The Moretti Seduction (7 page)

He liked the way Nathalie felt pressed against his back as they drove through the winding streets toward Lake Como. Feeling her against him immediately brought back his arousal from earlier that afternoon.

He wanted her. No mistake about it. And he was past debating whether that desire had anything to do with Moretti Motors. He was going to be as fair as he could be with the Vallerio family. Not because of his interest in Nathalie but because he’d seen the pain in Emile’s eyes when he’d spoken of his own father.

Antonio understood where Emile had been coming from. He knew too that pride was an important commodity. At Lorenzo’s knee he’d grown up learning that the Moretti name was the most important thing that he, Antonio, had inherited.

“What did you tell your family you were doing tonight?” he asked to distract himself from the feel of her hands on his body.

“I told them I needed the night alone to prepare your terms.” She hesitated, then added, “I don’t want you to think that lying is a habit of mine.”

“I don’t,” he said. He had a sense that Nathalie was the type of woman who prided herself on doing what was necessary. He knew from his own experiences in life that sometimes meant white lies.

“You’re a grown woman. I doubt your sister and your father are your keepers.”

She laughed, the sounds soft and melodious in his ear. He liked riding like this. It had been a gamble to take her out of Milan where the deck was definitely stacked in his favor. But he had guessed that she needed to see more of the man he was than just the Moretti Motors company man.

He certainly wanted to see more of Nathalie. He wanted to see the part of her that wasn’t tied to Vallerio Inc.

“My father still thinks of us as his little girls when we are in a situation like this. And he feels so tied to the Moretti Motors issue that he can’t let me handle it.”

“I can understand that.”

“I bet you can’t. Isn’t it different for men? I mean your parents don’t treat you like a boy, do they?”

He thought about that for a moment. His mother always did things for him that she’d done when he was little. Silly things like making sure his favorite soft drink was stocked in the house and sending him her lasagna for dinner once a week…

“I think it’s different. My brothers and I are more interested in business than our father was, but I know he worries when we travel a lot. And my mother…well, she just mothers us.”

Nathalie stroked her hand down his chest, resting her hand on his thigh. “It is different. My dad thinks I’m twelve.”

Antonio laughed, taking her hand in his. “You are definitely not twelve.”

“Definitely.”

He noticed she’d neatly turned the subject away from business, which suited him. The last thing he wanted to do was have Moretti Motors be between them tonight. He wanted them to just be Antonio and Nathalie.

Two lovers who were enjoying the romance of this beautiful spring evening in the countryside.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

He shrugged and turned off the motorway and onto a small road that curved around the lake to where his family’s summer home was.

“That I’m glad you took a chance on me tonight.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“Aren’t you?” he asked, very aware that Nathalie could be playing a game with him. Hell, she probably was. All’s fair, he reminded himself.

Though he had set out to seduce her with the romance of the evening and the beauty of his home on Lake Como, he realized that he had to be careful not to be seduced himself, because there was something about Nathalie tonight. Maybe it was the way her curves pressed against his back and the way her arms wrapped around his chest as he maneuvered the bike through the curves and turns of the road, or maybe it was something more.

“Are we close to your house? I read somewhere…”

“What?”

“Something very silly.”

“If you read it I doubt it is all that silly.”

“Well, this is. I was going to say I heard that celebrities lived in the area.”

The comment was out of character for the woman he’d come to know in the boardroom. “My brother is considered a celebrity in some circles.”

“Dominic?”

“Marco. You must know drivers too, right? Vallerio Incorporated is still very involved in the racing world.”

“That is true,” she said. “We still have patents for engines and stuff that my grandfather designed.”

“Stuff?”

“Yes. Where is your home?”

“Right up here,” he said, turning off the road and onto the long winding driveway that led to the stone cottage. He pulled to a stop next to the house and turned off the bike.

He removed his helmet and took Nathalie’s from her when she did the same. He hung them both off the handlebars of the motorcycle and then got off the bike.

He held his hand out to her. She took it and slowly dismounted, losing her balance when she stepped off and falling right into his arms.

He only hoped she’d fall as easily into his arms later tonight.

It had little to do with the yacht or the setting and everything to do with the man who was with her. Antonio hadn’t brought up business since they’d set foot in his home. And clearly this was his home. He pointed out the home his parents owned and the ones that were his brothers’.

