Propositioning the Rich Italian (17 page)

Tierra dropped her gaze for a moment. How had she gotten lucky enough to run into this man that night in the bar? It felt as if they were meant to be together, but she needed to be sure. Up until her wedding day, she’d been sure of everything she had with Quincy, and look how that turned out. She felt very unsure of what direction she and Antonio could head in. She tried to taper down her fear, fear that she was going to end up hurting him, or worse yet, he would end up hurting her.

“Are you finished eating?”

She looked down at her plate before shrugging. “I guess so. My appetite disappeared suddenly.”

He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Even for dessert?”

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at his playfulness. “I was thinking more along the lines of a movie.”
 
She smiled as she standing up. “I am going to give my parents a call as well.”

He nodded. “Take your time.”

She made the call to her parents. They spoke briefly about her flight back to Boulder City. Their conversation was brief because her parents were on their way out. She felt slightly guilty about not telling them about Antonio, but they would know soon enough. When she returned home, she would tell them. It was going to be a long, interesting conversation, but her parents were good listeners. They also always had good advice. She had a feeling they would have plenty of it for her when they found out about Antonio.

 
After a moment, she stood up and went to find Antonio. He had a phone to his ear while he spoke in rapid Italian. She loved to hear him speak his native language. She stood there for a moment and listened just to his voice and his accent. He was speaking entirely too quickly for her to understand. A moment later, she cleared her throat, and he glanced at her and smiled.

“It is for you.”

He put the phone to her ear before she could ask who it was. She relaxed when Mona’s voice traveled over the line.

“
Ciao
, Tierra.”

“
Ciao
, Mona.”

“I asked Antonio what he thought you might like for dinner tomorrow night, but he wasn’t certain.”

Tierra could only think of one thing she wanted and hadn’t had so far. “I hope this isn’t a difficult request, but I would love to have lasagna.”

She could hear Mona’s smile when she spoke. “That isn’t a hard request at all, Tierra. It would be my pleasure to make it for you. Would you like anything else?”

She started to tell her no when she stared at Antonio, who studied her with amusement. One corner of her mouth tilted upward slowly as she formulated a plan. Antonio’s eyebrow rose at the expression. The look she gave him was one reserved only for him.

“Yes there is, Mona. If it isn’t too much trouble, could you make a panna cotta?”

Just as she imagined they would, Antonio’s eyes darkened. Their memories of the dessert were—and always would be—fond ones.

She would probably never have the dessert again once she was back at home. Even if she didn’t, she would always have the memories of it. She was only half cognizant of Mona’s response.

“We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night, Tierra.”

She smiled, knowing she would miss Mona. “I look forward to tomorrow night as well.”

She handed the phone back to Antonio, who took it without taking his eyes off of her. The intensity of his gaze made her shiver. She stared at him for another moment before turning to go into the living room. If she stayed in his presence too much longer, there was no telling what trouble they could get into. Walking toward his movie collection, she sighed heavily. Why had she suggested a movie? Antonio had a fascination with scary movies, and unfortunately they were the kind that would keep her awake at night. Some of the movies made her hide behind him as much as she could in fear. Closing her eyes, she reached out for a movie blindly, not wanting to see her choice until she had to. Her hand touched a DVD case, and she pulled it out. Opening her eyes, she grimaced when she saw what she selected.

The sound of Antonio’s laughter reached her ears, and she turned to give him a look of irritation. He stood in the doorway, watching her with amusement.

“What did you choose?”

She sighed with resignation. “
The Boogeyman
.”

He came toward her. “It is bad.”

She rolled her eyes. “It is always bad when they take anything you fear in real life and put it into movie form.”

He chuckled. “Well,
cara
, I could be incorrect, but last time I checked, that is the point of a scary movie.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before handing him the case with great reluctance. He took it while she went over to the couch and covered herself with the blanket she’d grown attached to.

When he joined her on the couch, she
 
snuggled into his side. The movie hadn’t been on for fifteen minutes before she was screaming and burying her face into Antonio’s chest. She could feel his chest rumble with his low laughter as his arms came up and surrounded her. It was a long time before she could brave another look at the television with an unobstructed view. When the movie ended, she shuddered. A person had to be demented to make a movie like this. Antonio glanced over at her, his expression still full of amusement.

“Are you ready for bed?”

She gave him an incredulous look. “After watching that movie?
 
I don’t think so.”

He smiled. “Would you like to watch another?”

She shuddered again at the thought. “Very funny, but somehow I don’t think that will solve the issue.”

He grinned. “Then what will?”

“Something non-Boogeyman related,” she replied.

He stared at her briefly then leaned closer. “I can think of a few things we can do that are non-Boogeyman related.”

She stared up at him. His expression spoke of panna cotta memories.

“Like what?”

He gave a light shrug. “We could play cards, board games or—”

Her elbow connected with his side, cutting him off. “Ouch. What was that for?”

The expression she gave him said everything he needed to know. “I can’t believe you would tease me. Play cards?”

“Don’t forget board games,” he added as he moved away from her. She still reached for him and came close, but he was quicker. He laughed, pinning her arms to her side and pulling her closer to him.

“Well, tell me what you have in mind if playing cards and board games doesn’t hold any appeal to you.”

