Chapter 7
SIMPLE
LEO
Up until the plane ride, I hadn’t given Daphne one good reason to think I was an honorable man or trustworthy in any way.
Hell, I didn’t even bother to correct her when she thought we’d had sex. It was a sleazeball move, but I liked her thinking we’d done more than actually sleep together.
Tonight, I’d reserved the chef’s table at the fanciest and most exclusive steakhouse in Nashville. Dining in the kitchen gave us more privacy, and I didn’t want her looking over her shoulder most of the night instead of keeping her eyes on me.
Daphne fidgets, touching the silverware on both sides of her plate as soon as we sit down. “This is impressive.”
“Nothing but the best,” I tell her, pouring the champagne I selected earlier for this special occasion.
“You really shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” she says as she takes the champagne flute from my hand. “It’s beautiful, but I’m really a simple girl.”
“There’s nothing simple about you, Daphne.”
She blushes and looks away before lifting the champagne to her lips.
“Leo, my dear friend,” Martin, the chef and owner, says as he approaches our table.
“Martin, thank you for having us this evening on such short notice.”
“Ah. Anything for you. Your lady is quite beautiful.” He smiles at Daphne, no doubt just as struck by her beauty as I am. Daphne’s blush only deepens as Martin continues to talk. “But you’ve always been a lucky bastard.”
“I’ve never been as lucky as I am tonight.” I wink at Daphne, wanting her to know exactly how I feel.
“I have to get back to work, but your first course will be ready shortly.”
“Thank you,” Daphne says to Martin with the sweetest smile.
“It is entirely my pleasure, madam.” He tips his head, drinking her in in much the same way most men do when they cross her path.
“He seems really nice,” Daphne says, watching over my shoulder as Martin is no doubt putting on a show. “Have you known him long?”
“For a few years. We used to work together before he decided to open this restaurant. I helped him get it off the ground, becoming part owner until he was able to buy me out.”
“Well, that was nice of you.”
“It was purely a business decision,” I tell her, but I would’ve done anything for Martin. He helped me launch my hotel in Nashville, ensuring it was a success in an already flooded market.
“I find that hard to believe,” she says, smiling at me over the rim of her champagne flute.
“I’m a good guy, Daphne.” I feel like I’m pleading my case, trying to get her to think of me as someone other than Mario’s son.
“I realize that now.”
“Can I ask you something?” I stare across the table at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. “What makes you tick?”
She leans forward, holding the champagne flute in one hand and looking way more delicious than anything Martin could ever serve. “My family and my business.”
My answer would be the same. But someday, I’d like to have my own family. As the years roll by, I realize I’m not getting any younger, and the need to settle down becomes stronger and more urgent.
I lean across the table and brush a few strands of hair away from her eyes, but my touch lingers. “What brings you pleasure?”
The candlelight flickers across her face as her eyes darken, and she moves into my touch. “Right now, you do,” she admits. “And you?”
“Being with you.”
“We shouldn’t do this,” she whispers.
“Do what? We’re only talking.” I feel absolutely no guilt for how I feel or what we’re doing.
I don’t care about our families, our friends, or any repercussions that could come out of our evening together.
“We’re doing more than talking, Leo,” she says softly, blinking slowly and seducing me even more.
Martin clears his throat, interrupting the moment we were just having. “Can I just say you two make a gorgeous couple? Never have I seen two people more perfect for each other.”
Daphne and I exchange a look over the table before I reply. “Thank you, Martin. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. This is our first date.”
Martin sets down the plates he’s been holding. “I’m so sorry. I misspoke. I never would’ve guessed this is your first date.”
“It’s fine.” Daphne smiles easily. “It doesn’t feel like our first date either.”
“Well, enjoy the Oysters Rockefeller. They’re the house specialty and an aphrodisiac.” He winks before leaving us alone again.
She relaxes back into her seat and stares at me across the table. “You’re not what I expected. Not at all.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Is that good or bad?”
“Well, I figured you were an asshole.”
“Oh.” I laugh. “I am.”
“Not really.”
“No. I really am, but maybe you’re too blinded by your feelings for me to see it.”
Daphne smirks. “Hardly,” she whispers.
We’re halfway back to Chicago, and I know my time is running out to get her to agree to another date. Even though I asked her for only one, I sure as hell want more.
“I like you, Daphne. I don’t care what your last name is.
I don’t care who your father is or who my father is.
I don’t care that it’s dangerous to be around you.
I don’t care that if your father finds out, he’ll probably end my life before I can blink.
All I care about is you. The way your skin feels against mine.
The way your breathing changes when I touch you.
I want all of it. I’m not ready to walk away without finding out what this is between us. ”
“It’s a lot for me to process,” she says, totally not going where I wanted after professing what’s happening in my head.
Daphne’s been staring at me all night. Practically undressing me with her eyes like she did the night I met her. Her lips may have said one thing, but her body has always portrayed the opposite.
The straight line across Daphne’s top lip dips. “Leo,” she whispers and shakes her head as she sits next to me on the plane. “Tonight was nice, but we could never work.”
“Why? Give me one good reason.” I’m being pushy, but nothing is ever gained without being relentless.
“Um.” She laughs softly. “The possibility of one of us dying is a pretty damn good reason, you know?” She shrugs with a crooked smile.
“We’re all going to die someday, Daphne, but it’s how we choose to live that’s most important.”
She stares at me for a minute, blinking with her lips parted. I can’t tell if my statement was a home run or the proverbial nail in my coffin of anything possibly happening between us.
“Did we at least kiss that night?” she asks.
I cover my mouth to hide my smile. This woman has me all kinds of crazy, and I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting more. “You don’t remember anything?”
Daphne shakes her head. “Not really.”
“Nothing?” I ask again in complete shock.
