Deja stuck her finger out at Derek. “She’s my friend, and I don’t need a punk for a man, so if this is the real you, then we have nothing else to discuss.”
Donato chuckled at Derek’s perplexed expression. “Nadja, come here.”
“I’m fine where I’m at, Donato.” Nadja held her ground.
Derek hauled Deja into his arms. “We’ll take this up in the hotel. Later, Donato.”
Donato slid his gaze to Derek. “Good luck with her.” As the newcomer walked away with Deja, he had a clear view of Nadja. Anger shone in her glare. The stinging in his eyes had receded, or his anger blocked out the smarting pain. Either way, she was a sitting duck, and she knew it. He continued to gaze at her, keeping his face stoic. “You can’t move fast in that gown. The best option is for you to get up and come with me peacefully. You know actions have consequences.” As she processed the information, his anger turned to amusement and then lust. Life with her would never be boring, and he’d get accustomed to her fiery demeanor. Who knows, pricking that passionate temper might prove fun.
“Don’t fire me,” Nadja muttered, sliding off the barstool and walking over to him.
“Smart girl.” He pressed a hand at the small of her back, drawing her into his embrace. “Firing you is the last thing on my mind.”
“What’s the first?”
“This.” Her scent had been driving him insane all night. The urge to taste her now won as he parted her mouth with his own, sliding his tongue in to taste her spicy essence. Sweet and supple, she tasted of heaven on a warm sunny day. He groaned and wrapped his arms tighter about her, pushing deeper, sealing her taste to memory. Her haggard breathing told him she hungered. Slender arms gripped his own. The background faded, leaving just her. “I can’t believe you tossed a drink at me,” he murmured, breaking off the kiss.
“I’m—”
“Shh. You’re not sorry. I saw it in your face.” He nipped her lip and rubbed her back, his hand dangerously close to gripping her sweet ass. Remembering they were at work had a sobering effect. He damned his libido and stepped away from her, but not before he made sure she knew how much he wanted her. There. Right now. Stepping away, he noticed they’d drawn attention again. Twice in one night he’d put her in the spotlight, and not the one on stage. A private man, he disliked public displays of affection or altercation. He dropped his hand.
“Donato.”
“When you’re ready to go, have them call me. I have business to attend to.” Clearing his head came first, and then he’d figure out what to do with Nadja, besides designing a strategy to possess every inch of her delectable body. If the rest of her tasted like her sweet mouth, he was done for.
“I’ll be ready as soon as I change,” she replied softly.
Donato nodded and moved out of her way.
Damn.
Watching her saunter away in the form-fitting dress taxed the last of his control. He let out a breath and tapped the bar. “Micah, a shot of whiskey.”
“Sure thing.”
He took the drink and tossed it down the hatch. The burn didn’t kill his raging hard-on for Nadja, but it helped him get perspective. “Tomas. Can you lock up tonight?”
“Not a problem. You leaving early?”
“Yeah. If there’s something you can’t handle, call my cell.”
“Boss, who do you think handled the bar while you were serving our country?
“Guess that’s a valid point.”
“No shit. You seeing the ice princess home?”
“Watch your mouth, and yes, no need for you to tail her tonight or have the cops do it.”
The response to his last order was a chuckle over the mic. He grunted, clicking off his earpiece, and headed to his office to gather his things. He couldn’t get the kiss out of his mind, or her hesitant acceptance of his takeover. One thing was for damned sure—he’d have to modify his personal rules on dating employees.
After powering down his laptop and placing his mic and earpiece in their protective case, he locked up. Nadja waited for him at his door in the outfit she'd been wearing when he'd arrived. The shorts and shirt showed more skin than the sexy dress she’d worn earlier. “Ready, doll?”
“Yeah.”
Chapter Two
Her nervousness was cute. He offered a smile. One she obviously took as non-predatory, as she relaxed and slid her hand into his. “I noticed your car wasn’t in the lot, so I figured it’s over at Deja’s. I’ll take you to your car and then follow you home.” When she agreed, he winked at her and led her to his Hummer. Buckled up and ready to go, he took her to Deja’s shop and helped her to her car. The parking lot was lit well. Still, at one in the morning, no woman should be left by herself.
