Faster Dirtier (Take Me...#5) (A Team Ferrelli Novel) (14 page)

But my words cut off as Enzo stops short and spins around to
face me, pushing me hard against the brick wall of the alley. His lips find
mine at once, his tongue sweeping forcefully into my mouth. I scramble to wrap
my arms around his shoulders, steadying myself against the intensity of his
embrace. He’s ferocious, fearless, as he grabs my wrists and pins them up over
my head, opening my body to his.

With his spare hand, he pops open the button of my corduroys
and slips his hand between my legs. I stare up at him in amazement as he parts
my pink lips with two expert fingers, stroking against my most tender, intimate
flesh. His thumb finds my clit at once, and he zeroes in on that bundle of raw
nerves as his strong fingers thrust deeply into my body. I moan into his
ravenous mouth as he rubs and kneads my clit, working me into a state of amazed
passion.

My knees begin to tremble as shockwaves of pleasure roll
through me, emanating from that throbbing, pulsing place between my legs. I don’t
think I can remain standing much longer as the bliss builds inside of me. Enzo
releases my arms, catching me around the waist. He opens my mouth to his with
his powerful jaw, his tongue and fingers inside of me all at once. I dig my
fingers into his back as he slides his two fingers back to my clit, rolling
them over that hard, aching nub. With one masterful, powerful stroke, I’m a
goner.

I come right there, my back pressed hard against the wall of
the alley, my legs turning to water beneath me. Enzo holds me up with no effort
at all, burying his face in my neck as his fingers continue to work me over
until my crashing orgasm has passed. I let my head fall back against the
bricks, panting like mad. Enzo pulls back to look me in the eye, a devilish grin
spread wide across his face.

“Couldn’t resist,” he says, brushing the strawberry blonde
hair off my forehead.

“Christ Enzo,” I breathe, smiling, “You gotta warn a girl if
she needs to pack
two
extra pairs of panties before meeting you.”

“Take them off,” he commands.

“W-what?” I stammer.

“No one can see us here,” he says, planting his hands over
my shoulders on the wall. “Take off your panties and give them to me.”

I stare at him, my stomach fluttering with the illicit
thrill of all this. He’s totally serious. Well, two can play at that game.
Keeping my eyes locked firmly on his, I step out of my loafers. I slip my
thumbs into the waist of my pants and lower them, slowly. Enzo’s eyes are
boiling over with lust as I stand before him in just my panties. Trying to keep
my cool despite my furious blush, I glance around to make sure we’re alone. And
then, in one quick gesture, I tug down my wet panties, bunch them up in my
fist, and quickly redress, albeit commando-style.

“Here you go, Professor,” I grin breathlessly, slipping my
panties into the pocket of my jeans. “I know an apple would be a more customary
gift for a teacher, but for you...”

“You’re fucking incredible, Ace,” he growls, running a hand
through my hair.

I watch in silent wonder as he raises my panties toward his
face, letting the fabric brush against his lips. His eyes close as breathes in
deeply, relishing the scent of my desire. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything
sexier in life. And I’m saying that even after last night.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep these safe,” he grins, slipping the
panties back into his pocket. “Think you can drive after that, kid?”

“I can sure try...” I say, shaking my head.

“It’ll be good practice,” Enzo says, leading me back toward
the sunlit piazza. “For the season, I mean. You’ll have to be driving all the
time then. And I’ll certainly be fucking you dirty as often as humanly possible
the whole while.”

I stop short in the alley, arrested by longing and something
a little less sweet, too. “Enzo...do you mean that this is going to be more
than a one-night thing?” I ask, willing my voice to stay even.

He turns around to face me, looking sincerely shocked. Even
a bit hurt. “Of course it is,” he says, grabbing hold of my hips. “I mean, I
want it to be. Isn’t that what you want?”

