The Romano Brothers Series

by Leslie North

  He was merciless as he worked her. She squirmed in his arms, pulled on his hair, and ground her open heat into his abdomen, but nothing provided her escape from being left on the zenith of want and need without being allowed to topple over into the sweet oblivion that ecstasy would grant.

  Moving his hand between them, Leonardo’s thumb dragged its way down her stomach, over her mons, and down the center of her open thighs. He explored every intimate inch of her, every curve, every nestled spot, and Stella felt a heat rise in her cheeks. The way he touched her, taking his time to get to know her, made her feel more naked than she had when she’d been running down the beach to the water. The entire time, his eyes never flinched away from hers. He touched and he watched, and when her eyes would flare wide and she would gasp, he’d touch her there again.

  “What are you doing to me?” Stella felt heady, and her core was clenched so tight with the anticipation and need of being filled that it made it hard to think about anything other than Leonardo’s exploring thumb and what she wanted him to do with it. Then, when he traced a trail around her clit—once, twice, three times—her body jerked with an overwhelming need that went beyond her ability to control.

  That’s when Leonardo did it. That’s when he sank his thumb inside her, hooked it just right and rubbed and stroked. Stella gasped in surprise at the sudden yet desperately needed sensation of being penetrated, but then her thighs clamped tighter around him and she rode his thumb, grinding her clit against the side of his wrist.

  “Tu sì accussì bedda,” Leonardo groaned as Stella flexed and shifted her hips in a rhythmic rocking that had her almost where she needed to be. She recognized the beautiful words that flowed from his mouth, he was calling her beautiful as she fought for the heightened release she needed. Her entire body shook and with eyes closed, she arched her neck and held her breath as the pad of Leonardo’s thumb stroked the swollen spot deep inside of her.

  “Leo!” she cried out as her toes curled and her body clamped down around him. Yet, there was still an ache inside of her, still a need to be filled in a hot stretch that seared all her senses, and that was exactly what Leonardo gave her. Her body was shifted, her knee hooked over Leonardo’s elbow, and then something large and unforgivably hard was pushing at her center demanding entrance.

  With his anchoring arm low around her waist, Stella felt Leonardo’s hips thrust. She cried out with the shock of being opened to capacity as he surged his way inside of her, and then she shivered and sighed as her body released all of its tension to fully accept his heavy, thick intrusion.

  “Oh, Leo…” she whimpered as she surrendered her body to his strength and his forceful need. Just as before when he held her tight and kissed her mouth, he held nothing back. His powerful thrusts could be felt throughout her entire body and each one brought a tiny moan to her lips. The muscles of Leonardo’s arms, shoulders and pecs bunched and shifted, and his jaw was tight but his eyes were blazing.

  “Cara, come for me again. Come on me. I want to feel you.” His words were gruff and his voice was harsh. They didn’t come from the man that Stella had met in his office. They came from a man for whom rules didn’t matter. They came from a man who did as he pleased, no matter what the cost. They came from a man who would stop at nothing to get what mattered most to him…. And from everything that Stella saw in his face, his eyes, and his body, he wanted to feel her pleasure come undone on his long, hard shaft.

  His jaw was clenched and there was a slight tremble in Leonardo’s body. Stella could tell that he was near, so near, to losing himself inside of her, but he wasn’t allowing himself to let go. He was waiting for her, and she was getting closer with each fierce thrust he made. His arm around her hips held her snug against him so that her throbbing nub rubbed against him with every move he made. Her core pulsed with each beat of her heart, and a pressure built deep inside of her as if her very womb needed the wave of pleasure destined to override all her senses.

  Then, Leonardo made the entire world shift. He pulled her in and bit her earlobe. In that instant, all conscious thought ceased for Stella. Replacing the thought was overwhelming sensation. Her channel where Leonardo stretched and stroked her. Her pulsing clit that rubbed against the scratchy hair of his base. The splash of water as it pulsated around their joined, crashing bodies. The ache and throb of both her nipples where Leonardo’s mouth had teased and tormented them. And finally, the tingling swell of her lips from Leonardo’s demanding kiss. It was everything she needed.

  Stella cried out as her body clamped itself around his swollen rod. She held on to him as tight as she could, refusing to let go. Leonardo’s hips bucked. He lost his pace, and then there was a torrent of thrusts that had every muscle in Stella’s body clenched and shaking as gasped breaths tore from her body in rhythm with Leonardo’s hips. Inside of her, a wave of pleasure bloomed at her core and then rolled up her spine. In that moment, she was completely at Leonardo’s mercy. Without him, she wouldn’t have survived, but he held her body aloft above the water as she gave in to an ecstasy that blotted out the whole universe and left only her and him in existence.

  Leonardo groaned as heat bloomed inside of her depths. His hips stopped thrusting and instead he held her on him, in place. His. Coming back to her senses, Stella stroked Leonardo’s hair and kissed his cheeks beneath his eyes as his own pleasure worked its way through his senses.

  She felt the hard muscles of his body relax and knew that he was back in the world with her. Together, they sank into the Ioanian Sea’s embrace, but their bodies stayed merged even though their dance was done.

