She’d been the sweetest thing in bed with him earlier and he’d loved her gentle caresses. Her kisses had blown his mind. His instincts told him she was falling for him. Christ, he hoped so. He was still hungry for her and had a feeling that those emotions would never leave him. If he lived until he was a hundred, he’d still get hard for her. But today had not been about lust. It had been about intimacy and caring and looking after the one he loved more than life itself. Once he picked up the phone and set in motion certain events he needed to ensure he was prepared to face the potential consequences of his actions. Doing nothing was simply not an option. Was it worth the possible risk of losing her?
Lucas picked up his Blackberry, scrolled down and hit a number.
He smiled when one of his best friends answered.
Lucas’s response was typical of their relationship,
‘Hey, Nico. How the fuck are you? I am good. Yeah, it is true.’
He grinned as Nico Ferranti crowed with laughter on the other end of the phone that his friend and supposed confirmed bachelor was indeed getting married.
‘Becca’s great. Yeah, she is a doll. How are Bronte and the kids? Yeah?’
He laughed as Nico described sleepless nights in a voice dripping with happiness and joy.
‘Listen, pal. I need a favour. I was wondering, if I can get the doctor to agree, if Becca and I could come and stay at The Hall for a few days. The paps are driving us fucking crazy.’
Nico told him not a problem and that they must visit The Dower House to see Bronte and the twins. She’d love to meet the woman who had finally captured Lucas’s heart. And what was the matter with Becca?
‘She’s pregnant. Yeah, I know, how the mighty have fallen. Twins!’
At Nico’s howl of laughter, Lucas held the phone away from his ear and shook his head.
‘Nope. She has high blood pressure. I have done nothing to cause it. She has been through a lot, Nico, and needs a break. Si, I will let you know. Oh, and Nico, there is something else I need from you. It is a delicate matter ....’
Twenty minutes later, he stared at the phone and hit another number. He held the phone to his ear and grinned when he heard Burt Lindstrom’s booming voice.
‘Hey yourself, Burt. I am good. Yeah, she could be better. Our friend Justin visited her. Remember that matter we were discussing?’
An hour and four calls later he placed the phone on his desk and released a long steady breath.
The wheels were set in motion.
As he went up the stairs to his bedroom, Lucas searched his conscience for a single sign of regret. He opened the door and simply stared at the beautiful woman sleeping soundly. The mother of his children, the keeper of his heart and couldn’t find a solitary grain of remorse.
The bastard deserved everything that was coming to him and Lucas Del Garda would sleep easy in his bed this night.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Ten days later Becca stretched like a warm lazy kitten feeling all loose and limber.
Arching her back she turned to grab her cell phone and squinted at the time.
Eight-thirty in the evening and all was quiet except for a car door in the street below. The paps had slunk off to find fresh prey. She shivered, remembering how trapped and under siege she’d felt.
Padding into the bathroom, she cleaned her teeth and cleansed her face. Feeding her skin moisturiser she checked her reflection with a critical eye. The dark circles had all but disappeared and there was a distinct bloom in her cheeks. That haunted look had gone too and her spirit certainly felt lighter as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
No wonder she looked and felt better, she’d never slept so much in her life.
She ran her tongue along the top of her teeth as the lingering aftershocks of an erotic dream warmed her cheeks. Which naturally led her thoughts to segue into wondering where Lucas was? Probably in his office or in the orangery. The glass room was his favourite relaxation space where he went to channel surf or to listen to music. Since it was Moira’s night off she’d left plenty of choice for dinner in the fridge with careful heating instructions. But was she hungry? Biting down hard on her bottom lip, Becca decided she was hungry all right and it wasn’t for food.
Over the last few days, she’d admitted to herself she was falling deeply in love with the big beautiful Spaniard and who could blame her? Lucas had been so caring, so gentle and tender with her. Maybe too caring, too gentle and too tender?
He had needs and she was very much aware that he was keeping himself under an iron control. For the eighth day in a row her blood pressure had stabilised well within normal perimeters. Sinead was doing a happy dance and Becca herself felt fabulous. An idea was taking shape and after her dream she decided to take things into her own hands, as it were.
She boogied over to a drawer and pulled out a skin coloured satin and lace concoction she’d bought from Victoria’s Secret on the internet. She’d managed to sneak it past the ever vigilant Lucas.
Stripping off her cotton skinny vest and low slung pantie shorts, she slid into the bustier. Her breasts were filling out, not by much, but for a woman who’d never had a bust it was a heady sensation to see them suddenly separated, lifted and full. Grinning like a crazy person she slid on tiny matching frilly panties. A quick slick of clear gloss on her lips and a run of her fingers through her hair and she looked like a woman who badly wanted to be bedded.
Pulling on a towelling robe, in bare feet Becca skipped down the stairs keeping an ear open for any sign of life. She popped her head into his office. His laptop was fired up on his desk, one of his Blackberry’s sat next to it. She still hadn’t recovered from the shock that he had three cell phones. No sign of Lucas. Hmm. Heading to the kitchen and finding just empty space she tracked him down in the orangery.
