Chapter Three #4
“Tony, you’re not even listening,” she snapped, her voice taking on the stubborn note he had heard her use too many times. Right now, he didn’t care, because he knew how to end her annoyance.
He trailed kisses to her throat and up to her ear while his hands traveled over her, pulling the sheet down as they set out in exploration.
Suddenly, she pushed him down and moved over him to sit astride him.
She had tossed aside the sheet completely and was naked.
It still startled him to realize what a sexy body she had.
“This weekend has opened possibilities I never thought of when I was bidding,” she said in a throaty voice while her hands played over his chest.
He cupped her full breasts, their softness sending his temperature soaring. He was fully aroused, hard and ready and wanting her as if they hadn’t made love ever.
“I’ll leave you with memories that will torment you,” she whispered, leaning down to shower kisses over his chest.
He sighed as she moved down his body, her hand stroking his thick rod as she trailed kisses over his abdomen and lower. When she reached his erection, he groaned.
He relished her ministrations, but he didn’t want their last time to be like this. He wanted to be inside her. In one smooth motion he rolled her over so he was on top. His mouth covered hers in a demanding, possessive kiss at the same time that he grabbed a condom from the bedside table.
In seconds he entered her, taking her hard and fast while she locked her legs around him and rocked wildly against him in return.
He wanted to bring her to more than one climax, as he’d done before, but this time was too unbridled, too untamed. The second he sent her flying over the edge of an orgasm, he joined her, reaching the stars together on a hell of a ride.
When they slowed and their breathing became regular, he stayed inside her, too exhausted to move. Finally he kissed her lips and said softly, “You can’t imagine how beautiful and sexy I think you are.”
A smile lit up her eyes, though it did not grace her mouth. “I hope so. I don’t want you to forget this weekend,” she whispered.
He gazed into her eyes and doubted if he ever would.
This time with her had been special, but now they would be going back to their real lives.
While they should be more neighborly in the future, they were still the same people, with the same personalities.
Lindsay was not his type—she was way too serious for him and far too stubborn. He suspected today would be goodbye.
He pulled out of her and rolled over.
“I should get ready to go home,” she said.
He turned to her. “I’ll fly you home if you want to have someone pick up your car. Or I can take you home when I go.”
She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll drive home. I’d better get in the shower now. It’s time,” she said.
He caught her arm and she pulled up a sheet to cover herself while she paused getting out of bed.
“Lindsay, more water is a poor return on your money. For your bid and for this weekend, you should get a whole lake of water in return.”
To his surprise she smiled, standing to wrap the sheet around herself in toga fashion. She walked to the other side of the bed to put her arms around his neck. When she did, he placed his hands on her tiny waist, wanting to kiss her instead of listening to whatever she had to say.
“Maybe not such a poor return,” she said in the throaty voice that conjured up images of them in bed together. “We’ve made some inroads on our fighting that will make a huge change in our relationship. At least the fights in the future might not be so bitter.”
He grinned. “We’ll see how long we can both hold on to our tempers. All I have to do is remember you like this,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lightly as he ran his hands over her back.
“I need to shower,” she said, stepping away from him.
“Shucks. I hoped I was irresistible,” he drawled, and she smiled.
“You are, Tony. Far too much,” she said as she walked away from him, picking up the navy bathrobe on her way to the shower.
After her last statement he was tempted to catch up with her and kiss her again.
He wanted to hold her, to see how truly irresistible he could be.
But they were getting ready to go home and return to their regular lives and there would be no lovemaking in their future.
With a sigh he pulled out some fresh clothes and went down the hall to another bathroom.
All the time she showered, Lindsay wondered how much this weekend would change how they treated each other at home.
Tony was still Tony, telling her what to do.
She hadn’t said anything to him, but she wanted to check his pumps by herself.
She wouldn’t put it past him to be bluffing with his invitation to come look. After all, he was a Milan.
One of her earliest memories had been her grandmother telling her to never trust a Milan. Could she trust Tony now?