Donato waited for her car to enter traffic before he followed her. Little to no vehicles drove down the quiet streets. Stoplights worked for him instead of against him. He’d have caught up if needed but took pleasure in reminding her he was hot on her tail. When she parked, he sidled in behind her.
“Oh! I didn’t know you were going to follow me to the door.” Nadja locked her car door.
“We have unfinished business.” Donato swatted her ass and followed her up the path to her door.
“Um, are you sure coming in is a good idea?”
“It is unless you’re into exhibitionism.” He grinned when she dropped her keys and bent to pick them up for her. “I was teasing…sort of.” He’d never classified a glare as sexy till just then. As she stomped up the rest of the way, he kept on her heels. At the door, he gripped her arm and spun her around to face him. “I’d never hurt you, Nadja.” Releasing her, he took the keys from her loose grasp and opened her door.
“I feel deep down you wouldn’t. Please come in.” She entered her home and stepped aside to allow him in. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
Donato inspected her décor. Warm but not too feminine. The baby grand tucked in the corner of her living room fit her personality, as did the cluttered sheets of paper all around it. The electronic synthesizer, he assumed, was for writing her music onto CDs.
Impressed, he took a seat on the couch and picked up a women’s magazine. Not interested in the top ten ways to lose weight, he grabbed the pile and found three of the biggest sports magazines on the market. They were all current too. Hot damn. He’d found a redeeming quality for her current attitude.
Leaning back, he hit the edge of something in the couch and turned to pull the item poking him out of its hiding spot. How to Seduce Your Man. Interesting. No doubt she was on the phone, judging from the hushed voice he heard in the background, so he thumbed through the book and slid it back out of sight. Why would such a beautiful woman need a self-help book on seduction? He spied other magazines holding advice on pleasing or catering to men.
A glass case filled with trophies on the left side of her living room caught his gaze. He stood and walked over. Tae Kwon Do, swimming, soccer, basketball, softball and football awards stared at him, gleaming as if polished daily. He replayed the sports in his mind, and then looked again. Football seemed out of place for a girl to trophy in. He surmised it must be a school trophy or a souvenir. Her name didn’t grace the front as it did on all the other ones.
“Sorry about that, Taleena was apologizing for not being at the club tonight.”
Donato walked back over to her couch. “She and Jason get caught up?”
“Yeah. He apparently had other plans.” She sat down on the edge of a cushion. “Would you like a tour?”
“No, thank you. Come here.” He patted his leg with a smile. The sight of her long legs straddling him brought him to half-mast for the second time that night. “So sweet, and lovely. Skin so smooth should be a crime. There’s an exotic air about you I can’t place. Your hazel eye color is mesmerizing. But it’s the faint accent you hide so well that drives me wild,” he said as he caressed her thigh and rested his hand on her hip.
“I get it from my mama. She’s Brazilian and my father
is black. Everyone has an accent.” Heat radiated from her core onto his crotch.
“It’s beautiful.” He was silent a moment before speaking. “I haven’t got you figured out yet. Something’s missing.”
She went stock still at his words. Intrigued, he studied her thawing composure, hurt mixed with confusion, all written across her face.
“You saw me home. You don’t have to stay,” she whispered and looked away from him.
“Nadja. I’m here because I want to be. Why would I leave?” He stroked her back in an effort to loosen up her tense body. His dick screamed at him to get her naked. His brain, on the other hand, told him they needed to have a short chat before he could slide into her sweet-smelling pussy.
“I’m not—never mind.”
“What is it? Hmm. I’m a patient man, and we have all night.” He tapped her mons over her shorts and pinched her nub. Through the fabric he could feel her contract. At her indrawn breath, he knew he had her.
“You don’t play fair.”
“I don’t like waiting for answers.”
“You’re intrusive.” Nadja wiggled on his lap.
