“You gave this some thought,” she whispered, desire building.
“Scared?” He caressed her face, staring into her eyes.
“No. Dying of anticipation.”
His lips curved into a sinful smile before he covered her eyes and secured the blindfold. Then he took one wrist, anchoring it with a leather cuff. He leaned over her, doing the same to her other arm.
Fingertips dragged down her arms in a feather-light tease. She hissed a breath, her thighs squeezing tight.
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured before his tongue circled one sensitive bud.
She almost begged until the buzzing caught her breath. Sensation flooded from her clit, through her entire body. He bit down on her pebbled tip, tearing a cry of pleasure from her lips. “Oh, fuck, Isandro.”
A breathy chuckle further sensitized her skin as he made his way to the neglected nipple. He moved the vibrator in tight circles around her clit until she writhed, pulling at the restraints as she came.
He pushed the vibrator into her pulsing heat. She couldn’t think with the deep throbbing rhythm as he drove her past any sense of reason.
She almost cried when he released her breast and took the vibrator away. Words were long past a possibility. He climbed between her legs and lifted her ass to push into her. She felt him all the way to her soul as he moved in and out of her with powerful thrusts.
She floated on the waves of ecstasy as she pulled on the cuffs. Then he came, and she followed, blacking out it was so good.
Arianna woke to Isandro massaging her wrists, watching her intently. “Too much?” he asked in a gravel-filled voice.
“Mmm, so damned good I can hardly feel anything.”
He brushed his lips over hers, taking her other wrist to start massaging. “Love the way you come for me. Never seen anything more gorgeous.”
She curled her arm around his waist and snuggled closer. “Never felt that amazing in my entire life. Every time you make love to me, you take me higher. I don’t want to come down.”
“Don’t have to.”
Chapter 23
Arianna stepped into Black Rose Ink and Piercings. Her hands shook as she thought about what she was going to ask for. A permanent symbol that her heart belonged to Isandro.
Ariel’s head tipped to the side. “I haven’t ordered chocolate lately.”
“Not why I’m here. I…” She paused to draw a breath. “I want a small bulldog behind my ear.” Arianna pointed. Her hair was already tied into a knot.
She laughed softly. “You’re with Isandro now, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Arianna stated, hoping they hadn’t been together in the past. “Did you do his tattoos?”
An amused smirk lifted one side of her mouth. “And piercings.”
Arianna bit her tongue, trying to keep the question from slipping from her mouth.
Ariel giggled. “We dated briefly. It ended amicably. I’m not jealous. You shouldn’t be either. You have a past too.”
Nodding, she let out a breath. “Sorry. I was trying to get that out of my head. I’m not jealous. More curious.”
“Why?”
She laughed sadly. “Not used to being seen the way he sees me. And you’re more the type I would have imagined him with.”
“Oh, but you’d have to be blind to miss the fact he has always wanted you.”
“I was blind.”
“Not anymore,” Ariel pointed out with a smile.
“Do you have time for the tattoo this morning?”
“I do. I could even do the smaller version of what he has on his chest. If you’re interested.”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Don’t take this wrong. I always ask. But why, exactly?”
“He’s my forever, and I want something to show I mean it. Not something too obvious, but something he’d like.”
“I’m happy for you. Honest. He’s a great guy.”
“Not what you were looking for?”
She shrugged. “No. I wasn’t ready to settle down, and his job…don’t you worry about him?”
“Sure, but he loves what he does. And I like his commitment.”
“Which makes you perfect for him.”
* * * *
Isandro paced outside Arianna’s shop. She’d left early, and she wasn’t working. He couldn’t stop worrying. Again. Finally, he saw her walking down the hall from the back. Her hair was tied up in a bun and he saw the bandage behind her ear.
He banged on the door, staring at her.
The moment she let him in, he asked, “Where were you?”
She turned, pointing to the bandage. “Got a surprise.”
He recognized the black bandage. Confusion took root. “Ari, what did you do?”
Arianna peeled it back, revealing a familiar bulldog. This one tiny and raw.
He touched her below the new ink. “Oh, Ari, that’s…I don’t have words.”
“Do you like it?”
“Love it. I would’ve never asked you to do something like this.”
She turned with a brilliant smile. “Which is part of the reason I did it. I wanted something that symbolized you.”
“Who did it?”
“Ariel.” She watched him.
He let out a sigh. “Did she mention I’d dated her for a while?”
“Yeah, and that you two are still friends. I thought about a couple piercings, but then I figured you couldn’t touch them for a while and I chickened out.”
Isandro couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his lips. “Don’t do something just for me. As sexy as that would be, I would never ask you to do it.”
Her face lit up. “You think they’d be sexy?”
“Shit, Ari, every damned thing about you is sexy. Including the new tattoo. But you’re mine. You don’t need to change for me. I’ll love you no matter what, beautiful.”
She bit her lip and shrugged. “That’s kind of why I want to do it. You wouldn’t ask, but you’d like it. And the tattoo was as much for me as it was for you. Sort of a promise to you.”
