“Oh, God.” Her eyes close and she leans her head back against the headboard. “You’re seriously good with your hands.”
“If you fall asleep, you won’t see what’s in those boxes.”
She bites her lip and raises her head and looks at me.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did. Open them.”
First, she examines the shoes, her eyes bright with feminine lust for such things, which makes me laugh.
“I kind of like looking at them like this,” she confesses. “I mean, the blue looks so pretty in these pink shoes.”
I raise a brow and wait for her to finish admiring the shoes, and finally she can’t resist any longer. She tugs one box out of a shoe.
“Oh my,” she breathes when she opens the box. “There’s a lot of pink happening around here tonight.”
She’s quiet for a long minute, her lip gripped in her teeth as she simply stares at the white and pink diamond necklace nestled in the blue box. Her brown gaze shoots up to mine as she reaches for the other box.
“Lots of pink,” she says again, when she sees the matching bracelet.
“They match the pink shoes,” I whisper, and continue to knead the muscles in her calves. “Your calves are tight.”
“I was walking in heels for roughly fourteen hours today.”
Finally, without another word, she simply climbs over to me, into my lap, and wraps herself around me, clinging on tightly.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispers.
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“They’re so beautiful. Thank you so much.”
“They’re going to look amazing against your skin, cara. That’s why I chose pink. You wear pink so well.”
She buries her face in my neck and kisses me gently. Now is the time to tell her how much I love her.
But instead, I stay quiet, plucking pins from her hair until it’s falling around her shoulders and plunge my fingers in it, pulling it to my nose.
“You smell amazing.”
“You smell amazing,” she replies, her nose still pressed to my skin.
“You were remarkable to watch today. You were so in control, so focused.”
“That’s my job.”
“You’re excellent at it.”
She smiles against my neck.
“Are you going to let me lay you down and help you get more comfortable?”
“I’ll let you lay me down and make love to me,” she says with a small voice.
You don’t ever have to ask me twice.
I tip her onto her back and hover over her, helping her shimmy out of her beautiful blue dress and matching underwear, until she’s spread out under me, the pink tulip petals around her, her golden blonde hair fanned around her head, looking like nothing short of an angel.
“You take my breath away,” I whisper.
She grins as she works on the buttons of my shirt, shoving it over my shoulders and tossing it aside, then making quick work of my pants. When I’m naked at last, I settle over her, bracing myself on my elbows, my heavy cock nestled in her slick, hot folds.
I brush imaginary tendrils of hair off her forehead and cheeks with my fingertips, sweep my nose over hers, anything to touch her.
I’ll never get enough of feeling her skin with mine.
“Dominic,” she whispers, then gasps as I move my hips, just a bit, sliding through her wetness.
“Yes, my treasure.”
Her eyes flare at the term of endearment.
“Are you more comfortable hearing it in Italian, tesoro?”
“I guess I’m surprised to hear it at all,” she replies truthfully.
“You are my treasure.” I kiss her cheek, then drag my lips down to that sensitive spot by her ear. “You are the best part of my life.”
Her hands glide up and down my back, then her fingertips follow the same path, making me even harder. I rear back and sink slowly inside her waiting heat, watching her gorgeous eyes as I press in as far as I can, then rest there, watching her.
“So proud of you, Alecia.”
“Thank you.” Tears fill her eyes and she closes them.
“Don’t close your eyes,” I whisper and brush a tear aside. “You don’t ever have to hide from me.”
“I’m not.” She shakes her head lightly, then looks back up at me, with her heart wide open for the first time.
It’s magnificent.
“Do you know how much you scare me?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper.
I begin to move, filling her, then pulling out, in long, smooth, sure strokes. Her breath hitches, her fingers dig into my back, and she clenches around my cock in the most delicious of ways.
“You are everything,” I say into her ear, as I make gentle love to her. “And yes, tesoro, it scares me too, but not having you scares me even more.”
“Me too.”
I grip her hand in mine, lacing our fingers, and press it down into the bed as I begin to ride her harder, but not faster. I press the base of my cock against her clit and grind down, and that’s all it takes for her to fall over the edge, coming hard, taking me with her.
I love you.
Chapter Fifteen
~Alecia~
I’ve been waking up to his handsome face for more than two weeks now, and it never fails to take my breath away.
Or make me squirm in pure, unadulterated lust.
I mean, look at him. He’s all dark skin and hair against my white sheets, gathered at his waist, giving me a prime view of his defined abs, sculpted arms, and magical hands with long fingers.
He’s shown me what my body was made for. In the week since the wedding, he’s spent every night here in my bed with me, leaving each morning to go back to the vineyard, but he always returns every evening for dinner, wine, conversation, and the best sex of my life.
I can’t resist dragging my fingertips down his rough cheek, enjoying the way the scruff feels on my skin.
With his eyes still closed, he grins, flashing that dimple, and captures my hand in his, bringing it to his lips.
“Good morning,” he whispers against my palm.
“’Morning,” I reply and lean in to kiss his shoulder. “We need to get up soon. Baseball game today, remember?”
“I remember.” He pulls me into his arms, into what I consider my spot, cozied up against his side, my head on his chest and arm wrapped around his ribs, where I simply fit just right. “But we should do this for a little while first.”
