by Bella Andre
She laughed softly as she nuzzled his neck. "Not that either."
"Working with such great people?"
"You're getting closer."
Damn straight, he was getting closer as he gripped her hips and pulled her tight against him, loving the way her breath caught and she instinctively rocked into him.
"Getting to work with you makes every day the best one I've ever had." She lowered her mouth to his ear and added, "Especially when we sneak off for quickies in the middle of the day and we have to be quiet so that no one will guess what we're doing with each other on the other side of the door."
He moved one hand from around her hip to slide it between her legs. "Things like this?"
She moaned softly. "Just like that."
"And this?" He lowered his mouth to her breasts and drew her aroused flesh against his tongue at the same time as he slipped his fingers inside her wet heat.
"Yes." She shifted so that he could shower the same attention on her other breast, while curling her hips forward so that she could take his fingers deeper. "Just like that."
Smith agreed wholeheartedly that there was something profoundly hot about needing to keep their sounds of pleasure for each other's ears only. "It isn't easy to hold it inside, is it, sweetheart?"
"It's impossible." She ran her hands down his abs, so slowly that he forgot to breathe in the hopes that she'd go even lower. "You love pushing me to the edge, past the edge, until I'm nearly lost. Until I forget where we are, that someone will catch us if I call out your name. And only then do you cover my mouth with yours and kiss me."
He grinned, unrepentant. "The closer you get to the edge--"
"The hotter it is," she finished for him as she finally wrapped her hand around his erection. His head fell back, and his eyes closed at the extreme pleasure of her touch. "Tonight," she said in a low, husky voice, "it's going to be your turn to go to the edge."
"I'm nearly there already," he ground out through gritted teeth, giving self-control his best when all he wanted to do was throw his wife back onto the bed and take her.
"Not even close." Her words, her smile, her movements were all beautifully wicked as she slid from his lap, then down to her knees in front of him.
"Valentina."
It would be a miracle if he survived tonight. But he could see how much she wanted this, how she wanted to focus on his pleasure, so he vowed to keep himself together. For as long as he possibly could, given how beautiful, how sexy she was, kneeling on the floor between his legs, looking at him with such desire in her eyes, her long honey-blond hair falling in disarray over her bare breasts.
Her fingers were still curled around him as she tightened her hold, then lowered her head to lick a path of wet, perfect heat up his shaft. The flush of arousal on her skin deepened with every slick of her tongue over him, around him, telling him just how much she loved tasting him this way.
He'd vowed control, had silently sworn he'd let her have the reins, but he couldn't keep his hands from tangling in her hair. Couldn't keep from moving his hips upward, couldn't hold back a low groan of pleasure.
She'd promised to take him to the edge, but considering that one look, one kiss was already more than enough to take him there, the way she was loving him with her mouth, with her hands, had him immediately teetering over the abyss.
One that he'd be damned if he'd jump into without her.
He barely knew his own strength as he lifted her from the floor to lay her back on the bed. Moving extra slowly to keep the springs from creaking--and because he could see how hot the anticipation was making her--he prowled up and over her, taking in her hair splayed across the pillow, the unabashed lust in her eyes as she looked up at him, her lips slightly swollen from the intimate kisses she'd been giving him.
"I love the way you taste." Her hands moved from his chest, to his back, to his hips as she spoke. "I love the sounds you make when I'm touching you with my hands, with my mouth. When you're almost there, about to lose it, all because I'm loving you."
He was nearly over the edge again when he took her hands in his, threaded their fingers together, and lifted them on either side of her head.
"I never knew how little control I had until the first time we kissed," he told her. "I wanted so badly to strip away your clothes, to touch, to kiss every beautiful inch of you. To watch you come apart against me...and then start all over again. Somehow, I made myself stop. Somehow I let you walk away from me that day."
