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  She felt his hand move from her neck a moment before he ran his hands over her body, acquainting himself with the generous curves he’d been admiring all day. Her nipples hardened into little pebbles, aching for his touch. She was so turned on she burned for him. So wrapped up in what Sebastian was doing to her, Serena started again when the lift door opened and a man stepped forward.

  “Mr Marino, sir.”

  Stepping away from her and keeping her shielded by his body, Sebastian turned to the man who served as his driver, bodyguard, and valet, giving Serena a moment to pull herself together.

  Giving him a chin lift in response to his greeting, Sebastian replied, “Ari, I need you to collect files from the office. I’ll be in for the afternoon.”

  Taking his meaning, Ari returned the chin lift and turned to leave. “Yes, sir.”

  Once again placing a guiding hand to the small of her back, Sebastian guided Serena through the doors of his suite. She loved that he did that. While Serena moved further into the apartment, Sebastian hung her coat in the hall closet. Closing the closet door, he turned back to her. Holding out a hand to her, he said, “Come.”

  Following Sebastian down a small hallway, Serena’s eyes took in the beauty of her surroundings. He certainly had a beautiful home. Maybe one day she’d have an opportunity to wander around looking at all the glorious artwork dotted around his apartment. He led her into a bedroom that was quite striking in its simplicity. She preceded him to stand in the centre of the room, taking her surroundings in as she waited for Sebastian to join her.

  Serena heard the snick of the lock as the door closed quietly behind her. She turned to find Sebastian standing with his back braced against the door, eyes trained on her. There was no mistaking the message she read in his heated gaze. Her core tightened and a frisson of anticipation coursed through her body.

  He pushed away from the door, and she watched in fascination as he prowled towards her. There was no other way to describe it. His body was pure muscle, sheer elegance, and sleek grace like that of a jungle cat. And the promise of it was something she couldn’t wait to experience. Stopping just short of where she stood, his gaze caught hers.

  “Take it off, piccola. Slowly. All of it.”

  Serena felt what was a slow burn ratchet up towards an inferno. Reaching for the buttons of her peacock-blue silk blouse, she did as she was told and slowly began to undo the buttons, her eyes never leaving his. When she finally reached the last tiny button, she shrugged out of the garment. Reaching around to the back of her tight pencil skirt, she unzipped that and shimmied out of it ever so slowly. Using the tip of her tongue to moisten her suddenly dry lips, she noticed Sebastian’s eyes heat further as they followed the motion. But what appeared to almost break his seemingly iron control was when he dropped his gaze to take in all that she’d been wearing underneath her business attire. Or more accurately, what she almost wasn’t wearing.

  9

  Sebastian

  Sebastian was lost in a haze of desire so intense he was almost too scared to touch her lest he hurt her. But he had to touch or risk losing his mind. Reining himself in with that legendary Marino will, he reached out a finger and slid it across her collarbone almost reverently. His touch was gentle, the strength tightly reined.

  Circling her, he stopped behind Serena. He was hard as stone, so desperate to get inside her. Never in all his years had a woman affected him so deeply.

  Sliding the same finger down her spine, he leaned forward and murmured in her ear, “Perhaps I was too hasty in my request that you take it all off, mia cara. Leave the rest for now. Except for this.”

  His finger slid across the slope of her shoulder, taking the strap of her black lace bra he was referring to with it. Trailing his fingers across to the other side, he did the same with the other strap. Serena’s head dropped back against him, her lips parted. Steadying her with his arms, he tilted her head a little more before slanting his mouth over hers, taking advantage of her parted lips. Blood sizzled; excitement flared.

  The kiss seemed to go on for eternity, but finally Sebastian lifted his head and looked down into Serena’s upturned face. Eyes glazed over, lips swollen from the kiss they’d shared, and a heated flush staining her beautiful face, he couldn’t resist kissing her again, lowering his mouth back to hers.

  Eventually breaking the kiss, Sebastian murmured against her lips, “The bra, Serena.” Sebastian cleared the huskiness from his voice. Serena stepped away from him but made no move to do as he asked.

  “Turn around, little one. Let me see that beautiful face.”

  Serena did as he asked, her eyes downcast.

  “Are you having second thoughts?”

  She shook her head, not saying anything.

  “Serena, it’s all right if you’ve changed your mind. If you’d rather not do this, I’ll have Ari take you wherever you want to go. I don’t want to push you into something you’re uncomfortable with, but I need you to tell me, one way or another.”

  For a long moment, Serena stood before him, still as a statue. His nerves stretched tight as he waited for her to decide what she would do. Just when he felt he couldn’t take the tension anymore, she took a deep breath, seeming to come to a decision.

  Lifting her eyes to his, she reached behind her, undoing the snaps on her bra with one hand while holding it to her breasts with the other. Then she slowly let it fall away from her. She made no further movement, standing completely still again, her arms at her sides.

  Sebastian took in the sight before him. Lust held him in a grip so tight he was scared to move. She was breathtaking. He took his time looking at her, letting his gaze roam all over her body — a body built for sin, a mouth guaranteed to drive a man out of his mind. Then she licked her bottom lip, and the tight rein he’d had on his emotions snapped.

