Desired Too (21 page)

Maybe If I could just slip…

“Leo…”

“Yes,
bell
a?”

She rested her head against my chin. “Your family is amazing.”

I chuckled. “It seems you were a hit tonight. They loved you.”

“Really?” she asked me, leaning over slightly so our eyes met.

I touched her nose. “Yes, of course. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t. You’re beautiful, smart, and sexy as shit.”

She laughed. “Um, I don’t think your family would use the term sexy to describe me.”

I scoffed and reflexively tightened my grip around her. “Yeah, you don’t know my uncles.”

She laughed again. “Okay, yeah, I can see that.”

“What do you mean by that? Did someone say something to you? Did someone touch you?”

She sat up quickly and turned to face me. “Calm down, big boy. No one did or said anything inappropriate.”

I kept my eyes on her, searching for the truth. At the same time, my mind went through the roster of every male in my father’s house. I knew that no one would be stupid enough to touch her or even say something to her that I didn’t like, but you never know.

I looked at her. “Are you ready to go?”

She took my hint and stood, finally giving me what I wanted.

“Yes, I’m ready. Are you dropping me off at my hotel?”

I grunted. “Uh, no.” I took her hand in mine, saying, “We are going to my apartment so I can make you pay for choosing my family over me.”

She laughed but stayed where she was standing. I noticed her resistance and turned to her questioningly. She shook her head and smiled as if she knew some hidden secret that I didn’t.

She couldn’t possibly.

A smile still evident on her face, she walked up to me. “Where are you going?”

Frowning, I shook my head, feigning confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Wow, seriously? You really think I don’t know what you’re about to do?”

“Again, I’m not sure what you mean,
Cara
.”

I tried to keep a blank look on my face even though I could tell that she wasn’t buying it. I stayed the course and said, “I was heading into the house so we can say goodnight. I’m beat. We had a very long night, and I don’t know about you, but I want to take a hot shower, bed the fuck out of you and crash.”

She moved closer to me and shook her head. “Who do you think you are fooling? I know exactly what you were going to do.”

I met her gaze and closed the gap between us. “Yeah? And how do you know what I was going to do?”

She scoffed, placed her hands on her hips. “Because I kn-”

She suddenly stopped talking, shocked as shit, I knew, at what was about to fall from her lips.

I, in turned, smiled. “Come on. Finish what you’re going to say. Because you what?”

She lowered her head. However, I tipped her chin back up so our eyes locked. “Come on,
Cara Mia
, say it with me.”

She smiled and we said the words in unison with only one difference.

“…because I know you.”

“…because you know me….Yeah, finally. And I know you.”

We both got quiet. I cupped her beautiful face. My other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her tight against my heated body.

I made sure she saw everything I had ever felt for her in my eyes, then moved my eyes to her lips.

Mine.

“
Sei tutto per me,”
I spoke softly to her. She furrowed her brows, confused as hell. I didn’t stop telling her how I felt about her.
“Ho bisogno di te. Ti desidero.”
I leaned in closer to her, then whispered against her lips.
“Ho un debole per te.”

As our lips touched, I felt her resolve melting away with each sweep of my tongue against hers. This was what I’d been waiting patiently, and yet impatiently, for.

When we came up for air, I caressed her beautiful face with my thumbs.

I said to her, voice still low, “
Posso fissare i tuoi bellissimi occhi per sempre.
”

Raquel shook her head and closed her eyes. I’d been teaching her some simple phrases in Italian, but what I had just said to her was nothing simple. I felt her hands move inside my jacket to my hips, putting her thumbs inside the waist of my pants.

“You’re not playing fair, Leo,” she said softly.

I tilted her head up slightly so when she finally opened her eyes, they would be on me.

“What do you mean,
Cara
?”

“I don’t have a clue what you said but… the way you…” She sighed and shivered slightly.

She tried again. “The way you touch me, speak to me, kiss me. I can only imagine what you’ve said. It’s breaking me down.”

