One look at the depth of emotion in his eyes and Caterina knew that tonight she would become his.
He needed her. The jagged, sharp edge of hunger and pain carved out the lines of his face. A haunting agony gleamed in those inky dark eyes, urging her to reach for him and soothe away the ache. It was time to take a leap with her heart and hope Lee would catch her.
The door shut behind him. They stood in her entryway, both of them silent, a need-filled energy pulsing around them. His eyes locked on hers and he reached out his hand, asking for her complete surrender. Without hesitation, Cat slid her hand into his.
With a low groan, he enfolded her in his embrace. His hard, heated length cradled her curves. The sensual energy crackled and churned between them. Then his mouth crashed down on hers and staked his claim.
She needed no urging this time to part her lips for him, allowing him full access. She met each silky thrust of his tongue with her own demand as he dove in and out of her mouth, as if starving for her taste. Her fingernails bit into his muscled shoulders and she arched upward for more, losing herself within the intensity of the soul-stirring, demanding kiss.
He tore his mouth from hers, breathing hard. “Bedroom?”
She swayed on her feet and jerked her head toward the right. “There.”
He lifted her into his arms and strode through. The quilt was covered with roses, and her sanctuary spoke to the most deeply feminine part of her, from the antique four poster bed, pearl encrusted mini chandelier, to the make-up and vanity mirror with the beveled silver mirror. He pressed her onto the mattress and stared down at her like a conquering warrior. Heat surged between her thighs. His hand trembled slightly as he reached out and caressed the length of her body. Usually shy, she suddenly felt sexy and empowered to make such a powerful man tremble.
With one easy motion, he pulled off his T-shirt and threw it on the floor. Her mouth dried up as she stared at his gorgeous build, jeans hanging low on his hips, a virtual painting of lean sculpted muscles and smooth olive skin, of dark whorls of hair dusting his chest and disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. Never taking his gaze from her face, he flicked open the button and pushed the denim down, leaving him clad in black briefs. He removed a package from his pocket and threw it on the bed. Then he paused briefly before stripping naked and kicking his underwear to the side.
Dear God, he was beautiful. He radiated a masculine grace evident in his carriage and the proud tilt of his jaw. She drank him in, every sloping muscle and hard angle, every inch of his throbbing cock that was hard and ready for her. Then he put one knee on the bed, dipping the mattress, and loomed above her.
“I’ve wanted you from the very first night,” he murmured, tugging his fingers through her hair, touching her cheek, his touch as gentle as his voice. “There’s a connection between us. Do you feel it?”
“Yes.” She caught his hand and dragged it to her breasts, arching upward. “I’ve wanted this, too.”
He tugged down the spaghetti straps of her black slip. Cool air hit her flushed skin, tightening her nipples, and his eyes glittered as he slid a palm over the peaks, rubbing back and forth to wring a moan from her lips. “Oh, the things I want to do to you,” he said in a husky voice. “Things that make you moan. Things that make you scream. Things that make you beg for more.”
She shuddered, gripping his wrists as he pulled the fabric down until it was bunched around her waist. Her skin burned, and the aching, wet need pulsed between her thighs. “I want you to do them all. It’s just that—” She broke off, embarrassed to tell him the truth.
“What is it?” His voice gentled even as his eyes blazed like lit coals. “Too fast?”
“No, I just don’t—I just don’t want you to be disappointed.” Oh, God, that was a humiliating admission to utter. She craved to duck her head and hide from her lack of experience, but forced herself to continue looking into his face. They’d come too far to pretend now.
He stiffened. “You’re not a—?”
“No! But I’ve only been with one man, and he felt it necessary to cheat on me with another woman. And now I’m going to die of humiliation.” Her face felt hot, thinking of all his experience in the art of seduction, and how little she really knew. Her ex had treated her like a delicate doll, and they’d never had a robust sex life. Another reason his betrayal had rocked her world—believing she hadn’t been enough for him in bed.
“Don’t.” The command blasted from his lips and made her gasp. He leaned over and pressed his forehead to hers, his hands cupping her breasts. “He was a weak asshole who never deserved you. And I’m glad there have been no others. I can’t wait to show you all the delicious things you’ve been missing. I’m glad I’m the man to watch you shake and shatter beneath me. Capisce?”
Relief and a sense of lightness flowed through her. “Capisce.”
“Now, let me get back to work.” He nibbled on the edge of her jaw, then dragged his tongue down her body in slow, torturous increments. The heat of his breath teased each inch of skin he explored. He nipped and licked and kissed her body until liquid fire poured through her veins. Her breasts swelled and her belly tightened.
“Please,” she tore out. Her hands clenched in the tangle of sheets as he moved lower, desperate for him to stop, desperate for him to continue.
“Please what?” he drawled. His fingers traced the line of her thigh.
Her legs jerked and tightened. “Don’t tease me anymore.”
With one swift motion, he rose up and pressed his body over hers. His erection throbbed with demand at her core. His muscled thighs pinned her legs. His hair-roughened skin slid over her sensitive flesh and her toes curled at the delicious contradiction of hard and soft, rough and smooth, heat and coolness. Midnight eyes gleamed with sensual demand. His lips tugged in a masculine smile. “You haven’t given me enough yet. I want more—much more.” He took her mouth again, thrusting his tongue deep.
