Secrets and Seduction Las Vegas (Sexy Italian Imports Book 1)
Page 25
All he could see was her. Her silhouette against the lights of The Strip. Beautiful, accomplished, and his. He stepped forward to grab her, stopped, tried to remember his manners. “Would you like something to drink?”
She turned toward him. “No.” The desire in her eyes, the Mona Lisa smile, told him exactly what she wanted.
“Bedroom?”
“Yes.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her down the hall. He’d never told her he didn’t bring women here. That he always went to their place or a hotel room. Not an easy subject to lead into. Switching on soft lighting in the bedroom, he smiled. His bed would see some action—finally!
“What are you grinning about?” she asked.
“I’ve waited a long time to get you here.”
“Was it worth it?” She leaned in to him seductively.
“God, yes.” He touched her hair, feeling for the pins and pulling them out slowly, one by one. It was erotic. When her hair tumbled free, he put the pins in his coat pocket and ran his hands through the silky length.
She let out a breathy sound, unbuttoned his jacket, undid his tie, and opened his shirt. She took his cufflinks off and put them and his tie in his pocket with the pins.
“My drycleaner is going to wonder about all this.” He pulled open his pocket.
“Put a condom in there, too. He’ll get the idea.”
He took his jacket off; she pulled off his shirt, pants, and silk boxers.
She ran her fingers along his muscles, a greedy smile on her lips.
He laughed. “I’m getting the idea.” He pulled her to him. Somehow, it was exciting being naked while she was completely clothed. The silk of her dress caressed him like a whisper. During those hours of talking to people at the gala, he’d noticed where the designer had hidden the zipper—extremely good use of his time. He unzipped her dress, slid the shoulder straps off, and the silk glided down her body and pooled at her feet.
“Jeez.” He took a step back to look at her lingerie. She wore a strapless bustier, dark blue to match her dress. Where it skimmed her hips, garters held stockings up on her long, gorgeous legs, and a tiny blue thong barely covered her muff. He swallowed hard, the desire to taste her making him crazy.
“Not too much, is it?” she asked.
“Oh, baby, too sexy.” Words failed him as he planned the next few hours. He looked at her strappy gold sandals. He wanted them and her feet next to his ears as he drove into her. He shook his head. Slow down. Deep breaths. Be a gentleman. He took her hands in his. “This is your night. Tell me what you want?”
Her eyes were wanton. “Mmmm. I want you on your knees.”
Chapter Twenty Six
Antonio complied, knelt at Valerie’s feet, and put his hands on the backs of her thighs. His desire to please her was as great as his need to find his own pleasure. The tiny scrap of blue covering her sweet muff came off too easily as his teeth ripped it from her body. He heard her surprised intake of breath, but he was just as surprised to see her completely bare.
“I went in for my bikini waxing and got a little wild.”
“Brazilian.”
She laughed. “I should have known you’d be familiar with the lingo.”
“Beautiful,” he whispered, looking at her hairless, completely smooth, just for him. He had to touch. He ran his fingers over her. Soft, marvelously soft. “Spread your legs for me, sweet.” His voice came out gruff.
She took a sexy pose, tipping her hips up to his fingers, grabbing his shoulders for support.
Sliding his fingers between her legs, he felt her flesh quiver. He brushed her inner thighs, loving the soft, sleek skin just above the silk stockings. He heard a groan and realized it came from his own throat. Kissing her, he inhaled deeply, aroused by her musky scent.
She sighed, a tiny squeak sounding at the end of her exhalation.
He ran his fingers up to her muff, spread her gently, touched reverently.
“Do you like it bare?” she whispered.
“God, yes.”
“Prove it.” Valerie moaned and grabbed his hair, moving his lips where she needed them most.
He’d never known anything as sexy as what she was doing to him that second. He used his tongue, teased her sweet flesh, licked her smooth, hot lips then, finding her clit, flicked it until he felt her knees shake.
