Propositioning the Rich Italian (2 page)

BOOK: Propositioning the Rich Italian
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“So you plan on having a no-strings attached affair?” She nodded, and he smiled. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

She sighed heavily. “Because all of my life I have been sensible, stable, and organized, and look where it has gotten me.”

Antonio took another drink of his brandy. He needed it for the next question he planned to ask her.

“Have you found any prospects?” He watched her pause and clear her throat before continuing.

She nodded slowly. “Only one. You.”

* * * *

A predatory smile appeared on his face. A quick sense of being out of her league travelled through her but she pushed it aside. He seemed to be the perfect man for what she’d planned, and she wanted to make sure he knew it. Antonio seemed to be certain he would be the one, but she wanted to be positive. After everything she’d gone through uncertainty wasn’t an option. She breathed a sigh of relief at his next words.

“How do you know I’m the man you are looking for?”

She stared at him, unwavering. “Because I trust my instincts on this.”

“How do you know we are compatible?”

She shrugged. “I think compatibility is what you make it.”

He gave a nod. “Very true.”

She took his hand and stood up. How she missed the full extent of his height before now was beyond her. She craned her neck up at him. “How tall are you?”

“Six feet and six inches.” He leaned closer to her. “How tall are you?”

 
“Five feet and six inches, seven or seven-and-a-half with these heels on.”

She quickly forgot about his height as soon as he pulled her into his arms. Her nerves went into overdrive at his nearness.

“Are you ready to see if we are well-matched?” he whispered.
 
“How do you plan on making that determination?”

He pulled her closer to him. They already seem to be connected in more ways than should be possible.

“A simple kiss,” he whispered before lowering his head.

His lips found hers, feathery, yet probing as if to test her response. Nothing about the kiss came across as simple. Moments later, the sensation of his mouth on hers intensified.

Oh my God,
she thought before her brain shut down.

The desire she experienced earlier paled in comparison to the sensations now rushing through her. Quincy never kissed her like this. If he had, she would have clawed Shannon’s eyes out for imposing on their relationship. Truthfully, she hadn’t given herself to Quincy, a decision she didn’t regret in hindsight. Sharing this with Antonio told her why. His mouth sent heat surging through her. She literally felt like she could combust. This lip lock could go on forever, and it wouldn’t be long enough for her.

Antonio shifted against her, and she came directly in contact with an impressive erection. Even with her lack of experience, she knew when a man could be classified as well endowed. Antonio fell into that category. The first moan of pleasure escaped her, and he swallowed it up. She did not want it to ever end. As soon as the thought entered her mind, someone cleared their throat. Antonio took his sweet time pulling away from her, but when he did, she sagged against him, and he kept her in his arms. He stared deeply into her eyes for a moment before looking at the person who so rudely interrupted their earth shattering moment. She quickly determined sound came from the bartender.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Carabelli, but you have a phone call.”

* * * *

He felt Tierra freeze within his arms and cursed under his breath in Italian. The person on the phone just might die a slow and painful death if it wasn’t an emergency. He gave her another glance, puzzled by the expression on her face. She looked as if she just suffered the shock of her life. He couldn’t blame her. The kiss they just shared could only be described as extraordinary. He instantly wondered what it would be like if they went further. Based on the kiss they just shared, their compatibility registered off the charts. He definitely planned to find out just how well suited they were as soon as he took care of the person on the phone.

“I will be right back.”

She nodded stiffly, and he stepped around the bar to pick up the phone. Even with his back to her, he could still feel her gaze on him. Picking up the phone, he spoke a gruff greeting to his youngest brother.

He promptly cursed him when he found out the ludicrous reason why he’d been pulled away from the most passionate kiss of his life. Of all the times for his brother to have the need to borrow his car, this qualified as the worst. After telling his brother he would be busy for the rest of the night and not to bother him, he slammed down the phone. He took a deep breath before smiling. As irrational as it sounded, he couldn’t deny his anxiousness to get back to Tierra. His smile faded quickly when he turned and saw she wasn’t standing there. Immediately, he knew exactly where to find her, and he would do just that.
   

Chapter 2

Tierra paced back and forth, imprinting a trail into the carpet of her hotel room, but she couldn’t help herself. Mortification did not even begin to explain what she felt. To think she’d thrown herself at a Carabelli. She might be inexperienced, but she wasn’t stupid. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Antonio had to be related to the owner of the hotel in some way. How common of a name could Carabelli be? At the moment, she hoped a very prevalent one. He probably stood downstairs having a good laugh at her expense.

She pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and wondered what she’d done in her life to deserve such embarrassment. Walking over to the bed, she sat down only to stand back up as a vivid image of her and Antonio in the bed, locked in a lovers’ embrace flashed through her mind. She stifled a groan and walked out onto the balcony. She could easily imagine sitting out on the balcony enjoying a glass of wine while wrapped up in Antonio’s arms.
 

Exhaling heavily, she tried to focus on the view of the city, which felt just as warm and intimate as the room.

Groaning, she closed her eyes before stomping back into the hotel room. She had to find a way to get Antonio off her mind. No way could she get involved with him now. It would be a major mistake. She would have to find another suitable candidate outside of the hotel to avoid more
potential
staff. Of all the people, why did she have to run into Antonio? He seemed to be one of kind.

