Page 43 of Dante
"Dante..."
"Oh Christ!" he whispered and stopping just at the top, he turned her into his arms and laid his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle and demanding at the same time and had her clinging to him helplessly. She was lost, she realized. In a few days, she had become tangled with this man, and it was not just her body, her emotions were teetering on the brink. She was vulnerable to him and in danger of falling in love. The impact of that hit her hard.
When he dragged his mouth from hers, she let out a gasp as he swung her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Kicking the double doors open, he stepped into a sitting room with a silver and blue décor. She had the impression of luxury with a touch of coziness, before he strode into a bedroom that could fit her entire house. A wide-open space, a fireplace that took up an entire section of the wall and a bed big enough to fit twelve people comfortably, had her in a daze. When he set her down in the middle of it, she could not stop the gasp of wonder.
"It's..."
"Too much?" he asked lazily, loving the way she looked on his bed. He knew she was on the brink of changing her mind and could not have that. For the first time in his life, he wanted something or in this case someone, enough to beg. When he had started to make his fortune, he had been hungry and desperate to make it happen. His focus had centered entirely on making money. His determination to fill the gnawing hunger in his soul and belly had been the driving force behind everything else. Now, there was another hunger, and this one was far more potent than what he had experienced before. The yearning for her was like a cancer inside him.
"It's lovely."
"I wanted space, lots of it. I lived in enough cramped spaces. My old beat-up Volvo and then some tiny apartments, which made me yearn for more. I needed more. Speaking of which..." He hunkered down in front of her and removed her boots. Seeing him kneeling at her feet and being reminded of his troubled past, did something funny to her stomach and had her clutching the silk of the bedspread.
"We shouldn't. This is going to complicate things." Her voice was a ragged whisper that was unrecognizable.
He lifted his head, eyes glittering. "Isn't it already so?" He had removed her boots and was running his hands over her stockinged covered legs, loving the sensation of the nylon on his skin. Shoving her dress up, he kept his eyes on hers as he peeled first one, then the other and dumped them on the floor. With his gaze still holding hers, he lifted her right foot and started nibbling on her toes.
A jolt went through her body like an electric shock. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" He kissed the arch before moving to her ankle and feathering kisses up to her calf.
"Dante... Oh God!" Dropping to her elbows, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his lips on her skin. And reared back up when he kissed the inside of her thighs. "What... God!" She had to bite her lip to stop the scream. His mouth was on the silk of her underwear, and she could feel it clear to her bones. She watched in dazed amazement and shock as he removed the slip of material and pressed his mouth to the triangle of hairscovering her most intimate area. No one had ever been that intimate with her before, and it was staggering.
A sharp cry escaped her when he slid his tongue inside her and had her falling back on the bed. The climax was immediate and fierce, raking through her with jagged fingers and leaving her weak and teary. Her body was a trembling mass of nerves, and every rational thought had drained from her head.
She was panting and sweating, body still shaking when he came over her to take off her clothes. She felt as weak as a kitten and just as confused. Through half-closed eyes, she watched as he stepped back to take off his clothes. Another jolt went through her as she stared at the exposed body. His was tanned all the way through, muscles well-defined. He also had a lightning bolt tattoo on his upper right arm that sent shivers through her body. And he had scars, several of them. A shallow one below his heart, and two more on his flat stomach that looked like knife wounds.
Drawing the sheets back, he came beside her and drew her to him. He had her in his bed and was going to make sure she was there to stay. The thought shook him to the core. The last thing he had ever expected was the desire to live with anyone.
"Questions?"
"Tons."
He laughed at her honesty. "Can they wait? I have a monstrous need for you."
Doubts and fear clouded her mind but was swamped by a need that was causing her to question her sanity.
"Yes." She lifted her hand and touched his cheek. Her fingers on his skin caused a violent reaction. It was the first time she had ever done that without a nudge from him, and it shook him up. Enough to have him clamping a hand on her chin and lifting her head to meet his lips as he crushed them on hers.
He moved on top of her and dragging his lips from hers, he nibbled at her throat, sucking on the soft flesh and leaving his marks there. Then he drifted further down, gorging himself on her scent, the faint floral of her perfume. The taste of her was still on his tongue and the desire for her was raging inside him.
Courtney gripped his hair as he touched his mouth to her breast. His tongue circled the rigid flesh, sending her into a spasm of need so sharp, it felt as if nails were dragging at her skin. Suddenly, she pushed at him, desperate to do to him what he was doing to her.
"Baby?" His thick voice calling her that sent her flying. Shaking away the initial shyness and uncertainties, she was emboldened by the fact that he desired her.
"I want to touch you."
"I want you to. Where?"
"All over." His body quivered as he stared at her. Her hair was tousled, eyes slumberous and bright and her small breasts were quivering.
"I'm at your mercy," he murmured and laid back.
She started with his lips, sucking on the sensuous bottom lip, the way he had done to her. Dante felt the intense need slice through him and it took an effort to be still. He had sensed her innocence when he went down on her, had experienced a dark thrill at her shock and then her pleasure. He had tasted her essence and wanted no other on his tongue. She was his and he would make sure of it.
"You're killing me," he whispered.
"I'm not done." In wonder, she used her tongue on his small nipples and had him going mad. Clamping his teeth on his bottom lip, he stopped himself from calling out her name. She was slowly and completely driving him out of his mind, and he marveled that she had this much power over him. Later he would think and worry about it, but right now, he was caught up in the cataclysmic glory of what she was doing to him. When she started to kiss his belly, the flesh quivered, and he hardened painfully. Never in his life had he ever been so aroused. He had always had the control, had always been able to simply walk away when the passion ran its course. But this was different.