“Sure it is,” I say, laying my hands on his chest. I bite my
lip, remembering the women he was entertaining by the pool the first day I got
here. All the “leggy model types” he’s dated in the past. And especially the
smitten text I saw on his phone this morning. “I just...I figure you must have
other, um,
friends
out there who’ll miss your attention. Which is fine, of course, we never
discussed any—”

“Ainsley,” he says, his voice clear and earnest. “I know I
have a reputation. I know what it must look like, from where you’re standing.
It’s true, I’ve been with a lot of women. Tons of women. But I don’t want you
to think you’re just another face in that crowd. What you’ll come to know about
me, Ace, is that I’m a man of my word. And I give you my word that my feelings
for you...Well. They’re bigger than a one-night-stand. I want so many more
nights with you. And days. And as much time as you’ll give me. What do you
think?”

“I think...” I reply, moved by his fervid promise, “That
sounds like just the ticket.”

Happiness, real happiness, blooms in his eyes as he draws me
to him, giving me a hard, close-lipped kiss. A kiss that feels sacred, even
chaste, after the night we’ve had. Without another word, he takes my hand, and
draws me back into the piazza. The sunlight breaks across my face, and it truly
feels as though a new life is opening itself to me. To us.

We’re an
us
.

Chapter Thirteen

Enzo agrees to take the scenic route while I head straight
back to the Lazio villa. I’m probably just being paranoid, insisting that we
arrive home separately. But if there’s anything I’m sure of after my wild night
with Team Ferrelli’s crown prince, it’s that I don’t want this to get messed
up. We have to tread carefully, here.

I roll up to the sprawling villa, check to see that my
lipstick isn’t smudged all over my face, and head into the main house to say
hello. I’m feeling unaccountably jittery, as if Siena and the gang will know
exactly what I’ve been up to the second I step inside.

You’re
being crazy,
I assure myself, slipping in through the terrace door.
What are they going to do, smell
the awesome sex on you?

“Ace!” I hear Siena cry the moment I sidle through the door.
“There you are, finally. We need to talk.”

My heart plows into my ribcage as Siena takes me by the
elbow and leads me to the kitchen table, pushing me down onto the bench beside
her. Her gaze is excited and a little frantic, her fine olive skin flushed. She
totally knows about me and Enzo. She found out somehow and she’s about to fire
me from Team Ferrelli. Oh god. This can’t be happening...

“Siena,” I manage to say, taking her hands in mine. “Listen,
before you say anything, I just want you to know how much I appreciate
everything you’ve done for me.”

“Great, great,” Siena says, waving my earnest thanks aside.
“Look, something’s come to my attention that we really need to discuss. I
should probably wait until Enzo gets here, but I can’t help myself.”

“What’s, uh, going on?” I ask with bated breath. Here it
comes...

“I’ve just received a very interesting tip,” she says,
holding my hands on the table. “I think you’re going to be pretty intrigued by
it.”

“Yeah?” I say, swallowed hard.

“Yeah,” she nods. “I know we’d decided that you would spend
the off-season focused solely on training and start attending events when the
next world championship kicks off. But it turns out, there’s a special,
stand-alone F1 race happening back in the states this coming weekend. And I’ve
managed to get Team Ferrelli in on it. You and Enzo will go together. And get
this—the race is happening right outside of New York City. Your home turf!”

“You’re sending me off to New York. With Enzo. For my first
race as a member of Team Ferrelli?” I ask, hardly daring to believe what I’m
hearing. Here I was, thinking Siena was about to chew me out for sleeping with
her brother, when in actuality she’s handing me this incredible opportunity
instead.

“That’s right,” Siena grins. “It’s all happening, Ace. As
soon as Enzo gets back, you two will be shipping off.”

“Shipping off where?” I hear my lover’s voice drawl from the
doorway.

Siena and I look up to see Enzo strolling into the kitchen.
He grabs an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and takes a hearty bite. A
little drop of juice lingers on his bottom lip—and I ache for wanting to lick
it off. God, this man can make
anything
sexy.

