Franco's Fortune (Redemption Book 2) (19 page)

He knelt before her, and with agonizing slowness, he
kissed her midriff, nipping and licking her sensitized skin. He
laved her navel, and hooking a finger into the waistband of her
bikini panties, he removed them and tossed them aside. He stood
slowly and ran his hands up her sides. Thrill, desire, need hummed
through her, along with a small dose of anxiety. No man had ever
looked at her with such longing and worship. She wanted only to
please him. She had so little experience. Would she disappoint
him?

All thoughts fled as his eyes, hot as molten lava,
searched hers. Electricity charged between them. Her body on fire
from embarrassment and lust, she folded her arms across her
chest.

“You trust me?” he asked.

She could only nod.

He moved her arms to her sides. “Then don’t ever
hide yourself from me. Let me look at you. You’re sure you’re not
afraid?”

“As long as I’m with you, I’m not.” The truth of her
words jolted her. Could he see the trust in her eyes?

With a smile, he scooped her up and carried her to
the bed, laying her smoothly on the soft cotton sheets. He quickly
undressed until he stood before her in all his magnificent, naked
glory. She sucked in a breath at his sculpted beauty, at the finely
honed muscles of his chest, his trim waist and long legs. His
erection, thick and hard, told her more than words how much he
wanted her.

His blue gaze consumed her as he got onto the bed
beside her. The mattress sank under his weight. When he pulled her
into his embrace, she raised her face for his kiss. Their tongues
sparred in a fierce, primal duel that threatened to make her world
spiral out of control. Franco slid his hands down her spine to cup
her buttocks. His penis pressed against her belly.

Fire swept along Jo’s skin and through her veins.
Liquid warmth wet her most private parts. Wanting more, wanting all
of him, she squirmed, pressing closer, wishing she could absorb his
very essence.

“Take it easy,” he crooned. “We’ve got plenty of
time.”

He settled his hard-muscled body over her. Passion
tightened his features as he stared down at her. Aching for him to
fill her, she held out her arms.

“You’re mine, Jo,” he whispered as he bent to take
her lips in a deep, drugging kiss. Every touch of his hands and
mouth told her she belonged to him. She wound her arms around his
neck and surrendered to him, giving him her body and her soul.

She tunneled her hands through the thickness of his
hair and shivered at the rush of warmth to her lower abdomen. He
left her mouth to trail burning kisses along her jaw and the column
of her throat, making his way down her body with deliberate
slowness. He suckled one nipple, massaging her breasts, his mouth
and tongue wicked and seductive. Crazy with desire, she grabbed his
shoulders, sinking her nails into his firm flesh, writhing under
him.

When his mouth found her mound, he kissed her there
with tenderness, then stroked the sensitive nub. She bucked and
released a low groan. He slipped fingers into her wetness,
exploring, sinking deeper into her folds. Jo closed her eyes and
clutched the sheets, lost in Franco’s heat and passion.

“Look at me,” he rasped. “I want to see your eyes
when you come.”

She looked at him then and gasped at the exposed
emotion in his eyes—desire and lust, but also longing, as if he
bared his soul to her. Then she had no more time to think as his
fingers moved faster and faster inside her and she gave herself
over to him. Her climax built in undulating waves, higher and
higher, until she drowned in ecstasy.

She screamed as her climax shattered what little
control she had. Her body trembled with the force of her release, a
release that seemed to go on forever. Finally, spent, she
quieted.

Franco kissed her lips and brushed hair back from
her face. “You’re wonderful,” he whispered.

She stroked his face. “So are you,” she
breathed.

Placing a quick kiss on her cheek, he slid away to
sit on the edge of the bed. He opened the nightstand drawer and
rummaged through it until he pulled out a foil-wrapped package.
After he pulled on protection, he turned to her again and settled
himself between her legs.

“I want you,” he said.

“Please.”

He slipped easily into her. She gave herself over to
the sensation of Franco filling her completely, of his possession,
one she willingly bestowed. She clung to him, immersed in his scent
of male and arousal. Her all-consuming need for him was a balm,
cleansing her tortured soul. Need, deep and yearning, pulsed
through her. She felt the same need in him, two souls reaching
through the darkness to cling together. He filled her body and the
hollow places in her heart. She would not allow herself to look
beyond this moment.