“Yes!” Her nails dug into his shoulders.
He slid a finger into her and felt her canal contracting. His tongue circled, increasing the intensity until she screamed his name, her whole body shaking as sweet cries of pleasure escaped her lips. He stroked her, licked her, faster and firmer until he knew she’d come back to reality again.
He picked her up in his arms. She melted against him, her head on his chest, her eyes still closed. He kissed her forehead. God, she was beautiful, her hair cascading over his arm, her body wrapped in the sexy lingerie. Her creamy skin glowed on the brown satin of his spread as he laid her on his bed.
She opened her eyes halfway and smiled at him. “You are incredible.”
“You are delicious.”
She reached for him, and he leaned over her, kissed her lips, letting her taste herself on him. She licked his lips. “I’m glad you enjoy me.”
He laughed softly. “You’re delirious.”
“You make me that way, Antonio. I go from extreme desire to sublime ecstasy and back again.”
“All night. I promise you.” He lay alongside her. He needed to see her breasts. He popped one out of the lacy bustier, ran his fingers over its hard peak. Then the other. He touched one with his tongue, and she moaned, took it into his mouth, holding it with his teeth, torturing it with his tongue.
“That is amazing. So extreme.”
He increased the tempo then moved over her, shifting his mouth onto her other breast.
She moaned. “I could come just from your doing that.”
That would be a good experiment for later, to see if just his tongue and teeth on her nipples could make her orgasm. Right now, he needed to be inside her. He moved over her and ran a hand down her side then under her bottom. His thighs spread hers.
“Yes, Antonio. Please. Fill me.”
Her words excited him beyond his threshold, and he buried himself in her in one strong stroke, his buttocks clenching to push himself in farther. He paused, needing control. He lifted her leg, the silk stocking sexy, ran his hand down to her foot, kissed the inside where the strap of her sandal wrapped her slender ankle. He put her leg on his chest, her ankle next to his ear.
He looked into her eyes, seeing at first surprise, then her eyes darkened with passion as he slid himself another fraction deeper into her.
Lifting her other leg, Antonio put it on his chest, and thrust into her. In this position, he wouldn’t last long. He tried to move slowly, but the silk stockings rubbing against his chest made him insane for release.
Her eyes were half closed. She’d be coming with him. He had to tell her. “Valerie, I love you.” He’d wanted to say it when he was inside her, making love to her, joined in this primal way. His thumb teased her point.
“Antonio, I love you, too.”
He immediately shattered, his body hot, then flash fire searing his brain, every inch of his hard rod buried deep within her as he shot his load into her tight, wet canal. Her cries of pleasure, his mind numbing release, pumping her, giving her what she craved. Together in perfect unison, he never wanted it to end. Her body shook, his convulsed. Minutes later, they both collapsed, exhausted.
He lay next to her, took her into his arms. She still quivered, her breath fast. He put his hand on her neck, felt the blood pounding through her veins.
She gripped him tightly, holding him as if she’d never let him go, her head on his chest, feminine and trusting. Other than by family, he never felt loved before. It was a cathartic experience. Women said the words to him, but he never believed anyone—until Valerie.
“Antonio?” she asked softly.<
br />
“Yes, love?”
“When did you know?”
“When did I know I loved you?” He sighed. Their relationship was a series of misaligned encounters and disastrous dates. He kissed the top of her head. “It had to be that night at Caesars Palace. You thought I was jealous of the quarterback.” He laughed. “I was. Insanely.” He traced his fingers down her arm, up to her shoulder, loving the feel of her satin skin.
He pictured that night. “When you were crying and angry at yourself for being cruel to me, I—” His voice caught in his throat. What was this? Some kind of new emotion? He cleared his throat. “I knew I had to have you. I didn’t realize until we were dancing tonight what it was.”
She laughed. “It just snuck up on you.”
He smiled, loving her sense of humor. “That’s the story I’m sticking with.”
