“One mistake at a time,” she echoed, her mouth curving into a smile. “I like that.”
“Stephanie, I’m not perfect. Hell, I’m far from it, and I know you’re not either. We’ve both got reputations for playing hard and loose, reputations which aren’t unearned, exactly. I don’t care about that. I know we’re going to stumble and fall in this relationship, and what’s between us isn’t new to just you. I’ve never loved anyone before.”
“You love me?” she whispered.
“Scars and all,” he said huskily, lifting his head to look down at her, his eyes darkening with emotion. “The question is, where do we go from here?”
“All the way,” she whispered, sliding her arms around his neck and bringing his mouth down onto hers for a sweet kiss. Ending the kiss, she slid off his lap and moved to stand in front of him.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out with her hand. “Make love to me, Dominic.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He took her hand and stood. Lifting his hands to cup her face, his mouth settled against hers in a gentle, brushing motion.
Stephanie’s mouth opened under his, a soft moan of pleasure escaping the back of her throat. Swaying slightly against him, one hand fisted the back of his T-shirt while her other hand tangled into his hair, almost as if she were trying to draw his mouth deeper into her own.
“Christ, you taste so good,” he growled, finally tearing his mouth off hers. His eyes glittered with savage satisfaction at the sight of her slightly passion-bruised lips.
“So do you, Dominic,” she said, her hand tracing the contours of his strong jaw. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Men can’t be beautiful, darlin’,” he growled playfully, adding, “They can be sexy, they can be roguishly handsome, but they are never, ever beautiful.”
“Whatever.” Her eyes danced with amusement and laughter escaped from her. His next kiss silenced her laughter, and she met his mouth halfway.
Pausing, his mouth inches from hers, he murmured, “This is your last chance to tell me no.”
“Make love to me,” she breathed against his mouth as she pressed closer to him.
Dominic’s control snapped, and he covered her mouth with his for a hard kiss. Slowly, walking her backwards until the back of her legs hit the back of the bed, he tore his mouth off hers. Reaching for the edges of her T-shirt, he pulled it over her head, tossing it onto the floor.
“You’re perfect,” he said softly, playing with one thin, silky bra strap, completely captivated by the rise and fall of her breasts as she reached for the edges of his own T-shirt.
Automatically lifting his arms, he helped her pull his T-shirt over his head, tossing the shirt on the floor.
Stephanie reached behind her back, unclasping her bra and removing it, blushing under the heat of his stare. Dropping the bra onto the growing pile of clothing, she took a step forward just as he did the same.
Pressing her hands against his chest, she explored every inch of his torso, reveling in the feel of his muscles moving underneath her touch. Stepping closer again, she traced her fingers around the tattoo starting on his left shoulder and following the intricate design as she moved her fingers down to his ribcage. Hearing his hiss of breath as her fingers slid around to his abs, she continued her exploration of his body. Placing a light kiss on his chest, her hand trailed down his abs to rest on his belt.
Dominic’s own hands slid up to cup Stephanie’s breasts, and she arched her back in response, giving him further access to her body even as he bent his head. Scattering kisses across her throat, his mouth moved lower.
Running his thumbs across her nipples, he smiled at her soft whimper when he repeated the action. “You’re so damn responsive,” he growled.
“Please, Dominic,” she breathed, her hands moving to grip his biceps in support.
Bending his head, he laved his tongue across one nipple. Hearing her gasp of pleasure, he did the same to the other. Sliding her hands into his hair, she held him to her breast, the gentle pull of his lips making her moan incoherently.
“I’ll never get tired of looking at you . . . tasting you,” he rasped, lifting his mouth from her breast and guiding her to the bed. Gently pressing her down onto it, he followed her, his body covering hers.
They both gasped at the first touch of their skin pressing against one another’s. Dominic took her mouth with his own, lightly skimming his tongue against the bottom of her lip before delving in. She responded by arching against him, her hands sliding over his back, her arms tightly drawing her closer to him.