“Part of my charm. “
“Can’t we just get on with it?” She pouted and rubbed brazenly on him, slipping her arms around his neck and pressing her breasts against his chest.
“Is that what you want? To be dicked down, a one-night stand?”
“That’s vulgar.”
“Doll face, we’ve been dancing in the same circle for over a year, longer if you count my visits home from abroad. Your choice is a quickie right here, right now, or communicating and receiving more than a simple fuck.”
Unclasping her halter top, he grazed her neck with his stubble. “Don’t think too long on it, doll.”
“I’m not sexy,” she snapped and rose up to climb off his lap.
“You expect me to believe that?” he quipped, jerking her back down, his finger stroking her side.
“I don’t rightly care what you fucking think.”
He liked her hissing like a mad kitten. So much spark and fire added to the lively woman he hoped to unleash before the night was over. “Anger becomes you. Apparently there’s a raw nerve there. Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why aren’t you sexy?”
“Why are you an asshole?”
Donato took pleasure in knocking the ice princess status off her. He wanted her riled up and admired the gumption it took for her to yell at him. Seconds passed as he waited for her to strike him or scratch his eyes out, but she didn’t. She just let those smoldering orbs flash at him. With the stubborn tilt of her chin, he surmised she was having a hard time picking her words. He slipped his finger under the hem of her short shorts to her wet heat. Sliding a finger into the tight space, he wiggled and withdrew, sticking the digit in his mouth. “Tastes damn deliciously sexy if you ask me.”
“You don’t have to be cruel.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “Every guy I’ve dated has dumped me for my lack of being feminine.”
Donato froze at the sight of the dam bursting, tears he wasn’t prepared for. But the pain that lurked in the shadows behind them bowled him over, a direct punch to his gut. “Tell me.” He kissed her neck and continued to caress her body. How she believed she held no sex appeal he couldn’t fathom.
“I wear hockey jerseys to bed, not lingerie. I scream at the television when a ref screws up a call. I know football, baseball and basketball stats. I’d rather eat a loaded dog at the ballpark than go out to a romantic dinner. I’m not the typical woman. I enjoy lounging in sweats and T-shirts at home.”
“I imagine you can cuss like a sailor too. Will you marry me?”He brushed her tears from her eyes, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her lips. “There’s nothing unsexy about that. So what if your hobby is sports? So’s mine. It’s my luck the losers let you get away. You have a sexy body, and now that I see what you’ve been hiding, you’re even sexier. You have guts and a fiery spirit. Any other secrets or deviant behaviors I should know about besides your drink-hurling abilities?”
Nadja sniffled. “You’ll still date me?”
“Woman, unless you’re an axe murderer, I’m gonna marry you one day,” he cajoled. Her vulnerable expression softened him even more toward her. She’d been burned badly, but he’d make for damn sure she never suffered those feelings again.
“I have one more secret.” She burrowed her face into his shoulder. “And certain qualities possibly construed as bad or trying.”
“Hmm?”
“I drink beer—out of the bottle.”
“So do I. Perfect waste of a chilled glass to do otherwise.” He slid one hand through her thick tresses, massaging her scalp while placing kisses on her nape. “Now feel free to talk dirty to me. ‘Batter up’ will get me hard fast.”
“Really?” Her face brightened up.
“Yeah, you prefer wood or steel?” He stood up with her in his arms and carried her through her house. The time for talking had passed. The time for showing and exploring had come. “Tell me where.”
“End of the hall, right side.” As she gave directions, he moved and opened the door to her bedroom. He grinned big upon seeing the California king platform bed. “Now that’s a bed.”
He dropped her onto the mattress and proceeded to strip each article of clothing from her, stopping only to pay homage to each body part he bared for their combined pleasure. Hers in being touched, his in doing the exploring. “So beautiful.” He bent and placed his lips on her thigh. “Been wanting to lick you all night.” After blowing at her core, he buried his face in her sex, stabbing with his tongue to create a burning storm within her. Hands splayed on her thighs, he spread them wider, inhaling, sucking, teasing and licking to his desire.
