“Not really, but you’re right, you’ve had the worst luck with that place ever since you bought it. I wouldn’t be surprised if a swarm of locusts really did descend on it.”
“Nor would I.” His hair-sprinkled wrist peeked out from beneath his shirtsleeves as he ran his hand over his dark hair. She jealously eyed the movement, wishing it was her hand touching the silky strands instead. “That will probably happen right before they discover the entire place was built on a volcano, and then the volcano erupts, destroying only that property and nothing else around it.”
“A volcano? In the middle of Sao Paulo?” She giggled, letting loose the tension from earlier.
He shrugged, keeping a straight face, which was what made his comments even more comical. “Why not? It’s obvious we should expect the unexpected when it comes to that place.”
We.
It may have been a slip of the tongue and meant absolutely nothing, but it warmed her heart nonetheless.
And then she saw it…a smile. She latched onto it, smiling back, her heart soaring. The smile, the conversation, and the sudden softness in his eyes were a peek back into their old life, stirring memories of how they used to talk and joke and laugh.
She missed their old life so much.
The phone rang again, stealing that moment, but she’d never forget it.
Maybe all isn’t lost yet.
They were a few miles from SDG when he ended the phone call.
“Will you have to go there?”
Renaldo shook his head. “They can handle it without me. I—”
All of a sudden, the car swerved. Horns blared.
He looked out the window to see a truck barreling toward them.
He didn’t have much time to think. He moved fast—faster than he could ever remember moving before in his life. There wasn’t enough time to warn Sabrina—only time to act. He dragged her into his arms, the action instinctive. With barely a second to spare, he pushed her face down to the floor and blanketed her body like armor, stifling the cry of alarm on her lips.
The vicious force of thousands of pounds ramming into them crunched the metal casing of the limo and bowed the interior. Broken glass rained on Renaldo and the leather seat. Sabrina screamed under him as the car skidded down the street before it abruptly stopped when it slammed into something else.
They froze on the floor, their breaths coming short and fast. He could feel her shaking beneath him.
Finally, he eased his hold. She twisted her head to look back at him. “Are you all right?” he asked. His heart was beating so fast and loud he could barely hear himself speak.
She nodded, her fear-filled eyes locking with his.
They rose from the floor and stumbled out of the damaged vehicle. Renaldo carefully removed remnants of glass from his suit and surveyed the wreckage. They’d hit another car.
Once he knew Sabrina was safe, he checked on his driver. He seemed rattled after he climbed from the car, but, thankfully, unhurt.
“I didn’t see it in time,” his driver said in a dazed voice. “I didn’t have time to—”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Renaldo checked on the owner of the vehicle they had hit. He was also unhurt.
Their accident had caused other cars to collide, too. The intersection was a mess. He stared at the wreckage of the limo. Deus. The truck had smashed in the side of it where Sabrina had been sitting. She could’ve been seriously injured, maybe even...
He couldn’t finish the thought. It was one thing to lose her from his marriage, quite another to lose her from this world.
Spectators rushed over to them, but he kept his eye on the truck driver, who was apologizing profusely to anyone who would listen.
Renaldo didn’t know when he started moving, but the next thing he knew, he’d walked around the limo and had the other man by the collar. He shoved him into the door of his truck.
“You damn fool! You could have killed her!”
He cursed at the other man and gripped his lapels in a tight grasp. The man trembled, his eyes wide as Renaldo continued to verbally ream him.
“Renaldo!” Sabrina’s voice pierced the cloud of his anger. Her fingers clutched his thick bicep as she tried to pry him off the man. “Stop!”
He was so worked up it took a moment for her words to completely penetrate. Breathing heavily, Renaldo finally released the driver. He cupped her face in his hands. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He’d asked her already, could see she was fine, yet he needed the reassurance.
“Yes,” she said. “You saved me.”
Graças a Deus!
He pulled her to him, holding on tight, probably tighter than he should. He rubbed her back, needing to touch her, needing to be sure she truly was fine.
They stood in the midst of the chaos with the other victims, traffic backing up all around the intersection, holding each other until the first police car pulled up. An ambulance followed, then a fire truck.
They spoke to a paramedic who suggested that they go to the hospital to get checked.
“I’ll have our personal physician check us,” Renaldo replied.
The paramedic walked away and Renaldo spotted their driver talking to a police officer, and he didn’t want him to have to answer questions on his own. He took Sabrina by the arm, just below the elbow, and walked her over to the side of the road. “Stay here while I talk to the police. Then I’ll take you home.”
She nodded, and he squeezed her arms before walking back into the fray.
Home.
He’d said the word as if nothing had changed.
He rejoined his driver to answer questions. But every few minutes while he spoke with one of the police officers, he’d glance over to the side where she stood waiting for him, as if subconsciously he expected her to disappear at any minute.
He couldn’t wait to get her home.
Chapter Ten
Sabrina let down her hair and absent-mindedly finger-combed it into order, her thoughts still on the accident.
Their personal doctor had met her and Renaldo at the penthouse and given them a thorough examination. He advised there might be some soreness the next day, but neither of them had any injuries.
