by Joanne Rock
"As long as you leave the States the next day, you should be well-rested in time for the race. Shall I make the arrangements?"
Oddly, Vito's first thought was for Christine. But why should it matter to her when he left? She hadn't even given him any indication she would accept his offer of a fling, let alone any reason to linger in Miami.
He'd made damn sure he had no ties in his life, nothing to prevent him from pursuing his own dreams after putting them aside while his youngest brother and his sister grew up. There was still nothing to keep him here.
Although for some reason, maybe talking to Lainie about her wedding plans, that freedom he'd always valued didn't give him the usual thrill today.
"Yeah. Sign me on. Let me know when you get things finalized." Vito finished up his call and walked away from the display case full of erotic statues.
A race would do him good. He needed the adrenaline rush that came with two-hundred-mile-an-hour speeds to clear his head. After days of heady sexual fantasies and wondering whether Christine Chandler wanted to sleep with him or not, he craved the mental clarity that routinely settled over him as he achieved top performance on the raceway.
He'd almost reached the lobby doors when his phone rang again.
"Yeah?" He didn't bother with niceties since the only people who had the cell phone number were his closest friends and family.
Although he'd also given it to one other person…
"Vito?" Christine's throaty voice vibrated through the earpiece, stopping him cold in his tracks.
"Is everything okay at the house?" He didn't like the idea of her working alone, doing hard physical labor, in the ungodly Florida heat. What if something had happened to her?
"Everything's fine. More than fine. I just wanted to let you know that I'd like to take you up on your offer."
* * *
Christine hadn't been sure if the strangled sounds Vito made in response to her decision were good or bad. Had he changed his mind about wanting a fling?
His only intelligible words had been, "I'm on my way."
Since she had no idea where he was at the time, she couldn't begin to guess when she might see him. Hanging up the phone, she'd decided to go back to work to take her mind off her the impending encounter with Vito. Now, testing the new sprinkler system she'd installed that afternoon, Christine watched as the multiple spigots popped up around the lawn according to her commands on the digital controls mounted in the garage.
She'd ended her day early for a change. After weeks of hard work, she could see the end of the project in sight. The next two weeks before the wedding would be less physically intense as she coaxed the new sod to take root and carefully fertilized all the new flower beds to bloom. There were still smaller projects that needed tending, such as the hunt for antique planters and a birdbath to complement the gardens, but they required less energy.
Leaving her to expend her energy elsewhere. Such as Vito's bed, if he was still willing.
The idea gave her shivers in spite of the late-day heat. Christine walked around the property, making a game of ducking the sprinklers as she inspected her work. She'd already showered and changed into a simple knit sundress, so she refused to give into the urge to fiddle with the plants anymore.
Still, she was about to straighten a drooping wax myrtle branch when she heard the low growl of Vito's sports car in the driveway. Nerves raining over her body faster than the drops from the sprinkler, she let the branch fall where it may.
Straightening, she peered toward the car and the tall, sleek man unfolding himself from the driver's seat. His gaze sought her out right away. Locked on her as he strode closer.
Her heart picked up speed and she told herself it was simply because she'd never had a fling before and not because Vito Cesare inspired heady romantic fantasies. Her decision to have an affair with him had nothing to do with romance and everything to do with practicality. She had needs. She couldn't ignore them forever.
And it just so happened Vito wanted to fulfill those needs. End of story.
The fact that the man gave new meaning to the word sexy was just a bonus.
Fanning the fabric of her sundress in an effort to dry the drops from the sprinkler, she tried not to notice as he closed the space between them to mere inches.
"Back so soon?" Her words didn't sound quite as steady as she would have liked. But there was no denying the man made her nervous. Excited.
"No point having a Ferrari if I can't get where I want to go in a hurry." He took a step closer, which would have put him right on top of her if she hadn't taken a step back. "Would you care to repeat what you told me on the phone now that I'm in a position to fully appreciate it?"
More heat rolled off him than off the blistering tarmac. The linen jacket he'd been wearing when he left the house that morning was gone, leaving him in a white silk T-shirt and black trousers.
She found herself very ready to touch him. To see if he felt as good as she remembered.
"I said I was ready to take you up on your offer." Licking her lips, she decided if he didn't kiss her soon, she'd take the initiative herself. Her attack of nerves seemed to be fading as desire flowed through her veins instead.
"It's been a hell of a long time since we talked over any offers, Christine. Days and days and too many hours to count. You think maybe you could refresh my memory on what you're saying 'yes' to, so that there can't be any mistake?" Dark frustration lurked behind his words, but it didn't take away from the hunger in his eyes.
The idea of him waiting for her, wanting her, shoved aside the last vestiges of her worries. And heaven knew, she could appreciate a man who didn't want to play games, who wanted things spelled out clearly.
Yes, this bargain of theirs would work out very, very well.
She peered up at him in the last rays of the setting sun. "I'm referring to your offer for traded sensual pleasures within a finite time frame. You had a name for it, I believe?" Tapping her chin thoughtfully with one finger, she smiled. "Oh yes, I remember. A fling. I'm agreeing to all that entails, starting today."