“Do what?” I nuzzle my nose into his neck and take a deep breath, enjoying him.
“Just be,” he says, and kisses my head.
“This is nice,” I whisper.
“Mm.”
“I’m not gonna be available every night next week,” I say regretfully.
“Oh?”
“It’s summer, so I have events every night next week. Except Wednesday.”
“I have an event at the vineyard on Wednesday,” he says with a sigh. “We’ll survive five days apart, cara.”
His hand travels down my back to my ass and back up again, into my hair, then down once more, lulling me into sleep.
“Tesoro,” he whispers in my ear as he rolls me onto my back. His fingertip brushes down my temple and cheek. “Wake up.”
“Hmmm.”
“We slept another hour.”
“We did?” I ask groggily and stretch, still not opening my eyes.
“We need to get ready to go.”
“Okay.” I don’t move. I simply lay here and enjoy his hands on me, in this space right between sleep and wakefulness.
“This isn’t waking up,” he says dryly.
“I’m awake.”
“I wish we could just stay here all day, cara, but it’s kind of a big day for Matt and Nic. We have to go.”
“I want to go,” I reply and crack open an eye to find Dom hovering above me, that dimple winking at me, his blue eyes happy and pinned on mine. “H
ello, handsome.”
“Ciao, bellissima,” he replies and flashes that charming grin at me.
“Dear God, I love your Italian. It’s sexy as hell.”
“It is?” His voice is heavy with sarcasm.
“You know it is.”
He brushes his fingertips down my chest to my stomach. “Hai la pelle più morbida.”
“What was that?”
“You have the softest skin,” he whispers and plants a kiss on my shoulder.
“We don’t have time for this,” I warn him with a grin. Jesus, his lips are incredible.
Instead of answering me, he grins wolfishly and suddenly stands, pulling me with him. He tosses me over his shoulder and stalks into the bathroom, starts the shower and when the water is warm enough, sets me down in the large stand up shower.
“I could have walked,” I inform him.
“But then I wouldn’t have carried you,” he replies, and reaches for my shower gel.
“Are we conserving water?”
“Smart girl.” He lathers up his hands along with a wash cloth and begins to drag both over my skin, cleaning me up.
“That feels nice,” I murmur, watching him.
His lips twitch as his hands glide south, over my belly, over my smooth pubis and into the most sensitive part of me.
“Dom!” I gasp and grip onto his arms, holding on tight.
“Yes?”
“Holy shit, you’re good at that,” I groan as his free hand glides down my ass, and now he’s reaching me from both sides, rubbing my clit from the front and plunging fingers inside me from the back, and it’s the most incredible sensation. He plants his lips on my neck, then bites me there, licks his way up to my ear and says in a firm, direct tone, “Come.”
Jesus, who could refuse him? I come hard, shuddering against him. If he weren’t holding me up, I’d fall into a boneless mass on the tile floor. With my forehead leaning on his chest, I struggle to find my breath, and my legs.
“Damn, babe,” I say with a laugh. “That was fun.”
“Yes, it was. Now, no more distractions. We have to go.”
“But, what about you?”
He winks and slaps my ass playfully. “I’ll collect later. Trust me.”
***
“Heyyyyy, batta, batta, batta!”
“Um, Bryn, this is batting practice. You can’t heckle the players during practice.” Matt shakes his head at his sister-in-law playfully.
“I can too. It’s the freaking White Sox, Matt.”
“Hey! I love the White Sox,” Nic says with a frown. We’re all here, all of the siblings with their spouses, and Nic is the only one wearing a White Sox shirt. The rest of us are in our Mariners gear.
“I didn’t know you were so into baseball,” Stacy says to Nic with a grin.
“I like it more than football,” Nic admits, and then laughs. “And I can only say that because Will and Meg are still on their honeymoon.”
“I’m so telling,” Jules says.
“No, you’re not,” Nate says, and kisses his wife square on the lips.
These men seriously never stop touching their women. It’s awesome.
As if to prove my point, Dom wraps his arm around my shoulders and leans in to kiss my temple. They’re an affectionate lot, that’s for sure.
“How did we get these seats?” Meredith asks, looking out at the field from our front row seats. We’re right between first base and home plate, and we have a prime view. “I can practically smell the sweat.”
“Ew,” Sam says, wrinkling her nose. “No one said anything about sweat.”
“You’re married to a rock star, Sam.” Stacy shakes her head at Sam. “You should be used to sweat by now.”
“I’m married to a rock star,” Sam repeats proudly. “My husband is a rock star.”
“It’s still new,” Nat murmurs.
“I still get a kick out of calling you my wife,” Luke says to her. “And it’s not so new anymore.”
“It’s getting really girly around here,” Mark says with a scowl.
“We have connections,” Jules says to Meredith. “It doesn’t suck.”
“Not in the least,” Meredith agrees.
“It looks like the Sox are almost done with practice,” Matt says and pulls Nic to her feet. “Come on, we’ll go get a ball signed.”
“Rhys O’Shaughnessy is playing,” Nic says, and claps her hands excitedly. “He’s my favorite.”