He captured her mouth, teasing her tongue as he took a long, slow kiss. He pulled back with that sexy grin. “Wish to hell I had more time, but I got to get to work.”
“Sorry,” she squeaked. “I wanted to do this. I guess I could have gone after work, but I saw the shop open early and I took advantage.”
“Yeah, since Ariel had her baby, she works crazy hours.”
Arianna’s head tipped to the side. “Baby?”
He nodded. “We dated forever ago, Ari. She married Jax. The guy who owns the shop. He does good work too. Their little one is three months old. So they’re rarely there the same hours now.”
“Oh. No wonder she was so sweet about you. She really wasn’t jealous.”
“Why would she be?” he asked with a laugh.
A frown tugged at her lips. “Because if you left me, I’d be devastated. Wouldn’t want anyone else touching you.”
He wanted to say something but bit his tongue. He knew she hadn’t been devastated most of the time when she and Derrick broke up. That asshole was best left in the past.
“Not ever letting you go, Ari.”
“Good, now get to work. Don’t want you to be late.”
He chuckled as he slipped through the door with a grin in her direction. He ran into Derrick, who stood there looking in.
The asshole huffed when Arianna locked the door. “You really made her give me up?” He said it like he couldn’t understand why.
Fucking moron.
“Yeah, she’s done with you. You burned your last bridge when she caught you fucking another woman.”
“We’ll see about that.” Derrick walked down the road and Isandro turned back to see her glaring at Derrick.
Isandro gently tapped the door, and she reopened it.
She shot a glare in the direction Derrick disappeared. “Don’t listen to that bastard. I wouldn’t have let him in regardless.”
> “Never thought you would. Though he thinks you might. He seems confused as to why you’ve moved on.”
“Because I found a man who treats me like a queen.”
He stole one more quick kiss. “Shame I have to work.” He backed away. “Stay safe, Ari.”
She dipped her head. “See you tonight.”
“Definitely.” He made his way down to his truck.
* * * *
Two minutes after Isandro pulled away from the curb, Derrick started pounding on the door. Arianna didn’t have the patience to deal with him, so she walked back to her office to do the paperwork and check for new orders.
There were a dozen from Los Angeles customers she hadn’t seen before. Baffled, she grabbed her phone and dialed Ella.
She answered a few rings later. “Hey, Arianna. What’s up?”
“Know anything about me having a bunch of new orders? Mostly in LA?”
A laugh chimed over the phone. “Sure. I was telling Ryan all about the cakes, then went on to gush about your chocolate in general. I’d sent him some a while back. In an interview, he was telling everyone about this amazing little shop named Sweet Tooth in Lakeridge. I guess people want to try your chocolate now.”
“Ryan King? As in the actor I’ve drooled over for years? Your co-star in a dozen movies?”
She laughed. “Yeah, that’s him.”
Arianna sputtered. “He plugged my shop?”
“Yeah. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Um, uh-huh. I better get to work on making more chocolate. I’m going to be busy for a while. And thank you. That was very sweet of you.”
“No, it was deserved. You’re amazing, Arianna. Your chocolate is my favorite guilty pleasure. Seriously, I need to stop eating it so I fit in the wedding dress I already ordered.”
Arianna giggled. “I’m sure you can find ways to work that off.”
“Oh, I know I can. You have a good morning.”
“You too.”
The knocking started again. Arianna peeked her head out of the office to find Marissa on the other side of the door this time.
Arianna hurried to open the door. Marissa smiled and nodded inside. “Morning. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Sure.” Arianna locked the door behind Marissa, then moved to the counter. “What’s going on?”
“Well, we caught Talbot. He’s not talking, but he gets exceptionally quiet when we ask about his connection to Antoinette or your mother. I believe he’s hiding something. Do you know anything about this kid?”
Arianna shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I’d seen him around my mother’s neighborhood, but I never spoke to him.”
“I don’t think he’s smart enough to plot a break-in on his own. Someone had to put him up to it, but why? Like you said, your mother doesn’t need the money. However, it appears Antoinette is having financial trouble. She’s leaving her husband. I don’t know all the details, but she seems the most likely to have a motive.”
And that didn’t sound right to her. “What about Derrick?”
“He has solid alibis. His phone has nothing but a million calls and messages to you.”
“I blocked him. And his voice mail still comes through, but I delete every single one without listening.”
Marissa nodded, watching her carefully. “Why do you think it’s him?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. But he keeps coming around and it’s been weeks since I told him it was over. He clearly believes I’ll be stupid and take him back again when all he’s doing is yelling at me. For wanting to get back together with me, he’s too angry. It makes no sense.”
“I’ll keep looking,” Marissa promised.
Arianna took a deep breath and added, “Derrick stopped by earlier. Isandro ran into him, sent him away.”
She groaned. “Did my brother hit him?”
Arianna laughed. “No, but I think he wanted to. Derrick left and came back after Isandro went to work. I didn’t let Derrick in. I locked myself in the office to work on some stuff.” Arianna sighed. “I’m going to have a busy day. Lots of chocolate to be made. So many new orders thanks to Ella’s friend.”
