Gustav carried on. “Since you came back from Italy, it’s as if you have a new vibrancy about you, and it shows in your food and everything. Everyone here is much happier. It’s good. And quite frankly, if this guy is the one that made you like this, then all kudos to him. He is the one, isn’t he? The one you met while you were away?”
“Yeah, he is. You don’t think I’m making a mistake, do you?”
“Mistake? You have to be kidding me! Get yourself out of here before I take him off you.”
“Thanks, I owe you.” Blair pushed open the back door and shot up the back staircase to the compact flat she called home when she wasn’t working.
She grabbed a backpack from the tiny hall closet and shoved toiletries and a change of clothes inside, then quickly divested herself of her work gear. She wrinkled her nose as she dragged on a long-sleeved T-shirt and a soft cotton skirt with an asymmetrical hemline. Then she shoved her feet into pretty, low-heeled sandals. She would have appreciated time to grab a quick shower, to rid herself of the lingering aromas of the kitchen, but she had the feeling that Draco would be dragging her still wet into the car if she kept him waiting too much longer.
A pang of need arrowed through her center. One kiss. That was all it had taken and she’d been lost to him. Lost to the sensual delight he promised with every touch of his skillful fingers, every taste of his practiced tongue.
She quickly switched off the lights and locked the door behind her, her sandals clattering on the wooden stairs as she returned to the restaurant. To Draco.
He pushed back from the table and stood the second she entered the dining room. Butterflies danced to a crazy beat in her stomach. Was she doing the right thing? Gus seemed to think so. Draco definitely thought so. But wasn’t she just setting herself up for failure? She knew how hot the flame between her and Draco had burned back in Italy. She’d left before there could be any lasting damage. By agreeing to spend this night with him, would she end up scorched and regretful? Worse, would she be able to walk away from him come morning?
He didn’t give her time to think. In one instant he had taken her arm to guide her outside, in the next they were seated on the leather backseat of the limousine that had edged forward at the curbside the instant he’d set foot outside Carson’s. Every nerve ending in Blair’s body was on full alert, attuned to the leashed power and strength of the man seated beside her.
Draco uttered a clipped command in Italian. The limousine driver closed the smoked glass divider between them and pulled smoothly away, gliding into the late-night traffic on Ponsonby Road.
Blair reached across the space between them, and trailed her fingertips across the expensive woven fabric encasing Draco’s legs. The muscles in his thigh tensed beneath her feather-light touch.
“Don’t.” His voice was strangled, tight. The single word forced between rigid lips. “If you touch me now I won’t be able to hold myself back, and I promised myself I would wait until we reached my apartment.”
Blair’s breath caught in her chest and a coil of anticipation tightened low in her belly. She lifted her hand and laid it back in her lap, her eyes seeking his in the darkened compartment of the car. The knowledge that she could affect him so deeply was empowering. While it was true that the strength of her feelings for him had terrified her, had driven her from his bed and his home and sent her on the arduous and long plane journey home from Europe, right now she was afraid of nothing.
The trip from Carson’s to the Viaduct Basin took only ten minutes, and as they pulled into the parking area of the apartment building Blair acknowledged she couldn’t wait another moment to be alone with Draco.
His driver came around to her door and held it open for her. As she alighted she heard the two men hold a brief discussion in Italian before the driver cruised away into the night.
A trickle of unease shimmered down her spine as she stood in the portico to the high-rise waterfront apartment complex. What the hell was she thinking? A week ago she’d told Draco he’d been nothing more than comfort sex, a couple of weeks before that she’d walked away from him, determined not to succumb to his seductive spell—and yet, here she was on the point of going to bed with him again. A shiver of something else coursed through her. Something that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with the visceral look of intent on the face of the man walking toward her.
Still, he didn’t touch her. Instead, he picked up her pack from where the driver had deposited it and headed for the door. Blair followed, slightly cowed by his silence. Was he having second thoughts?
