The Italian's Passionate Return (5 page)

She smiled slightly, only nibbling at her own sandwich. “So when do you go back to…” she hesitated, stumbling over her question. “Where do you live?” she asked.

“Italy. My company is headquatered in Milan but I have offices all over the world.”

She nodded, still nervous. “When do you go back to Italy?” she asked.

“I had been heading back this afternoon.” He looked at her closely. “But things have dramatically changed.”

Jemma’s hands formed fists under the table. “Why don’t you go back to Italy and we can talk about how to introduce you to Dylan? He seems older because of his size, but he’s still only five years old.”

Damien wasn’t having any of that. He wasn’t waiting weeks to introduce himself to his son. He’d missed out on several years, not a moment longer. “And he’s going to meet his father today.” He didn’t ask, he stated that plan. “If you didn’t want me in Dylan’s life, you shouldn’t have told me about him. I would have left here and come back for you, though. So things still would have changed.”

Jemma shook her head. “Why would you come back for me? I won’t be your mistress.”

He looked into her eyes intently, ensuring that she understood completely. “We would have been lovers, Jemma. Now you will be my wife.”

Those words, spoken with absolute conviction, terrified her. “No. I have a life here.”

“Then I will move my headquarters here.”

Her breath caught in her throat, astounded that he would do something so dramatic. “You can’t be serious!”

He drank down all the water in the glass she’d put in front of him, then carefully set it down beside his now-empty soup bowl. “I never joke about business, Jemma.”

“But moving your whole company here? That’s crazy!”

He shook his head. “It is probably easier to move my headquarters here than it would be for you to move your horses to Italy.”

She swallowed painfully. He was right. She’d never move her horses across the world. That would be cruel. “But you don’t have to move so far.”

His hand sliced the air while he stood up, putting his dishes in the sink. “A father should be near his family. And you and Dylan will become my family.”

“What about your niece?” Jemma asked carefully. He was moving closer to her, trapping her against the countertop. She looked to her left and right, not sure what she should do. The only thing she was positive about was the light in his eyes and her absolute conviction that having sex with this man was dangerous.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said and put one arm on the counter on both sides of her, trapping her there.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her breathing rapid and frantic.

His dark eyes dropped from her blue ones to her lips. “I’m going to kiss you.”

She shivered and pulled back even further. She’d suspected as much, but hearing him say the words….

“Don’t do that,” she told him in what she hoped was a firm voice but came out sounding more whispery than firm.

He chuckled softly, his hands going from the counter to her waist, pulling her closer. “You’ve known from the moment we saw each other this morning that this was inevitable.” His hands moved higher, his fingers exploring her slender waist. “And now that time has come,” he said.

She pushed against him with her hands, her palms flat against his chest but instead of pushing, as she’d intended, her hands discovered the muscles underneath the expensive material of his tailored shirt. And her hands moved! Not to push him away but to…explore!

Oh goodness, his chest felt…wonderful.

“Do that again,” he grumbled, his voice deep and husky. She could feel his voice through her hands when he spoke and it added a whole new layer of intensity to the sensation.

“I can’t,” she said, even while her fingers smoothed over the material once again.

“Di nuovo!” he rasped. “Again!” he repeated in English this time.

Jemma looked up into his eyes, startled by the heat. Her mind was telling her to push him away, to ignore his orders. But she couldn’t ignore him. She couldn’t pull her hands away. Suddenly, all she wanted was to re-discover this man and all of the secrets of his body.

So instead of doing what was right and sane, her fingers slid down his chest, feeling all the muscles twitch and tighten. And because that was so fascinating, she moved her hands up again, this time more to the side, remembering how much he liked… Yes, she almost laughed when her fingers moved over the flat, male nipples, causing him to grip her waist with his strong fingers.