“Open your legs for me.” He growled the words against her mouth. She shuddered as he nipped at her bottom lip, and slowly parted her thighs. His fingers gently traced the golden nest of hair, teasingly, until one finger dipped into her swollen heat. He tested her, moving in and out with slow, playful movements until she gasped for breath, rocking her hips for more. “Wider. Let me see all of you.”
She groaned out his name, finding his demand shameful and hot, and obeyed. He murmured his approval as he drank his fill, his finger playing her like an instrument. Wetness leaked down her thigh and her body wept for relief from the tightening, excruciating ache. “So beautiful. All sweet and swollen and pink. You are a fucking goddess.”
“Lee.”
“Tell me what you want.”
She closed her eyes and dug her nails into his muscled arms. “You. I want you.”
Coal-black eyes gleamed with fierce satisfaction. His mouth took hers in another soul-stirring kiss as he pushed three fingers deep into her channel, thrusting with a hard demand, relentlessly pushing her toward the edge. His thumb rubbed her clit with light, teasing touches, keeping her in a sensual agony, and then he bit her bottom lip and flicked her clit hard.
The dirty command raked across her ear. “Come.”
His fingers curled and thrust. She screamed and writhed beneath him, the orgasm rushing through her body. His mouth never left hers, swallowing every choked cry, his fingers never stopping until the last bit of pleasure was wrung from her shaking limbs.
With one smooth motion, he pushed her thighs up, spreading them wide. The crinkle of a wrapper rose to her ears, and suddenly his hands grasped her wrists and pinned them above her head. Blinking, her head deliciously fuzzy from her orgasm, Caterina looked into his seething eyes and sensed that once he took her body, nothing would ever be the same. Jaw clenched, his erection poised at her dripping entrance, he paused for endless moments.
“You belong to me.”
With one swift thrust, he entered her body, burying himself deep inside her tight channel.
Claimed.
The sheer power and size of him stretched and burned inside her. His hard, muscled chest crushed the swell of her breasts. His fingers interlaced with hers as she gripped tight, struggling to accept the masculine invasion without giving him everything she had.
But he wouldn’t let her. As if he knew her thoughts, he withdrew from her clinging warmth with slow movements, then drove inside once again, keeping the teasing, tantalizing pace at a steady rhythm. Her head arched back into the pillow as her body demanded more.
“That’s right, all of it. Don’t hold back.”
The tempo increased to a frenzy, until a scream hovered on her lips. Skin damp with sweat, his gaze never left hers, commanding her to surrender.
Her body shuddered and she let go. Waves of pleasure washed over her and she gave up completely.
She heard his hoarse shout as he followed her over the edge, and then he collapsed, tucking her in and holding her tight. His hands gently stroked back her hair, cradling her against him with a cherished tenderness that made her soul sigh and relax completely. As she drifted off to sleep, one thought danced in her mind.
This was a man she could love.
* * * *
“Good morning.”
Cat blinked drowsily and stretched. Her hair lay out on the pillow like a glorious, tangled halo, and her skin was flushed a dark pink from sleep. A crease from the pillow left an imprint on her right cheek. The scent of sex and musk hung heavily in the air.
A strange joy flooded him, and Rip couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her, her lips soft and full and sweet under his. In one night, this woman had changed him. He’d never been with someone who opened her heart with welcome, the same way she gave him her body with a purity that humbled him. This wasn’t just about sex. It was about all those other emotions sliding and sinking together inside him that made him feel terribly vulnerable and hopeful at the same time.
After only a brief time, he knew the truth.
He was falling in love with her.
“Is it time to get up?” she murmured sleepily, her fingers running down his stubbly cheek.
“Not yet. I’m going out to grab some cappuccino and pastries. I just wanted to let you know where I was going.”
A smile curved her lips. “So I don’t wake up and assume this was a one-night stand?”
“You know this is more, right?”
The smile slipped away. She pressed a thumb to his lips. “It is for me. I’m glad you feel the same.”
Guilt churned. He fought it back and squeezed her hand, then pressed a kiss to her palm. “Good. We’ll talk when I get back. I have some things to tell you.”
“Your mysterious job?”
“Yes, and other things. But first I need caffeine.”
“Sounds like a plan. Think I’ll stay right here and wait for you to get back.” Her mischievous wink got him hard and ready, but he managed to step back with a tortured groan, enjoying her bubbly laughter. He headed out of her apartment, stopping briefly to look at the arrangement of roses on the table.
He’d sent the arrangement last week. Only four remained, carefully pruned by her loving hand. Strange that she’d never mentioned them…or the mysterious message that had accompanied their delivery.
Foreboding ruffled his nerves. He shouldn’t have sent the roses. Hadn’t realized the game would end up real for both of them. How would he convince her of that once she learned the truth?
Rip walked to the café. Edward had called him this week, asking for an update. Rip refused to explain any details, assuring the man he’d be returning with Caterina soon. Once there, he’d convince Edward that Caterina was much more to him than a way to gain the prize of the winery.
She had become the prize.
But first he had to explain everything to her this morning.
As he stepped into line, Rip practiced the words he would soon say out loud and prayed they were the right ones. Prayed that Caterina would believe he’d fallen in love with her because of the wonderful woman she was and not as a means to an end. Prayed that they could be happy together.
Rip repeated the words like a mantra.