RIDE: The Complete Delancey Brothers Trilogy (25 page)

The coincidence was not lost on me.

We sprawled in the chair as our breathing slowed. I wanted to have her again. But I also wanted to get her home where I could keep an eye on her.

"Come on, let's get cleaned up."

She nodded, pliant as a doll as I carried her into the enormous marble hotel bathroom.

I wondered how long I could keep her so agreeable. If I had to make sure she was constantly pleasured to do so. She didn't seem to mind...

What I didn't tell her was that I planned to keep her locked in my bedroom every night.

Francesca

"Let me wash you."

The husky sound of Daniel's voice sent shivers through me. The man was literally sex on wheels. He was by far the most delicious human being I'd ever met. And I'd met my fair share of movie stars, artists, and musicians.

Daniel put them all to shame.

He held me up in the shower, using one hand to pour shower gel onto my skin. He was that strong. He only needed one arm to support my weight.

At 5'7" I was not a tiny woman.

I gasped as his hand worked its magic on me, soaping and soothing me. He massaged it into my back and turned me so that the water sluiced over my skin. He did the same to my front, his face a mask of concentration as he soaped up my breasts. We both groaned.

He grinned at me and sat me on the shower bench. I watched as he lifted one leg at a time, using two hands to massage and clean me. He went all the way down to my cheeks, rubbing between them.
 

Once I was clean he propped my ankles over his shoulders and lowered his head, licking me hungrily. I threaded my fingers through his hair as he made a meal of me, tasting and teasing me. Finally, he slid a finger gently inside me and started to flick his tongue against my clit.

It was too much. I was too sensitive from all our earlier bed play.

I came hard, thrashing on the bench. He didn't stop until the tremors had faded to nothing. It was explosive.

He stood and I was face to face with 'it.' I licked my lips, staring hungrily at his cock. It was hard again. It was right in front of me.

I leaned forward and grabbed it, running my hands over it. Then my tongue. Then I pulled his member into my mouth and started to feast on him, as he had on me.

He grunted and braced his hands against the shower wall.
 

I wanted him again, but I wanted to make him come this way even more. The power of having him this way was it's own potent aphrodisiac. I twisted my head as I slid my mouth up and down his shaft. He tasted salty, even after the shower. That meant he was close.

One hand reached down to caress the soft skin of his pouch. The other gripped the wide base of his shaft. The water made it easy to slide my fisted hand up and down to meet my mouth as I took him as far as I could go.

I fluttered my tongue over the tip of his cock with each stroke. I forced my throat to relax, curious how deep I could go. I took him as far as I could but it was only halfway. He was that big.

That was all it took apparently.

With a roar he pulled his cock from my mouth and came. I watched the thick ropes of his cum splatter me. Covering my chest and belly.

He grimaced as he slumped against the shower wall.

"Jesus, Francesca..."

I smiled and stood up.

"Now you have to wash me again."

He grinned.

"With pleasure."

He was washing my front again, holding my back against his chest. He kissed my neck, his voice husky as he murmured love words.

"I will always take care of you Francesca."

I closed my eyes, both wanting to hear what he would say next, and afraid. He made me think crazy, impossible thoughts. He made me want to hear words of love. But that wasn't my cowboy's style.

Or mine. Not anymore. Still I felt a rush of emotion when he whispered in my ear.

"I want you to be mine. Permanently."

I couldn't look at him. I knew the words were heartfelt. I also knew I was about to hurt him. But I had to say it.

"Daniel, I will stay for four weeks. But I don't want to talk about the future. Promise me."

He was silent as I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body.

I didn't look back.

Chapter Eleven

Daniel

It was another beautiful, perfect spring day. In a series of amazing days. As usual, we started out the day riding.

Today we were racing. Francesca was winning. I grinned. She had no idea that I was letting her win.

Not that she couldn't give me a run for my money. She could. It's just that I preferred riding behind her.

