WMIS 08 Forever With Me (12 page)

I turn and leave without looking back and stalk down the long hallway back to my own room.

She fucking kicked me out.

That’s never happened before.

I flop onto my back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. I can still smell her, and it makes me wish she were still pressed up against me. I think back over the evening, wondering where things went wrong.

The sex was…
 

Amazing.

Fantastic.

The best I’ve ever fucking had.

And I know I wasn’t alone in that. The way she responded to my touch was extraordinary.

But it was when we were cuddled up, ready to sleep, that she panicked.

My
piccolo tesoro
is uneasy with intimacy.

I feel my lips tip up in a smile, as I realize just how much of a pleasure it’s going to be to keep her on her toes.
 

Just as she’s keeping me on mine.

And fuck if that isn’t sexy.

***

It’s early when I let myself into Alecia’s room. She’s still in bed, under the sheets, curled into a ball on her side. The gentle rise and fall of her delicious curves are outlined with the white sheet. Her honey-blonde hair is fanned out behind her on the pillow, her cheeks are pink with sleep, and her rosy lips are parted and wet.

She’s an angel.

I set the breakfast tray on the table beside the bed, tether my iPhone to her wireless speakers via Bluetooth and press play on the new
Alecia
playlist. It’s full of soft, moody music like Sarah Bareilles and Adele. Unable to resist, I pluck the pink tulip from its vase and slip under the sheet next to her as Adele begins to sing
Chasing Pavements
. I’m still wearing my gym shorts. I’d rather be naked, but I’m not even sure she won’t scream the house down when she realizes I’m in bed with her.

I inch close to her, drag the petals of the flower, then my fingertips, down her soft cheek and grin when she presses closer to my touch, as if even in sleep she’s drawn to me.

“Alecia,” I whisper before pressing my lips to her forehead.
 

“Mm.” She frowns in her sleep.

She’s adorable.

“Alecia,” I repeat and kiss her nose. “Wake up.”

“No.” She opens one eye half-mast, snags the flower and snuggles it next to her cheek, sniffing it, then wiggles down further into the covers.

I chuckle and wrap my arms around her, drawing her against my chest.
Ah, that’s better.

“I brought you breakfast.”

“Why are you in bed with me?”

I smile against her head and press a kiss to her hair as she wraps her arms around my waist and holds on sleepily.

“Because it’s morning; I didn’t sleep here as you asked, and I needed to see you.”

“I can’t resist your charm when I’m half asleep,” she murmurs and kisses my chest sweetly. “If you brought me tea, I’ll let you live.”

“Tea and fruit and some other delicious things.”

“Strawberries?” she asks.

“Do you enjoy strawberries, sweetheart?”

“Yes. I like it better when you use the Italian words.”

I chuckle and pat her ass through the sheet. “I’ll remember that.”

“I thought you were mad at me,” she admits with a small voice. I tip her head back so I can look into her deep brown gaze and shake my head.
 

“Confused, but not mad.”

“Sleeping together pushes this into a category that I’m not sure I’m okay with.”

“We’re already there, Alecia.” She begins to stiffen again, but I kiss her forehead and tuck her against me, not willing to allow her to pull away again. “But that doesn’t mean that we won’t go at the pace you’re comfortable with. We have all the time in the world.”

“What if sex is all I can ever give you?”

My heart hurts for her. Who taught her that love means pain? Why is she afraid to see where this leads?

“Then I’ll be a very sexually satisfied man,” I reply, rather than ask my questions. She sighs deeply and relaxes against me again, and I can’t help but smile in satisfaction. “Alecia, as long as I can feel you come apart in my arms, and share moments like this one, and like the one the other night by my fireplace with you, I’m content.”

“For now.”

“Hey.” I lean back so I can look her in the eye. “Right now is all that matters. I’m not asking to put a ring on your finger.”

She bites her lip and looks so uncertain.
 

“I need to be honest, Dominic.”

“Always,” I agree.

“I don’t think I believe in love. If you think that that’s where you want this to go, you should know that I am not capable of that.”

Bullshit.

Rather than argue, I sigh deeply and rub her upper arm soothingly.

“Understood.”

“Really?”

Fuck no.

“Really.”

She sighs in relief and offers me a sweet smile. “Okay. I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

“I’m hungry for fruit and tea,” she clarifies with a laugh, and my stomach clenches. I love her laugh and her smile when she’s happy and carefree like this. It happens so seldom.

I want to give her lots of smiles.

“Let’s feed you then,
tesoro
.”

“What happened to
cara?
”

I’ve been slowly falling for you for a long time, and I’m afraid I fell the rest of the way in love with you last night, and you’re so much more than my darling. You’re my treasure.

But that would send her screaming back to Tacoma. Instead, I simply laugh and shake my head as I pour her tea. “You’re very authoritative when it comes to terms of endearment.”

She shrugs and sips her tea. “I like the Italian.”

“And you’ll get it,
cara.
I’m right here.”

She pops a slice of pineapple in her mouth and watches me speculatively. “What did you mean last night when you said I made you forget your English?”

“Just that,” I reply, and spread strawberry jam on a toasted English muffin. “I didn’t even realize I wasn’t speaking English, I was so lost in you.” This thought seems to make her happy. She smiles softly.

“How long have you spoken English?”

“Since I
could
speak. My mother raised me to be bilingual.”

She takes in this information while she chews her fruit, then takes a bite of my muffin, licks jam off her lip, and then grins at me.
 

“So, it was good then?”

“
Good
?” I shake my head. “No.”

