looked down at her.
Her eyes were closed, but a satisfied smile began to lift the corners of her mouth. He leaned down and kissed it lightly. “Glad to see we both survived that.”
The smile broadened and her lids fluttered open. “Me too. I wasn’t sure we were going to, but if we did, I was certain the bed and everything within fifteen feet on all sides of it would be charred beyond recognition.”
Antonio lay back down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re beautiful. Every inch of you is a work of art.” He drew his hand up her arm. “I’ve never lost control like that before. Next time I’ll try to take my time so I can draw out your pleasure.”
Lucia gave him a grin that would have stirred him into action again if he had an ounce of energy left to stir.
“I’ve got an inn full of guests so I have to be downstairs by seven tomorrow, but if you’re an early riser maybe you can show me what you mean by taking your time.”
“And drawing out your pleasure.”
“Yes, that too.”
“Which you should know is selfish on my part since driving you to the point of no return, watching you in the throes of pleasure, and knowing you’d do anything in that moment for your release only fuels my own.”
“Then by all means, take as much time as you want next time. Maybe we can set the alarm for three o’clock. That would give us a little more than three hours to drive each other mad.”
Antonio let out a bark of laughter. “You, Lucia Bonavera, might possibly be the death of me.”
“And you, Antonio DeLuca, have stirred to life something in me I suspect could become insatiable after tonight.”
“Perfect! I’m going to be bedding a smart, funny, beautiful woman with a demanding and insatiable desire.” He kissed her forehead and then whispered into her ear, “Which I’ll do my very best to try and satisfy.”
Lord, make me chaste – but not yet.
St. Augustine
Lucia snapped up her head when a cup of coffee plunked down in front of her on the reception desk.
“Thought you might need this.” Her sister Caterina stood on the other side eyeing her with the attention of a bird zeroing in on a plump worm.
Picking up the cup, Lucia downed a much-needed gulp of the aromatic brew. “Thanks, I didn’t have time to get any this morning.”
“No wonder.” Cat continued her intense study.
“What are you looking at? Is my lipstick smeared or something?” She rubbed a finger around her lips and looked at it to see if there was anything there, and then took another, smaller sip of coffee.
“No, I was just trying to see if you looked different after a night of hot, mind-blowing sex.”
Lucia coughed, spitting half of the coffee back out and spraying the stack of receipts she needed to go through. “How do you know I had a night of—” She looked around and lowered her voice. “Hot, mind-blowing sex?”
“Have you forgotten my bedroom is right next to yours? You and your Italian stud weren’t as quiet as you might have thought. I figured you were either practicing your wrestling moves together or you were doing some pretty heavy sweating between the sheets.” Cat waggled her
brows. “So how amazing was it?”
Lucia grinned. “Think the grand finale on the fourth, the perfect storm, or a fifteen on the Richter Scale.”
“I think the seismic measurement only goes up to ten.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I’m jealous.”
“I don’t know why. You’re the only one who’s been enjoying any action on a regular basis around here for months. Marcella hasn’t been on a date in over a year. None of the guys El’s gone out with lately has made it to the second date, and the last one I dated long enough to even consider going to bed with destroyed any chance when he picked me up two hours late because he didn’t want to miss the end of a baseball game—and that was at least eight months ago.”
She cradled the coffee cup and lifted it to her lips. “I think you’d have to agree I was overdue.”
“You were, and I’m glad it happened, especially since we all placed bets on how long it would take, and I think I might have won. That doesn’t mean I still can’t feel a little bit jealous.”
Lucia stared up at Caterina with an open mouth. “You did what!”
“Placed bets. It wasn’t like there was any great mystery whether you and Antonio were going to do the deed; it was just a matter of how long you could hold out before one of you started to lose it.”
Lucia shook her head and then asked, “What did you bet?”
“The losers have to pay for a pedi-mani for the winner.”
“Nice. Well, happy to oblige whichever of you turns out to be the lucky benefactor of my night of pleasure.” Despite learning about the bet, Lucia couldn’t help but smile at the memories that sprang into her head. “My delicious, decadent, sensually perfect night of pleasure,” she drawled.
“Okay, now that’s just cruel. You don’t have to rub it in.”
“How is it cruel for me to relish one night when you’ve been sleeping with Mitch for who knows how many months? Don’t you think the rest of us could use a satisfying romp with a man who can get the job done once in a while?”
Caterina shrugged. “Just because you get a steady diet of something doesn’t always mean it’s satisfying.”
Lucia took in her sister’s expression. It revealed more than Cat probably realized. The fact she’d even hinted there might be a problem between her and Mitch gave Lucia some hope Cat might be looking at the relationship more honestly and questioning it.
“Look, honey,” Lucia began, intending only to let her sister know she had an ear if she wanted one. She didn’t get the chance because the front door swung open and one of the couples staying at the inn walked inside.
“Good morning,” they called, waving from across the lobby.
Lucia stood up and put on her best innkeeper’s smile. “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Decker. You’re out and about early. Are you enjoying your morning?”
“Oh, it’s been lovely!” Mrs. Decker looked up at her husband. “Hasn’t it been lovely, George?”
George nodded. “Lovely.”
“We went to that little restaurant you recommended for breakfast. I ordered the stuffed French toast and it was so big I had to take a picture of it. George had creamed, chipped beef on toast. He always orders the same thing. I tried to get him to try something different—the restaurant had so many wonderful looking things on the menu—but he’s a man of habit. He made a habit out of me, though, so I won’t complain.”
