Storm & Seduction (Warriors of the Wind Book 2)
Page 13
Antonio hauled her closer. “Luca, Soren, this is Sophia. She’s mine.”
Luca gave her a small nod. The still-silent Soren inclined his head.
“She is a talented art restorer and historian. A gorgeous, brave woman. An Aurae descendant who helped me defeat Corus.”
There were swift inhales from Antonio’s brothers.
“And the woman I’m falling in love with.” He smiled down at her. “And the mother of my child.”
The warm glow in his eyes made her heart swell. “I’m falling head over heels for you, too.”
“Child?” Soren said, his accent a little thicker than Antonio’s.
Antonio nodded. “It just happened.” He touched her belly. “A bambino.”
“Or bambina,” Sophia added.
Something close to wonder crossed Antonio’s face. God, she could picture him with a tiny, pig-tailed girl in his arms.
“That’s wonderful news.” Luca hugged his brother. Soren followed suit.
Sophia let the brothers have their moment. As she studied Antonio’s brothers more, her stomach tightened. Luca was tense. He reminded her of a caged predator, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Soren was quieter but his eyes spoke of stormy misery, and lines were etched on his face.
These men still had fights ahead of them, and she knew just how hard the Tempest Winds would make it for them.
“So, Sophia is Aurae,” Luca said.
She nodded. “I never knew. Although I’ve always been interested in the legends of the Warriors of the Wind.”
“She even called her breeze,” Antonio added.
“Once, and I wasn’t exactly in control of it. It was while Antonio and I…” she drifted off, feeling heat in her cheeks.
Luca’s lip quirked and Soren smiled.
“Thank you for helping my brother,” Luca said. His face darkened. “Soren and I have to go. Caecius and Apeliotus will work even harder to win now that they’ve lost the other two Tempest Winds.”
Sophia didn’t stop to think. She stepped between the men and grabbed their wrists. “Good luck and be careful.”
As she watched, the lines eased on Soren’s face and something warmed in Luca’s eyes.
“Dio, my head is quiet for the first time in weeks,” Luca muttered.
Soren’s gray eyes smoothed out, and he pulled in a breath. “Thank you, lovely Sophia.”
Then the men stepped back and with a nod, they turned into the wind and streamed into the night sky.
Antonio wrapped his arms around her. “Grazie, for giving them a moment of peace.”
“It was the least I could do.” Then she realized he was holding her with both arms. “Your arm!”
“It’s already healed.”
She released a breath. “Good.”
“Now, it’s time for a shower.”
She groaned. “That sounds so good.”
He nuzzled her throat. “Care to join me?” His body pushed against her and she felt the brush of his hard cock against her belly.
Sophia laughed. “Something tells me you really are feeling better.”
***
Antonio walked down the hall in the museum, nodding at a few employees that he passed.
It had been a week since he’d defeated Corus. A week since Florence had returned to normal.
A week since Sophia had moved into his home and become his.
He grinned and saw another passing employee eye him curiously. He didn’t care who knew how damn good he felt.
The only blot on his happiness was that Luca and Soren were still hunting. With each day, he heard the strain in their voices growing.
He quietly opened the door to Sophia’s workroom and then leaned against the doorway. Dio, he’d be happy to watch her for hours.
She was leaning over her worktable, her concentration on the painting she was restoring. Her dark hair was swept up in a neat twist, and she was wearing another of those fitted skirts that drove him crazy. This one was gray, topped with a pale pink shirt.
Silently, he moved up behind her, then he bent down and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.
She jolted, then turned her head, a smile on her lips. “That must be my super-hot Italian boyfriend.” When he nipped her skin, she gasped. “You’d better not let my boss see you here.”
He pressed a hand to her belly. “How’s my bambino today?” An image of her swollen with their child flashed in his eyes.
“She or he is fine, I’m sure.”
Antonio leaned over her and picked up the painting. He swiveled and set it safely on the nearby shelf.
“What are you doing?” Sophia started to turn.
He stopped her, trapping her against her worktable. “I’ve imagined fucking you on this table so many times.”
Her breath hitched. “Really?”
Antonio’s cock hardened. It didn’t take much when he was around her. “But it won’t just be fucking.” He started peeling her skirt upward.