"Do you have any idea how a fling is conducted?" He looked suspicious. Doubtful.
"I think I'm offended by the question. Do I behave like a woman who has a lot of experience with this sort of thing?" Exasperated with the process, she sighed. "I had rather hoped to have arrived at the kissing portion of this business by now."
He nodded. Slowly. "That sounds like a damn good place to start."
His hands framed her face, tilting her chin until he'd achieved just the right angle before his mouth met hers. Soft. Warm. Slick.
He tasted her with dizzying thoroughness, his lips molding to hers as their bodies drifted closer. Closer. The heat of the blazing Florida day just before sunset was nothing compared to the heat of Vito's body. Her skin seemed to sizzle at the slightest contact.
Twining her arms around his neck, she plastered herself to him as he backed them deeper into the dim recesses of the garage, away from prying neighborhood eyes. No longer plagued with concerns about maintaining professional distance or personal boundaries, Christine was more than ready to take this to the next level. They'd made a deal after all.
A fling was a harmless affair with a limited time frame and an assured outcome. They both went their separate ways afterward.
No one got hurt and her job wouldn't be compromised. It was perfect. Delicious. And just exactly what she needed in her life right now as a sweet reward for her hard work to make it on her own.
"Where?" Vito muttered against her mouth, breaking the kiss only for a moment in the corner of the garage.
She moved his hand from its innocent resting place on her shoulder and nudged it south to the aching curve of her … ahh. Breast.
He groaned in time with her sigh, his fingers automatically swirling a caress along the neck of her sundress.
"I meant where do you want to take this?" Vito pulled back long enough to look at her as his fingers shifted beneath the co
tton fabric. "I promise I'll know where to touch you if you just tell me where you want to go."
The hypnotizing circles of his fingers prevented her from answering. She hadn't been touched in so long. She'd only met Rafe once in person, convincing herself that their love was true because they seemed to understand one another so well in their long letters online.
But before him there'd been her college boyfriend. And he'd definitely needed directions in the touching department. A map would have been helpful, too.
She got quite a rush thinking Vito needed no instructions.
"Christine? You want to take this to my room? Your room?" His thumb and forefinger closed around her nipple, gently squeezing the taut peak. "Or do you want to return to your favorite showering place to fulfill my latest fantasy about you?"
"You think you have fantasies about the shower?" She closed her eyes as he leaned over the slight swell of her cleavage and allowed his warm breath to fan over her skin. "Try getting in that stall undressed and alone every night with the water pulsating over your skin—"
Vito placed a quieting finger over Christine's soft mouth, knowing he wouldn't survive any more fantasy description.
"You don't need to tell me. I've been picturing you wet and naked in there every night for three weeks." He tugged her out the back door of the garage, ready to live the scenario of all his recent dreams.
Mindful of the new sod she'd planted a few days ago, he pulled her through the yard, darting around the sprinklers spraying water in every direction. The water couldn't begin to cool him off now that she'd finally said yes. Besides, soon they would be much more wet.
Breathless and dripping, they hurried into the oversize workshop at the back of the property. Flicking on the low-wattage sconces Vito had laughed at his brother for making, he had to admit now they had their uses. The workshop had windows, but they were shuttered since no one used the shed anymore except for Christine.
Unable to wait any longer to get his hands on her, Vito locked the door behind them and then backed her into the heavy wooden barrier.
She tasted even better wet. He licked the sprinkler drops off her neck, savoring the clean taste of her skin and her softly fragranced hair. She smelled like green and growing things, vibrant and sweet.
And best of all she seemed to melt all over him every time he touched her. He had to admit that maybe waiting days and days for her to make up her mind about this had been a good thing. Whereas before she'd seemed kind of shy about the whole thing, now that she had made up her mind, she didn't hold a damn thing back.
"I can't wait," she whispered against his mouth, pulling at his clothes with frenzied fingers. "Not even another minute."
As her hands sailed down the front of his pants, he began to wonder if he could wait much longer, either.
"Are you tired?" He seized her questing fingers before they undid his belt.
She angled back to look at him in the moody yellow light from the wall sconces. "Do I seem tired to you?"
She rolled her hips against him for emphasis.
"No. Hell, no." He slid his hands under her sundress, splaying his fingers across her rib cage. "I just meant, maybe we can save the shower for round two since I think it's going to be a long night."
* * *
7
« ^ »
This was the best idea she'd ever had in her life.
Christine congratulated herself on her brilliance as she arched against Vito. His hands felt so good on her. His body made her ache for more of him. She leaned closer to him like a sun-seeking bloom. She needed his heat.
"I can guarantee there will be a round two." She stretched up on her toes to whisper in his ear, nipping the lobe with her teeth. "But I'm not waiting until then to get you in the shower."
Not when her fantasies about him all involved water streaming over that deep bronze skin of his. Sidling out of his arms she drew him toward the back of the workshop where the entrance to the outdoor shower waited.
