* * * *
Much later, Jada settled into a spare bedroom and wondered for the millionth time why she just didn’t go find a hotel. Why had she stayed when she told Renzo what she came to say? He couldn’t make her stay in California, nor could he force her to let him into her baby’s life.
She started a bath, and while the water ran into the oversize tub, she added bubble bath. The gentle scent of lavender permeated the air, easing some of the stress from the flight here and her interaction with Renzo and his uncle. After stripping her clothes off, she tested the heat of the water and then slipped into the luxurious depths. A sigh escaped her, and she settled with her head resting on the back of the tub.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit she’d stayed for the same reason she came in the first place. Six weeks had not been enough time with Renzo—not nearly enough.
“You left without a word.”
She squeaked in alarm and sat up, then hunched beneath the surface to hide her bare breasts. “What are you doing in here, Renzo?”
He glanced around. “My house.”
Jada rolled her eyes. “In my bathroom. It’s mine as long as I’m assigned to it.”
He shifted with languid movements from the doorway and shut the door behind him. From the first moment she met him, he’d done that—moved without sound, graceful like a jungle cat and stealthy like one too. He’d show up from nowhere and turn her emotional balance all awry. How could a man have such power?
“You left that last day without a word,” he repeated.
Jada lowered her gaze to the bubbles, hoping they wouldn’t dissipate, putting her naked body on display. Bad enough was the fact that she was on fire with him so close and nothing more than warm liquid a barrier between them. “We agreed from the beginning that my trip was only a few weeks, and you…you said you were local.”
“I never said such a thing.” He sat on the side of the tub, oblivious to his slacks growing damp. “I said my family owns a house in Venice.”
“Let me guess, a mansion? One of several locations, I bet.” The snarky attitude didn’t appear to be lost on him.
“Yes.” His gaze dropped from her face to the beginning swell of her breasts. Jada fought between scrunching lower and holding her position. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how he affected her.
“I didn’t know you were rich, let alone owned one of the biggest wineries in existence—here and in Italy. I…you’re a billionaire, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
She swore. “That’s all the more reason I made the right decision.”
He frowned. “I don’t usually get that reaction from women.”
“From what your uncle said, I don’t doubt it, but let me make something real clear, Renzo Mariani. I don’t want you or your money.”
His eyes narrowed, and a curious expression came over his handsome features. When he slid closer, her mouth went dry. He skimmed fingers over the surface of the water, separating the bubbles. She imagined he could see a lot more than she wanted him to, and he might as well caress her with his light touch.
“That’s funny,” Renzo began, “because I know when a woman burns for me, cara mia, and you are on fire.”
“Whether I am or I’m not is irrelevant,” she snapped.
Renzo grinned. “I beg to differ.”
He bent down without warning and kissed her for the second time. Jada mentally demanded she push him away and turn her head, but instead, she arched her back and opened her mouth in invitation. Their tongues touched, and heat scorched her from head to toe. Her nipples pebbled into stiff peaks and grazed his chest. The dampness of her skin ruined his shirt, but Renzo didn’t appear to care. He dipped a hand beneath the surface of the water to thread between her legs. A cry of pleasure wrenched from her throat when the tips of his fingers teased her clit. Still, Renzo took the kiss deeper, forcing her head back and devouring her mouth. She gave it up in a heartbeat, desperate for more. Her decision to end their affair when she did had been made to keep control, but one touch from this man made it plain who held all the power.
When he raised his head at last, she lowered hers to keep him from seeing the raw lust that must light her eyes. She felt him stand and heard the rustle of clothing. Her heart hammered in her throat when he stepped over the edge of the tub, naked, to sit in front of her. She could yell, pretend outrage, and demand he leave, but the reality was she already knew what she wanted. Beneath the bubbles, he would be erect and hard. His cock was thick, and he’d stretched her so good in Venice. The day she checked out of her hotel early and flew back home, her pussy had craved to be filled with him a million more times.
Jada caught her bottom lip between her teeth and busied herself squeezing gel into her sponge, but Renzo leaned over and took the pink ball from her hands. He worked the gel into foam and then ran the sponge over her bare breasts. He didn’t even have to touch her nipples to drive up her desire. Just the act of washing her with tender movements and gentle care was enough.
He dipped his hand beneath the water and found his way between her legs. He stroked the ball across her pussy, and she had to clamp her teeth together to keep from crying out in pleasure.
“Come here,” he commanded and tossed the ball aside.
She widened her eyes. “You haven’t washed my back yet.”
“You and I both know I’m not interested in washing you right now. I want to get you dirty from head to toe. Now, come here.”
Jada shivered. She rolled forward to her knees, and Renzo reached out to help her. He grasped her hips and lifted her with strength that made her head spin. When he brought her down on his lap, facing him, she gripped his shoulders and sucked in a breath. His cock pressed into her belly. She felt his shaft extended, thick and erect. The tool twitched under her, and in response her pussy throbbed.
Renzo ran a rough thumb over her throat, up her chin, and stopped at her lips. The rest of his hand extended over her jaw, and her breath, along with her heartbeat, increased its rate. He was a master, one at whose mercy she enjoyed being. “I was not done with you.”