Tearing his mouth off hers, he lifted himself on his elbow to study the woman lying underneath him. An overwhelming feeling of satisfaction ran through him as he took in the wealth of emotion glittering in her eyes. He knew her expression mirrored his own.
“I love you,” he whispered as, with trembling fingers, he gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face.
“I love you too,” she said, giving him a tumultuous smile.
Reaching out to touch his face, she closed her eyes, a feeling of complete peace enveloping her. She’d spent years moving from guy to guy, not knowing why and not caring. She’d dated guys who were impractical, and who she thought were safe, but she didn’t need safe. She needed this. She needed him.
Opening her eyes again, she linked her arms around his neck, saying more firmly, “I love you.”
A raw satisfaction flooded through him at her admission. Whether she knew it or not, she was baring herself to him completely; not just her body, but her heart and soul as well.
Moving off the bed, he towered over her, his gaze scrutinizing every inch of her. Divesting himself of the rest of his clothes, he quickly did the same with her jeans, and finally, the same to the tiny scrap of lace separating her from him.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he growled as he joined her back on the bed, his body covering hers.
His lips met hers, soft kisses giving way to harder, more passionate ones as Dominic struggled to control his emotions. The urge to bury himself so deeply within her clawed at him, and he fought against it, wanting their first time together to be special.
Stephanie clung to Dominic, moving her hands over his back. Feeling him shudder, she continued her hands’ journeys further down to his backside. She moaned softly as he continued his assault on her mouth, the taste of him overpowering her senses. Holding him tightly, she hooked one of her legs around his hips, rocking gently against his erection as she became swept up in his touch.
He tore his mouth off hers, his breathing harsh. His hands moved to cup her breasts again, and she automatically arched into him, giving him better access. Murmuring his approval, he bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth. Stephanie’s hands moved up his back before she thrust her hands into his hair, holding him tightly to her breasts.
Dominic tore his mouth off her breast, grunting in satisfaction at the slight redness he’d left before he moved his mouth to the other. His hand roamed down her body, moving to slide between her legs. She clutched his shoulders tightly, gasping when he thrust two fingers between her swollen folds. He continued to thrust his fingers gently inside her, growling in pure, masculine satisfaction when she came alive underneath his touch.
“Dominic, please,” she whispered, bucking against him. His fingers found her swollen clit, and with tantalizing, slow strokes he rubbed against it, making her reach her arms behind her to grab the bedpost in an effort to ground herself. His fingers began to work quicker as he brought her closer and closer to orgasm.
“Dom,” she cried out, bucking her hips again against his hand. “Please, I’m going to . . .”
“Darlin’, come for me,” he growled, lifting his mouth off her swollen nipple, his expression glittering with savage satisfaction. Thrusting his fingers into her trembling body one last time, he covered his mouth with hers as she flew over the edge. Crying out in satisfaction, her body convulsed under him and she arched up one last time before collaps
ing underneath him.
Dominic broke the kiss, sliding down her body and off the bed. Picking up his jeans, he pulled out a foil packet and ripped it open with his teeth. Stephanie’s eyes slowly opened and she smiled lazily, arching her back in a contented stretch.
“Don’t get too comfortable—we’re not done yet,” Dominic said huskily, as he sheathed himself and joined her back on the bed.
Covering Stephanie’s body with his again, Dominic slid his hands over hers, holding them above her head as he positioned himself between her thighs. Teasingly, he slid into her, bit by bit, groaning softly.
“More,” she demanded, wrapping one leg around his waist and thrusting herself against him in an attempt to draw him deeper into her body. “Damn you, Delaney, give it all to me.”
Dominic chuckled, plunging deeper into her. They both gasped as he filled her to the hilt. He stilled, soaking in the feel of her wrapped tightly around him. When she shifted her hips impatiently, he began to move with deliberately slow thrusts, making her tremble underneath him. Letting go of her hands, he slid them down her body, the back of his hands grazing her breasts before he slid them further down to cup her hips, lifting her to take more of him into her.
