“So you’re going to be a snob, eh?” he teased, putting the bottle of wine into the cart before heading towards the checkout. “That’s okay. I will permit wine instead of beer, but you’ll have to accept that you won’t receive the full experience with wine.”
Gianna rolled her eyes, smothering a smile as she followed him through the check-out line.
And no matter how much she protested, he wouldn’t allow her to pay for half of the cost of the food. In the end, she stuffed the cash in her pocket, but was determined to pay for her half of the “tools”. She’d just have to be stealthy about it. Thinking about that, she smiled to herself as she followed Brant out of the grocery store.
After loading the “tools” into the trunk of his car, they drove out of the store’s parking lot and, five minutes later, they pulled into his driveway. “Come on inside and I’ll show you around before we start cooking for your lessons. We have a few minutes before the game starts.”
She followed him in, irritated that he wouldn’t allow her to carry any of the groceries, although she gave him kudos for having fabric bags instead of using the plastic ones. She had to admire a man who preserved the environment in simple ways.
“What can I do to help?” she asked, standing awkwardly in the middle of his kitchen. Looking around, she noticed that he had a beautiful kitchen with dark cabinets contrasting with the white marble countertops and every new appliance one could hope to cook with.
“You can open a beer for me and the wine glasses are over there,” he said, pointing to a cabinet by the double fridge. “Then sit there and learn the correct way to make ultimate nachos.”
She giggled but retrieved a beer for him, putting the open bottle near his elbow. Then she retreated to the safety of the other side of the marble counter. She poured herself a glass of wine, then sat back to watch. “Explain these nachos to me and why they are essential to the American football watching process.”
He laughed but explained, “When you are watching a game, one needs to pay attention to every play, every throw, every catch. You don’t want to find yourself hungry in the middle of the game and need to leave the room for a snack. That would be a catastrophe! One has to be prepared and ready for any of the exciting plays. Otherwise, you could come back and have missed something important.”
Gianna wasn’t buying it. “Don’t they have replays?”
He glowered at her as he shook his head. “Of course, but all plays must be watched as they happen, so they can be analyzed during the replay action.”
“I see.”
Gianna watched as he sliced and diced, all the while, reciting the rules of the game, the positions, the various teams, and why the Denver Broncos, the team they would be watching that afternoon, was the best.
He frowned at her with a dark eyebrow raised. “If you mock, you will be punished.”
She held her breath, wondering what he might consider appropriate punishment. She could think of several, and all of them included him with his arms around her as he kissed her like he had before.
There was a moment while they both stared at each other, the tension increasing. She wasn’t aware of her mouth opening slightly or her body softening. But she was completely cognizant of the desire heating his gaze and the way those eyes dropped to her lips.
“We aren’t doing that,” she whispered, her voice caught in her throat. Oh, but she wanted him to. She wanted him to walk around to the other side of the counter, pull her into his arms, and…
He looked down, focusing on the platter in front of him.
“Now this is what I call the ultimate nacho platter,” he announced as he slid the platter into the oven to melt the cheese. “While the oven is heating up the cheese, let’s get into position so you can hear the starting lineup.”
He grabbed her hand, leading her into the large, comfortable living room area. Looking around, she understood what was wrong with her apartment – at least in his mind.
“That is a huge television!” she gasped, gaping at the massive screen that took up a large portion of one wall.
“Of course it is,” he tugged her down onto the comfy sofa. “A man is judged by the size of his television.”
“That’s not what I heard a man was judged by,” she teased.
“Watch it,” he growled and topped off her wine. “I might have to prove to you that I am at the top of the man-heap.”
Settling back, he picked up the remote control and the massive television came to life. “Now…” he started in on the rules of the game, but Gianna stopped listening. The wine was relaxing the muscles in her back and the delicious scent of nachos promised to soothe her further.
When the oven timer went off, Brant retrieved the plater, setting it down on the large coffee table in front of the sofa, explaining the art of proper chip removal. “It’s a bit like a food version of Jenga,” referring to the game where wooden blocks were stacked up and each player had to remove one block and hope that the entire tower didn’t fall down.
For the next ninety minutes, Brant explained each play, intermittently yelling at the television for a bad call by the referee or when the opposing team scored.
Gianna learned a lot. But mostly, she learned that Brant was sweet and patient, a massive football fan, and that she wanted to touch him but had no idea how.
So, by the time the game ended, she was hyper aware of the man sitting next to her. She thought about her plans, her goals in life, and wondered if it wouldn’t be too bad to give in to the attraction that seemed to grow more powerful with every interaction.
Brant was tall and handsome, but he was also ethical and intelligent, funny and…well, pretty wonderful.
Why shouldn’t she take advantage of her time with him? Why wouldn’t she allow herself to enjoy being in his arms? Yes, she knew that the wine was lowering her inhibitions and relaxing her. But seriously, what would be the harm in enjoying a fling with Brant? At this moment, she couldn’t deny that she wanted to be with him in the most basic and primal way.
