When he said I love you, she thought her heart might explode. Which was cliché, but she didn’t care. She’d been on the cusp of falling for him for what seemed like an eternity, not daring to think the words, because of Antonio’s baggage. When he made the confession, truth rang through his voice.
He sucked and scraped his teeth along the swollen nub on her chest, undoing her jeans at the same time. There was a tenderness to each movement, despite the frenzied desire to remove everything keeping them from feeling each other. It terrified the hell out of her, and she loved every minute of it.
He dragged her jeans and panties off, then kissed along the inside of her thigh on his way back up. When he glided his tongue up her slit, she arched her back in pleasure, pressing into his face.
“I was promised magic fingers,” she managed between gasps for air.
“Are you complaining?” His mouth vibrated against her labia when he spoke, teasing her.
“Definitely not.”
He finally reached her clit and sucked on it, then flicked his tongue over the tender bud. He kept up the attention for several minutes, driving her to the edge of orgasm and leaving her head in the clouds, as all the blood and oxygen rushed to other parts of her body. She gripped his short strands of hair, needing something to hold onto, and he increased his speed.
“Please, let me come?” she whimpered.
He glided two fingers inside her, hooked them up, and hit her G-spot. Climax spilled through her, and she cried out, grinding into his face and falling into his touch until it was too much.
He eased back, and she shuddered with pleasure. Tingles raced through her limbs, and her legs refused to respond. He moved his mouth back up her stomach, over her chest, and to her lips. She dove into the taste of her plus him. It was official—his kisses were one of the most delicious things she’d ever had.
“You’re beautiful.” He leaned over her, looking down.
Regardless of the fact she lay naked in front of him and the two of them had done things with Justin that would make a Play Girl editor blush, the simple compliment made her feel exposed and vulnerable. “Thank you.”
She reached for him again, found his erection, and traced its outline through denim. He pulled away with a throaty laugh. “You’re not satisfied?”
“You were—are—amazing. I’m thinking about you.”
He stood and stripped off his jeans. His cock sprung to attention, and he wrapped one hand around the shaft, gaze lingering on her body. “Not that I mind you thinking about me, but I’d rather you enjoy this too.”
“I will. I don’t doubt it for a second.”
He knelt next to her, then flopped back on the mattress with a groan. “Fuck.”
“That’s the point.” She propped herself up to look at him.
He shook his head. “I don’t have any condoms.”
She raised her brows in disbelief. “That’s not like you—not planning well.”
“I wasn’t really planning. I got as far as confessing my love and didn’t dare think beyond that point.”
She fell onto her back and pointed toward her bathroom. “Box. Top drawer. You might not have had expectations, but I’ve been hoping pretty much since we got here.”
“You are brilliant and sexy and scary.” He gave her a quick kiss, then stood and disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged seconds later, rolling the protection on, and nudged her thighs apart with his knee.
One hand next to her head, to support his weight, he teased her opening with his cock. She swore he slid inside a millimeter at a time. The slow penetration built a dam of tension. He locked his gaze on hers, as he increased the pace, building from a gentle rock to a steady rhythm.
The tease was nice, but she wanted fast and furious. She wrapped her legs around his waist and prompted a change in speed.
He gave her an evil grin, straightened up, and pinned her knees to her chest. With the new angle, he hit deep inside her, pressing an already tender button. Orgasm built again, this time a slow burn that felt like it would never reach the finish line. Her muscles clenched around him involuntarily, drawing him in, then forcing him out.
“Jesus, passerotta. I can’t...” He let go of her legs and rested his palms on either side of her head again. His pounding reached a frantic pace, punctuated by grunts of pleasure. She felt like she was drowning in his dark eyes.
The rapid-fire thrusts yanked out her orgasm, and she gripped his arms, digging her nails into his biceps as ecstasy rolled over her. She recognized the familiar sound of his climax, and he seemed to slide into a different pace when he came, driving hard, then giving a few short thrusts, before slowing to a stop.
He knelt for a moment, staring into her eyes, his panting matching hers. She wasn’t sure what broke the spell, but he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, before falling next to her on the mattress. They lay side by side, her gaze frozen on the ceiling. He sought out her hand, and she squeezed back, gripping for everything the gesture represented.
“You really are amazing, passerotta.” His voice was gravel.
She had to swallow several times, to unstick her throat. “What does that mean? It sounds pretty when you say it, but you could probably read me a shopping list in Italian, and I’d think it was pretty.” Now that she mentioned it, she should have him do that.
“It means sparrow. It’s a term of endearment.”
She liked the sound of that. “I’m a little bird?”
“Yes.” He shifted from the mattress, helped her sit, moved up to the pillows, and pulled her down to rest her head on his chest.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why do I call you that? It seems fitting.” He trailed his fingers along her arm. “This is how I see it. The dragon is power, strength, and good luck. The phoenix burns bright, burns out, and rises from the ashes. But a sparrow is spry and intelligent. Fast and quick. Rising above it all and soaring to heights the dragon and phoenix can’t imagine.”
