She knew his intention, yet the shock of his lips in such an intimate caress left her breathless. The deliberate slide of his tongue made her gasp. As he worked his mouth across her drenched folds, her ragged breathing and helpless whimpers filled the room.
She writhed on the bed as his mouth inflicted unbearable pleasure, so much that she begged him to stop, while pleading with him to continue. When she thought she couldn’t possibly take any more without splitting in two, Esteban kissed his way back up her body. He sucked the curve in her waist and licked the underside of her breast. Everything he did drove her insane. He was brutal in his attack on her senses, uncaring that he’d reduced her to a whimpering, begging bundle of nerves.
“Now,” he murmured, his own breathing sounding broken.
He moved swiftly and took a condom from the drawer of the bedside table. Groaning, he pulled a nipple into his mouth one more time, as if he couldn’t help himself. He sucked the puckered flesh as his hands parted her thighs.
Gripping his manhood, Esteban rubbed the tip against her wet core and teased her with the silky firmness. The hard nudge at the entrance to her body was the moment she’d been waiting for since they left the party. She willingly spread her legs for him, her insides trembling at the promise of his possession. If he didn’t take her soon, she was certain she’d explode from too much want.
At that first sweet thrust, Sonia gasped and lifted her pelvis higher. They fit perfectly together, and oh god, he felt exquisite. The fullness. The demand of his delicious stretching. He groaned and sank deeper into the silken glove of her body.
Then he went still. “Sonia.” The husky sound was whispered into her neck with his fists clenched on either side of her head.
Sonia kissed his jaw and neckline and ran her hand over his broad shoulders. Lifting an ankle to the base of his spine, she moved her hips in slow, restless circles. She needed more than he was giving.
Esteban looked down at her, his pupils dilated but barely visible behind half-closed lids. He drew a deep breath and angled his hips into a deep thrust.
Sonia cried out. “Yes, yes,” she whispered breathlessly.
He rolled over and pulled her on top of him. His eyes were dark as their hips maintained a sexy rhythm that inched them closer to the peak of fulfillment. Taking advantage of his position under her, he filled his hands with her breasts, and she covered his hands and continued to enjoy the ride. She lost herself in the throes of pleasure, tilting back her head and concentrating on this moment, with this man, and the thrill of his pumping body beneath hers.
Muttering in Spanish, Esteban slid his hands down the curve of her waist to cup her hips. She moved faster, and her moans came louder as pleasure ricocheted throughout her body.
Suddenly, Esteban sat up and halted her movements. Crushing his lips over hers, he kissed her long and hard. She dived into kiss, relishing the warm taste of his mouth and welcoming the slippery thrust of his tongue.
Then he reclaimed control and, lifting them both off the bed, lowered her onto her back against the pillows. Their tongues slid against each other and their mouths clung together in eager, greedy, grasping kisses. He slanted his hips against hers, hitting with deliberate strokes. She didn’t want him to stop, pause, or hesitate. She wanted him to keep moving like that because each possessive pump brought her closer to the edge.
At the first hint of her pending orgasm, he moved with more energetic drives. She jerked off the bed and thrust her hips against his, moaning with pleasure as she gripped the muscles of his solid back.
“Esteban.” Her voice was a feathery plea.
His hips slammed into hers with powerful strokes that dominated her in the bed. Soft against hard. Big against small.
“Yes, Esteban. Yes!”
As she neared the pinnacle, her head arched back and his lips found her throat. The hairs of his beard and his ragged breaths tickled her sensitive skin. Hard pants joined the sounds of the bed moaning under the forceful pounding of their joined bodies.
His movements increased in speed and became almost savage, spurred on by her throaty moans and breathless pants of encouragement.
The sounds pitched higher as the explosion came. She climaxed with a shudder and a cry of relief, turning her face into his neck. She clung to him, gripping his head, panting as ecstasy tore through her body and shattered her senses, leaving her disoriented and her mind spinning out of control.
No man had ever made her feel like this. No man had ever taken such complete control of her body and emotions. They rocked in the bed as he came, too, and she felt nothing but Esteban as the universe exploded around them.
Chapter 17
Sonia stretched under the covers of the blue sheets, the softest sheets she’d ever lain in. They were probably thousand-count Egyptian cotton, or something outrageous like that. Her body was sore because she’d been handled last night, by a real man who knew his way around her body, just as sure as if he’d been given GPS coordinates ahead of time.
Looking around, she didn’t see any sign of Esteban, and didn’t hear him, either. One wall of the bedroom was made of glass and let in sunlight. A patio with comfortable-looking chairs and a table sat outside. A mug on the table suggested Esteban had been sitting out there earlier and left it there when he came back in.
Glancing quickly at her watch, she realized it was later in the morning than she thought. No need to wonder how she’d managed to sleep so late. After coming in from the party and then spending the rest of the night under and over Esteban, she’d been understandably exhausted.
Scrambling from the bed, she dressed quickly in the same orange chiffon dress she wore the night before. She went into the en suite bathroom, but couldn’t figure out which of the buttons on the wall panel was the light switch.
