Marsala and Magnolias Read online

  When he reached her door, he balled his fists, digging his fingernails into his palms in an attempt to make himself focus on the here and now. Then he knocked on the door.

  It took a few moments before she answered it, long enough for him to wonder if she was checking herself over in the mirror before she did.

  The door swung open, and there she was. Beautiful. He let his gaze run over her. The dress was perfect, a royal blue number that crossed over in front, exposing enough cleavage to make his eyes linger there for too long before moving on to admire the way it hugged her waist and hips, showing off her perfect hour-glass figure. Eventually, he looked up to meet her gaze.

  “Hi.” She smiled almost warily. Had something changed?

  He hoped not, and not wanting to allow any distance to develop between them, he stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. He breathed her in as her arms came up around his shoulders. He couldn’t help it. He dropped a kiss on the soft skin in the curve of her neck. “Hi,” he murmured.

  Her cheeks were flushed when she stepped back. “Wow. That’s some hello,” she said, her nervousness still lingering.

  He held her gaze. “You’re lucky I was so restrained. I’ve counted down the hours from my foolish goodbye until this hello.”

  A happy smile touched her lips, but she looked away. “Do you want to come in, or should we get going?”

  He stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’d love to come in, but we’d be here all night. We should go. I promised you dinner, and everything’s ready.”

  She looked up into his eyes, and the way her lips parted and her breathing slowed, he thought she was going to suggest they stay here. He wouldn’t have argued, but she nodded briefly. “I’ll get my purse.” He wanted to kiss her but instead let her move away from him. This would be their first night together; he wanted it to be at his house—to start as they meant to go on.

  ~ ~ ~

  When he brought the Maserati to a stop in front of his house, Mary Ellen managed to get out before he came around to open the door for her. She straightened her dress and smiled up at him as he took her hand. He was so gorgeous. She wanted to pinch herself. She’d had such a huge crush on him for years, but if anyone had told her even a week ago that he was such a great guy and that she’d be here having dinner with him, she would have laughed.

  He led her up the stairs to the front door. The house was beautiful. It looked like a Tuscan manor house. She’d been here before, but then it had just been the setting for his lavish parties. She’d thought of the place the same way she thought of him—handsome but soulless. Now she looked at it differently. It wasn’t just magazine perfect, it was warm and welcoming, just like its owner.

  He opened the front door and gestured for her to enter ahead of him. She stopped inside the grand foyer, a sweeping staircase led up to the right, and a huge chandelier hung overhead.

  He stood close behind her, sending shivers racing down her spine. “Welcome. Do you like it?”

  “I do. It’s a beautiful place.”

  “It is beautiful, but more importantly, it’s a good home, too.” He surprised her by dropping a kiss on the top of her head. She turned to look up at him and he smiled. “It’s important to me that you like it. Come through, I need to check on things.”

  She followed him through to the kitchen. This was a part of the house she hadn’t seen before. She loved it. It was warm and cozy, better equipped than most restaurant kitchens, she was sure and bigger than her whole apartment, but it felt homey.

  He pulled out a stool for her to sit at the island, then disappeared into what she assumed must be the pantry. He came back with two bottles of wine. “One for us, one for the chicken,” he said.

  That made her laugh. “You have an alcoholic chicken?”

  He laughed with her. “You could say that.” He turned to the stove and poured some wine into one of the many pans before turning back and opening the second bottle. “Do you trust me?”

  She cocked her head to one side, wondering what was coming.

  He gave her a half smile. “I meant do you trust my choice of wine?”

  “Oh. Of course, I do.”

  He poured two glasses and handed one to her. “I think you’ll like it.”

  She took a sniff and looked up at him with a smile. “How did you know?”

  “Know what?” He raised an eyebrow and tried to look innocent.

  “That this is my favorite?”

  He shrugged. “You have good taste, obviously, and it’s the best we produce.”

  She laughed. “When you say I have good taste—are you referring to yourself?”

  He grinned. “I am.”

  “Modest, aren’t you?” She chuckled.

  “No. I am many things, but modest is not one of them. I am merely logical. You’ve been here, what, six years? The only time I’ve seen you with a date has been at fundraiser dinners, guys you’ve drafted in for an evening. I’ve never known you to have a boyfriend. Now here you are with me.” He gave her a smug smile and swaggered his shoulders. “We’re dating, you have no time for mere mortals, but you’re prepared to take a chance on me.”

  Mary Ellen had to laugh. “If you weren’t so damned good looking and so charming, you’d never get away with it, you know.”

  He gave her a half smile that set butterflies swirling in her stomach. “Oh, I do know it. You’d perhaps think I was arrogant—shallow maybe?”

  Mary Ellen swallowed. Did he know that was precisely how she had thought of him?

  He laughed. “Don’t worry. I know I give that impression. I’ve always thought that people are only fooled by appearances when they don’t want to look beyond the obvious.”

  Mary Ellen pursed her lips. “I supposed that’s true. I never looked beyond appearances with you.”

