Alexa’s hand with the glass froze halfway to her mouth. “The next three years?”
“Yes. While he’s setting up the Latin American headquarters for Radiant Communications, darlin’,” Joan said matter-of-factly, as if it were common knowledge. Perhaps it was, but this tidbit of information was news to Alexa.
As Joan hurried away, Alexa scanned the room in search of Leonardo.
Leonardo was moving to Brazil for three years?
The sound of a metal fork clinking against glass drew Alexa’s attention to the center of the room, where Joan was standing, staring up adoringly at her husband. All conversations ceased, and the guests faced the couple celebrating another year of their happy marriage.
Russell Simpson lapsed into one of his stories, and Alexa half listened as she pondered what Joan had said. Leonardo was leaving for Brazil in two months. Sixty days.
A round of applause shook her from her ruminations and forced her to concentrate her attention on the celebration taking place in the room. She saw Joan bent back across Russell’s arm as he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. The romantic gesture made Alexa feel a twinge of jealousy, wishing she and Leonardo could have reached the thirty-year milestone in their marriage and share the kind of love Russell and Joan did.
She started. What was she thinking? She and Leonardo couldn’t share that type of relationship because their marriage was doomed almost from the beginning and was over even now. The excitement of being married to a powerful, rich, sexy man waned under the reality of day-to-day life.
He was no longer charming and playful. With work consuming all his time, her role became one of hostess and bed partner. There was nothing in between. The times she spent alone were a constant reminder of the mockery of a marriage she saw between her parents, and she had been determined she wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes.
The guests began to mill about again when the kiss ended. Alexa lifted her glass from the table to take another swallow before getting to her feet.
Intuitively, she sensed Leonardo’s gaze on her, and she caught sight of him near the entrance to the balcony. He was watching her, though he should have been engrossed in the conversation with the two other people with whom he was standing, one of which was the redhead. Even from that distance across the room, she could sense his desire for her, and there was an answering pounding of the blood in her veins as their gazes locked.
Maybe it was the kiss between Russell and Joan and the romantic notion of long-lasting love, but Alexa found her thoughts straying to memories of sharing passionate kisses with Leonardo. She carefully placed her glass of wine on the table before it slipped from her damp fingers and crashed onto the expensive white carpet. She felt nervous and jittery because she knew the reason for Leonardo’s smoldering scrutiny. She was fully aware what was expected of her, and she found herself breathlessly anticipating the end of the evening.
Leonardo came toward her, his lithe, graceful walk a surprise for a man of his size. The tuxedo jacket hugged his broad shoulders and fit his muscular frame like a glove. As he neared her, Alexa realized she was holding her breath. The undercurrent of sexual tension flared between them.
“Are you nervous?” Leonardo asked.
“Why would I be nervous?” Her voice came out breathy, husky. She cleared her throat.
Leonardo smiled knowingly. He must feel the same charge, know that she longed to be kissed and touched, despite being coerced into resuming her role as his wife.
He didn’t answer her question. “You haven’t eaten a thing all night.”
It was true, but how could he possibly know that? She didn’t have an appetite for much except the tall, dark man standing before her.
“I’ve had my eye on you all evening,” he said in response to the unspoken question.
The thought that he’d been watching her even during the periods when they were separated generated tiny little shivers across Alexa’s skin. Her fingers tightened around the clutch in her left hand. “I’m not hungry.”
The knowing smile widened. “You should eat something,” he said. His dark gaze lingered in appreciation on the split in her dress. “You’re going to need your energy.”
Chapter Six
Alexa’s heart surged, slamming against her breastbone. There was no way her willpower could withstand the thump levied by his innuendo.
“So it’s tonight, then?” she asked unnecessarily.
“Was there ever any doubt?” Leonardo countered. His predatory smile left no room for ambiguity regarding his intentions.
“No. Not where you’re concerned.”
He lifted his hand and let his forefinger trace down the length of her narrow face. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he asked, his voice low and filled with warmth.
Alexa shook her head, emotion piled high in her throat so that she couldn’t speak. It was difficult to resist him when he was so charming. It was one of the things that had made her fall so fast and hard in love with him. He could turn it on whenever he chose, and his charm was lethal, able to slice through her inadequate objections.
“You are very beautiful tonight, querida.”
He leaned forward. There was only the slightest brush of his lips across hers, yet the featherlight touch evoked an explosive response. Alexa felt her stomach muscles contract painfully, and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted him, and when he pulled back, there was no doubt he could see the truth in her eyes.
“We should leave now,” Leonardo stated.
“We’ve barely been here an hour. What will people think?”
“When have you ever known me to care what people think?”
It was true. Leonardo da Silva didn’t concern himself with social norms. He wasn’t one to inconvenience himself at the expense of others. If someone else had a problem with something he did, it was their problem, not his. For him it was enough that he had come out in support of his friends’ celebration. He was ready to leave, so he would.
He took Alexa’s arm just below the elbow and started moving toward the door.
