Propositioning the Rich Italian (6 page)

A strong image of tracing her spine with his tongue came to his mind. It took him several moments to get his mind past her spine and bottom until his gaze fell onto her legs. They resembled the legs of a Las Vegas showgirl even though she didn’t have the height. He rubbed his palms together before lowering his body to the chair beside her.

Beginning with the left leg, he rubbed the sun block on, making sure she was good and covered. When he reached her upper thigh just below the swell of her rounded bottom, he snuck a feel of the smooth skin there. She didn’t say anything, but her body let him know she had to be well aware of what he was doing. He moved over to her other leg before moving up to her back, then made his way to her arms.

He’d been right about her body being firm yet feminine in the places it needed it to be. She turned her head to look at him.

“Are you finished?”

Her voice sounded huskier than normal, and her breathing deepened. His touch affected her as he wanted it to, and it wasn’t over yet. It wouldn’t ever be over if he could help it.

He shook his head. “Now it is time for me to do the front.”
    

Chapter 5

Tierra took a deep breath as they walked into the hotel’s restaurant. She truly was surprised they made it to dinner after their earlier outing at the pool. They’d literally taken an hour rubbing sun block on each other. It led to an immediate dip into the pool and then to another round of rubbing sun block lotion on each other. Thankfully, there weren’t too many other patrons around.

By the time they made it back to the room, she’d cooled down once again. Fortunately, she needed to start getting ready for dinner. It proved to be enough of a deterrent to keep her from stripping naked as soon as they walked into the hotel room. But they had a dinner reservation, and she was hungry. She’d chosen to wear a scarlet, ankle-length halter dress. Even though it had been a major headache, she washed her hair before styling it into big curls, leaving them to fall around her face.

Antonio already told her several times how beautiful she looked in both English and Italian. He looked just as handsome in his custom-made suit. It fit his body as a dress suit should. She allowed him to lead her inside the nice restaurant. His status became clearer the longer she remained in his presence. She observed Antonio being treated with a great level of respect. From what she could tell, he deserved it.
 
It seemed he’d earned it.

The voice of the waiter brought out of her musing as they made their way to their table. Antonio ordered a bottle of wine for them. She opened the menu and didn’t know what she looked at let alone what she should order. This was the first time she would have authentic Italian food. Antonio must have read the confusion on her face.

“Would you like for me to order for you?”

She nodded, hoping she could trust his taste. He didn’t let her down by starting them off with herb-flavored oil and focaccia. Carciofi romani followed the focaccia. The artichokes tasted great to her. They were tender and pretty much melted in her mouth. When the waiter placed the spinach gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce in front of her, her eyes widened.

“How many courses are we going to have?”

He smiled. “Not including this one, we have two to go.”

He eyes widened even more. “How in the world do you stay in such good shape if you eat like this?”

He chuckled. “Simple. I don’t eat like this every day. This is my treat for you,
cara
.”

She smiled at the endearment she’d become used to. “Well, that's good to know. Otherwise, I would be alarmed at your eating habits.”

He laughed. “Your candor is one of the many things I like about you.”

She smiled before turning her attention back to her food. She tried her gnocchi and instantly knew she didn’t like it. Still, she took another bite before pushing the plate away.

He frowned in response, and she hoped he wasn’t insulted. “You don’t like it, no?”

She shook her head honesty as she took a sip of wine. “I thought I would because I like bleu cheese, but evidently I don’t like Gorgonzola.”

“Well,
cara
, at least you tried it before deciding you don’t actually like it. Would you like something else?”

She sighed in relief at his understanding before shaking her head. “I barely have enough room for the rest of the food, so I will wait.”

“There is no need to wait,
cara
.”

She watched him raise his hand to signal the waiter, asking him to take away their plates and bring out the main course. Their plates were whisked away and replaced quickly by other plate of food. It looked very appealing and smelled even better. She glanced at Antonio.

“What is it?”

“Porchini encrusted Whitefish.”

Her eyes closed in pleasure at the first bite. The fish tasted wonderful and melted in her mouth. When her eyes opened, she found him staring at her, and she gave him a questioning look. He smiled in return.

“
Gradite
?”

She nodded. “I like it very much.”

They ate in silence, and it didn’t bother her at all. It gave her time to enjoy her food as well as watch him eat. He had nice, strong hands, and she didn’t miss the flash of teeth every time he took a bite. She instinctively thought about how his mouth would feel on her body and began to choke. Picking up her wine glass, she took a sip before averting her eyes. When she did look back at Antonio, he stared at her with concern.

“Are you okay,
cara
?”

She nodded. “Yes, I am. The food just went down the wrong way.”

“So I see. I am just curious as to what you were thinking about prior to that.”

She could feel her cheeks began to heat with embarrassment, but she answered truthfully. Her mother always told her it would be the only way she would ever get what she wanted.

“I was thinking about your mouth on my body,” she mumbled.

His gaze intensified, and the hand on its way to his mouth stopped in midair. He put the fork down before speaking.

“It could be easily arranged. All you have to do is ask.”

Her dark brows arched in his direction. “What would I look like asking you for something like that?”

“Like a woman who knows what she wants.”

She shook her head, but he continued. “When we are together, you shouldn’t be ashamed to tell me what you want. I will respect you as a lady because it is what you are, but ladies deserve to be pleasured, too.”

Tierra took what he said seriously. She liked how he seemed comfortable enough in his manhood to allow direction.