They rocked together. She met his every thrust,
faster and faster until there was nothing in her world but Franco.
Her soft moans filled the room. Finally, she cried out and clung to
him as another orgasm swept through her. He shuddered with his own
climax, saying her name on a tortured breath. They lay still,
wrapped in each other.

Hot tears pricked at her eyes. She knew she’d come
home.

***

T
he pearly fingers of dawn
broke into the room, muting the corners in soft shadows and
touching the sharp planes of Franco’s face. He was beautiful, even
in sleep. Jo propped herself on her elbow and stared at him. He
looked younger, more open, a man she could trust. She reached out
to touch, then hesitated, fearing what she felt for this man. She
pulled her hand away.

With a deep sigh, she rolled onto her back. She
touched her lips and ran her hands over her sore and swollen
breasts. The memories of what she and Franco had done with each
other yesterday morning, then again through the night and into the
first hours of this morning played out in her mind. Each time they
made love, she’d become bolder. Her passion for him overwhelmed any
lingering fears. A skillful lover, Franco had taken care of her
needs first, bringing her to climax over and over. Sensual and
giving, passionate and loving, he’d taught her how to please him
and broke down the barriers that had kept her from fully embracing
her sexuality.

Who would have thought it? Spoiled playboy Franco
Callahan—a tender, unselfish lover who cared more about her
pleasure than his. She was sure she’d come to know the real Franco
these past weeks. Yet, he’d hidden his true nature under a playboy
façade. She needed to know why.

The mattress shifted, then she was folded into
Franco’s embrace. “Morning, sweetheart.” He kissed her, his lips
soft as a spring morning. “I’d like to wake up to you every
day.”

His words and his husky, sleep-filled voice made joy
and hope sweep over her in waves of warmth. She wondered if he
could love her. And still more, if she would be able to hold onto
the completeness, the fulfillment, he had brought her. Or would it
slip away as the dawn evaporated in the harsh light of day?

She had no time for further thoughts. His lips
brushed hers again in a toe-curling kiss. His heat seared her, and
she opened for him, wanting to devour him. His tongue joined hers
in an ancient, erotic dance that left her breathless.

With a moan, he dragged his mouth from hers and
crushed her against him, burying his face in her hair. “Jo,” he
murmured, the word filled with longing.

He made love to her then with a wildness that fed
her deep craving. It felt as if they were both trying to capture
something elusive, something they might never find again.

Afterward, spent, their breathing shallow, they lay
in each other’s arms. The room had brightened as dawn shifted to
morning. Soon Franco would leave for work and she’d be alone with
her hopes, dreams, and fears.

“I hate to leave you,” he said, echoing her
thoughts. He kissed behind her ear, making her sigh with
contentment, then turned her to face him. “Let’s go to dinner
tonight. I know a great little place in South Philly. Very casual.
It won’t be part of our so-called masquerade. It will be us—two
real lovers enjoying each other. What do you say?”

She touched his lips with gentle fingers. “It sounds
wonderful. But I’m still on duty. Harris will have to drive us, and
we need to be careful. We don’t know what the next few days will
bring.”

Anxiety flitted over his features. “I worry about
you.”

“Don’t. I’m just doing my job.”

He grinned ruefully. “I know. But I worry anyway.
When this is over, I’m taking you away somewhere exotic and
isolated where I can give you champagne, feed you strawberries and
make love to you for days.”

“Sounds heavenly.” She laughed softly. Her laughter
ended as a familiar sadness surged through her. How long before he
became bored with her? She’d never known him to stay very long with
any woman. And she had never had a truly fulfilling relationship,
had never thought she could have. She didn’t know where to begin or
how.

She blew out a breath. “Before you have to get ready
for work, I want you to tell me something.”

“Anything, sweetheart.” He sat up, propped his
pillow against the headboard, and leaned back. “What do you want to
know?”

