‘It’s a shame to waste them,’ he murmured, picking one up while his gaze remained fixed on her mouth.
As some of the juice escaped onto his finger she watched as he licked it away…and then she realised that even her breathing had fallen in time with his tongue—
‘Champagne?’ he suggested softly, meeting her gaze.
‘I’ve had a bottle of chilled Krug delivered to your suite, Signor Perez,’ Luigi anticipated, looking pleased with himself.
Ramon looked across the table at her, waiting for an answer.
‘I don’t think so,’ Annalisa protested weakly.
‘Ah, but signorina, I have also arranged for some delicious sweetmeats from my own region of Italy to accompany the champagne…and some freshly ground coffee from the Blue Mountains in Jamaica.’
‘Thank you, Luigi,’ Ramon murmured, his gaze never leaving her face for a moment.
‘You’re all as bad as each other,’ Annalisa said in an attempt to break the spell when Luigi had swaggered back to the kitchen.
‘Who’s bad?’ Ramon demanded softly.
‘Men,’ she managed, finding it hard to look away.
‘Don’t you like being spoiled?’
‘I wouldn’t know.’
‘Then may I suggest you lower your guard a little and try something new for a change?’ And, reaching across the table, he took hold of her hand. Slowly, languorously, he began stroking her fingers one at a time.
It was possessive and erotic, and made her feel as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. ‘I would like that champagne now,’ she murmured. ‘If I’m not too late…’
His lips curved in understanding. He stood with the grace of a panther, grasping both her hands to bring her in front of him.
They made it to his room—just.
Kicking the door shut behind them, Ramon fell back against it, dragging her to him. Sliding her fingers up the front of his jacket, Annalisa had the buttons open and the jacket off his shoulders before his lips had a chance to close over her mouth. Even as he dragged the breath from her lungs with his first kiss she was working on his shirt buttons, fingers flying, while her own clothes added to the heap on the floor.
Swinging her into his arms, he crashed onto the bed, stripping the covers away and wrapping one of her legs around him at the same time. She felt the hard corded muscles of his belly rubbing against her and climaxed suddenly, violently, gasping out his name in shock. But he held her fast until her breathing steadied, and when he felt her gradually softening against him he dipped his head to her breast.
‘I can see I have a lot of work to do,’ he chided contentedly.
‘Meaning?’ she demanded softly, lacing her fingers through his hair to increase the pressure a little.
‘Meaning…’ He lifted his head reluctantly. ‘You are deliciously untutored in the art of love. A skill I shall take the greatest pleasure in teaching you.’
‘And you are so arrogant—’
But he wanted to kiss her again…kiss her until she thought they would melt together. And when his tongue plundered her mouth, retreating slowly in an unmistakable prelude to the moment when he would answer all her needs, she gave freely, urgently, pleading for more.
‘We’ve got all night,’ Ramon reminded her softly, holding her still. ‘I want to take my time…enjoy you slowly. No,’ he said firmly as he softened his grip and she went to slip beneath the sheet. ‘On top…here…so I can look at you.’ And then, very steadily and firmly, his hands followed the same scorching trail set by his eyes down the length of her blush-pink quivering body. ‘You are beautiful…magnifico,’ he said, slipping into his own language as he feasted his eyes on her breasts.
Annalisa could only answer with a soft moan as he sank down to suck one painfully erect nipple into his mouth. Meshing her fingers through his thick black hair, she encouraged him while she floated on a cloud of sensation. And when he moved to take the other he still attended to the first tender nipple, with his thumb and forefinger, until she thought she would go mad under his skilful stimulation.
He was everything…everything she had dreamed of and so much more. But as he gauged her state of arousal and shifted position again, lodging himself between her thighs, she sucked in a sharp, involuntary breath.
He stopped immediately and pulled her against him, stroking his hand down the length of her back as he nuzzled his face against her cheek and neck. ‘What’s wrong, querida?’
‘Nothing,’ Annalisa whispered against his mouth, curling up defensively when he rolled away from her.