Quincy hadn’t been he reason why she faked every orgasm she experienced with him. No, she and Quincy never had intercourse, but they explored each other during heavy make-out sessions. Any time she tried to give him any direction, he would get frustrated, and it would lead to an argument. It was scary to think she hadn’t given Antonio any direction and he gave her three mind-blowing orgasms the first night they met.

The man could only be described as dangerous—in more ways than one. She picked up her fork and resumed eating. Her food disappeared quickly—too quickly. She loved the good tasting dish. No, good didn’t do it any justice. She had to describe it as absolutely delicious. She put her fork down and looked up to find him staring at her.

“We can go back to the hotel whenever you are ready.”

Her nerves flared up instantly, knowing what would follow. All of a sudden, her hunger flared up again, but it wasn’t for food.

“What about dessert?”

One corner of his mouth tilted upward into what she now referred to as the illegal grin.

“I have arranged for it to be delivered to our room at the hotel.”

Tierra had no idea what kind of dessert he made reference to, but if it tasted half as good as dinner, she couldn’t wait. She removed the napkin from her lap and placed it on the table. He placed his own napkin on the table before standing up and holding his hand out to her. Tierra took it, and they made their way out of the restaurant.

 
She felt curious eyes watching them as they went. Tierra found his complete oblivious nature to the stares interesting. She, on the other hand, was very aware of them. He led her to the main elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, she sighed and leaned closer to him, enjoying the warmth he radiated even though she wasn’t cold. His arm came up to pull her closer, and her body contoured to his as if it
 
were made to. They reached her floor and stepped off the elevator. Each step toward the hotel room made her more nervous in a way she would have thought impossible. He opened the door to the room before holding it open for her.

“Why don’t you get comfortable?”

She nodded slowly and walked over to the edge of the bed before sitting down. The first thing she removed, the killer shoes squeezing her feet into an unnatural shape.

Her feet ached severely from the short time she wore them, but it had been well worth it. They were beautiful and the only pair of designer shoes she owned, and from the way her feet felt, the only pair she would ever own. Her stockings went next. She reached up under her dress and undid the clip on her garter belt. Taking them off carefully became a task since her hands started to shake from nerves.

Feeling Antonio’s eyes on her, she noticed he
wore
the same look when she spotted him in the bar last night. He’d unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, revealing a hard bronzed chest sprinkled with dark hair. He even rolled up his sleeves again. What made her pause was the expression on his face. She could only describe it as blatant lust. Frankly, it shocked her.

“What is it?” she asked.

He made his way toward her, pulling her into a standing position before capturing her lips with his. Lord, did the man know how to kiss. He proved his skill to bring her to orgasm with it if he tried. His hands found her bottom, and she started to realize he had a fondness for it. He cupped her bottom and lifted her into his growing arousal. It wasn’t until she needed to draw a breath that he released her mouth, only giving her a second of reprieve before recapturing her lips. Desire flooded through her womb, causing it to clench with need. Antonio finally pulled back, and she leaned heavily into him. When he spoke, his voice was raspy with desire.

“
Cara
, if I’d known you were wearing what you are underneath your clothes, we would have never have made it to dinner.”

She smiled before leaning back into his embrace. “Then I guess I should leave my underwear on for now, huh?”

His gaze became even more heated, and he growled. “Get out onto the balcony, woman, before you end up being dessert.”

He let her go, and she stepped back. She quickly removed her stockings, stopping there because anything else might be dangerous. Walking toward the balcony, she looked over her shoulder before opening the door.

“Just for the record, I wouldn’t mind being dessert.”

The smile that appeared on his face as he walked toward her could only be described as completely wicked. “
Cara
, I wouldn’t mind you being dessert, either, but we need to talk.”

She nodded, knowing he was right. Suddenly, she frowned, and he gave her a worried glance.

“What is it?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Nothing. I have something I need to do.”

She walked back into the room and made her way to the nightstand. She pulled out a compact and put something in her hand before placing the compact back into the drawer.

When she headed back toward him, she gave him a shy smile. “Do we have anything to drink with our dessert?”

He nodded as he led her out onto the balcony. “Milk and coffee.”

She requested the milk, and he handed it to her. He watched as she took a pill.

“Are you okay,
cara
?”

She nodded. “Why do you ask?”

He gave a slight shrug. “You are taking a pill, so I thought you might be sick.”

She smiled. “No, I’m just taking my birth control pill.”

Once she was seated, he pushed her chair up before taking a seat in his own. The way he looked at her in the candlelight made her feel even more beautiful than she already did.

She watched as he uncovered their dessert, smiling in appreciation at the panna cotta he uncovered.

“Mmm. This looks wonderful.”

He smiled. “I assure you, it is.”

Picking up the spoon, he offered her the first bite. The dessert was wonderful.

She savored the bite before taking another. When he offered her a third, she shook her head.

“Don’t you want some?”

* * * *

Antonio stared at Tierra as he contemplated the loaded question she just asked. He wanted a lot from her, and most of it had nothing to do with the dessert sitting in front of them.
 
Panna cotta was his favorite dessert. It seemed to be hers as well. The sound of pleasure she made kicked his arousal into gear. The woman exuded desire, and she didn’t realize it. He gave her credit because at least she tried the food before making the determination she didn’t like the taste. He wondered if she would respond the same way in a sexual sense. His gut told him she would, and even though there seemed to be an air of innocence about her, it appealed to him.