Luscious (18 page)

“Mine.” He took her hand at the top of the steps and pulled her down the hall to his room, swiftly unlocking the door. He swept her off her feet and she clutched his shoulders, laughing as he kicked the door shut behind them.

“Shower?” she asked.

“Later.” He carried her to the bed and laid her down on the mattress, immediately following her with his hard body. Arousal was instant and reassuring.

Yes, she dared.

“Oh, no you don’t, counselor. It’s my turn for a fantasy, remember?”

Sean looked down at Olivia. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. His blood pounded in his ears. The air grew thick and heavy between them, but he resisted the urge to kiss her. He rolled to the side and lifted her body up and over his. “Be my guest,” he said, now gazing up at her.

She leaned down to kiss him. Her hair tickled his cheek and her lips brushed against his with the delicacy of a butterfly’s wings. There was no hesitancy or fear in her kiss, and the transformation was breathtaking. Last night he’d had to haul her kicking and screaming through her doubts, all but forcing her to orgasm, but tonight she was seducing him with a sweet heat that made him ache.

He remained silent and still, letting her have her way with him. Her tongue touched his, and he closed his eyes, focusing on the connection between them.
Vivi nel presente.
They fit, just as he had always known they would.

He opened his eyes when she sat up to unbutton his shirt. Her hands stroked his chest, his stomach, making him shiver. He buried his hands in her silken hair as she bent to nibble the path her hands had just followed. The soft feel of her breath was luxurious, exhilarating. She spent long minutes tracing the planes of his body with her lips, then her tongue. Her hair trailed over his chest like a sash of spun gold as she moved downward.

She paused, staring at his belt. Her eyes darkened to the color of moss. He felt her hand tremble on his stomach and watched her take a few slow breaths.

Sean pushed up onto his elbows, shrugged out of his shirt. He kicked off his shoes. Gently, he moved her to the side so he could unfasten his belt and his pants and push them over his hips. He tossed his pants and his boxers onto the floor. He stripped off his socks and lay back on the bed to wait. He could take control, make it easy for her by taking the choices away, but Olivia wasn’t a coward. This was her fantasy, and he wanted to give it to her, whatever it was.

He met her uncertain gaze with a calm smile. “I’m all yours. What do you want, Olivia? Tell me. Or show me.”

***

He took her breath away. So confident, so comfortable. So…naked.

She kept her eyes on his familiar face, considering, fighting against the urge to chicken out, to ask him to decide, to lift the burden of her desire and therefore potential failure from her shoulders. The idea of living out her fantasy had lit a fuse inside her and it had burned all day, but now that the moment had arrived, she felt locked in place, unsure of how to begin. What if it didn’t turn him on? Oh God, what if it didn’t turn
her
on?

Olivia laid her hand on his chest. “Why don’t you tell me how to please you, and I’ll start there.”

He smiled and stretched out on his side, facing her. “This isn’t about me. It’s all about you tonight.” He reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear, making her realize she was hiding behind it. “You have so many people depending on you every single day. Your employees. Your customers. Your friends and family. So many people expecting you to succeed, so many people to please. Don’t think about them. Be selfish, Olivia. Embrace your own needs and desires. I’m just happy to be here, and whatever your fantasy is—I know I’m going to love it.”

His words encouraged her—actually, they dared her. He wasn’t going to give her an out. How could he understand her so well? Her gaze skittered to the balcony. No escape there. Well, she could hide behind the curtain, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He looked willing to lie there all night, just looking at her with those watchful gray eyes, waiting for her to make a move.

A wicked idea struck her. She stood up and walked across the room to release the curtain on one side of the balcony door. She brought the tie that held it back to the bed with her. There was always more than one way to get a job done. She could hide in plain sight.

She wrapped the sash around his eyes and tied it.

He smiled, a quick flash of teeth. “Spoilsport.”

“You said I could do anything,” she reminded him.

Freed of his gaze, her self-consciousness evaporated. She pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it. When it hit the floor, it made a noise, and he groaned. She stepped out of her shoes, her jeans, her panties, making sure each article of clothing made a sound when it hit the floor too. She unhooked her bra and shucked it from her shoulders. Now they were both naked.