The view was fucking amazing.

She was galloping now, determined to beat me. She was so competitive. It was one of her most endearing qualities.

Her many, many endearing qualities.

Two of them bouncing deliciously against the saddle as she rode vigorously across the estate.

The past two weeks had been the best of my life. Hell, even the weeks before that when I had found her and almost lost her had been amazing.

I'd never felt more alive.

Who would have thought that a wild eyed European Countess would be the one to unlock my heart after all these years?
 

We were opposites on the outside. She was so refined. I was rough and country.
 

But we suited each other perfectly.

She was nearing the path into the woods. We hadn't gone that way yet. It was not good for galloping. I pressed my heels into Black Jack and caught up with her. It wasn't easy.

Francesca could
ride.

She barely glanced at me, a challenging smile on her face. She dug her heels in and her mare went even faster. She had been holding back too.

I was impressed at the same time I was terrified.

"Francesca! Slow down!"

She didn't hear me. I had no choice but to chase after her. I reached her just as we were entering the woods. The path was too narrow to ride along side her.

I had to shout.

"Francesca! Look out!"

She heard me just in time, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch. I cursed. That was close.

Too close.

I was furious that this path wasn't better kept. Then again, only a headstrong idiot would go racing at that speed into an unknown path in the woods. She obviously got the point because she pulled back on her reigns, riding at a much more sedate pace.

I cursed, slowly bringing my horse to a walk. I followed her as we rode in silence through the woods. By the time we were back at the stables, the horses had cooled down.

I hadn't.

Not by a long shot.

The moment she dismounted I pulled her into an empty stall and pressed her against the wall.

"You deserve a spanking for that."

"For what? Beating you?"

She smiled sensuously, looking like the cat who ate the canary.

"I'm surprised Daniel. You don't seem like the insecure type..."

I growled at her.

"You could have been killed! I won't allow you to take risks like that!"

"Allow me?"

Her eyes glittered dangerously. I knew she didn't like being told what to do. I didn't care. I scooped her up and carried her kicking and screaming into the house. Jake and Elle were in the dining room having lunch. They stared open mouthed at me carrying Francesca while she hissed like a cat.
 
She fought me the whole way up the stairs to my bedroom.

I lowered her to the floor and locked the door. Her eyes were wide as I sat down in the easy chair, yanking her facedown over my lap. I had not been joking about spanking her. She was a spoiled brat and I was going to treat her like one.

I brought my hand down once.

"That's for being reckless and rebellious!"

SMACK.

"That's for scaring me half to death!"

SMACK.

"That's so you never do that to me again!"

Her eyes were dry as I lifted her to face me. She didn't even look angry. She looked as if... she felt sorry for me.

"Daniel... I... "

I cursed, crashing my mouth down on top of hers.

"I didn't mean to scare you! I won't die!"

I held her, staring deeply into her eyes. I didn't tell her about Karen, the only other girl I had ever loved. It was so many years ago. We had just been kids, still in prep school. I didn't tell her how she died. Or that it was my fault. As an adult all these years later, I knew I couldn't be blamed for what Karen had done. But it still felt that way to me.

We'd argued one night. She'd gone home and taken a whole bottle of pills. I'd never seen her alive again.

It was the main reason I didn't let anyone inside anymore. I was afraid I would break them. Or lose them. It didn't matter that Karen already had issues. I still blamed myself for her suicide.

But I didn't tell Francesca any of that.

I didn't tell her because I didn't have to tell her. She just pulled me into her arms and cradled my head against her. Then she took me to bed and made love to me until it was dark out.

I told her I loved her with my hands.

I told her I loved her with my tongue.

I told her I loved her with my arms and chest and cock.

The only way I didn't tell her was to say the words.

She didn't want love words. She told me time and time again. No talk of the future. No sad sappy words that didn't mean anything. So I didn't give them to her. Each time she made me explode though, I had to bite the words back.