‘Come here,’ he murmured after a few seconds. ‘Come to me.’
She wanted to…she wanted to so badly.
Ramon made the decision for her, drawing her into his arms and bathing her eyes, her nose and her cheeks with kisses. And then he murmured, ‘What are you frightened of, Annalisa?’
‘I’m not—’
But he didn’t believe her…and he changed the pace of his lovemaking completely, soothing her with kisses so tender she felt teardrops come to balance on her silky lashes. When he saw them, Ramon licked them away, laughing softly and deeply in a way that made her smile. And while he quietened her his hands worked their magic…so light and gentle she could have broken away at any time.
‘Is that better?’ he murmured when his hand moved down over the soft swell of her belly, seeking the core of her sensation. And when he parted her plump swollen lips to stroke gently and persistently she answered his question with a small sound of longing as she offered up her face for his kiss.
‘There’s no need to be frightened,’ he murmured when he pulled away. ‘You’re very, very wet…and I will be gentle…until you ask for more,’ he added wickedly, moving to nibble on her bottom lip.
His voice aroused her, his caresses seduced her, and his stroking fingers knew just where to touch…and how and when.
‘Relax for me, querida,’ he said, opening her thighs wider and cupping his hands underneath, to lift her until she could wrap her legs around him.
Annalisa gasped as she felt him huge and hard against her belly, and then he moved steadily down between her legs so that there was a new and even more seductive touch stroking her…one that was long and warm and firm. But as he allowed the tip to catch inside her she braced herself instinctively, and he felt it, so that instead of consummating their lovemaking he pulled away.
‘I told you there was no need to be frightened,’ he chastised softly, moving back to repeat the delicious torment.
It was like nothing Annalisa had ever known or felt before. She had never imagined that anyone could be so skilled, so patient, so good at reading her responses. Instead of tensing each time he slipped a little way inside her now she wanted more, but it was Ramon’s turn to hold back. ‘Not yet,’ he murmured regretfully when she begged him. ‘Not for a long time yet, querida,’ he whispered, even when she held her thighs open for him and moved sinuously beneath him.
But as he drove the ghosts of the past from her mind Ramon finally saw his victory mirrored in her eyes, and thrust into her fully with a growl of triumph.
Early the next morning Ramon had to attend the first in a series of business meetings to discuss the possibility of buying the hotel. But he insisted they have breakfast together first…in the dining room.
Sitting across the table from him, dressed demurely in her plain suit, Annalisa found the whole situation both seductive and amusing. There was a current racing between them now that surely the whole room must be aware of, she thought, glancing around.
Each move seemed to contain an intimate significance, whether it was passing a milk jug so that their fingers touched, or reaching for the condiments so that her arm brushed his. And when their glances met and lingered there was a new knowledge, a new bond, that said she had given him more than her body—she had given him her trust…her respect. In return he had given her the confidence to move forward into the future…perhaps the most precious gift of all,
she mused, feeling a rush of warmth flood through her as he glanced up and smiled at her.
‘I thought of something to entertain you while I am in my meeting,’ he murmured confidentially, leaning towards her. ‘While you were in the shower I ordered some new clothes for you. I knew you would be feeling uncomfortable without anything fresh to change into. They should have arrived in the room by now.’
‘Ramon, you shouldn’t—’
‘It gives me pleasure to buy you things,’ he said simply. ‘I hope it will give you as much pleasure trying them on as it will give me when I take them off again.’
She sucked in a fast breath as she felt her face fire up, and cast a self-conscious glance at their fellow diners. ‘You won’t be long?’ she murmured.
Ramon’s arched brows rose a little as his eyes darkened. ‘I will be as fast as I can be. Depend on it.’
He was as true as his word.
Annalisa had barely finished folding up the reams of tissue paper and stacking the discarded carrier bags in a neat pile by the bin when Ramon returned to the room. Judging by the look on his face, the meeting seemed to have gone well.
‘You look beautiful,’ he said, when she showed off the new dress to him.