She sat down next to him again and looked her fill. Sean’s body was beautiful, lean and taut, biceps and triceps smooth bulges of flesh. His abdomen was ridged and tense, his thighs relaxed. She reached out with one finger to trace a line from his shoulders to his wrist, then from his collarbone down the taut muscles of his chest, over his ribs to his navel. He sighed, moving just the slightest bit toward her. She flattened her palm to caress the warm, silken skin covering his hard abdominal muscles. He moaned and jerked, flexed toward her palm as if asking for more touch. Power surged through her, giving her the courage to take him in her hand.

They gasped at the same time. He was hot and hard, groaning softly as she explored his length, his arms and legs straight and straining, heels dug into the mattress, telling her he was enjoying her caress. She was enjoying him too, loving the way the slightest movement of her fingers provoked a corresponding movement of his body. He rose to meet her when she moved down, fell away when she moved up, giving her wordless praise.

She released him and moved to straddle his body, bracing her hands on his chest. It wasn’t close enough, so she stretched out on top of him, settling herself against his warm skin, loving the clasp of his strong arms around her.

She bent to kiss him. Heat flared. His mouth opened under hers and she felt the freedom of possibility expand between them. Tentatively, she widened her lips and caressed his upper lip with the tip of her tongue.

He moaned, deepening the kiss. “You feel incredible,” he whispered.

Satisfaction surged through her.

From the way his jaw was clenched and his head moved restlessly back and forth, she could tell it wasn’t easy for him to remain passive, but clearly, he was having a good time. A man could not fake an erection like that, and his was impressive—at least by her previous standards.
Do
not
think
of
Keith
, she warned herself, but it was too late. She sighed.

“You’re thinking again, aren’t you?” Sean murmured, caressing her bare back.

Olivia cleared her throat, trying to banish the sudden thickness brought on by her stupid memory. “How did you know?”

“I don’t have to be able to see you to feel your brain waves pounding against me. Smart women are sexy, but trust me, what we have going on at the moment doesn’t require thought. Don’t think, Olivia. Just feel. Do whatever feels good to you, for whatever reason. You have my full permission to do anything you like.”

She narrowed her eyes, forgot he couldn’t see her. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Isn’t it?” He shrugged, looking so relaxed beneath his blindfold that she almost believed him.

“In that case, I think I’ve put the blindfold on the wrong person.”

Olivia untied his blindfold and drew it away. His eyes glowed silver as they adjusted to the return of light, then flared with hunger as he saw her nakedness. His fiery regard brought her arousal back to life, unfamiliar and scary, but welcome. Resolutely, she closed her eyes, wrapped the sash around her head, and tied it.

It suddenly became more difficult to breathe, but not because of fear. Not being able to see increased the slick need stealing through her. She felt his hardness against her as she leaned forward to find his face, clasp it between her hands. “I’m going to stop thinking now,” she warned.

He settled her hips over his. “I’m looking forward to it.”

With that, she kissed him. When his mouth opened beneath hers, she met his tongue with her own, gliding, exploring. She shifted above him, seeking more connection. Was she doing this right?
Stop
thinking
. With his permission to do whatever she wanted, and all of his reactions blocked by the curtain tie around her eyes, it was just possible to stifle her thoughts.

His thrusting tongue in her mouth made her want to spread her legs, so she did. She shifted against him. It felt so good she pressed forward, down. She reached between them, drawing a deep groan from his chest. “One second,” he said. He stretched away from her.

She froze, fearing she had done something wrong.

“Condom,” he explained.

She breathed again, waiting, eyes shut tight, hanging on to her courage. She heard a drawer open, shut. A tearing sound.

He relaxed beneath her. She felt his hand over hers as he drew her forward again. Her fingers found him, now covered, and he gasped, one tight inhale. He felt huge in her hand. She leaned over him, lifted, forced her mind away from what he must be seeing as she settled her body onto his.

His low moan drove her on. Was he doing it on purpose? To reassure her?
Stop
thinking.

She began to move, slow, tight rubs that made her skin itch. She flexed her thighs to move higher and she felt her breast brush his cheek, felt his tongue on her nipple. She held still and let him draw her breast into his hot, wet mouth. His seeking tongue built urgency inside her. She thrust her hips, caught a bounce from the bed, and found a rhythm that made lights flash behind her closed lids.