Brant glanced over at Gianna, about to explain the time out strategy the head coaches were using, but there was a strange look in her eyes. A look that told him that she was no longer interested in learning about football.
A look that conveyed the same hunger he had been feeling since he’d kissed her. No, that wasn’t accurate. The same hunger he’d felt since she walked into his office for the first time several months ago. He might not have acknowledged that hunger, but it was there, burning inside of him.
And at this particular moment, he couldn’t remember all of the reasons why he shouldn’t kiss her again. He couldn’t remember why he was so wary. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss her. To touch her and feel her soft body against his.
He pulled her closer, leaning in slowly, to give her the chance to pull away, to say no if he’d mis-read the situation.
But she didn’t pull away. In fact, she leaned forward, reaching out to touch his cheek, almost pulling him forward because he was too slow. She wanted to experience his touch, and she wasn’t willing to do it in slow motion!
“Gianna,” he groaned and his mouth covered hers. When his tongue touched hers, she gasped at the intimate contact. It was just like the last two times he’d kissed her, but so different! Gianna vaguely heard the football game and sensed the afternoon fading into darkness. But her attention focused on Brant and his strong hands as they shifted, lifting her onto his lap so that he could deepen the kiss. Over and over, his mouth slanted over hers until she whimpered with the need for more.
His fingers shifted, sliding under her peasant blouse and setting her body on fire. Her skin felt burned, but shockingly alive as his hands explored her back and waist. When she felt his fingers move higher, she bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying out when…
“Brant!” she gasped, arching her back as his hands cupped her breasts. She loved how she felt when he touched her. His hands were firm and confi
dent, but gentle. He slid his thumb over her already tight nipple and she couldn’t stop her hips from rolling against his. Shifting around, she straddled his hips, pressing herself more firmly against him, grinding with the same rhythm as his thumbs against her nipples. She couldn’t stop, the pleasure too intense.
“Please!” she groaned. When his hand started to pull away, she grabbed his hand, “More!” she pleaded holding his thumb on her nipple.
Brant thought he might just explode! She was erotic and sensuous and he wanted to give her everything she needed. Even as he watched, he could tell she was getting closer. Her hips pressed against his shaft more firmly, over and over again. And when he knew that she was right there, just at the edge, he pinched her nipple and…
It was possibly the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Gianna climaxed against him just like that, throwing her head back. Her fingers in his hair held him in place as her movements slowed and then stopped, collapsing against him with her face buried against his neck.
“Damn, you’re going to have to do that again for me,” he groaned as he stood up with her in his arms. He struggled to walk as he carried her up the stairs. Not because of her weight, but because he was so turned on!
“Grazie,” she sighed. He almost dropped her when she pressed a kiss to his neck. Her fingers came alive after that and he stopped, pressing her against the wall outside of his bedroom because he just had to kiss her again. As his tongue invaded her mouth, doing what his body wanted to do, he felt her fingers in his hair, tightening and then sliding against his neck.
For several long moments, they stayed just like that but it wasn’t enough. Not even close!
With an almost painful groan, he pulled away and finished the walk to his bedroom. “Now, let’s do that again,” he announced, then hissed when she slid down his body so that she was standing. The movement against his agonizingly aroused body was both delicious and painful.
Gianna slid her fingers under his shirt. Exploring his stomach was even better than he imagined. Reaching behind him, he pulled his shirt off, dumping it on the floor. He was just about to do the same for her, but her fingers moved higher, just grazing his nipples and the touch was like an electric current connecting to his erection.
“Gianna!” he roared, grabbing her wrists and pulling them away. Shaking his head to clear away some of the lust, he backed her up so that the backs of her legs were against the bed. “No more. I can’t handle it, honey. Later.” Much later, he thought as he pulled her soft, sexy sweater up and over her head. He was trying to be more careful with her sweater than he’d been with his shirt, but he made the mistake of glancing down at her breasts. The lush mounds were barely concealed by the black lace of her bra. In fact, the points of her nipples looked like they might just pop out over the edge. The sweater was forgotten as he lifted her up again, taking the nipple into his mouth as his tongue lashed against the peak over and over again. It was like a ripe berry that he couldn’t get enough of. Laying her down against the mattress, he followed her. Caressing one breast, his mouth teased and tortured the other. Over and over, he teased and tormented her nipples, goaded on by the gasps and hisses Gianna made.
When she pulled at his hair, only then did he relent. But he wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. Standing up again, he ripped off the rest of his clothes, tossing his jeans and boxers off to the side before reaching up to unzip her jeans. Her shoes were already gone, he had no idea where they’d disappeared to, nor did he care. Sliding her jeans down over her hips, her legs, her feet, he watched as more of her creamy skin was revealed to his pleasure.
“You’re gorgeous, Gianna,” he groaned as he kissed the soft flesh of her stomach. Kissing and exploring, finding other places on her body that caused her to make those appealing sounds again was his new mission. Well, that and heading lower, wanting to taste her body and see her climax again.