“Then stop fighting this. Raquel, I want you. That’s what I said. I said you mean everything to me, that I want you and I need you.
Ti adoro
, Raquel. I adore you… You know this. I tell you that all the time. Tell me what you want because I want this; I want us. Right now, tell me.
Mi vuoi?
”

Raquel didn’t hesitate this time, which made my chest swell and my heart start to beat faster. She yanked me a little closer to her, then looked up into my eyes.

“Yes, I want you.” She brought her hands into my hair.

“All of me?” I emphasized, letting her know that her saying she wanted me meant everything there having to do with me, my family, my status within my family, everything.

She nodded, “Yes, all of you.”

I smiled. Shit, I couldn’t help it.

Finally!

I touched her lips with my thumb. “
La tu bocca mi fa
impazzire,
Cara Mia
. Your mouth drives me crazy.”

“
Baciami,
” fell softly from her lips, and I couldn’t help the shit-eating grin on my face.

“Oh, with pleasure.”

He’s mine!

“Yes…Please… Baby, right there…Ohhhhh,” I whispered in his ear.

Sweat poured off of him while I held on to his soaked body as my leg rested on his shoulder. He was so deep, so consuming, that there had been a few times I had to back away from him or move my leg slightly from his shoulder to relieve some of the mind-blowing sensation that hounded my body.

I gripped his hair tight, hoping that he would keep going, hoping that he would bring me to the point of going out of my mind, only to pull me back and do it again. My body racked with goose bumps, my nerve endings going out of control. I tried not to scream as I bit into his shoulder.

Oh, he is amazing!

Angel looked me in my eyes and bent down to kiss me. I knew he was on the verge of letting go, so I encouraged him. “Yes, baby. Right there.”

“Cum with me, Cara,” he blew out, hips moving faster.

“Harder baby,” I cried out.

Just as he grunted his acknowledgment, I could feel the buildup forming deep in my belly, threatening to take over my body and suddenly we both cried out, foreheads together, hands weaved, yelling out each other’s name, with Angel, of course, dropping in his native tongue.

“You’re incredible.”

“What?” I breathed out slowly trying to gather myself.

“That’s what I said in Italia.” He kissed my nose and rolled on his back. “I said you’re incredible.”

“Yeah,” was all I could manage to get out.

Tonight was mind blowing. From dinner to our walk on the pier, to being at his parents’ home, I was in heaven.

Angel climbed out of bed and walked naked into the kitchen.

I know I’ve told you bits and pieces about this man’s body, but I need to give you a mental picture of what I see right now. His back was carved to perfection, muscles bulging as he swung his arms. He was artistry that should be on display every second of every day for all to see;
not touch
, of course. His ass… holy hell it was beautiful. His pants and shorts always fell on his hips masterfully, and if he’s shirtless, that beautiful V-shaped muscle was revealed that pointed to the main muscle that I couldn’t get enough of. His arms were cut, chiseled and crafted as if he was formed from clay in God’s perfect image. In fact, so were his pectoral muscles and abs. He’s tall, making everything balanced. His legs were strong, showing muscles that contracted with every step he made. And that main muscle… Can I just say that he’s hung like something spectacular?

I heard from a friend who claimed that there were two categories of men, show-ers and growers. Growers penises started small but grew enormous once erect. Show-ers penises are big, even while it laid dormant.

I’d seen a few growers in my lifetime, and I’d say most of the time they were average in length and girth. I’d seen a few show-ers too. I wasn’t a slut; please don’t think that. I’d been to my fair share of strip clubs. Those places showed various kinds of magic wands. I’d seen some exceptions there too. Plenty of them, I might add.

Angel was one of those exceptions. He hangs low while he’s dormant, but when he gets excited, he grows and spreads even longer and wider. If he really wants to, he could rip your insides with just a few strokes, and I loved every bit of it.

I got up slowly, used the restroom and freshened up. When I came out of the bathroom, Angel was on the bed with a bottled water that he opened and handed to me to cap off.

“Thanks.” I climbed on the bed next to him and drank as if I’d been starved of water for weeks.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, his lips pulled to the side of his face, mounted in a half grin.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, baby, I’m good.”

Angel leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. His damp hair pushed back from his face with the look of exhaustion plaguing his handsome features.

