by Reilly, Cora
“Bon appetite,” Adrian said.
I gave him a terse smile, speared a piece of burrata and a piece of the grilled peach, and slid it into my mouth. Fuck. A moan slipped past my lips. The burrata was so creamy and the peach so juicy and sweet. “It’s delicious.”
Adrian’s expression had become almost predatory when I’d moaned and he was still watching me as if I was the most delicious thing he’d ever seen – as if he actually wanted to devour me.
I took another sip from my wine. Warmth spread through my body. I really needed to slow down but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do it.
“So do you like it?” Adrian asked, his eyes lingering on my lips.
“Yes, it's delicious. I could eat this every day.”
His lips quirked into a satisfied smile. “Some things are so good you want to have them all the time.”
I pushed the last piece of burrata into my mouth. “I like variety.”
He raised one eyebrow. “So do I.”
Of course he did. Why else would he have banged a new woman every night? The waiter returned to our table and took our plates away.
“So what are you doing when you’re not spying on me?” Adrian asked.
The question I’d hoped to avoid. “I’m a waitress,” I said, then quickly added, “But that’s a temporary thing. I’m trying to become a published author.”
“You’re a writer?” For the first time, Adrian sounded honestly interested.
It always felt funny to call myself an author. I hadn’t even found an agent or sold a short story yet. Calling myself an author felt presumptuous. “Yes, I’m trying to find an agent with my new book…” I trailed off, not wanting to admit that I’d already received more than a dozen rejections on my manuscript. “I’m writing mysteries and urban fantasy.”
“Impressive. I wouldn’t even know what to write about. Where do you get ideas for your books?”
I relaxed, my fingers tracing the rim of my wineglass. “Everywhere. I meet a lot of strange people at my job. And New York is pretty much the epicenter of crazy.” I forced myself to stop. I could ramble about writing for hours, but I didn’t want to bore Adrian to death. “So what are you doing?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
“What kind of lawyer?” I could imagine him only too well in court or negotiating a contract. I bet he was impressive.
“Business, mergers and acquisitions.” He smirked. My eyes lingered on his lips, remembering our almost kiss in the elevator. All I wanted to do was lean over the table to find out if his lips were as soft as they looked. “But I don’t want to bore you with the details. It’s not even close to being as interesting as writing a book.”
It was obvious that he didn’t want to reveal much of himself. I doubted his job was that boring. After all, it got him enough money to afford a nice car and an even nicer apartment. Giovanne walked up to our table, the other waiter and our main course in tow. When he set my plate with the truffle tagliattelle down in front of me, the delicious smell wafted into my nose. “Mmmh,” I said. “That smells wonderful.”
Giovanne tipped his head. “It’ll taste even better. Enjoy.” He and the waiter disappeared again.
I took a bite of the tagliatelle. He was right. The food was heaven. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything as good.”
“It’s the best Italian restaurant in the States,” Adrian said. “The only time I had ossobucco that came close was in Florence.”
“You visited Florence?” I’d been wanting to visit Europe, and especially Italy for years. But I could barely afford a new shower curtain, so a trip abroad was out of the question.
“Three times.” He poured us the rest of the wine and gestured for the waiter to bring us another bottle. I should probably have stopped him, since I was already tipsy, but the food and wine were too good to stop. “The first time I was in Rome on business. Just a couple of nights. I barely had time for sightseeing, but I fell in love with the food and the country, and returned the next summer.” The waiter arrived with a new bottle of wine and he paused until the waiter was gone again before he continued. “That time I toured the Tuscany.”
“I hear it’s beautiful.”
“It is. Especially the small towns towering on hills with their stone walls and old churches.” I propped my chin up on my palm, my fingers twirling the wineglass around. His voice had become even smoother as he talked about the Tuscany, about his favorite restaurant in Siena, the icecream in Florence, the old town of San Gimignano, his expression more relaxed and unguarded than I’d ever seen it. I wished I could have seen him stroll the streets of Florence. Or better yet, I wished I could visit all the places he loved with him at my side.
