The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession Book 4) (21 page)

“Yes! She’s right,” Elynn said, pointing at Maia and nodding. “Gio never fought with Maria Gianna. He didn’t even throw a punch at that guy she was in bed with. He didn’t care enough.”

Sophia’s brows rose. “So he fights with me because he loves me?”

“
Yes
,” Maia and Elynn said at the same time.

Sophia couldn’t help it. She started laughing, but Eva cocked her head and seemed to think it over. “They’re right. Sergei says he’s never seen Gio behave this way about anyone before. The other three guys are loving it too. Probably because he’s starting to act more like them.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Sophia said wryly, but inwardly she was pleased.

So Gio was different with her than in his previous relationships. That knowledge warmed her, inside and out. Of course, it could have been the rum, but she was still secretly delighted. It almost made the arguments with Gio worth it.

Not almost.
They were totally worth it if he loved her.

“Is Gio moving here?” Elynn asked. “’Cause Alex would love that.”

Okay, there went her warm and fuzzy feeling.

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “We haven’t talked about it. I can’t possibly relocate. My research project just started. The whole lab would have to move and my research partner would never go for that.”

“Well, don’t worry about it,” Elynn said quickly. “Gio can fly out to the London office of his bank when necessary. Alex does it all the time.”

“Does he? Maybe they should carpool or heli-pool. Whatever you call sharing a helicopter ride,” Sophia muttered, remembering her one trip in the Eurocopter with distaste.

Her tongue was getting a little thick. She squinted at the bottom of her glass and poured a smaller refill.

Across from her, Eva smiled. “I think we should order some food.”

She waved a waiter over and ordered nachos and mozzarella sticks for the table. They had demolished most of them when another touchy subject came up.

“I should warn you that Gio is over at Alex’s place right now covered in babies,” Eva said. “The guys are staying in with the kids tonight instead of going out.”

“Why should I worry about that?” Sophia asked, reaching for a particularly cheesy tortilla chip.

“Oh,” Maia said, “You haven’t seen Gio around a baby yet, have you?”

Uh oh.

She straightened in her chair. “No, I haven’t…I don’t suppose you’re about to tell me that he hates them and wants me to get my tubes tied.”

They froze.

“Oh, no! You hate kids!” Elynn said.

Maia looked crushed, and even Eva appeared a little concerned.

“Don’t panic. I don’t hate them,” she reassured them. “Granted I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with them, but I do want children eventually. Maybe in a couple of years. But I’m starting a whole new phase of my research—ironically because of Gio and the grant he gave me. So if you’re trying to tell me he’s baby crazy, it’s going to complicate things.”

The other three ladies exchanged loaded glances.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but yes. That man’s biological clock is
ticking
,” Eva said, shooting straight as expected. “When I left, he was giving Alex junior a piggy-back ride while rocking Ethan Patrick to sleep at the same time. Gio wants a son so bad he can taste it.”

“Or a daughter,” Maia chimed in. “He’s wonderful with my little girl. He calls her his
princessa
and never comes to see us without a gift for her. Granted the last one was a pink calculator, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“A calculator, really?” Sophia asked with a giggle. It was such a Gio gift.

“It’s actually her favorite thing right now. She likes mashing the buttons.”

Sophia digested the new information with some trepidation. She did want children, but the prospect of them had always been far in the future. She was only twenty-eight. There was still plenty of time. But if Gio was hellbent on having babies now, could she put him off? Did she even want to?

Calm down
. Gio hadn’t discussed the future at all yet. They hadn’t even settled on where they might live if they stayed together. He did seem to be crazy about her, but that didn’t mean he was going to get down on one knee and propose marriage anytime soon. And there was a chance he didn’t even want to remarry. God knows being saddled with a crazy ex-wife like Maria Gianna was enough to turn anyone away from the institution.

Of course, one didn’t need to be married to have children. Eva and Sergei still hadn’t walked down the aisle yet and they had a son. Would that be enough to give Gio ideas?

It was entirely too much for one drunk neurobiologist to think about.

“You know, I think it’s time for a second pitcher,” Sophia said.

Sophia should have been surprised to see Gio leaning on his town car door, waiting for her outside the pub, but she wasn’t. The unexpected part was that Alex was with him. When he saw their group exiting the pub, he hurried up to Elynn and threw his arm around her.

“Eva, Maia, you’re coming home with us,” Alex said, bending to kiss his much shorter wife. “Sergei and Calen are waiting for you back at the house.”

Sophia sidled up to Gio and cuddled into his warmth. “By house, does he mean huge honking mansion?” she asked as the other ladies waved and walked away to a waiting stretch limo.

Gio smiled down at her, that hot dark grin that he saved only for her. “Yes, he does. We’re invited to brunch there next Sunday, by the way.”

“Ooh, I love waffles,” she said, burying her face in his chest.

Pleasantly warm despite the chill in the air, she leaned on him heavily, content to feel the pressure of his body as the other car pulled away.

“
Cara mia
, are you drunk?”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe a little,” she said, closing her eyes and humming a nonsensical tune.

His chuckle was deep and sexy. Embracing her, he opened the door behind them and pulled her into the darkened backseat of the car.

“Home,” he said to the driver before raising the privacy screen.

As soon as the partition went up, Sophia climbed on top of him with a giggle.

“Hi,” she said stroking his jawline with her fingers.

