Page 60 of Perfect Match
“Never. In fact, I think I might like you putting me into an arm lock or leg lock.”
“Is this another of your kinks?”
“Who said I had kinks?”
“Mr. Barbieri, anyone who is an owner of a private sex club is bound to have one or two.”
Chuckling, I brush another kiss across her lips. “A very good point.”
“So?” she questions, not accepting my obvious nonanswer.
“So … Ms. Jones, you are just going to have to wait to find out. Until then, I will thrill you with my seduction techniques and make love to you tonight after dinner.”
“Do we have to wait?” Her pout is almost as cute as the earlier eye roll.
“Yes, my bella.” I brush her silky brown waves over her shoulder and drop a kiss on her shoulder. “Ti amo.”
Her soft moan as I sprinkle kisses up her neck tests my restraint, but when she whispers, “Damn, it’s hard to resist when you speak Italian.Ti amo, Gio,” while blinking up at me, any hope of holding on to it disintegrates.
And I carefully begin to show my bella exactly how much I love her.
Epilogue - Gio
Two Weeks Later
“Breathe in deeply,” Tori tells the Pilates class. “And out again.”
It’s not an easy task when the husky tone of her voice reminds me of this morning when I was buried deep inside of her and she was begging me to give her another orgasm. A request that I was more than happy to fulfill. But now is not the time to be having these thoughts, not while I’m lying on my back in a room full of my friends and a bunch of women who as members of the club might enjoy a little too much seeing my cock growing harder. I chance a look at my watch, only five more minutes.
I squeeze my eyes closed, trying instead to concentrate on the presentation Ant and I will be giving to the board in two days. The audit continues and we won’t have the final report on that until the new year, but after the marriage contract mess, we’ve finally been able to direct our full attention on renegotiating our global distribution channel contracts across the entire company.It will save millions annually and that should guarantee the board’s acceptance. Well, it should if our father doesn’t try to sabotage our efforts … again.
My breathing becomes steadier and, more importantly, my embarrassing reaction to Tori’s sexy voice has mostly disappeared. Until Tori, who has been walking amongst the group, reaches my side and squats low next to me.
“You okay there … big guy?” she whispers, deliberately teasing me now. I swallow down a groan that would draw attention to me and blink one eye open in warning. The cheeky smile which tips her lips up slightly at the corners tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
“Behave,” I growl the single word. Her smile widens and for me, it’s like the sun rising on a perfect summer’s day, even though through the windows at the end of the room it’s a dark, cold November evening. She beams, truly in her element running these classes, and I’m glad I got to see her doing what she obviously loves, even if most of the time I haven’t been able to stretch into half the positions.
“Laters,” is her only response as she spins on her heel and struts back to the front of the class. I watch every step and sway of her hips.
Tori owns me completely, my thoughts, my actions, and my heart.
Nearby, Ryan coughs out a laugh. “Big guy, hey?” he mutters so low I only just catch the words.
I tip my head in his direction and give him my fiercest scowl. Ryan likes giving me shit about how hard I’ve fallen for Tori, but I know it comes from a place of understanding given his feelings for her twin.
My head drops back onto the rubber mat, and I close my eyes again. The truth is I wear my love for Tori like a badge of honor because I want everyone to know she’s mine. I know I’mthe luckiest man alive when she’s in my arms and telling me she loves me. Especially when I remember how close I came to losing her forever.
Tori is everything to me. And every day that she shows me her amazing spirit, strength of character, and enormous resilience, I fall more in love with her. She’s recovered quickly from the physical and emotional effects of the kidnapping—better than I have.
My eyes open and I immediately search for her in the room while I breathe through the sudden spike in my heart rate. I still have nightmares about Tori’s rescue and how easily the result could have been different. A familiar chill races up my spine at the memory of her battered, unconscious body lying on the tiled factory floor in a pool of her own blood and fearing the worst. Hopefully, one day the image that has become a jagged scar on my mind will begin to fade, replaced by many more happy moments. From across the room, our gazes connect and, as if she senses my need to hold her, she moves toward me again.
“Now slowly curl up to standing,” Tori directs the group, and by the time I’m on my feet, she’s beside me again and saying more softly, “Another deep breath in.”
“Now give yourselves a round of applause,” she says with more strength in her voice to rise over the clapping before ending with, “And thank you all for coming.” Today has been her first day back, and from the enthusiastic response of the group, I’d say it’s been a huge success.
She places one hand on my chest around the area of my heart and the panic brought on by the memories subsides with my stuttered exhale.
Our eyes lock together like magnets, hers awash with emotion, and I place my hand over hers before dropping a light kiss to her forehead. “Well done, bella.” She steps closer and I breath in her wildflower scent; it’s like we’re the only two people in the room.