  Restraint gone, Sebastian hauled her up against his hard body and claimed her mouth yet again. Unlike the other kisses they’d shared, this kiss possessed, branded her as he unleashed all the pent-up feelings simmering just beneath his skin.

  “And now the rest,” Sebastian rasped in her ear.

  Slowly, Serena removed what was left of her clothing.

  Dropping to his knees, Sebastian’s gaze settled on the pink, swollen lips of Serena’s sex, already wet and glistening, just begging for his touch. He breathed in harshly, taking her scent deep into his lungs. Already deeply aroused, he felt himself harden more. Putting his hands on the smooth globes of her ass, he drew her in and gently rubbed his tongue over her clit. As he laved the tight bundle of nerves, he felt Serena threading her fingers through the strands of his hair, as if to anchor herself.

  Pleasure washed through her, and she couldn’t hold back the moan that welled up in her throat. As he worked magic on her body, she felt herself edging closer to an orgasm that she knew would leave her shattered in a million pieces. She had never felt anything so intense, and all Serena could do was pray she would survive it.

  Just as he felt her tighten, her orgasm looming, Sebastian stopped. He had other plans for her. Standing, he smiled as she moaned out her distress. Placing one arm behind her knees and the other across her shoulders, he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

  Laying her down gently, Sebastian stepped back and tore his clothes off, too impatient to do anything else. He was sure he heard buttons skittering across the floor. He climbed onto the bed and settled his weight over Serena, supporting himself on his elbows. He leaned down and kissed her, plunging his tongue into her mouth over and over, an imitation of what he wanted to do to her with his rock-hard cock.

  When he lifted his head, Serena smiled at him, planted a foot on the bed, and rolled them over.

  Caught completely off-guard, he rolled to his back with no resistance. She licked those pillowy lips of hers and leaned over him. Surprise and a deep jolt of lust rocked Sebastian as he realised what Serena had in mind. Apparently, someone had found their confidence and had plans of her own.

 
; Those gorgeous lips parted, and she ran her tongue over the head of his cock, licking and lapping it like she would an ice cream. He gripped the sheets beneath him in an attempt not to grab her.

  Opening wider, she took him into the wet, warm velvet of her mouth. Working him, she took him further until she had as much of him as she could take. When he bumped against the back of her throat, Serena swallowed, and Sebastian thought he’d died and gone to heaven. If she kept it up, he’d be finished before things had even gotten started.

  When she hummed in pleasure, he could take no more. Gently pulling out of her mouth, he reached into his pants next to the bed for a condom. He noticed Serena eyeing the foil package in his hand and then she held out her hand. She continued to surprise him.

  He watched as she rolled it down his length, taking time to ensure it was comfortable for him. When she was done, he guided her over his body until she straddled him.

  He nodded encouragingly as she slid down the hard length of him. They both groaned at the sheer pleasure. Sinking into the warm depth of her core, already slick with desire, Sebastian bit back another groan. Wrapping his hands around her hips, he held her as they moved in a sensual dance as old as time, losing himself in her.

  Sebastian felt her begin to tighten around him. Shortening his strokes, he drove into her, igniting a fire deep within. A tingle started at the base of his spine, warning of his impending release. Wrapped up in her tight heat, he felt her begin to come undone for him. And he knew he wouldn’t be far behind.

  10

  Serena

  Excitement mounting, Serena threw her head back and let out a low moan. Sebastian was all she could see, all she could feel, all she could hear. She felt completely surrounded by him. The friction of his rock-hard length was undoing her in the most delicious way. She wasn’t going to last much longer. She could already feel her body start to tighten, feeling as if her skin was too tight.

  The orgasm built, and her breath quickened. She wasn’t sure she would survive this.

  “Oh god, Sebastian,” she panted. “I ... It’s too much ... I ... It ... I can’t. Oooooh, god.”

  He tightened his grip on her hips, clenched his teeth, murmuring, “Let it go, piccola. I’ve got you. Let me see you come apart for me.”

  Looking up into his face, etched in beautiful, raw passion, Serena surrendered to it, crying out with her release. Her surrender pushed Sebastian into his own.

  Burying his face in her neck with an almost silent groan, Sebastian followed Serena into the steep spiral of surrender. She felt the strong pulses as he came with her. Spent but completely sated, she flopped down onto his chest. Neither could quite muster the energy to move.

  They lay like that for long moments as Sebastian ran a soothing hand up and down Serena’s spine before rolling her over onto the bed. As he turned to his back on his side of the bed, his cell phone rang. She watched as he bit back a curse. A look of what appeared to be regret washed over him, he told her, “And so the outside world intrudes.”

  Serena watched the grace with which Sebastian moved as he retrieved his phone from the nightstand and exited the bed. He moved over to stand by the window, murmuring into his phone in rapid fire Italian, and as she noticed his frame tighten with tension, she wondered what the phone call was about. The only word she understood from his conversation was Mama, but since it made her feel uncomfortable to witness him engaged in what appeared to be a very personal call, she decided to get dressed, affording him some privacy.