I smiled brightly because I did that!

“What are you smiling about?”

I frowned. “How did you know I was smiling?”

He shook his head, eyes still closed. “Because I know you,
Cara.
”

I stuck my middle finger at him and he chuckled. “Give me about thirty seconds and I will… Gladly.”

“Argh,” I blanched and smacked him on his leg. “Keep being a smart ass and I’ll cut you off.”

“To spite your nose, is that it?” he returned, finally opening his eyes.

“Exactly,” I told him.

“
Cara
, you couldn’t hold out from me if you’re life depended on it.”

“Oh, yeah? I’ve been holding out for three years,” I said matter-of-factly.

Angel leaned in closer to me, bringing burning deep gray eyes to my brown ones.

“Yes, and now that you’ve tasted what you’ve been missing for those mentioned years, I know you won’t go without again. I thought it was established that I know you, remember?”

“Is that a challenge?” I asked him, meeting his burning eyes with a little heat from my own.

Angel then leaned in further and kissed me lightly. He then breathed, inches from my lips, “No, I know I can’t go without you. I can admit it. Can you?”

My brain was trying to think of something clever to say at this point, but nothing came to mind. I was melting from the intensity in his eyes. The need for him to touch me started clouding my abilities to keep him at bay. I was a strong woman. No matter how I felt about someone, I wasn’t going to have anyone thinking I needed them or couldn’t live without them. I didn’t cower in front of any man or woman. However, I was a bigger woman to admit that he’d weakened me. My desire for him overshadowed common sense and willpower.

Shit, I could feel it right that very moment. My barriers were gone. The reinforced steel wall around my heart was starting to crumble. I knew all he had to do at this moment was to touch me and…

Oh my God.

I closed my eyes as Angel lightly warmed the side of my face with his fingertips. Flames ignited my body, making my breath catch then quicken, making my heart beat out of control. I was going to explode.

“Move in with me.”

My eyes shot open. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me.”

An uncomfortable laugh escaped my lips. “No, Leo… We can’t. It’s too soon.”

“Yes, we can. It’s simple really and very easy to do.”

“Come on, Angel, you know that’s not a good idea.”

“Why must you fight me on everything,
Cara Mia
? You’re here all the time as it is.”

I scoffed, “Yeah, that’s because you keep waving your magic wand at me.” My eyes drifted to his crotch underneath the covers and he smiled.

“Point being, you’re here, and you want to be here, I can see it in your eyes. Look, if it makes you feel any better, we can make my gym into a spare bedroom just for you.”

I moved back slightly from him. “Really? And what? We’ll be roommates?”

He nodded and shrugged. “Of course.”

I laughed and shook my head. “You are so full of it, Leo. You will not let me sleep in another bed while we are under the same roof.”

“Well, hell, you’re right about that, but if ever you wanted privacy, it’ll be there when you need it.”

Damn, he is really serious.

Angel moved closer to me and kissed me on my forehead. “
Cara
, you belong to me now. You’re mine, and I will not have my woman living in a fucking hotel. There’s no need for you to sign a lease anywhere because you won’t be there long enough to enjoy it. To me, it’s just logical to do things my way.”

I rolled out of bed, shaking my head, “And then what? Jump into the same type of relationship I ran away from three years ago?”

“What the fuck does that mean?” he hissed, but I ignored him.

I said pointedly. “Why do men seem to think I want to be controlled? Why is it that the men in my life seem to think I’m incapable of making my own decisions?”

I reached for my silk robe and placed it over my body. “How can you be so sure that we’ll even make it? I mean, you seem so sure of everything as if it’s written in the stars or something. Okay, yes, I’ll admit there are times where I drink the Kool-Aid too. I think, yes, he’s where I belong until you fuck it up by opening your mouth.”

“
Cara Mia
,” he started, but I put my hands up.

“No, don’t say another word. I’m not an object, Leo. You can’t just own me. There are still so many things we need to learn about each other.”

“Yeah, and we can do that the moment you get your shit and move in with me.”