“Oh, I saw something about that on Instablast. He posted a box of your chocolates.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I may be following Ryan King, because, hello hotness.”
Arianna giggled. “I know, right? That man is so damned attractive.”
“Hmm, but he just got engaged.”
“Yeah, I heard. He may be eye-candy, but I wouldn’t trade your brother for the world. And Isandro is so damned hot I feel like I’m going to spontaneously combust every time he takes his clothes off.”
Marissa’s face scrunched. “Eww, this is my brother we’re talking about. Let’s not.”
Arianna laughed out loud. “Anyway, so what can I do about Derrick? If we think it’s him, how do I avoid him if he keeps sniffing around?”
“I’ll keep an eye on your shop as much as I can. When I can’t, I’ll have someone else do it.”
“Thanks.” Arianna shoved her hands in her pockets and took a slow breath. “If you can avoid it, don’t tell Isandro yet. He’ll only worry.”
“Don’t keep secrets from him,” she warned.
“Rather tell him in person, tonight. He’s at work, can’t do anything about it, and you have the one breaking in locked up. I doubt the person who put Talbot up to the break-ins is stupid enough to come to the shop themselves. Especially with the little shit in jail.”
“Fair enough. You tell him tonight, and I’ll back off. But if you see something, or have a feeling something’s up, call me. We’ll be here,” Marissa assured. “So tell him tonight. Otherwise, I will.”
Arianna crossed her arms over her chest. “Already said I would. And if I can say I saw police hanging around all day, he’ll feel better.”
“Good luck with the orders. I’m willing to bet you’ll have many more before the day’s over.”
“I know. I’m scared.” She laughed again. “It’s good, but I don’t want to be so busy I’m stuck here forever.”
Marissa smirked. “I bet Isandro would bring you dinner if you were stuck here.”
“He would.”
Marissa looked at her watch. “I should let you open. Have a good day.”
“Thanks. You too. And if you come in after I get some chocolate made, I’ll give you some.”
* * * *
“Guess who I saw getting arrested last night,” Trent said as he walked to the table Isandro sat at.
He looked up with a scowl. “Tell me it was some snot nosed kid who has been hassling Arianna.”
He nodded. “Yup. He showed up in town. At the steakhouse. The dumbass was at the bar, waiting for someone. I called Marissa. They picked him up.”
Isandro’s head cocked. “And my sister didn’t think to mention this to me?” His eyes narrowed as he reached for his phone.
The bells went off and he groaned. “Fuck, I guess that has to wait,” Isandro muttered as he stood and headed for the truck.
Trent caught up. “What’s going through your head?”
Isandro clenched his hands into fists. “Why wouldn’t Marissa tell me? She could have called this morning.”
“Not a clue. Maybe she was busy trying to get answers out of him.”
“Maybe, but who is the prick working for? I’ll call her when we get a free moment.”
* * * *
Once they arrived at the firehouse, Isandro called Marissa.
She answered after a few rings. “Hey, Isandro. What’s up?”
“Trent says you arrested Talbot. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She sighed. “Arianna is planning to when she sees you tonight. I’ve been keeping an eye on the shop. So has Brian and a few other officers. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“And why didn’t you tell me? Seriously, Marissa.”
“She was right. You would worry too damned much. That’s why.”
&nbs
p; He rubbed a hand over his hair. “Fuck. That’s not okay. She’s in danger.”
“Yeah, and that’s why we were watching over her. What? Are you going to stay out of work and babysit her? That’s going to piss her off.”
“No. But knowing would have been nice.”
“So you could be pissed off, wishing you were there? No. She’s going to tell you. If she doesn’t, well…I was going to tell you if she didn’t tonight. She was waiting until you were in front of her.”
His eyes slammed shut. “Well, I’m heading there. She sent me a text saying she has to stay late to fill an ass load of orders.”
Marissa sighed. “Go easy on her.”
A smirk pulled one side of his mouth up. “I will, at least about that.”
“Oh, God, keep your dirty thoughts to yourself.” She hung up.
He couldn’t help laughing as he changed.
“What’s so funny?” Metcalf asked.
“My sister. I know she’s not a damned prude, but you bring me and Arianna up and she wants to pretend like I’m a filthy freak.”
Metcalf snorted. “Oh, you have a reputation.”
“That’s comforting.” He rolled his eyes and shoved his feet in the boots. “Got to go get my girl some food.”
He planned to surprise her.
Chapter 24
Cherise stood in the kitchen where Arianna was packing up the last of the orders. “Mom is really taking an interest in your business. It’s kind of eerie.”
“Why is that?” Arianna asked.
“Well, she keeps asking me how much money you’re making and where you’re invested. Things I don’t have a clue about. She’s even been talking to Bentley, trying to get information from his firm about Sweet Tooth and your investments.”
“Tell me he isn’t telling her a damned thing.”
Shaking her head, she leaned against the counter. “He wouldn’t. That doesn’t mean she can’t get it out of someone else. She uses the same firm.”
Sweet Tooth Page 17