Second Chances (13 page)

At least they used to, before she’d
destroyed what they had.

Sipping his coffee, Renaldo stared at
what he’d written, not really seeing the words. All he saw was Sabrina, lying
in bed as he dressed this morning. They’d made love so many different ways, almost
all night long. He kept reaching for her and she never once refused.

In one night he’d tried to make up for
all the weeks she’d been missing from his bed. Tonight he planned to continue
on the same course. Eventually, his appetite for her should wane. At least
that’s what he told himself, because their living together was short term. He
had to get her out of his system at some point.

“Good morning.”

Her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
She stood in the doorway wearing only his shirt. Posing was a more appropriate word,
because she leaned against the doorjamb and had one knee bent in a relaxed,
sexy pose. What a sight she was.

How many pieces of lingerie did she own?
Some she’d bought, many he’d purchased for his own enjoyment. But nothing could
compare to the sight of her in his white shirt. She looked content, like a
woman who had been made love to all night—and enjoyed every minute of it.

She’d told him once that when she wore
his shirts, she preferred that there be no barrier between her skin and the
shirt, because it had been next to his skin. If she was of the same mind, that
meant she wasn’t wearing any panties right now. His mouth went dry at the
thought, and he slowly placed his coffee cup on the counter.

“I thought you’d already gone to work.”
She’d obviously just taken a shower because he smelled the fragrant soap, and
her hair had curled up into tighter ringlets from the steam.

“I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Maybe you should stay home today and
get some rest.”

He’d never get any rest if he stayed here
with her. Rest was the last thing on his mind when he looked at her. As if he
hadn’t already licked and kissed every inch of flesh the night before, he
longed to do it again and he felt his body react, wanting more.

“I have too much to do.”

Disappointment filled her eyes. “Would
you like me to come in later?”

“No. You stay home and rest.” His voice
was firm.

“Stay with me.” Heat spiked in his
blood. What a tempting, unexpected offer.

She came across the room to him, her
eyes sultry, her hips swinging from side to side in that exaggerated way he
liked. She was a temptation he couldn’t resist.
Uma sedutora.

He caught her by the neck and she
moaned, closing her eyes, as if that single touch could give her an orgasm. He
imagined she was already wet for him. He put his hands between her legs and
found she was. Her breath hitched as he fingered her, stroking the drenched,
throbbing flesh.

Renaldo lowered his head and kissed her
mouth, claiming the softness of her lips. His arm slipped down to her waist and
anchored her to him. She wrapped her arms around him while he continued the
intimate caress.

“I know what you need.”

“You,” she breathed.

She was on fire, and the flame of her
desire scorched him and made him burn out of control for her, as well.

Renaldo removed his hand from between
her thighs and lifted her onto the island.

“Yes,” she encouraged, her voice shaky.
She already knew what he was about to do. She leaned back on her elbows and
without the need for instruction settled her legs onto his shoulders.

A sound like weeping came from her
throat when he lowered his head between her legs.

He never grew tired of the scent of her
arousal. “I love how you smell when you want me,” he said, letting his warm breath
whisper across her skin.

He’d lost his appetite for the pastries.
He’d rather eat her.

Renaldo covered her glistening sex with
his mouth and used his tongue to lave the saturated flesh. Circling and
licking, feeding the greedy demon inside him that seemed to never get enough of
her. His hands massaged her breasts, squeezing them together and letting his
thumbs skate across the rigid nipples.

Gasping cries filled the room, turning
him on beyond the point of return.

Tastes so good.

His shaft elongated and became as rigid
as a pole as he continued to eat his fill from the heart of her. He peeled back
the petals of her womanhood with his thumbs and indulged his appetite. Licking
with his tongue. Tugging with his lips.

“Oh God…yes…
yes
…
Renny
…”

Panting hard, she dissolved into a
series of spasms, coming on his tongue. He continued to lick and probe, holding
her legs apart, refusing to stop until he’d had enough. He didn’t have enough
until another orgasm crashed through her, her cries bouncing off the walls of
the kitchen. Only after her tremors subsided did he finally let her go.

Sabrina lay collapsed on the island,
sated. But he knew his wife well, and she wouldn’t be completely satisfied
until he was inside of her. Neither would he.

Renaldo pushed the shirt out of the way
and kissed his way up the middle of her torso. With one smooth movement, he
swept her limp body into his arms.  

From the time he’d started working with
his father in real estate, punctuality had been instilled in him. So much so,
he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone to work late. But for the first
time in years, he did.

Three hours late.

__________

Sabrina awoke slowly, yawned, and
stretched. She turned onto her back and felt a bit of disappointment at the
empty space beside her on the bed. She’d known Renaldo planned to go to work,
but she’d hoped he wouldn’t.

She got out of bed and put on the discarded
shirt she’d been wearing when he brought her back upstairs. It smelled like him
and the cool, light scent of his cologne. If she couldn’t have him there with
her, this would have to do.

After climbing back into the bed,
Sabrina wrapped her arms around the pillow he’d slept on. It smelled like him,
too.

She didn’t want to overanalyze the
situation, but she desperately wanted to know what the renewed intimacy between
her and Renaldo meant.

I’m not offering you anything
, he’d said.

So was he only using her to satisfy a
biological need, with the scare they’d received yesterday serving as a
catalyst? Or was there something more meaningful at work? She’d like to think
it was the latter, because her feelings certainly hadn’t changed.

