Chapter 25
Luca
The elevator pinged and opened on my floor while she still worried her bottom lip. I stopped us in the hall and tugged it from between the confines of her teeth. “Stop. After your phone call, no sooner had I said that I was ditching our pool outing when Jude and Kyle dropped their cues on the green felt before stalking toward the door.”
“I just feel bad. They went through the trouble of inviting me.”
“If you ladies want anyone to blame for ending your girl’s night out early, then blame my two horny friends.”
She threw me a sideways grin. “Nice try. From what I hear, the three of you are all pretty similar in that department.”
“It’s our women,” I retorted just as I opened my apartment door. “You ladies bring out the beast in us.” At her silence, my eyes searched her face for a reaction to my claim. “What’s running through that pretty head of yours, Sabrina?” A slow smile spread, lighting up her eyes. “That look has me even more curious.”
“I like your inner beast.”
“You, do, huh?” I asked, as I removed my jacket and tossed it not caring where it landed.
She nodded shyly. “He makes me feel wanted.”
With my eyes pinned to hers, my response held no levity. “Oh, you’re wanted, Sabrina.” It was almost comical when her bag fell to the ground with a thump, yet neither of us laughed. I stepped closer and began unbuttoning her jacket next. “But a beast won’t be appearing tonight.” I didn’t stop with her jacket and continued to stare right into her soul while my fingers gripped the hem of her soft pink sweater.
“He won’t?” My only response was a slow, methodical slide of my head from right to left. “Why?”
“I have other plans in mind for tonight. Maybe in the morning I’ll ravage you like an animal in my shower, or with you spread across my kitchen island. But tonight, you’re getting the real Luca.” The motion of her swallow caught my attention just before I lifted her top over her head and dropped it to the floor. A lace bra of the palest shade of pink melded with her skin tone, creating an open canvas for my lips. But we were still vertical in my foyer, and I needed her horizontal on my bed to do what I had in mind.
Without any further explanation, I lifted her and carried her right to my bedroom. Once I placed her in the center of the mattress, I appreciated the beauty before me. “Sei bellissima.”
“Hearing you speak in Italian while staring at me with those sinful brown eyes of yours is the best kind of foreplay.”
“Here comes more foreplay, Sabrina.” Her admission forced me to give her a play-by-play on all I planned to do to her, in Italian. I wouldn’t translate with words, only with actions. With each detailed account of where my lips would travel from hers down and over every inch of her body, the reaction I received proved her comment was true.
But first and foremost, I needed her naked. One by one, I removed her heels and when she wiggled her pink painted toes I took a moment to knead them with the pads of my thumbs eliciting a sexy groan to escape her lips.
The next article to come off were her jeans. As I unbuttoned and unzipped them, I admired how they seductively molded over her body before rolling the tight denim down until her legs were freed.
“Gesù Cristo,” I muttered the Lord’s name from seeing her in a whimsical pair of white panties with pink polka dots all over them. My heated gaze caused her to bring her thighs together. “No,” I said with a firm shake of my head. She hesitated a pause, and then widened her knees just enough for me to see what she tried to hide a few seconds ago… her wetness revealed in the way the polka dots over her crotch appeared a tad darker than the rest.
I wasn’t even aware that my hand moved down to adjust the uncomfortable confines of my jeans until her eyes tracked me doing so. As she continued to stare, I took the opportunity to remove the clothes I wore. They were nothing less than a nuisance to what I needed at that moment. I stopped when I had nothing left to remove but my boxer briefs. The reason I had, Sabrina’s gaze stopped raking over me and settled on the very obvious arousal that I couldn’t hide. She licked her lips and lifted her gaze to my face.
It seemed an eternity by the time I shed that one last piece of fabric I wore as well as removing her bra and panties. I settled over her while forcing myself to keep the pace that I had started with. Because that beast she claimed she loved lay right beneath the surface, ready to claw his way out.
The reasons I wanted all of her, and to give her all of me, may have been a cowardly way to convey how I felt about her. But, somewhere along the line I realized that I fell in love with Sabrina in every way. What was about to happen needed to be a preview of what would come for us with each day that passed. Words could be scary, and I hoped I could transfer my emotions by making love to her. Just she and I, with our hearts and bodies connecting in the most intimate of ways.
I held her face with one hand, and pressed my lips to hers in a sweet, soft kiss. During that intentional connection, the tear that hit my thumb solidified she felt the same way that I did.
“Luca,” she said as a plea. Through the tone of her voice I knew she needed more, she wanted everything from me. By saying only my name and nothing else, Sabrina revealed she also struggled with the right words to say.
Kissing along the track where her tear fell, I moved over her and slid inside her warmth just as I said, “I know.”
Sabrina
Since walking through his door, Luca hadn’t broken eye contact once. I meant it when I said the way he looked at me, and the way he spoke in Italian, was the best kind of foreplay. His tenderness forced my heart to swell with more emotion than I’d felt in a long time. It over spilled, and affected every part of my body, resulting in a deep-rooted need to bottle this moment and remember it forever.
Truth be told, that scared me. Nothing was forever, I learned that the hard way. And if I allowed my head to play a logical part in this wonderful experience, I’d run away just to protect my heart.
