“You mentioned last week that you didn’t always want to be a chef. What did you do before?”
She choked on her wine and covered her mouth with her napkin, making him wish he could take his question back. Lia cleared her throat. “I, um, have a degree in business.”
Not what he would have expected at first, but the more he thought about her success with La Arietta, the more sense it made. “From where?”
She rolled a carrot across her plate with her fork. “From Harvard.”
It was then he realized he’d only begun to scratch the surface of the mysterious and complicated Lia Mantovani. “And that led you into cooking how?”
She poked her polenta, scooping up a bite before laying her fork on her plate. “I really don’t want to bore you with—”
“I said I wanted to get to know you better, remember? That’s the reason I wanted to have dinner with you, not because I was hoping to get you in the sack.”
His words had the effect he wanted, and a few chinks appeared in her armor. “My dad died when I young, so Ma always had to work two jobs to support us and make sure I went to a good school, had decent clothes on my back, setting aside a little money for college. You know?”
He nodded, fearing that if he said anything, she’d lock back up inside.
“So when I was looking at careers, I decided getting an MBA would a good choice to have a solid future and maybe pay her back for all she sacrificed for me. I worked hard, got into Harvard’s MBA program, graduated with honors.”
Her story slammed to an end, and when she didn’t continue, he said softly, “Go on.”
“I met a man when I was at Harvard. George Augustus Hamilton, III, also known as Trey. One of those guys born with a silver spoon in his mouth who never had to work hard for anything.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, but the tips of his ears still grew warm. “We got engaged right before we graduated and bought a little house in Connecticut.”
Her voice cracked, and she ran her finger along the stem of her wine glass. “Trey was old money, you see, and he wanted me to be like his mom and sisters. A society wife. And I was stupid enough to think that sort of life would satisfy me. So, I stayed at home and did volunteer work and had lunch with the ladies down the street while he worked at a trading firm in Manhattan.”
He didn’t need to hear how the story turned out. He already heard the pain behind her words.
“A few weeks before we were supposed to get married, I learned the truth. He wanted to keep me in my gilded cage while he had his flings in the city.” Her fingers curled up into her palm. “After that, I swore no one would ever keep me from doing what I wanted to do. I sold my engagement ring and used to the money to go to Italy. That’s where I discovered my true passion.”
She raised her eyes to him, the fear and uncertainty shining from their jade depths. Now he understood why she clung so desperately to her restaurant.
And he was the son of a bitch threatening to take it all away from her.
Adam laid his fork down, his stomach too tied in knots to enjoy the meal. “I hope Amadeus finds one of my other properties suitable.”
“So do I.” She reached over and covered his hand with her own. “I know I’ve put you in an awkward situation, and I appreciate the fact you’re trying to work out a solution that meets both our needs.”
If she’d been any other woman, he would’ve expected her to play a sympathy card to get her way, but there was nothing fake or manipulative about Lia. And he respected that.
He flipped her hand over and examined her palm. There were calluses and scars from burns she must have sustained in the kitchen, but they matched her character perfectly. Lia was someone who’d worked hard to get where she was, so different from the spoiled little rich girls he’d known his entire life. And maybe that explained part of his attraction toward her.
He laced his fingers through hers. “He was a fool to treat you that way, to not realize what a treasure you really are.”
Her lips parted, the lower one trembling ever so slightly. “Thank you,” she whispered before unraveling her hand from his and picking her fork back up.
****
Lia didn’t know what else to say. For the last four years, she’d thrown herself entirely into her work, ignoring the one event that had started her journey to find herself. And then, just like that, she spilled her guts to Adam, a man she barely knew, and told him things only her mother had been privy to. Oddly enough, though, she trusted him.
But as soon as one burden had been lifted from her shoulders, a new one strapped itself to her. She hadn’t expected him to react the way he did. For those few blissful moments while he held her hand, she forgot about the restaurant, Trey, and everything else that had been keeping her up at night. Her body relaxed from the warmth that spread through her. However, when he called her a treasure, her heart jumped, and that gentle warmth turned into uncomfortable heat that made her breath quicken and her body long to have him touch her in other ways.
No doubt about it—she was in over her head when it came to Adam Kelly.
Lia glanced down at what was left on her plate, her appetite for food had vanished. Adam’s plate remained mostly untouched, too. Their brief moment of intimacy had now become awkward, a signal that she probably needed to leave. She took both plates without asking if he was done and cut a straight path to the kitchen. “I’ll get started on the dishes.”
The rushing water from the sink soothed her rattled nerves. There was peace here within her domain. The kitchen had been her place of refuge whenever she was troubled, and menial tasks like washing dishes or chopping vegetables had always allowed her mind to drift far away from her worries.
Until now.
Adam came up behind her and shut the water off. He pulled her hands from the soap suds. “I can do the dishes later.”
She let him turn her toward him, staring at the way he cradled her wet hands as though they were delicate and precious to him. Her pulse doubled, and a fine tremor worked its way into her bottom lip.