  He gave her that sexy smile again. He knew full well how good-looking he was.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I admit I did judge you based on your looks, but you backed it up with your behavior.”

  He hung his head and looked up at her from under his eyebrows. “I have no excuses.”

  She laughed. “And why would you need them?”

  He came to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m a changed man. From now on, I’m a one-woman man.”

  A thrill of excitement shot through her, but she got a grip. They were just playing. He didn’t mean she was his woman. “Why would you want to change? It seems to me that you enjoy life more than most, even if some people don’t approve of the way you live it.”

  He shook his head. “Enjoyed. I used to enjoy the way I lived, but I haven’t been enjoying it for a while. Last Wednesday, I’d bailed on a date and taken myself out to dinner at Molly’s. I was tired of my life, tired of all the meaningless.” He smiled. “And just when I reached that point, there you were.”

  She pursed her lips. “I’ve been wondering—what made you talk to me that night? We’ve barely spoken in all the years we’ve known each other. I’ve admitted that I thought you were shallow and arrogant. Why didn’t you like me all that time? And what changed your mind?”

  He held her gaze and nodded. He looked quite solemn. “Okay. Honesty time. That time I asked you to go out for a walk with me?”

  “When you went with Elaine instead?”

  He pursed his lips. “Yeah. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. But you said no, and I was young and … enthusiastic.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “I was out for a good time, and you were too close to home. You worked with Cam, and you were, I don’t know, serious. No, that’s not it. Too smart, maybe?”

  “Too smart for what?”

  “For me. All I was looking for was fun and good times.”

  Mary Ellen tried not to look hurt. He didn’t think she’d be a good time?

  He sensed her discomfort. “Let me try to explain it better? The other night at Molly’s, I was sitting t
here thinking about how all the good times I’d been having weren’t so good, that they were meaningless. When I realized it was you sitting ahead of me, I almost came to talk to you, but I didn’t because I knew, with you, it would never be meaningless. With you, it could only be meaningful.”

  She watched his face as he spoke. He wasn’t feeding her lines; he was searching for the right words, trying to tell her the truth—a truth that surprised the hell out of her.

  He gave her a rueful smile. “I’ve always known you wouldn’t put up with my bullshit. You’re strong and independent; you’d see through the games and not want to play them. I thought you didn’t need anything or anyone. When I saw you upset over that phone call, I knew you needed something, someone. I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to be the one to make you feel better—and in that moment, I knew I was ready for it to be meaningful.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it before turning away to tend to the stove.

  She was glad to have a moment to process what he’d said.

  When he turned back, he was smiling. “So, you see, it wasn’t that I didn’t like you before; it was just that I wasn’t ready to step up and be the man who deserves you.”

  “Wow.”

  He frowned. “It’s not a line …”

  She held up a hand. “No. I didn’t think it was. I’m just amazed. I’m amazed how differently we’ve read each other up to this point. I’m amazed at the way you saw me.”

  “The way I do see you. You’re smart, you’re kind, you’re beautiful.”

  She laughed. “I don’t have any self-esteem issues, but I’m hardly beautiful compared to the kind of women you usually go out with. I’m okay, and I know how to make the most of what I’ve got, but I’m no great beauty, and I’m not exactly svelte and sexy.”

  His brows came down, and he came toward her. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. Who needs svelte?” He put his hands on either side of her waist. “You’re the definition of sexy. You have curves. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to get my hands on your curves?” As he spoke, he moved his hands up, caressing her sides and allowing his thumbs to graze her breasts. You drive me insane, Mary Ellen. I can’t wait to take you upstairs, to finally undress you and to learn your curves, to know your body.”

  Mary Ellen’s eyes drifted closed as she listened to him speak. His touch burned through her dress. She wished he’d undress her right here and now. He brushed his lips over her collarbone, and she moaned. He tangled his fingers in her hair, drawing her head back and he lowered his lips to hers. All she could do was hang on as he kissed her with a passion that spread through her whole body. He stepped between her legs, and she let them fall open, eager to feel him press against her. Her wrap-over dress fell open, and she moaned as the roughness of his pants brushed her bare thighs and the bulge inside them pressed into the heat between her legs.

  He lifted his head and looked down into her eyes. “We must wait.”

  “I don’t want to,” she breathed.

  He cupped her cheek in his hand and planted a kiss on her lips. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded and watched as he turned off the stove and then took her hand and led her back into the foyer, up the grand staircase, and into his bedroom. The furniture was ornate, the room elegant, but she barely registered her surroundings. She was too focused on the man. The man who led her to the bed and then stopped. He sat down and patted the space beside him. This was it. She took a deep breath and sat. This was no fantasy. This was reality. She was in his bedroom, on his bed, and he was about to …

  His arms closed around her and she found herself crushed to his chest as he kissed her even more deeply than before. She was so lost in his kiss she had no idea how she ended up lying on the bed in her underwear, her dress lying on the floor somewhere. He too was down to his boxers, though she’d swear his lips had never left hers.