But he didn’t focus too much on anything that wasn’t personal. “Where did your family go on holiday?”

She tried to recall. She didn’t dwell in the past and she’d attended a year-round boarding school with Genevieve. “We have a flat in London and my grandparents have a house in Monte Carlo. And we had holidays in London growing up. But otherwise we didn’t really go anywhere. Except I had a pen pal in Cairo when I was a girl and I visited her one time.”

“What about as an adult? Where is your favorite place to go on holiday?”

“I don’t take them.”

“How very American of you,” Antonio said.

“It’s not that…. You know how earlier I said my father still thinks I’m a girl?”

“Yes.”

“I still feel like I’m proving myself to him and to the board.”

Antonio handed her a pomegranate martini. They were anchored in the middle of the lake, music played through the speakers and a small table had been set on the deck of the yacht. There were lights draped from the mast.

“I can understand that. I think I’ve been trying to prove myself for most of my career.”

“To whom?” she asked. “You said your father wasn’t interested in business.”

“Lorenzo. Dom, Marco and I made a promise to each other that we’d be the generation to get back the promise and the fortune that Lorenzo had made.”

That made sense. It also explained why they’d come to Vallerio Inc. for permission to use the Vallerio name.

“Isn’t it odd that no matter how old we get we are still trying to prove something to our elders?”

“Not necessarily odd,” Antonio said. “I think we are both tied so much to our families that failure is simply not an option.”

She smiled at him. “Maybe that is why we are both used to winning.”

“Probably. But that doesn’t matter tonight. I want this evening for us.”

“You’ve said that a couple of times. I’m not thinking about work with the moon shining down on us.”

He smiled over at her. “
Buon.
Are you hungry yet?”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to eat right now. She could eat any time, but this moment with Antonio wasn’t going to last forever.

“Dance with me?”

“Yes.” She set her martini glass down. The music was slow and bluesy. A pure American sound that sounded familiar to her but she was unable to identify the artist. She soon stopped trying when Antonio drew her into his arms.

He put one arm around her waist, drawing her as close as he could, while the music slowed its pace. His hips moved in time with the drumbeat and hers soon did the same. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she’d wanted to do since they’d gotten off that motorcycle of his. She had been invigorated by the ride out here, and more than ever craved his solid body pressed to hers.

The passionate encounter they’d had in the boardroom that afternoon had whet her appetite for him. And now she wanted more.

He kept his other arm in the middle of her back, stroking her spine as he danced her around the deck of the yacht. He sang softly under his breath and she thought she felt herself falling for him.

Maybe it was the magic of this night or the fact that she’d spent all day battling more with her own family than him, but at this moment she realized there was something likeable about Antonio.

His hands skirted along her sides and around to her front. “You have the sexiest body.”

“Thank you,” she said with a confidence that she was definitely starting to feel with this man.

“You don’t give an inch, do you?”

“Do you?” she asked.

“Never.”

They were perfectly suited, she thought. Perfectly suited for not only the negotiations they were brokering but also a love affair.

“Antonio?”

“Sì?”

“I want more than this dance with you,” she said, taking the bull by the horns. Neither of them would be satisfied with anything less than this.

“Me too. I want this evening and many more,
cara mia.
”

“Am I really yours?”

He tipped his head to the side to look down at her. It was hard to see his expression in the dim light, but when he spoke she heard his confidence and the sincerity in his voice.

“You will be.”

She stood on her tiptoes and met his mouth as it descended toward hers. Their lips met and she darted her tongue out to taste his, but he opened his lips and sucked her tongue deep inside his mouth. Both of his arms wrapped around her, making her feel she’d found in his arms the one place she’d always searched for.

He left her standing by the bow to go and change the music on his iPod/Bose system.

Soon soft music filled the air. The breeze was cool but not cold, and to be honest Antonio couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed an evening with a woman so much. And they hadn’t even had sex, he thought.

“
Merci,
Antonio.”

“For what?” he asked. He loved the soft sound of her voice. But mostly he loved the feel of her in his arms. He pulled her back into his arms, dancing her around the deck.

“For this evening. I really enjoyed it.”

“It’s not over yet.”

“Good,” she said.

He caressed her back and she shifted in his arms. Blood rushed through his veins, pooling in his groin as she turned in his arms and smiled up at him. An expression of intent spread over her face.