Instead of responding verbally, she stretched upward, found the spot behind his ear close to his hairline, and nibbled softly. His body hardened instantly in response. She found this erogenous zone by accident, but ever since she had, she used it to her advantage. When she had his full attention, she drew back and sighed in dejection. She stood up and stretched, offering him a revealing view of her body before turning to look at him.

“Well, I can’t think of anything, so we might as well go to sleep.”

The look appeared on his face was one of total shock. The next second, his eyes narrowed. She turned and headed for the stairs, trying to hide her smile.

“Tierra?”

She considered ignoring him. It served him right. She extracted a little payback, but the tone of his voice indicated ignoring him might not be a good idea. She stopped with one foot on the stairs.

“Yes?”

“You might want to run.”

She turned around to stare at him with puzzlement at the statement. “Why should I run?”

“Because in a second, the boogeyman will be coming to get you,” he replied with a tight smile.

It only took her a moment to realize what he meant when he stood up. A split second later, she turned and ran up the stairs as fast as she could, but it wasn’t fast enough because he caught her as she reached the doorway to his room. A shriek bubbled up from her throat followed by laughter as he swept her up into his arms. His mouth found hers briefly before she found herself being tossed onto the bed. She landed softly with a slight bounce and immediately reveled in the feel of the satin sheets beneath her. As soon as she returned home, she would invest in a set for her own bed.

All thoughts of the satin sheets left her mind as he began removing their clothes. She loved the way he worshipped her body. A loud gasp of pleasure escaped her when his mouth found the sensitive nub between her thighs and began to lavish attention upon her. What always seemed to amaze her was how quickly he could bring her to the threshold of ultimate satisfaction. His fingers joined his mouth, causing her to climax hard and fast. He pulled away slowly, and she moaned in protest. After she realized she had, she paused. When had she become so greedy for his touch? She looked up at him in surprise as he drew away, then rolled her over onto her stomach. He drew her upward until she rested on her knees.

“What are you doing?”

His smiled wickedly as he responded. “Trying something new.”

Her breath caught in her throat as he slid inside of her slowly. She cried out in elation, urging him to move. There wasn’t any hesitance in his response to her demand. He moved slowly, his thrusts deep and measured, creating blissful sensations within her she could hardly keep up with.

He increased the momentum, pushing her closer to the release she craved despite even when she just experienced the wonderful sensation a short time ago. She couldn’t get enough of his touch. It was highly addictive and left her wanting more. Her release came upon her so suddenly she became a captive to it. She threw back her head and cried out his name as she raced over the edge, her uninhibited sounds and body pulling him along with her.

“Oh, my God,” she moaned as they collapsed on the bed together.

He exhaled heavily. “I know.”

It seemed as if every time they touched each other they couldn’t get enough of each other. She rolled onto her side, and he drew her into his arms. There was something about being in his arms that made her feel special—made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world worthy of him.

When it involved Antonio, there wasn’t doubt of what she meant to him, how he felt toward her. It showed in his eyes every time he looked at her. She didn’t know how she would hold it together when she returned home. There was so much she would miss, and she hadn’t stepped on the plane yet. He’d shown her so much about herself. She knew she had a lot to look forward to in life. A life she would have never been free to discover if she married Quincy. A life she found herself wanting to discover with Antonio, and it scared her.

Chapter 14

“I’m going to miss you…miss all of this.”

Antonio looked over at Tierra. They were on their way back to the hotel. When he awoke beside her this morning, it had been bittersweet. Mainly because as much as he loved having her in his arms, he knew it might be the last time he awoke with her in his bed. Deep down he hoped it wouldn’t be, but he would have to fight for it. Tierra was worth fighting for, so he didn’t mind.

“I am going to miss you as well,
cara
.”

Her gaze met his, and for a moment he felt as if she was going to say something before changing her mind and looking away. He remained silent as he pulled into the parking garage. She waited for him to come around to her side to open the door.

When they entered the lobby, he watched as she waved to some of the staff members she’d come to know. They greeted her just as warmly in return. His staff members liked Tierra. They’d welcomed her. Now if he could only get her to realize how much she’d become a part of his life as well as those who surrounded him.

The ride up to the room was a quiet one, as if they were both doing a countdown to the inevitable. When they reached her floor, they stepped off the elevator and made their way to the hotel room. She sighed as they stepped into the room. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing. Entering the room served as a reminder of another last before she went home. Setting their bags down, he helped her pack, stopping when a knock sounded on the door. He opened it to find the room service attendant standing there with the cart. Antonio took the cart.

When he turned around, Tierra stood staring at him with surprise. He smiled and wheeled the cart to the balcony.

“You ordered room service?”

He nodded. “Since we slept late and missed breakfast, I figured we could at least have lunch because dinner is a little ways off.”

She nodded slowly, watching him take the cart out onto the balcony and set everything up. He had to admit the food looked very appealing. Tierra stepped closer to peek around him

“What are we having?”

“Mediterranean crostini, pasta e fagiole and baccala with polenta.”

She smiled. “That sounds good.”

He motioned for her to have a seat. They shared a little of each of the dishes with her seeming to enjoy every single flavor. She told him she wasn’t a big fan of cod, but as she normally did she tried it, informing him that it tasted great.

Still, time passed quickly, and he knew she needed to finish packing her bags. From the expression on her face, she seriously dreaded it. So did he. When he looked over at her again, she sat staring out at the scenery, appearing lost in her thoughts, thoughts he was interested in knowing more about.