“I—”
He curved a hand around her hip, over her ass, and pushed it between her legs from behind. His fingertips touched her pussy opening, and she shivered. “Creamy wet, just like I like you.”
She had a moment of offense thinking that’s all he wanted from her, just endless sex, but she dismissed the thoughts. She wanted the same. The difference was she had trouble keeping her heart out of it. Jada took mental responsibility and squeezed his shoulder. “I want it, and I’m ready. Put it in me.”
He smirked, but he didn’t hesitate. He raised her hips and brought her down. She arched, and without much guidance, his big dick slid easily up her channel. This time she couldn’t hold back the cry. Her lashes fluttered low, and she called out his name. To her surprise, Renzo stilled.
“Did I hurt you?”
She blinked at him. “Of course not. Why did you stop?”
“The baby…”
“The baby is fine.” She wiggled her hips, driving him deeper, and arched so his cock slid out a little way. Reaching behind her, she found his balls and gave them a gentle stroke before she came down hard on his shaft. “Yes! We liked it like this, rough and so good, Renzo.”
His hold tightened. “We will be gentle and take it slow.”
He didn’t give her the chance to complain. His hips, grinding slowly into hers, his hand at her lower back guiding her into a controlled rhythm, stole the ability to do anything other than feel. Jada shut her eyes and sagged against Renzo. She concentrated on the sensation of how he filled her, withdrew and filled her again. He ran his other hand up her back and cupped the base of her head. She listened to his whispered words in Italian, not knowing the meaning but lost in the seductive flow all the same. Her clit swelled, and the way Renzo entered her, he brushed her g-spot over and over. An orgasm began to build inside her core.
“R-R
enzo,” she stuttered.
“Sei mia,” he responded.
She trembled and screamed through her climax. Renzo crushed her to him with an arm around her waist and a flat palm over her ass. He raised and lowered her on his cock nonstop. Their lips met, but they didn’t kiss. Desperation to be consumed by this man rose in her belly. She struggled to catch her breath. Her name fell from his lips while they still pressed to hers. He grunted and froze, and then she felt it, his hot seed spilling inside. Tears wet the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away and scrubbed the evidence behind his head.
When he was done, Renzo leaned her away and studied her face. Jada tilted her head to the side, offering him a smirk. “Do you think that’s enough for me?”
He rose up, carrying her with him. “Not at all. That was the beginning. I fully intend to possess your body all night long, and then you will rest as late as necessary in the morning.”
“Renzo.”
He set her on her feet long enough to dry her with an oversize towel. Then he dried himself and raised her into his arms. All Jada’s protests fell on deaf ears until he got to the bedroom and laid her on sheets already turned down. How many nights had he tossed her there and brought his heavy bulk down as if he would crush her? She’d loved every minute of it. Tonight, he seemed determined to treat her like glass, and that was hot too.
She ran a hand over his chest, luxuriating in the solid muscle. For a moment, their gazes locked, and she expended extra effort to hide the emotions she knew lurked in her heart for him. He didn’t need to know how she really felt. Let him think it was all about the lust that burned up her flesh and set her pulse racing. Sure, she wanted him—like no other man in existence. Her lips ached to touch his body, her tongue to taste his hot skin.
She rolled over and pushed him to his back to straddle his hips. Leaning down, she stuck her tongue out and almost rejoiced in the salty goodness of his chest. A trail over one flat nipple brought shudders beneath her. She grinned at him and brought her teeth down to nip the small peak. Renzo growled.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked in a voice hardly more than a rumble.
She played some more. “I know what you like.”
“You think so?”
She sat up and pursed her lips. “I know so.” Shifting her hips back, she bumped his cock with her ass and wasn’t surprised that he was still rock hard. Renzo usually held his first orgasm until she’d come at least three times. The man had insane control over his body. Just once she wanted to wrestle it from him and make him bow before her.
Jada stretched a hand behind her and skimmed fingers over his cock. The tool twitched beneath her touch, but she continued on until she reached his ball sac. First she massaged them in her palm and then fingered the sensitive space of skin at their base. Air hissed between Renzo’s teeth, and she dared to believe she had him where she wanted him. Just when she would have taken his cock into her hold, Renzo rolled her to her back. He pinned her to the bed with a heavy thigh tossed across hers. His positioning didn’t allow her to open her legs very much, but still he pushed a hand between them to cup her pussy. A shout of pleasure refused to be held in, and she glared at him.
“You were saying, cara?” He pinched her clit, and a second orgasm raged through her body.
“Bastard,” she moaned, squirming against his stroking fingers. Her come flowed, and she pushed at his hand, but Renzo would not be put off. He bent over her and captured her lips. She had no choice—or desire—but to open to him and curl her tongue with his. They devoured each other, she digging her nails in his arms, dragging him closer. He planted hungry kisses down her throat to the valley between her breasts. When she arched her back, he found her nipple. Just as she’d done to him, he bit down, only hard enough to entice. She gasped, and he stopped cold once again.
“Did I hurt you?”
At first Jada was confused. He’d bitten her and sucked hard enough to cause a sting in the past. Then she remembered. “No, it wasn’t too much.”