‘You really are too generous. I don’t know what to say—’
‘Don’t say anything,’ he growled. ‘Just come here.’
‘Ramon… Ramon,’ Annalisa protested softly. ‘You said something about meeting another lawyer—’
‘Not now,’ he said, running his hands over every curve and plane of her body. ‘Is that water I can hear running?’
‘Yes,’ she managed to gasp as she pressed into him and felt how hard he was. Already he had trained her senses to respond to him…business was forgotten as he backed her towards the bathroom door. ‘So, making love all night wasn’t enough for you,’ she teased softly as he left her for a moment to slip off his suit jacket and loosen his tie.
His answer was in his eyes. Dipping down to switch off the taps in the huge marble-framed Jacuzzi, he straightened up again and softly called her to him. And now his kisses were deep and possessive as she strained towards him, and it took only the smallest movement for him to ease the dress from her shoulders. It pooled around her ankles, leaving her naked apart from a slip of white lace that served for a bra and an even flimsier thong.
‘If you’re going to be as aroused as this, I’ll have to buy a bigger size,’ he murmured as he stared appreciatively at her engorged nipples, thrusting urgently against the fine lace bra. His stare was bold and challenging as it tracked slowly down over her breasts and on to where the dark shadow between her thighs provided a stark contrast to the snowy-white strip of lace.
And then his fingers were looping through the sides of the thong and his lips were closing over hers. She cried out and gasped for breath as his mouth tracked down, but he ignored her protests and sucked hard on the first nipple. The feeling was intense to the point of pain, and when his tongue forced the taut lacy fibres of her bra against the already tender flesh he was forced to support her weight as her legs weakened beneath her. Without pause he moved from one over-sensitive tip to the next, until she heard a sound of moaning, pleading, and realised it was her own voice, begging him shamelessly not to stop.
He gave her what she needed, with his lips and his teeth and the rasp of his tongue. And when at last he lifted his head to fix her with his bold and knowing stare it was only to give him the chance to unhook the fastening on her bra. Now it was Ramon’s turn to draw a sharp, excited breath as the full beauty of her breasts was revealed. And holding her gaze, so she could watch his satisfaction, he cupped them in his hands, weighing them appreciatively as he mercilessly chafed each jutting pink nipple with his firm thumb-pads.
‘No. No more,’ Annalisa pleaded breathlessly. ‘I can’t take any more—’
‘You submit?’
‘Never!’
Ignoring her, he began feathering kisses against her mouth, and as his stubble scraped her neck she groaned and moved to help him, until she felt the thong slide free and fall at her feet.
‘Look, Annalisa,’ he said, tugging off his shirt and then whipping her round so that she had to stare at their reflections in the large mirror over the bath, partly obscured by steam. It was as if discretion was attempting to cast a veil of secrecy around them, and they were a seductive sight: one towering over the other with a hand clasped possessively over the smaller form’s slightly raised buttocks.
‘It seems a shame to waste that bath,’ he said in a fierce whisper as he glanced down.
‘It’s not a bath I want,’ Annalisa answered, moving against him.
When Ramon laughed it was a low and seductive rumble of sound. ‘I’m in control here,’ he whispered, reaching out a hand to clear a portion of the glass. He took her chin in his fist, forcing her to face the mirror again. ‘And first you have to be soaped all over…’
‘Can we start now?’ she whispered, pressing her hips into him.
‘Not so fast,’ he warned, moving away.
She bit down on the soft swell of her bottom lip as she narrowed her eyes and gazed at him warily.
Finally he appeared to relent. ‘OK,’ he agreed sternly, loosening his belt.
She watched entranced as he moved to draw the heavy blinds across the window. ‘Light those candles,’ he said, pointing to the thick creamy white pillars installed in brass holders around the room. ‘And switch off the lights.’
She did as he asked and in a few moments the bright artificial light was replaced by the flickering glow of a dozen or more scented candles.
‘That’s much better,’ Ramon murmured, holding out his hands to her. ‘Now, come here.’