“Brant! Ho bisogno di te!” she screamed, shifting her hips back and forth as if taunting him with the movement.
“No Italian!” he grumbled, looking back up at her. “I can’t take anymore, Gianna. Later, you can tell me everything you want me to do to you in Italian, but right now, you can’t speak or I won’t make it!”
She giggled and he thought that the sound wasn’t much better.
With a groan, he moved even lower, gently opening her knees wider so that he could explore his goal in thorough detail. Looking at her like this, spread out, with glistening pink folds begging him for attention was so incredibly beautiful. He took a moment to savor her like this. But she shifted her hips again and that was all he could take. His mouth moved in lower, needing to taste her, needing to feel her against his tongue.
Slowly, he explored, finding all of the small places that tasted extraordinary! Sweet and tart, just like Gianna! As he licked and teased, he felt her fingers weave into his hair and he would have smiled at the gesture, but he was too intent on his mission. He wanted to taste her climax this time. He wanted to taste her pleasure on his lips. So he focused on the goal, listening to the sounds of her gasps and the way her fingers tightened in his hair as a barometer for what she was feeling. Over and over again, he teased that nub, sliding his finger into her heat and teasing her nerve endings from the inside. And before long, he felt her body tighten. When he knew she was just on the edge, he sucked on that nub, helping bring her over the edge.
Her screams of pleasure were like music, he thought, slowing his touch before moving away when her fingers loosened in his hair.
Standing up, he smiled, thinking about doing that again. For the moment though, he grabbed a condom and rolled it down his length, watching her breasts as she sighed in the aftermath of her orgasm.
Leaning over her, he braced his arms on either side of her head. “Ready to do that again?” he asked, kissing her neck and her breasts, waiting until she was back with him.
“No more,” she whispered. “All for you.”
He tilted his head, peering at her as if she’d said something insane. And yeah, he wanted to explain that the next step wasn’t just for him, but he would show her instead.
Lifting her leg so that she could wrap her legs around his waist, he eased into her. She was so damn tight and slick and he closed his eyes, controlling the need to press into her more swiftly. She was wet and ready, but he felt her shift against him, her body adjusting to his invasion. When he was fully inside of her, he felt her sigh and both of her legs tightened around his waist, encouraging him.
Slowly, he started a rhythm, moving in and out of her heat, watching her features for signs that he was hurting her or that she liked something he was doing. He wanted to laugh when her eyes popped open in surprise, but he could barely think, much less laugh. All of his energy had to be focused on pleasuring her one more time. Shifting, thrusting, moving against her heat until….
“Yes!” She screamed, her fingers tightening on his shoulders as her body released one more time, her inner muscles convulsing and…
Brant wanted to savor the sensations longer but feeling her like this, plus her body thrashing back and forth pulled him over the edge. His own climax poured through him and he thrust faster and faster as the pleasure hit him hard. Harder than anything he’d ever experienced.
And when it was over, he collapsed against her, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath.
A long time later, he realized that her fingers were teasing his neck. And he was crushing her!
“Sorry!” he groaned as he lifted his weight off of her.
“I like it,” she beamed up at him.
They were still intimately connected and he groaned as he pulled out of her. “I’ll be right back.”
He hurried into the bathroom to dispose of the condom, and clean up a bit before coming back into the bedroom.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, stepping back into the bedroom.
Gianna swung around, clutching her jeans and her sweater in front of her.
That still left a lot of skin showing and he enjoyed the unhindered view of her long, sexy legs. For a short woman, she had incredible legs!
“I…” she stammered, looking around frantically. “Americans…,” her accent was thick and he suspected that a blush stained her cheeks. But in the darkness, he couldn’t see her well enough.
“Yes?” he asked, walking over to her and taking her clothes out of her arms. “What about Americans?” he asked, lowering his head to kiss the sensitive skin on her neck.
“I thought that Americans had sex and then just…left.”
Brant lifted his head, shocked. “Why? And who the hell told you that?” He didn’t care. Instead, he lifted her into his arms, ignoring her squeak of alarm as he carried her back to his bed. “We don’t leave right after sex. At least, I don’t. And I don’t want you to go.” He paused and pulled back. “Unless you want to leave. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not completely comfortable with, Gianna.”
Her swollen lips opened and closed, those dark, mysterious eyes staring up at him.
“I’d like you to stay,” he said, his hand moving over her bare hip before curving around to her stomach. “I’d love for you to stay here all night.”
The smile was slow in coming, but when it did, it blinded him even in the dark room. “I stay,” she announced, her accent thick and heavy.
“Good,” he replied, sliding lower. “Because I have many variations on this theme,” he teased.
Chapter 9
“I think you should take the day off,” Brant whispered into Gianna’s ear.
Gianna smiled, stretching sore muscles. “Non posso farlo,” she replied, even though she really wanted to stay and have a repeat of last night.
The Tycoon's Secretive Temptress Page 8