  For the longest time, saying nothing, Stella snuggled against Leonardo’s chest with her cheek pressed into his neck. He kissed her hair and held her with arms that could protect her from anything, she was sure.

  Finally, Leonardo shifted and their body’s joining broke, but Leonardo continued to hold her tight as he walked with sure steps toward the shore. The water fell away from them, leaving the sun to warm Stella’s skin, and soon she found herself laid down on the sandy beach next to Leonardo.

  Leonardo laid on his back, and Stella used his shoulder as a pillow.

  “This beach is beautiful.”

  “Mmmm, you’re beautiful,” Leonardo mumbled as if half awake.

  Stella laughed as she sat up. “No, really! This is… paradise.” There was awe in her voice. “How did this place stay so nice?” She looked around her. The stretch of beach, sandwiched between two rocky cliffs, was over a hundred meters wide. The white sand was soft and gentle to the touch, and it looked as though they were the first ones to visit it in many years.

  Leonardo opened one eye and glanced around them before closing it again. “My family owns this stretch of beach. We have for generations, and we’ve protected and preserved it.”

  “Preserved it?” Something in the way Stella had said the words had Leonardo opening up both of his eyes. She let a heartbeat or two pass between them before continuing. “Has it been worth it?”

  Leonardo’s eyes stayed locked with hers. He didn’t answer right away, and Stella could see the gears of his mind turning. Finally, he said, “Undoubtedly.”

  Stella smiled. It was small at first but it grew quickly. “Can you think of anywhere else that would be worth preserving?”

  Leonardo’s lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. Then, in a flash of movement he had her in his arms and pinned under him. There, he nuzzled her nose with his before taking her lips in a kiss. “Undoubtedly,” he whispered.

  9

  Leonardo

  I don’t care what I said before,” Leonardo swore into his phone from within his office at the Romano del Mare. It was late afternoon and Leonardo had agonized for the last three days before coming to a conclusion. Stella had been right. She’d always been right. The Romano del Mare deserved to shine as the masterpiece of craftsmanship that it was. It was a Sicilian treasure, and it deserved to be preserved as such. Seeing the beach that his family had protected for gene
rations through her eyes finally made him take in the old monastery for what it was instead of what he thought it should be. “I’ve decided to go with the Preservation Society’s design plans.” He would of course add a few modifications, but they would be minor.

  The cost of going with the Preservation Society’s plans would ultimately mean the loss of a couple of million euro as various restoration projects through the building and property were carefully dismantled and redone in a manner that maintained the integrity of the original building rather than cover it up. Only the massive, center courtyard would be spared any changes. And Leonardo would insist that the very modern pool near the cliffs be allowed to remain intact. As a resort, they needed to be able to provide an experience that people wanted to have again, or at the very least recommend to other travelers. They would still offer their customers a luxury experience, but it would not be centered around the modern, ultra clean, minimalistic and chic design that had been planned. Each suite of rooms would not be given its own theme with unique flooring, furniture and lighting features. Instead, each suite would retain its original look, or very close to it. Lavish beds with mattresses pricing in at 10,000 euro apiece with the finest linens money could buy would compensate for the cold, harsh stonework that housed the bed. A personal butler for every suite would be an amenity that few places could offer. And as for the food, it would be the best in the region.

  It could be done. The integrity of the Romano del Mare’s original design could be saved while still providing a coveted experience to those who would travel halfway around the globe to stay there.

  “You can’t do this,” said Marcello, Leonardo’s head of branding.

  “I can’t?”

  Marcello must have heard the warning note in Leonardo’s tone, and he quickly amended what he was saying. “I mean… Leonardo, you shouldn’t do this. I’ve seen the Preservation Society’s design and it’s nice, but it’s not us. It is not Romano Hotels. People see one of your hotels and they know what to expect, just like a Hilton or a Marriott. Customers go to the Romano Hotel more than once because they want consistency. The Romano del Mar needs to fit the brand of the rest of your hotel chain. If it doesn’t, you could end up with a lot of unhappy customers that smear your brand name on the internet. If your competitors then jump on the band wagon, there’s no telling how much business you could lose worldwide.”

  Leonardo sat back in his chair, feeling as though he’d just had the wind knocked out of him. From what Marcello was saying, not only would Leonardo be poised to lose millions from doing yet another redesign of the Romano del Mare, but he would be at risk of losing tens of millions worldwide. He couldn’t do that. Not even the Romano del Mare was worth that kind of risk.

  Silence filled Leonardo’s office until he heard Marcello clear his throat. There was more that the man wanted to say but he was nervous to do so. Leonardo had worked with him for almost ten years. He knew his ways.

  “Se,” Leonardo said, giving Marcello clearance to say what he had to say no matter how uncomfortable it was for Leonardo to hear it.

  “I’ve heard a rumor.” Marcello’s voice was strained, and when he didn’t go on, warning bells went off in Leonardo’s head.

  Leaning forward in his chair, Leonardo asked, “What is it?”

  “Gallant Industries, they’ve started getting nervous that you’re going to break the contract with them and they’ve put together a smear campaign. They’ve got a backer. I don’t know who, but it’s a corporation with deep pockets. They want to hurt you, capo.”