“I said something that made you uncomfortable, and I’m sorry,” he said as he brought her hands to his chest, cupping his hands around them.
“No, it’s not that. I’m just feeling a little....” Confused? Uncertain? Frightened to acknowledge that I could be falling for you? “Overwhelmed.”
“That was the last thing on my mind, Lia.” His breath bathed her forehead as he spoke, drawing her to closer and closer to him. “I only wanted to express my admiration.”
She took the final step to close the space between them. Her body melted into his embrace, her hands still over his heart. Time faded as she breathed his scent in and out, still unable to come to terms with her conflicted emotions. Her mind cautioned that she’d only get hurt by him, that he was no different than Trey.
But with every breath, those thoughts grew further and further away. She found a new peace in the solid lines of his body, from the firm touch of his hands as he ran them along her back, from the steady beating of his heart. This could easily become her new home.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I’m going to have to let you go soon.” He tilted her chin up, the hunger in his eyes barely contained as pressed his lips against her forehead. He ran his thumb along her lips, sending shivers deep into the lowest recess of her stomach. “I’m just a man, after all, and you are a very beautiful, very tempting woman.”
He was holding back on her, restraining the desire he obviously felt for her.
The warning bells went off in her mind again, telling her to back away slowly while she still could, but her body refused to listen. She wanted Adam. She needed to feel his lips on her once again, to have him worship her as the treasure he thought she was. Yes, it would be considered crossing the line, but she’d rather enjoy one night in his arms than kick herself for letting fear hold her back.
Keeping her body still pressed against his, she reached up and lowered his lips to hers.
Chapter
Seven
Adam sucked in a sharp breath, his muscles tensing as she kissed him. A needle of doubt pierced Lia’s mind. Had she misread him? Had she gone too far?
Then a moan of defeat came out when he exhaled, and his resistance faded. His tongue swooped into her mouth, intertwining with hers in a seductive dance. His hands were everywhere—her hair, her back, her hips. When they finally settled on her ass, he pressed her against the hard evidence of his desire.
I should stop now before I get hurt.
Easier said than done as his kisses grew deeper, hungrier, so very much like her own. The increasing pressure of his hands against her buttocks begged her to give him permission to take the next to step. Before she knew what was happening, she had jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. By the time they’d reached his bedroom, she’d removed both his shirt and her own. They fell back on his bed, her lips never breaking contact with his as the insatiable need consumed her.
Her bra flew off in a matter of seconds, followed by her pants and underwear. The rough denim of his jeans rubbed against the tender skin of her inner thighs, tormenting her in more than one way. She blindly reached for the button, the zipper, anything she could to free him from the confines of his clothing.
He tore his lips away from her and rose to his hands and knees, his chest billowing as he stared at her. “Oh, God, Lia, you’re so beautiful,” he said in a hoarse whisper before blazing a new trail of kisses along her throat down to her breasts.
He caught one of her nipples between his teeth. Her hips bucked from the exquisite sensation, moving in time with every nibble, every suck, every flick of his tongue. His weight settled over her, controlling her movements until the need welling inside broke free with a howl of frustration. “No more, please, Adam.”
His head jerked up. “You want me to stop?” he asked, even though everything about him begged her to let him continue.
“No, I just want you in me now before something interrupts us this time.”
He chuckled before kissing the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry, Lia. I have every intention of making sure you leave here extremely satisfied.”
“Prove it.” She caught his face between her palms, keeping his lips occupied while she shimmied his jeans down with her toes.
He chuckled again as he removed his boxers, kicking them off with his jeans somewhere near the foot of the bed.
His cock, now free, brushed against the outer edges of her sex. The corners of her eyes burned from the intense desire coiling within her. She’d never wanted, never needed a man this badly. Her hips protested against his weight now, frantically trying to break free and find the perfect angle where he’d fill her.
Adam reached out and whacked his hand against the nightstand. The sound startled her for only a moment before her body resumed its rhythmic undulations that broadcasted how she was more than ready for him.
“Wait,” Adam said in a low groan. A drawer slid out, followed by the crinkle of a foil wrapper. He lifted his body from hers to roll the condom onto his fully erect cock. “Now we can continue.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he slid into her with such force, her heart stuttered. Four years of celibacy had taken its toll on her body. His cock stretched her walls with a burning pleasure-pain that stole her breath away. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and waited for it to pass.
“Sorry.” Adam remained still, gently placing tiny kisses on her cheeks. “I’ll try to be more gentle.”
But as quickly as the pain hit her, it faded, leaving behind a void that demanded fulfillment. “Don’t be,” she gasped.
Despite her plea, he moved slowly at first, drawing out each stroke while his mouth kept hers occupied. Back and forth he went, his hips positioned at the perfect angle to hit the sensitive place inside. Her toes curled from the delightful friction. Her breath hitched in anticipation for the next thrust. Her hips rose in time to take him deeper and deeper.
As the minutes went on, his tempo quickened. A place deep within her tightened, throbbed, seized control of her. Incoherent words tumbled from her mouth. The only thing she recognized was his name. Over and over, she murmured it, begging him to continue, to take her over the edge.
