Page 18 of Of Grief And Gratitude

“That’s Niccolò, not me.” I stepped aside so she could see the massage table. Thank fuck I’d pulled the divider closed, and she couldn’t see the bed on the other side. “I’m licensed.”

“Seriously?” Her blue eyes narrowed slightly as she saw the filming setup. “Why is there a camera?”

“I record sessions sometimes.” The leather padding on the table was cool as I ran my hand over it. “I’ve found that it’s a good way to show my clients how beautiful they are. They can watch their bodies relax and see themselves as something other than what the world expects. I could help you relax after today.”

Before I could stop her, Riona unbuttoned her top, revealing a lacy white bra underneath. Was this reality? I gulped hard, forcing myself to turn away, throw a sheet and soft blanket over the table, and then move behind the partition. “You can cover yourself with the sheet when you’re ready.”

I heard fabric falling to the floor, then a muffled curse as Riona ran into something. After endless moments, she finally called out in a husky voice, “Ready.”

Seeing her bare shoulders peeking out from under the sheet had me painfully hard. The red light on the video camera blinked, signaling a recording in progress. A small part of me warned I should send Riona home, that neither of us was in the right enough mind to do what I wanted to do.

I ignored that part of my conscience and unbuttoned my shirt, shrugging it off and draping it over the divider. It didn’t take long to turn on instrumental background music with a relaxing, sensual beat. I turned on the space heater to ensure Riona wouldn’t feel chilled and pumped lotion into my palms, rubbing them together to warm it.

Carefully, I pulled the sheet down a bit to lay my palms flat on her back. “Do you prefer I talk you through what I’m doing, or would you like me to be quiet?”

She tremored at my touch, and her breath hitched. “Don’t talk. Just touch me.”

Fuck, Riona’s sultry voice could make a man drop to his knees. I started a slow rhythm with my hands, long strokes down her back before working on the knotted muscles along her spine. Her soft whimpers and panted breaths drove me onward, and I found myself testing her limits by working lower, feeling the globes of her bare ass under my fingertips and how smooth she was on her inner thighs. It wasn’t professional, but she didn’t object.

When I reached her feet, Riona giggled, and I grinned. She was ticklish. I let my fingers dance over the balls of her feet once more before giving her a reprieve. “Turn over for me.”

“Hmm?” Riona mumbled, turning her head toward the sound of my voice.

“It’s a full body massage. Flip over so I can do your front.”

She reluctantly rolled over, and the sheet slipped, revealing one pale, plump breast. My mouth watered with the need to discover how she tasted, but I held back. I couldn’t help but wonder how far she’d let me go now that the crusty exterior was gone, and I had a pliant, relaxed Riona under my hands.

I watched her eyes flutter closed as I worked her shoulders and neck, running my thumbs up the bridge of her nose, smoothing the hint of wrinkles between her brows. She practically sunk into the table with a long, slow sigh. Her nipples peaked under the sheet, and any sense of propriety I might have had flew out of my mind. I allowed my hands to slip under that sheet, cupping her breasts and flicking my thumbs over her nipples.

“Romeo,” Riona gasped, arching into my touch.

“Yes,” I praised her. “Let me make you feel good, mia fiamma.”

She sparked to life like a wildfire, red hair fanned across the table, setting me aflame along with her. I pressed firmly on her ribs, her back relaxing again as I traced my fingers down her soft stomach, and the sheet shifted to reveal the apex of her thighs. Fuck, I wanted to taste her.

I wanted to watch her more, though.

My breath hissed out when Riona spread her legs, granting my fingers access to her center, already glistening with arousal. She was slick and hot as I delved between her lower lips and found her clit, stroking until she grasped my shoulder, her nails digging in.

Riona groaned and gripped me harder. “Fuck, put them in me, Romeo.”

I loved how responsive she was, how snug she was around my finger when I found her opening and slid inside, then worked another finger in when she relaxed. Her eyes fluttered as I found that soft part along her front wall and stroked, placing the palm of my other hand on her lower stomach and chuckling low when her hips jolted off the table.

“What are you doing?” There was alarm in Riona’s voice as she questioned me.

“Shh, gorgeous.” I kept working my fingers, making her breath hitch. “Relax and let go for me. That’s it.”

I watched as every bit of Riona’s body flushed pink just before she came; those sky-blue eyes locked on mine until they fluttered closed as her body melted into the table. “Bella. Brava ragazza.”

I bent to kiss her slit, then withdrew my fingers and licked them clean as she watched sleepily. Gently, I took her hand in mine and helped her down.

“Come on.” There was no way I would climb on the table to fuck her, and I couldn’t bring myself to take her beyond the curtain. My room was just across the hall.

Riona followed until an Irish pub tune broke through the silence. She froze, pulling her hand from mine as she snapped out of her lustful haze. Shooting me an apologetic look, she darted to the living room and fished through her bag until she found her phone.

My cock knew the fun was over, deflating but leaving me with a painfully unfulfilled ache. I trudged after Riona as she murmured something into her phone.

She paused, looking at me over her shoulder. “What’s your address?”

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