It scared her to think how fortunate she was that she wasn’t on her way to the hospital, like one of the people who’d left the scene in an ambulance.
Was she overreacting? Her nerves still felt fragile and a stark look of fear hovered in the eyes staring back at her in the full-length mirror. Surely it was understandable since her life had flashed in front of her. If Renaldo hadn’t moved so quickly, she’d be…
She tried to get rid of the sobering thought, but the image of the crushed limo wouldn’t allow her to. If he hadn’t dragged her into his arms, it was quite possible she’d be dead now.
Had she even thanked him? She couldn’t remember.
He’d been so gentle afterward, keeping an arm around her almost constantly, as if prepared to rescue her again if another out of control vehicle should suddenly appear. The scent of him adhered to her clothes, and the soothing touch of his hands clung to her skin.
Sabrina slipped out of her shoes and left her room, going to the door of the master suite. After she knocked, Renaldo’s voice called her in. He sat at the foot of the bed, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees. She felt like an intruder disturbing his sanctuary.
Everything looked exactly the way it had before she’d left. All but the bed. Like the last one, it appeared to be hand-carved from ipe, Brazilian walnut, but it was different. He’d bought a new bed, and the realization cut through her like a knife. He hadn’t wanted to sleep where they’d slept.
Where she’d slept with Mateo.
A fresh round of regret threatened to choke her. How could she have cheated on him? It didn’t make sense. She loved Renaldo.
Her eyes skirted the door to the bathroom, where they had made love so many times in the shower or the massive sunken tub custom made to accommodate his height.
>
He’d tossed his suit jacket haphazardly on a chair near the bed. She always used to get on to him about leaving his clothes lying around like that and giving Vera more work to do. It only took a few more steps to put them in the right place, but he never seemed able to get that far.
She missed giving him a hard time and having him call her a nagging wife. Then she’d tell him he was spoiled, and he’d grumble that if he were really spoiled he’d be able to do whatever he wanted in his own home.
Hesitantly, she walked further into the room. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. I’m a big man, and I’m filled with muscle.” His joke was met with a half-hearted smile.
“I wanted to check on you.”
As Sabrina came closer, Renaldo felt a wave of tension overtake his body. She was here, in his—their bedroom. He’d meant to change his clothes, but after the doctor left, he’d found himself sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, still shaken by the thought of losing her.
“I wanted to say thank you,” she said softly.
He couldn’t respond. Her scent had him wanting to shed the rigid control he’d barely held onto since kissing her in the alley. For six weeks he’d forced himself not to see her or speak to her. But he’d missed her every single day and every single night of their separation. And now she was here, in his life, in his car, in his bedroom, and he didn’t want to let her go.
What good had the strict no contact rule done? From the moment he’d seen her again, he’d known he wanted her and had found a way to bring her back here.
He’d always thought of himself as progressive in thought and attitude. Yet his feelings for Sabrina made him feel anything but progressive. They made him feel primitive and possessive.
Him, a modern and open-minded man, had forced her to come back here using caveman tactics.
“How does your hand feel?” She took his hand, and with gentle fingers traced the scratches made by the broken glass.
“Fine.” The cuts were small. She was using them as an excuse to touch him.
He knew it. She knew it.
Her light brown gaze lifted to his mouth. It was a visual caress.
She licked her lips, and he traced the movement with feverish intensity. When she looked him in the eye again, there was no mistaking what he saw. She felt the same thing he did—a compulsion to touch—a need to feel closer.
“You’re not here to check on my hand.”
“Well, not just your hand.” Her voice had a breathy quality to it, and the hardened nipples pressing against her silk blouse confirmed his thoughts. She wanted him. “I was worried about you, Renny.”
Renny.
Why did she continue to call him that when he’d told her not to? It was too intimate. Too familiar. The sound of it chipped away at his resolve. He ground his teeth together and felt the muscles bunch in his jaw.
Only Sabrina called him by that nickname. Every time he’d brought her to orgasm, every time he’d made her laugh, every time she’d scolded him, and every time she’d looked at him with what he thought was love in her eyes, he’d been Renny.
He missed being Renny.
His fingers curled around her wrist and her pulse thumped beneath his thumb.
He should have never kissed her that day in the alley because he’d never been able to forget her taste. He had to have her. Tonight. Now. He stood. “Tell me you want me, Sabrina.”
“I want you.” She whispered the words without hesitation.
He reached for her and tore open her pretty blouse, popping the buttons and tearing the delicate material in his haste. She gasped and trembled with excitement. Her incredible breasts were barely covered in a lace bra that he unhooked so they spilled into his hands. They were amazing—full, round, and soft. He pushed them higher and bent his head to lick across the tips.
His hands moved down to her buttocks and dragged her hard against him, forcing her to feel the powerful erection at the distended front of his pants. She moaned in surrender as her head tipped back and her body bowed into his so he could suck the puckered nipple of one breast into his mouth. He grinded his hips against hers, his erection swelling and straining even more, eager to get inside of her body. A body that, as far as he was concerned, still belonged to him.