“What will it be?” she asked.
“I’ll love you. With everything I have, cara.” He bunched her skirt around her waist. “Have I told you how much I love these skirts?”
“A few times.” Her voice was breathy.
He slid her panties down, then delved his hand between her legs. He pushed her forward over the table, covering her so her spine was pressed against his chest. He ground his cock against her ass. “You are the most exquisite female I’ve ever known.”
“Hmm.” She pushed back against him, rubbing seductively. “Now say it in Italian.”
He laughed. He loved being with her. With Sophia, sex was never the same—sometimes fast and intense, sometimes slow and sensual, sometimes a rough, wild ride. And sometimes, like now, it was filled with love and laughter.
He ran his hands over her, whispering in Italian all the things he wanted to do to her. He flicked open her shirt and cupped her breasts, then he slid his hand down her belly, and dipped his fingers between her thighs. He eased a finger inside her, listening to her small breathy cries.
“You’re so wet, Sophia. Is this for me?”
When he found the little nub nestled in her folds, he thumbed it, and she jerked against him.
“Yes! Please, Antonio, I want you inside me—”
“Not yet, cara. Come for me first.”
One more flick on her clit and her release hit. Her back arched, her throaty cries echoing in the small room.
Need roared through him. He had to have her. He quickly opened his trousers, freeing his aching cock. He leaned forward, watching the blunt head rub through the crack of her ass. He clamped a hand on her hip and then sank his cock inside her warmth.
She moaned and he gritted his teeth to keep from coming there and then. She felt so good. His own private heaven.
He surged in and out of her, feeling her ripple around his cock. He watched her lovely profile, seeing all the emotions cross her face. A life spent watching that face, being able to wake up to it every day, would make him the luckiest man alive.
A small, flirty breeze caressed his face and ruffled his hair. He smiled. She was still learning her powers, and he loved teaching her. He felt the pressure building at the base of his spine. He wasn’t going to last much longer.
Suddenly she gasped, her body clamping down on him. As she moaned through another orgasm, his own climax rocketed through him like a hurricane.
He shouted, his fingers digging into her hips.
He collapsed over her, pinning her to her worktable. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and was rewarded with a tiny moan.
“I love you, Sophia,” he murmured.
She turned her head and he saw her smile. Her cheeks were flushed. “Lucky, because I’m going to get big soon, and I expect you to cook for me and give me foot rubs. You know, spoil me rotten.” She ran a finger down his nose. “And I’m at least ninety-nine percent in love with you.”
He smiled. “I’d better get to work making you fall that last percent
.
She pressed her lips to his. “I knew the moment I saw you that you’d seduce me.”
He kissed her back. “Into my bed, into my life, into my heart.”
Antonio held Sophia tight—his heart, his soul, his mate. With her by his side, he’d never be a victim to his vice again. He sent a silent prayer out for Luca and Soren. More than anything, he wanted the Tempest Winds defeated and his brothers free of their torment.
For now, all Antonio could do was focus on making his life together with Sophia. And ensuring their child would only know love.
---
I hope you enjoyed Antonio and Sophia’s story!
The stories of the Warriors of the Wind were some of the first stories I ever wrote and published. I wanted to mix action, mythology, and romance into sexy, short reads. I am so excited to have the chance to give them a little polish and release them again.
Warriors of the Wind continues with FURY & DARKNESS, which contains two novellas, one starring Luca Venti, Warrior of the North Wind, and the other starring Soren Venti, Warrior of the East Wind. Read on for a sneak peek of Luca’s story, Fury. FURY & DARKNESS is coming August 2017.
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Sneak Peek: Fury
(from Fury & Darkness)
“Everyone out.” Luca Aquilon Venti thrust his hand toward the door. “Now.”
At his sharp command, the employees sitting around the large boardroom table either froze or shifted uneasily. Luca scowled. His people at the head office of Venti Enterprises Rome were used to his fierce temper and abrupt orders, but the employees at Venti Enterprises Venice were not.
“Out.” He watched as looks of shock were quickly smothered. Folders were closers, papers shuffled, then they filed out.
All except one.
