The kiss deepened. Her hands moved through my hair before sliding over my arms and eventually around my waist, pulling me closer to her. I reached up and gently pulled the ponytail holder from her hair, letting it fall loose. The silky strands tickled the back of my arm, and the smell of her shampoo filled my senses. It was the smell I had thought about all week. It was better than smelling freshly baked cookies.
“Let’s go to my room,” I whispered against her lips.
I stood up and grabbed her hand, leading her down the narrow hallway to my bedroom. I left the overhead light on and moved to turn on the bedside lamp. My bedroom was a little bigger than hers, but my bed was definitely a lot bigger.
She started to undress. I stood and watched, captivated by everything about her. When she was standing in nothing but her panties and underwear, I reached for her. I brushed the tip of my finger over her arm. Goosebumps erupted over her skin. I dragged the same finger across her collarbone and between her cleavage. I could hear her breathing heavily and smiled. I was going to make every second count.
“You’re still dressed,” she whispered, raising her eyes to mine.
I smiled. “It’s the only way I can keep from burying myself inside you.”
“Oh,” she gasped.
“I want to cherish every inch of your body.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
She moaned as my hand trailed over her belly. I cupped between her legs through her panties and felt the heat emanating from her core.
“I love being inside you,” I said, leaning forward to kiss her neck, my hand still cupping her.
“Please get naked,” she whispered.
“Not yet,” I told her, feeling bolder. “I want you hot and wet. I want to touch you. I want to watch you orgasm. I want to see you quiver and feel your heart racing.”
“You’re killing me,” she whispered.
I chuckled before pulling my hand away and reaching up to take off her bra. It was killing me to keep my clothes on, but I didn’t trust myself not to skip the good stuff and plunge deep into her body. I wanted it all, including the foreplay that would leave her gasping and begging for more.
Chapter 36
Eliana
He put me on the bed, still keeping every bit of his own clothing on, much to my disappointment. Then again, it was hard to be disappointed when his tongue was running over my neck and moving down to my breasts.
I couldn’t think of anything except how good it felt to have him sucking at my flesh. I ran my hands under his shirt and felt his heated skin stretched over taut muscles.
His jeans were rubbing against my legs. My flesh felt extremely sensitive, the material scraping against my thighs. I needed to feel him against me. “Jeans,” I whispered.
“Not yet.”
“Please,” I asked again.
His head popped up from where he’d been feasting on my breasts. “Okay,” he answered, rolling off me and jumping to his feet. I watched as he lost the jeans and the T-shirt he’d been wearing but left his underwear in place.
I smiled. It was a natural reaction to seeing him in all his nearly naked glory. I really liked his body.
He looked down at me and grinned. “Better?”
I nodded and lifted my arms, inviting him back to feast upon my body. He eagerly accepted my invitation, his knees pressing into the mattress as he crawled onto the bed. His mouth returned to my breasts, squeezing and sucking before he headed south down my body.
I flinched and stiffened when I realized where he was going. His expert hands pulled my panties down my legs as his mouth slid over my naval. By the time his mouth reached the apex of my legs, I was panting.
“Cade,” I said his name on a breath.
He looked up at me, his eyes appearing over the top of my breasts before he dropped to the floor. He was on his knees, pulling me to the edge of the bed, my legs spread wide while his tongue lapped over my folds. I reached down, running my hands through his hair as he pleasured me with his tongue.
“Oh god,” I cried out when his tongue pushed inside, rubbing over the sensitive nub and nearly sending me flying off the bed. The sensations were so intense, my body struggled to process all of the brilliant flashes of ecstasy exploding through me.
He groaned against me, lips vibrating against my sensitive flesh and sending me cascading over the edge in a torrent of ecstasy. I closed my eyes and let myself go, riding out the wave of pleasure as his mouth worked my body. His tongue slid over my naval, and he was once again standing next to the bed. When I opened my eyes to look up at him, I could see the intense desire on his face. He was gorgeous and mine.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, my eyes falling to the part of him that was still sheathed behind the cotton underwear. I sat forward and ran my hand over the long, hard length before yanking his underwear down and freeing him from the confines of fabric.
“Eliana,” he whispered my name.
I looked up at him and slowly shook my head. “My turn. I want to taste you.”
He hissed and closed his eyes. I reached for him, pulling his cock to my mouth and taking my first taste. I heard him release a strangled cry and pushed on, sliding my mouth over him, taking him as deep as I possibly could before pulling back and running my tongue over the bulbous head.
“Fuck,” he breathed out the word, his hands running through my hair, massaging my scalp as he guided me up and down his long shaft.
In a flash, he pushed me backward onto the bed. I looked up at him, wondering what just happened. It only took me a second to realize what he was about to do. He nudged my legs open, guided himself to my core, and pushed inside. I closed my eyes, the familiar stretching and fullness taking me back to my very happy place.
“God, you feel so good,” he rasped out the words. “I’ve thought about burying myself inside you for days. I can’t get enough of you.”
