He bent his head and captured her mouth in a long, deep kiss that soon had her squirming on his hard thighs. “I want you to be stone cold sober so you remember it,” he murmured between hot, drugging kisses.
She nodded in total agreement. Tipsy or sober, she wanted him.
“The pleasure will go on for a long time,” he promised huskily as his warm fingers lightly traced her collarbone. “I will kiss every delectable inch of you from the top of your head to the tips of your pretty toes.”
A breathy moan escaped Georgiana and her toes curled in eager anticipation of his vivid description.
Alex’s hand slid over her blouse. The feel of his big, warm hand engulfing her breast made her nipples tighten into achy pinpoints that chafed against her lace bra. His warm breath tickled her ear. “You will feel every pleasurable sensation until you think you can’t take anymore.” His tongue flicked her earlobe as his fingers tweaked her taut nipple and gooseflesh spread over her entire body. “But you will.”
His lips brushed against her neck and trailed kisses along her ear, taking her earlobe into his warm mouth and biting it slightly. An uncontrollable shudder wracked Georgiana as erotic heat overcame her.
“I will?” she said weakly.
“You will,” he confirmed, licking her top lip and then her lower one. The corners of his mouth kicked up as he groaned. “Baby, your mouth dusted with sugar is going to be the death of me. I can’t decide which lip is more succulent, the top or the bottom,” he said, alternately gently tugging her lips into his mouth.
She grew still. “You may not get another chance to find out,” she mumbled against his plundering mouth. He stopped kissing her and gave her a questioning look. “I won’t ask twice, Terremoto,” she challenged, elated when she saw the possessive black fire in his eyes.
“You won’t have to.” He paused for a moment and gazed at her intensely. “But it’ll be when I know you’ve gotten your ex out of your system.”
Georgiana pulled back and stared at him, trying to make sense of what he’d said. He had basically said that he was willing to wait till she had Bill out of her system. But he already was! She wanted Alex, not Bill.
“I don’t have feelings for my ex. I told you yesterday that I never loved him. He is out of my system,” she said honestly.
A trace of a smile softened Alex’s serious expression. “Glad to hear it.” His large hand squeezed her nape with just enough pressure to send tingles down her spine and establish his intent. His hand slid down to splay over her bottom, distracting her from everything but the thrill of his languid strokes and squeezes.
Hot blood roared in her veins at the feel of his arousal beneath her. Alex’s dusky pupils were dilated, but she saw the struggle in them. She needed to come clean so he’d fully believe she didn’t have feelings for Bill anymore. He also needed to come clean with her about why he didn’t want a family of his own.
“I didn’t tell you everything yesterday,” she said, releasing her pent up breath and willing her body to cool down.
She rose from his lap and sat next to him to gather her wits. But sitting side by side with Alex’s solid thigh pressed against hers was equally distracting. “My ex’s name is Bill,” she began and then paused, wondering how much she should say so it wouldn’t make Alex run in the opposite direction. “You should know why I broke up with him,” she finally said and waited for his reaction.
Tension hung in the air as he gave her his undivided attention. “So, tell me now.”
Chapter 9
Alex watched Georgiana wrestle with her feelings and all he could think of was how endearing she looked in her fit of nerves. He braced his forearms on his thighs and waited for her to gather her thoughts.
She drew in a deep breath and said, “Bill and I dated for less than a year when he asked me to move in with him. But I didn’t want to. I said I wanted to get married and have a family, not to move in with him indefinitely.” Her earnest blue eyes met his. “I told you he proposed yesterday, but I didn’t tell you what else he did.”
“What did he do?” Alex asked swiftly.
“Along with the engagement ring, he presented me with a pre-nup. But not just any pre-nup.” She bit her lower lip. “It was a mean and selfish one that said we would get married only on the condition that I would never have children.”
Whoa, he hadn’t expected her to say that. “Was this a surprise? Had you discussed it before?” His eyes searched hers, noting how they burned with indignation.