Clasping her to him so she came up on her toes, he made love to the caramel peak of her breast. As her slender fingers ran through his hair, he sucked hard at the nipple, causing her to whimper his name, the husky sound fueling the fire in his veins.
Renaldo lifted his head and fused their mouths together. It was a long, hungry kiss—a heated exchange during which their tongues met and tasted. His mouth tore at hers, feasting on her soft lips. He wanted to gorge himself on her. All this time he hadn’t been able to muster the energy or desire to be with another woman. Because he hadn’t wanted another woman. Only her. Only Sabrina. It had always been only Sabrina since that very first night.
“Você é deliciosa,” he whispered.
He unzipped her skirt, tugging it past her hips until it fell to the floor. She stood before him in only a pair of sheer black panties. The damn thing was see-through. He could see the cluster of curls between her legs.
He wanted to take his time after what they’d just been through, but seeing her like this drove his restraint past the breaking point. He couldn’t wait. They had to finish what they’d started in the alley.
Sabrina knew that look in his eyes, the heat smoldering there as he pulled her toward him. There was no time for preliminaries. Maybe next time. But right now, their bodies were on fire. He pushed her against the wall and unzipped his pants.
She lifted her leg to his waist and his blunt fingers dragged the crotch of her panties aside, skating across the slick, wet curls. Her body clenched, eager. She couldn’t wait to feel him drive between her thighs.
Then he forced his way inside of her. She gasped as he filled her and lifted her up. His hard length pinned her to the wall, his body flush against hers so his shirt grated against her nipples. He spread his legs to brace himself and cupped her bottom in his hands to hold her tight.
They stayed like that for a moment, each breathing heavily, relishing the connection of their bodies once more.
Then he moved. She moaned as her feminine muscles relaxed to take him—all of him. “Yes, yes…”
His big hands yanked her into his body. Like a vice, she clamped around him—arms, legs, internal muscles. He pounded into her, slamming her against the unyielding surface at her back, and she met each thrust with frenzied movement of her own.
“Yes, Renny, yes!” she encouraged, her voice a hoarse, breathless whisper in his ear as she bucked her hips.
Soon the only sounds in the room were of their heavy pants as their bodies drove relentlessly at each other, racing toward fulfillment. Sabrina felt a tightening in her abdomen and the almost simultaneous swelling of his erection inside of her. She fastened around him even more, gritting her teeth and clenching her feminine muscles to hasten the orgasm for them both.
“Merda…” he groaned. The curse was torn from the depths of his throat. His warm breath kissed her neck.
His legs shook and he curled his hands into the soft cheeks of her butt as he continued to thrust. The painful dig of his fingers caused the overwhelming sensation of pleasure to rush through her, and Sabrina exploded, throwing her head back and crying out. She trembled around him, releasing the tension and the pain of missing him for so long.
Not even a second later, Renaldo pumped with an out of control madness before his body tautened and he let out a loud shout as he also exploded. His arms clamped tight around her, and he froze with his face buried in her neck. They remained like that for a moment, immobilized, tiny tremors rippling through their bodies as they took much-needed air into their lungs.
What seemed like hours later, he released her so she could slide back onto her feet. But Sabrina wanted more. She’d missed him so much.
Ho
lding his gaze, she hooked her thumbs in the sides of her thong and pushed it down to her feet. Kicking it out of the way, she whispered, “I want to undress you.”
She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his hard chest. He caught the back of her head and kissed her again, sucking her tongue between his lips. It was erotic, breath-stealing. She could almost come again from his masterful kisses.
Pressing her hand against his chest, Sabrina pulled back. Fully aware of her own power, she circled behind him and pulled the shirt down his arms, tossing it aside with the same lack of care she did her underwear.
Overwhelmed by the thought that this magnificent body had protected her only hours before, she plied his skin with kisses, the compact muscles bunching under her lips.
“You know what to do to me, don’t you?” he asked in a gruff, pained voice. “You know how to drive me out of my mind.”
Her hands trailed down his broad back and around his narrow waist to touch him. He hardened under her stroking fingers.
He groaned like a man in pain and his head fell back. “Sabrina.”
She loved the sound of his voice, how it grew thick when he was aroused, his accent becoming more pronounced. She stepped around in front of him again and tongued the flat nipples nestled in the light sprinkling of hair on his chest. They tightened, and Renaldo drew a harsh breath.
Sabrina felt the power of being a woman, with the ability to make this strong man weak. She held his engorged flesh in her hands. It was hot and heavy. She squeezed and caressed, the thought of him claiming her made her groan mingle with his, sending a shiver down her spine.
“Enough.” Suddenly impatient, he pushed away her hands. “On the bed.”
She quickly obeyed his command, and he removed the rest of his clothes before he joined her there. Sabrina opened her arms and legs, offering herself to him, loving him with everything inside of her—heart, body, and soul.
He came down on top of her. Immediately, his fingers, tongue, and lips worked her into a frenzy of need. He thumbed her rigid nipples, making her become shockingly alert. His hand moved down her ribs, seeking the thatch of dark curls between her hips. When he found it, she arched into his caress, desperate, sighing with pleasure as he dipped his fingers into the slick heat.
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