Page 85 of Empire of Temptation

Then it was over and we both slumped onto the mattress. I was face down, unable to move, while Luca rolled onto his back, chest heaving, an arm over his eyes. I felt wrecked in the very best way, but energized. Like I could start all over again.

After several moments I shifted onto my back. “I’m seriously obsessed with your dick.”

He made a pleased sound in his throat. “Good, because it is seriously obsessed with you.”

I stretched and considered round two. “What time is it?”

“Around nine-thirty, I think.”

Oh, I had time before—wait, no I didn’t. It was opening night.Shit!I had to get moving.

I started to get up and a big hand caught my arm. “Where do you think you are going?”

“I need to get up and shower. I have to get to the trattoria.”

He hummed and yanked me down onto his chest. “You can spare me ten minutes. I want to hold you and think about how much I love to fuck you.”

My restaurant was reopening in a few hours and he wanted to cuddle? “Luca,” I protested, trying to push against him. “I have to go.”

“Ten minutes, amore.”

Goddamn it. That word was my downfall. I had no defenses against it.

I learned during our overnight in the city that Luca was a cuddler—who would’ve guessed?—but we would need to discuss his bossiness. Later, when he wasn’t being so sweet. And comfortable.

I relaxed and closed my eyes, forcing my thoughts away and emptying my mind. He was warm and solid against me, our legs tangled together on the world’s most comfortable sheets. Admittedly, it was nice. Neither one of us spoke. Ten minutes of post-orgasmic bliss passed in silence, as the sounds of the river and chirping birds filtered in through the windows.

This might be heaven.

“Va bene,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “Now, we shower.”

“I’m not sure I can get up.” I was heavy with relaxation, the kind of sluggishness that required binge-watching a show on my couch for a full day.

Luca pinched my right butt cheek. “What of your opening tonight?”

That did it. I forced myself off him and stood up. Luca’s eyes did a quick sweep of my naked body, his gaze hot and possessive. “I have everything set up for you in the adjoining bathroom. Use that one.”

I grabbed his dress shirt off the floor and slipped it over my head. Then I walked over to the nightstand and picked up my phone. “So we aren’t showering together?”

Muscles and tendons shifted as he sat up. “I thought you needed to hurry to the restaurant.”

“I do! I was just wondering why.”

“Get moving, fiore mio, or I’m going to eat your pussy in my shower and make you very, very late.”

Everything inside me squeezed and, for half a second, I considered it. Damn, that sounded nice. But I really did need to get to the restaurant. “Any other day I would take you up on that,” I said on my way out the door.

The second bathroom was as big as Luca’s, decorated in a similar over-the-top style. I used the toilet as the shower heated and then hurried under the spray. The bath products were familiar, the same shampoo, conditioner, and face wash I used at home. There was evena razor like mine. Had Luca peeked inside my bathroom yesterday? Sweet, but strange.

I took as long as I dared, then got out and dried off. Someone must’ve unpacked my suitcase from the trip because my makeup bag was on the counter. I tried not to be too mad. I’m sure Luca was trying to be helpful, but I could unpack my own damn suitcase.

So I didn’t freeze, I slipped Luca’s dress shirt back on, then took out all my beauty products and got busy. After I finished with my makeup, I dried my hair with a fancy hair dryer that was definitely out of my price range. Now I just needed to run home and change into clean clothes.

I found him in a blue dress shirt and navy trousers, buckling his leather belt in his big walk-in closet. “Hey,” I said. “I need to go home to change. Can you drive me or should I order a car?”

His upper lip curled, like the suggestion offended him. “I don’t want you riding in cars with strangers. I will have Aldo drive you whenever I’m busy.”

“Okay, so are you busy?”

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