Chapter 9
He considered that he deserved a bloody medal, certainly an award for endurance for allowing her to use his body as a testing ground.
To avoid snatching her and placing her on top of his throbbing cock, he wrapped his fingers around the iron bed head and gritted his teeth to stop from exploding.
And he was a master in the art of restraint.
“How about this?” She used her finger to graze the rigidity of his nipple. She was like a child who has just been presented with her first toy by an indulgent parent. She had made the error of admitting that she had never felt free to touch and feel and he had erroneously suggested that he was open to her having a go at him.
She had nibbled at his neck and sent his blood pressure through the roof and then telling him that he tasted like whiskey and apple.
His breath literally left him when she used the tip of her tongue to trace the indentation in his chin.
Now she was further driving him crazy by sliding her fingers through the hairs on his chest.
“I never knew I loved chest hairs until now.” She stared at him beneath her lashes, giving him that seductive look designed to drive him more over the edge.
“Oh?” He asked thickly.
He wanted to ask how much longer, but he had promised to give her the time.
“Hmm.” Trailing her fingers down his flat stomach, she tortured him by circling the indentation of his navel. “What if I did this?” Bending her head, she scraped her teeth over the taut skin.
“It…” He hissed out a breath. “That is effective. Sherrian….”
“And this?”
He cursed long and loud, his body arching as she closed her fingers around the throbbing length of him.
“Baby, wait. Just- Oh good God!” Unwrapping his fingers from the black iron, he reached for her blindly as she started to circle the reddened tip.
“I can’t.” With superhuman effort, he pulled her up and over him, hands clamping around her small waist. Closing his eyes, he tried to quiet his rioting emotions as she closed around him like a vice. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to spill his feelings, tell her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.
When she leaned towards him and offered her breasts, he whimpered. Cupping them, he rubbed the tight nipples with his thumbs. Lifting his head, he suckled hungrily, his moving against hers, increasing the tempo until they were both spiraling out of control.
When it was all done, when the tempest had passed, she collapsed on top of him, his hands wrapped around her body, their breathing shattered.
*****
It felt like a honeymoon, at least to him. They were no longer sleeping in separate rooms, not after that night. And he could not get enough of her. She had become fascinated with the lovemaking and even on their way to Italy, had been the one to suggest they use the exceptionally large bed in the cabin.
They were not using anything in terms of protection, and he wondered if she was aware of it.
A sliver of hope began to stir inside him that she might even now be carrying his child. If that was the case, she would have no other choice but to marry him for real.
Florence was their destination with its lovely crumbling beauty and exceptional restaurants and wines.
They stayed in a hotel this time, one that had been bought by his company and restored to its former majestic beauty.
They were treated like royalty of course and it fascinated Sherrian to see him in action and hear his fluency in the Italian language, something that completely flew over her head.
They were spending two days in the country and would be packing in some business he had to take care of as well as their tour of the various restaurants and tiny cafes.
“I don’t want you going by yourself.” Their suite was on the very first floor – a breathtakingly luxurious shell pink wonder that took up the entire first floor. “you do not know the language and I would be worried about you getting lost or worse. I just have a few meetings and then I am free for the rest of the day.”
“You want me to wait for you.”
“Yes, I do.” They were sharing the same bedroom, and it did not even feel strange. He had done something for her that none of the two men she had been with in the past had ever done. He had made her acutely aware of her sexuality.
And she had complicated feelings for him. His closeness made her dizzy and as soon as he look at her with those blue-green eyes, she felt like melting.
“Okay.”
He let out a breath as if he had expected her to argue.
“Good.” Walking over to her, he clasped her arms. “We have been travelling all night. There are restaurants open…”
“I want to go to bed!” She lifted her eyes, and he felt his heart slamming against his ribs.
“It is quite late.” He had to clear his throat in order to speak. “I don’t suppose you want to sleep.”
“No.” Stepping back, she tugged off her sweater and got rid of her bra. He had also given her confidence in herself as a woman. His reaction to her nakedness made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Greg had often teased her about being small on top and at one point, she had even contemplated getting implants. Now she realized how much he had beaten her down, subtly but surely. Leo was the exact opposite. He worshipped her body, spending time loving her breasts.
His expression as he looked at her now, made her feel like a queen.
“Take off your clothes.” She ordered and he obeyed with undignified haste.
*****
He did not believe it was possible to fall more in love with her than he already was. Her personality sparkled. He was proud to be seen with her. He introduced her to some business associates and clamped a possessive arm around her when they eyed her in that suggestive way they have about them as Europeans.
But she did not seem to notice she was being ogled, or if she did, obviously she did not care.
She was passionate in bed. Just the thought of what they would do when they were alone raised his blood pressure to impossible heights.
She had also become bold. Where once she had been hesitant and uncertain, she was now taking the initiative and mirroring his moves. In short, she was driving him crazy with his own methods. And she loved to explore his body, slowly.
Last night she had taken her time and made sure he could not interrupt, by tying his hands to the bedposts with silk scarves. It had been torture and he had almost rubbed his wrists raw trying to get out of the restraints.