“Why did you phrase it that way?” It felt odd to be placed in the middle of something he and Justin had shared, like matching yin yang symbols. She didn’t mind.
Antonio had to know he was doing it, didn’t he? “It seemed appropriate.” Apparently he did.
Silence settled between them. It felt right, as it always did. She’d never been more comfortable not saying anything when there was someone else in the room. The comment about the dragon and phoenix sparked a thought she didn’t want to have, though. It brought Justin back into the bedroom. She had to know something, and it might spoil the mood, but she suspected it would be okay. “It still hurts you to think about him.”
Antonio’s hand froze, and then he resumed tracing light circles along her skin. “It does. But that doesn’t diminish how I feel about you. I meant it earlier. I love you.”
“I don’t doubt it.” She didn’t think she’d get tired of hearing it, either.
“You miss him too. Even though you talk to him almost every day.”
Which reminded her—this meant she’d missed Justin’s call. He would wait. “If he showed up tomorrow, out of the blue, and said he was wrong—he does love you—what would you do? Who would you choose?” She wanted to slap herself as soon as the question was out. Way to spoil the best, cuddliest-ever post-coital conversation.
“Why do I have to choose?” he asked.
She sat up and stared at him, as the question jolted through her. The words didn’t make sense, but they did. “What?”
“Why do I have to choose? If you could have us both, would you pick?”
“I don’t think I could. You each speak to a different part of me.”
“Exactly.” He tugged her back down. “It doesn’t matter, though. You’re here, he’s not, and it’s all hypothetical. The most important thing is I’m not giving you up, and you said you’d always be here.”
“I will.” She nestled closer, meaning the words more than anything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Justin
couldn’t believe he was doing this. Please don’t let it blow up in my face. He sat in the lobby to an office he hadn’t visited in five years, trying not to fidget. He was more nervous than the first time he interviewed here. Back then, Antonio had his back. Justin only had to make a good impression, and the job was his.
This time, Antonio didn’t know Justin was here. Justin used his new project name to get himself on Antonio’s appointment calendar. This kind of uncertainty was new for him. It was deceptive to not give his name, but if Antonio said no before Justin got in the door, this thing would fall apart. He hoped the face-to-face visit would carry his sincerity with it.
“Mr. Bianchi will see you now.” Antonio’s assistant nodded to the closed door.
Justin steeled himself, pushed into the room, and shut Antonio and himself off from the rest of the world.
Antonio looked up, and his shock blinked into an impassive mask. Even trying to appear emotionless, he looked incredible.
How had Justin missed this part of himself for so long?
“Hear me out,” Justin said, before Antonio could speak. “Please?”
Antonio clenched his jaw. “Is this about business?”
“Some of it.” A teeny, tiny bit. The visit did include a proposal, but Justin didn’t expect to get too far into it. Antonio knew most of the information Justin had to pitch.
“And the rest of it?”
I love you, and I was an idiot not to recognize it. Tell me what it will take to earn your trust and friendship back, and then we can work from there. “How are you doing? Both of you.”
“You didn’t fly to Italy to ask how I was, and you already know how Emily is.”
But Justin didn’t. Over the last few days, she’d faded off. Cut their conversations short and missed more of them than she made. That hurt too, as much as losing Antonio but in a different way. Justin was surprised at the emptiness her absence left inside. “I’m asking anyway. I want to know.”
“I’m good. We’re good.” Antonio’s expression relaxed enough that the corners of his mouth teased up. “We’re together now. An actual, honest-to-Christ couple.”
“That’s amazing. Fantastic. I’m glad to hear it.” Justin forced the lie to sound sincere. He swallowed the rest of his prepared speech and tried to ignore how much of him shriveled up at the news Antonio and Emily had both moved on. At least it was with each other. Something about that felt right, even in center of disappointment.
“Thank you. We’re really happy together.” Antonio smiled.
Justin swore there was a hint of sadness in his friend’s eyes, but that was probably wishful thinking. He wouldn’t fuck up their lives anymore by being the asshole who said, I changed my mind. I was wrong; I love you, after Antonio had moved on. “Well, then, I suspect your day is as busy as always. Do you have time to hear the business part of my pitch?”
“You’re on my calendar. I’ve got at least another forty-five minutes.” Antonio gestured to the chair across from his desk. It was odd, seeing him behind the desk his father occupied for so many years, but it was appropriate. Justin never should have tried to take him from here. “I have a question before you start, though,” Antonio said.
“Fire away.” Justin shoved his glimmer of hope to the bottom of his shoes and stomped on it. There was no reason to make assumptions about what kind of question it would be.
Antonio leaned in, fingers clasped. “Does this proposal of yours sound anything like, Let me introduce you to Promiscuous Perks—a predictive education algorithm, driven by years of data gathering in the consumer market.”
“It’s not exactly like that.” Justin laughed.
“Because you had to change the name, to sell it to schools.”
Justin could do this. It would take time and adjusting, but they could go back to what they had before. Antonio did it for years. Justin could learn. “Pretty much. I’m rolling out with Ballet West’s Park City academy, and I have three other schools along the West Coast and mountain states that are ready to sign on.”