I reached up to run my hands over his back. “I like the way you feel inside me.”
“Good, because I plan on spending a lot of time right here, just like this,” he said, his voice intense, matching the eyes staring into my own.
I nodded, words impossible as my body began another slow spiral. “More,” I whispered, digging my fingers into the flesh along his back.
He thrust hard. I was on the edge but couldn’t find the right spot. I felt achy and desperate.
“More,” I whimpered, grinding my hips against him, taking him deeper.
“More?” he snarled through gritted teeth.
I scraped my nails down his back, causing him to flinch. “Yes! Cade!”
He growled, went to his knees, resting against his heels, and pulled me up his lap, still buried deep inside. He reached down, using the tip of his finger to press against me. I screamed. The pleasure was too intense. I nearly shattered into a million pieces. My head thrashed back and forth on the bed as I gripped the blanket.
“More?” he asked. “More?”
“Oh god,” I moaned, my body shuttering and spasming as I finally came down from wherever it was he had catapulted me to.
He pushed me down his thighs and very gently rolled me to my stomach before hiking me up to my knees. I could barely stay up. I was still shaking and quivering from the orgasm.
“Shh,” he whispered before guiding himself inside me and slowly—so achingly slowly—filled me until his pelvis was resting against my ass.
I loved the man inside me. All my worries he wouldn’t fit were gone. He fit perfectly, as if my body was made just for his. I hugged him tight inside me while his hands caressed my back, trailing his fingers over my spine and then down my thighs.
He never moved inside me. It was erotic and tender, and I could feel the familiar heat flashes of a fresh orgasm sparking deep inside.
“I love your body,” he told me in a gruff voice. “I love every curve, every inch of perfect flesh.”
I turned to look over my shoulder at him and nearly climaxed. Seeing him behind me, connected to my body as
he lovingly touched me, was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. “I love when you touch me. I feel like the only woman in the world.”
His eyes met mine. “You are the only woman in my world.”
I closed my eyes, passion and desire racing through me, over my skin, and directly to the spot between my legs. His words were so perfect. I let myself fall into the moment, not caring about anything else happening in the world. In that moment, it was only me and him. Nothing and no one else mattered. I imagined us inside a bubble, him and me, naked and joined together. It felt right.
A long, quiet moan escaped my lips. I dropped my head forward and gently swayed. I felt his cock jerk inside me. He cursed in Italian. His hands went to my hips and gripped them tightly as he began to slowly slide in and out. He was talking to me in Italian, whispering words that I didn’t understand, but I knew what he was trying to say. I could feel it in the way he moved.
His slow thrusts intensified, turning into longer strokes that were coming harder and harder. I braced myself for what I knew was coming. His steely self-control was slipping. The beast I knew that hovered near the surface and only came out in times of lust was rising up. I liked the beast.
He roared, his body pounding against mine, nearly pushing me over the edge of the bed. I dug in, pushing back, and felt my own powerful release join his. I loved hearing his cries of pleasure. It gave me a sense of power, knowing I could make him feel that good. He collapsed on the bed, pulling me against him, my back to his side. I rolled over and rested my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his rapidly beating heart.
I was in no hurry to rush out the door. I wanted to lay there with him and soak in the moment. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him. Our naked bodies entwined together as we both took a minute to slow our breathing.
“Do you want to stay?” he asked, the worry evident in his voice.
I smiled, kissed his chest, and nodded. “I do.”
“Thank god, because I don’t think I could move to take you home.” He chuckled.
I giggled as well. “I don’t think I could move in general. I want to be here with you.”
“Good, because I want you here with me, always,” he said, his voice full of emotion.
I thought about what he had told me before we made love. “Cade?”
“Hmm?” he asked, his fingers absently stroking up and down my arm as he so often did.
“Did you say you loved me?” I asked, almost afraid he would take it back.
“I did,” he said without hesitation. “I said I’m falling in love with you. I’ve never been in love, but I’m convinced this is it.”
I let the words sink in. “I don’t know what love is either, but I think I might be falling in love with you, too.”
He was quiet for a second. “We’ll learn love together.”
I smiled against his chest. “I’d like that. You know I’m probably going to screw up a lot.”
He laughed, kissing the top of my head. “You probably will. So, will I. I think that’s part of love—accepting one another’s screw ups. We’ll figure it out. This feeling I have, it’s strange, but it feels right. I can’t see me being with anyone else. I think of you, and I smile. I want to be with you all the time. I want to see you smile, and I want to do things that make you smile. I want to share joy with you. I want to share everything with you. Being with you just makes me feel better inside.”
His words were sweet and honest. “That’s what makes me love you,” I said.
“What?”
“The fact you don’t pretend to be something or someone you’re not,” I said. “You say what you feel, whether it’s pretty, flowery words or just what’s on your mind. I like that you don’t filter it.”
He chuckled. “I did pretend to be someone else, and that didn’t work well. I’m not great at faking anything. It takes too much effort.”