She breathed in, her breath shuddering with the process but she couldn’t pull her hands away. She moved them up and down his chest, sliding lower each time. His stomach muscles were just as fascinating as his chest muscles and she explored carefully, loving the way he almost flinched with her touch but he didn’t move away. In fact, he moved closer, encouraging her exploration.

Jemma hadn’t been with another man since Damien and their one night together. She should tell him to stop, but then his head bent and kissed her neck. She heard herself moan but didn’t realize that her fingers were now curling in his hair, pulling him closer. Or that her body was pressing against his, almost rubbing her breasts against his hard chest as the need that had been smoldering ever since this morning burst into a raging inferno.

Damien lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the kitchen, no longer able to hold back any longer. When he kicked the door to her bedroom closed, he lowered her feet to the floor, then covered her mouth with his. He felt her hesitate only a moment, but he suspected it was because of innocence and not so much resistance.

“Tell me what you like, Jemma,” he said to her even while his fingers slipped underneath her sweatshirts to find the soft skin underneath. “What do you like? What have your other lovers done that you like?”

“Nothing,” she whispered to him even while her own fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

He laughed. “Surely one of them has done something that you liked.”

She bit her lower lip, shaking her head as his fingers found her breasts. She gasped, her fingers stilling while his thumb discovered her nipple, teasing the already hard peak to an aching point on her body. But then he moved his thumb away and she cried out, leaning her forehead against his chest. “I told you, no other man. Don’t stop!” she said and grabbed his wrist, silently begging him to continue teasing her nipple. “Please, don’t stop that.”

His body was aching to push her back onto the bed and bury himself inside of her but he was also fascinated by this woman. “Tell me again,” he grated out against her ear even while his fingers explored, teased and tormented.

“No one else. Please…” she cried out, shuddering and grabbing his wrist again to pull his hand away. “I can’t take anymore.”

With her words, Damien was struck dumb for a long moment. He’d truly been her only lover? His body hardened even more with that news. He liked that. Liked that no other man had ever touched this woman the way he was going to.

He pulled the sweatshirt over her head, tossing it behind her. When he looked down at the very practical cotton bra, he almost laughed. It didn’t diminish her appeal in any way. In fact, in an odd, crazy way, it only added to her sensuality. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t going to drape her in lace and silks. “You’re beautiful,” he groaned and took that hard nipple in his mouth, teasing it through the cotton fabric. He laughed when she cried out again, her fingers in his hair, but he wouldn’t let her control his movements. She wanted him to stop, but as long as she was rubbing her body against him like that, he knew that she liked it.

His fingers moved to her back, expertly unsnapping the closure and releasing her magnificent breasts. He swiped the material away and looked down at the treasure he’d just unveiled, then lowered his head to torture her even more. He felt her clenching at his shoulders and, a moment later, her knees gave out. He caught her, then lowered her back to the bed, looking down at her while he stripped off his own clothes. A moment later, he was right back with her, leaning on his elbows as he slowly savored their naked bodies coming together. “
Accidenti,
you feel wonderful,” he told her and moved against her skin, feeling her softness as the perfect counterpart to his hardness.

She moved her legs against his, shifting so that she was cradling him against her hips, feeling the hardness that she wanted so badly to invade her body but he was holding back. “Why…”

“Because I have thought of this for so many years. For so long, I’ve dreamt of you just like this. We’re not going to rush this. We’re going to enjoy each other,” he told her in response to her unspoken question.

When her cheeks turned pink, he laughed softly, bending lower to kiss her gently. But then all gentleness was gone. He didn’t have the ability to be patient any longer. He wanted her, but he wanted this time to be perfect. His mouth moved down her neck, stopping when she sighed or when she made those sexy noises so he could explore whatever spot had caused that noise. But when he went lower, he had to smile when she shyly tried to stop him. “Open for me, Jemma. You won’t regret it,” he told her, even while his hands were teasing her skin, moving her knees apart so he could find the spot he wanted so badly.