Luca moved in and out of me with slow measured strokes. Each time our eyes would connect, I felt more exposed. As the saying went, eyes were the windows to your soul, and maybe that was why my lids slid shut. Because how could I tell a man who I had only known for a few months that he owned my heart? He claimed he knew… and I prayed he did.
Skin on skin our bodies were one. Pulling my legs up, I wrapped them around him and linked my ankles together, holding him to me as close as I could.
“Guardami, Sabrina,” he whispered, his voice throaty. At my hesitation, he added, “Eyes on me.” I obeyed, and saw his weren’t lustful or dark, but instead filled with raw desire. The reality and weight of our stares created a wave of feelings to course through me. Stray tears seeped from the corners of my eyes landing on my ear. “Please don’t cry, sweetheart.” But his soothing voice caused a few more to spill.
Every inch of us was connected, and that euphoric feeling began to coil inside of me. Butterflies took flight as my impending climax approached. My heart expanded with each breath I took. I wanted to remember this moment—this feeling.
Luca took my right hand that was on his waist, and raised it above my head, linking my fingers with his. He then did the same to my left. His movements grew faster, my heart raced, our lips met, and I was lost… lost in a man who I just gave my heart to.
He gripped my fingers tighter with his, while his hips continued pistoning against mine. “I’m so close, Sabrina. The way you feel around me… I never want this to end.”
Those words caused my climax to rumble through me. It was an ache of the best kind. “Neither do I.” My admittance came through challenged breaths.
He smiled and slowed down until he stilled. Then with the utmost tenderness, he lowered his lips to mine and gave me a kiss that I knew I would never forget. Each unspoken word was heard through that kiss. Every emotion I held, with fear and love dominating, traveled from our lips straight to my heart.
Without a doubt, it was the most intimate moment of my life.
When I opened my eyes, it took a few seconds to remember where I was. The naked body spooning behind me, combined with his measured breaths, reminded me of the magnificent man I had just spent the night with.
One strong arm draped over my hip possessively while his hand splayed below my belly button. The warm skin of his broad chest pressed up against my back felt like a comforting blanket. Waking up in Luca’s arms probably ranked among my top three favorite things since meeting him… things one and two were a bit more obvious.
But as much as I wanted to stay there all day, I needed to adult and pick up my son. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, but a strong arm held me firm after having moved just an inch. “Good morning, sweetheart,” his deep voice rumbled behind me.
“Good morning. I was trying to see what time it is,” I said, gripping his forearm with my hands to give me some wiggle room. That second time he allowed me to move, raising his arm as I leaned forward to grab my phone. “It’s seven,” I said out loud. Relief that it was still early had me relaxing back into his hold.
“Mmm, so I can enjoy you a bit longer?” he asked, eliminating the space my moving had added between us. Every inch of his body aligned with mine from head to toe. I felt his lips on my shoulder before he began leaving soft kisses over my skin.
“Yes, we have time. Becky said to come by around ten or so. She promised the boys pancakes.”
“Well, yay for pancakes,” he said directly into my ear. When goosebumps spread over my skin, I felt Luca smile against my neck. Firm lips pulled on my earlobe while his hand found one of my breasts. “What are you guys up to later today?”
“It’s supposed to be sunny and warm. I thought I’d surprise Mikey with a trip to the beach to watch the fishing boats. Would you like to come?”
His hand stilled for a moment. “Are you sure?”
I twisted in his arms and propped my head on a bent arm. Confused as to why he would ask me that, I replied, “Yes, I’m sure. Why?”
“Sabrina, I’d love to spend every moment with you two. I just want you to be sure you want me there. I know spending Sundays with Mikey is important to you.”
“There are two reasons I’d like you to come. Mikey enjoys your company… and you’re important to me… to us.”
A smile spread over his gorgeous lips, and with it my heartbeat sped up. “I know.” There were those two words again, and I loved how much meaning they held. “You and Mikey are to me as well. You do know that, right?”
“I do,” I said without a doubt. He’d proven as such these past few months.
“Good.” He mimicked my posture, holding his head up on a bent arm. “Speaking of a beach, Jude and Brae are thinking of buying a place in the Hamptons. They’re renting it this summer and invited us to come out for July 4th weekend. But if it doesn’t work out for you, I’m sure we can pick another time.”
“Mikey is away that week. He’ll be upstate with my in-laws,” I said with a frown.
“You’re worried about that?”
“I am,” I admitted with a sigh. “I trust them, but that town is so small I worry Mikey will hear or see something by accident. I can’t stop them from seeing their grandson, though.”
Luca tucked my hair behind my ear. “I understand your concern. But you can’t worry about something that may not happen.”
“You’re right, but I worry about everything… especially when it comes to Mikey.”
His hand found my breast again, and his eyes focused on the way he ran his thumb over my erect nipple. “I’ll do my best to distract you that week.” He dipped his head to suck on my other nipple, causing an electric zing to travel right from my breast to my core. “Shall I demonstrate how?” He stopped long enough to ask. When I moaned and arched my body as a response, he added, “I’ll take that as a yes.”