How could she have been married for two years and never…
Stop
thinking
. Sean sucked and tormented her with his strong tongue, wringing a wild cry from her throat. She felt his touch in other, deeper places and ground against him rubbing, arching, needing satisfaction.

His thighs pressed against her buttocks and she realized he had bent his knees, effectively making a seat for her with his body, urging her forward, toward his mouth as he levered his hips up into her in a hard caress. He sucked harder, making her move faster, and suddenly something burst inside her, chasing every thought from her head. She reached up to drag the blindfold from her eyes, wanting to see him, no longer afraid.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

Olivia’s heart soared. She moved faster, urgency building within her. Mindless above him, she chased her peak, desperate to bring him up with her. She held fast to his shoulders, driving him now, forcing him to meet her frantic pace.

His face tightened. His muscles tensed. Fierce joy exploded inside her as he grasped her hips and they flew over the peak together.

***

Slowly, Sean came back to himself. Olivia was collapsed on his chest, a warm weight. He twisted his head to the side to see the clock and groaned. Russo.

Olivia slipped to the side and entwined one leg with his. Her arm stole over his chest and she pressed a sleepy kiss to the side of his neck. The last thing Sean wanted to do was get out of bed, but he’d made a promise.

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it before disentangling their bodies. He got out of bed, gathering his clothes on the way to the bathroom. When he returned to the side of the bed, she was sleeping. In the hustle and bustle of the cooking class, he’d forgotten to tell her about his trip to the airport, and during dinner, he hadn’t wanted to mention it in front of Mrs. Russo. Should he wake her to explain why he was leaving? He tucked his room key into his pocket instead. He would collect Russo, hear what he had to say, and be back in bed with Olivia before she realized he was gone.

He grabbed a jacket and shut the door silently behind him. He checked to make sure he still had Alessandro’s car keys in his pocket, grateful that the chef hadn’t minded loaning him his car. It had saved him the expense of a taxi or the awkwardness of asking Mr. Marconi for another favor.

The directions Gia had given him were simple enough and he reached the airport without any trouble. Russo was standing at the curb, bag slung over his shoulder, arms crossed, face set. Sean glanced at his phone. Two missed calls. Patience was not Russo’s strong suit.

Sean pulled up to the curb and rolled down the window. “Hello, Mr. Russo, how was your trip?” he said, wondering if the man had slept at all on the flight. He looked exhausted. After throwing his bag into the back, Russo sank into the passenger seat with a loud groan.

“Wretched.” Russo closed his eyes.

“Well, you’ll be settled in at Villa Farfalla in no time.” And Sean would be back in bed with Olivia.

“No!” Russo’s eyes popped open. He ran both hands through his salt and pepper hair, making the silver wings at his temples stick out to the sides.

“What do you mean, no? You’re here to vacation with your wife, right? So you can divorce her?” Sean didn’t intend the scathing tone, but there it was.

“I need a drink,” Russo said, looking out the window. “Pull in there.”

Russo pointed at a bar up ahead and Sean pulled over, more out of grudging admiration for the man’s audacity than a desire to please his client. Russo had demanded a pick-up at midnight and now he wanted a nightcap? The guy had nerve.

Russo was out of the car before Sean could put it in park, leaving him no option but to follow. He made a bet with himself as he locked the car and was rewarded to see Russo already had a drink in front of him when Sean arrived at the bar beside him.

Sean ordered coffee. The strange car, unfamiliar route, and unpredictable client made him want to stay sharp. He watched Russo take a long drink of whiskey.

“What?” Russo asked. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I thought you had something you needed to discuss.”

Russo’s eyes shifted to his drink.

“No?” Sean asked. “Then let’s go. It’s midnight. Your wife is waiting for you.”

“It’s not midnight to me. It’s dinnertime.” Sean had forgotten about the time change. “And as for Marilyn, she deserves to wait, don’t you think? After all, she abandoned me. Did you tell her you were coming to pick me up?”

Sean shook his head.

Russo pulled out his cell phone and began texting. “I’ll take care of that.”