Stephanie clutched his shoulders, helpless to do anything but hold onto him as he brought her to the edge time and time again. When he grabbed her hips and drove deeply into her one final time, she closed her eyes, crying out, and he followed her, her name spilling from his lips as he collapsed against her, his body shuddering in the aftermath.
DOMINIC STROKED STEPHANIE’S back as he watched her sleep, her expression peaceful. He’d never experienced anything like last night before. Stephanie hadn’t revealed any of the usual insecurities women had shown when he’d slept with them for the first time. She’d been comfortable in her own skin, and she hadn’t hesitated to demand as much from him as he had from her.
Making love to her hadn’t felt like their first time. They’d fit perfectly, as if they were meant to be together. Afterwards, there had been none of the awkwardness of the past. They’d been wrapped up in each other, content to stay in bed and just talk.
Talking after sex was also new to Dominic. He’d never encouraged it. If anything, he’d encouraged women to get dressed and leave after he’d slept with them. It was one of his golden rules. He always made sure he gave his dates a good time—in and out of bed—but he’d never let them stay over. He loathed the awkwardness of one-night stands, and he’d learned to avoid the complications of the morning after, but with Stephanie, the rules had changed. He hadn’t had sex with her. They’d made love.
Trailing his fingers down her spine, he conceded he’d never actually made love to anyone before. It had always just been sex, fueled by lust and rarely ever by the desire to get to know every nuance of the woman. With Stephanie, he craved more than just a warm body in his bed. He wanted to know her body, mind and soul, and he felt like forever would never be long enough.
He smiled when she stirred slightly, her leg rubbing against his and her arm curling around his waist, almost as if she were afraid to let him go. Turning his head to look out the window, he chuckled softly to himself. They’d forgotten to shut the curtains last night, so lost in each other. After they’d made love, they’d stumbled to the shower, and unabashedly explored one another’s bodies. Stephanie had dropped down onto her knees in the shower, teasing him with both her hands and her mouth as he’d leaned back against the tiled wall, closing his eyes as waves of pleasure flooded through him.
Shifting restlessly in the bed, he could feel himself getting aroused just at the thought of making love to her again. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of her, from the way she trembled under his touch, to the way his name tumbled from her lips as he brought her to climax. And her touch . . . he closed his eyes, shuddering in remembrance. She drove him wild.
But it was more than that. They weren’t just compatible inside the bed, but outside, too. Once they’d showered and dressed, they’d walked hand in hand to Ghirardelli Square, stopping to have dinner at McCormick and Schmick's. Over dinner, they’d laughed and talked. Nothing had changed between them since the night they’d gone to 25. If anything, they’d grown closer.
Dominic realized when Stephanie looked at him, she didn’t see him as other women did. She didn’t want his money, and she wasn’t with him so she could be seen on his arm. She had her own money, and, if anything, preferred to stay out of the spotlight. He would never have to question her motives as to why she was really with him.
This trip to San Francisco had shown him two things: one, when they were together they weren’t Dominic Delaney and Stephanie Carovella. They were just plain old Dominic and Stephanie. Secondly, that there was no pretense between them. Nothing was fabricated.
After they’d had dinner, they’d strolled hand in hand along the wharf, content in each other’s company. Talking had never come this easy for him with anyone else, not even his two best friends. She’d asked him questions no one had ever asked him, and he’d told her things about himself he’d never shared with anyone before, and she’d done the same with him.
They’d made love several times during the night, reaching for each other with a hunger that still astonished him. A hunger he didn’t think they would ever quench.
Stephanie sleepily opened her eyes, feeling Dominic’s fingers skimming across the side of her breast. Twisting her body to give him better access, she pressed her breast into his open palm, purring when he rubbed her nipple between his fingers.