Matt leads her away, and everyone springs into action, pulling out their phones to capture photos.
“I’m getting Will and Meg on FaceTime right now,” Jules says, and then grins when their faces appear on her screen. “Hi guys! He just took her down to the field.”
“Jules, turn the camera. I want to see my brother get engaged, not your face.”
Jules sticks her tongue out at her brother, then turns the camera around so Will and Meg can watch.
“He got her favorite player in on this?” I ask excitedly.
“He did,” Dom confirms, gripping onto my hand, as if he’s as nervous as his older brother.
“Rhys is running over with a ball!” Natalie says.
Nic is all smiles as the tall, handsome player hands her a ball, kisses her cheek, and shakes Matt’s hand.
“I wish we could hear what they’re saying,” Jules grumbles.
“He wanted it this way,” Caleb says softly.
Rhys points to the ball in Nic’s hand, and she looks down at it, then her jaw drops as Matt lowers himself to one knee and takes her hand in his.
“Is it just me, or is this cheesy as fuck?” Mark asks.
“Shut up, it’s not cheesy. It’s brilliant.” Brynna smacks Mark’s arm, shutting him up.
We can’t hear what’s happening, but suddenly, Nic is nodding furiously, and Matt puts a ring on her finger, then stands and lifts her off her feet, hugging her tight, whispering in her ear.
Rhys and his teammates applaud and begin to circle around them to congratulate the happy couple.
“Fuck that! I want to hug them now too!” Jules, careful not to lower her phone, jumps up and leads us all down onto the field. Stacy, Brynna and Meredith jump the wall, garnering the attention of security, but Dom holds up a hand.
“That’s their brother. They’re just anxious to congratulate him.”
“No more jumping down,” the tall security man says sternly, then his jaw drops when he sees Leo. “Is that Leo Nash?”
I immediately walk to the man and speak quickly, in my no-nonsense voice. “This is a family outing. Not a photo op. I hope you’ll remain discreet, please.”
“Of course.” He nods and walks away, minding his own business.
When I turn to rejoin the others, Nic and Matt are surrounded by family and players, but Dom is waiting for me with a sober face.
“What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head. “Not a damn thing.”
He takes my hand and leads me to the others.
“He wrote Will You Marry Me on a baseball!” Nic exclaims and shows everyone.
“Aww, and had your favorite player give it to you,” Stacy says dreamily.
“I’m your favorite player?” Rhys asks, as if he didn’t already know.
“Maybe,” Nic says, and then laughs. “Yeah, you definitely are.”
“Is it my undeniable good looks?” he asks.
“No, it’s your batting record. Seriously, you have the most hits this year in all of the MLB, and watching you hit is like watching a dance. You’re damn good.”
Rhys cocks his head to the side and watches Nic more seriously. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry to break this up, guys,” the security guard says, “but I need you to take your seats. We’ll be starting soon.”
“Okay, that was cool,” Mark concedes as we go to find our seats.
“I want nachos,” Brynna announces. “And a hot dog.”
“Pizza!” Stacy agrees.
“We’re going out
for dinner after this,” Nate reminds the girls.
“We’re at a baseball game,” I say, as if it makes perfect sense.
Because it does.
“We need Cracker Jacks too,” Sam says. “And cotton candy.”
“And a dentist,” Luke says with a cringe.
“Beer.” I add.
“The beer here is warm,” Dominic says.
“I don’t care. I’m at a game. I need beer and peanuts.”
“Wait!” Meredith stands, looking about. “Where are Matt and Nic?”
We all turn and search the area, and suddenly Caleb points back down to the field. Matt and Nic are coming out of the White Sox dugout, headed for the field.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer begins. “Throwing out the first pitch today is a young woman who just got engaged on our field! Give a big Seattle welcome to Nic Dalton!”
“Oh, my God, I have to get Will back!” Jules is furiously tapping the screen of her phone as we all jump up, cheering loudly.
“Atta girl!” Brynna calls down to the field. Dom and his brothers are whistling loudly.
“This is so fun!” I clap my hands, jumping on the balls of my feet.
Nic walks out to the pitcher’s mound, ball in hand, but instead of standing in front of the mound, she stands on top of it and gives the catcher an arrogant look. Her lips twitch, but then she winds up and throws the ball perfectly, right into the catcher’s mitt, as if she’s a pro who’s been throwing baseballs for years.
“Holy shit, Will, you’re not the only one in the family with a hell of a right arm,” Isaac says excitedly.
“That’s so fucking awesome!” Will exclaims through the phone.
Matt and Nic wave at the crowd, then join us in the stands.
“You are so damn cool,” Luke says to Nic as he pulls her in for a hug.
“I know,” Nic replies, and laughs as she’s passed from brother to brother.
“Okay, you all have your own girls,” Matt says finally. “Hands off mine.”
“Now, back to food,” Brynna says, and flags down a guy carrying a box full of peanuts.
“It’s going to cost us a thousand dollars to eat all this junk,” Nate says.
“You can afford it, ace,” Jules replies happily, and cranes her neck looking for another vendor. “Where’s the pizza guy?”
Come Away With Me Page 94