He hesitated. “I have to learn to pleasure you all over again, in a gentler way.”
She stared at him. Her blood thundered in her ears. He had to learn? He was willing to? She swallowed, trying to contain her rising emotions. “Um, that’s not necessary. We shouldn’t…”
Renzo moved off of her. “I shouldn’t have been so fast to make love to you, especially when you’ve just arrived. Get some rest.”
“What?”
Just like that, he kissed her forehead and rose. She watched in confusion as he walked to the bathroom, retrieved his clothes, and began to dress.
“You’re not seriously going to walk out now, are you?”
He paused near the door and turned to face her. When his gaze swept her naked body from head to toe, she clutched the sheets, not nearly satisfied.
“Make no mistake, Jada. I will have you, all of you, again and again, but first you rest.”
“I can’t believe you. Renzo…”
He shut the door quietly behind him as he left, and she threw a pillow, wishing it was a brick and that it had cracked him in the head. Who did he think he was? Against her better judgment she’d let him in and jumped him as soon as he’d settled into the bathtub. He had promised to take her all night, and she’d not put up a fuss. Then he just called it all off because she was pregnant?
“Jerk,” she screamed into a second pillow and shut her eyes. Well tomorrow would be different. She’d have the conversation with him that he wanted and then fly home. The fact that he was richer than anyone needed to be didn’t sit right with her. What she had to do was convince him the baby would be better off without his interference in his or her life, because the alternative did not bear even considering.
Chapter Three
Ettore studied his shoes while he stretched out on the couch in Renzo’s office, hands folded behind his head. Renzo raised an eyebrow at his younger brother, but as usual, Ettore ignored him.
“Was there something you needed, Ettore?”
His brother grinned. “Oh nothing. Just wondering if you’re really going to keep that woman here.”
“That woman happens to be the mother of my baby,” Renzo ground out.
Ettore remained silent for a few moments. “Wow, what happened in our homeland that made you like this?”
Renzo sat down at his desk and shuffled through some papers. He hitched his shoulders and rolled his head. Still the tension didn’t ease. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Ettore sat up. “Don’t you? I’ve never seen you so trusting, so ready to believe whatever a woman tells you. I’m not saying she’s lying—”
“I’m glad for your sake you’re not saying that.”
“Come on, you have to admit, big brother, you’re behaving differently with her. You came home and didn’t say a thing to the rest of us about her. Never even heard her name. On top of that, you’re always careful. Since you’re not tossing her out on her pretty little ass, I’m thinking you weren’t this time. So, I have to assume this is unusual. Aside from that, you know Uncle won’t like it.”
“I don’t give a damn if he doesn’t. As a matter of fact, he gave me an earful last night about what he thinks of Jada. I informed him, as I’m telling you, stay out of my personal affairs.”
Ettore had never backed down from him despite their age difference of ten years, and he didn’t this time either. His brother stood and walked over to his desk to lean heavy hands on it. “What you do affects us all, Renzo—in business and in your personal life.”
Renzo grunted. What his brother said was true. He maintained controlling interest in the family business, including all of their extensive holdings, from wine to beer. If he had a child, that interest would fall to his heir. If anything happened to him prior to having a baby, then it would fall to Ettore. Uncle Gianni had always exercised influence with Ettore, and if Renzo wasn’t around, he had no doubt his uncle would find a way to take Ettore’s inheritance. Renzo kept hopin
g with a bit more age, his brother would settle down. Unfortunately, up until now, Ettore considered him a rival. Nothing Renzo had attempted so far had worked to win his brother over to his side.
He had to admit he’d been deliberately lax with Jada, but he also knew she’d fallen in love with him. He had decided to give her some time before he sought her out again, but she’d taken him completely by surprise showing up on his doorstep. Her actions let him know without a doubt that she was the one. Now that she was here, he had no intention of letting her go.
“If there’s nothing else,” Renzo informed his brother, “I have to meet with a client. I’ll be out of the house a few hours. I expect Jada to be treated with the respect and care she deserves.”
Ettore shoved his hands into his pockets and turned toward the door with a grin on his face. “I’m sure she and Nicoletta will be best friends before the day is out.”
Renzo bit off the expletive he’d been about to utter. He and Ettore both knew Nicoletta would never accept Jada. The woman made no secret about the fact that she wanted him as a husband. His father and hers went back to childhood as friends, and that made her almost a member of the family. She would always have a place at his table if she wanted it, but she would never be his wife. The problem was he had always allowed her her fantasies. He needed to be plain, and right now might be as good a time as any.
Renzo checked his watch. He had a little time before his appointment. Being an early riser, Nicoletta would probably be just finishing with breakfast. She’d spent the weekend at his house because her family home lay two hours away. He left his office in search of her. As he strolled down the hall, music reached him from the intercom that connected each room in the house. His mother enjoyed soothing classical pieces when she baked with the cook. Hearing her raised voice in annoyance made him shake his head, and he took an alternate route to the sunroom to avoid passing the kitchen. The elevator motor started up, and he wondered who would be using it since only his mother bothered with the contraption.
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