George smiled.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Lucia said, endeared by the easy, comfortable way they seemed to have with each other.
They were just rounding the entrance to the hallway from the lobby when Lucia heard Antonio’s voice, exchanging good mornings with the Deckers.
She leaned sideways, peered past Caterina, and saw him saunter into the lobby. He looked like a man well pleased with himself and his world. Her spirits soared, renewing some of the energy their night before and early morning lovemaking had drained.
Cat cleared her throat. “Well, well, if he doesn’t look like the cat that just lapped up the last of the cream.”
“Stop it,” Lucia warned under her breath.
“Good morning, ladies.” Antonio’s eyes took on a distinct gleam when they shifted from Caterina to Lucia.
“Good morning,” Cat returned with an amused lilt to her tone. “And isn’t it a beautiful one at that?”
Antonio must have picked up on her sister’s teasing intent and arched a brow at Lucia. She rolled her eyes but found she couldn’t hold back a smile at their expense. She was a satisfied woman this morning. Happy, content, and saw no reason not to let it show.
“I couldn’t agree more.” He walked up to the reception desk and came around behind where Lucia was standing. “I’m guessing our secret’s out?”
Lucia nodded. “Caterina’s bedroom shares a wall with mine.”
“In that case…” Antonio wrapped a hand around Lucia’s waist. “I guess there’s no need for sneaking around, is there?” He swooped in and gave her a blistering kiss, short but deadly, hot and inciting.
“Holy crap, where’s the fire extinguisher?” Cat burst out.
Antonio chuckled. “I just thought I’d give your sister something to think about while I’m out running errands today.”
Lucia stretched her neck. “Like what, how uncomfortable I’m going to be all day?”
“No.” He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “How good I’m going to make you feel tonight.”
Lucia closed her eyes. She couldn’t help it. She managed not to groan. She looked at him again. He licked his lips and then ran his tongue over them. “Stasera la mia bella.”
When he walked out the door a minute later, Caterina dropped her jaw and stared at Lucia. “Are you kidding me? Is he for real? Does he have a twin brother? Jesus, Luch. Jesus!”
Lucia laughed. “I know, right?”
“Damn. We better make sure the insurance is paid up on this place because I’m seriously thinking the heat you two put off could send it up in flames.”
“Oh, that was nothing, sis.”
“You know what, I’m out of here. I’ve got to get to the restaurant.” Cat slung her purse over her shoulder and made for the door. Just before she walked out she turned and said, “And just so you know, no one likes a braggart, Luch.”
Lucia hugged herself and chuckled under her breath. Probably not, but wow, he was a whole lot of magnificent to brag about.
THE FURNITURE HE picked out on Sunday arrived by one thirty the next afternoon, and when the two delivery men carried everything up to the attic, Antonio was glad he’d paid the extra fifty dollars to have it delivered.
He tipped them something extra for their efforts when they were done and then got to work arranging things the way he wanted them. He turned and looked at the boxes leaning against the side wall. They contained a desk, two small file cabinets, and a printer stand, all unassembled. If he was lucky, it wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to put them together. He hadn’t thought to pick up any power tools, not even a screwdriver, but he hoped Lucia and her sisters had some he could borrow to get the job done.
Before dealing with those, he arranged all the furniture into an L-shaped seating area on the area rug. In addition to having a comfortable lounging area, it could double as a meeting space if he ever needed one.
Glancing back at the boxes, he frowned. No time like the present to find out what he was up against. He opened them up and read through the instructions. It turned out the only thing he needed that wasn’t included was a Phillips head screwdriver. Antonio laid out each box with the pieces for that item on top and arranged them into an assembly line of sorts.
Optimistic he’d be able to knock it all out in two hours max, he went in search of a Phillips head.
The good news was the Bonaveras had every tool he could have possibly needed and then some. Marcella, who’d taken him to the basement and told him to use whatever he wanted, said they had belonged to their father. She told him the man
had liked tools.
Antonio grinned as he took the stairs back up to the attic. What she’d actually said was my dad would drool over a new tool the way Eliana drools over a pair of Christian Louboutins. When he’d frowned, she gave him an amused look and said, shoes.
He’d begun getting to know each of the sisters a little better, and it amazed him how four people with the same parents could have grown up together and turned out to be so different. They had their similarities, yes, in the way they moved, their gestures, speech patterns and the like, and their looks, of course, but their personalities were more dissimilar than not.
The job turned out to take twice as long as it should have. When he checked the time, he was surprised to see it was after six. He decided to call it a day and see if Lucia might be able to get some dinner with him.
He was worried he might have complicated matters by making love to her before telling her about his idea to nullify the betrothal contract. She knew nothing about the trust their grandfathers had established or the terms associated with it.
Although his grandfather had told him a trust had been set up for him a number of years ago, and that he could receive distribution when he turned thirty, he’d withheld a very important stipulation that, if Antonio had known upfront, he would have made different choices about how he’d managed his life up until this point.
He should have told Lucia everything before going to bed with her, but he hadn’t. The moment was wrong, he didn’t want to spoil the mood, she was too busy—he could list several reasons, and they might have seemed legitimate at the time, but none of them sounded very good now, not after last night.
When he’d gone to see his grandfather last week, he’d admitted that he and Lucia had gone out together a few times. It seemed like a good way to lay the groundwork for his idea in the event she agreed to go along with it. Now, he wished he’d held off because he might have made matters worse if she didn’t.
Lucia (The Bonaveras) Page 15