by Maya Blake
Her shudder threatened to lift her off the bed.
One large hand splayed on her stomach and the other parted her legs wider. Watching him watch her was the most erotic experience of her life so far.
She didn’t need a crystal ball to know there was more, so much more in store for her.
He bypassed her most sensitive place, lifted one leg to bend it at the knee. Hot kisses trailed down her inside thigh. Again the graze of his stubble added a rough, pleasurable edge that made her breath come out in agitated gasps.
Nibbling his way down, he soothed his bites with open-mouthed kisses that sparked a yearning for that mouth at her core.
But he took his time. Leisurely, he kissed his way down her other thigh, all the while widening her thighs, those molten eyes not leaving her heated sex.
Ruby wondered why she wasn’t dying with embarrassment. But seeing the effect the sight of her had on him—nostrils flared as he breathed her in, his fingers trembling slightly as he gripped her knee—she had little room for anything but desire.
‘Lei è sfarzoso,’ he muttered thickly.
She felt gorgeous, a million miles from what she’d always feared she would feel when it came to sex. She blinked back tears and cried out as sublime pleasure roared through her.
Lips, tongue, teeth. True to his words Narciso devoured her with a singular, greedy purpose.
From far away, she heard her cries of ecstasy, smelled the heat of his skin coupled with the scent of her arousal as she writhed with bliss beneath him.
Just when she thought she would burst out of her skin, he raised his head.
‘I’d had this thought in my head that the first time I took you I’d torture you for hours with pleasure.’ Still holding her down, he pulled open the beside drawer and grabbed a condom. Impatiently, he ripped it open with his teeth. ‘But I can’t wait one more second, amante.’
‘I don’t want you to.’
Hooded eyes regarded her. ‘I can’t promise it will be gentle. I could hurt you.’
The slight note of apprehension washed away when she recalled what had happened on the deck earlier this evening. Despite the volatile emotions that had raged between them, he’d never hurt her.
She laid her hand over the one he’d flattened on her belly. ‘I’m ready.’
He leaned back and she saw him, really saw him for the first time. The erection that sprang from his groin was powerful and proud. Another testament to how well his name suited him. Judging from the size of him, he had a lot to crow about in that department, too.
Holding himself in one fist, he rolled on the condom and settled stormy eyes on her. ‘Are you sure about this?’ he rasped.
‘Right this moment, my confidence is wavering a little,’ she confessed, her voice shaky with the knowledge that he would soon be inside her.
He inhaled deeply. ‘I promise to go as fast or as slow as you desire,’ he said in a deep solemn voice.
Unable to speak, Ruby nodded. In a slow, predatory crawl he surged over her. Dark hair fell over his forehead in that careless way she found irresistible. She had a second to weave her fingers through it before he was kissing her again.
By the time he lifted his head hers was swimming. The flush that scoured his cheekbones signalled his fast-slipping control. His erection pulsed against her thigh and the very air crackled with sensual expectation so thick, all her confidence from minutes ago oozed out of her like air from a balloon.
‘What do I do now?’
He glanced down to where her hunger raged, to the glistening entrance to her body. ‘Open wider for me,’ he breathed.
Every single atom in her body poised with tingling expectation as she complied with his command and spread her thighs wider. ‘Now what?’
Silver eyes returned to hers. ‘Now...you breathe, Ruby mio.’ He took her lips in a quick, hard kiss. ‘This will be no fun at all if you pass out.’
Reeling from the sensation coursing through her, she sucked air through her mouth.
‘That’s it. Eyes on me and don’t move,’ he instructed.
The first push inside her threatened to expel the air she’d fed her starving lungs. From head to toe, Ruby was soaked in indescribable sensation.
‘Oh!’ She breathed out again, her hands tightening on his shoulders as her craving escalated. ‘More.’
He shut his eyes for a split second, then he pushed in further, carefully gauging her reaction as he deepened the penetration.
The need clawing through her sharpened, deepened. Unable to lie still, she twisted upward to meet him.
‘Dio! Don’t do that.’
‘But I like it.’ She twisted higher, then gave a cry as pain ripped through her pelvis.
‘Per amore di... I told you not to move.’ His lips were tension-white and sweat beaded his forehead.
He started to withdraw but the pain was already fading. Quickly she clamped her legs around his waist.
‘No.’ He levered his arms on either side of her in preparation to remove himself from her body. The knowledge that he was holding himself back so forcefully sent a different sensation through her.
Her hand trailed up his throat to clutch his nape, holding him prisoner. ‘Yes.’
Tightening her grip, she forced her hips up. He slid deeper to fully embed himself within her and she cried out in pleasure.
‘Ruby...’
‘Make love to me, Narciso,’ she pleaded, because she knew that whatever she was feeling right now, there was so much more to come. ‘Please.’
With a groan, he sealed his body fully with hers.
Sizzling pleasure raced up her spine as he set a thrusting rhythm designed to drive her out of her mind. Considering she was already halfway there, it didn’t take long before Ruby stopped breathing again, poised on the edge of some unknown precipice that beckoned with seductive sorcery.