“Lights on,” she said.
Overhead lights illuminated the modern fixtures of the cavernous, masculine space decorated in various hues of gray marble and dark gray tile. There were no windows in the room, and dual showerheads were behind an enclosed glass shower. She washed her face at one of two square porcelain sinks positioned on separate walls across from each other. Examining her features, she ran her fingers through her hair and did what she could with the short strands, taming them into a manageable mess until she could get home.
She found Esteban in the kitchen, hunched over a mug of coffee and reading the newspaper. For a moment, she quietly feasted her eyes on his exposed skin—the tight muscles of his arms, the toned belly. Without the power suit and hard set to his jaw, he appeared at ease in a way she’d never seen before. Even his hair was a little messy this morning instead of perfectly coiffed.
The memory of his touch remained in her skin, and their bedroom gymnastics came back in a rush—his head between her legs as her fingers ran through his silky hair, and his lips on her breasts. He seemed to love her breasts, and spent a lot of time getting acquainted with them. And her ass. With all the kissing, spanking, and grabbing he did, he clearly enjoyed her ass, too.
Esteban looked up, and a wave of shyness came over her, which was silly, since she hadn’t been the least bit inhibited with him last night.
“Good morning,” Sonia said. Her voice sounded a bit hoarse.
“Good morning.” A knowing warmth filled his eyes as they flicked over her body. The low sound of his voice was a rumbling reminder of how he’d whispered into her damp flesh while they made love. “Coffee?”
“No thanks.” She walked deeper into the kitchen.
“I can make breakfast,” he offered.
“I’m not very hungry.”
“Are you sure? Fruit or tea, perhaps?”
“I’m fine, really. I, um…think I’d better go. I need to get home and change clothes and shower. I have to work today. I go in at noon.” She yearned for his touch, and hated she had to go in to work.
“Demasiado. Too bad. I was hoping we could spend a little more time together.” He extended his hand, and she took it, letting him draw
her between his legs.
Sonia ran a hand along his bicep, distracted by the beauty of his body. He was so fit, so hard.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Like a baby,” Sonia whispered, focused on his lips. She wanted to kiss him, and did just that. His soft lips slid over hers, and she leaned in as he lowered his hands to her bottom and rubbed her ass.
“You’re an incredible woman, you know that?” He dropped kisses to the crests of her breasts and ran his hands up and down her sides.
“And you’re an incredible man.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer?”
Sonia shook her head. “No, I have to go and take all the hours I can.” Of all the days she’d have to go in to work, why today? And while she normally welcomed any time on the schedule she could get, today it was an intrusion. She’d much rather stay here with Esteban for a few more hours, at least. Having him want her to stay increased the longing.
“Then let me get dressed and I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to do that. Abel can—”
“I want to,” he said firmly.
“Okay.” In all honesty, she enjoyed his insistence, and while he went into the bedroom to get dressed, she took the liberty of pouring herself a glass of juice as she waited.
She glanced at the paper and saw that he’d been reading a glowing write-up of Nonna’s opening. The reporter praised the selection, the location, and the efficiency of the staff. No surprise there. She suspected that Esteban was like a drill sergeant, and from what she’d seen, he’d done a good job of making sure the restaurant didn’t suffer any opening night mishaps. If there were any, the staff did an excellent job of hiding them, which was a testament to his leadership.
Esteban returned dressed in a snug-fitting white T-shirt and chinos.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so casual,” Sonia remarked.
“What do you prefer? Suits or this?”
She tilted her head. “Naked.”
“Oh?” He came toward her and gripped her hips.
Throwing back her head in laughter, Sonia gazed up at him. “I’m sorry, Esteban, we don’t have time.”
“Then you shouldn’t tease me like that.” He kissed her neck and collarbone, and right away, her body became aroused.
“We can’t.” Sonia shook her head vigorously and pushed against his shoulders, stepping back to regulate her already erratic breathing.
“You’re sure?’
“I’m positive.” She slipped out of the circle of his arms. “We should go.”
“If you didn’t have to work at Azul, you would stay if I asked?”
The question sounded simple enough, but Sonia suspected a deeper meaning behind the words by the weighty way he studied her. She was almost afraid to answer. “I would,” she answered.
He nodded, as if he’d learned something of value. “Let’s go.”
On the ride to her apartment, they didn’t say much, mostly because Esteban appeared to be in deep thought behind a pair of sunglasses that didn’t allow her to see his eyes. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided to let him have his thoughts. When they arrived at her apartment, she expected him to leave, but to her surprise, he told Abel to wait while he followed her inside.
Compared to his spacious mansion, her little apartment felt rather inadequate, and his tall, broad-shouldered body seemed to take up an exorbitant amount of space. He looked around, studying the apartment as if he were taking notes. She could only imagine what he thought of her tiny place.
“I’ll wait while you get ready, and then we’ll take you to work,” he said.
“It’s not that far. I’m used to walking,” Sonia said with some amusement.
“I don’t want you to walk.” Esteban lowered onto the sofa and stretched an arm across the back.