  His call at an end, Serena saw Sebastian run a hand over the back of his neck as he hung his head. It seemed as if the weight of the world dragged on him.

  She’d finished dressing and was quietly sitting in a chair by the window waiting for him to be done with his call, sensing that playtime was over. She didn’t know what the call had been about, but she’d seen a change come over him. Gone was the playfulness of earlier, and in its place was a man carrying a heavy burden.

  Serena felt awkward and out of place. She didn’t know how to act around him now. They didn’t know each other very well yet had just shared one of the most intimate things a man and woman could.

  She watched from her vantage point as Sebastian got dressed, his movements quick and economical. When he was done, he simply stood there, as if still lost in a world of pain. After a long moment, he turned to her, looking at her without saying anything, though the look on his face was as if he had something he wanted to say. He stood like that for what seemed like an eternity before eventually speaking.

  11

  Sebastian

  A feeling of vulnerability washed over him as he looked over at this beautiful woman who had just rocked his world to its very foundation. No woman had ever made him feel the way she had just minutes before.

  It was an uncomfortable feeling. One he was not well acquainted with. He was the love-’em-and-leave-’em sort, never looking for an emotional connection. His life was too busy and his heart too unavailable.

  But, without so much as a word, Serena was the kind of woman who demanded more. He realised, in hindsight, she was not a quick tumble kind of woman. She deserved more than that.

  She was the kind you worshipped, revered, took care of.

  What was it about her that called to something deep within him? Yes, she was beautiful, but he had dated beautiful women before. There was just so much more to her than a pretty face. Then it struck him. She was the first woman he’d been with who made him feel like a person rather than a meal ticket. She saw him, not his money or what he could do for her.

  Sebastian gave himself a mental shake. His thoughts had turned melancholy, and he blamed the phone call. It had shaken him to the core. He heaved a sigh. This was definitely not how he’d imagined their delightful afternoon tryst would come to an end.

  Turning, his gaze roamed the room until he found her sitting quietly in a chair beside the window. His heart clenched as he took in her defensive posture. She was clearly expecting to be dismissed. The phone call had ruined a perfect afternoon.

  Another sigh escaped as he walked over to Serena and held out his hand to help her from the chair.

  “I’ll have Ari drive you.”

  He wasn’t sure, but he fancied he’d seen a flash of hurt in her beautiful eyes, but she simply nodded. Allowing him to help her up from the chair, she stood before him. When she looked up at him without a hint of any emotion showing, he wondered if he might have just imagined it.

  Opening the bedroom door, he led her back down the hall and across the living room to the front door. Ari appeared as they reached the opening.

  “Please drive Ms Callum to wherever she’d like to go.”

  Serena turned to Sebastian and said, “Thank you for a lovely lunch, Sebastian. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Whatever she was thinking, feeling, she hid it well behind a composed demeanour.

  Awkwardly, she put her hand out for a handshake. That was the only indication she gave that she wasn’t as unaffected as she wished to appear.

  Giving her a tight smile and a nod, he leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek. He was at a loss as to how to ease things between them.

  Wordlessly, he opened the door to let her out. Brooding, he watched her walk away without looking back.

  12

  Serena

  Reaching the car in the unground garage, Ari held the back door open for Serena. Once she was seated, he closed the door before going around to the driver’s side. As he started the vehicle, he asked her, “Where to, miss?”

  At a loss as to what to do, she automatically replied, “The office, please.”

  Nodding, he pulled out of the parking space. They drove in silence.

  The knot in her stomach rivalled the one that had formed in her throat. But sitting in the back of Sebastian’s luxury town car, she refused to give in to the tears that bubbled just beneath the surface calm, certain in the knowledge that it would find its way back to him. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction o
f knowing how much his cold dismissal had hurt, what it had cost her to walk away with her head held high.

  She was not the kind of woman who normally indulged in afternoon trysts, but there was just something about this man that made her forget herself. It wasn’t that she’d expected a declaration of undying love or any kind of commitment, but she also hadn’t expected to be dismissed as nothing more than a convenient means to scratch an itch. Without a word, he’d made her, and their afternoon together, feel cheap.

  She might not know him very well, but he certainly hadn’t seemed the type to do that. Apparently, she’d been wrong. Now she’d seen his true colours, she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. She also couldn’t see how she’d be able to work with someone so uncaring of another’s feelings.

  How stupid she’d been. She’d thrown away the business opportunity of a lifetime for an afternoon of sex. Granted, it had been mind-blowing, life-altering sex, but still nothing more than sex, nonetheless.

  As the sleek sedan pulled into a parking bay outside her office building, she caught Ari’s eyes on her in the rearview mirror. She couldn’t read the look in them. Just like his boss, she snorted to herself. Giving him a small smile, she reached for the handle to let herself out.

  “Just a moment, miss. I’ll open for you.”

  He climbed out and opened the back door for her. Offering his hand, Ari assisted her from the vehicle and guided her gently up onto the curb. He released her hand, but instead of returning to the car, he gave her a thorough, inscrutable study. She was sure he could see all the way into her confused mind. Or maybe she wasn’t as good at a poker face as she thought she might be.