She closed her eyes and squeezed the
pillow tighter. She whispered the words she longed to say again, but he refused
to believe because of what she’d done.

“I love you.”

Chapter Eleven

Renaldo watched his sisters traipse into
his office. Unexpected visits from them were not unusual. They knew he would
drop just about anything for them.

“Have the two of you ever heard of
knocking?” he asked, unable to resist needling them.

Beatrisa waved away his comment.
“Knocking is for strangers. We’re family.”

Both women were attractive and had long
black hair, but ever since they were children, Carolina had been called “the
pretty one.”

It was both a blessing and a curse. She
was seldom taken seriously because of her beauty, but at the same time it
afforded her advantages, allowing her to glide through life with very few
repercussions for her actions.

She’d done some local modeling for
several years, with the hope of becoming the next Gisele Bündchen. Apparently,
the world didn’t need another Gisele, because after a time the modeling jobs
dried up.

This provided Renaldo with the perfect
opportunity to advise her that good looks could only take her so far and
convince her to get an education. He’d paid for her to attend Universidade de
São Paulo to pursue a degree in International Relations. She had one year left,
and after she completed her studies, he had a position waiting for her at SDG.

To Beatrisa’s credit, the attention Carolina
received never seemed to bother her. At twenty-seven, she had looked out for
her younger sibling in a motherly manner, even though only three years
separated them. She did the same to Renaldo, which amused him, since he was the
oldest. Her habit of taking care of others and ignoring her own needs had
compelled her to keep a terrible secret until a couple of years ago—that her
husband had been beating her.

 “I didn’t know the rules.” Renaldo rose
to his feet. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” They both came around the desk to
greet him with a kiss and then settled into chairs on the opposite side.

“We’re here because of the voicemails
you left us about your reconciliation with Sabrina.”

“I’ve told you everything you need to
know in the voicemail. I’ve never discussed my relationships with you, and I
don’t intend to start now. Did the two of you only drop by to question me about
my personal life?”

“She dragged me here,” Carolina announced.
She flicked her raven mane over one shoulder.

“Kicking and screaming, no doubt.”
Renaldo settled into his seat.

“I only brought it up because I was
wondering if she’ll be at Leonardo’s party in Rio next weekend,” Beatrisa said.
 

Leonardo da Silva, their cousin, was combining
his birthday party with a farewell party since he was moving back to the United
States in a few months with his family after his third child was born.

“Why does it matter?”

“Because she wants to invite Ana Isa to
the celebration,” Carolina supplied.

His sister’s answer took him by
surprise. He hadn’t seen Ana Isa in a few years. She was a friend of the family
and currently resided in Rio de Janeiro. They’d dated briefly, but her lack of
goals had been a turn-off, and he’d ended their relationship. “Now why would
you do that?”

“Trying to play matchmaker.”

“I can speak for myself.” Beatrisa cast
a furious glance in her sister’s direction. “I thought it might be good for you
to revisit some old ideas, that’s all.”

“If I need to, I can find my own dates.”

“I know, but Ana Isa is so nice, and she
still asks about you.”

“In that case, you definitely shouldn’t
have invited her. It will only get her hopes up.” Renaldo was quickly losing
his patience with the conversation. “I told you before I didn’t care for her.”

Beatrisa shrugged. “You never know what
could happen, Renaldo. Things may not work out between you and Sabrina. If you
don’t like Ana Isa, I have a few other friends I could suggest. One just as career-minded
as you.”

His sister could be such a busybody.
“No, thank you.”

“Have you been listening to him?”
Caroline asked. “He’s not interested.”

“I’m only looking out for your best
interest.” Beatrisa sniffed. “Maybe Sabrina is different, but I was surprised
you chose to marry a North American. Look at how they behave on their reality
shows. And they make fun of our
telenovelas
! At least our shows are
scripted, but theirs are real. Fighting, lying—so much drama and childish
behavior. It’s disgusting.” She wrinkled her nose.

“They’re not all like that,” said Carolina.
“Just like not all Brazilians are beautiful, even though that’s the stereotype.”

Renaldo sighed. His sisters meant well, but
this conversation was definitely over. “That’s enough. I don’t want you, or
you”—he shot a look at Carolina who held up her hands defensively—“to set me up
with anyone. I’ve never needed help in that department, and I don’t now. My
wife is not going anywhere.” His own vehemence surprised him.

“Fine,” Beatrisa said. “I was only trying to
help. I’m offering you a backup plan.”

“I don’t
need
a backup plan. This is no
longer open for discussion.”

Beatrisa clamped her mouth shut. Renaldo knew
her well enough to know she only got quiet because she didn’t want to upset him.
He had helped her out when she left her husband two years ago.

He’d been furious when he found out what had
been going on. After he had a long “talk” with her husband, he moved her and
her children into an apartment complex not far from where he lived. After
months of training, he’d hired her to manage one of his properties. Because she
no longer feared having the ability to support herself and her two small
children, she gained the confidence she needed and eventually filed for a
divorce.

“You always go too far,” Carolina said to her
sister.

Beatrisa shot her a hard look and rose to her
feet. “I hope you’re not too upset with me, Renaldo.” Her gaze cautiously
sought his.

“No. As long as we understand each other.”

“Yes, we do. I’ll mind my own business.” He didn’t
believe that for a minute, but when she came around the desk to give him a hug,
he hugged her back. “It’s only because I love you.”