Page 17 of Bite Marks

Nunzio fought with the foreign fear beginning to flood him. He felt his need for Vanessa growing. His desire to keep her smiling was an undertow. It swept clear thoughts from his mind, replacing them with the carnal need to make her his. No matter how much his brain told him this wasn’t real, there was a part of him that knew it could be. Right now, that was the devil he listened to.

The song began to slow, preparing for the transition and the one which would follow. Nunzio took the opportunity to gain all of Vanessa’s attention.

Nunzio stood, holding out his hand to Vanessa. She looked up at him, shock and something he couldn’t identify lingering beyond her pupils.

“Would you care to dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, placing her hand in his.

NINE

VANESSA

Nunzio spun her around, the skirt of her dress flaring at the knees.Wow! He really can dance!His movements were sharp, powerful, and purposeful, but even better, they were fun. He was full of life and light, and his eyes practically glowed in the dim club-like atmosphere, constantly on Vanessa, never looking down or away, always on her.

His hands slid around her waist and hips, her neck and shoulders, her arms, and sometimes, her legs. It all depended on the dance, which changed with the music. While she enjoyed the dances that required a little more space between them because of their high energy, she longed for the dances that pulled them together. The heat from his body poured off him, but not in a sweltering, oppressive way. It was like coming in from the cold and getting hit by an inviting fireplace’s warmth.

It flowed into her, rising in her chest till her cheeks glowed as if she were drunk. Sure, she’d had a couple drinks, but she was far tipsier from Nunzio’s heat.

Oh, if only that night at XO had gone well. If only we danced.She would have certainly slept with him. Well, that was off the table ever since that night. Maria’s insistence that she give him a little something taunted the back of her mind, though. Was that why she backed her hips into his groin or caressed his jaw with her fingertips? No. It was just the thing to do for this music. Swaying back and forth, Vanessa grinned at how well she fit against him.

Nunzio’s hands weren’t the only ones at work either. Vanessa took every opportunity to feel his chest, his abs, even his rock-hard thigh muscles. And there were even a couple times she found herself taking a grab at his ass.

“You’re like the statue of David,” she said in Italian.

“David? I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.” He grinned, pulling her in for a slower dance. His chest warmed her bare back and shoulders, and she leaned into him like a cozy bed.

“How is that not a compliment?”

“I mean, besides the fact that the thing is twenty feet tall ….”

“Seventeen.”

“Whatever. He’s not really that great. He’s good for the average man. If you’re going to compare me to a sculpture, it should be one of Zeus or Hercules.”

Vanessa laughed. “So humble.” Her hands pressed in on his waistcoat, feeling the hard, chunky muscles underneath. “Yeah. I guess that would make sense. You know, all Hercules statues have tiny dicks, right?”

“What? No, I … I mean, I didn’t know that when I said …”

She laughed harder at the blush on his cheeks and his fluster. It was the first time she’d had him at a loss for words.

“I don’t … Ah! You’re just teasing me.” He smiled and spun her around, giving her all the eye contact she could ever ask for.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, then let them flow down him like cascading water till her hands cupped his jaw. “I am, but it’s true. Greeks associated dick size with civility. A smaller penis represented self-control while a large one was seen as a sign of gluttonous appetite.”

That wild wolf appeared again in his eyes and his smile. “Consider me ravenous.” His hands gripped her butt, pulling her to him.

Her heart, already going as fast as a hummingbird’s, jumped up a notch. “Calm down. You know it’s off limits.”

He nodded. “How about a kiss for the audience?”

She glanced around, but no one was really watching. Still, someone might be in one of the darker corners of the room, and she’d missed them. It wouldn’t hurt. She leaned more into his

body, rising toward his lips.

Nunzio met her more than halfway, coming down to her so their lips could crash over each other’s. It was nice, but it wasn’t the same. The car and the club were both so magical. This had power to it, no doubt, and a lot of heat, but kissing for the stage killed all the life that had been in the others.

They kept dancing, and Nunzio kissed her hand and cheeks the rest of the night, never asking for another kiss on the lips. Without the pressure of performing for the family, Vanessa fell back into the music and the dancing. Her scalp tingled, and her heart swayed to the rhythm while her body swayed with Nunzio’s.

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