by Rosanna Leo
He raced to her side and kissed her until she bubbled over with weak laughter. “Gioia! Oh, baby.”
She gazed at him and then nuzzled his neck. “Oh my God, you smell so good.”
He laughed, touching her all over her face and her hair and her shoulders, just to make sure she was tangible and not a cruel ghost. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“You can’t get rid of me,” she croaked. “Who’ll keep the models away?” He burst into even bigger belly laughs while she reached for Gunnar. “Where’s my boy?”
“I’m here, Mom.” He gave her a massive hug and then gazed at her in adoration. “You saved my life.”
Her eyes welled up and promptly spilled over. “I think you saved mine too.”
Ryland smiled. “Welcome back, sis. I’m going to give you guys some privacy.”
As he vacated the clinic, Gioia let out a weak giggle and reached for Soren again. “Sis. I like that.”
Paul approached her and dropped a chaste kiss on her head. “Glad to have you back, Gioia. We missed you.” He reached for Gunnar’s arm. “Champ, let’s go see if we can rustle up some juice or a snack for your mom.” Gunnar kissed her again and followed his dad out the door.
Soren stared at the vision that was his beautiful mate, smiling when she pointed an accusing finger at his chest. “You,” she said on a breath. “What did you think you were doing back there with Paul? Trying to give me away?”
He grasped her hands in his, smoothing his thumb over her soft skin, and felt the need to cry like a baby again. “I just want you to have…a perfect life.”
“Soren, you’re such a big dummy!”
“What the hell, woman?” he said, chuckling.
She cupped his cheek, sending a thrill down his spine. “How would my life be perfect without you? I love you, you fool. You’re my one, true mate. Or couldn’t you tell when I turned into a humungous polar bear?”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “That was fucking awesome to see. My lady bear.”
“Okay, then. Do you need more proof?” She removed her forehead from his and smiled. “You’re inside me, Soren. We’re connected. How could you ever think I’d be better off without you?” Her voice cracked. “I’d die if you left me.”
He let out a long sigh and thanked God she was smarter than he was. “I’ll never leave you. I wouldn’t know how. I love you.”
“Good,” she teased. “Now could you please go back to being the bossy, territorial Soren I love?” She waved her finger at him. “I don’t like this honorable guy. I don’t want to see him again.”
He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and gently drew her in for a kiss he knew they both felt in their toes. “Don’t worry,” he said in silky tones. “As soon as you’re better, I’ll take what’s mine.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
She wiggled over, and Soren climbed into the spacious bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. It felt so good to feel her sweet breath on his neck and her hand resting on his chest. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his shoulder, and he listened to her soft sighs until she fell asleep.
And then Soren did too, with a greater sense of peace than he’d ever known.
* * * *
Two months later. New York City.
Gioia left Gunnar with Lia and Ryland at the snack bar and headed off to find Soren. He’d given her instructions on how to reach his dressing room in the symphony hall, but it was such a maze. Or at least it seemed that way. Perhaps she was just nervous. After all, it wasn’t everyday one’s boyfriend premiered a new symphony with the New York Philharmonic. Rather than rely on her own tracking senses, she spoke with one of the ushers, and he directed her toward Soren’s room at the end of a quiet hall, removed from the din of practicing musicians. She knocked on the door.
“Come in, little owl.”
Smoothing down her chocolate-brown velvet gown, Gioia opened the door and poked her head around the corner. What she saw took her breath away.
The dressing room was lit by a thousand little tea lights, and she was automatically taken back to the night of the “Set the Lake Ablaze” festival at the lodge. She could almost feel the warm caress of the summer night breeze, and the warmer embrace of Soren’s arms. The lights covered each surface in the room, tables, counters, even chairs, and cast a flickering glow into every corner, making her heart flutter in response. The only thing not covered with the lights was a sumptuous daybed tucked into a corner of the spacious room.