Against her lips, Narciso murmured thick, hot words in native Sicilian. Those that she understood would’ve made her blush if her whole body wasn’t already burning from the fierce power of his possession.
His lips grazed along her jaw, down her throat to enslave one nipple in his mouth. His tongue lapped her in rhythm with his thrusts, adding another dimension to the sensations flowing through her.
One hand hooked under her thigh, spreading her even wider. He groaned at the altered angle just as she began to fracture.
He raised his head from her breast and locked his gaze on hers. The connection, deep, hot and direct, was the final straw.
Convulsions tore through her, rocking her from head to toe with indescribable bliss that wrenched a scream from the depths of her soul.
Lost in the maelstrom of ecstasy, she heard him groan deeply before long shudders seized his frame.
His damp forehead touched hers, then his head found the curve of her shoulder. Hot, agitated breaths bathed her neck as his heartbeat thundered in tandem with hers.
In that moment, she experienced a closeness she’d never experienced with another human being. She told herself it was a false sensation but still she basked in it, unable to stop the giddy, happy feeling washing over her. Her arms tightened around him and she would gladly have stayed there for ever but he moved, turning sideways to lie on the bed.
‘I don’t want to crush you.’ His voice was thick, almost gruff.
‘Don’t worry, I’m stronger than I look.’
He half growled. ‘I guessed as much earlier. Where did you learn to make ties like that?’
‘Tying up chickens and turkeys for roasting.’
He grimaced. ‘I’m flattered.’
‘Don’t worry, Narciso. I’ll never mistake you for a chicken.’
His laughter caused her heart to soar, the simple pleasure of making him laugh lifting her spirits.
>
Resting her chin on his chest, she looked into his eyes. ‘Grazie.’
He caught a curl and twisted it around his finger. ‘Per quello che?’
‘For making my first so memorable.’
‘It was a first for me, too, after a fashion.’
A thousand questions smashed through her brain but she forced herself to push them away. ‘Hmm, I guess it was.’
They lay in replete silence for several more minutes. And then the atmosphere began to change.
She started to move but his arm tightened around her. A deep swallow moved his Adam’s apple.
‘Tomorrow, we’ll talk properly, sì?’
Heart in her throat, she nodded. ‘Sì.’
‘Good. Now I get to show you my favourite knot.’
CHAPTER NINE
‘CIAO.’
The deep voice roused her from languor and she opened her eyes to find Narciso standing over her lounger, cell phone in one hand.
The midmorning sun blazed on the private deck outside his bedroom suite and Ruby squirmed under his gaze as it raked her.
‘Ciao. I can’t believe I let you convince me to sunbathe nude.’
‘Not completely nude.’ He eyed her bikini bottoms.
Heat crawled up her neck and she hurriedly changed the subject. ‘Was your call successful?’
‘Sì, but then all my negotiations are,’ he said with a smug smile.
‘Your modesty is so refreshing. I guess making a million dollars by age eighteen tends to go to one’s head.’
‘On the contrary, my head was very clear. I had only one goal in mind.’
Despite the sun’s blaze, she shivered. ‘So it started that long ago, this feud between you two?’
He tossed his phone onto the table and stretched out on the lounger next to hers. Ruby fought not to ogle the broad, firm expanse of skin she’d taken delight in exploring last night. The grim look on his face helped her resist the temptation.
‘Believe it or not, there was a time when I toyed with the idea of abandoning it.’
Surprise scythed through her. ‘Really?’
‘Sì,’ he replied, almost inaudibly.
‘What happened?’
‘I graduated from Harvard a year early and decided to spend my gap year in Sicily. I knew Giacomo would be there. And I knew he couldn’t throw me out because the house he lived in belonged to my mother and she’d willed it to me when I turned eighteen. I...hoped that being under the same roof again for the first time in five years would give us a different perspective.’
‘It didn’t?’
The hand on his thigh slowly curled into a fist. ‘No. We clashed harder than ever.’
She couldn’t mistake the ragged edge in his voice. ‘If he hated you being there so much, why didn’t he leave?’
‘That would’ve meant I’d won. Besides, he took pleasure in reminding me I’d killed my mother on the street right outside her home.’
Ice drenched her veins. ‘What happened to her?’
‘She suffered a placental abruption three weeks before I was due. She’d gone for a walk and was returning home. By the time she dragged herself up the road to the house to alert anyone, she’d lost too much blood. Apparently, the doctor said he could only save one of us. Giacomo asked him to save my mother. She died anyway. I survived.’
Ruby reached out and covered his fist with her hand. He tensed for a second, then his hand wrapped around hers.
‘How can anyone in their right mind believe that something so tragic was your fault?’
‘Giacomo believed it. That was enough. And he was right to demand that the doctor save my mother.’
She flinched. ‘How can you say that?’
‘Because he knew what I would become.’
‘A wildly successful businessman who donates millions of dollars each year to fund neo-natal research among other charitable organisations?’
He jerked in surprise. ‘How do you know that?’