The sight of her very own big gorgeous male flat on his back on the couch made her drool. One leg was bent at the knee, his dark head resting on his arm.
By his appearance; damp hair, jeans, bare feet and one of his ubiquitous sweaters, he’d had a shower and was deep in relaxation mode as he watched the news through drowsy eyes. Oh goodie.
Becca had no idea how she managed to suppress the deep throaty purr of a hunting tigress.
Gliding over to the couch the scent of a clean healthy male assailed her senses. She ran her fingers through his damp hair and bent to gently remove the TV remote control from his hand. Switching off the flat screen and dumping the remote, she slid around to stand in front of him.
Dark eyes glittered up into hers.
‘Hey, baby. Not interested in the news?’ The deep voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating through her system.
Running a critical eye over his face, she decided he still looked tired and a tiny bit stressed. Well, she was going to do something about that.
He moved to rise but she placed the palm of her hand on his chest.
‘No, don’t get up. I’m not interested in the news. But I am very interested in you,’ she purred in a way that made his eyes go sharp and dark brows fly into his hair.
She pressed a finger to his lips, bent over and nuzzled his ear.
On cue strong arms wound around her waist.
She nipped his earlobe and spoke with a perfect imitation of his accent, ‘Ah, ah. No touching, Senor. And no speaking either.’
He blinked up into her face.
A big smile bloomed in his features and somewhere in the region of her heart a warm feeling heated her from within. God, he looked magnificent when he smiled like that. The last time she’d seen him so relaxed and real was the night they’d met. And Becca knew she wanted to see that face again and again.
She caught her hair in a top knot and secured it with a hair tie. Then slowly, slowly she slid off her robe.
His reaction was all she’d hoped for and more. His eyes bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped. The inhale of breath made her smile.
Her voice purred low in her throat, ‘Take off the swea
ter, Senor.’
‘Querida?’
‘No speaking!’ He blinked at her tone and bit down hard on his bottom lip as he stripped off his sweater looking to her for direction.
‘Lie back,’ she growled.
He did as she asked his eyes dancing into hers and she decided to remove the smug look from that fabulous face.
‘Unbutton your jeans. Let’s see if you’ve gone commando, again.’
His tongue ran over his top lip. He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, all the while his eyes never left hers. They were filled to the brim with a dark excitement. Oh, yes, he was enjoying this. Sure enough, he had gone commando. She didn’t bother to hide the deep purr in her throat and the sound had his pupils dilate even as a flush heated his slashing cheekbones.
‘Take them off, Senor.’
He couldn’t hide his smile now as his powerful erection bounced free and he dropped his jeans on the floor and lay back. She moved to the bottom of the couch and looked her fill of that big beautiful body. He was all lean muscle, long legs with muscular thighs. His blunt tipped erection stood thick, proud and rock hard. Her gaze travelled over the lean hip bones, a flat tummy and up over a wide muscular torso covered in fine silky black hair that veed back down in a path to happiness ending at his groin. His hand moved to stroke his erection and she shook her head. He lifted his brows and fisted his hands at his sides.
‘I said no touching. That means no touching me and no touching yourself. I think to remove temptation you need to put both hands behind your back, under your buttocks.’
After a brief hesitation he did as she asked.
She turned her back to let him see how the cute little panties hugged her bottom. He had a thing about her bottom, apparently he couldn’t get enough of it. Rolling her hips she treated him to an erotic little dance before she knelt at the bottom of the couch and began to crawl up his delectable strong body. Those dark eyes studied her breasts and a secret smile twitched the lips of his full kissable mouth.
She was going to feast on that mouth, in a minute.
Dance meant that Becca’s body was a tool she could apply to do her wishes and she utilised it now to sinuously slide up his torso like a snake. Her breasts covered in silk and lace pressed against his erection as she arched her back up and down. The tip of her tongue flicked and licked over the tip of his cock and the jolt of his body made her hum in triumph.
Humour had fled now to be replaced with something darker in his eyes. She recognised a brutal arousal. Excellent. Her mouth suckled around his groin, his balls and his breathing hitched in his throat as she travelled exquisitely slowly up past his pulsing cock to the hard flat tummy and used the firm tip of her tongue to toy with his belly button. A low groan was torn from his throat as his erection jerked against the satin covering of her breasts.
She had all the time in the world and took it to explore his ribs with her tongue, her lips and her teeth. While she gorged on a bullet hard little nipple plucking fingers played with the other, his head arched back exposing his neck and his erection was pistoned into her tummy by desperate thrusts of his hips.
‘Naughty boy. Stay still or I’ll tie you up.’
Stunned silence greeted her statement as he went utterly still. Becca risked a peek at his face. He was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. You ain’t seen nuthin yet, big boy. Lying flat out stretched on top of him, she caught his face between her hands and plundered his mouth. His shocked groan resonated from the point of contact and arrowed through her system to pulse in her breasts and hot between her legs.
His tongue attempted to plunder, to dominate, but she wouldn’t permit that.
Resting her arms on his chest she raised her head and kept her eyes dead on his.