All the way up to his penthouse apartment she sensed the heat of his gaze. Briefly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, only to swallow convulsively when faced with the naked desire reflected in their emerald depths.
The doors swooshed open and Blair followed Draco down the heavily carpeted corridor, to the set of double doors at the end. With the swipe of a key card he opened the doors and stood aside, motioning for her to enter.
Her heels clicked on the parquet floor of the entrance, their sound masking Draco’s footsteps as he closed in behind her. The muffled sound of her pack landing on the floor was all the warning she had before she was consumed by a broad band of heat at her back. Strong arms wrapped around her. Draco’s mouth, hot and wet, descended onto the curve of her neck, his tongue tracing a sensual line up to her ear. The hard swell of his erection pressed against her buttocks and she squirmed, her action wringing a harsh groan from his throat.
He spun her around to face him, his thigh wedging between her legs with delicious friction, to rub against that part of her that flamed, begging for his touch. Blair’s back flattened against the paneled wall behind her and she lifted her arms to Draco’s shoulders before tangling her fingers in his hair and dragging his mouth down to hers.
Suddenly all the hunger she’d held at bay for the past few weeks erupted beneath the onslaught of his lips, the rasp of his tongue against hers. Time and place held no consequence, every molecule in her body focused solely on this moment, this man. One night—it would be their last but it would be the best.
Her skirt hitched up under the push of Draco’s hands as he stroked up her legs, his broad palms caressing the backs of her thighs before clasping the roundness of her buttocks and pulling her hard against the demanding line of his arousal. A spiral of pleasure feathered out from her core, a promise of things to come.
It was insane, what they were doing, but Blair was incapable of sane thought or behavior any more. Draco invaded her senses, her every thought, her every desire. She shuddered anew as he dragged her panties away and cupped her, his fingers slick on her body, on the evidence of her need for him. He ground the heel of his palm against her and she cried out as the tiny rockets of pleasure sparked through her.
“Please,” she begged, “please, Draco. More.”
She heard her words—shamelessly wanton—as they hung in the air, and knew she could wait no longer. She fumbled for his belt, sliding the leather loose from its clasp, and then unsnapped the button before ripping down his fly. She was greedy for him now, reaching past the waistband of his silk briefs, hungry to feel his satin heat against her skin.
In the instant she loosed him from the confines of his briefs he hitched her higher against the wall and hooked her legs high over his hips. He pulled a condom from his pocket before his pants slid down his legs and quickly sheathed himself. Blair reached between them to guide his hardness to her entrance and then with one deep thrust they were one. She gripped his shoulders as he surged within her, driving her closer and closer to her peak. And then, in a mad rush of sensation, she was there. Her body clenching and convulsing around him, her hands digging into his shoulders, her thighs tight bands around his waist. With a raw cry of triumph he joined her on the raft of pleasure that soared through them both, his body imprisoning her against the wall, his breath hard and fast, his heartbeat hammering in his chest.
Slowly Blair became aware of where they were. God, they hadn’t even made i
t more than a few feet inside the door. At least he’d had the presence of mind to close it behind them. Her whole body trembled with aftershocks of delight, her breathing came in ragged gasps.
“It seems I’m somewhat lacking in finesse tonight,” Draco said close to her ear, his voice uneven but carrying an unmistakable note of humor.
“So it would seem,” Blair agreed, grazing her lips along the column of his throat and being rewarded as he flexed against her, sending yet another aftershock of pleasure to ripple through her body.
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“I don’t know if I can take any more. That was so…so…” Words failed her.
“So cathartic?”
He was right. It had been cathartic. Despite the late hour, despite the fact she’d already been on her feet all night in a busy kitchen, she felt energized, invigorated. Suddenly, she looked forward to Draco’s idea of making it up to her.
He lifted her slightly and withdrew from her body, letting her unhook her legs from his waist and slide them down to the ground. She was amazed she could even stand. Her skirt fluttered down around her thighs as she moved off the wall. Draco rearranged his clothing.