A blush crept up her cheeks. ‘When I did a web search on you a few things popped up.’
He shrugged. ‘My accountants tell me funding charities is a good way to get tax breaks. Don’t read more into the situation than there is, amante.’
Lowering her gaze, she watched their meshed fingers. The feel of his skin against hers made her heart skip several beats. ‘I think we’re past the point where you can convince me you’re all bad, Narciso,’ she dared.
He remained silent for so long she thought he’d refused to pick up the thread of their conversation. Then his breath shuddered out. ‘Giacomo believes that.’
‘Because you perpetuate that image?’
His smile was grim but it held speculation. ‘Perhaps, but it’s an image I’m growing tired of.’
Her breath caught.
His eyes met hers and he reached across and took her hand. ‘Does that surprise you? That I’m thinking it’s time to end this vendetta?’
‘Why the change of heart?’ she asked.
His casual shrug looked a little stiff. ‘Perhaps it’s time to force another mutation of our relationship,’ he said obliquely.
‘And if it fails?’
His eyes darkened before his lashes swept down to veil his expression. ‘I’m very good at adapting, amante.’ He stood up abruptly and pulled her up. ‘Time for a shower.’
She waited until they were both naked in the bedroom before she spoke.
‘All that with Giacomo. I’m sorry it happened to you.’
His nostrils flared as bleakness washed over his face. Then slowly, he reasserted control.
Intense silver eyes travelled over her, lingering on her bare breasts with fierce hunger that made her nipples pucker. ‘Don’t be. Our feud brought me to Macau. Macau brought you to me. I call that a win-win situation, amante.’
He lunged up and grabbed her. Swinging her up in his arms, he crossed the suite and entered the adjoining bathroom.
‘Wait, we haven’t finished talking.’
‘Sì, we have. I’ve revealed more of my past to you than to any other living soul. If I’m The Warlock you should be renamed The Sorceress.’
Demanding hands reached for her, propelled her backwards into the warm shower he’d turned on.
‘But I don’t know you nearly enough.’
He yanked the shower head from its cradle and aimed the nozzle in the curve of her neck. Water set to the perfect temperature soothed her and she allowed her mind to slide free of the questions that raced through her thoughts.
Understanding the boy he’d been, caught in the hell of a father who hated the very sight of him, Ruby found it wasn’t a stretch to understand why he’d closed himself off.
But she’d seen beneath the façade, knew the playboy persona was just a defence mechanism. His relationship with Giacomo meant more to him than he was willing to admit.
As if reading her thoughts, he sent her a narrow-eyed glare. ‘Don’t try and understand me, Ruby. You may not like what you discover.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
His eyes met hers and she glimpsed the dark river of anguish. ‘It means there may never be enough underneath the surface to be worth your time.’
‘Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?’
He stepped forward and aimed the shower right between her thighs. Ruby gasped as sensation weakened her knees. She reached out for something to steady her and got a handful of warm, vibrant flesh. He angled the showerhead and she let out a strangled moan.
‘No. This conversation is over, amante,’ he growled. ‘Now, open wider for me.’
Despite his clipped words of warning and the blatantly sexual way he chose to end their conversation, Narciso proceeded to wash her with an almost
worshipful gentleness that undid her. When he sank down in front of her and washed between her legs, tears prickled her eyes.
Hell, she was losing her mind. Right from the beginning, she’d primed herself to hate this skilled playboy for his shallow feelings and careless attitude towards women and sex.
Instead she’d discovered that beneath the glossy veneer lurked a wounded soul, hurting from a tortured past.
She wanted to touch him the way he’d touched her. She reached out, but he grasped her hand in his, surged upright and set the showerhead back in its cradle. Beside the expensive gels and lotions a stack of condoms rested. Her heart lurched as she saw him reach for one and tear it open.
Grasping her waist, he whirled her around, then meshed his fingers through hers before raising them to rest above her head.
‘This is the only conversation I want to continue. Are you ready?’ he rasped low in her ear.
His thickness pressed against her bottom. Recalling the pleasure she’d experienced before, she could no more stop herself from answering in the affirmative than she could stop herself from breathing.
He slid slowly into her, leaving her ample time to adjust to his size. Pleasure shot through her, imprisoning her in its merciless talons.
Her groan mingled with his as steam rose around and engulfed them in a cocoon of rough kisses and wet bodies.
Narciso let pleasure wash over him, erasing, if only temporarily, the cutting pain of the past rehashed. The raw agony of recollection eased as he surged deeper into her and, even though he refused to acknowledge that her touch, her warmth and soft words eased his pain, he hung on to the feel of being in her arms.
She rewarded him by crying out as her muscles tightened around him.
Dio mio, she was unbelievable! And she’d got under his skin with minimum effort. But he’d get his control back.
He had to.
Because this unravelling, as much as it soothed the deep wound in his heart, couldn’t continue. For now, though, he intended to lose his mind in the most spectacular way. He slid his hands down her sides, glorying in her supple wet skin. Encircling her tiny waist, he threw his head back and let desire roar through his body.
* * *