When we were done with our entrees and the waiter came to pick up our plates, I wasn't even sure how much time had passed. His voice had transported me to Italy, had made me forget everything around us. “I probably bored you to death with my vacation stories,” Adrian said.
“Oh no,” I said. “I loved listening to your stories. It makes me want to visit Italy even more.”
He smiled, but the mask that had slipped during his recount of his travels was back in place. Giovanne strolled toward our table with two menus in his hands. “So how about dessert?”
Adrian glanced at me. “I think we’ll share the best chocolate cake in the world.”
“Perfect choice,” Giovanne said, then disappeared.
“It has a molten chocolate core,” Adrian said. I could feel a flush spreading in my cheeks when he said the word core and from the twitching of his lips, he knew exactly what I was thinking about. That’s probably why he’d said it in the first place. I downed the last of my wine. Our second bottle was already half empty. The waiter arrived with our dessert and set it down in the middle of our table. The cake was dark brown and small, surrounded by an arrangement of raspberries, strawberries and mango slices as well as swirls made from fruit sauces. Adrian picked up the fork and cut off a piece of the cake. At once, molten chocolate pooled out and the smell of warm chocolate flooded my nose. Adrian dipped the piece of cake in the liquid and lifted it with a suggestive smile. “Open your mouth.”
I leaned forward, my lips parted. Adrian slid the fork into my mouth and I closed my lips around it. He slowly pulled it out of my mouth as the warm chocolate melted on my tongue. I swallowed, then moaned. “This is delicious.” I shook my head. “You’re spoiling me.”
“I haven’t even start yet,” Adrian murmured in a seductive voice.
Chapter Twelve
Slowly piece by tiny piece Adrian and I shared the cake, never breaking eye contact. Maybe it was the wine that gave me the confidence to hold his gaze. As the last piece of cake disappeared in my mouth, my entire body was tingling. Adrian’s gaze was almost like foreplay. I could feel it fluttering over my skin like butterfly wings. Not taking his eyes off me, he waved the waiter over to ask for the check. I barely listened to Giovanne’s and Adrian’s conversation as he paid, only smiled and nodded occasionally.
“I hope to welcome you to our restaurant again soon,” Giovanne said at last. I peered at Adrian, whose face wasn’t giving anything away. He definitely wasn’t going to say anything. Because he knew he wouldn’t go out with me again?
I pushed the thought aside. After all, Giovanne had asked me and not Adrian. “Thanks,” I said simply. Adrian held out his hand for me. I rose from my chair and for a moment I wasn’t sure if my legs would carry me. I’d definitely had too much wine. I hoped the espresso I’d had with the cake would kick in soon. My skin felt hot and my brain was clouded. Adrian had drunk just as much as me, but he looked fine, or maybe he was better at hiding how drunk he was.
He led me out of the restaurant, one hand resting on my hip possessively. I leaned against him as we walked, relishing in the feeling of his strong body against my arm. And I was glad for his arm around me because I wasn’t sure if I could walk in a straight line otherwise. Maybe I should have had more than one Espresso. His car wa
s already parked at the curb. A trickle of unease filled me. Would he actually drive after having shared two bottles of wine with me?
“I need a cab,” he said to the man holding out his keys. “Tell Giovanne, I’ll have someone pick up my car early in the morning.”
A few minutes later, a black limousine pulled up and we got into the back. I pressed myself against Adrian and his arm around me tightened. My eyes traveled over his handsome face as he told the driver where to take us. I still hardly knew anything about him, except that he’d traveled through Italy, that he was a lawyer and that he’d had sex with a lot of women. Somehow I was disappointed that I'd learned almost nothing about Adrian. I’d wanted to look behind his mask but except for the brief glimpses as he talked about the Tuscany, he’d kept his guard up. I don't think he'd showed me who he truly was. Maybe the restaurant hadn't been the right place for that.
I could feel the espresso kicking in, banishing the fogginess from my mind. Adrian smiled down at me, his lips so close that his breath fanned over me. Without thinking I tilted my face up and kissed him. His lips felt cool against my heated skin. He tangled his fingers in my hair, pulling me close. Electricity shot through my entire body at the feel of his fingertips against my scalp. If it felt already this good when he touched my head, how would it feel when he really got down to business. His tongue darted into my mouth, insistent and demanding. My eyes fluttered closed as our kiss became even more heated. A moan escaped from deep in my throat and Adrian let out a growl in response. There wasn’t a sexier sound in the world.