“Yes, of course,” she huffed. “It was a complete reversal of what he’d been saying all along.”
Alex frowned. “Did he say why he changed his mind?”
“He has two adult children who don’t want him to remarry. They’re convinced I’m out to rob them of their inheritance, so they told him the only way they’d accept me was if I never had his children.” She shook her head angrily. “He sided with them against me, knowing full well how much I wanted a baby.” She blinked rapidly and continued, her voice faltering, “Because…because…” She paused and took a lengthy breath. “Because I had a miscarriage many years ago.”
“You did?” Alex took her cold hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
She looked down and sighed. “Yes. I was married briefly and my marriage was annulled after the miscarriage. Zack and I were struggling art students and it was a mistake.” She shook her head. “The groom was more than happy to escape what he called a ‘burden’. Me, not so much. By the end of the second month, I had fallen crazy in love with my baby, only to lose it a week later.”
“I’m sorry, Georgie.” Alex’s arm slid around her stooped, slender shoulders and squeezed gently. “You deserve much better than Bill or Zack. Both are jackasses,” he muttered darkly. “If you were mine, I’d never let you go.”
The tears Georgiana had been valiantly holding back suddenly spilled forth. He gathered her close and held her quietly, patting her back until she drew a long, shuddering breath and buried her face in his neck. “I don’t know why that made me cry, but it was a lovely thing to say, Alex.” She hiccupped and sniffled. “Truly. Thank you,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me.” He reached in his pocket and handed her a clean handkerchief.
She blew her nose and smiled through her tears. “What guy has a laundered handkerchief that smells wonderful tucked in his pocket? Were you raised in a palace?” she teased.
“You may call me your majesty,” he quipped, grinning. “I won’t say more than it’s a by product of being raised by an Argentine father who was meticulous in everything. Even though he worked in many remote places, he always carried a monogrammed handkerchief that smelled like good cologne.”
“Nice. Very gentlemanly of him and old school.” Georgiana’s eyes were poignant blue pools as she gazed at him.
“What else is bothering you, Georgie?” he asked, wondering why she still looked troubled
She hesitated, her eyes wary with trepidation.
“Tell me,” he urged. “It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s a bit awkward, but since you’re a doctor, I’ll say it,” she said with a sigh of resignation. “The truth is…I’m a bit worried I won’t be able to carry a baby to term.” She hesitated. “Because of the miscarriage.”
Alex smiled reassuringly, wanting to somehow ease her anxiety. “It’s understandable you’d wonder about it, any woman would. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to have more babies, Georgie. I’m involved in research that helps women who’ve given up hope of ever conceiving.” He paused to let that sink in. “I’m not saying that will be you. You’re young and probably can still conceive, but there are other options.”
“That’s encouraging coming from an expert in the field.” She have a helpless shrug. “But I guess I won’t know until I try.” She swallowed hard and looked away, but he caught the wistful glimmer in her eyes. “I feel so silly falling apart like this, but I also feel relieved I finally voiced my fears.”
&
nbsp; He turned her chin to face him and his gaze penetrated hers. “I’m the one who should feel silly. I’ve been struggling with something for years and haven’t gotten it off my chest.”
“You?” Surprised, her eyes searched his. “Why?”
“I haven’t told you the reason I said those cruel things to my mother. I’ve never told anyone.” Georgiana’s eyes glowed with support, giving him the encouragement he needed to elaborate. “The week before my parents flew down for Christmas, I got a call from a woman demanding a large sum of money in exchange for her silence,” he said, disgust deepening his voice.
“About what?” she said softly.
“She had disturbing information about my mother. The woman was the wife of the physician who was my mother’s colleague and co-writer of a research book. I won’t go into details, but the bottom line is that my mother betrayed my father.”
Georgiana’s eyes flew open and filled with empathy.