She crossed her hands on his chest, rested her chin on them, and looked into his eyes. He could see their blue shining with emotion.
He trailed a finger along her ribs. “How about you? When did you know?”
“Hm.” She wrinkled her brow in thought. “I think I knew there was something between us the night we took the motorcycle ride.”
“When I acted like a jerk?” He couldn’t think about that night without his chest tightening in embarrassment.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “No. I was used to it by then.” Her gaze turned serious again. “It was when we were eating ice cream. I wanted you so badly, it hurt. I was seriously going to ask you to get us a room.”
He let out a startled laugh. “God, I would have, too.”
“But when you blew up in the casino, and later, when you rode out of my driveway, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to love you, but it was already too late to stop. I was yours.”
He’d treated her poorly, and guilt knocked him hard. “Baby, I made you cry. That’s not something you should love a man for.” He touched her cheek, tracing the path her tears had run that night.
“The emotion you’ve awakened in me is like nothing I’ve ever known. Right now, I could power every casino on The Strip.” She kissed his chin. “You love me. You said it twice, so I know I wasn’t imagining it the first time.”
He kissed her lips, soft and warm. She smelled so damn good. “I love you.” He could say it a million times. He took a big step today, advanced their relationship to a more intense level. It was only right he tell her what he did on weekends.
****
The next morning, Valerie woke alone in his bed. She looked at the clock; it was 10:00 already. She stretched, feeling all her overworked muscles complain from the long hours of exceptionally ambitious lovemaking. Sometime during the night, he’d removed her bustier, shoes, and stockings. She shivered, remembering the erotic way he’d accomplished it.
She sat up and saw he’d left a T-shirt for her, folded on the nightstand next to the bed. She stood, stretched again, and slipped it on. It was large, very large. But it covered everything she needed covered.
In the bathroom, he’d set out a toothbrush for her. She suddenly remembered what she’d stumbled upon in the middle of the night. She’d woken at around 3:00 and felt the need to remove her makeup and brush her teeth. He was sleeping soundly, so she tiptoed into the bathroom, closed the door, and searched for a new toothbrush. She looked in a drawer and knew immediately he wouldn’t want her to see what was in there.
Now, as she brushed her teeth, she gazed at the handle on that drawer. How should she approach talking to him about it? As she walked out of the bedroom, the smell of fresh brewed coffee surrounded her, stirring her craving.
She padded into the kitchen and watched him. He looked incredibly sexy this morning. His jeans were zipped but not buttoned, his arms crossed over his bare chest, and he held a cup of coffee in one hand. He leaned against the counter, watching the news on the small television in the refrigerator door.
“Hi,” she said and loved how he immediately put down his coffee, turned off the TV, then pulled her into his embrace.
“Hello, sexy.” He kissed her, his tongue tasting like coffee. He smacked his lips. “Mmmm. Minty fresh.”
“Thank you for the toothbrush.” She gestured with her shoulder. “And the shirt.”
“The least I could do.”
“Um. Antonio?” She needed to tell him, and sooner than later was always better.
“Yup?”
“I have a confession.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“This doesn’t sound good.” His lips thinned into a hard line.
“I saw something I don’t think I was meant to see?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“In the middle of the night, I wanted to brush my teeth, so I went in the bathroom and looked through some of the drawers.”
“Okay. And you saw?”
She couldn’t quite tell if he was angry. “The drawer with your tattoos.”
“Mmmm.” He had no expression at all, completely poker faced.
“I really didn’t mean to pry. I’m sorry.”
He took a deep breath, let it out. “It’s not like I kept them in a locked drawer and you picked the lock.”
What did he mean by that? “Okay. So, they’re not hidden, and your other girlfriends probably saw them, too.”
“No. No other girlfriends have been here.”
“What?” She was speechless for a long moment. “You mean in your condo?”
He shrugged it off. “Not a big deal. I’m very private.”
She couldn’t get her brain around it. “You’re saying you’ve never had a woman in your condo?”