"I didn't want to walk away, Smith. I wanted to stay. I wanted to tear your clothes off too. I wanted to drop to my knees and taste you the way I just did. I wanted to love you...and know that you loved me too." She tightened her hold on his hands. "I thought I could fight gravity, but I couldn't. And I'm glad, so damned glad, that you're irresistible. Because when I think about what my life would be like without you--"
"Don't." He stopped her words with his mouth over hers. She tasted just the way she had the first time they'd kissed--like sweet spun sugar, with just a hint of exotic spice--and he craved her more every day. "Never again, Valentina."
Sounds suddenly came from outside the office door, heavy footsteps moving past. They looked at each other and grinned, co-conspirators in everything. Including super-hot, pull-out-couch sex in her ex's cabin.
They'd had dozens of sexy quickies in movie trailers and editing rooms, but tonight was different. Because they weren't just girlfriend and boyfriend, weren't fiancee and fiance anymore.
The perfect combination of desire, joy, and love lit her eyes. "Secret sex is hotter than ever, isn't it?"
"So damned hot."
And then he began to move inside of her. Slow. Breathless. All-encompassing pleasure riding them both from head to toe, inside and out.
He was so revved up that he would have thrust fast, hard, if not for the creaking springs that would give them away. But more than that, he wanted to relish every single second with Valentina.
Every one of her heartbeats against his.
Every catch of her breath.
Every new flush of heat.
Every scratch of her nails over his skin as she slid her hands from his and wrapped them around him to pull him closer.
Every slide of her smooth skin against his as she moved beneath him, with him, until they were no longer two, but one.
One heart, one soul, as they leaped off the edge, her mouth capturing his at the exact moment that he moved to devour hers, and they came apart in each other's arms.
Sweet, secret honeymoon sex that he wouldn't trade for all the five-star hotel suites and thousand-thread-count sheets in the world.
All that truly mattered was being with Valentina. Anytime, anywhere.
CHAPTER TEN
Valentina woke up warm and safe and happy in Smith's arms--and with an ache in her ribs from the spring that had been poking into her all night long.
"Good morning." Smith smiled down at her, wide awake and handsome as sin.
"Not just good. Perfect, because I'm with you." But she couldn't hold back a grimace as she shifted away from the spring. "Although someone really should put this couch out of its misery."
Smith held out his hand. "What do you say we thank our host for his hospitality and hit the road?"
"I thought you'd never ask." She took his hand and all but leaped from the bed, intent on stripping the sheets and putting the couch back together so that they could head back to their cozy private cabin. Of course, the sight of all Smith's muscles, his extremely potent masculinity...well, it was almost enough to make a girl head back into the springs for some bruising.
Almost, she thought with a snarl at the couch.
"Agreed," Smith said on a laugh as he rubbed his own back as if it ached.
That was when she noticed Magoo resting on a pillow in the corner. "Well, hello." His tail thumped, and she stroked the fur on his head. "Did you go get him from the living room last night, Smith?"
"He was out like a light in front of the fire, b
ut even though Darrell was still up writing, I didn't want Magoo waking up and wondering where we were."
She left their dog to put her arms around her wonderful husband, still amazed that he was hers. "I've seen you with your younger brothers and sisters, with your cousins and nieces and nephews, so I already knew how sweet you are. But now that we have a dog..." Her throat felt tight as she laid her head against his chest. "I don't know why I'm so emotional this morning."
He put his finger beneath her chin and tipped her face up to his. "You're not the only one feeling it."
There were so many things she wanted to say to him right then, but the slamming of a door reminded her they weren't alone. Soon, she promised herself, she'd tell him that even though she was already the luckiest woman in the world to be his, to have him as hers, she wanted more.
Magoo scratched at the bedroom door, obviously ready to answer nature's call. "Looks like we're not the only ones ready to go, are we?"
Fortunately, their clothes from yesterday were dry and they were soon heading out of the room, Smith carrying the bundle of sheets.
