Morris, Stephanie - Unfinished Business [Indulgence 3] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Stephanie Morris

Carlo studied her in silence for a moment before he continued eating. She took another bite of her own food, chewing slowly. The man truly was dangerous to her current emotional state of mind.

  This was a serious risk she took in giving him a second chance. It was a risk she was okay with for now. Clearing her throat, she spoke softly.

  “How was the rest of your day?”

  “Pretty uneventful actually. I spent most of it getting a deep tissue massage.”

  “I’m sure you enjoyed it.”

  “I did once the pain in my leg went away.”

  Concern coursed through her. “Were you in pain?”

  “I usually am. I just try to ignore it.”

  She frowned at him. “Aren’t you supposed to use a cane?”

  He scowled in response. “Yes, but it is cumbersome.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So you would rather hobble around in pain just to save face.”

  One corner of his mouth tilted upward. “I am a man, remember.”

  Daníella shook her head. “An idiot of one.”

  He gave her a wounded look. “Hey now, you are starting to sound like Amalía.”

  “Yes, well, considering she is the smartest out of all of you, it is probably a good thing.”

  He chuckled. “I think you’re taking her side because she’s a woman.”

  “No, I’m taking her side because she’s a woman, she’s smart, and she’s my friend.”

  His expression told her he wasn’t going to refute any of her statements. “Yes, well, trust me, I use my cane when I need it.”

  Her eyebrows rose at the statement. She’d been married to Carlo and knew how stubborn he could be when it came to having to do something he didn’t want to do.

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Men. So afraid to show vulnerability,” she scoffed.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say? It is in our genetic code.”

  “Well, at least you are smart enough to admit you are being an idiot when it comes to this.”

  They shared an amused look while they finished their food. When she leaned back in her chair, she smiled at him.

  “Believe it or not, I’m full.”

  He rubbed his stomach, and she felt a moment of jealousy. There had been many times when she completed the some motion herself. Her hands itched to do it now.

  “So am I. Full, but not stuffed for a change.”

  “Tell me about it. With the way my mother cooks, I tend to go overboard on occasion.”

  “Don’t we all?”

  “Yeah, well, I have to watch my weight. Not maintaining a certain weight could mean I would have to use my cane a lot more than I want to.”

  Daníella frowned. “I thought you were healed and everything was okay?”

  “I am as healed as I can be, but given the extent of the injuries I had, I’ll always have pain of some sort.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes before she could stop them. It hurt her to think that in spite of all of his suffering, there was still more to come.

  Carlo reached across the table. “I didn’t say it to upset you.”

  She nodded, trying to brush away her tears discreetly before they fell. “I know, but it is still upsetting.”

  He sighed heavily. “Well, as awful as it sounds, I can say I have learned to live with it.”

  “Regardless, it’s rotten that you had to.”

  He squeezed her hand, smiling. “It’s good to know you agree with me.”

  She sat there and stared at him for a moment before pulling her hand back and standing up. “I always have.”

  He watched her pick up her plates and carry them to the sink, then come back to get his. The entire time she could tell he pondered what her veiled statement meant, but she had no desire to explain it. Even if he asked the question, she wasn’t even sure she would be able to put it into plain words it. When he exhaled deeply, her spine stiffened in preparation.

  “Do you need any help with the dishes?”

  “No, Carlo, you took care of dinner. I’ll take care of the dishes.”

  He nodded and sat back down to watch her. This was the way it had always been between them. They took turns taking care of each other and the things they needed. It didn’t take her long to clean the dishes. Since they hadn’t messed up many dishes, she wasn’t able to keep her hands busy for as long as she would have liked.

  “This kind of feels like old times, doesn’t it?”

  “Somewhat, Daníella, but there is a small difference.”

  Her eyes furrowed together in puzzlement. “What would that be?”

  “The fact we would be in the living room finishing our drinks with me distracting you with my kisses until we retired upstairs for the night.”

  Her nipples began to harden under the sundress in response. His eyes lowered briefly. She tried to force her body to relax, regretting that she hadn’t worn a bra. Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen any need to—until now. It was one of the things Carlo had always loved about her. She closed her eyes, trying to fight the memories of some of the things he’d done with easy access.

  Her eyes jerked open when Carlo cleared his throat. His expression made it hard for her to meet his eyes, and she began to fidget full of nerves.

  “Um…it is getting late, and I need to get ready for tomorrow.”

  He stood up, his brows bunched together. She knew that his puzzlement stemmed from the fact that it was still early. Daníella’s eyes widened as he came toward her, instead of heading out of the kitchen. She saw him struggling to contain a smile as she moved away from him. Every step he took forward, she took one backward, until he had her tucked neatly into a corner.

  “Why are you running away from me, tesoro mio?”

  She closed her eyes briefly before answering. “I’m not running.”

  The only reason she was able to say it with a straight face was because she wasn’t running, at least not technically. She was retreating in a very organized fashion.

  The smile he gave her could only be described as wicked. “No? Then tell me what it’s called.”