“In other words, you’ve already done the legwork and have the code in place. As long as you work on a lean budget, you’ve got the capital, and you’ll be profitable soon. I’ve seen the betas. I know. What do you need us for?”
Because I was an idiot and thought you’d wait for me for more than four weeks. But Antonio put up with Justin for a decade, holding out hope. “You’ve got the infrastructure, your company thrives on partnerships like this, and”—Justin forced calm confidence through his veins—“I don’t want to do this without you. I’ve never wanted to do this without you.” He clamped his mouth shut before he could say too much.
Antonio stared back, lips pursed and hands clasped.
Why wasn’t he saying anything?
ANTONIO WAS SURPRISED Justin wasn’t standing up and pacing. Antonio was making him squirm, and it was probably a little cruel on his part, but Justin deserved to sweat a little, since Antonio wasn’t interested in actually turning him away.
When Justin walked into his office, Antonio expected the pain to be overwhelming. That had faded, much to his relief. The love was still there. He was grateful he’d been honest with Emily about that. It wasn’t the intense, gnawing desperation he felt in the past. Mostly, he was relieved to see Justin again.
“I can’t give you an answer right now. I have to take your proposal in front of the board,” Antonio said.
Justin raised his brows. “It’s a privately held company. Old-family money. Never been owned by anyone else. You’re the board.”
“I am. And you’re the asshole who almost cost us everything because you didn’t like working within the confines of someone else’s timeline.” It was far less emotional than what Antonio wanted to say. You’re the asshole who broke my heart and didn’t flinch.
“Technically, the only thing we lost was—”
“Stop.” Antonio barked the word. “They took APPropriate Designs from us and left us with a little money as a weak apology. Five years of work, and now we have to pay them if we want to use what we built.”
“You know why I did it. We hashed this out already. I thought you understood.”
“I do.” Antonio hated admitting that, because it felt like a concession and he was still mad at Justin. Besides, this felt like giving Justin an out, when he hadn’t earned the right to shrug off any responsibility for what happened.
Justin frowned. “I fucked up. Everywhere. I should have handled my resignation differently. I shouldn’t have brushed you aside the way I did.” He hissed through his teeth. “I can’t say I’m sorry about the results, except that I never wanted to send you back home, but I did a lot of things wrong. You deserved better. And it sounds like you have it now.”
Antonio wanted to cling to his anger, but the longer Justin sat here, the more difficult it was. Antonio’d had time to deal with the awkward heartbreak, and while it still hurt, he couldn’t blame that on Justin, as much as he wanted to. Justin knew what he’d done and was trying to make things better, in his own way.
If Antonio dragged this out much longer, he might push away his friend again. Which would serve Justin right but wouldn’t make Antonio happy. “I want to see your numbers before I sign anything, but I’m willing to shake on it and give you a probably yes.” He extended his hand.
“Thank God.” Justin’s grip was warm and comfortable. A ghost of a temptation and a reminder of the weekends they shared with Emily. Antonio allowed the memories to linger, rather than banish them the way he normally did.
“What about us?” Justin asked.
Not words Antonio wanted to process. Not a question he could afford to make assumptions about. “What do you mean?”
“Are you and I good? Or can we be?”
That would be nice. “We’ll get there. Yes, we can be.”
Justin’s smile—the actual, genuine version of it—was a nice sight. Something Antonio hadn’t wanted to admit how much he missed it.
They chatt
ed a while longer, eating into the rest of the time on the calendar and pushing back to more neutral ground. Antonio had to kick him out for his next appointment.
“I have one more favor.” Justin stood. “Tell me where Emily’s sitting, so I can say hi?”
“Did she know you were coming?” Antonio would be impressed if she kept a secret like that to herself.
“No. She pretty much stopped talking to me. How long have you been together?”
“A week.”
“That explains it.” Justin sighed.
Inspiration struck Antonio. “How long are you in town?”
“Indefinitely. Long enough to convince you to partner with me. Longer, if I decide I missed the place too much to leave.”
Antonio liked the sound of indefinitely but refused to let himself get sucked into the possibilities. Especially without Emily. “That means you’re free for dinner tonight. Come over to the apartment. Surprise her. We’ll catch up.”
“I’d love that.”
Antonio scribbled out their address along with instructions and came around the desk to hand it over. Justin stood and pulled him into a tight hug. The intensity and intimacy caught Antonio off guard.
“I missed you,” Justin said. A current of emotion ran through his voice.
It filled Antonio with an ache he couldn’t ignore but made him smile at the same time. “Me too.”
AN UNEASINESS CRAWLED through Emily, and she couldn’t find a source for it as she stood in the kitchen entrance, watching Antonio cook dinner. He was making something with a red wine sauce that smelled amazing, and that she struggled to pronounce the name of. His mother was an amazing cook and refused to let her boy grow up inept in the kitchen, so she’d passed the skills on to him.
He’d been quiet since they got home, where they usually chatted and caught up while they made food.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Their Nerd (Two Plus One, #1) Page 20