Again she got the impression that there was a hidden meaning beneath the words, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness, and simply smiled. “I won’t take long.”
After a warm shower, Sonia brushed her hair back into straight, smooth lines, added a choker to complement the low neckline of her peach-colored blouse, and slipped on a pair of neutral-colored slacks. She put on a pair of three-inch heels and had a couple of turns in the mirror, then joined Esteban in the living room.
He was on the phone, speaking in Spanish, and when she appeared, he wrapped up the call and stood. “Ready?”
“All set.”
They exited the apartment. Sonia’s neighbor, a blonde who conducted walking tours around the city, greeted them on the way into her apartment across the hall.
“Hi,” Sonia said, noting how the other woman’s eyes rested unnecessarily long on Esteban.
She couldn’t blame her. He certainly was a sight to see—black hair, tall, and with striking bone structure under the beard. He exuded sex appeal in the fitted white tee, and the light-colored pants couldn’t hide his solid legs and firm butt.
Sonia locked the door and walked ahead of Esteban down the stairs. The silence was killing her, so near the bottom of the staircase, she finally asked, “Is everything okay?”
He didn’t answer right away, and after she stepped off the last stair, she turned to look at him and watched him descend.
“I want to talk to you about something, but now is not the right time.”
They remained in the entrance of the building, with sunlight pouring in through the tall windows on either side of the door. He’d removed the sunglasses, so she could see his eyes and get a better sense of his emotions.
“Tell me, what is it? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, but we can discuss it after work.”
Whatever was on his mind, it was heavy, and she didn’t want to wait. She wanted to know right now, or it would prey on her mind the entire time she was at Azul. “What is it?”
“Sonia—”
“Tell me. I can handle it, whatever it is.” She steeled herself for bad news.
He studied her for a moment. “All right. I have a proposition for you.”
The solemn tone of his voice caught her attention. “Another one?” she asked, with mild amusement.
“I think you’ll enjoy this even more. At least, I hope you do.”
“What is it?”
The slow lift at the corner of his mouth should have been her clue, but even she wasn’t prepared for the words that left his mouth.
He placed his hands on her hips and looked down into her face. “I want you to be my mistress.”
Sonia blinked and reared back, pulling loose from his roaming hands. “Excuse me?”
“I would like to spend more time with you, Sonia,” he said in a calm tone.
“That’s not what you said. Your exact words were, ‘I want you to be my mistress.’ Did I misunderstand?” Her heart thumped insistently in her chest, tightening as she awaited his response. Surely he couldn’t be serious.
“You didn’t misunderstand. I want to spend more time with you, and I’m willing to pay for the privilege.”
Chapter 18
Sonia couldn’t have been more shocked if Esteban had slapped her. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”
“Flattered,” he said. “You’re everything I look for in a companion. You’re smart, a great hostess, and incredibly beautiful.”
She swallowed, thinking back over their interactions in the past and the way she’d sometimes find his gaze on her, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. “Were the dinner parties and last night some kind of audition?” she asked, incredulous. He’d cheapened what they’d shared.
His eyebrows snapped together over his eyes. “Of course not,” he said tersely.
“Then what the hell, Esteban! How could you ask me something like that?”
“I enjoy spending time with you. There’s nothing wrong with my offer.”
Offer. As if he’d presented her with a job and benefits.
“You’re a wealthy man. You expect
me to believe you have to pay for companionship?”
With a rueful twist of his mouth, Esteban said, “I don’t, but there is a certain amount of benefit I get from such an arrangement, and so will you.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Sonia shook her head, still in shock. “We slept together, but I slept with you because I wanted to. That doesn’t mean you get to…to buy sex with me in the future.”
“That is not what I’m suggesting. Listen to me, I’m simply looking for a companion here in the United States. Someone to spend time with and keep me company when I visit.”
“And warm your bed?” Sonia added snidely.
He lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “That, too.”
She laughed shrilly. “God, you’re very straightforward.”
“I don’t like to beat around the bush. You know that already.” He came closer and rested his hand on the wall near her head. “I can give you a very comfortable lifestyle. You should not be rushing off to work on a Sunday afternoon, spend hours on your feet, and then walk home afterward. You shouldn’t be scrounging for dollars at parties and restaurants. You should always have a car waiting for you, and you should be taken care of.”
“And you’re the kind of man to do that, aren’t you?”
“I’m a very wealthy man. I’ve made it clear from the beginning how attracted I am to you, and after last night, you can’t deny the chemistry between us is explosive. If you give me a chance, I’ll show you a lifestyle you’ve never seen before. You’ll be content, and the envy of all your friends.”
“All I have to do is sell my soul?” Sonia said bitterly.
“I’m no devil,” he replied.
But as he looked down at her, he appeared rather devilish, with his dark eyes glinting with determination, dark stubble on his face, and his black hair pushed back from his forehead in casual disarray.
“I think you deserve more,” Esteban continued quietly. “I’d like to give you more.”
More Than a Mistress (Latin Men Book 5) Page 11