He led her over to the pillows and drew her down to them. He lay back against them and drew her into his arms. She curled against his side, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm around his waist. He stroked her arm.

“Climb up here,” he said, gesturing to his lap.

“Not yet.”

He arched one eyebrow at her. “Do you have something else in mind?”

“Yes,” she said. “Take off your shirt.”

He arched one eyebrow at her but sat up and did as she asked. “Now you do the same.”

She shook her head. “I’m going to be in charge.”

He captured both of her hands and turned so that she was under him. “I don’t think so.”

He held both of her hands loosely in one of his and undid her white blouse with the other one. Once it was unbuttoned, he let go of her hands and drew the blouse off her body.

The bra she wore was creamy white lace and afforded only partial coverage. He could see the pink color of her nipples through the pattern on her bra.

“Now you can do as you wish,” he said, trying to pretend he wasn’t her slave at this moment. He might want to believe he was in charge, but he knew he wasn’t.

He growled deep in his throat when she brushed kisses against his chest. Her lips were sweet and bold as she explored his torso, then nibbled their way down his body.

He watched her, loving the feel of her cool hair against his heated skin. His pants felt damned uncomfortable. When her tongue darted out and brushed against his nipple, he arched off the pillows and put his hand on the back of her head, urging her to stay where she was.

Still, she eased her way down his chest. She traced each of the muscles that ribbed his abdomen and then slowly made her way lower. He could feel his heartbeat in his erection and he knew he was going to lose it if he didn’t take control.

But another part of him wanted to just sit back and let her have her way with him. When she reached the edge of his pants, she stopped and glanced up to his face.

Her hand brushed over his erection. “Did you like that?”

“Sì, cara mia,”
he said, pulling her to him. He lifted her slightly so that her lace-covered nipples brushed his chest.

“Let’s see what you like,” he said.

She suddenly diverted her gaze and nibbled her lips, and he realized she didn’t want to let him see what made her vulnerable. Moments before, he had no problems with letting Nathalie know exactly how much her body and her touch turned him on.

He told her so, in softly whispered words. He buried his face against her neck and drew her body close to his until she was pressed to him, tucked tightly to him.

He skimmed his hands all over her body, up and down her back, unclasping her bra and pulling it down her arms and tossing it away.

“I like the feel of your chest against me,” she said.

Blood roared in his ears. He was so hard right now that he needed to be inside her.

But he took his time making love to her. Slowly he unbuttoned her jeans and drew them down her legs. They were long and lean and so soft to his touch. He pushed the fabric aside and then sat on his heels near her feet and just looked at her.

She lay back against the multicolored pillows. Clad only in a pair of pink panties, she was exquisitely beautiful and he was glad that he was the man who would claim her tonight.

He caressed her creamy thighs.
Dio,
she was soft and so responsive. It was as if she were made to be his. They were equals in other areas of life, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that they were here as well.

She moaned as he neared her center and then sighed when he brushed his fingertips across the crotch of her panties. When her long legs shifted and opened, he moved between them, keeping his eyes on her.

The cotton was warm and wet. He slipped one finger under the material and hesitated for a second, looking down into her eyes.

Her eyes were heavy lidded. She bit down on her lower lip and he felt the minute movements of her hips as she tried to move his touch where she needed it.

He wasn’t done teasing her or himself with the building passion between them. He nudged her panties aside and teased her opening. Tracing with his fingers, feeling the humid warmth of her body spilling out, beckoning him to come deeper. He teased her with just the tip of his finger, and she moaned and reached down to grasp his shoulders.

“What are you feeling?” he asked in Italian, needing to know.

“I can’t translate Italian now,” she said breathlessly.

He laughed. She’d brought him down to the very base of the man he was. He’d forgotten to speak English, which they’d almost used exclusively in their conversations. “Pardon me. You go to my head.”

“Good.” She squirmed against him.

He kissed her, and her mouth opened under his, her tongue tangling with his. He was so hard right now he thought he’d come in his pants. She was pure feminine temptation and he had her in his arms.

He nibbled on her and held her at his mercy as his fingers continued to tease between her legs. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she arched into him.

He rolled over so that he was under her. He stroked her back and spine, scraping his nail down the length of it. He followed the line of her back down the indentation above her backside.