“My mother refused to be extorted, so she confessed everything to my father before the blackmailing woman got to him,” Alex said through gritted teeth. “When my father and mother rallied against the woman, she contacted me and threatened to give a public interview about what she’d learned about my mother.”
“How horrible!” Georgiana whispered.
Alex dragged a hand through his hair. “It was. Both my parents were esteemed colleagues at the university, and everyone in the town knew and respected them greatly. My mother had just finished writing a brilliant research book and was getting a lot of accolades for it.”
Georgiana’s brows drew together as she touched his forearm. “What did you do?”
“I confronted my mother, and she didn’t deny anything. She said that she and my father had been drifting apart because she’d been too immersed in her work. At that point I was so furious with her that all I could think of was how much undeserved pain and humiliation her recklessness had caused my father.” He shook his head at the sickening memory. “But surprisingly, my father forgave her. He said he wasn’t going to let forty-two years of marriage go down the drain and decided to stay and work things out with her.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “That was very forgiving of him.”
“I doubt I would have done the same,” Alex said bitterly. “I had always thought they had the perfect marriage, but that was a childish point of view. No marriage is perfect.”
A small frown etched on Georgiana’s forehead. She might not like hearing him say that, but it was the truth.
She blinked, then shook her head as if to clear it. “Maybe not perfect, but some marriages are worth working at.” She sighed. “Anyway, please continue.”
“They decided to move to Naples and start over again, away from all the gossip in the college town. But I still couldn’t forgive my mother, and I made sure to let her know that I’d lost all respect for her. I can still hear her crying and begging me to forgive her. But I wouldn’t listen. I just wanted to punish her. It haunts me to this day.” He looked down and he realized his hands were shaking.
“Oh, Alex, don’t torture yourself.” Georgiana wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “It sounds like they had a good marriage before the affair. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you, their only child, to witness it fall apart.” She paused and ran her knuckles softly down his clenched jaw. “I’m sorry you had to see it, and I understand your reaction. But they also gave you a gift.”
“What gift?” He eyed her skeptically, wondering what she’d come up with.
“They forgave each other and love triumphed. I know it sounds like hearts and flowers mushy stuff, but really, it’s inspiring.”
Alex shook his head in disagreement.
“Think what you will, but consider this. Your parents could have divorced, but they decided to work at fixing their marriage. Shows it’s never too late to reconcile.”
The stark reality, which she was trying to put a positive spin on, still existed. He frowned and looked down at his hands. “It’s too late for me. I can’t make things right by them.”
“It’s never too late. Talk to them. They’ll listen.” She smiled and met his eyes confidently when he turned to gaze at her. “Our loved ones in heaven can hear us.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged and didn’t feel like speculating. He would rather be active than continue commiserating. “One thing’s for sure. We both need to do something fun today. How do you feel about riding on a Vespa?”
Georgiana’s brows rose in surprise and an eager smile appeared. “Sounds like fun. I’ve never been on a Vespa, but it’s smaller than a motorcycle, right?” At his nod, she said, “I haven’t been on a motorcycle since I took Shane’s out for a spin, and he nearly killed me when I got back.” She rolled her eyes. “He thought it was okay for him to drive the beast, but too dangerous for me to,” she said with a derisive snort.
Alex smiled. “I would have to agree with his logic. I can’t imagine you riding a big bike.”
“Men,” she said with a scornful curl of her pretty lip. “You’re all the same!”
Alex grinned. “My Vespa is an urban pocket rocket. The GTS handles fifty miles per hour just fine on I41.”
“Cool, can’t wait to—” Georgiana’s phone rang and she glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Bill,” she said, her voice laced with dread. “He’s going to drive me crazy with texts and calls.”
“Shouldn’t you just take his call and get it over with?” Alex said evenly. He was sick of Bill already.
“And let him ruin Christmas? No way! I’ll deal with him later.”
Alex nodded, though every time Bill surfaced, he wanted to deck him.