Soren stood by the bed, wearing only his tuxedo pants. Gioia’s throat went dry as she gazed at his perfection. His chiseled chest looked so touchable under the dancing flames from the candles, softness over rock-hard muscle. He’d pulled his hair back for the occasion, and he resembled a dashing hero of old. His hairstyle emphasized the curve of his jaw, and she could see him gritting his teeth. His eyes were narrowed on her, filled with primal hunger.
“My mate,” he said in a low tone laced with need. “Shut the door and come to me.”
She did, almost wobbling on her heels as she moved. As soon as he was in front of her, he pulled her to him and ran a hand down her back and over the velvet curve of her ass.
“You look beautiful in that dress,” he whispered. “And it’s almost as soft as your skin.”
He kissed her neck, tasting her in small licks, and she purred in delight. “Soren, don’t you have to get ready?”
“Not yet. Why do you think I asked you to join me an hour before show time?” His lips found her neck again, and he sucked lightly, scraping her with his teeth.
“Do not give me a hickey tonight,” she threatened, laughing. “My hair’s up, and I don’t want to meet your symphony buddies with your teeth marks on my neck.”
He tugged at her skin, not enough to mark her, but enough to let her know she’d be wearing his brand later. “Take your dress off.”
“Are you sure we have enough time?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You said you wanted bossy Soren back. Now take off your dress, or I will shred it.”
Her eyes widened, and she reached for the clasp at the halter neck. “Don’t you dare! You spent so much money on this thing. I don’t even want to know how much. It gives me a headache to think about it. If you shred it, I’ll shred you.” She began to remove the sumptuous garment, all the while watching as he let his pants drop to the floor.
Damn. He was ready. His cock was a thick beast, and its every pulse made her think of an animal on the hunt, seeking its prey. She stared, entranced by its enormous length, knowing all too well its devastating capabilities. If it had only been a gorgeous cock, it still would have thrilled and amazed her. However, there was talent behind that throbbing shaft, and a man who knew how to use it. The possibilities had her reeling, even before she’d finished with the damn clasp on her dress.
“Did you do what I told you?” he asked, cornering her like the predator he was.
She nodded. “No underwear. No bra.” She let the gown fall to her ankles and stepped out of it.
He touched her breast, molding it and tweaking her inverted nipple. “Good girl.”
His face was serious, almost too serious with his furrowed brow and flared nostrils. But Gioia knew the love behind that gaze. She’d felt it a thousand times, and each time she felt their love grow and deepen. She felt it when she joined him at a couple of his music engagements, although he didn’t take very many anymore. She experienced it in their new home on Gemini Island. She knew it when he accompanied her to the mainland to get Gunnar set up at his new school. And she felt it every time he made love to her or even looked at her.
“Lay down,” he commanded, and she obeyed, relishing the soft crush of the daybed’s silky fabric under her. He walked over to the counter, his heated gaze always on her body. “Spread your legs, baby. I want to see your pussy.”
Without any hesitation, she opened them wide, letting one leg fall over the edge of the bed. As lust moistened her core, she
slid her fingers over her pussy lips.
He leaned on the counter. “Fuck, baby. I love seeing you touch yourself. Slide those fingers inside that pretty pussy for me.”
On a gasp, Gioia let her middle finger glide into the tight bower Soren had claimed time and again. She writhed on the daybed, desperate for him to join her.
“Hurry.”
“Be patient, or I’ll spank that sexy ass.” He grinned. “I may do it anyway.”
“Not if you’re all the way over there, bear man.”
He retrieved a covered plate from the counter and stalked slowly back over to her, his hungry cock bobbing all the way. He knelt at her side and uncovered the plate.
“Roasted marshmallows?” “Good God. Where did they come from?”
“I’ve been busy. These candles aren’t simply here for ambience. I wanted something to remind you of home until I can get you back there.” With an evil grin decorating his face, Soren grabbed one of the still-warm marshmallows and pulled it apart. He smeared the sweet substance on her chest, and then took a few others, decorating her torso down to the top of her mound. And then he smeared a couple of thick globs onto her nipples. He got rid of the plate. Rising over her, he proceeded to lick.