“Come, I think we both need to shower after that. Let me take care of you.”
Blair picked up her backpack and let him take her by the hand as he led her through the apartment. Floor-to-ceiling glass faced the inner harbor and Viaduct Basin. Light glittered off a myriad of buildings and luxury super-yachts and cruisers moored in the basin to reflect on the inky surface of the ocean. The vista was surreal. About as surreal as the fact she’d just allowed herself to be swept away by a sensual hunger she’d only barely begun to acknowledge.
The master suite led off the living room, and beyond that, the master bathroom. Soft dove-gray walls softened the black-and-gray marble vanity tops and black-tiled floor. Blair placed her pack on the vast spread of marble as Draco reached inside the massive shower stall to turn on the water. His task complete, he turned back to face Blair. Even without the evidence of his arousal against his trousers she could tell by the look on his face that he wanted her again. He framed her face with his large hands and kissed her, softly this time, taking his time to play the soft tissue of her lips against his before breaking contact.
His hands went to the hem of her T-shirt and he lifted it up and over her head. He traced one finger along the line of the rose-pink lace of her bra, where it met the gentle swell of her breast, before bending his head to press soft warm kisses where his finger had just been. With an expert hand he unsnapped the clasp at the back, and the fabric, which had so ably cupped her, slid away to reveal her to his avaricious gaze.
“So beautiful, so perfect,” he murmured, rolling the tips of her nipples between his fingertips before bending his dark head to lave first one taut bud, then the other, with the tip of his tongue.
He reached behind her to unzip her skirt and let it fall to the floor, leaving her standing only in her sandals. He knelt before her and placed her hands on his shoulders before lifting one foot to unbuckle the strap at her ankle. Each movement was so measured, so deliberate—in total contrast to the uncontrolled passion that had consumed them both only minutes ago—and deep inside her Blair recognized the building fire and knew Draco’s idea of making things up to her would be monumental.
Once she was completely naked, he swiftly divested himself of his shoes and socks before pulling his shirt off and sending his trousers and briefs to the floor.
He guided her into the shower stall, angling the multiple shower heads to course over her body before he closed the door behind them.
“Oh, that feels so good,” Blair moaned as the pulsing spray jets massaged her back.
Draco just smiled as he filled his hands with shower gel then began to smooth the slick liquid over her shoulders and down her arms, then stroke his hands back up again. He repeated the movement several times before gently running his hands over her chest then down to cup and gently knead her breasts.
She’d never felt “enough” before Draco. Each of the other men she’d been with before she’d met him had teased her about her breast size. Not in a cruel way, but enough to ensure that the taunts of her teenage years rose large and ugly in her mind. Enough to make her feel less than feminine, less than a woman. But beneath Draco’s touch she had no doubt she was everything he wanted, the attention he paid to her breasts, to her tight, puckered nipples, left her in no doubt whatsoever.
He filled his hands again with the shower gel and continued his ministrations, sliding one hand down to cup her and spread her legs gently. He cleaned her with an intimacy she had never experienced with anyone else, but then Draco Sandrelli was like no other man Blair knew. And that was precisely why he both scintillated and terrified her. It would be too easy to succumb to his spell, to his lovemaking. To lose herself. No, no matter what delights he brought her—and she knew there would be many—she had to remain strong. To take what he offered tonight and then go back to the life she’d chosen.
A ripple of pleasure spread from her core, just a hint of what his touch promised, she knew. His hands slid around to her buttocks, softly squeezing them before running down the backs of her thighs. He dropped to his knees, his hands still running up and down the length of her legs, and she marveled she could even stand when he brought his mouth to the apex of her thighs and pressed his lips to the sensitive bundle of nerve endings there.
His tongue flicked over the nub, at first soft then more insistent. Blair knotted her fingers in his hair, holding him to her as he increased pressure, then teasingly slowed again. Her legs were trembling, barely able to hold her slight weight when he began to suckle at her. She let her head drop back as the scream of pleasure ejected from her in tune to the orgasm that nearly rent her apart.
