Page 54 of Now and Forever

Unaccustomed to sleeping with another person, I woke to the movement of the mattress. Rolling toward my husband, I reached out in the darkness. Warmth materialized under my touch as the scent of fresh bodywash filled my senses. Dario’s arms and chest were bare. I didn’t dare let my touch go lower to learn if he was wearing boxer shorts or maybe nothing at all. He pulled me against him, my cheek settling against his hard shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” His deep voice penetrated the dark room, reverberating from his wide chest.

Pushing upward on my elbow, I reached for his hair. Wet. “Did you shower in the middle of the night?”

Changing his clothes.

Showering.

Was there really a problem, or had he left me because I was sore and he had sex with someone else?

“There’s some filth in this world I don’t want you to see.”

Before I could give that more thought, Dario reached for me, pulling my face toward his. The stubble I’d seen earlier was gone. I cupped his smooth cheek as he brought our lips together. What started softly quickly morphed. Warmth like the flicker of a spark ignited within me, low in my stomach. The strength of his kiss fanned the flame, and the friction of my breasts pressed against his solid chest threatened to create a raging forest fire. As his hands skirted over my back, down my sides, and cupped my behind, my body awakened. Each nerve ending was ultrasensitive as if my senses were on overload.

Dario rolled me back onto my pillow as he followed after me. His kisses descended from my lips to my neck, my collarbone, and down to my breasts. He made quick work of my nightgown, teasing the straps and pushing it lower.

The weight of his body held me in place, yet with each kiss, nip, or lick, something inside me tightened. Like an old-fashioned top, I was being wound and wound, tighter and tighter. As he reached for the waistband of my panties, he asked if I was still sore.

“No,” I panted. I wasn’t being completely honest, yet I wasn’t lying. My body was tender, but I was more than willing to feel the closeness that came with sex. After worrying about his safety, the sensation of his body between my legs was comforting.

I didn’t have time to reconsider my answer before Dario’s hard cock pressed against my entrance. Memories of the pain caused me to freeze. Holding my breath and closing my eyes, I waited for it to happen again. Instead of proceeding, Dario slid down my body, teasing and caressing me until his tongue was where his penis had almost been.

Calling out his name, I grasped the sheets as he buried his face between my legs. My mind had difficulty computing that a man I barely knew was so familiar with my body. Those thoughts quickly faded as I gave into the growing tautness within me.

More kisses, nips, and laps had me back to the wound-up top I’d been minutes before. My hips bucked and my back arched as the tension grew. Moans turned to whimpers as my orgasm hit. Detonation after detonation rushed through me. As I tried to catch my breath, Dario’s lips were back on mine, and his cock was again at my entrance. I was too wrung out from my orgasm to tense as he pushed his hardness inside me. There was a twinge as he pressed deeper, but nothing compared to last night.

Better.

Lifting my hands to his wide shoulders, I relished the closeness as he began to move within me. His actions were faster than I recalled and soon, I was moving with him, taking in his rhythm while feeling my own as the tension from before returned. As Dario reached between us and pressed circles over my clit, I called out again, my fingernails threatening his shoulders as another orgasm shuddered through me.

His speed increased as his torso grew rigid. The room filled with his low roar as within me, his cock spasmed and his seed filled me. This time, instead of pulling out and disappearing, Dario relaxed over me, his lips kissing the place between my neck and shoulder. When he lifted his head, his stare bore down on me. Even through the darkened room, I felt its intensity.

“Better,” I said.

“I’m glad.”

“I didn’t think I’d be ready so soon.”

Dario rolled, disconnecting our union. “I was going to let you sleep, but when you were awake…” He kissed my forehead. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Having you lie there, knowing you’re mine for the taking.” He inhaled. “I should work on my self-control.”

My head shook from side to side. “Please don’t.”

As he’d done the night before, Dario left our bed, going to the bathroom. When he returned to bed, he was wearing silk boxer shorts and had a warm washcloth. “Not as much blood,” he said, cleaning me.

“There’s blood again?”

“I should have let you heal.”

Once again, he pulled me toward him, resting his arm over my waist. I thought to ask him again about his shower, his change of clothes, or what he meant about it not being supposed to be like this, but before I knew it, his breathing was even and regular. I settled my back against his front, taking in his radiating heat, and closed my eyes.

When I woke, I was alone. I quickly searched for the time. If I hurried, I could make the seven thirty breakfast. I arrived at the dining room with a washed face and brushed teeth, dressed in my nightgown, panties, and long robe. As I stepped through the archway, Dario looked up. His hair was combed back, his cheeks again shaved, and he was dressed for the day in suit pants, a black shirt, and tie.

Heat warmed my cheeks as I gestured toward my attire. “I hope it’s all right that I’m not dressed. I wanted to eat breakfast with you.”

Contessa entered and scanned my attire. Without a word, she carried a coffee pot my direction and poured. “Mrs. Luciano, do you prefer cream, sugar, or both?”

“Cream,” I said as I took the seat beside Dario. It was the location of the place setting I’d tried to catch on fire the night before. I looked at Dario’s plate. “And I’ll have whatever he has.”

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