“You guys are going to New York City!” Siena says happily.
“There’s a special race happening there this weekend, a closed street circuit.
A one-time-only affair. And you two are going to be there representing Team
Ferrelli. It’s really just an exhibition thing, but still, all press is good
press, right? I’ve already made all the arrangements. Flights, transportation,
the works. You’ll be staying in Manhattan for the weekend. I hope you don’t
mind, but I booked you a two-bedroom suite. It was the best I could do last
minute.”

Enzo and I lock eyes across the kitchen. It’s all I can do
not to burst out laughing with glee at this incredible turn of events. A whole
week alone together, condoned by Team Ferrelli itself? It’s a dream come true
within a dream come true.

“I can dig it,” Enzo finally says, shrugging casually.
Though he’s playing cool, I can see the excitement sparkling in his gaze. At
least one of us is a decent actor. I can’t wipe a wide, stupid grin off my
face.

“Excellent,” Siena says, pulling herself to her feet. “Enzo,
I’ll make arrangements for you to have a car waiting in New York City to use
for the week. The race should be a piece of cake for you.”

Disappointment clouds my sunny outlook at her words. “Oh. I
thought...” I begin, blushing. “I thought that maybe I was going to get to race
this time around.”

Siena looks down at me in surprise. “Ace,” she says, taken
aback, “You’ve only just started your training. I don’t want to risk you
getting hurt before the season even begins.”

“Right,” I say, my voice flat. “Right. Of course.”

“But on the bright side,” Siena smiles hopefully, “You’ll
get to meet a ton of people from the F1 community, and maybe even do a couple
of test runs while you’re out there!”

I smile back as best I can. I’m feeling a little let down, I
have to admit. But if Siena says that I’ll be on that track before long, I have
to believe her. My joining up with Team Ferrelli was her idea, after all. And I
refuse to believe that she just hired me to be set dressing. So, I’ll head back
to my hometown of New York City with Enzo by my side. Can’t exactly complain
about that outcome.

“OK,” I say, rising from the table. “I’ll get all packed and
we can head right to the airport. Do you know what airline are we flying with?
I want to get as close to the terminal as—”

“Airline?” Enzo laughs, polishing off his apple. “We’re not
flying with an airline, Ace.”

“But how—?” I start, confused.

“You’re in the big leagues now, kid,” Enzo says, strolling across
the room and laying an arm across my shoulders. “And big leaguers get their
very own private jets.”

“Are you shitting me?!” I exclaim, staring up at him.

“Not in the least,” he laughs, giving my shoulder a platonic
pat. I glance over at Siena to see if she’s picking up on our newfound physical
intimacy, but it looks like she either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“Thank you guys for running with this, last minute,” she
grins, turning to go. “You’re gonna have a blast, I know it.”

She bustles out of the room, leaving me alone with Enzo once
more. He lets his arms slip around my waist, letting his friendly embrace
transform into something much sexier.

“Well,” he grins, pulling me tightly against him. “What a
stroke of luck this is, huh?”

“I’ll say,” I reply, shaking my head. “Honestly, I’m halfway
expecting to wake up from this dream any second.”

“I know the feeling,” he says softly, catching my chin in
his hand. “But we’d better get used to it, Ace. Because things are only going
to get even better for us from here.”

He pulls my lips to his, kissing me hard and fast there in
the middle of the kitchen. I can’t even be bothered by the fact that we’re
standing smack dab in the center of his family’s home, just asking to be walked
in on. I let my mouth open to his, savoring the sweet taste of his tongue on
mine.

That is, until I’m distracted by a tug on the hem of my tee
shirt.

“What’re you doing?” asks a tiny voice from the vicinity of
our knees.

Enzo and I leap apart and stare down at the tiny figure of Alfie.
I didn’t even hear him come into the kitchen. The kid’s like a baby ninja.

“Uncle Enzo?” Alfie presses, clutching his favorite red ball
to his chest. “What’re you
doing
,
Uncle Enzo?”

“Uncle Enzo and Ace are...celebrating!” Enzo improvises,
scooping Alfie up into his arms. “We’re celebrating our next big adventure in
New York City.”

