by Reina Torres
He leaned forward, his hands traveling from her ankles and up, his thumbs trailing along her calf and to the insides of her knees. She was sensitive, ticklish there, and instead of pulling away he watched sensations roll through her curvaceous body.
“I want to taste you.”
She didn’t tell him yes or no.
Instead, he watched a curious expression cross her face as he turned and moved his hands slowly onto her thighs, his fingers splayed open against the silk of her skin. “I’ve dreamed of putting my mouth on you,” he told her, leaning closer. “Have you had the same dream, Allegra?”
She shook her head, a half-wild movement that managed to ease the tension in her body, and open her legs even more as she laid before him.
“No?” He pressed a kiss on her hip and then another an inch closer to her bellybutton.
“No, but I’ve dreamed,” she gasped as he kissed her other hip, “of you… and me.”
His bear leaned heavily on him, pushing against their link with a metaphysical shoulder. He wanted out or he wanted Valerio’s fangs in her flesh. Soon.
“Tell me, Allegra.” This time, he didn’t lift his lips away for another kiss, he trailed them along the soft swell of her belly until he pressed a kiss just inches away from her silken curls. “What did you dream?”
Her breathing was ragged, but not painful… breathless and needy as she lay as still as she could beneath him.
“I dreamed…” He turned his head, and trailed his cheek across the tender flesh at the top of her thigh and watched her fist the blanket in her hands. “I dreamed of tasting you.”
Something broke inside of him. The thought of her mouth on him, her tongue hot and wet against his flesh, made him tremble with need.
He moved, like the predator he was, laying himself on the ground between her legs. He slid his arms under her thighs and reached around to seize her hips and lift her to his waiting mouth.
He stroked her with his tongue from one end to the other, dragging the tip of it under the silken hood of flesh. When the tip of his tongue grazed against her he felt her thighs tighten, squeezing closer. He began again, parting her lips and delving his tongue into her sweetness before reaching the end and circling her clit.
A cry was wrung from her lips and her thighs tightened again.
He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. He could hear her panting and even a few muttered curses as he continued the tender torture of her flesh.
“Come, Allegra.” He opened his mouth and used his teeth to nip at the flesh of her thigh. “Let me have all of you.”
“No, no.” She reached down and managed to comb her fingertips through his hair. “Please, no.”
He stilled in a heartbeat. Getting up on his hands and knees over her, searching her expression for pain or revulsion. “What’s wrong?”
“I want us together when it happens.” Her admission warmed his heart, but he felt at a loss for the abject worry in her tone.
“And we will, Allegra. When I mark you, we will.”
She shook her head, her bottom lip pinned between her teeth.
He lay on his side and smoothed his thumb over her chin, whispering gentle words to her. “Tell me what has you so upset, Allegra.”
“Not upset,” she said the words but her expression made her a liar, “I just… I don’t have more than one.”
It took him a moment to understand what she was saying, but before he could argue, she was already talking again.
“Not even when I did it for myself,” she mumbled. “Please don’t-”
He ended her plea with a kiss and reached for the hem of her tank top. “I won’t. Not tonight.”
He sought to reassure her, but he also sought to reassure himself. Allegra deserved to enjoy being loved, it was the most personal physical pleasure that anyone could experience.
“Tonight,” he helped her remove her tank top, discarding it on the blanket before he removed the last bit of clothing covering his body, “the first will be together and after that, we shall see.”
She opened her mouth to argue and he ate her words as thoroughly as he had intended to devour her heat. Moments later she was moaning into his mouth, grabbing at his shoulders, pulling him closer.
Valerio reached down, smoothing his hand over her belly, to trail his fingers between her thighs, teasing her tender flesh. She was still wet from before, but a few well-placed strokes of his long fingers had her knees falling open beneath him, creating a cradle for him.
Allegra’s body stretched around his fingers, muscles pulling him in while a rush of need coated his skin.
Her hips pushed up, and Allegra turned her head to the side, baring her neck and shoulder to his hungry gaze.
“Soon, please. I don’t… too fast.”
She felt the shift in him.
As if he’d flicked a switch and opened another part of himself.
Everything she felt as she lay bare beneath him, her body begging for his touch, was sensual, needy.
She didn’t feel hesitation like before. She didn’t worry about pain. That was behind her, and Valerio was everything ahead of her… and she wanted the joy that came with him. Wanted it like her next breath.
When he reached for her she had less than a moment to wonder what he had in mind. His hands on her hips tugged her closer, pulled her up against his chest, took her mouth in another soul-searing kiss as he lowered her down.
She felt him lean closer, keeping his mouth on hers even when the difference in their height made it difficult to do. And then she felt it, a warm ache between her thighs, the way his body pushed slowly inside of hers.
And it was like his light in the darkness, slowly building, expanding inside of her.
Allegra felt full, but not nearly full enough. She leaned back, ever so slightly and he slid his hands up her back to give her the room she needed but also to hold her securely.