Each time it got harder and harder.

Instead of telling her I was falling in love with her, each night I said the same thing. The same thing I said tonight, after we'd worn each other out all day, never once leaving the room.

"Sleep tight darling."

Then I wrapped the chain holding the room key around my cock. There was no way she could get it without waking me up. I always grinned at the outraged expression on her face.

I wasn't letting her out of my sight for a minute.

Francesca

I sighed, rolling to my side. My body was sore, but in a good way. A 'making love to Daniel all day and night' sort of way. I smiled to myself as I stared at the sunlight streaming in the window.

There was nothing else like it.

My stomach rumbled. We'd been in here since the spanking incident. Now I was hungry. Ravenous really. And the stubborn, gorgeous, bare ass naked man sleeping beside me insisted on locking me in with him each night. I didn't want to wake him though. He'd been furious yesterday. Furious and something else. Devastated. Terrified of losing me.

He wasn't play acting. He wasn't trying to tie me down. He needed me.

The irony of the situation was not lost on me.

So I wanted to let him sleep. But I also wanted breakfast. And coffee.

I really, really wanted coffee.

I frowned, lifting the covers to see if the key had slipped from his cock as he slept. No such luck. The silver chain shone against the soft peach skin of his perfect shaft. I watched as the key slid to the side.

Daniel was getting hard.

I looked up to see him grinning at me. His hands were behind his head, looking supremely arrogant. His cock actually twitched when I looked back at it.

"Going somewhere?"

"I'm hungry, Daniel."

"Me too."

He reached for me but I swatted him away.

"For
food
."

He sighed deeply. Then he brightened as if he'd had a genius idea.

"Breakfast in bed?"

I shook my head.

"I'm too hungry to wait. Starving. Let's go eat."

His eyes slid down my body.

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

I laughed and rolled out of bed. I knew he wasn't going to keep me locked in here all day. Right?

He scowled but followed me into the shower, washing my back but nothing else. I washed his for him too. He kissed me deeply. I knew he wanted more. I could tell every time his cock brushed against me. It was pointing straight for the sky. But I shook my head at him. He was incorrigible.

I got out and wrapped myself in a soft towel. I heard him yelp as he turned the water on cold. I grinned as I slid into my jodhpurs and a silk blouse.

Any man who would take a cold shower for you was worth keeping.

Keeping...

I didn't want to think like that. But lately my thoughts had wandered in that direction more and more. Daniel made me laugh. He made me feel safe. He cared about my opinions and my well being.

I rubbed my bottom where he'd smacked it. It wasn't sore. He hadn't spanked me hard enough for that. But I could still feel the sting of his sharp smacks.

Maybe he cared a little too much about my well being...

I dressed and used the key he'd left on the dresser. All my clothes were in here now. He'd even emptied half of his closet for me. He definitely was not looking for a fling. It was touching. And terrifying at the same time.

The smell of breakfast led me down the stairs to the dining room. Breakfast was always served buffet style at the Delancey Estate. And now that Jake and Elle were back, there was always someone to eat with other than Daniel or Jackson.

Today we had a full house. I glanced around, realizing that maybe they had all waited here to see if we would ever come out of Daniel's bedroom. I smiled at them nonchalantly. I never kissed and told.

I poured myself a cup of hot coffee first, adding a half a spoonful of sugar. Hot, black and sweet. It wasn't Italian coffee, but it was still damn good.

I giggled. I was even thinking like Daniel. He was always saying damn this or that. Or hell. Or fuck.

My father would fall on his ass if he heard me talking that way. I decided that I didn't care what he thought anymore. I piled my plate high before sitting down to eat my overdue breakfast.

Daniel joined us soon after and smiled at me from across the table as I put away sausage, roasted potatoes and eggs. It was delicious and filling. I liked their chef and the plain but hearty food they served.

I like everything about being here.

Well, except that pesky key Daniel used to keep me inside at night.