He had cursed in both Italian and English and ended it with threats and then please. As soon as she freed him, he had jumped on her and almost swallowed her whole.
She turned him inside out and if it wasn’t clear that they belonged to each other, he was going to have to point it out.
He glanced over at her as she twirled the pasta around her fork. They were having lunch at a tiny trattoria where the pasta was buttery and designed to melt on your tongue. And the view was spectacular.
It was their last night in Italy. Tomorrow first thing they were headed home, and he wished he could freeze the moment.
“Marry me for good this time.” He had intended to wait a week or two before he proposed, but he was anxious for her to be his wife. To bear his name. He was almost certain she was already carrying his child.
“Let’s not spoil the moment. We have been having such a wonderful time. I have enjoyed every bit of it.”
His eyes narrowed as he reached for his glass of wine.
“And asking you to marry me, is spoiling the moment?” His voice was dangerously soft, alerting her to the anger simmering behind the words.
“We don’t know enough about each other.” His harsh laughter had her bristling.
“Baby, we know each other in the Biblical sense. We are intimate, incredibly so, if you would recall.”
“I am not talking about sex.” She hissed.
“What we do when we’re alone could not be termed as having sex.” He pushed away his plate, his appetite gone. “We know every inch of each other’s bodies…”
“And marriage should be comprised of more than sex – oh excuse me – making love. I do not want us to jump into something and later down the road, we discover we are not compatible. Sometimes you think you know a person…”
“Don’t.” The single word was delivered with such precision that she felt it slicing into her heart.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t compare me to him.” he finished the wine and pushed away from the table. “Finish your meal, I’ll settle the bill.”
She watched in astonishment as he settled the bill and made his way out. Pushing away her plate, she collected her coat and went out into the parking lot where he was standing by the car and on his phone. Without a word, he opened her door and went around to the driver’s side.
“Look…”
“No.” He told her tightly. “Anything you say to me now, is going to make things worse. I proposed and you told me to go to hell.”
“I did not say…” She sighed at the look he flashed at her. “I just think we should wait…”
“Until you are sure, I am not the bastard who let you down. How long do you think it will take you? A week? A month? A year? Several years?” He drove into the mad Italian traffic with an ease that had her admiring his driving skills.
“I know you don’t understand,” she tried for calm as she sought to make him see her point. “I have been hurt. The humiliation and pain was so much that I wanted to die. I thought I had a good guy, and he fooled me. Right up to the point of his accident, he had me fooled and I blame myself for that.”
“Why the hell would you?”
“Because I was supposed to be smart and alert. I was so consumed with my baking, with proving to myself and others that I am the best, that I could meet any challenge, I neglected my relationship.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “I want to think things through this time. The stakes are much higher because of who you are and I…” Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. “I need time.”
“Take all the time you need,” he told her coldly, unreasonably angry that she could not see what was in front of her.
“Leo…”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” They arrived at the hotel just then. Handing the key fob to the valet who rushed forward, he started for the entrance.
They remained silent on the quick ascent to their suite. As soon as they were inside, he went into one of the other bedrooms and slammed the door shut behind him. Standing in the middle of the luxurious room, she stared at the closed door, her anger kindling.
If he wanted to be that way about it, then fine. To hell with him. To hell with all men. She did not need this in her life. Stomping away towards the bathroom, she slammed the door shut, but somehow there was no satisfaction in it. Not one bit.
*****
He stayed away from her on the long journey home, burying himself in the briefcase of documents he had before him on the table. And in between he was on the phone, effortlessly switching from Italian to French.
Determined not to let him nettle her, she pretended to sleep for almost all of the plane ride.
A car picked them up from the airfield and even then, he continued to concentrate on work, not easing up until they were gliding into the parking lot of his townhouse.
“Take the bags upstairs Jonathan.” He instructed the driver. “And you’re off duty for the rest of the night.”
They made their way into the building and were whizzed up by the super-fast elevator.
He headed straight to upstairs and to his office, barely giving her a glance. Sherrian sat on the sofa and heaved a sigh to try and get rid of the tightness inside her chest. A frown touched her brow as she stared at the number of suitcases the driver had placed just inside the large closet.
She was certain they had left with only three suitcases, now there were more than a dozen. She had been so miserable, she had not noticed that the driver had made several trips so that he could take the bags upstairs.
Pushing off the sofa, she went inside the closet and picked the first case to open. There were clothing, women’s clothing, in various colors and fabrics, expensive clothing with the tags removed.
Even though she was not an expert on fashion, she knew that they cost the earth and were from Romano’s, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, and several other high-end stores. She pawed through the rest of the luggage and discovered that most of the stuff was hers.
She had no idea he was shopping for her, or she would have objected. She sat on the carpeted floor and stared at the colors strewn around her.
“Oh crap.” She whispered, dragging her fingers through her hair. She had been with two men and none of them had ever been the least bit interested in her needs or wants.
All Leo had ever done was to be there for her. He was an important man. She had heard snatches of conversations while he was on the phone and had seen him with business associates.
She knew he had a lot of responsibilities. But he had taken the time out to be her guide, to indulge her when she wanted to go to the various restaurants. He had given her so much and what had she given him? Nothing except to throw his proposal in his face.