The driver cleared his throat and I quickly pulled back, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I swallowed a laugh and pressed my forehead against Adrian’s shoulder. He chuckled, his fingers stroking my arm. It was incredibly distracting and made me want to kiss him again. What did it matter if the driver was watching? It wasn’t as if Adrian cared. If he didn’t mind me watching him having sex, then he certainly wouldn’t mind if someone watched us kiss.
He leaned down until his lips brushed my ear, his voice low and raspy. “I can’t wait to be alone with you. I want to taste every inch of you.”
I sucked in a breath. Heat pooled between my legs. I forced my voice to be steady. “What makes you think I’ll let you do that?” I hoped my expression was sexy and challenging at the same time, but I wasn’t sure if I was succeeding.
“Don’t tell me you don’t want me as much as I want you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you watching me with your binoculars and then when you gave me that shocked innocent look after you realized I’d caught you, it was all I could do not to come right then. I want you, Nora. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
My eyes had fluttered shut as I listened to his husky voice. I couldn’t tell him that I’d wanted him from the moment I’d seen him bang the redhead, way before he knew I even existed. I couldn’t tell him that every night I’d taken out my binoculars, pointed them at his window and watched him banging a new girl, and every night I’d wished the girl was me. And now my wish could finally come true, so why was I hesitating?
I didn’t get a chance to say anything because the driver pulled up in front of Adrian’s apartment building and stopped the car. Adrian paid him and we got out into the cool night air. I shivered. Adrian pulled me against him, giving me no choice but to tilt my head back to look into his face. He took my hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing my knuckles. His smile warmed my insides and I couldn’t help but smile back. My skin tingled from his touch, his kiss, his expression. The way he looked at me made me feel special, like there could never be anyone but me. Never had someone kissed my hand, or devoured me with their gaze. What did it matter that Adrian had banged many women before me? The past could stay where it belonged: in the past.
Chris certainly had never made me wet my panties just from looking at me. He'd been too busy staring at and groping my chest, or trying to stick his tongue down my throat. I wanted Adrian. I shivered again. A breeze had picked up. Adrian moved even closer until my body was pressed against his firm chest.
“You are cold,” he said in a low voice. How long had he practiced to make it sound like that? It was smoother than the molten chocolate core of our dessert, and just as sweet. “Come up with me. You won’t regret it.” His palm stroked my back, sending sparks of lust through my body.
I raised my head to look into his eyes. In the darkness they looked almost black. The shadow of stubble dusted his jaw. I trailed my fingertips over it, relishing in the quiver of excitement the prickle gave me. His smile widened; he felt so wonderfully warm, and his arms around me made me feel so safe. It was difficult to think straight, to think at all with his scent surrounding me, all man and muskiness. A part of me knew that I should pull away, that I needed to keep my distance and be careful because Adrian was a heart-breaker. Amy would kick my ass if she found out that I’d fallen so quickly for Adrian’s charm. Her voice was the voice of reason in my head, but I ignored this part. I wasn’t a child who needed to be told what to do. I was an adult. I’d taken care of myself for almost three years. I could make my own decisions. And I wanted Adrian. I was sick of waiting for the perfect prince to sweep me off my feet and relieve me of my virginity. Hell, most of the girls from high school who’d gone to purity balls with their daddies had already lost their v-card, most of them years ago, and not all of them in the marriage bed.
“So what do you say? Do you want to leave me hanging like a randy virgin teenage boy?”
I let out a laugh. He was as far from being a virgin teenage boy as the moon was from Earth. Randy, well that was another matter.