As his tongue greedily swabbed one of her nipples and then the other, Gioia closed her eyes and moaned as he cleaned her breasts of the sticky confection. His tongue swirled and his lips smacked at her nipples like instruments of luxurious torture. He moved his mouth and joined it to hers, letting his tongue penetrate her with sweetness, and she sucked at him, wanting more of him inside her.
She arched her body, wanting full-body contact with him, forgetting about the trail of white sweetness running down her torso. Soren pulled away. “Uh, uh. Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t finished licking you, angel.” His deep voice made her body hum, and the delicious reverberations made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
Soren began at the top of the sugary path and nibbled and licked his way over her chest, her waist, and toward her stomach. As he ate his creation, he tormented her nipples with his fingers, twisting the still-sticky nubs until she was ready to cry. He dipped his tongue into her navel and consumed the last of the marshmallows, which left him poised right over her needy pussy. He glanced at her from between her legs, his gaze narrowed and hooded like a devil.
“Aren’t you going to put some there?” she asked, hoping he’d pick up the plate again.
He shook his head. “You’re tasty enough as it is.” Soren spread her legs wide and pushed them toward her head. Thank God she’d become more limber since her change to shifter because he’d twisted her into all sorts of pretzel-like positions. Snatching a breath, Gioia grabbed her ankles and watched as his head lowered.
The first slow lick of her pussy made her shake. The second one, even slower, made her see stars. The third reduced her to a marshmallow-flavored puddle of goo. There wasn’t a single part of Soren’s body that he didn’t have the utmost command over, and that went for his tongue too. He smoothed it over her throbbing skin with the expert finesse of a master painter brushing oils onto a canvas. Not a part of her was left untouched; not a piece of her was unloved.
To tease her, he dipped his tongue over her perineum, letting it dance over her asshole, and she bucked on the daybed. She had to bite her lip so she wouldn’t cry out and alert the entire symphony hall to the depraved goings-on in the star’s dressing room.
Chuckling, the bastard, he returned his mouth to her straining clit, but her asshole wasn’t lonely for long. Soren rubbed a finger through her significant moisture and let it circle her ass opening, gently manipulating the tight entrance. As he sucked on her clit, he slid his finger into her, making the most wonderful heat infiltrate her being.
“Oh, Soren,” she groaned, beside herself with pleasure.
He stopped sucking for a second. “You’re close, baby. I want to fuck you until you come this time.”
She nodded, unable to process his words and unable to produce any more of her own. Soren rose above her, his arms a sensual prison comprised of steely muscle. As he eased his cock into her pussy, he reached around and grabbed a fistful of her hair. She didn’t even care about her fancy hairdo anymore. Let him pull it all. Let him damn well pull it out. He thrust inside her, filling her with his hard length and seeming to grow even bigger with each luscious plunge into her core.
Deep. Deep. Oh, so deep.
Everything inside her tightened and screamed his name. Her muscles twitched and flopped, useless. Her stomach tensed, creating even more friction between their bodies. His hair came loose from its elastic, falling over her like a golden veil. His fingers dug into her skin, and she held him as if he were a sturdy tree in the middle of a hurricane.
They came together, their haunting cries overlapping and blending like those of a violin and bass in perfect counterpoint. He shook as his seed spilled into her, and an explosion rocked her frame from the inside out. And as he emptied himself, she squeezed him for all he was worth, wanting every last drop of his essence inside her.
They didn’t move for a few minutes, and Gioia felt him grow hard again. “Oh my, you’d better get off me, or the world will never hear your symphony.”
He smiled and brushed his lips against hers, easing his tongue between them. “Come on, shower with me. I think we both need it.”