  She answered with a straight face. “Strategic maneuvering.”

  He laughed. “So I guess I need to do a little strategic maneuvering of my own.”

  Before she could ask him what it would be, he lowered his mouth to hers. Daníella moaned. It was all the invitation he needed. He slid his tongue inside of her hot yet sweet mouth. Her hands came up, grasping at his chest as she swayed toward him. As reluctant as she stated she was about his touch, she didn’t move away from it. She never had. She never would. Her body became so aroused it ached. He ran his hands up her body slowly, not stopping until they came to rest beneath her breasts. She whimpered with need against his mouth. His fingertips rubbed her erect nipples, turning her whimper into a moan of pleasure. He seemed intent on torturing her, and she could only hope she survived.

  * * * *

  Carlo pulled away from Daníella, wanting to see her face—needing to see it. The passion he read on her face kicked his desire for her up another notch. He had to have her. “You are so beautiful.”

  She blinked slowly, and he wondered if she’d comprehended what he just said. If she hadn’t, he planned to show her. Moving his hand around to her back, he reached for the zipper on her dress. The motion seemed to pull her from her passion-filled haze for a moment, and she pulled away from him slightly.

  “We shouldn’t”

  “We aren’t going to. Trust me we aren’t, but I need to do something for you.”

  She didn’t respond verbally, but when she relaxed against him, he knew he had his answer. Carlo slipped the thin straps over her shoulders, getting his first glimpse of her perfect breasts. She moaned as he arched her backward over his arm and ran his tongue across one hardened tip. The sound was cut off by her own gasp as he began to suckle her. He lifted his mouth briefly.

  “You taste so sweet.”

  Instead of
replying, she grasped his head and brought it back to her breast. He lavished attention on her until she was writhing uncontrollably. Daníella needed him just as badly as he needed her. Only she wasn’t ready to admit it yet. He lifted his head again, and she groaned in protest.

  “Do you want me, Daníella?”

  She bit her lower lip before nodding. “Yes.”

  “Do you want my touch?”

  She closed her eyes. “You already are touching me, or at least you were until you stopped to talk.”

  He held back a smile at the sound of her irritation. “Yes, I am, but do you want my touch?”

  She hesitated slightly, finally understanding the importance of his question. “Yes, I do.”

  He smiled. “Good. Then you will have it.”

  She looked perplexed when he pulled the straps of her dress back up on her shoulders.

  “It just won’t be tonight.”

  An expression of pure shock fell over her face. Carlo pulled away from her, fighting his body’s need for her. Nothing would give him more pleasure than to bury himself deep within her body, but not when it was so obvious she would regret it as soon as it was over.

  “What do you mean it won’t be tonight?”

  He smiled at her expression of confusion and irritation. “I don’t think you are ready for my touch.”

  Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. “I thought I was pretty ready myself.”

  He smiled at her admission and the expression that appeared on her face after she realized what she had admitted.

  “Your body may be, but your mind isn’t. It would kill me if I made love to you only for you to tell me you regret it as soon as it is over.”

  The look she gave him was on the borderline of being murderous. “So you did that just to tease me?”

  “No, I did it because it is foreplay.”

  Daníella closed her eyes. “The last time I checked, foreplay and torture weren’t found together in the dictionary.”

  He laughed at the seriousness in her voice. “I didn’t torture you.”

  One of her eyes popped open. “Oh? Then what do you call this? Because I call this frustration, which can equate to torture.”

  “If it’s that bad, I can leave so you can take care of yourself.”

  Her other eye popped open. “But I’m not the one who started this.”

  He smiled at her response because he knew it was the closest he was going to come to hearing her say she wanted him to finish it. But by the time he finished with her, she wasn’t going to be afraid to say it.

  “You let me know as soon as you are ready—body and mind—then we can finish this.”

  Her groan of frustration was so low he almost missed it. Carlo didn’t know what made him do it, but he took her hand and brought it to his erection. His breath hissed out as she cupped him. A second later he pulled away, missing her touch instantly. He was hovering on the edge of insanity from trying to exhibit self-control. Looking down into her face, he gave her a tight smile. “As you can see, you aren’t the only one frustrated.”

  She shook her head slowly, but he could see less anger in them. “It does nothing to reassure me.”

  He chuckled. “It wasn’t meant to.”

  She straightened her dress before moving away from him. “I have to say you have come up with a strange plan to get me into bed.”

  “That is not what I am trying to do.”

  “I’m not sure what it is you are trying to do either, and since it is obvious I’m going to have to take care of myself tonight, I don’t have time to try to figure it out.”

  He wanted to reply to the threat, but he knew it would be better to keep silent.

  “Then I shall be leaving.” He turned to leave but paused. “Will you be at breakfast in the morning?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but I’ll call you early enough if I decide to.”

  “That is fine. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  “I’m sure I will,” she murmured.

  Carlo headed for the elevator fighting the temptation to look back. It wasn’t until he pushed the button to call the elevator that he looked back toward Daníella’s door. A smile came to his face when he saw it was already closed. As he thought about what she might be doing behind it, he groaned. It was going to be a long night for him, but for once he didn’t mind.