She closed her eyes and held her breath as he fondled her. A sweet sound escaped her lips before he captured them. She tipped her head to the side, allowing him access to her mouth. She held his shoulders and moved on him, rubbing her body over his erection.

He shifted her back a little bit so he could see her face and watch her expression. Her breasts were bare, nipples distended and begging for his mouth. He lowered his head and suckled.

He buried his hand in her hair and arched her over his arm. Both of her breasts were thrust up at him. He had a lap full of woman and he knew that he wanted Nathalie more than he’d wanted any woman in a long time.

He realized that he wanted to erase all other men from her memory. Whatever lovers she had in the past he wanted to ensure she never recalled again. That when she thought of sharing her body with a man, his was the only face she saw.

Her eyes were closed, her hips moving subtly against him, and when he blew on her nipple he saw gooseflesh spread down her body.

“Nathalie?”

“
Oui,
Antonio?” Her voice was husky and her words spaced out. And he loved it. Loved the way she reacted to him.

“You’re mine,” he said.

He kept his attention on her breasts. Her nipples were so sensitive he was pretty sure he could bring her to an orgasm just from touching her there.

The globes of her breasts were full and fleshy, more than a handful. He licked the valley between her breasts. She tasted sweet and a bit salty. And like nothing he’d tasted before.

He kept kissing and rubbing until her hands clenched in his hair and she rocked her hips harder against his length. He lifted his hips, thrusting up against her. He sucked hard on her tender, aroused nipple. “Come for me,
cara mia.
”

But she braced her hands on his shoulders and pulled her body away from his. “I don’t want this to just be about me.”

“It won’t be. I want you to come for me, Nathalie, and then we can come together.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

She lowered her body to his again and he rebuilt her passion, aroused her with all the skill he’d learned since he’d had his first woman years ago. He was glad for the knowledge gained from his past lovers because he needed to do so much more than just please Nathalie.

When he felt her hips moving against him, he caressed her feminine mound and then slowly entered her with one finger and then two. She moaned his name as he teased her. He couldn’t help but smile as he continued to draw the reaction he wanted from her. He kept touching her and whispering words of sex against her, telling her what he wanted and how to give it to him.

She gasped and he felt her body tighten around his fingers as her orgasm rolled over her until she collapsed in his arms, falling down on his chest.

A moment later he set about arousing her again. He held her close, enjoying the feel of her rapid breath against his neck. The creamy moisture at the apex of her thighs told him that he’d done a good job of bringing her pleasure.

He glanced down at her and saw she was watching him. The fire in her eyes made his entire body tight with anticipation.

“I want you inside me this time, Antonio,” she said, no shadows in her eyes now. “I really want you. Come to me now.”

Shifting off him, she settled next to him on the pillows. She opened her arms and her legs, inviting him into her body, and he went. He took his pants off, tossing them on the deck next to her shirt and jeans. Then he lowered himself over her and caressed every part of her.

She reached between his legs and fondled his sex, cupping him in her hands, and he shuddered. He needed to be inside her now. But he had to take care of a condom first. He fumbled in his pants pocket and pulled out the condom he’d optimistically put there earlier. He sheathed himself quickly, before coming back between her legs. He shifted and lifted her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.

Mine, he thought.

He held her hips steady, entered her slowly, then thrust deeply until he was fully seated. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his hips as he started thrusting, holding him to her, her eyes half closed and her head tipped back.

He leaned down and caught one of her nipples in his teeth, scraping very gently. She started to tighten around him. Her hips moved faster, demanding more, but he kept the pace slow, steady. He wanted her to come again before he did.

He suckled her nipple and rotated his hips to catch her pleasure point with each thrust and he felt her hands clench in his hair as she threw her head back and a climax ripped through her.

He varied his thrusts, finding a rhythm that would draw out the tension at the base of his spine. Something that would make his time in her body, wrapped in her silky limbs, last forever.

Leaning back on his haunches, he tipped her hips up to give him deeper access to her body. Then she scraped her nails down his back, clutched his buttocks and drew him in. His blood roared in his ears as he felt everything in his world center to this one woman.

He held her in his arms afterward, neither of them saying anything, and he feared that was because both of them knew that this had changed the stakes in their friendly little game. The family feud that had started with her great-aunt and his grandfather couldn’t be continued with their generation.