Page 69 of If We Never Met

His hands moved to the back of her bra, flicking open the snap with a deft hand. She broke away from his mouth to let the bra slip off her shoulders. And then she reached for the button on his jeans. They stripped off the rest of their clothes in mutual desperation, then kissed their way down to the mattress.

Dante gave every inch of her body the attention she so desperately craved. The chemistry between them was explosive. The fire got hotter with every touch. She wanted to slow things down, savor every feeling, but there was an urgency building that neither could ignore. Dante slipped on the condom and urged her on top of him, and she happily complied.

Their bodies moved together in hot, sweet, sexy madness, the climax as amazing as everything else.

As she slowly returned to reality, she gazed down at Dante, enjoying the sated look in his eyes. He took her face in his hands and pulled her down for a long kiss. Then she moved off him, rolling on to her side. She curled up next to him, resting her head on the pillow instead of his chest. "Are you all right? I didn't hurt your shoulder, did I?"

"No, you didn't hurt anything," he said with a happy grin. "You were amazing."

"So were you."

She ran her fingers down the side of his face, loving the shadow of beard that she'd felt all over her body just minutes earlier. He was such a handsome man. She leaned forward and kissed him, just because she needed that contact again.

He brought her in closer, deepening the kiss she'd started.

"You taste so good," he murmured.

"And you kiss really well."

"I wish I had more than one condom."

"Me, too, but I'm glad you had that one." She blew out a breath as they lay together in perfect comfort. A few minutes later, she said reluctantly, "I guess we should think about leaving."

"Not yet. It's so quiet here in the woods. I can't remember when I've been somewhere so still. The inn isn't loud, but there are noises: footsteps upstairs, voices in the hall. Out here, it feels like it's just you and me. No one else."

"Where do you live?" She smiled at her question. "Seems like probably something I should know."

"I have an apartment in Miami where I live during the season, and I have a condo in San Francisco for the off-season."

"Two different coasts."

"Two completely different vibes."

"Which do you like best?"

"San Francisco, but that's probably because it feels like home."

"I went to San Francisco once. We rode a cable car to the wharf. I loved the steep hills."

He smiled. "You and your love for steep hills…"

"The cable cars did go a little slow for my taste," she said with a laugh. "But the view of the bay was spectacular. We ate at an Italian restaurant in North Beach that was really good. I think the name was Rigoletto."

"I've eaten there many times."

"How funny. I wonder if we were there at the same time."

"When was this?"

"I was sixteen."

"I'm a year older than you, so I would have been living in the city then."

"Maybe we met a long time ago and never knew it."

He slid his fingers down her side, drawing a lovely trail of heat. "I would have remembered you."

"Were you always a charmer?"

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