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We headed back to the front of the store and waited in line at the checkout. When there was only one person in front of us, I leaned over and said, “Put it in the basket.”
Her eyes flew to mine. “Wh-what?”
“Whatever that is in your pocket.” I held up the basket. “It goes in here.”
“No, it’s fine, I—”
The person in front of us moved to the next available counter but I didn’t step forward. “I’m not going to let you pay for it.” I said, holding her gaze and the basket, waiting patiently. It wasn’t until the guy behind us huffed his impatience and Lucy realized I wasn’t going to give up that she took the box from her pocket and dropped it in the basket.
The checkout operator chattered away happily while she cashed us out, but to my immense amusement, Lucy spent the whole time looking down at her feet. We stepped back outside and I stopped, reaching into the bag and pulling out the box I’d taken from her. Personal lubricant. I raised an eyebrow, eyeing her questioningly. “You really think you’re going to need this?”
She looked like a little girl who’d been caught stealing. “Well, it’s just—”
Before she could say anything further, I grabbed the front of her jacket in one hand, hauled her against me and kissed her. My desire for her had been building all evening, and now, just a few steps from her hotel, I let a little of it go. Let her feel something of my need for her, until she was melting against me, her hands on my hips. When I thought she’d finally got the message, I raised my head. “I don’t think we’ll be needing it, do you?”
Dazed, with her lips swollen from my kiss, she shook her head.
“Good girl.” I dropped the lube in a nearby bin and, taking her hand, led her through the front doors of her hotel.
CHAPTER3
Lucy
Dante all but dragged me across the lobby with its mosaic tiles and funky, bold artwork to the elevators, tapping his toe impatiently as we waited, watching the numbers slowly descend to the ground floor. When the elevator doors finally opened with a loudding,I had to press my hands together to stop them from shaking. I was more than a little nervous, but holy fuck, that kiss. It had set me on fire and now I felt like a hot ball of need, ready to throw myself at Dante the moment the doors closed.
“What floor?”
“Thirty-two.” I moved next to him as I spoke, gasping when he put a hand to my shoulder and pushed me away. What the fuck?
He pressed the button, then said, “Unless you want me to tear your clothes off right now, you’ll stay over there.”
Oh. Wow. Heat lanced through me at his words and the look in his eyes and it was all I could do not to suggest he push the emergency button so we could just go for it here. Instead, I stood against the opposite wall, watching the numbers light up as the elevator ascended, praying that it went all the way without stopping. It did. Pulling my room card from my handbag, I felt Dante very close behind me as I walked the short distance from the elevator to my room. My heart hammered as I tried to put the key in the slot, his hands at my hips and his breath hot on my neck. Fuck, my hands were shaking so much I couldn’t get the key in the slot.
Dante reached around me, slid the card in and pushed the door open the second the green light came on. I’d barely taken two steps into the room when he whirled me around and shoved me back roughly against the door. Dropping the shopping bag on the floor, he cupped my face, gazing into my eyes for a long, scorching moment before lowering his head and kissing me. Hard.
Holy shit. I’d never been kissed like this before. So demanding, so hungry, like he’d just crawled through the desert and I was his first drink of water. I shoved at his coat, pushing it off his shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. He did the same to mine, taking my suit jacket with it, barely breaking the kiss. I felt his fingers at the buttons of my shirt and felt a sudden wave of nerves. What if he didn’t like me? Didn’t think I was sexy? Before I could worry about that too much, he raised his head, his eyes glittering as he looked at me.
“Take your hair down.”
With trembling fingers, I pulled out the bobby pins and slid the hair elastic off so that my hair tumbled to my shoulders. I’d always liked my hair, considering it my best feature, so to feel Dante take it in his hands and run his fingers through it before murmuring, “Gorgeous,” eased some of my anxiety. “Now, where were we?”
“I think we were about here.” With my hand on the back of his neck, I pulled him into me, almost having to go on tiptoe to reach up and kiss him. I loved the feeling that gave me, that I wasn’t some giantess, too big to be hot, like I always felt with Richard—No, stop! Don’t bring Richard into this!
“Stop thinking,” he growled against my lips.
With those words, he reached for my shirt again, but instead of undoing the last few buttons, he ripped the shirt open and tore them off, smiling wickedly when I gasped. With his arms around me, he walked backwards until he hit the bed. I was on fire now, desperate to feel his hands on me everywhere. As if reading my mind, he dropped to the bed, pulling me forward so I was standing between his knees.
Reaching down, he slid my shoes off and threw them behind me before trailing his hands up the back of my legs, to the hem of my humdrum, gray skirt. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses across my midriff, over my bra, his tongue circling my nipples through the cotton until they were hard peaks. The whole time, he murmured softly, half in English, half in Italian. I couldn’t quite catch the words, but I got the meaning. I was a goddess, beyond beautiful, so desirable. I’d never been spoken to like this before, and it set me on fire.
Until, that is, he pushed my pencil skirt up to my waist. I stilled when he pushed me back slightly and I realized he was frowning with disapproval.
“Wh-what’s the matter?”
“This.” He gestured at me. “This is a crime. All this perfection, clad in the most boring underwear I’ve ever seen.”
“I…”
Then he grabbed the edge of my panties and with one swift movement tore them off. Just ripped them right from my body.