Like a hot-blooded robot, she remained in step with him. Her body was responding to the proximity of his, his masculine scent, and the warmth of the long, firm fingers lightly pressed against the tender flesh of her arm.
It wasn’t hard to understand why she still wanted him so much, but she didn’t want to be so easy. She wanted to be tough and make it difficult for him to seduce her back between the sheets. Instead, it was glaringly clear he would not find seduction was necessary at all, because she was ready and willing to succumb to any of his demands.
On the way to the door, they said their good-byes to the hosts. The Simpsons expressed their disappointment that they were leaving so soon, but also their pleasure that the two had found their way back together. After a bit more small talk, they departed.
The Porsche ate up the miles of Highway 85, a main thoroughfare that ran through the heart of Atlanta and its surrounding counties. At first, neither one of them broke the silence in the car as they barreled toward home. The chemistry was still just as strong between them, and the pulsing ache in Alexa’s body increased the longer they were in the car.
In the four months since they’d separated, she hadn’t thought of anyone else, hadn’t even considered becoming intimate with another man. There was no point in pretending any other man could make her feel this way, because it had always only been Leonardo. The maleness of him, the temptation to feel him hard, pressed between her thighs, was unbearable. She needed to quiet her heated thoughts, which included the very dangerous idea of climbing onto his lap to straddle him while he drove.
“Leo?”
What was it she wanted to say? Could she adequately express what she was feeling? She was afraid of the force of her emotions, and she was concerned their short reconciliation would leave her even more scarred, more broken than after their separation.
“What is it, Alexa?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
> Could she tell him? Could she admit what she’d only just come to terms with herself—that she loved her husband, had never stopped loving him, and wished they were back together permanently?
“Do you hate me for what I did?” she asked quietly. “For leaving you?”
He glanced over at her before his eyes resumed looking through the windshield. The lights from an oncoming vehicle swept across his taut features, the well-defined square jaw, the high cheekbones.
“I don’t hate you, Alexa, and I never did.”
She let out a relieved breath. “But you want to punish me.”
“I did,” Leonardo admitted. “I was angry at you. You left with little explanation, except a short voice mail that didn’t really tell me anything I needed to know. So yes, I wanted to punish you at one time, but that’s no longer of interest to me.” He glanced at her again. “I don’t want you to be concerned about what’s going to happen tonight. I do want to make love to you, but you have to want this, too. I would never force myself on you. Do you want this, Alexa? Or do you see it as a punishment—something you have to suffer through?”
There was no need to define what “this” was. “This” was almost a tangible life force between them. “This” was propelling them forward with the promise of bliss, yet they were entering the unknown because of the amount of time that had passed since they were last together.
“No, it’s not a punishment, Leo. I want this. I want you. I want to make love to you.” Her voice trembled with need. “I can’t wait.”
He reached for her, then squeezed her slender fingers in his hand. His hold was tight, too tight, but she didn’t protest. She understood his reaction, because the same strong, almost violent feelings gnawed at her insides.
He held on to her all the way back to the house. Once inside the gates, the car slowed to a stop in front of the large front door of their home.
He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against her knuckles. The warmth of anticipation spread across her abdomen. “Go upstairs. I’ll be right in to join you.”
* * * *
Leonardo watched as Alexa exited the vehicle. The clinging green dress was the perfect complement to her honey-colored skin and left little to the imagination. It had tantalized him all night, and he’d been in a tortured semierect state since they left the house.
Once the door was closed behind her, he faced forward and intended to drive around the side to place the car in the multi-vehicle garage. Instead, he didn’t move and turned off the ignition. All he could think about was that he had his wife back. It was finally sinking in.
It had been the longest four months of his life. He should have chased after her, put himself out of his misery. Instead, he allowed his pride to keep him away, and he’d suffered the consequences of his stubbornness. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since she left. He walked around like an automaton because, even when he was exhausted, he only managed to get in a few hours of fitful rest at a time.
Having his marriage crumble around him had been difficult to endure, and Leonardo was still hard pressed to fully understand what had really gone wrong. Yes, he and Alexa had some differences, but how they’d managed to morph into an insurmountable roadblock on their journey through married life had taken him by surprise.
In hindsight, he realized the signs had been there for several months, but he’d ignored them and continued working on the plans for the Latin American expansion that were consuming his every waking moment. Then one day he returned home, and before he even listened to the message, the eerie emptiness of their bedroom suite had portended her absence.
Leonardo unfolded his tall frame from the car and slammed the door. As always, he forced himself into the present, refusing to languish in the regrets of the past. He made a decision then. It was a decision he hadn’t expected would come forth when he originally hatched his plan to get Alexa back.
Originally, all he thought he wanted was to get revenge for the heartless way she had abandoned their marriage. He relished the thought of bending her to his will, and he couldn’t wait to have what he’d lost, enjoy what he’d been denied for four long months. His breathing was ragged as he recollected the pleasure of her full lips pliant against his. Or better yet, having her sucking and pulling on him until he lost his sanity and exploded into her soft, sweet mouth.