‘This is all about you, darling,’ she informed him and felt shock shudder through him as she used the endearment in a perfect imitation of his own low rumble. ‘I am going to suck you hard. You will empty your seed into my mouth. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Senor?’
When he did nothing but simply stare at her, she cocked a brow.
Lucas swallowed audibly and gave a jerky nod. Perfect.
With the same care she worked her way back down his body and by the time she reached his straining cock his breath was coming in fast little pants in his throat.
She rose before him and licked her lips.
Lucas took in great gulps of air.
‘Bend your knees,’ she commanded.
He did as he was told with a reluctance that brought a laugh to her throat. And she wondered how far she could push him. After all it was only fair, he’d done it to her and she hadn’t complained or looked so pitiful.
‘Take your knees up to your chest.’
His dark eyes went like saucers.
‘Becca,’ her name was the merest whisper.
She didn’t miss the pleading note but she hardened her heart.
‘Do it!’
With a shaky breath, Lucas pulled his knees into his chest exposing every single marvellous part of his rock hard manhood to her hungry gaze and starving mouth.
She caught a couple of big cushions, tossed them on the floor and knelt between his legs.
His aching moan of sheer sexual frustration burned a path between her breasts and the hot pulsing bead between her legs. Her panties were already wet. Good God, who knew pleasuring a man could be such a turn on?
The swollen, hard length of his shaft wept for her.
Arousal hit her belly hotter than a shot of tequila.
‘I am going to lick and suck you. You will not hold back your orgasm. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Si,’ he said with a painful moan.
But she started with his balls, gently sucking each one into her mouth, licking and nuzzling until his cries were uncontrollable. When she finally took his length in her hot wet mouth, he nearly levitated off the couch, one foot hit the floor to anchor himself to the earth.
Becca let him get away with it since his hands were still fisted behind him.
But no matter how much she worked to bring him to completion she knew he was holding back his release.
Determination stiffened her spine as he popped out of her mouth and she sat back on her heels to study him.
Eyes tightly closed, Lucas’s face was an exquisite exercise in sheer willpower.
The corded muscles of his neck were like iron and his head was thrown back as his mouth in the shape of an O panted with desperate breaths.
Oh no you don’t. Over the past days and weeks they’d been together, he’d stripped away every single layer of the protective shell that had imprisoned her damaged and vulnerable heart. With gentle hands and a loving mouth he’d exposed her fears, her hesitations, her doubts that she’d ever find a man who could love her like this.
And he was a good man, a wonderful man and she loved him so very, very much.
‘You make me want to do things I’ve never done before. Never wanted to do before,’ she whispered.
Dark eyes melted into hers.
‘Anything you want, querida, anything.’
His pleasure was her pleasure and she couldn’t get enough of him why couldn’t he see that?
She bent and took him in her mouth and heard him groan. The sound was almost like a whine.
‘You must stop, querida. I cannot...’
Her head snapped up as temper won a battle with disappointment.
‘On your feet!’ she snarled.
Eyes dark with confusion and arousal searched hers as his cheeks heated in the face of her absolute fury.
Wincing he sat and adjusted his tight balls with care but didn’t stand.
‘Querida, please, you do not have to do this. I would not expect it of you.’ His voice was shaking now and those dark eyes slid over her tiny bustier with her breasts spilling out over the top.
His eyes went wide.
Oh, he was wildly aroused. But he was holding back, she could see it, sense it. It was fine for him
to make her come apart but not for her to do the same to him. One rule for him and another for her! Typical!
Oh, he wanted her all right. All she needed to do was find the right hot button to press.
She narrowed her eyes into slits and lifted her chin.
‘Are you denying me the pleasure of swallowing your seed, Senor?’
Those dark eyes went pleading now.
‘You know I would never, ever deny you anything, querida, but ...’
She gripped his shaft and pumped hard once, twice, rolling her thumb over the top of his too swollen penis again and again. His trembling gasp of shock made her give him a big wide smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
‘You have two choices. I will leave you high and dry. Or you can give me what I want.’ She needed him to understand how much she wanted to bring him the ultimate pleasure. She needed this for herself and for him.
With fists bunched at his sides, Lucas stood on shaky legs, tall and proud and looking devastated.
He wasn’t having a good time?
Well, she couldn’t have that either.
‘Hold my hair, the back of my head with one hand. Spread your legs.’
A look entered his eye now that told her Lucas didn’t like her tone and the tight nerves in her belly eased. She’d thought she’d pushed him too far, but he was annoyed now as well as terribly aroused. Oh good.
He cleared his throat and those dark eyes pinned hers.
‘I am a big man. I do not want to choke you,’ his deep voice rumbled in his chest.
She’d read about this on the internet. The key was to relax her gag reflex and tip back her head, breathing through her nose. She trusted him and she wanted this so bad, couldn’t he see that?
Fingers struggling to reach around his wide girth, she stroked him with a firm hand.
His hand grabbed her hair and tipped back her head as she took him in her mouth.
Dark eyes never left hers as she swirled her tongue and licked. She covered her teeth with her lips and sucked.
His hips began a gentle pump even as his jaw clenched.
A Stormy Spring Page 21