“Good. You be you. That’s the man I want.”
“I can do that. And you don’t be afraid to tell me when I’m completely smothering you because I can almost guarantee I will. I’m going to be a needy little child, wanting all your attention and wanting to touch you and talk to you all the time.”
I giggled softly. “You’ll be my security blanket.”
He moved, rolling over the top of me, supporting his weight on his elbows, the rest of his body on mine, pinning me to the mattress. “I very much like the idea of being draped over your naked body.”
I burst into laughter, feeling freer and happier than I had ever felt in my life.
Chapter 37
Cade
I reached for her hand, and they joined together, resting on the armrest between our seats on the plane. She looked over and smiled.
I looked out the window as the plane started its takeoff. We were flying commercial—very different than the private jet I had taken home a few weeks earlier. Maceo had offered his jet for my return trip, but I very politely declined. He’d done enough for me, including getting me back in good with Eliana.
“Are you sure you want me to go with you?” Eliana asked. “I can stay in a hotel while you and your mother talk.”
I smiled and shook my head. “The whole reason for us going to Italy is for you to meet my mother.”
She grimaced. “I don’t think I’m great at meeting mothers.”
“You don’t think you’re great?”
“I’ve never actually met a guy’s parents,” she confessed.
“Technically, you’re only meeting one parent,” I teased.
She scowled. “You know what I mean.”
“I have to warn you, my mom isn’t the kind of woman who is going to welcome you with open arms. She isn’t the kind of mom who smiles a lot or hugs a lot. She’s reserved and quiet. She doesn’t do a lot of talking. She’s not mean, but she’s cold.”
“And you think I’m a good choice to bring home to mommy?” she asked. “How many of your girlfriends have you taken home?”
I made a zero with my fingers. “None.”
“What? None?”
I shook my head. “You’re my first actual girlfriend. I told you before, I was not popular with the ladies.”
“I don’t know if that makes me more nervous or reassures me,” she said, grinning. “She has nothing to compare me to, but then again, she is probably expecting you to come home with a supermodel or a princess or someone equally valuable. I really don’t feel like I’m worthy.”
“You’re very worthy,” I said. “Just don’t take my mother’s aloof personality personally. She’s just that way.”
She smirked. “Gee, I should fit right in then. I’m used to being ignored by maternal figures.”
“Did she call again?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good,” I said firmly. “Don’t feel obligated to talk to her. You did the right thing.”
I felt fiercely protective of her. I was willing to tell her mother to get lost if I ever got the chance, along with anything else that came to mind. She’d hurt the woman I loved.
The flight was uneventful. We talked a bit about Italy and our stay. We were going to be staying the weekend. My mother insisted I bring Eliana for a visit and pick up a few personal items from my father’s estate that she didn’t want to mail.
Normally, I would have offered up an excuse about why I couldn’t go home, but those days were gone. My mom was alone, and I had promised to be there for her. I knew she was anxious to meet Eliana as well.
After realizing how much time I had lost with my father, I had decided to do better, and that meant I was going to share my life with my mom. That meant introducing her to Eliana, the woman I was hoping to share my life with.
“Do you have a mansion?” Eliana asked as the cab I hired to take us to my mom’s house drove through the city streets.
“I don’t have a mansion. You’ve seen my house.”
She slapped my thigh. “You know what I mean. You told me your
father was wealthy. How wealthy?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Is it a big, fancy house?”
I nodded. “It is.”
She groaned. “I’m going to feel like an outsider.”
“You’re there with me and my mom. You’re not the outsider.”
The cab driver stopped in the courtyard in front of the family home. I winced, seeing it through her eyes. It was overwhelming. The huge fountain surrounded by red bricks in the center of the courtyard that served as a parking area for guests was beautiful, but seeing it now made me realize just how wealthy my parents were.
“Oh my god,” she said. “This is where you lived?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Off and on, but I never actually lived here.” It was the truth.
“This is insane.”
We were still standing in the courtyard, the cab already gone when I heard the door open. I turned to see my mother step out the front door. I offered a small wave before putting my hand on the small of Eliana’s back and leading her to where my mother stood. My mom wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t frowning. It was her happy face, but smiles were not a natural look for her.
“That’s your mom?” Eliana asked in a whisper.
“Yes,” I whispered back. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Eliana Floros. Eliana, this is my mother.”
My mom looked Eliana up and down before giving a slight nod and the hint of a smile. Before I knew what she was going to do, my mother reached for Eliana and gave her a big hug. Eliana looked at me, her eyes wide. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t remember my mother ever being so affectionate.
“It is so nice to meet you,” my mother said. “Thank you for making the long trip here.”
Eliana stepped back. “Thank you for having me. You have a beautiful home.”
My mother looked at me and then sprung, pulling me in for a hug. Although I was much bigger than her, I was pretty sure she was stronger than I was. I hugged her, awkwardly patting her back.
“Come in, come in,” my mother said. “I was just starting the ravioli. You can help me in the kitchen.”
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