The keys Leonardo held scored across his palm as he squeezed them in his hand. He was getting harder by the second.
The truth was, he’d fooled himself into thinking he wanted revenge. He had been angry when she left, but that wasn’t why he’d ultimately made his indecent proposal to her. It was because he’d missed her. She’d made his house into a home. Just knowing she was there, night after night, no matter how late he worked, brought him peace. When he lowered his tired body into bed next to her late at night, it comforted him to have the sound of her gentle breathing lull him to sleep.
Yes, he’d made his decision. It was very simple. Unlike his parents’ marriage, his would not end in divorce.
* * * *
Alexa stood just inside the door, unable to move. She’d turned on the light to ensure she didn’t stumble as she made her way up the stairs, but neither of her feet had landed on a single stair.
She was torn. Part of her wanted to rush up the stairs, another part of her felt a nervous excitement like it was the first time with Leonardo all over again, and a third part wanted to wait for him. She didn’t want to climb the stairs alone.
The decision to go up or stay downstairs was taken out of her hands when the door opened and closed behind her. She spun around. He should have come through the kitchen, not the front door.
“Did you put away the car?” she asked in a breathy voice. She didn’t really care about the car.
“No,” Leonardo replied.
“But you always put the Porsche in the garage.” She was babbling, nervous energy loosening her lips into unnecessary discourse.
His hot gaze rested on her. With long strides, he closed the gap between them. “I didn’t want to waste another second, when I could be doing this instead.”
He hauled her to him, lowering his lips to hers and enfolding her in his arms. Raw need bolted through them.
Her clutch fell from her nerveless fingers as he pushed his tongue into her mouth and crushed her closer against his hard frame. This was what she wanted, had ached for in the close confines of the car. Alexa leaned into him, her mouth softening and widening to allow his tongue access to stroke and prod at will.
Leonardo’s right hand inched up her bare thigh, while the fingers of his left hand spread across her breasts, squeezing and kneading the soft mounds in turn until she gasped into his mouth. Her nipples swelled and hardened, pressing against the barrier of the dress, threatening to break free of the silk.
Still he deepened the kiss, angling his head so he could hungrily devour her mouth, pressing her back against the wall of the foyer.
“Touch me, Alexa,” he groaned. “Please.”
Eager to please, Alexa slid her hands down the front of his shirt in an agonizingly slow crawl, his contoured chest expanding as she became reacquainted with the magnificent body beneath the material. The belt on his trousers was no match for her nimble fingers, and when she took his length in her hands, his body was gripped with shudders, a groan of agony leaving him and finding an answering shiver deep inside her, rocking her to the core.
She stroked his hard flesh with expert familiarity, exulted by the fact that she could have control over such a powerful man. He groaned again when she picked up the pace of her strokes, the throbbing heat of his member a welcome reminder of what was to come. She wanted him so much she thought for sure she would soon burst into flames from the heat of her own lust.
With shaky fingers, Leonardo grasped her hands and removed them from his body and pinned her between his hips and the cool surface behind her. He brought his mouth down on hers again with a deep-seated hunger, his tongue wrestling and da
ncing with hers in a sexy samba.
“Leo,” she whispered when he released her mouth, only to drop a trail of fire with his tongue across her neck.
Her arms locked around his neck when he picked her up from the floor and walked into the library.
There was no way they could make it up the stairs, and it was the nearest room. A lamp gave enough light for him to find his way over to the sofa and lower her onto her back.
The gold clasp on her shoulder was undone with speedy efficacy, and the top half of her dress was pulled down to expose her abundant breasts to his ravenous gaze.
“Beautiful,” he murmured in appreciation, just before he lifted her into his hungry mouth.
Alexa’s shoulders jerked back, she cried out, and her body bowed beneath him. She panted as she struggled to catch her breath, delighting in the torture he inflicted on her heated flesh as his mouth and tongue worried the hard, caramel-colored tip of her left breast.
She was reeling out of control, every muscle taut and aching for the relaxation that would come once their bodies were joined. She stroked her fingers through the hair at his collar, then tunneled higher with a massaging motion across his scalp. “Leo, Leo…”
His relentless mouth fastened onto the other breast, sucking and pulling as she squirmed helplessly beneath him. Meanwhile, one hand stroked across the damp satin barrier that covered the most sensitive part of her body. Electrifying tingles suffused every inch of her body as he boldly stroked and caressed her between her legs, kissed and licked greedily at her breasts.
“It’s been so long,” Leonardo said, his accent so thick his voice was barely recognizable. “I need to be inside you, querida.”
When he shifted his body to remove her panties, her stomach muscles quivered in excitement. Then he was poised over her, resting his body on his elbows as he gazed down into her upturned face.
“This is where you belong.” His right knee nudged her legs apart, and his hips moved with a possessive thrust to join them together.
Alexa lifted her body up to meet his, locking her arms around his neck. He shoved his fingers into her hair, grabbing a fistful of the sleek dark strands to yank her head back so he could scrape his teeth along her arched throat.
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