Steady, cool green eyes watched him. Her stylus was poised over her tablet. “Is there anything else you require today, Signor Venti?”
Even his new personal assistant’s voice was cool with the faintest tinge of an English accent. His fingers curled. Damn, Pietro for falling ill. Luca didn’t want to break in a new personal assistant. Especially one who inflamed his already stretched temper. He had enough problems without also wanting to mess up her sleek swing of chin-length red hair. Or to get some sort of reaction out of her. Any reaction.
He’d yelled at her plenty of times this week and she’d barely blinked.
Si, something about Rayne Santini rubbed him the wrong way. Although during the last six weeks everything had rubbed him the wrong way.
Rayne crossed her long legs, the movement catching Luca’s attention. Her gray suit was stylish but hardly provocative. Still, it fired something in his blood. Something he knew he didn’t have time for right now. He shoved his chair back and stood. He grabbed his jacket and shrugged into the tailored garment. “No. I’m going for a walk.”
“As you wish.”
Dio, that frosty tone grated. What would it take to see a bit of fire in this woman? He huffed out a breath. Not something he should be worrying about.
He had bigger problems. Like tracking down the evil Northeast Wind, Caecius. Cazzo, it had been over a month and a half since the Tempest Winds had escaped from them prison and the Keeper of the Winds, Luca’s brother, Lorenzo.
So far, two of his brothers, Dante and Antonio, had succeeded in hunting and defeating their Tempest Winds. But Luca’s prey, Caecius, was cunning. He’d been lying very, very low like the snake he was.
Luca realized his hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were hurting. He forced them to relax. “Get the Rossi report to me in the morning.” He stalked to the door, flexing his shoulders.
He had to get out of the confines of the office and do something physical. He needed to feel the wind around him. Anything to shake off the nasty vice of anger that was eating him alive from the inside. Caecius spread the vice of the anger, and now Luca battled every day not to become the violent, furious man he knew lived inside him.
I will find you, Caecius. The Tempest Wind was here in Venice. Somewhere. He might be hidden, but he was still stirring up anger in the locals. He was pushing tempers to breaking point, causing fights, brawls, and terrible domestic violence. Luca sensed the fury on the wind.
His jaw clenched. Air. He needed some air.
“Signor Venti?”
He frowned. “I’ve told you to call me Luca.”
Rayne fell into step beside him, her green gaze on his face. “I asked if you wanted me to make the reservation at Da Fiore for the weekend…Signor Venti.”
His eyes narrowed. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was testing him…and testing his patience. “What?”
She raised a brow. “For you and Signorina Barzini.”
Dio, he’d forgotten about the leggy model who’d refused to leave him alone at the last charity event he’d attended. “Call her and cancel. Send her flowers.”
“Si.” That icy-cool tone again.
For a second, Luca wanted to reach out and wrap a hand around her slim throat. Would he feel the hot, fast tick of her pulse? Or would it be slow, even, and unaffected by him?
Air hissed through his teeth. It was the vice biting at him. He needed to focus on finding Caecius, not thinking about tangling with his new assistant. “I’ll be at my suite at the Hotel Venti San Marco, if you need me.”
She gave him a brisk nod and turned.
Instead of immediately leaving and heading into the street to search for the scent of his prey, Luca stayed there and watched the sway of Rayne’s hips as she walked away.
Merda. He forced himself to walk into the elevator. Moments later, he strode out of the building and onto the streets of Venice.
Fury & Darkness – coming August 2017
In the aftermath of a deadly alien invasion, a band of survivors fights on…
In a world gone to hell, Elle Milton—once the darling of the Sydney social scene—has carved a role for herself as the communications officer for the toughest commando team fighting for humanity’s survival—Hell Squad. It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team.
When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability.
Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.
Hell Squad
Marcus
Cruz
Gabe
Reed
Roth
Noah
Shaw
Holmes
Niko
Finn
Devlin
Theron
Hemi
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About the Author
I’m a USA Today bestselling author and I’m passionate about action romance. I love stories that combine the thrill of falling in love with the excitement of action, danger and adventure. I’m a sucker for that moment when the team is walking in slow motion, shoulder-to-shoulder heading off into battle. I write about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.
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