I stopped talking and just looked at him. This wasn’t getting us anywhere. He was so damn stubborn, especially when he got all caveman.

I needed to handle this a different way. I took a deep breath and began, “Look, I need to get to my hotel, check my email, figure out what I’m going to do for a job, figure out my next move. I can’t think straight here without you being a distraction. Maybe when I get back, we can sit down and talk sensibly about this whole thing. I just… I need time to wrap my head around us, around me being in another relationship after just getting out of one.”

Angel rose from the bed, put on his shorts and turned to face me. “Wow!” Angel shook his head and just stared at me. I started to say something, however his features literally grew darker right before my eyes.

Shit, he’s getting pissed.

“I’m tired of this bullshit. You keep giving me excuse after excuse for how we’re not ready. But in the same breath, you say you want this, that you want us. You keep throwing it in my face that we’re from different worlds, that we don’t know enough about each other. If you want to know shit about me, all you have to do is ask. But I know you don’t have to. There is nothing else we need to discover about each other.”

I couldn’t help the look of “whatever” on my face and his frowned deepened.

“Oh, so you want me to prove that I know you? Okay?” He moved closer to me. “When you’re excited, your face glows. It lights up everything around you. It’s almost contagious when you smile. You’re sexy as shit, and you know it, but you show it just by the way you carry yourself. You walk and talk with confidence, even if you don’t have a clue. However, you’ll make it a point to learn from your mistake so you don’t make it twice. When you’re pissed, the whole world is gonna know about it. You lash out at anyone you deem to be a threat, but, at the same time, you build that wall to protect yourself from being hurt. You never give yourself to anyone one hundred percent because that means they have a hold on you, a control.”

Angel moved toward me again, but this time I stepped back, doing exactly what he just said I would do; I was building my wall.

He grunted and shook his head. “See you’re doing that shit right now. You’re trying to figure out how you can turn the tables on me, but there’s no way that you can. You know for a fact that I’m telling the truth. I know you,
Cara Mia
. I know how to make you happy, and what to do when you’re not. I know how to make you feel good, how to touch you, kiss you, and fuck you to make you crave for me every second of every day.”

I felt Angel’s touch on my face, and I shivered slightly. I didn’t know how or what he was doing to me this very moment, but, shit, it made me crave and want him desperately.

He moved closer still and cradled my face in his hands.

“I know how to take care of you,
Cara
, give you what you need, what you want. And what you want is to be controlled.”

“What?!” I frowned and tried to move his hands from my face, but he moved his hand through my hair and gripped tight.

Shit, why am I turned on right now
?

As if he knew exactly what he was doing to me, he smirked. “You think I give a shit about you not wanting to be controlled? Let me tell you something else about yourself that clearly you’re in fucking denial of. You’re a head case woman, fucking crazy as shit. As I said, when you feel cornered, you come out fighting. Your claws come out and you fight to not only hurt but to destroy. That’s why you ran from me three years ago, that’s why you lashed out at your brother, and it’s why you’re trying to escape now.”

“You’re stubborn as shit, but I have all the will and determination in the world to break that stubborn streak of yours. You need to be controlled. Trust me, I know. I also know deep down that’s what you want. You want me to control you, to make you feel safe, to reel you in when you feel out of control. I have no problem with doing that for you,
Cara Mia
, but you have to trust me to know what’s best for you.”

Angel suddenly moved back from me and said, “I asked you to move in with me to try and be diplomatic, but as always you like to make shit hard. So, how about this? Your shit is already here. I’ve already taken the liberties to move all of your things here and they are in the room in the back of the apartment.”

“You did what?!” I screamed and pushed past him to confirm what I knew in my gut to be true.

When I pushed open his gym room, I stopped dead in my tracks. This room used to be filled with workout equipment, a punching bag hanging from a beam on the ceiling, and mirrors around the room. Now the walls were painted a neutral color, leaving only one mirror on the wall. There was a queen sized bed, dresser and chest which, after further investigation, held my things. The closet held my clothes and in the corner my laptop was there sitting on a desk. I didn’t have a clue when he did it, and if things were different, I would be gushing at all of the fuss. However, things weren’t different.