Darrell was standing next to the coffee pot in the kitchen. "Hope I didn't keep either of you up last night. Inspiration hit me like a bolt of lightning for the screenplay of A Swallow's Wing. I still haven't hit the sack, actually."
This morning, Valentina wasn't even the slightest bit upset about Darrell planning for her and Smith to be his ticket to a Hollywood hit. How could she be when he'd opened his home up to his ex-girlfriend and her new husband, who couldn't keep their hands off each other despite the thin walls?
For all Darrell had put up with last night when she was pretty sure they'd forgotten to be quiet in their lovemaking, she figured they owed him a decent sized movie option at the very least. "We'll wash and dry these sheets at our cabin and get them back to you as soon as possible."
"No rush, Val. I can live without the spare set for the rest of the week." He grinned at them. "You should enjoy your honeymoon."
Funny how the promise of fame and fortune could change a person so quickly. Smith and her sister were two of the only people she knew who had never let it change them.
They said their good-byes a few minutes later, and though Smith seemed over his earlier bout with jealousy, when Valentina and Darrell hugged, Smith looked a little scowly. Which, she thought as she stepped out of her ex's arms, was just fine by her. A possessive husband made for perks like smoking hot shower sex...and a night of honeymoon passion that made her breathless all over again just remembering the way Smith had held her, kissed her, pressed her into the bed while he made love to her.
Her cheeks were hot by the time she surfaced from her very sexy thoughts. "Thanks again, Darrell." The sky was so blue, the air so still, that it was hard to imagine the rain, the winds, had ever been there at all. "We'll be in touch about your book next week." Valentina, Smith, and Magoo got into their car, and she rolled down the window to wave.
Once they were back on the main road, Smith said, "Finally. Just you and me--" Magoo popped his head between them and licked Smith's cheek. "I wasn't going to forget you."
"I know this wasn't the honeymoon we planned," she said as she put one hand on the dog's back and the other over Smith's hand, "but even if I had the chance to change it, I would do it all over again, just like this."
His striking blue eyes met hers as he looked away from the road for a brief moment. "I would too. I wouldn't trade one second with you." His mouth quirked up as he added, "Even if it means your ex is along for a couple of hours." They were both laughing as he turned back to the now-cleared road. "Although I'm not complaining that the tree is gone, so that we can get our perfect honeymoon back on track."
The peace, the quiet of Cassie's cabin was so different from their daily life, where they'd become so good at dodging the press. It was a real relief not to have to worry about that here in the wood--
Smith's sharp curse cut her relief short.
Cassie's driveway was a quarter of a mile up ahead...and there were dozens of black SUVs parked along the road. The standard vehicle for the paparazzi.
The photographers and journalists couldn't legally get past Cassie's tall rock wall, but as Smith drove closer, Valentina could see that there was barely enough room for them to make the turn.
They'd thought the tree and her ex had been their biggest honeymoon problem.
How wrong they'd been.
Early on in their relationship, Smith had done the one thing a Hollywood star was never supposed to do--he'd punched a photographer in the face. Not only because he wouldn't stand for anyone speaking badly about her, but also because he knew she'd never wanted the spotlight. He'd thought she was going to leave him because of it, so he'd lashed out.
Now, judging by how tightly his teeth were clenched, and the murderous look in his eyes as the photographers shot as many pictures as they possibly could through the windshield, she feared there was a good chance he'd jump out of the car to try to beat them all back.
He gunned it up the driveway, and once he'd parked, the three of them got out of the car and quickly headed inside.
"Someone we met in town must have leaked that we're here." He shot a furious glance out the front window while he spoke, even though Cassie's driveway was long enough that they couldn't see a single car or photographer. "It wouldn't have been much of a stretch for that group outside to figure out Cassie owns this cabin and guess that she lent it to us for the week. And now that we've confirmed we're here, there'll be ten times as many vultures outside by the end of the day."
"Smith," she said softly as she put her arms around him, Magoo also coming over to lean against his legs in a show of furry support, "it's okay."