“Morning,” he murmured huskily.
She met his hungry gaze. “Kiss me,” she demanded, sliding her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck as she covered her body with his own.
Dominic chuckled softly as his mouth met hers. They shared slow, languid kisses before they gently broke apart. Stephanie reached for a condom on the bedside table and arched an eyebrow silently, then kissed him again, her tongue playfully sliding over his bottom lip before she nibbled on it.
He groaned when she shimmied down his body, trailing warm kisses from his chest down to his abs. Watching as she tore open the foil packet with her teeth, he closed his eyes in pleasure when she wrapped her hand around the length of him. Stroking him briefly, she sheathed him before moving to sit astride him.
Dominic’s eyes opened as he moved his hands up to cup her breasts just as she impaled herself on him. He lifted himself up on his elbows as she leaned forward, pressing her palms against the hotel room wall. Closing his lips over one nipple, he laved it with his tongue before switching to the other. He did this several times, bucking his hips and groaning harshly when she took him deeper inside of her. He watched her face, her pleasure mirroring his own as she set their rhythm. Unable to hold back any longer, Dominic slid his arms around her, bringing her down under him as he drove hard and fast into her. With one final thrust, they both shattered, cries of pleasure falling from their lips.
Stephanie stirred underneath Dominic, her heart still racing from their lovemaking. She brushed his damp hair away from his eyes, smiling when she realized she could feel his heart racing just as quickly as her own.
Lifting his face from her neck, he leaned onto his elbow, grinning at her. “That was one hell of a good morning kiss,” he murmured, chuckling when she playfully punched him. Capturing her fist in his hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it soundly. “Darlin’, you have my permission to wake me up like that every morning for the rest of our lives.”
“For the rest of our lives . . . I like that,” she said softly, turning her head to look out of the window. Turning to look back at him, her eyes glistened with tears. “I want that, you know. More than anything I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Then we will,” Dominic said softly, surprised to find he really meant it.
“I’m not sure I can promise you forever, not when I know what’s out there. Not when he’s out there.” She pushed Dominic off of her naked body, wrapped the bed
sheet around her, and moved to the balcony door. Opening it, she stepped out onto the balcony and shivered at the chill of the cool morning.
Dominic slid out of bed, bending down to pick up his jeans and slipping into them. Walking out onto the balcony, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against him. “Then let’s not think of it as forever. Think about it as loving each other, one day at a time. Think about it as now,” he murmured, turning her to face him.
Lifting his finger to wipe away her tears, he said softly, “Stephanie, I’m in this with you for the long haul. Do you think if you can’t offer me forever, I’m going to take off running? We’re in this together. I will stand by you. I will fight with you, and hold you when your pain becomes unbearable. And if there comes a day when you have to walk away, then I won’t try and make you stay. I’ll let you walk. But know this. With every breath I take, I will make it my mission to bring you back into my arms. It’s where you belong.”
“You’d let me walk away?” she asked softly, wrapping her arms around him.
Dominic nodded, pressing his cheek against the top of her head, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist. “If I knew it was for the right reasons. If I knew he was closing in on you, and you were running for your life. I know you wouldn’t walk away unless you had to, and that you’d do anything in your power to come back to me.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes at his cockiness, a small smile creeping onto her face. Stepping backwards, she tilted her head to look up at him. “You do, huh?”
“Yeah, I do,” he said, his own lips twisting into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“What makes you so sure?”
“I know because you love me,” he said smugly. Drawing her closer to him again, he growled. “Stephanie, I’d let you walk away because I love you as much as you love me, but have no doubts, honey. I’m not a patient man, and sooner or later I’d want you back where you belonged, even if that meant dragging you screaming and kicking into my bed.”
“God, you’re arrogant,” she teased, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. Knowing Dominic would let her go while fighting to keep her at the same time made her feel a warm glow inside.
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