She obeyed, her eyes fixed on his. Keeping her locked in his gaze, Ramon slowly eased his suit trousers down over his lean hips. Her fast intake of breath sounded above the seductive murmur of the bathwater, bouncing off the walls as the tension rose between them like the heat in a sauna. Adrenalin raced through her veins as he stood naked before her with all the assurance of some priapic warrior. And then slowly…almost lazily…he reached out and drew her close.
Tipping her chin so that she had to meet his gaze, he swung her into his arms and lowered her down carefully into the warm soapsuds. Joining her, he drew her back into his arms again, and now his kiss was long and slow, his hands sliding through her hair in a caress that stole away every thought in her mind but him. As she scored the broad expanse of his shoulders with her fingertips and arched against him his kiss grew hotter in reply, his tongue clashing against hers until daggers of desire brought her bucking against him. Reaching down to take him in her hands, she trembled at what she found, and trembled still more with the need to have him inside her.
They moved quickly, reversing positions as he brought her round to sit over him. His hands were firm on her buttocks as he guided her, teased her, held her back until, understanding that she was almost beyond control, he lowered her down, entering her slowly, only to lift her again at the same steady pace. She was all sensation, all compliance, all need as he continued to direct her movements. And when he relaxed his hold she slid as he had taught her, inch by inch, while Ramon rested against the end of the tub with his head thrown back and his arms stretched out along the sides.
But when she heard his soft, knowing laugh she started moving at her own pace, faster and faster, grabbing at his powerful shoulders for support while her head went back and her mouth opened to suck in the breath she needed to carry her through to release. And then he brought her back into his embrace again, stroking and kissing and murmuring to her in his own language as she shuddered through the last violent spasms in the safety of his arms.
‘And I haven’t even washed you yet,’ he murmured, his lips nuzzling her ear.
‘Mmm?’ Annalisa answered contentedly, turning a little in his arms.
‘Pass me the sponge,’ he instructed.
And she rested between his powerful thighs with her he
ad leaning against his chest while he soaped her all over.
‘Am I clean enough now?’ she asked huskily.
‘For now,’ Ramon said, smiling as he squeezed out the sponge and tossed it back onto the shelf.
‘What are we going to do for the rest of the day?’ she murmured, snuggling into him.
He lifted her away from him so that he could stand up. ‘Unfortunately I have business meetings scheduled…as do you, tomorrow,’ he said when he saw her face. ‘But I have extended my stay here for another night and I have made several bookings so that you can test the beauty salon for me. I take it that is agreeable to you?’
Annalisa smiled back as she held out her hand for a towel. ‘You think of everything.’
‘I try to,’ he confirmed. ‘Come here and let me dry you, and then I can prepare for my meeting.’
“‘For love’s sake, kiss me once again!’”
Stirring sleepily in Ramon’s arms, Annalisa reached up to stroke his neck, his cheek…his lips. What a wonderful way to meet the new day. His voice was like chocolate, rich and deep, as it seeped into the furthest reaches of her drowsy mind to coax her to full wakefulness. ‘No. Don’t stop there,’ she purred against his lips. ‘I want more.’
‘Your wish is my command,’ he murmured, brushing her lips with the lightest touch before taking full possession of her mouth again. His tongue plunged deep and retreated slowly, his message unmistakable now.
‘That’s not what I meant,’ Annalisa whispered when he lifted his head to level a burning gaze on her face.
‘You’re complaining?’
‘No,’ she admitted softly, linking her hands behind his neck to bring him back to her. And this time the kiss was long and slow as the rhythm of his tongue reflected and induced her seductive responses. But as his touch became firmer and seemed about to answer all her needs he broke away. She knew now that exercising control over her responses intensified his pleasure as well as her own—a thought confirmed when she saw that the harsh masculinity in his face had grown brooding and sensual. She trembled as he began to feather kisses along her neck and shoulders. There was a tantalising lack of haste before he traced steadily down towards her breasts…and it took almost more will-power than she possessed to place her hands on his shoulders and push him away. ‘First you have to finish what you were saying when you woke me.’
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