"All I wanted was to give you the honeymoon of your dreams." She could see how badly he was beating himself up as he looked into her eyes. "You put up with so much all the time--crowds, spotlights, press." He stroked his fingers over her cheek, so gentle, so loving. "This was supposed to be a week away from it all."
She didn't need to get away from anything, but she knew just telling him that wouldn't be enough. "Your cousin stocked plenty of food, didn't she?"
Raising an eyebrow at her non sequitur, he said, "She did."
"Her property is plenty big enough, and private enough, for some good walks with Magoo, right?"
The faintest hint of a smile played on his lips as he said, "It is."
"Those photographers are sure going to get bored and wet out there when the storm comes rolling back in--and we never show up again--aren't they?"
He was already lifting her into his arms and carrying her back to the bedroom by the time he said, "They sure are."
"Which means we have four more days to hide away from the rest of the world. What do you think we should do with the next ninety-six hours?"
She was expecting him to grin. To say something sexy. Instead, he drew her so close that she could feel his heart pounding just as hard and fast as hers. The intensity in his eyes completely took her breath away.
"I want to start our family, Valentina."
Tears came. Tears of joy as she kissed him. As she told him without words that she wanted the same thing. A girl with his smile, a boy with his naughty grin.
She thought she'd known what marriage would be--a vow to Smith of love, of an eternity of unconditional support, of laughter, of endless pleasure in each other's arms.
But every moment, every hour, every day, she realized that marriage was more. So deep and true and right that as they stripped each other's clothes away, as they wrapped around each other, as they climbed higher than they ever had before, she knew.
Knew that today was the day they'd start the family they both wanted so badly. Love creating love.
Smith had taught her to believe. To trust. And to dream.
Valentina couldn't wait for the adventures they would share next. But with their hands linked, their eyes locked, their bodies moving together as though they'd been made only for one ano
ther--as pleasure rose, swelled, then overflowed--only this beautiful moment, and the love they shared, mattered.
Love that was sweeter than ever.
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BellaAndre.com/Newsletter
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Don't miss the romantic, sexy and heartwarming New York Sullivan spinoff romances set at Summer Lake! Calvin, the Mayor of Summer Lake, reconnects with his one true love in The Best Is Yet To Come. And Christie, who runs the Inn at Summer Lake, falls in love with the last man she ever thought possible in Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.
Alec Sullivan and Harry Sullivan's stories, the third and fourth New York Sullivan books, will also be coming soon! Please be sure to sign up for my newsletter (bellaandre.com/newsletter) so that I can let you know as soon as I have the release dates for their books.
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from THE BEST IS YET TO COME (New York Sullivans Spinoff, Summer Lake #1)!
Best friends. High school sweethearts. Passionate lovers. Once upon a time, Sarah Bartow and Calvin Vaughn were everything to each other. Until big dreams--and an even bigger tragedy--tore them apart.
Ten years after good-bye, they're finally together again at Summer Lake in the Adirondacks...and the sparks between them are hotter than ever. Soon one kiss is turning into so much more. Not only breathtaking, sizzling lovemaking--but also deep, honest emotions that can't be denied.
Calvin refuses to let the ambitions and disasters that separated them a decade ago wreck them this time. Not when he knows for sure that Sarah is his one--his only--true love. He let her get away once. He won't make the same mistake again. Even if it means risking his entire heart, and every last piece of his soul, to show her they belong together now...and forever.
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"Do you remember, we all used to dive into the lake after football games?" Sarah said as they stood ankle deep in the cool lake water, holding hands. "We were crazy."
"The kids still do it, you know."
It was so dark he could barely see the white flash of her smile. "You're kidding. Do you ever go in with them?"
"After every game." He could swear there was something vibrating through her hand to his, an unspoken desire to go even deeper than their shared memories. "Come to the game this Friday. Jump into the lake with us."