Bending her head, she dragged her fingers through her hair and prepared to do some groveling.
He was not working of course. The anger had built until he was fairly bursting from it. He had been the fool who had thought she was leaning towards wanting a relationship.
The times they had spent with each other, the intense passion had fooled into thinking he was near to his goal. He had humiliated himself and was damned if she was going to do that to him again.
He was going to end the arrangement and hand over her inheritance to his lawyers. He could not bear the idea of being with her and not having her full commitment. He was through! He stiffened at the knock on the door.
His fingers tightened on the folder he had been staring at since he came into the office and did not respond.
He struggled to appear nonchalant when she stood framed inside the doorway.
“I have work…”
“You bought me clothes.”
He shrugged carelessly and pretend to be studying something on his laptop.
“You can always return them.”
“I should.”
“Well, then. Please close the door on your way…”
“Stop being such an ass.”
His face tightened, his eyes smoldering.
“You bought me clothes. No one ever did that for me before.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I told myself when I was with Greg that I was okay being an independent woman. I did not need anything fancy.
“She swallowed the lump inside her throat. “I am going to make a hell of a lot of mistakes, and I will piss you off frequently and I am scared.” She admitted. “You’re Leo and I am… ‘an unknown’ …” She waved a hand.
“I do not know how to be with anyone. I thought I did. And for the damn record, I was not comparing you to Greg. And I still do not think we should get married just now.” She approached his desk. “I want to get to know you better. I think that is a fair proposal or whatever.”
He sat there staring at her expressionlessly until she wanted to scream.
“You can have anyone and I – God! Are you going to say something?” She demanded, eyes flashing. “First of all, I do not appreciate you freezing me out last night and today. I was miserable and- and I do not like it when you are upset with me. Dammit! Please say something.”
“You did not give me a chance. Come here.”
Taking a deep breath, she went to him, sighing softly when he tugged her into his lap.
“You were not the only one who was miserable.”
“Good.” She said it with such relief that it had him laughing.
“I missed you,” she admitted.
“I missed you too.”
“What should we do about it?” She asked, wrapping her hands around his neck.
“We should have makeup sex,” he was already nuzzling her neck.
“Sounds like a plan. Hmm.” She arched her neck, her eyes crossing as he nibbled at her skin. “It feels as if you are ready.” She rubbed her butt against his crotch.
“Am I? Are we staying here?”
“I have never done it on a desk before.”
His chuckle tickled her throat.
“We should do something about that.”
He started to lift her up when she stopped him. “Wait!”
“What?”
“I have seen this several times and want to try it.”
“Try what?”
Hopping off his lap, she spread her hands and scattered his papers all over the floor.
“The laptop…” He was grinning as she carefully put the device on top of the filing cabinet. “I see you have it covered.” He added when she hopped onto the table.
She pulled the sweater over her head and unhooked her bra.
“Now you,” she said huskily.
“As you wish.” He made short work of taking off his clothes and moved between her open thighs. Unhooking the clasp of her jeans, he eased it off with her help. And then slowly peeled off her panties. Pushing her back on her elbows, he gazed at her slender curves hungrily.
“I spent last night dreaming about you,” she told him huskily.
“What was the dream?” He lifted one graceful leg and placed it on his chest.
“That you were making love to me all night.”
“I can make that dream a reality.”
“I would love that.” A moan escaped her when he lifted her foot and started at her toes.
“How does that feel?”
“Wonderful.”
“And this?” he glided his fingers up and down the sensitive area behind her knee and made her giggle.
“Funny.”
“This?” His fingers glided over her inner thigh, dangerously close to her sex.
“Not funny. It feels…,” she moaned softly. “Do not stop. Oh Leo.” The breathy sound of his name coming from her lips fired his blood.
“Tell me you want me.” He ordered gruffly.
“I do. I want you so damn much. If I don’t have you, I am going to die.”
With a groan, he trailed his finger further down, tangling with the downy hairs covering her sex. Her body shot upwards when he inserted a finger and then another one into her moist tightness.
“Leo.” Grabbing his wrist, she rode his fingers, her eyes holding hers. He saw when her eyes widened and increased the pace. She came explosively, her cries echoing around the room as the climax shattered her.
She collapsed on the desk weakly, her body convulsing.
Easing out of her, he lifted pushed her knees up and entered her swiftly. Gathering her against him, he gripped her hips.
It took one thrust for him to climax. His body shuddered as he poured himself into her as if he would never stop.
She wrapped her arms around him as he collapsed on top of her. As soon as he got his breath back, he lifted her and sat heavily on the chair, with her cradled in his arms. His heart was beating like a trip hammer, and his body was coated with sweat. The scent of her assailed him and he could stay like this forever.
She had not exactly made a commitment, at least, not the kind he was hoping for, but this was a start.
“Leo?”
“Hmm?”
“We had a big blow out argument.”
“We did?”
“Hmm. Which means we need to go another round.”
The laughter burst from him, and he could not help but wrap his arms around her possessively. “I think you’re spot on.”