“No?”

I shake my head again and set her tea on the tray, moving it out of my way so I can scoop her up and pull her into my lap. She wraps her arms around my shoulders. After I left last night, she must have pulled her tank and fresh panties on. Her hair is loose, falling in waves around her face, washed clean of makeup.

She’s so beautiful she makes my heart stop.

“It was—” I slide my fingertip down her temple, then hook her hair behind her ear. “It was the most amazing,” I kiss her lips, “arousing,” kiss her cheek, “life affirming,” kiss her jaw and down to her neck, “time of my life.”

“You should know that if you kiss my neck, I’m not responsible for my actions.”

I grin against the smooth skin of her neck and slide my hands under her tank.

“Challenge accepted,
tesoro
.”

Chapter Eight

~Alecia~

God, I love it when he’s shirtless. I plunge my fingers into Dom’s hair and hold on tight as his hands move under my tank, up my sides and around to gently cup my breasts, his thumbs barely brushing over my nipples, already puckered and primed for his attention.

“I love the way you touch me,” I murmur against his lips. It’s the honest truth. His hands do things to me that I didn’t even know were possible.

And I’m no virgin.

“Your skin is so soft,” he whispers, and nibbles his way back down my neck, sending shivers through me.
 

Sarah Bareilles begins to croon out
Gravity
through my speakers and I grin softly. “I love this song.”

“It’s appropriate,” he replies before nipping my chin.

“How so?”

He pulls back, cups my ass in his hands, and grinds his hardness against me. “I can’t stay away from you, Alecia. Knowing that you might throw me out of here this morning, I still couldn’t stay away, any more than I can fight gravity.”

And that terrifies me because the feeling is entirely mutual.

Before I can respond, he pushes my tank over my head, tosses it to the floor, and covers my breast with his lips; his hands are roaming my back, his fingertips digging into my flesh deliciously.

His passion is intoxicating. When he touches me, he
touches me
. There’s no half-way about it, no wondering what he’s thinking.

It’s perfectly clear what he’s thinking. He’s thinking about me.

And fuck if I can think of anything at all but him.

I wrap my legs around his waist and grind my core against him, grinning when he releases a long, low growl. There’s something decidedly thrilling about making a strong, controlled man like Dominic Salvatore come apart at the seams.
 

He moves quickly, placing me on the bed, grips my panties at my hips and slowly guides them down my legs, tosses them over his shoulder and gazes down at me like I’m a feast and he hasn’t eaten in days.

“Do you have any idea,” he murmurs and places light kisses on the inside of my thigh, “how beautiful you are? You’re all soft, and warm, and still a bit sleepy, and I’m going to steep myself in you, Alecia.”

I can only bite my lip and watch as he continues to kiss my skin, up one hip, to my belly and between my breasts. My hands roam over his muscled shoulders, arms, back. His skin is smooth and warm and so fucking
masculine
, I can’t take my eyes off of him. I hook my toes in his shorts and push them down his hips, and he grins down at me roguishly, that sexy dimple in his cheek winking at me.

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” My breath catches as his fingertips brush up my side, then down my belly and between my legs, and breathing is out of the question altogether, as his fingers play my pussy like a freaking musical instrument. “Holy shit,” I whisper. His lips are glued to my neck, wreaking all kinds of havoc, and he has the nerve to chuckle as I’m ready to come out of my skin.

“Do you need me to stop?” he asks.

“Don’t you dare,” I say, and grip onto him harder, afraid that he’ll do just that. His fingers are sliding through my folds, spreading my wetness around, and if I wasn’t so damned turned on right now, I might be just a little embarrassed at just how wet I am already.

My hips are moving of their own volition, circling, following his lead. And just as I’m about to fall apart, he stops.

Fucking
stops
.

“What the hell?” My eyes fly to his. I expect to find him smiling smugly, but he’s intense and hot, and breathing just as hard as I am. “Why did you stop?”

“I don’t want you to come yet.”

“Why?”

He shakes his head and kisses my cheek gently. “I have a plan.”

“There’s a plan?” I cup his face in my hands and stare up at him as he hovers over me, catching his own breath. His cock is lying, heavy and full, against my belly. “Maybe you should reevaluate the plan.”

“It’s a good plan,
tesoro
.” His lips nibble mine, almost lazily, and my body is still humming. He buries his hands in my hair and just kisses me for long minutes, softly at first, and then deeply, passionately, rubbing his chest against mine, moving his body over me in an ageless dance. I reach between us to take his cock in my hand, but I only get two good pumps in, and feel the drop of dew with my thumb, before he pulls away, laces his fingers with mine and pins my hand over my head.

“No touching is part of the plan?” I whisper.

“You have me on the edge.”

“I’ve barely touched you.” I search his bright blue eyes and feel my heart thud when he leans his forehead against mine and takes a deep breath.

“All you have to do is look at me and I feel like a teenager.”

“Now you’re just being charming.”

He chuckles as he rears his hips back and slowly slides right inside me, all the way inside, and then all the laughter is gone from his face as he stares down at me. My body shimmies and moves under him, adjusting to him, and his jaw tenses.

“God, you’re tight,
cara
.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m going to come,” I say, and close my eyes. God, I can’t help it. He’s plunged all the way in, he’s pressing against my clit, and
holy shit.

“Go ahead,” he whispers, and begins to pulse his hips, nudging the root of his cock against my sweet spot, over and over, and I can’t stop the eruption that starts at my core and shoots out of my every nerve, making me clench onto him and ride it out.