He leaned over her as she tightened her legs around his waist, breathing out against her skin to let her know what he meant to do.
“Yes,” she gasped and then pulled in a breath as his lips closed over the tip of her breast. His tongue rolled over her nipple and it tightened from the sensation of its rough texture. He pulled her deeper into his mouth for a second time as she sank deeper onto him. The sensations were addictive as his mouth paid homage to her other breast, wringing moans from her throat.
When he was fully seated in her body, when she felt her backside touch his thighs, she groaned and sat up, reaching for his shoulders. The shift in her body rocked her clit against him and she gasped, feeling a ripple of sensation pulse through her core.
“Allegra.”
She felt her name as a vibration passed from his body into hers and she moved closer, leaning into the sensations.
“You mean everything to me, Stellina. You have given me my soul.”
She melted against him, enjoying the solid hold he had on her hips. Allegra had always been a big girl, but he held her as if it was barely any effort to lift her up and pull her down as he thrust into her body. It was an otherworldly feeling, being so full and yet so free at the same time.
She’d had other lovers, but not one who seemed completely in tune with her needs and aching to make her wild. Allegra felt cherished, she felt adored, and if he managed to keep up that same amazing pace, she’d be boneless and trembling in his arms in minutes.
He felt every sigh and moan through her body, the sounds stroking his need. She was glorious in his arms. Her hair fell about her shoulders and gave him a tantalizing view of her breasts. They were pale in the moonlight, blanching the normal honeyed glow of her skin.
As she rode the waves of building pleasure he looked his fill at his mate and felt the building sensations between them both. He was drowning in her, holding on to the rush of his own orgasm as he waited to bring her to the same precipice.
Her breathing changed, a subtle hitch in its rhythm.
Her inner walls clenc
hed once, and again, repeating over and over, drawing closer to the contraction before it. Her skin heated against him until her body threatened to send his up in flames.
And there, as he held his own breath, a shudder rolled through her ending on a throaty cry that burst from her lips. As her body bore down on his, he gave in to his own release. Gathering her close in his arms he set his mouth at the juncture of her shoulder and her neck, swept his tongue over the spot once to taste her perfect flesh, and then he bit down.
His bear broke through, fangs penetrating her skin as his body filled her core and joined them forever.
He held her against him as the sensations rolled through them both. The taste of her blood on his tongue had pushed him over the edge and he’d emptied himself into her body, not just physically, but from his soul.
Finding Allegra in a city of over eight million people was enough of a challenge, but they’d already weathered a few storms together. And when he shared his mark with her and took her blood, they’d completed a connection that was even more rare.
He felt the shift of energy in Allegra when her body stirred against his, her thighs tightening around his waist, her lips trailing over his heart.
“Allegra?”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go back to our bed.”
She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Okay.”
His bear lifted his head inside of him and made a sound that nearly reminded him more of a feline purr.
Wrapping an arm around her incredible body, he stood, holding her to his chest, the sheet fisted in his free hand.
He started for the elevator, cradling his mate against him.
As he pushed the button to call the elevator Allegra stirred against his shoulder, her sleepy eyes widening as he felt her body contract around him. “Valerio?”
He pressed a kiss against her temple. “Yes?”
“You’re still-”
“Yes.”
“And I’m still…” he felt her muscles ripple over his length again and then heard a moan from her lips.
“You most certainly are.”
He loved the realization that colored her cheeks with a blush. “I hope you’re not tired.”
He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the next floor. “Not in the least, love.”
She sighed and it sounded like a laugh of giddy anticipation. “Good, I’m hoping you’ll prove me wrong.”
He nipped at her earlobe with his teeth before laving the bite with his tongue. “I’m going to prove you wrong at least a couple of times.” The elevator began to move. “Hold on.”
She shook her head. “I may never let you go.”
Chapter Ten
The next morning found Allegra up before the sun, making her way around the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee. She knew there was a fancy espresso machine that everyone favored, but she loved her Wally-world Twelve Dollar special. She could make it herself and it was the first thing she’d gone to the store to buy after she’d learned to use her cane to maneuver around the neighborhood. A cup of coffee from her little plastic machine made her a happy girl normally.
But this morning, it just added to the glow.
As she heard the first steam percolating in the machine she took in a deep breath and smiled. Moments later she heard the trickling stream of coffee filling the pot.
Two arms wrapped around her and pulled her back against a muscled wall.
“Hey, careful,” she giggled when his beard brushed against her neck. When his kiss touched the mark on her shoulder she shuddered against him, white-hot need flooded through her body.
Turning in his embrace she raised her hands and he guided them to his face. When she took hold of him, she drew him down for a kiss.
“Well, looks like it was a good night for you two.”
Caught red handed, Allegra turned around and found herself in Valerio’s secure embrace again. Natale walked passed them and over to the counter.
“I’m glad you didn’t wait, Val.” She took out two mugs and set them down on the counter, Allegra could hear the soft clatter as the cups went down. Moments later she heard Natale’s soft tone closer to her ears. “Hold out your hand, sweetie.”
