“This view is incredible.”
Vincent stood in front of the long windows in my living room that looked out over the City of Brotherly Love. The sun had set as we’d driven across the Ben Franklin Bridge, and now the city was spread before us, little twinkles of light dotting black velvet.
Our conversation during the drive had been sporadic, mostly centering on Ava and Liam and their forthcoming wedding. Vincent had told me, with a great deal of humor, about the day that Liam had asked Mr. DiMartino for his blessing to propose.
“He was sitting with us, watching the ball game, but he was antsy. Like he couldn’t sit still. Finally, he asks my pop to talk in the other room, and Carl starts laughing—but you know, I didn’t have a clue what was going on. But I guess it went okay, because a few minutes later, Pop called us in for limoncello, to celebrate.”
I’d laughed. “It’s so weird for me to think of Liam being nervous. He was always the cool one, you know? Nothing rattled him. I think it was because of his parents, the way they made him act growing up. I never saw him unsure until the first time I met Ava.” Grinning, I remembered that night at Giff’s condo. “They weren’t dating at that point ... they were still dancing around each other. Liam was clearly ga-ga over her, and Ava was pretending she didn’t feel the same way. She got so drunk ...”
“My little sister got wasted?” Vincent sounded incredulous. “Miss Straight and Narrow?”
“Yeah, and at least part of it was my fault. I gave her jungle juice.” I winced a little, recalling how sick poor Ava had been that night.
“No frickin’ way. Did she know what she was drinking?”
I shrugged. “In my defense, she’d definitely already had been indulging before I started talking to her. She asked me for a sip of my drink, and then she kept it. By the time I realized that she was kind of a lightweight, it was too late.”
Vincent shook his head. “Ava’s always been so serious. Well, that’s not totally true. She was a little bit looser back before our sister was killed. But after Antonia died, it was like Ava felt like she had to do everything right. She changed.”
“I think she and Liam are good for each other. They balance one another.” I sighed a little. “When I look at them, I’m tempted to believe in love.”
We’d been close to my apartment building at that point, so I’d had to focus on giving Vincent directions about where to turn, but I hadn’t missed the fact that he hadn’t responded to my last words. I wondered why I’d even said it. I wasn’t looking for what Ava and Liam had, and I definitely wasn’t looking for anything serious with someone like Vincent DiMartino.
He’d been nearly silent as we’d walked through the lobby and ridden the elevator up to my apartment. And when I’d unlocked my door for us to go inside, his face had been inscrutable as he’d glanced around the foyer and living room, wandering over to the windows where he stood now.
I dropped my handbag onto the coffee table and kicked off my heels, sighing a little in relief. Vincent turned around, and his eyes softened as they traveled up and down me.
“The view on this side of the window is pretty damn amazing, too.” He reached for the top button at his neck and tugged down the already loosened tie. “I have to say, my evil twin Vicenzo is a real idiot.”
Tilting my head, I cocked one eyebrow at him. “Oh, really? Why do you think so?”
He stepped forward and braced both of his hands on the back of my sofa, facing me. “Because I can’t believe he met you over two years ago and didn’t do anything about it then.”
“Ah.” I laughed softly. “He was too busy being offended because I asked about pastries.”
“Like I said. An idiot.” Vincent patted the cushion on the back of the sofa. “Come here.”
I was drawn to him, incapable of denying him what he asked and intrigued by the gleam of desire in his dark eyes. I stood across the couch from him, my heart thudding in anticipation. “Here?”
“Sit down. Lean back. You look like you could use a back rub, and I happen to be a pro at giving those.”
“Lots of practice?” I quipped, but I did as he said and sank into the cushions. Vincent swept the length of my hair forward, so that it fanned over my shoulder.
“Practice does make perfect, and yeah, I’ve put in the hours.” His fingers brushed over the back of my neck before his hands began kneading my shoulders. I moaned in appreciation, my eyes drifting shut, and when his thumbs dug into the top of my spine, I made a sound that could only be described as orgasmic.
“That noise.” Vincent’s whisper at my ear surprised me, and I realized he had bent to nuzzle my neck. “I want to hear you make that same noise when my mouth is on your pussy and your legs are wrapped around my back.”
My breath caught, and I swallowed. “I’ll see what I can do about that. I guess it depends on if you’re as good with your tongue as you are with your hands.”
“Baby, I’m even better.” As if to demonstrate, the tip of his tongue traced my earlobe, and I shivered. Desire was building slowing through me, the heat of want rising over my body. “I can make you scream my name, even if you’re not usually a talker. I can make you come so many times that you’ll think you’re about to pass out.”
Holy fucking shit.I wiggled a little, unable to sit still. I could feel the wetness between my legs, and I was dying for him to touch me ... more than he was. I was acutely and keenly aware of each inch of my skin. My nipples throbbed where they were hidden beneath my dress, and I swore my clit was already pulsing.
Just as I was about to beg him to do something, to do anything, Vincent eased his hands down over my shoulders and onto my chest, spreading his fingers so that the tip of each one was beneath the neckline of my dress.
“When I first noticed you tonight, all I saw was the red of your dress.” His fingers moved just a little. The longest two were near enough to my nipples that if I took a really deep breath—
“And then I got close enough to get a look at all of you. Babe, this dress is amazing, but it’s only because of the body inside it. I saw these beautiful tits and knew I had to touch them. I could almost feel them in my hands, feel the weight of them against my palms.”