“Adventure?” Alfie says, his blue eyes going wide. “Can I
come on an adventure?”

“Not this time, champ,” Enzo says, ruffling the boy’s sandy
curls. “But I promise to bring you back a souvenir. What do you want? An Empire
State Building toy? A Yankees cap? A big, ugly, subway rat?”

“
Eww!
”
Alfie cries, squirming in his uncle’s arms. “Not a rat, Uncle Enzo, that’s
gross!”

I smile at the pair of boys, goofing off together. And though
I’d never admit it out loud, I can practically feel my biological clock spring
into overdrive.  

One thing
at a time
, I chide myself,
Booty
call is a pretty long way from baby daddy.

In no time at all, I’m striding across the tarmac at Enzo’s side,
staring up in wonder at the Team Ferrelli private jet. The past 48 hours have
been such a whirlwind that I can’t even say I’m baffled any more by this latest
twist in my adventure. I haven’t had a moment to catch my breath, to second
guess myself. And good thing, too, because I’m sure if I gave my rational mind
a moment to get its bearings, it would have me hightailing it back to real life
immediately.

And that just wouldn’t do, would it?

“Here we are!” Enzo says, leading me into the cabin of the
jet. “Your chariot, Ace.”

This plane could easily seat a dozen people, but Enzo and I
are the only ones on board. The cabin is filled with absurdly comfortable
seats, a half dozen TV screens, a fully stocked bar, and all manner of snacks.
The pilot pokes his head in to say hello to Enzo, and just like that, we’re
taxiing toward takeoff.

I sink back into one of the chairs—a veritable throne
compared to the airplane seats I’m used to—and glance out the window as we pick
up speed, taking off into the endless blue sky. Enzo strides over to the built
in bar the second we reach cruising altitude, fetching two ice cold beers and
an oversized bag of popcorn. He settles down next to me, handing over a frosty
bottle and pulling open the popcorn bag.

“So. Do you like action movies or what?” he asks, scooping
out a generous handful of popcorn from the bag.

“Love them,” I reply, snagging some for myself.

“Good,” he grins snatching up a remote control and flicking
on the TV screens. “I think we’ve got every Jason Bourne movie ever made. That
should make the flight go faster.”

As Enzo cues up the first film, I’m overcome with a crazy
case of the giggles. I let my head fall back against the seat, laughing until
tears spring into my eyes.

“Gonna let me in on the joke?” Enzo asks, playfully chucking
a piece of popcorn at me.

“It’s...It’s just...” I gasp, “I’ve heard of couples having
movie-and-popcorn nights, but never while flying over the Atlantic Ocean in a
private jet!”

“Couples, huh?” Enzo says, his expression becoming markedly
more serious. “Is that what you think we are, Ace? A couple?”

My laughter dies away at once as I consider his question.
“Oh...” I stammer, “I don’t—I didn’t mean to spring that on you. I just meant—”

“Hey, it’s OK,” he smiles, taking my hand in his. “I guess
it’s something we should talk about eventually, right?”

“I...guess so,” I say, blushing wildly. “To be honest, I
don’t know much about being part of a couple. I haven’t had much time for
relationships, what with my racing career. And the guys I’ve actually
dated...Well, not very many of them have been boyfriend material.”

“I feel you,” Enzo laughs, “I’m not really much of a
relationship man myself. I haven’t even been on a second date for a couple of
years now. Unless you count this movie-and-popcorn night, I guess.”

“Maybe...” I begin, meeting his warm gaze. “Maybe we don’t
have to rush to label ourselves one thing or another. Maybe we can just keep
this to ourselves for a little while longer, enjoy our secret. I’m not sure if
I’m ready for the rest of the world to find out, you know? I’m not even used to
the rest of the world knowing my name, let alone my relationship status.”

“God, I’m glad to hear you say that,” Enzo laughs. “I know
from experience that the rest of the world can ruin a good relationship before
it even begins. Besides, I like having a secret with you. Makes the whole thing
that much sexier.”