Georgiana’s phone rang again, and she answered it on the first ring this time. “Hi Mom, what’s the latest?” She listened and smiled. “Oh, good. I’m so happy you were able to get me a flight. For what time tomorrow?” She glanced at Alex as she listened to her mother. “Thanks, I’ll be sure to get to the airport early. Can’t wait to see everyone.”
After they worked out the details, Georgiana disconnected and said, “Looks like I’m going home tomorrow. If you don’t mind, there is somewhere I’d like to go today.” Her lovely blue eyes beseeched him as if she were going to ask a huge favor.
“I don’t mind. Where do you want to go?”
“There’s a great guy I want to visit.”
“Oh? Who is he?” Alex asked, noting how her face lit up fondly.
“Mr. Woods, one of my special clients. His favorite meal happens to be dessert, like me, so I want to bring him some chocolate cake. The last I spoke to him, his daughter was going to fly down yesterday from Philly, but with the airports closed, I have a feeling he’s all alone today.”
Alex gazed at her, appreciating how thoughtful she was. “Tell you what—I’ll take you to see Mr. Woods, and you come to a Christmas party with me later. Something tells me you like parties,” he said, surprising himself with his impromptu invitation. Marcos and Gabriela had invited him to their Christmas party, dangling Marcos’s grandmother, Abuelita Coqui, and Alex’s goddaughter, Maria Cristina, as bait, but he hadn’t committed to going.
Georgiana’s face erupted into a radiant smile. “You guessed right, Terremoto. I’m always up for a party. I’d love to go with you. Who’s hosting it?”
“My partner, Marcos, and his wife, Gabriela, are having an open house to celebrate their new place. And Marcos’s grandmother is in town.” He chuckled. “I get to call her Abuelita Coqui because she tells everyone I’m her adopted grandson and favorite person now.”
Georgiana’s forehead crinkled as she looked at him curiously. “Really? What did you do to earn it?”
“Long story short, I teamed up with Marcos’s sister, Marisol, to shake Marcos out of his player mode. I convinced him that I was interested in Gabriela and he got as territorial as a pit bull and wouldn’t let me near her after that.” He grinned, feeling smug. “Everyone agrees it’s because of me that he proposed to Gabriela last
Christmas.”
Georgiana smiled. “They sound like people I’d like to meet.”
“You’ll love them, especially Abuelita Coqui. The old gal is a force to be reckoned with,” he said with a wry shake of his head. “I need to gear up for her inquisition as soon as she sees me.”
“I can’t wait to meet her, but I want to shower and wash my hair before we leave.”
“Take your time. I’m officially on vacation for the next two weeks and plan to take it easy with no schedules.”
“Two weeks? Any travel plans?”
“A week here to decompress and then I’m spending the rest of it sailing on my catamaran.” He had no intention of flying anywhere. After his parents’ plane crash, Alex only took flights when he had to for business, preferring to travel by car whenever possible.
“That sounds amazing.” Georgiana paused and smiled. “About that party today…should I dress up for it?”
“No. Gabriela said it was festive casual, whatever that means.”
Georgiana nodded with a look that said she knew exactly what that meant. “Where did you put my big suitcase? I want to find something to wear.”
“I’ll roll it into my bedroom,” Alex said, smiling at her feminine wish to look pretty. “We’ll go there directly from Mr. Woods’s place, so when you choose an outfit, keep in mind we’ll be on a motorcycle. Unless you’d rather go by car. Your choice.”
“I choose your Vespa. I’m through being cautious.” Georgiana darted up from the sofa. “Today I’m just going to have fun and not worry about anything. It’s Christmas after all.”
Alex smiled when she pranced away, imagining everyone’s faces when he walked in to the first Christmas party he’d gone to in five years. And with beautiful Georgiana, no less!
Chapter 10
Alex’s white Vespa pulled into a guest parking space in the lot outside Mr. Woods’s condominium building and shut off the engine. Taking off his helmet, he turned to peer at Georgiana. “Did you enjoy the ride?”
Kissed by You Page 7