I shook my head. “You’re impossible.” In that moment with his arms around me, and that look of almost boyish amusement on his face, I felt as if I knew him. Really knew him. I doubted he’d showed that side to any of the women before me. “How could I leave you hanging?” I said in what I hoped was a seductive whisper, standing on my tiptoes to brush his lips with mine. He deepened the kiss immediately, his hands coming up around my ribcage, his thumbs brushing the sides of my breasts. My nipples hardened and I had to bite back an embarrassing moan. Of course, he knew. A hint of smugness crossed his face as he pulled back and took my hand, leading me toward the door to his apartment building. There was a desk with a concierge in the lobby, but we were past it before the man could say more than ‘Good Evening.’
I felt like I was in a trance. We stepped into the elevator and this time there was no hesitation. I kissed him with so much force that we fell back against the elevator walls. Now that the effects of the wine had mostly dissipated, I needed to pluck up my courage through kissing. And fuck, did Adrian know how to kiss.
Every nerve ending in my body was on high alert, ultra aware of Adrian’s body pressed against mine. He grabbed my butt and squeezed, his fingers closer to my core than anyone had ever been. Waves of pleasure shot into my clit. I nipped at his lip, then licked it. The elevator doors glided open and we stumbled out. He led me toward his apartment and I was desperate to get closer to him again, to kiss him, to lose myself in him. Adrian opened the door to his apartment and I stepped in, suddenly feeling shy again. The courage I’d felt in the elevator had evaporated. I cast a quick glance around the huge hall that could have fit my entire apartment inside. Everything was clean, white or beige, and high-polished.
The door fell shut, tearing me from my thoughts, and before my doubts could make me rethink my decision to go up with Adrian, he pulled me against him and I wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling his warmth, his muscled body. My hands clutched his butt. It was so firm, and I couldn’t help but remember how his butt had flexed with every thrust as he fucked the other women. Bad thought…
He smirked at my boldness and lowered his head, our lips meeting again. I could have kissed him for the rest of my life. The taste and feel of him was intoxicating. The least bit of rationality left my mind when he cupped my breast through the thin fabric of my dress and my bra. He drew circles with his t
humb, eliciting a moan from my lips.
His kiss wasn't at all like the kiss I'd shared with Chris and the two other guys at parties. Adrian knew what to do, how to kiss. His lips against mine, his tongue in my mouth, his hands on my back and waist and breast, they made thinking so very difficult. I lifted my arms and ran my hands through his hair, pulling him closer, always closer. I wanted to become one with him. I'd never thought that kissing could feel so good, could make me so wet; my entire body tingled. Heat gathered between my legs. Any moment I would combust. I pressed my thighs together to relieve some of the tension that was building. I pulled at Adrian’s hair roughly, biting his lip and smiling against his lips when he let out a growl. His hand traveled over my back until he found the zipper; he pulled it down and slowly slid the dress off my shoulders so it pooled in a heap at my high-heeled feet. His eyes glided over my body from head to toe, lingering on my lace panties. Was I imagining it or were his irises actually darkening? I resisted the urge to cover myself. Adrian stepped close to me, his hands coming to rest on my hips before slowly sliding to my butt. He massaged my cheeks gently. “You’re so hot.” He dipped me back until my shoulders rested against the cold wall. A shiver slithered down my back at the feel of it against my too hot skin. Adrian bent over me, licking and sucking at my neck, then softly biting down on my collarbone. I tipped my head to the side to give him better access. His lips traveled lower, his tongue tracing lazy circles on my skin. The tip of his tongue traced the edge of my bra, then darted beneath it, so close to my nipple that I made a sound of annoyance.
He chuckled. “So impatient,” he whispered, then pushed down my bra. He closed his lips around my nipple and I threw my head back with a low moan. “God, I want you so fucking much. I’m bursting through my pants if I don’t fuck you now,” he growled.
A hint of unease filled the pit of my stomach, but I pushed it aside. I pressed against Adrian, feeling how hard he was. His cock pressed against my naked stomach. I could feel the heat radiating off of it even through Adrian’s pants. Fuck, he felt huge. I’d seen him naked before, but through binoculars it was difficult to estimate the size of something. The unease increased. But I was too far gone to stop now. I’d wanted Adrian for weeks, had pined over him like a puppy. Deep down I knew this was wrong and too fast and that I needed to stop it before it was too late. I knew I should ask Adrian if this meant more to him than just sex.