She sighed heavily. Right now she needed a nice long soak in the vintage marble bathtub, one of the major reasons she chose this hotel. When the reason why she wanted the tub came to mind, she moaned in agony. The instant she spotted a photo of the tub, she began to think about all of the seductive plans she’d come up with. The way she imaged it, they might have never made it outside of the bathroom. Now it would remain a distant fantasy.

She would definitely be in the tub tonight, but it would be by herself. Fortunately, inexperience was her problem, not ignorance. She knew how to satisfy herself. Unfortunately, Quincy hadn’t known how pleasure her. Hopefully, Shannon would have better luck.

Tierra stifled a sigh. She faked enough orgasms with him to last her a lifetime. She’d read enough self-help manuals to know what to expect. Because of this she’d taken the time to learn how to pleasure herself on her own, as well as why she hadn’t been tempted to give herself to Quincy. Either that, or deep down she’d known he belonged to the reptilian species and was not worth giving herself to. One thing she knew for sure—he wasn’t worth wasting any more of her thoughts on with a vintage marble bathtub calling her name. She made her way toward the bathroom only to be stopped when a knock sounded on the door.

The person probably had the wrong room. She definitely wasn’t expecting company. A quick look out the peephole left her gasping. She leaned against the door, trying to figure out what she should do to get rid of Antonio. How in the world had he found her? She dropped her face into her hands and shook her head. Of course he could find her. With her first name and access to the hotel’s computer it probably hadn’t been hard for him at all. She jumped as he knocked on the door again. Her heart began to race, and this time not from arousal or excitement. What is the hell was she going to do? He knocked again even louder, and she knew she needed to think and act quickly. Otherwise, he might disturb the entire floor. Taking a deep breath, she put the safety latch on the door before opening it.

“What do you want?” she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.

 
Her heart fluttered when he flashed her those straight white teeth. His smile should be labeled lethal and locked away.

“To finish our conversation from earlier, of course.”

“Absolutely not. So get lost.”

She started to close the door, but his next words stopped her.

“I could easily have maintenance come up and take the door off the hinges.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He gave her a deadpan look. “Try me.”

His eyes told her he meant his threat. Now she cursed. “Dammit. As many rooms as there are in the hotel, how did you find me?”

He laughed, and she closed the door, barely resisting the impulse to slam it. Taking off the safety latch, she reopened it before stepping back. He stood on the other side of the door looking so handsome and comfortable, it irritated her beyond belief, and she closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she reopened her eyes, he leaned against the doorjamb as if he belonged there. He now had his suit jacket back on, hanging wide open with the top button of his shirt undone, revealing nicely bronzed skin. The temptation to call
GQ
and tell them she found their next model almost overtook her. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest and gave him her most intimidating look.

He smiled at the expression. “May I come in?”

She gave him her infamous eye roll before stepping aside. “As if I have a choice.”

Tierra rubbed the back of her neck. “What do you want to talk about?”

Antonio laughed at the statement, and the sound sent a tingle down her spine. She heard the click of the door closing, and her spine stiffened. She turned to face him, fighting back the nerves of being alone with the sexiest man on the planet.

He stared at her for a moment. When the moment increased to two, she began to wonder if he’d heard her.

“Just trying to figure out why you walked away from me after we shared the most earth shattering kiss I am positive either of us has ever experienced.”

His level of smugness embarrassed her. She should deny his claim, act like her reaction to him was normal for her. Instead, she told him the truth. “Because I had no idea I was swapping saliva with a Carabelli.”

One corner of his mouth tilted upward into a smile, and her breath caught in her throat.

Lord, this man is handsome.

“Is that such a bad thing?”

She blinked at him, wondering if she’d spoken aloud. He gave her a puzzled look, and she realized he referred to her earlier statement. She closed her eyes and nodded. Maybe she would be able to focus if she wasn’t looking at him. She spoke softly.

“Yes, it is.” She couldn’t keep her eyes closed. “You are more than I bargained for.”
 

As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she knew she should have chosen better ones. His gaze became even more heated, but she held up her hands before he could say anything and they ended up in more trouble than they already were.

“What I am trying to say is I want my affair to be with someone less risky.”

The other corner of his mouth went up, and she had a sinking feeling she would be in for a long night. She couldn’t think with this man around.

* * * *

Antonio studied the woman across from him for a moment, trying to figure out how he should handle this. She looked as if she wanted to bolt at any instant, and he couldn’t blame her for being skittish. This overwhelmed to him as well, but she intrigued him, and curiosity only made him want to explore the possibilities.


Cara
, I hate to tell you this, but any affair is risky. It is what makes it exciting.”

He took a step toward her, but the flash of vulnerability in her eyes made him stop. He forced himself to remember she’d just been hurt by the man she planned to marry. She wasn’t one of the fast-paced women he typically dealt with. He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them.

“What is it about me being a Carabelli you find so threatening?”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “
You own a five-star hotel in Rome, Italy
.” She winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout.”

He smiled, doubting anyone heard her. The rooms were made to keep sound in. Her expression became slightly irritated, and he remembered the corners of his mouth still curved upward in amusement. He cleared his expression, not wanting her to think he was laughing at her.

“And this is a problem because?”

“I am from Boulder City, Nevada.”

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “It is about twenty miles outside of Las Vegas, no?”

BOOK: Propositioning the Rich Italian
4.2Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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