Draco stood, supporting Blair’s quaking body with the strength of his, relishing that he could bring her so much pleasure, so much passion. For a woman who kept herself locked down so tight emotionally, he’d been ecstatic to discover the deeply hidden sensuality inside her. It was a waste for her to pour all that passion purely into her work, when she could have so much more if she would only embrace it.
He turned off the shower faucets and scooped Blair into his arms. She was so slender it was as if he lifted a child—she’d lost weight since her return to New Zealand. Weight, in his opinion, she could ill afford to lose. If he’d gauged her correctly, she’d no doubt been running herself ragged since leaving him. And if he didn’t miss his mark, she was already on the point of exhaustion—her physical reaction to their lovemaking already leaving her limp, shattered in his arms.
He wrapped her in a thick, dove-gray towel and dried her with painstaking care.
“Draco?”
Her voice made him look up from his ministrations.
“Hmm?” he answered, reaching for a fresh towel to dry her hair before skimming his own body dry.
“What about you?”
He smiled. “Later. For now, you rest, si?”
“I’m sorry, I—”
He put a fingertip to her lips. “Don’t. Don’t tell me you’re sorry.”
He guided her to the master bedroom and pulled back the voluminous, down-filled duvet and the crisp cotton sheet before gently pushing her down onto the mattress. She was asleep in moments, confirming his belief she’d been pushing herself too hard. It was certainly more than the languor of the aftermath of lovemaking that dragged her into somnolence. He tossed her damp towel to one corner of the room and climbed into the bed next to her, propping himself up slightly so he could watch her as she settled into a deeper sleep. Eventually, he flipped the control that dimmed the bedroom lights into darkness and settled down onto his pillow, scooping Blair against his body and pulling the sheet over them both before letting sleep claim him also.
It was her feather-light touch that woke him only a couple of hours later. Somewhere in the night she’d slid from his hold and he’d rolled onto his stomach, a p
osition that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as awareness flooded his body.
Blair knelt over him. Her fingers touching, yet almost not, as they traced a line up from his ankles to the backs of his knees and then higher. Blood surged to his groin as her touch coasted up the inside of his thighs. Up and down and back again, each time moving a little higher, until goose bumps raised all over his skin anticipating her next move.
He felt the mattress shift, ever so slightly, as she moved, straddling his legs, keeping him captive, prone. He could feel her firm buttocks on the backs of his thighs, feel the heat of her core against his bare skin. It was both a torment and a pleasure.
Her touch strengthened now, deepened as she stroked the long line of muscles on either side of his spine, stopping every now and then to change her touch to that feather-soft caress that threatened to drive him crazy with want. His hands, shoved deep under his pillow, clenched into fists as he fought not to reach for her, to spin her beneath him and torture her as she now did him.
“Are you awake yet?”
The teasing note in her voice made his lips pull into a smile.
“Yes, I am awake,” he ground out through clenched teeth as her fingers tracked his spine—down, down, until she skimmed the crease of his buttocks.
He felt her weight lift from his legs.
“You’d better turn over then,” she instructed.
Draco rolled over, hissing in a breath as she wrapped her fingers around his hardened length and caressed him, her other hand reaching for the packet she’d already removed from the bedside cabinet. He nearly lost it as he watched her tear the foil open with her teeth and slide the condom from its wrapper, then meticulously slide it over him.
He reached for her hips as she rose above him, poised at his tip.
“Let me,” she whispered, placing her hands over his. “Let me look after you this time.”
He was unused to surrendering control, whether it was in the boardroom or the bedroom, but for Blair he would do this. Her heat threatened to consume him as she lowered herself to take only his tip within her body. Every instinct within him demanded he take charge, insisted he drive into her and bring them both to the shattering pleasure he knew lay in store, but he beat back the urge and forced himself to concede.
One-Click Buy: March 2009 Silhouette Desire Page 39
