Kidnapping His Bride

by Karen Erickson

  Giving her the answer, the reassurance she needed.

  “I want to be with you.” She reached for him, ran her fingers down his front, tripping over the button placket of his shirt. “But…I hope you really want to be with me too.”

  Chuckling, he trailed his index finger lightly across her collarbone, slipping it beneath the sequined strap of her dress. “I don’t think you understand just how bad I want to be with you. Do you, Cat?”

  Slowly she shook her head, needing to hear him say it. His words would give her strength, knowing he really did want her. That this wasn’t just a passing whim.

  Was it?

  “How bad do you want me, Rafe?”

  A smile appeared, slow and easy as it stretched across his face. “Quite the seductress, aren’t you, my darling Catalina?” He held up his hands in between them, turning them this way and that. “Look at me. My hands are shaking.” Unbelievably enough, they were. Such a vulnerable revelation on his part, one that she loved seeing. “Feel my chest.” He grabbed her hand and pressed it against him. She could feel his firm, warm skin, the accelerated thump-thump beat of his heart. It raced as fast as hers.

  Maybe even faster.

  She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know if this was normal or not. He always appeared calm and composed. Did she have the power to rile him up? Turn him on, turn him inside out as much as he affected her?

  “I want you so bad it’s killing me not to just throw you over my shoulder and carry you off to my room. So I can lay you out on my bed and slowly strip you out of that sinful-as-hell dress. I want to kiss you all over your body, lick you between your legs until you’re begging me to stop, until you’re coming against my tongue, crying out my name as I bring you pleasure over and over again. Tell me. Would you like that, Cat?”

  Struck completely mute, she nodded her answer, unable to form words at the images his confession brought forth. His dark head between her legs, his magical tongue licking her straight into pure oblivion…

  She shivered at the thought.

  “Say yes, love. Agree to spend the night with me and I promise to show you pleasure like you’ve never experienced before,” he went on, his voice thick with desire, his eyes glowing.

  He already had, he just didn’t know it.

  “May I ask you question?” Her voice was small and trembling with want.

  “Anything,” Rafe said immediately.

  “What’s going to happen after this night? What will happen to us after this weekend? Will we go our separate ways?”

  Carefully he watched her, but she saw the hint of worry flicker in his gaze. Seeing that chink in his armor, that tiny imperfection made her feel better. Made Rafe seem more real. “Is that what you want?” he asked.

  She took a deep breath. “Before I spent the last twenty-four hours with you, yes. It’s what I thought I wanted. I didn’t believe you could ever care about me. But now…now I think you could.”

  “I do care about you,” he agreed. “I never wanted this to end in the first place, Cat. You have to know this.”

  “I didn’t know. I still don’t really know what’s going to happen…” Her voice trailed off and they watched each other, standing in the foyer of his apartment, ready to make a major life decision all in a few quick minutes, all with a few short words.

  He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, clutching her fingers tight. “Let me prove it to you, Cat. Let me show you just how much I want you in my life.” He pulled her to him, delivering the sweetest, softest kiss to her lips. “Forever,” he murmured against her mouth.

  Chapter Nine

  “All right,” Cat whispered, her expression softening after he pulled away from the kiss. She swayed toward him, feeling dizzy from his heady words. She couldn’t believe he admitted that. Wanted so badly to believe he meant what he said.

  Did he? Would they spend the next few days together, cocooned in such delicious intimacy that the outside world couldn’t invade their happiness? Only for him to ditch her the moment she returned to Italy?

  Steeling her spine, she stood straight, pushing all worry from her mind. She was tired of living in fear. Tired of living in the simple, boring little bubble of her life. To get what she wanted, she had to grab hold of it and never let go.

  She needed to grab hold of Rafe and show him just how much she wanted, needed him in her life.

  Without a word, he grabbed her, swept her into his strong arms, making her gasp in surprise. He strode down the hall, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable as she stared up at him. Her arms were looped around his neck, his hands gripped her backside, and she almost felt like a bride on her wedding night, just about to be carried over the threshold.

  Did newly married couples still do that sort of thing? Or were her thoughts as old fashioned as the marriage agreement that had been arranged oh-so many years ago?

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered as he walked into his bedroom, slowly setting her down on her feet. “And you’re mine.”

  Chills swept over her skin at his possessive claim. She wanted to be his, in every sense of the word. But did he really want her like he promised? She still had her doubts…

  “After tonight, you’ll belong to me.” He spoke very matter-of-factly as he pulled the dress up, exposing her panties, her breasts, until he was tugging the dress over her head and tossing it onto the floor. “Keep the shoes on, love. I’ve been fantasizing you wearing them and nothing else since you tried them on in the store.”

  A bolt of lust moved through her, settling warm and damp between her thighs. The man could look at her, say a few choice words, and she would let him do whatever he wanted to her, no questions asked.

  It was almost frightening, the power he held over her.

  “Climb onto the bed,” he said, his voice edged with heat.

  She did as he asked, propping herself on the mountain of pillows, feeling sexy in just her skimpy white lace panties and the nude platform stilettos. She spread her legs, braced her heels into the mattress and his eyes widened as he drank her in.