The Tony she had just been with for the past twenty hours was a man she would trust with her life. That thought startled her; it was completely at odds with how she’d been raised. Then again... Had her grandmother just been passing down family opinions that could have gone back generations?
Thirty minutes later, dressed and ready to go, Lindsay joined Tony in the living room.
He came to his feet when she entered, his gaze sweeping over her, making her tingle.
To her surprise, reluctance to see the weekend end filled her.
After all, she and Tony had always known it wouldn’t—couldn’t—last.
Even in jeans, boots and a navy Western shirt, Tony looked sexy and handsome. A short while ago, as they’d talked about ranching, she’d felt the old annoyance with him for telling her what she should do. Now, simply looking at him made her heart beat faster.
She looked down at the red dress she’d worn last night and wore again now. “I have to go back to my hotel in this. It’s four in the afternoon, so I may turn heads,” she said, forcing a grin that never made it fully to her lips.
He crossed the room to place his hands on her shoulders. “Lindsay, in that dress, you’ll turn heads any hour of the day or night. You’re gorgeous.” He reached out to play with her hair, which fell about her shoulders. “I like your hair down.”
For some reason she hadn’t put it up when she got ready. She couldn’t say why.
“Thank you. I’m ready to go. You know what the drive is like back to the ranch. Are you going home today?” She knew he was driving her to her hotel, but wasn’t sure where he was headed after that.
“No, I have an appointment in Dallas in the morning. Otherwise, I would have pushed harder to go home together.”
“I see.” She gave one nod. “Well, now we go back to our real lives and the real world. But it was a wonderful, magical weekend that I never, ever expected.”
“My sentiments exactly,” he said. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want this to end, but I know it has to and it won’t be the same.”
“Afraid not,” she agreed with him. “I’m ready. Shall we go?”
“Yes. But how about one last kiss?” He took her in his arms and he kissed her, hard, as if his kiss was sealing a bond that had been established between them this weekend. His lips were making sure that she would never forget his lovemaking, even though she knew it wouldn’t happen again.
She kissed him in kind, wanting just as much to make certain he couldn’t forget her, either.
He raised his head. “How about a picture of the two of us to commemorate the occasion?” he asked, pulling out his phone. “Do you know how few selfies I’ve taken? I think one—with a friend and my horse at a rodeo.”
She laughed. “I rank right up there with your horse. Wow.”
He grinned as he held out the phone and took the shot, then he showed it to her. “You’re gorgeous, Lindsay.”
“Look at that picture the next time you think about dumping trash on the entrance to my ranch.”
He shook his head. “I’m still telling you that I did not do any such thing. You might have annoyed someone else, you know.”
Startled, she studied him. “You really mean that?”
“I really mean it.”
“If you didn’t do it, then I owe you an apology,” she said, still staring at him.
But, even if she had accused him of something he didn’t do, there was bound to have been things he did do.
And he still had those take-charge ways that drove her nuts.
Besides, he liked to play the field and never get serious. No, Tony was not for her.
“One picture, Lindsay, just of you, so I can look and remember. Okay?” he asked, stepping away and taking her picture as she placed her hand on her hip and smiled.
“We have to go. I need to get home,” she said, shouldering a delicate, jeweled purse that matched the straps on her dress.
“Sure thing,” he said, taking her arm to walk her out to the car. As she slid onto the passenger seat, her skirt fell open and she glanced up to see him looking at her legs. She tucked her skirt around her while he closed the door and walked around to his side of the car.
He was quiet on the ride to the hotel, and so was she. As he drew up to the front entrance a short while later, he stepped out and talked to a valet, then came around to escort her into the lobby. “I’m glad you were the high bidder. But I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“We both know the weekend is over. Really over. Reality sets in now, Tony. As we’ve already agreed, it might be a little better than it was.”
He nodded. “You take care.”
“You, too. Thanks for a weekend that was worth my bid.”
“That’ll go to my head. I didn’t dream I could bring such a price.” He smiled as he stepped away. “Goodbye,” he said, turning and walking out of the hotel.
She stood watching him, unable to understand the feelings of sadness and loss as he walked away.