“Donato,” Nadja whispered as she clasped her legs tight against his head. He continued feasting on her. He nipped her clit and sucked the tiny bud into his mouth, alternating between tongue fucking her and sucking up her decadent cream.
“I’m going to come if you don’t—”
“That’s the idea.” Donato chuckled from between her legs. “Come on my tongue, doll.” Moving a hand up her body, he tweaked one pebbled nipple and then the other, her plump breasts filling his hand nicely. The change in her body spurred him to hasten his tongue against her. First she tensed, then relaxed, and then tensed around him once more. Her core quivered around his tongue and exploded, filling his mouth with the sweetest cream he’d ever devoured. Like a starved man he sucked it all, every drop.
He rose from his spot and unzipped his pants. His cock, now at full staff, popped out. He toed off his shoes and slipped out of his pants, stopping only to grab a condom out of his wallet. “We’ve just begun.” Foil packet in his mouth, he leaned over her body. He took in her labored breathing, her dilated eyes, and smiled.
Nadja took the condom out of his mouth. He watched as she tore it open and placed the barrier over his cockhead, stroking him to the base. “Batter up.” She spread her legs and pulled him down to rub the head of his cock over her wet core.
“Dirty girl.” He entered an inch at a time, taking pleasure in feeling her core stretch for him, encasing him in liquid satin. Where he began and she ended he hadn’t the foggiest idea. Each stroke into her brought him closer to the edge. Tension left his body, while invigoration set in. He pumped harder, set an increased pace, jarring her body underneath him. Her soft mewls filled his ears, and her bounding heartbeat vibrated against his chest. The haunting strains of her song earlier pushed him to fulfill her soul’s needs.
“I can’t take it.”
He shut off her frantic plea with a kiss. Mated together, they teased and sucked as she moved her body under his, undulating to meet his hard thrusts. Behind his back, she crossed her legs, anchoring him to her body. He gave her the friction she asked for, still pairing his tongue with hers, sweeping her taste into his mouth, a flavor he’d never get enough of. When she came again, he fucked her right throug
h it, not slowing the pace. Under him, she writhed, trying to stop him from moving.
“Shhh.” Moving his mouth down her body, he gave her a short reprieve. He cupped her breast and thrust slower, sliding out and plunging back in, as her body trembled and clutched him deep within her. Blazing hunger struck then, driving him to roll her to her stomach. He situated her as he wanted and mounted her, shoving home. The salty tang of her skin fascinated him as he trailed kisses down her spine.
“Donato!”
“Doll?” He rubbed her rounded cheeks and spread them to watch his dick disappear into her. “Now that’s sexy.” He groaned and plunged in, his hands on her curvy hips helping to propel her back into him. His balls smacked against her shaved pussy.
The tremors from her body told him she was close again. He reached under and pinched her clit, depriving her of her orgasm. The whip of her head turning to face him brought a chuckle to his lips. “Didn’t like that?” He let go and pumped hard and fast, bringing her closer to the edge of release, and himself with her. Her wetness turned him on even more, threatening to make him spill before she found her release. From this position, the harder he pounded, the wetter she became. He slapped her ass and groaned when she saturated him. “Fuck, baby.”
“I’m going to come again.”
“Oh yeah? Give me those pretty brown eyes when you come for me, doll.” He alternated swatting her cheeks and slamming into her pussy. She turned her head so he could see her face as she came. Donato swallowed back the animalistic urge that hit him while watching her climax. Her gaze never strayed from his as she convulsed and he slid out and in, drawing them both to bigger heights. He locked his hands around her waist and kept her up on her knees, leaving her unable to collapse on the bed. Through her orgasm he worked her, not giving her a chance to regroup before sending her spiraling higher again.
This time, though, his body demanded release. He jack-hammered into her one final time, spending himself into the latex barrier. Regaining his control took longer than normal. He breathed deep and let go of his hold on her, allowing her to fall to the bed. He collapsed next to her and tugged her against his body. “That was amazing.”
Only Skin Deep Page 5