  “That pose would be perfect if you weren’t wearing the panties,” he said darkly, his gaze dropping to said scrap of fabric, staring at her as if he could see right through them.

  Shyness crept in, making her snap her legs back closed, but he reached out, his hand lightning fast and settling on her knee, slowly pulling her leg back.

  “Rafe…”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Kitty Cat.” He kissed her, his hand moving to her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple. “Do you know how fucking gorgeous you look, half-naked and sprawled across my bed? I’ve dreamed of this, you know.”

  He spoke so plainly. There was no pretense, no wondering where she stood or what he wanted from her. What he thought of her. She hadn’t a clue how relationships worked, how men and women really talked to each other. Her parents were a terrible example. Her sister was essentially dateless. Annalisa didn’t spend much time with the few friends she had anymore, always too busy either working or tending to her mother.

  So her expectations when it came to Rafe, to any man, were impossible to dictate. It was a mystery for her to figure out—and more than anything, a mystery that left her woefully confused and insecure. She didn’t want to mess up this tentative connection they shared.

  “What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

  She snapped her gaze up to his face, her insides going loose and hot when she saw he was unbuttoning his shirt. How she wished she were the one doing that. Her fingers literally itched to brush against his skin, explore all of those firm, hard muscles. Lick them. Nibble them. “Do you want the truth?”

  “Always.” He shed the shirt, letting it flutter to the ground, and she gaped like an idiot. His chest was smooth, olive skin stretched over finely sculpted muscle. He was beautifully built, trim and lean. Confirming her earlier thoughts that he was lickable.

  Definitely lickable.

  “I was thinking how much I like
it when you talk to me like that,” she admitted softly.

  He tilted his head. His gaze dark, his smile wicked. “I can do it again if you want.”

  “Really?” Her mouth went dry when his hands went to the waistband of his dark rinse jeans, undoing the buttons one by one. Shedding them with a simple push, revealing black boxer briefs that clung to powerful thighs…

  And a rather impressive erection that strained against the thin cotton.

  “What would you like to hear, my sweet little Kitty Cat?” He crawled onto the bed and she slid over, making room for him, a shuddering breath leaving her when he moved over her, his hot flesh pressing against hers, pushing her into the soft mattress. “How insanely sexy you look wearing those shoes? How I wish I could see through your panties?”

  A laugh escaped her when he dove in, his mouth on her neck, raining wet kisses all over her skin. “I knew you were trying to see through them.”

  “I wish you weren’t wearing any at all.” His hand drifted, down the slope of her belly, lower, toying with the waistband of her underwear. “Of course, this adds a hint of mystery, so I suppose I shouldn’t mind.”

  “You had your hand beneath them not too long ago,” she reminded him, her eyes widening when she realized what she just said.

  Well, well, well. Being with Rafe made her bold. And she liked it.

  “That I did. And what a pleasure that was, I must say.” His fingers slipped beneath the thin fabric of her panties, tangling with her pubic hair, stalling her breath. “Or more like it brought you so much pleasure. I enjoyed watching you reach for all that pleasure, too. You’re quite beautiful when you’re coming, Kitty Cat. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  She shook her head, her hair getting in her face, and she pushed it back. This could be the time, the moment when she might confess her little secret. But she was scared, afraid of his reaction.

  More than anything, she was scared of his rejection.

  “I don’t think I’d want to know of your past interludes anyway. No one wants to hear that sort of thing.” He sounded vaguely jealous, which was funny, since he had no one to be jealous of. No man had ever really been that interested in her. Oh, she’d had teenage boyfriends, but nothing lasting. One young man had taken a strong interest in her when she was nineteen, and they’d spent a lot of time together. Annalisa had encouraged her relentlessly to be with him, pushing him on Cat to the point of making a spectacle of herself. Her sister had believed the two of them would’ve made a perfect couple, direct quote.

  But all she could ever think of when she’d been with kind, bashful Lorenzo was how she couldn’t pursue anything further with him. She was promised to another. More than that, she secretly enjoyed being promised to another. At that young age, she believed herself half in love with Rafael.

  Foolish, girlish dreams. She hadn’t a clue what love meant. She still wasn’t sure.

  But she knew what it was like to lust. To want. She wanted Rafe so badly her body ached for his.

  She needed to be honest with him. Before they continued this night, she must tell him the truth. It was only right. If he pushed her away, then at least she would know where she stood with him.

  “I agree,” she finally said, her voice so small she noticed he cocked his head toward her, his fingers toying with her sex, making it hard for her to think. “No one wants to hear that sort of thing. I don’t have any stories like that, though.”

  “What do you mean?” He wasn’t really paying attention, too focused on the magic he was creating between her legs.

  Biting her lip, she fought to keep her senses when his fingers brushed her clit, causing her to whimper. “I’ve…never been with another man before.”

  His fingers stilled, his gaze meeting hers. “Never?”

  She slowly shook her head. “Ever.”