She followed Soren to the shower in his dressing room, marveling at the luxury of his room. It was so different from their new home on Gemini Island. Ryland had given them one of the larger cabins, and he and Soren had been working hard to make an addition so Gunnar would have his own space. At first, Gioia was skeptical when he suggested they live on the island, but he seemed happy there, and she loved it. Gunnar was thrilled, especially with the new “job” Ry had given him: Entertainment Consultant. Therefore, when he wasn’t doing schoolwork and practicing with Soren, he came up with ideas on how to keep the resort fun for the younger visitors.
Life had never felt so perfect.
Things were also working out with Paul. He visited every so often to keep in touch with Gunnar. Gioia thanked her stars every day that her ex-husband was finding his own piece of happiness. She’d even heard rumblings about a new girlfriend and couldn’t be happier.
Soren adjusted the water in the shower and turned to her with a smile. “Come here, angel.” She joined him inside the stall and he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. “Do you know how much I love you?”
She threw her arms around his large chest and massaged his back muscles, reveling in the feel of his strength under her fingers. “I sure do. And I love you too.”
He gazed at her, his blond eyelashes blinking away water spray but unable to blink away his adoration. “Gioia, life’s been so busy, and I wanted you and Gunnar to feel settled. I’ve been waiting until this concert to ask you something because I wanted it to be special, but I can’t wait until the show starts. My heart is pounding for you. I want to make a family with you. I want to make it official.” He caressed her wet cheek. “Marry me, little owl.”
As an ever-increasing ripple of excitement tickled its way from her toes to her smiling mouth, she nodded, as close to delirious as she’d ever been and ever would be. “Nothing would make me happier.”
He kissed her then, soft and warm and reverent, full of promise. Gioia just knew that, as good as life had been, somehow it just got kicked up a notch.
* * * *
Right before the show was set to begin, Gioia hurried to their private box in the auditorium, only to find the others waiting for her.
Lia took one look at her hot, smiling face and her very different hairdo. “Seriously?” she whispered, grinning. “In his dressing room?”
Gioia giggled in glee and took her seat next to Gunnar. She hugged her son and quietly looked down at her new chocolate-diamond ring. As much as she wanted to shout it from the rafters, she wanted Gunnar to be the first to know. She prefe
rred to pull him aside for a quiet chat, but the symphony was about to begin.
As she chewed her lip, deliberating how to do it, Gunnar leaned over and said, “Did he ask you yet, Mom? Because I don’t think I can handle talking marriage to him one more time. That man’s been stressed, waiting for tonight.”
Gioia stared at her son, her heart overflowing. “You don’t mind?”
Gunnar grinned, something he was doing a lot more of lately. “I want you to be happy, Mom. You deserve it.”
She squeezed his hands so as not to embarrass him with too many public displays of affection. And then Gunnar left the box. Soren had previously invited him to listen to the symphony from the stage, and he raced out of the exit and toward the wings. Within seconds, the musical director took the stage and introduced Soren.
She felt a thrill of pride and euphoria as she watched her fiancé take the stage, his hair clubbed back again and fully dressed in a very handsome tuxedo. The audience went wild, especially the horde of young women up front. However, he sought her out, and he smiled at her from the stage.
The musical director said a few words that Gioia barely heard, she was smiling so hard at Soren. But then he took the conductor’s podium and opened his mouth to speak. As from their first day together, she hung on his every word.
“Thank you,” he began. “Journey to Joy is a very personal work for me. Not only does it represent the struggles I’ve had in my life, it details in music how I found happiness. You may think I’ve had it all along, and the papers would certainly have you believe it.”
The audience laughed, familiar with his romantic exploits.
“The truth is, I didn’t know happiness until I met my fiancée, Gioia.”
Again, the audience rippled with murmurs, and there were a few disappointed groans from the ladies there. Lia and Ryland turned to her, offering their congratulations.
Soren continued. “The first time I saw Gioia, she was hanging from a tree branch, and I’ve been a lover of the great outdoors ever since. She is my everything, my hope and my life. And this symphony is my love letter to her. It’s named in her honor.”