Kelly was right, his square jaw was incredibly sexy. Bending down, she flicked her tongue out to lick his closed lips before leaning back. Smiling seductively, she undid the top buttons of her blouse and opened it wide, revealing a deep red lacy bra.

Gio’s eyes widened. “I think I’m going to like girls’ night out,” he said burying his face in her décolletage.

“Mmm,” Sophia murmured, growing wet as his mouth covered her nipple through the sheer material of the bra. “How far is it to the apartment?”

“Four minutes.” His voice was muffled.

“Too soon and at the same time too long,” she said, rolling her neck in a circle.

Her body was warm and her limbs felt heavier than usual. Each touch seemed magnified, the sensations heightened by the alcohol. It made her want to rub all over him like a cat.

“Then let’s make the most of it,” Gio said huskily before taking her mouth and kissing her hard.

She leaned into him, following his lead and taking as much as she gave. Her hungry response seemed to drive him crazy. His hands ran all over her breasts and hips, his tongue tangling with hers.

He broke off for a moment. “Okay, definitely a huge fan of girls’ night,” he said, his hands fingering a lock of her hair.

Sophia giggled and shifted again on his lap, making him groan.

The quick ride passed in a heated clinch that overshadowed every other make out session in her life. They fondled and groped at each other impatiently, but it was only four minutes, and before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of Gio’s building.

When the car stopped, she climbed off him in a rush. Gio made a sound of complaint and grabbed at the empty space where she had been, making her giggle again.

“Come on,” she said, reaching for his hand and tugging.

They managed to control themselves on the elevator ride up to the penthouse, but the second the front door closed behind them, their restraint disappeared. Hands went for zippers and buttons in a disorganized grappling session that made them both laugh and pant at the same time.

Shedding clothes like a debauched breadcrumb trail, they burst into the master bedroom, landing on the bed with a thump. Determined to take the lead, Sophia climbed on top.

“I have an idea,” she said playfully.

Running his hands up the bare skin of her waist and back, Gio grinned up at her. “And what would that be?”

“I want to do that thing you wanted, the one I haven’t done with anyone else.”

Gio’s gaze unfocused, trying to remember before his expression cleared. “You want to do
that
?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Really? You’re sure?”

“I’m sure, but if you don’t want—”

“Oh, I want to,” he interrupted, running a covetous hand over her ass. “As long as you want to.”

“I already said—” Sophia stopped and squealed as he flipped her over, apparently deciding he was giving her too many opportunities to change her mind.

Pulling her to her hands and knees, he bent his head until his cheek was leaning on one of hers.

“Any reason why you want to do this tonight?” he asked curiously, pressing a kiss to her backside.

Sophia giggled again. “Yeah. Because this can’t get me pregnant.”

“
Okay
.”

She could tell he didn’t understand, but as a man, Gio wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He continued to stroke her back and butt, peeling her bra and panties off as he went.

Still buzzed from the alcohol, she undulated sinuously, eliciting a harsh groan as the satin skin of her derrière slipped back and forth under his hands.

“God, I love your ass,” he said, pressing a hot kiss to the center of her left cheek. “Have you been using your toy?”

Toy? Oh, the buttplug.

Gio had presented her with one not long after she agreed to try this one day. It was a black silicone cone with a softly pointed tip and a flared base. She’d worn it a few times but hadn’t used it regularly, and not at all in the last few days. But she reasoned the alcohol had made her warm and willing. If she was ever going to try this, tonight was the night.

A hard spank surprised her. “I’m waiting for an answer,
cara
.”

“I used it,” she said, deciding not to elaborate on the precise details.

“Good,” he said, kissing her right cheek now, before shifting to spank her again.

A little huff escaped her parted lips, and she rested her forehead on the mattress when Gio ran his hands over the seam of her pussy. Parting her inner lips with a finger, he hummed approvingly.

“This makes you wet. I think you like it,” he said in a low gravelly voice.

Before she could reply, he spanked her again and she moaned, her hands fisting on the silky sheets. One of his fingers entered her pussy, sliding easily in her wet channel. She moaned and pushed back against his hand, wanting more of him.

But he disappointed her by withdrawing and getting off the bed.

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” she asked, clearly aggrieved.

“The plug,
cara
,” he said laughing a little.

“Oh, in the drawer,” she said, collapsing on the bed with her head to the side, watching him.

He moved to the dresser on her side of the bed and then disappeared for a second into the bathroom. When he returned he climbed back into bed, setting the plug, a tube of lubricant, and something else she couldn’t see on her other side.

With both hands, he started to rub her shoulders and upper back. “You should be totally relaxed for this.”

Sophia’s laugh turned into a drawn out sigh as Gio’s muscular hands kneaded her back and shoulders. Relaxing, she gave herself over to his skilled fingers.

Damn, the man was talented.
If he cooks, too, you may have to marry him.

He massaged her back, working his way down until he was over his favorite spot. Every inch of her backside received his detailed attention. His obsession with that area was a bit much, though, and she was about to request that he speed things along when he stopped and reached for the plug. Applying a generous amount of lube, he pressed it to her puckered rosette.

Sophia pulled her arms in, her hands tightening into fists as the narrow tip penetrated the ring of muscle. Moaning, she pushed back until the flared middle reached her entrance. Gio paused, spinning the plug so the thickest part stretched her wide.

Little sparks of pain mingled with pleasure lit up the dark behind her closed eyes. Then Gio stopped working the plug sideways and pushed it all the way in, the flat flared base resting against her sphincter.