  Chapter Six

  Daníella frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She was too worried about her appearance, and she didn’t like it. Maybe she should have gone to breakfast this morning. Then she wouldn’t be so concerned about looking like she had a good and restful night when she hadn’t. Unfortunately, she had tossed and turned all night, finally making it to sleep, only to have the alarm go off what seemed like minutes later. As much as she wanted to blame it on sleeping in the guest room on an uncomfortable bed, she couldn’t. The guest bed was as comfortable as her soon-to-be discarded one was.

  After calling Carlo with a lame excuse as to why she wouldn’t be making it to breakfast, she’d gone back to sleep. Thankfully, she had the day off and slept for a several more hours until she was awakened by the delivery of her new bed. The new bed had been set up and the old one taken away. It had taken her the rest of the day to reorganize her room the way she wanted it, but she had managed the feat. Now she was getting ready for dinner with her family and trying to make herself presentable. Otherwise Carlo would realize just how much his touch had affected her last night.

  The result was her failed attempt at self-pleasure. It was a large part of the reason as to why she’d tossed and turned all night. After glancing in the mirror again, she made the determination she was presentable, or at least as presentable as she was going to get. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax. It wouldn’t be long before Carlo arrived to pick her up. Gathering up her purse, she headed downstairs. The doorbell rang as her foot hit the last stair. The corners of her mouth curled upward. As usual, Carlo was punctual. Daníella opened the door and was instantly blown away. Carlo stood there looking so sexy it made her heart skip several beats. The blue, long-sleeve silk shirt went well with the charcoal slacks he matched them with.

  Carlo looked like he had stepped off of the cover of a magazine. Then again, he normally did. She smiled at him in greeting.

  “Ciao.”

  “Ciao, bella.”

  Her smile widened. “Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes, I just need to lock up.”

  He moved to the side, allowing her to exit the apartment first. As she locked up, it was a struggle to keep her hands from shaking. The last thing she wanted him to assume was she was nervous because of him when it was really due to her family. Her nerves had really kicked in when she started getting ready. Luckily it had been her day off, or she would have had a tougher time preparing for dinner.

  Carlo escorted her toward his car. As weird as it was, his steady hand on her elbow seemed to calm her nerves slightly. When they arrived at her parents’, it was early, but somehow they were the last to arrive. It figured that everyone would arrive early in order to get a glance at her mystery guest. They were in for a shock when they saw who it was.

  Carlo came around and opened her door. He held his hand out to her with one of his sexy smiles in place. “You ready to be the talk of the evening?”

  She gave a slight nod. “As ready as I can be.”

  They walked up to her parent home together, her focusing on taking calming breaths. She rang the doorbell, allowing Carlo to pull her close as he placed a kiss on her forehead. A second later the door swung open and an excited squeal reached her ears. Daníella looked at Silvana in shock as she threw herself at Carlo, barely giving him time to brace himself.

  The rest of her family appeared to see what the commotion was about. Soon she and Carlo were surrounded by everyone in her family, who seemed to be talking a mile a minute. Here she had been worried about what her family
would think about bringing Carlo back into her life. If she didn’t know any better, she would say both of their families had been sitting around waiting for them to get back together.

  “So, have you guys eloped?”

  Her younger sister’s response helped her to find her tongue. “Silvana, you need to lay off whatever it is you have been drinking.”

  She earned herself a round of laughter from everyone. Carlo came to the rescue.

  “No, Silvana, we haven’t eloped. We are actually in the process of trying to figure out if we want to give our relationship another try.”

  Nikkía gave them a confused look. “What is there to think about? You guys are good together.”

  Carlo looked directly into Daníella’s eyes. What she saw there made it hard to look away from him.

  “I know that now. Unfortunately, I did something stupid to make your sister doubt it.”

  Carlo smiled. “Now, I have to prove to her what we had isn’t a fluke and can’t be found just anywhere.”

  Daníella forced herself to tear her gaze away from his before she made a fool of herself. He had a way with words that made her think—sometimes about things she didn’t understand, things she wasn’t sure she wanted to comprehend.

  “Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I’m starving,” Daníella stated.

  Silvana elbowed Nikkía in the side. “Uh-oh. We must be talking about something that Dani doesn’t want to discuss. She’s changing the subject.”

  Daníella gave her sister a heated looked. “Gaetano, you might want to quiet Silvana down before she gets herself into trouble.”

  Gaetano only laughed and took Silvana by the elbow. “Come on, darling. I have to say I’m hungry myself.”

  Daníella sighed in relief when everyone began making their way toward dining room. She stood back, calling her mother’s name softly.

  “Can I talk to you for a moment, Mama?”

  Carlo gave her a questioning look, and she gave him a reassuring smile. “Go ahead and go in. Mom and I won’t be long.”

  She could tell Carlo didn’t want to, but he did, and she gave him credit for it. Her mother came over to stand by her. Once everyone was out of earshot, Daníella spoke.