“No. Stop looking at me like I’ve grown another nose. I just don’t have people here.” Irritation flashed in his eyes.
“Your friends?”
“We meet at clubs or at their place.”
“So, when I offered to set you up with Jules to have her help you redecorate, you didn’t answer because you didn’t want her to come up here.”
“Yup. Just personal preference. Nothing to do with your friends.”
“Wow. That’s…interesting. And I’m the first?”
“You are.” He ran his hands on her back. “The first in my bed.” His voice turned smoky.
“I had no idea.”
“Are you going to analyze this now?”
She slowly shook her head. “No way, not unless you want me to.”
“No. I can’t imagine what you’d come up with for this side of my personality.”
“Many people are private. It’s not unusual.”
“Okay. Thanks, Doc.”
She popped up on tiptoes and kissed his chin. Stepping back, she glanced at the fancy Italian coffee machine. “I could use some coffee, then I’ll get out of here so you can write.”
“No, sweet.” He pulled her back into his arms. “You’re not getting away from me that easily. I’m making you breakfast, then we’re going to use the whirlpool tub, then we’re going back to bed.” He grabbed her bottom, lifted the shirt hem, and caressed her.
She had trouble breathing as her thoughts slipped to the night she’d just spent in his bed. “I have the day off. I’d love to stay here with you, if you don’t feel you need to work.”
He pulled her tighter against him, pressing his arousal against her mound. “What I need, woman, is you.”
She sighed, as happy as she’d ever felt. She put her hands on his face. “I know what you mean. I can’t get enough of you.”
“Mmmm. When you say things like that…” His eyes darkened with passion. He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her, hard and desperate, touching every inch of her mouth, her lips.
It was so overwhelming, she had to remember to take breaths. She felt shaky when he softened the kiss. “That was intense.”
“You don’t know how important you are to me.” He sounded very serious.
She tipped her head. “Where did that come from?”
He paused. “There’s something I need to
tell you.”
She waited.
He looked unsure then let her go. “Coffee?”
“Sure.”
“Sit down. I’ll fix you some breakfast.”
What was on his mind? What was he trying to find the courage to tell her?
He made eggs, toast, bacon, and fresh, black coffee and asked if she wanted to eat out on the balcony. They sat in the mid-morning, sun enjoying the feel of the city as it slowly began to wake.
“Antonio, you know you can tell me anything.”
He stared, his jaw working. They ate in silence, then he brought their plates inside and came back with fresh coffee. He sat for long moments staring out at the horizon, then let out a sigh.
Was he going to talk now?
As if by divine intervention, his phone rang and relief washed over his face like a last-minute stay of execution. He looked at the ID. “It’s the guard in the lobby. Hello?” His face lit up. “Sure, send him up.”
Her eyes opened wide. “I’ll hide in the bedroom. I don’t have any clothes.”
He jumped up. “It’s my brother, Dante. You have to meet him.”
“Antonio, I can’t put my gown back on.” She felt a little panic.
He pulled her into his arms. “Go dig through my closet. You’ll find something.” He kissed her. “And Dante won’t notice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure he won’t.” She ran and made it into the bedroom just as she heard the elevator open and the brothers greet each other in Italian.
Perfect. The first time she met one of Antonio’s family, and she had nothing to wear.
She put her bustier back on but didn’t have a pin to fix her underpants. Digging through the drawers in his closet, she found a pair of compression shorts that fit like capris on her and an unopened package of white T-shirts in a size that had to be far too small for Antonio. She’d have to remember to ask him about them. Picking up one of her shoes, she looked at the tall heel then tossed it aside. Barefoot would be less obvious.
She used his brush on her hair and dug out the sample-size mascara from her purse. Slicking on lip gloss, she turned side to side, looking at herself in the mirror. “Well, not your best look, Valerie, but it will have to do.” Regaining her composure with a calming breath, she went out to meet the brother.