  Leonardo hissed out a breath. “Se, Grazij,” Leonardo said, thanking him. They ended the call a few minutes later, and Leonardo once more sat heavily back in his chair as he considered his situation. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. He was trapped into a situation of being damned if he went one way and damned if he went the other way.

  Closing his eyes and steepling his fingers, he worked through the problem backwards and forwards. He mentally explored the various avenues, considering what it would take to overcome the obstacles in each direction. And, he considered the cost…

  He could find no way around it. He would have to honor his contract with Gallant Industries, although he would never work with them again. Their underhanded handling of the prospect of losing his business would cost them dearly. He would see to it. Just as they had planned to smear his family’s name within the hotel industry and the world at large, he would make sure to burn every bridge they had with regards to procuring new clients within the hotel industries. If he had broken the contract with them, he would have gladly paid them compensation for the loss of time and man hours in addition to a penalty fee. But, now he would move forward with his business with them and then would severe all ties to them with regard to any Romano business from here to perpetuity.

  As for Stella, he would have to test her words about wanting to separate the affection that was growing between them from the business of whose design vision for the Romano del Mare would be honored. He had a ball of pressure in his chest that refused to go away when he thought about going against Stella’s wishes. Her mind and spirit were everything that he hoped for in life, and he had wanted to pour her love for what the Romano del Mare could be into a resort that would be destined to gain world recognition as the place to go for a premiere holiday experience.

  His thoughts then turned to the Preservation Society and the battles that his lawyers had been waging against their rules. There was no turning back from it. He would need to call on every lawyer on retainer within the Romano empire and hire any specialist necessary to overcome their objections so that he could move forward with their original renovation and design plans. There was no other way. As costly as that path would be, it was the best decision. He would not allow the Romano del Mare—a single resort in an army of Romano hotels—to jeopardize all that his family and he personally had toiled to create.

  Leonardo lightly rapped his knuckles against the door of the garden level apartment that the Preservation Society had rented for Stella. When she opened the door, her eyes went wide with surprise and her lips graced him with the prettiest smile the world had ever known.

  She was wearing loose fitting yoga pants that looked as though they belonged on a genie. They had a wide band that hugged her middle but the fabric of the legs flared and draped with an easy flowing nature that was mesmerizing to Leonardo’s eyes, but he was not so distracted that he didn’t notice the tiny little spaghetti string top that she wore that clung to every wonderful inch of her.

  “Do you have something for me?” Stella asked.

  “Huh?” Leonardo said as his attention refocused.

  “Your hand is behind your back.”

  Leonardo gave her what he knew must be a sheepish grin as he presented her with a bundle of yellow-throated white plumeria flowers that smelled of jasmine and honeysuckle. He had forgotten he had them. He’d been so wrapped up in the sight of her.

  Leaning in, he gave her a kiss and she took him by the hand and led him to a sofa inside. There, she plopped down with one slender leg tucked under her and pulled him down to sit beside her.

  “You’d said you were going to have to work late. I didn’t think I’d get to see you for a couple more days.” Leaning forward, her nimble fingers worked to loosen his tie. “I’ve been on the phone all afternoon with the Preservation Society.” She said it as if it had been the most unpleasant experience that one could have, but then she smiled coyly up at him and her eyes twinkled. “I told them that I wasn’t sure… but that I thought that maybe, hopefully, possibly…”

  “Stella…”

  “…that you were considering implementing…”

  “Stella…”

  “…their design plans.”

  “Stella.” Leonardo’s hand covered hers where she was still playing with his tie. She glanced into his eyes, and it was as if the reverie in her ended within that very moment of life.

  She pulled away by sitting up straight but Le
onardo managed to keep her hand in his. “You’re not going to go with the Preservation Society’s plans at all… are you?”

  Leonardo shook his head, but he did not let his gaze waver from her face. He needed to see her thoughts as they flickered through her eyes.

  “Cara, I can’t. There are too many forces at work against it. The cost of going with the Preservation Society’s plans would be in the tens of millions after everything was considered. I can’t do it, Stella. The Romano del Mare, she’s just a building. A beautiful building, se, but just a building. She’s not worth jeopardizing my family name, wealth and reputation for.”

  Stella nodded her head, but Leonardo could see that her mind was stumbling to keep up with the shift in events.

  “Leonardo, please… if you would just reconsider. My boss, he’s hell bent on making an example out of your monastery. Please, Leo, reconsider. Maybe the design plans can be merged. Maybe you can preserve sections of the monastery in its original state.”

  Leonardo shook his head no, but he softened the rejection by lifting her hand to his mouth to kiss it. But it wasn’t enough.

  Stella got up from the sofa and paced the small room from one end to the other, mumbling to herself in broken thoughts that didn’t make much sense to Leonardo.

  “Stella, come. Sit.” He patted the spot next to him. “It will be okay. I still have you, and you still have me.”

  Stella stopped in her tracks, turned to him, and said, “I need you to go. Right now. You have to go.”

  Leonardo’s head snapped back as if he’d been struck, for in fact he had. Stella’s words could not have hurt him more if she had delivered them with a baseball bat. “Stella…”