Page 7 of Pregnant in the Italian's Palazzo

‘Believe me, I know,’ was his only answer, as if that were explanation enough. Then he continued his ministrations, sliding the square neckline of her gown low enough to tease one breast free from her bra.

His fervent murmur of approval chased away the ever-present layer of anxiety that lay in wait, threatening to ruin the mood with the slightest hint of rejection. She wasn’t insecure about her plus-size body, but her performance in bed...well, there were still some scars there that had never quite healed. A small voice in her mind told her to be careful, to slow down a bit.

Sex wasn’t easy for her, not with the way her mind liked to wander and delve into everything. It was probably the reason why she had never reached orgasm in any way other than by herself, in the dark alone at night. Every time she’d got close to being assertive in the past, to asking for what she’d wanted, that voice in the back of her mind had chimed in. The one that spoke in Theo’s voice and told her that she would never be good enough in bed, that she should be grateful for what she was given. But the thought of scaring Nysio into stopping made her clutch his shoulders tighter.

She gasped as Nysio leaned forward, pressing the evidence of his arousal against her stomach. The difference in their heights was probably close to a full foot, so he compensated by taking her hand and placing it right...there.

The action was so hot, and the evidence so undeniably large...she almost begged him to just take her right there on the floor. He clearly was thinking something similar as his eyes scanned the immediate area, his breath coming in harsh bursts. He swiped the surface of the vanity clear with one hand, sending small plastic bottles of soaps and lotions crashing to the floor. Aria eyed the surface incredulously, sure it looked pretty solid, but she was short. He couldn’t actually expect her to hoist herself up there while he...no way.

‘Let me help.’ He didn’t await an answer, gripping her hips with his big hands and lifting her with ease as though she were a dainty doll and not a fully grown woman. Who knew she had a strength kink? But wow...that was hot!

For a split second he simply looked at her, his expression so reverent and hungry it created a pulse of longing between her legs. But then he was standing right between her thighs and his mouth was everywhere. He really liked her breasts, that much was certain. But he also liked her neck...and her lips. She knew this because he growled it, in between kisses. He was quite vocal in his lust, a fact that made her relax more and more with each new touch and caress. But when he began to pull the hem of her skirt even further up her thighs, she stiffened.

‘Wait,’ she breathed. ‘I don’t know if I can...’

He stopped instantly, holding himself so that even though their bodies were still pressed together, the gap between their faces gave an illusion of space. A rough laugh escaped his lips and he shook his head, as though he too could feel the absurdity of the moment. At how quickly things were flying beyond their control. She braced herself, waiting for his regret. But instead of coming to his senses and pulling away, he tucked one errant strand of hair from her face and slid it behind her ear.

The air between them was silent and still for a moment as they just stared at one another. She could still feel the press of his muscular abdomen holding her thighs open and the clear shape of an unmistakeable erection. All that separated them was the thin fabric of his clothes, her dress and bra, and the barest slip of her matching strawberry-printed high-waist thong. The urge to tilt her hips upwards, to move against that hard heat, was almost unbearable. He felt it too, she realised as he began to adjust his position then froze, a low hiss escaping his lips.

‘I don’t have any protection.’

‘Oh.’ She breathed, sheepish that she hadn’t actually thought of that herself. ‘I’m on birth control. I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, but I know I’m safe in that regard too.’

‘Me too.’ He spoke the words against her skin, his hands stroking up and down her spread thighs. ‘It’s been years since I’ve even gone on a date.’

Aria paused, wondering if that kind of dry spell was enough to explain their complete loss of control. Was he using her simply as a convenient way to break his long drought? Did she care? Wasn’t she using him too, in her own way? Maybe it was enough that they were both using each other in this moment. Maybe that was what made it even more magical.

‘All I know is I can’t seem to stop touching you. I don’t want to,’ he growled.

‘Then don’t,’ she whispered, writhing in his arms as he continued his path of sensual destruction downwards, his tongue and hands invoking an equal amount of pleasure.

Madness indeed. Stunned laughter threatened to escape her lips as Aria met his gaze and realised that she was going to do it, she was actually going to make love with this handsome stranger on his private jet.

‘I can feel your heart beating under my tongue,’ he said softly, lacing each word with such dark promise it made her skin prickle and her insides melt. ‘Right here.’

She thought of all of the reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this, why she should have run far away from such a scandalous proposition from a stranger. But she had spent so long holding in every impulse she had, playing the good girl, and look where it had got her.

Perhaps just once, instead of feeling guilty about her own life choices, she could simply do what she wanted to do. And right now...she knew exactly what she wanted.

She lowered the straps of her dress and bra down and pushed the garments down below her breasts.

‘It’s been a while for me,’ he warned. ‘I don’t know if I can be gentle.’

‘I won’t break,’ she promised, her skin sizzling with excitement at his words. But it was the truth. It was the one secret fantasy she’d always harboured but never managed to realise, to be taken fast and hard this way. No preamble, no time for her brain to overthink anything.

Her words only seemed to spur him on further and he pulled the gown up towards her waist in one rough tug. Thank goodness it was a stretch material or he might have ripped straight through it. Actually...that might have been kind of hot too.

She gasped and accidentally released a small giggle as his fingers slid along the sensitive skin of her hips and he moved her thong aside. Their eyes met and for a moment she worried she’d ruined the mood, but then he smiled and let out the sexiest husky male laugh before claiming her lips once more.

It was the kiss of a man on the edge of his control. Their eyes locked for a moment and it took her a couple of beats to understand that he was waiting for something from her. His eyes searched her face and for a moment she thought she caught a glimmer of the mere mortal underneath his all-powerful façade. But just as quickly, it was gone again and he was back in control.

At the first touch of his erection against her molten heat, Nysio almost lost his sanity entirely. Or what had remained of his sanity from the moment he’d met this beguiling woman. She’d exploded into his orderly life like a monsoon, hot and wet, just as she was right now. He moved, unable to stop himself from plunging fully inside her in one torturously slow slide.

She hissed just a little, her body initially resisting the intrusion and he searched her face, confusion and concern threatening to call a halt to his entry.

‘I’m okay,’ she murmured. ‘You’re just...big, that’s all.’

Flattery was always welcome, but her discomfort was evident in the taut set of her mouth and the tightness around her eyes. He should have prepared her more—he had barely been in here two minutes before he’d plunged himself inside her like an impatient teenager.

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