  He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled as he let his gaze run over her. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

  As far as she was concerned, he was the beautiful one. His muscular chest was dusted with dark hair, hair that led down in a trail that disappeared inside his boxers. She reached up, unable to resist the desire to touch. She ran her fingers down his strong arm and was amazed to see his muscles tremble under her touch.

  He traced her jawline with his fingers, then ran them down her neck, over her breasts and down over her belly. She tensed. If only she’d started that diet a couple of months earlier! He gave her a puzzled look. “You don’t like?”

  “I like what you’re doing. I just wish there was a bit less of me to do it to.”

  He pursed his lips. “I wish there was more of you.” He closed his hands around her hips, and to her horror, he dropped his head to kiss her stomach. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

  She tried to push his hands away, but he gave her a stern look. “I love it, Mary Ellen. Let me?”

  She nodded and then gasped as he dropped his head lower and kissed her through her panties. That felt so good, but she wished the panties were gone. Her wish was his command, and he pushed them down over her hips and lowered his head again. He grasped her hips firmly and ducked his head between her legs. All she could do was lie back and enjoy the ride as he worked her with his talented tongue. He trailed it over her entrance, up and down, then circled her clit making her moan. He spread her thighs wider and held her open to dip his tongue inside.

  “Oh, God, Antonio!”

  He looked up at her and smiled. “Come for me.”

  She nodded. As if she could argue!

  He lowered his head and continued his work. She balled her fists in the sheets as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. She lost it when he slid his hands underneath her to grasp her ass at the same time he thrust deep then sucked hard. She screamed as the tension that had been building inside her let loose and tore through her in wave after wave of pleasure.

  When she recovered, she noticed that his boxers were gone. Aftershocks ran through her at the sight of his cock standing proud and undoubtedly ready for action. He unfastened her bra, and she loved the look on his face as he watched her breasts spill free. She tended to think of them as something of a hindrance. They were big enough to get in the way sometimes and heavy enough to make running a problem. Antonio looked as though he’d just found the promised land. He cupped them between his hands and began to lavish attention on them with his lips and tongue. It felt so good, it almost distracted her from the fact that he was rolling onto his back, taking her with him. He was sitting up against the headboard, she was straddling him, his knees came up behind her and all the while he was loving her breasts with his tongue. Her nipples felt cold and lost when he finally let them go. They hardened as he focused his attention between her legs, touching her, lifting her, opening her up, positioning himself, and then, “Oh, God. Antonio!” she screamed as he thrust his hips and his hot, hard cock thrust deep inside her. For a moment he was still working her clit with his fingers, then his hand was gone, and there was only the rhythm of his thrusting cock between her legs, stretching her, filling her, rocking her in his time. He cupped her face between his hands and kissed her deeply, his tongue matching the movement of his cock, making her feel like he was filling her whole body. She kissed him back, sinking her fingers into his hair while she rode him hard, feeling herself close around him, gripping him tight and drawing him in deeper with every thrust.

  “Mary Ellen,” he breathed, dropping his hands to her hips and his mouth to her breasts. He sucked hard on her nipple, making her scream and tighten around him as their pace became frantic. Her breasts bounced as she moved with him and his fingers dug into her hips as he tensed.

  “Give it to me,” he gasped as he found his release and she obeyed. Her orgasm tore through her as she moved up and down the length of his throbbing shaft. Their bodies melded together as the pleasure crashed through them, binding them together as one.

  Eventually, sh
e collapsed onto his shoulder, still shuddering as he hugged her close to his chest. She tried to get up off him, but he pulled her back down onto him one more time, making her cry out as the last ripples of their orgasm moved through him and into her.

  He kissed her shoulder and smiled up at her. “You’re amazing.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I think you can take most of the credit for that.”

  He shook his head. “No, it was us; we’re good at it. We make a good team.”

  She laughed. “I can’t argue with that.”

  “Good, because if you did, we’d have to do it again, so I can prove to you that I’m right.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded.

  “Well … I’m not so sure. Maybe we weren’t so good at it.”

  He rolled her onto her back and gave her a stern a look.

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t think we make such a good team.”

  He was on top of her now, spreading her legs with his knees. “I have to prove it to you?”

  She nodded and then gasped as he thrust his hips and was inside her again.

  “I hope you learn to believe me. I can do this all night till you do.” He moved slowly this time, in long, slow, deep thrusts that started the pleasure building low in her belly immediately.

  She smiled up at him. “I might take some convincing.”

  He laughed and thrust deep and hard. “Hang on tight, then.”

  She did as he said, grasping his ass as he began to thrust his hips wildly, pounding into her as she urged him on. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around his back, which sent him over the edge. “Give it to me,” he cried as she began to tense around him, her inner muscles clenching him tight as they came together. Mary Ellen could hear herself gasping and moaning as his orgasm took him and exploded deep inside her, sending her mind spinning away as her body convulsed with pleasure.

  “Do you believe me yet?” he asked when they both lay spent.

  She gave him a lazy smile. “Maybe.”