“Not a minute after the reception,” she tells me. “I think I would’ve remembered things if they were that earth-shattering or life-altering, but I have nothing. There’s not even a hint of a memory.”
I slide closer, wanting to be near her. “We didn’t even kiss. But I want to kiss you,” I tell her, needing to touch her lips more than anything in the world. “I’m going to kiss you.”
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull away or protest. I place my fingers under her chin, holding her eyes to mine.
“If there’s no spark, no connection, and you feel nothing, we’ll call this quits.
You can walk off this plane, and you’ll never hear from me again.
But,” I say and pause, leaning forward a little more and bringing my face closer to hers.
“If you feel what I do, we see what happens. We owe ourselves that much.”
She doesn’t say anything as she stares deep into my eyes. Daphne’s barely breathing, and the air around us is thick and crackling with lust.
Her gaze drops to my lips as I move forward. I’m hungry for her. This girl has my body, mind, and soul all tied up in knots. She’s like some great cosmic joke, making me fall for the one girl in the entire city of Chicago I shouldn’t be falling for.
I slide my hand up her cheek, cupping her face in my palm as I press my lips to her soft, inviting mouth.
The same electric shocks I felt before vibrate throughout my system as our bodies connect and our breathing becomes synchronized.
She moves into my touch, her body craving the kiss as much as my own.
I want her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone in my entire life. I’m used to getting what I want, but Daphne Gallo isn’t going to be an easy conquest. She’s going to fight me tooth and nail, and I’ll use any weapons necessary to win.
My fingers press into the nape of her neck, tipping her head back and allowing me to kiss her deeper and harder than before. She moans softly, sending the electric sparks scattering across my nerves, shocking my heart out of rhythm.
Sliding my other arm around her back, I pull her closer, wanting to feel her body against mine.
As if on cue, she crawls into my lap, settling her warm, lush pussy against my agonizingly stiff cock.
She digs her fingers in my hair, kissing me back with more fervor and passion than she did the night we met.
She feels. She can’t deny what this is. The lust. The passion. The want. The need. It’s there. It’s undeniable. It’s not love. It’s not caring. It’s sexual and inescapable for both of us.
She tips her head back, giving me full access to her neck. I slide my lips down her jaw, following a path to her pulse. Her heart’s pounding feverishly, matching my own. I tangle my fingers in her hair, holding her in this position so I can feast on her flesh.
The plane drops, and Daphne gasps, stilling in my arms. “We’re safe, bella,” I whisper against her skin before distracting her with my touch. “I got you.”
When I bite down gently on the soft spot near her shoulder, she relaxes in my arms and lets out a soft moan. She grinds against me, rocking her core across my cock. I’m a goner. Any resistance I have is quickly slipping, making it impossible for me to go slow.
“I want you. I need you,” I admit, knowing full well the explosive pleasure our bodies produce together.
I’m not the type of man to admit such things.
Especially not so early and with an unknown outcome.
But Daphne Gallo does that to me. She makes me different from my usual self. She makes me…better.
Her fingers fall from my hair and are at the buckle of my belt, working quickly to release the metal prong, and I’m silently thanking the man above for letting her feel the spark too.
I release her hair, sliding my hands down her sides until I find the hem of her dress. Her skin’s soft and warm, calling me to touch every inch and lose myself in her completely as our mouths fuse together again.
She pulls at my zipper, yanking the metal down easily and exposing the head of my cock. Her fingernail brushes against the tip, and I’m momentarily breathless. When she reaches inside, wrapping her silky fingers around my hard shaft, I almost lose it.
I need to be inside her. I need to feel her around me more than I need the air I breathe. I shove her dress upward, exposing her bare pussy, and dig my fingers into the tender flesh of her ass. She scoots forward, placing her wetness against my hardness.
She lifts her bottom, one hand on my shoulder, and stares at me. With my cock in her hand, she says, “I feel it too, and I’m about to fuck it out of my system.”
I don’t argue.
I’m up for the challenge.
I’m about to fuck her so good, she’ll be begging for my cock again. This isn’t our goodbye. I refuse to let her throw me away, making me nothing more than a warm body and a hard cock with an expiration date.
Daphne drops down on my dick, impaling herself on my entire length as she digs her fingernails into the skin underneath my dress shirt.
The pain and pleasure mix has my head spinning and my ability to breathe almost nonexistent. I don’t want this fast. I want her slow. I want to feel every inch inside her and for her to feel me buried deep within her for days.
I grip her hips, slowing the pace as I swivel my hips, making sure to hit every pleasurable spot inside her. Her head tips back as she moans, giving up control to me. Rocking into her, I thrust my hips upward as I pull her downward, slamming our bodies together in unison.
She cries out, her hand still on my shoulder, nails digging into me, and I’m fucking loving every moment of this. Daphne’s brown hair cascades down her back, sweeping against my pants as she tethers me to her with her grip.
“You feel that?” I ask as I pummel her slick pussy with my entire cock.
She moans, not giving me the answer I want verbally, but her body convulses as I speak.
“Do you feel the way I want you? The way I need you?” My voice is rough and my breathing even more ragged than before. “Look at me,” I order her, wanting the connection deeper than just the flesh.
Her dark brown eyes connect with mine, and something snaps. I pull her face to mine, crashing my lips against hers as I pick up the pace, thrusting my cock deeper and harder than before. I’m chasing the high only Daphne Gallo gives me.
Her insides constrict around me, sucking me deeper, stealing my breath. Her body’s pulling out the orgasm I’m not ready to give. I want more of this. I want more of her.
She bucks against me and pushes my hands away, bucking and bouncing on my dick as her tongue dances with mine.
I’m lost.
I’m a goner.
I’m completely addicted to Daphne Gallo, and I’ve never been so completely fucked in my entire life.