“No. I want you inside me,” she gasped, closing her eyes even while his finger slid inside of her. “Oh!” she exclaimed and arched her back, feeling his finger fill her up. “That feels…”

“I know how you feel,” he told her, gritting his teeth as he realized how tight she was. He couldn’t stop. With his finger still inside her, he bent down, his mouth capturing her core and teasing her, sucking and driving her right to the edge. And when he knew she was so close, he brought her over the edge, tasting her orgasm in his mouth and finding it to be the most erotic moment of his life.

But he couldn’t hold back any longer. When her breathing started to slow and her body slumped back against the bed, he grabbed his wallet and ripped open the foil packet, donning protection before moving back up her body.

He smiled when he realized she still had her eyes closed, still reveling in the aftermath of her climax and he couldn’t stop the pride that he had done this to her, that he had given her that smile.

And it wasn’t over yet. He shifted ever so slightly, his hands skimming along her stomach and her breasts, bringing her attention right back to him. “Thank you,” he said even while his hands moved to her leg, lifting her knee so that it skimmed along his hip. He could then slide into place, his body poised to enter hers but he hesitated. “You’re mine,” he told her even while he slid a hand against her waist and moved downwards while his body moved into hers, sliding in with ease because she was so hot and wet for him. He shuddered at how perfectly she felt, how her heat wrapped around him and he almost lost it right then and there. Only by sheer force of will did he stop himself and take several deep breaths.

And then he looked down at her, noticing that she wasn’t as thrilled with their contact as he was. “Just relax, love,” he told her gently, bending lower to kiss her, letting her get used to him. “It’s just been a while.”

Jemma knew that he was right. They’d done this before but it had been so long! She shifted slightly and heard him groan but ignored him. She shifted again, trying to relax her muscles. But that movement only caused her to gasp. “Oh my,” she whispered.

Damian threw back his head and laughed at her reaction, relieved that she was right back with him again. “I agree,” he said and captured her lips, kissing her deeply even as his body started thrusting into hers. It was slow at first, but as her hips moved in rhythm with his, he increased the pace, feeling her tighten around him while her body sighed with pleasure. “That’s it, love, just feel it and release yourself to the movement.”

Jemma did just that and her reward was a heightening of her senses while her body rode higher, feeling the peak coming closer. She grabbed onto his shoulders, lifting her hips up, trying to…just a little closer…and….a moment later, she exploded, her nails raking down his shoulders and back as the most incredible pleasure ripped through her. She wasn’t aware of Damien pounding into her because that only prolonged her orgasm. But she couldn’t stop, couldn’t think long enough to help him because she was so lost in her own unimaginable climax.

A long time later, she sighed as Damian’s hand drifted along her cooling skin. He’d gone to the bathroom and come back quickly, then pulled her into his arms, kissing her skin, making her feel like she was the only woman in the world for him. She knew that wasn’t true, but at this moment, she didn’t care.

“Marry me,” he whispered into her ear, nibbling on her neck.

She was too relaxed to do anything other than laugh. “I don’t think so,” she answered him, snuggling against him and enjoying the way his body reacted.

“Why not?” His hand drifted lower, sliding against her bottom and pulling her against his groin. Her back was against his chest and she was using his arm as a pillow. But that lethargic feeling was going away as he teased her previously sated appetite with his soft touches.

“Because marriage needs to be based on something solid.”

He bit her earlobe and pulled her bottom against his hardness. “I’m pretty solid, Jemma.”

She laughed, hiding her face in the pillow beside her, but then her head came back when his hand moved up to cup her breast once more. “I meant, something other than sex.”

“This is other than sex,” he countered. “This is two bodies, joining as one – just as marriage is two people joining as one. And you are meant to join with me, we just need to make it official.”

She shook her head, biting her lip when his thumb rubbed against her nipple. “You’re not playing fair.”

“I never play fair. I play to win. And I want you as my wife.”

With that, he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed another condom, slipping it on a moment before he slid into her, bringing her leg backwards so it was draped over his thigh.