Allegra took the cup and smiled into it, feeling the steam on her face. “Thanks, Natale.”
“You made it, I just poured it out.” Natale chuckled and took a sniff. “Hot, just the way I like it. Coffee and men.”
A growl rolled through the room. “Man. How you like your man.” Salvatore’s growl at his mate fooled no one. He was completely wrapped around everything of hers. “I hope you’re not drinking that coffee, Principessa.”
“Here, take it. I just wanted to take a sniff. Here, grumpy bear. It’s all yours.”
Allegra listened as Salvatore set his cup down and made Natale sigh. She turned slightly toward Valerio. “Should we give them some privacy.”
“If they wanted privacy, they have a room.”
“You both have rooms.”
Allegra laughed at Uberto’s comment and heard him pick up the cup from the table.
“Thanks for the coffee.” Uberto took a loud gulp from the cup, the heat didn’t bother him at all. “So, what’s with all the hugging and kissing in the kitchen this morning?”
No one answered and Uberto was left to pick up the pieces. “You did it!”
Natale laughed. “I was waiting for the men to notice, but I’m also waiting for Val to notice her hands.”
Allegra barely managed not to moan as her mate’s hands moved over hers. He was thorough, but she was still reeling from the memories of what those hands had done to her the night before. Not just the first time when he marked her, but later in his bedroom and again in the pre-dawn hours when she’d woken from a dream to find his mouth tending to his mark. She’d fallen asleep later, sated and exhausted on top of her mate.
“We should go to the doctor as soon as he’ll see us this morning.” She heard Valerio’s amazement in his voice, but she also knew how she felt. Her wrists and fingers which had been tender and aching the night before after their adventure, felt amazing in the morning. She felt like she could pick up her bow and cello and play all day if she wanted to.
“He’ll see you as soon as you get there.” Salvatore’s tone said he would make it happen.
She felt a little flush on her cheeks. “He’ll see me. You don’t need to worry. He’s been my doctor since…” She let the words die away and hoped that the memories it brought up would fade as fast, but they lingered.
Valerio brushed a kiss on her cheek and murmured in her ear. “I’m here for you.”
Allegra nodded. “I know.”
Natale appeared at her side again. “We need to go and look at a different dress for tonight.”
There was a moment of confusion in the room.
Uberto launched in first. “What’s wrong with her dress?”
Natale sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
He chuffed, a sound that they all recognized from the youngest brother. “What does she need? A different color? What does she care?”
Valerio’s voice rumbled in his chest. “Watch your mouth.”
Allegra stroked his chest. “Calm yourself. I didn’t take any offense.”
The two younger brothers turned on each other, growling under their breaths. Natale put an end to it with a whistle.
“See, this is why I don’t trust any of you on fashion.” She wrapped an arm around Allegra. “Now that she bears his mark, I’ll have to cover it up, at least for tonight. It’s healing, but it will likely still be red and scarred at least for a day or two.”
The men quieted down and Valerio opened his mouth to speak.
It tickled Allegra. Feeling her connection to him continue to deepen, she could almost feel his emotions along with her own when they were fresh and near the surface. “Don’t you apologize, Valerio. I got what I asked for and I’m happy. Beyond happy.” She covered Natale�
��s hand with her own. “Let’s go and see what we can do for tonight.”
The ladies left the room laughing sweetly with each other before they shut the door.
The gala performance at the zoo was amazing. Any worries that Allegra had before they took the makeshift stage in front of the central fountain had dissolved the instant she felt the solid neck of her cello in one hand and her bow in the other.
She’d always felt a connection to music. The headaches that she’d had as a child could only be cured by music. It had taken years to discover the notes and chords that eased the pain in her head, silenced the nagging sensations that turned her stomach and had left her cowering in the chilly silence of her tiled bathroom.
As a teenager, when most kids that were her own age were out at the mall or hanging out at the lake, Allegra found solace with mentors who were made of marble. Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, were the friends who knew her secrets, the loneliness that she felt in a roomful of people.
At Julliard, she’d discovered a crowd that understood her oddity. They were companions in her strange desire to take the work of long dead composers and make it into a tangible, breathing entity. Music had become a bridge to the outside world, a tentative connection to people that didn’t see the world in keys and tempos.
And with the audience sitting before her, the cool autumn air washing over her skin, and the soft play of water behind her, Allegra felt like she was truly alive. Her bow sang across the strings, giving voice to the music her fingers drew along the fingerboard.
Never much of a performer on her own, her instrument gave her new life. Allegra used the music to tease and taunt, beg and plead, and commune with the audience and her fellow performers.
As the final notes of ‘the Swan’ dissolved into the darkness, the audience had erupted with cheers.
The stage crew took her cello and bow, stepping back to allow the patrons to come up onto the stage. With such fundraisers, the people who had purchased tickets had paid quite a pretty penny to attend and feel connected to the event.