  He slipped his hand out of her panties, lifting himself off of her, and she felt the loss keenly. “Are you saying you’re a…”

  “Virgin.” She nodded. “Yes. I am.”

  Incredulity passed across his handsome face. “Really?”

  Okay, his doubt was starting to irritate her. “I saved myself for you, Rafe. All these years, pushing away the few boys who showed a bit of interest in me. I told them all I was promised to someone else.”

  “I…wow.” He settled back against the pillows, running a hand through his hair, mussing it up in the most adorably sexy way. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this.”

  She leaned into him, brushing her breasts against his biceps, dropping a kiss on his shoulder. “You must admit, this situation we’ve been a part of since we were children is rather unusual.”

  “Cat.” He moved so quickly, she suddenly found herself on her back again, Rafe above her, his lower body pressed against hers, nestled between her hips. “It—it means a lot, that you’re so willing to give your body up to me.”

  “I’d always planned on giving myself to you,” she confessed, sucking in a harsh breath when he bent his head, kissing her silent.

  “You fully planned on giving your body to someone else when you ended it with me a few nights ago,” he murmured against her mouth.

  He would never tire of bringing that back up, would he? If they married, would he mention that incident twenty years from now? Forty years? “That was a moment of irrationality.”

  “So you admit that we belong together.”

  She nodded. “I wouldn’t be with you like this if I didn’t believe it.”

  His gaze was reverent as it roved over her face. He touched her, his fingers drifting down her cheek, across her lips. She shivered at his gentle caress. “We can make this work, can’t we?”

  “Yes. I hope so,” she whispered, closing her eyes when he kissed her, his tongue thrusting against hers. Yes, they certainly could.

  The realization filled her with such joy, she was almost afraid she might cry.

  Rafe couldn’t believe what Cat just admitted. She’d saved herself for him all of these years? And she was a virgin?

  Had he ever had a virgin in his bed before, even when he’d been an untried youth? He didn’t think so.

  In fact, he knew so. The girl who’d introduced him to sex had been a knowledgeable seventeen-year-old who’d been only too eager to show him everything she knew. Which she did, for hours and hours on end. He’d walked away from her thankful for the experiences she’d given him.

  Knowing that Cat had saved herself for him was…mind blowing. Shocking. He should view the gift of her virginity as a privilege. She was untouched, pure, just for him, and he should treat her with all the respect and gentleness that she deserved.

  And here he’d groped her in the back seat of a car. Slipped his hands in her panties and gotten her off with a few precise flicks and thrusts of his fingers. Treating her like she was some sort of common woman, easy to give it up to him.

  He felt like a complete shit.

  “Cat.” He kissed her, restraining himself, not wanting to frighten her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” she said, her voice full of so much conviction he could almost believe her.

  But he feared he would. He wanted her, too damn much. Look at how quickly he’d attacked her in the car. Only moments ago he’d had his hand in her panties already, stroking her wet, hot flesh. She wanted him too. He knew this. But he couldn’t take it too far, too quickly. He needed to be careful with her. Respectful.

  “I want to make this good for you,” he murmured as he eased up off of her.

  She grabbed hold of him, keeping him in place. “You already have.”

  Closing his eyes, he fought the wave of frustration—mixed with a healthy dose of lust—that wanted to overtake him. Had he ever felt like this? He wanted to tear into Cat and fuck her into oblivion. Forget everything else. Just looking at her nearly naked and spread across his bed like his own personal plaything made him want to take her. Make her his.

  Mine.

  The word ran
through his head again and again as he bent and took her lips in a decadent, lush kiss. As he ran his hands all over her silky soft flesh, earning whispered cries of pleasure from Cat for his efforts. Those sounds encouraged him, and he slid down her body, kissing her everywhere, licking her nipples, mapping her stomach with his lips. He gripped the flimsy sides of her panties, literally tearing them from her body and a shocked gasp escaped her, reminding him that he was nothing but an animal.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, pulling her destroyed panties from her body, his cock twitching when he caught sight of the bounty before him. Scant, dark, curling pubic hair hid her pretty pink depths.

  “For what?”

  Glancing up, he saw her glazed-with-lust eyes, the way her chest rose and fell rapidly, her skin flushed delicately. She was aroused. The knowledge aroused him further, but he refused to let himself get out of control. He’d probably frighten her and turn her off sex for the rest of her life. And they couldn’t have that. “I need to control myself.”

  “Please.” She brought herself into a sitting position, giving him no choice but to back away from her. Grabbing hold of him, she looped her arms around his neck, pressing her naked body against his in the most tantalizing of caresses. “I don’t want you to be controlled. You don’t need to hold back for my sake. I won’t break, Rafe. I want you wild.” She purposely brushed her breasts against his chest. He could feel her nipples come into contact with his skin, and he broke out into a sweat. “Show me how wild you can be,” she whispered.

  Groaning, he kissed her, thrusting his tongue inside, searching her mouth. She pulled him down on top of her, her hands roaming all over his skin, driving him crazy with lust. She trembled beneath him, reminding him that she had no experience, that he was the first man to show her everything, and the knowledge filled him with an unmistakable surge of power.