Vito made a sound that could have been a groan or choked laughter. "What happened to the shy woman who's been avoiding me all month and took a week to decide whether or not to sleep with me?"
Christine paused beside her bag and withdrew two clean towels. "Shy? Didn't I tell you I was only avoiding you in an effort to staunch the flow of erotic fantasies?"
The surprise—and lust—in his eyes was priceless.
From a man who'd probably been with lots of women, his obvious desire for her sure pleased her. Made this attraction all the more special.
Not that she needed this to be special, she quickly reminded herself. Those types of thoughts could be downright dangerous. She was in this for the orgasm, damn it.
Feeling a bit mercenary as she dragged Vito's silk T-shirt up his chest, she couldn't suppress a sigh of pure female admiration.
"So you're not shy?" He helped her with his shirt by yanking it over his head and pitching it onto her duffel bag perched on the old desk.
"Definitely not. I just don't like to jump into anything without weighing the situation carefully." Her brothers Seth and Jesse would laugh at the idea of anyone thinking her shy. She'd been accused of a fierce independent streak before, and maybe a little stubbornness, but no one had ever pegged her for being too reserved.
A wicked smile curved Vito's lips.
"Good. Then you won't mind if I do this." With a flick of his fingers, her sundress lay in a rumpled pile at her feet. She stood before him clad in only her blue cotton bikini bottoms and a matching strapless bra.
His bold gaze raked over her, making her skin ache for his hands to follow the same path.
"A very good trick, Mr. Cesare." She backed closer to the wooden shower-stall door. "Is that what you learn over the course of seducing countless women across the globe?"
"Hardly." He reached for his belt buckle and whipped the length of leather out of the loops. "That's a trick I was only just inspired enough to try. Don't underestimate the appeal of seeing you naked."
Oh, he was good. Sexy as hell and charming the socks off her to boot. Her gaze moved unerringly to his hand as he carefully lowered his zipper. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly too dry.
"I can see the appeal of naked," she agreed, unable to look away as he revealed black silk boxer shorts and stepped out of his pants.
Not before he removed a handful of condoms from the pocket, however. A big handful.
She counted one, two, three, four…
"Five? Are you always so optimistic?" She'd been counting on round two, but the thought of five rounds… Oh my. She felt a bit dizzy just contemplating it.
"Not optimistic. Inspired, remember?" One condom in hand, he stalked closer in the shadowy workshop, the wall sconces casting golden shadows over his skin. "And I can honestly say I've never been this inspired before."
"Oh." Her knees went a bit weak all over again. But before she could sway in the breeze like her fig tree, Vito's arms were around her, steadying her, propelling her out the door into the enclosed wooden shower stall with a clear view of the stars overhead.
The early evening air caressed her skin with welcome heat, chasing away the goose bumps Vito's hungry gaze had raised. In a flash his lips were on hers, his big hands skating over her skin to explore the curve of her waist. Her hips.
Head thrown back to his touch, she could have sworn she glimpsed a shooting star in the purple sky above before she closed her eyes. Amazingly, the tiny streak of light remained behind her lids even after she shut them tight.
"You won't regret saying yes," Vito murmured in her ear, his fingers sliding beneath one cup of her strapless bra. "I promise."
Christine sighed with pleasure as he palmed her breast. Reaching for the lever to turn on the water spray, she flicked the nozzle to hot.
"No regrets," she promised, determined to wrest only pleasure from her time with Vito.
Water blasted out of the showerhead, drenching them both where they stood. The cotton of her underwear clung
to her wet skin as steam rose from their bodies up into the night sky.
Vito's hands were already tugging off her bra and panties, but not as quickly as she shoved off his black boxers. Their last articles of clothing were pitched over the wooden privacy wall to dry while they stepped directly into the shower spray.
The half moon just peeking above them didn't let her see enough of Vito's muscular body, but she rubbed her hands over every hard sinew to appreciate him fully. Rivulets of water streamed down his chest and she lapped at some with her tongue while she tracked the path of others with her fingertips.
Licking over damp skin and a flat male nipple, she tasted lower and lower until he stalled her just before she reached his abs, his hands tightening around her upper arms.
"Wait." Dragging her back up, his breathing was labored. Shallow. "That's definitely round two, honey. Listen to me on this one."
Smiling against his lips as she kissed him, she let him have his way this time. But then his hands slid over the slippery skin of her thighs, and her smile faded as need swamped her.
Fingers dancing a sultry trail through the curls between her thighs, he switched positions until he stood behind her, her body facing the shower stream head-on.
She wondered what he had in mind until he reached up to the showerhead with his other hand and adjusted the water flow lower. Lower.
To right there.
Her head lolled back against his shoulder as he spread her, exposing her to more and more of the relentless spray. The slow side of his fingers combined with the pulsating stream proved a heady combination.
A scream built in her throat just as Vito breathed in her ear. "Come for me."
Her body erupted in sensual spasm, every muscle going taut with the orgasm that ripped through her. She couldn't hold back the cry of pure pleasure, but he covered her mouth with his hand just enough to keep her from waking the neighborhood.