“Please, Lia.” His voice was tight, pained as he pleaded with her. “Please come for me.”
She frantically tried to hold on to him, to keep from tumbling blindly over the cliff she was on, but her efforts were futile. She was already lost. She closed her eyes and tightened her arms around him, sucking a final breath before surrendering to the explosion inside.
****
Adam gritted his teeth and tried to fight off the increasing pressure that started in his balls and had worked its way up to the head of his cock. He had no idea what Lia’s Italian mutterings meant, but he assumed she was close to coming. He quickened his pace, so desperately wanting her to experience the same bliss he knew awaited him.
Seconds after he asked her to come, her body tensed. Her thighs squeezed around his waist, her hips rising off the bed. Her fingers dug into his back. She gulped for air, fighting him, refusing to give in until she finally snapped.
Her cry of pleasure signaled that he’d achieved his goal. Her sex clenched around him, tightening and releasing with an intense ferocity he couldn’t resist. With one final thrust, he surrendered. Heated ecstasy rushed through his veins, more potent than the finest cognac, drowning him in waves of pleasure. And yet, he still kept his hips pumping, still kept moving inside her, still wanting the sensations to last as long as possible.
Finally, it became too much. He collapsed, his body shaking and spent. Lia trembled beneath him. Her murmurings, distant at first, became clearer as his mind came back down from its post-orgasm high. He propped himself up on his elbows and found himself laughing.
Lia’s eyes widened. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I suppose I need to take an Italian class if I want to understand what you’re saying when you come.” He rolled off the bed to dispose of the condom, trying to ignore the jealous thoughts of her saying those same words to some past lover. He wanted those words, whatever they meant, to be for him and him alone.
“I—” she began before ending with a heavy sigh. “Ever since I moved to Italy, my brain has been hard-wired to think in Italian. I even dream in it.”
He crawled back into the bed, pulling the covers up over them, and lay on his side. “Whatever you were saying, it was damn sexy.”
She rolled over and grinned, bunching the covers up over her breasts in an unexpected display of shyness. “I suppose I just lost control of myself.”
“Don’t ever apologize for that.” He smoothed her hair back off her forehead and placed a kiss there. “At least, not in the bedroom.”
Her shoulders relaxed, but her smile faded as she watched him, growing more sober. “I meant what I said when I first arrived here tonight.”
He flashed back to her rushed declaration that she refused to sleep with him to keep her restaurant. His hand stilled. Why would she be bringing that up now? The events of the night fast-forwarded through his mind, pausing at the moment where he cautioned her that he would have to let go of her soon. He’d wanted her to know that as much as he desired her, he wasn’t going to push the issue of taking things to the next level.
No, she’d been the one to initiate things. She’d been the one who’d kissed him, even after he’d warned her that he wouldn’t be able to refuse her if she did. And now she was the one reminding him that what they’d just shared could have ulterior motives.
He searched her face for any signs of manipulation, any self-congratulatory smirks. Instead, he saw only fear and uncertainty. His doubts eased. Whatever had prompted her to make the first move, it wasn’t an act of guile. “I know,” he said at last.
The corners of her full mouth rose. “Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.” His body still hummed with pleasure. His eyes feasted on the beautiful wo
man in his bed. He had to be the luckiest son of a bitch in the world right now.
“You sound like you didn’t expect us to end up here.” She wiggled closer to him, giving him a sultry glance through her lashes that matched the flirtatious tone in her voice. “I thought you always got what you wanted.”
“I think this was the first time I was worried about it,” he teased back.
He ran his finger along her jaw, his confidence faltering by the time he reached her chin. A strange pressure filled his chest as he looked into those deep green eyes. He could fall in love with Lia right now if he wasn’t careful, and mixing business with pleasure could be dangerous. Very dangerous.
She bit her bottom lip as though she could see the turmoil raging inside him. It was a delicate game they were playing, one that involved both their heads and their hearts, and they’d just placed all their chips on the table.
The ring of a cell phone shattered the silence. Lia jumped back, pulling the covers up over her shoulders. Adam closed his eyes, praying it wasn’t what he thought it was.
The familiar chords of “Bad to the Bone” rocked through his bedroom once again, and Adam cursed under his breath. That was Frank’s ringtone, and Frank only called for one reason.
“Sorry, but I have to take this.” He slipped his jeans on and waited until he was in the living room before fishing his cell out of his pocket and answering, “This had better be important, Frank.”
“Would I bother you if it wasn’t?” his younger brother asked. “I’m in a bit of a bind, and I sure could use your help.”
Adam sank down on the couch and pressed his palm against his temple. What had started out as a dream evening was quickly turning into a nightmare. “What did you do this time?”
The sixth of the seven Kelly boys, Frank was the only one who’d inherited their grandmother’s red hair and Irish temper to match. Of course, that also meant he could turn on the Irish charm when he wanted, like now. “I was just at a club, minding my own business, when these two guys came up to me and started giving me a hard time for flirting with one of the girls.”
The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts Page 7