She straightened and sat beside him. Drawing the
covers over her breasts and under her arms, she locked her gaze
with his. “I’ve gotten to know you pretty well these past weeks.
You’re no spoiled playboy. Not anymore, if you ever truly
were.”

He shot her a wicked smile. “Oh, I was every bit the
player. But those days are behind me.”

“Something tells me what I’m seeing now is the real
Franco Callahan, that the other was a part you were playing. Am I
right?”

“Partially.”

“Why the party guy image? That’s not the real you.
Why did you act that way?”

“You really want to know?”

“I want to know everything about you.”

Light gleamed in his eyes. “Why do you want to know
all about me, Jo?”

“I’m asking the questions now. You haven’t answered
them.”

“Feisty as ever.” He kissed the top of her head and
settled her against him. “I can’t say I didn’t enjoy being a
player, being one of Philly’s most eligible bachelors. But you’re
right, and very astute. I adopted the persona as more of a
defense.”

She pulled away and frowned at him. “Defense?”

“Yeah, crazy as it seems. I’ve done a lot I’m
ashamed of, and the blame is all mine. I’ve had it easy. My parents
indulged my every wish. I was the golden boy.” His eyes clouded.
“The gold was tarnished though, at least in my mind. No one, not my
parents, not Doriana, not Nonna, ever thought I’d amount to
anything.”

She smoothed her hand over his arm. “I know your
family means a lot to you, especially your grandmother. Why would
they think you wouldn’t amount to anything?”

He stared across the room, his profile sharp and his
jaw tight. Jo suspected raw memories weighed on him. He hunched his
shoulders defensively, took a deep breath, and looked her straight
in the eye. “Doriana and I went to a private high school. She
worked hard and was on the honor roll every semester. She was the
true golden girl. I couldn’t compete with that so I didn’t try. It
was easier that way.

“I got in with a bad crowd. We partied, drank,
didn’t care about school. When I messed up so badly and almost
flunked out, even when I got into trouble with the law, Nonna told
me not to worry. She said it didn’t matter what I did. That I
didn’t have to get good grades, that no one expected too much from
me. Callahan Construction would be mine anyway. I’ve always loved
my grandmother and her words crushed my soul. I know she meant
well, but I’d felt as if my world had been kicked out from under
me.” He released a deep breath and pulled Jo closer.

“Doriana worked her tail off at school, then for the
company, but Dad never appreciated her,” he continued. “It didn’t
matter how much I screwed up, in high school, in college, at the
company, Dad was going to pass it to me.”

“So you could mess up all you wanted and everything
would belong to you anyway?”

“You got it.”

“So you ran with it. Some guys would think that was
heaven.”

“For awhile I did too. You know how I partied, the
women I went out with.” He pulled slightly away and looked down at
her.

Jo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know.”

He took her hands in his. “I told you before that
one of the reasons I went out with the women I did was because they
never expected anything from me other than a good time and
expensive gifts. They bored me.”

“Have you ever been in love?” The words slipped from
her.

He leaned over and kissed her. “Not yet. You could
never bore me, Jo. And I suspect you’d never put up with the old
me, the womanizer.”

Her heart began to thump wildly, the sound pounding
in her ears. Maybe she was foolish to hope he could love her.

“Are you telling me you behaved the way everyone
expected because it was easy?” she asked.

“Something like that.”

“That’s kind of stupid.”

“Ya think? But I had a hell of a good time for a lot
of years.”

She studied him. “Franco Callahan, you don’t fool
me. You were hurt that no one in your family, especially your
grandmother, thought you’d amount to anything. So you hid your hurt
behind a player image.”

“Now we’re practicing psychobabble, are we?” The
teasing note in his voice took the edge from his words.

“I understand people. That’s what makes me a good
security expert.”

He took her into his arms and held her tightly
against his chest. “Jo Fortune, you are so much more than that to
me. My life is different now, and I’m glad. Opening the youth
center was the beginning of my road to redemption. I’m sorry my dad
had the stroke and I wish he were as vibrant as he used to be, but
his illness forced me to man up, to grow up. If I didn’t take over
the company, we would have gone under. I felt I had no choice but
to do it.”