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  When I opened my eyes, he lifted his gaze to meet mine. “You’re stunning.” He removed my bra, and continued the path over each exposed breast, down my belly, and around my sides. His fingers gripped my back just as he bent his head and placed the softest kisses on the faint marks left from my pregnancy. I flinched when his warm lips hit each one. The more I did, the more he kissed them. Lifting his head, he held my stare for a pause. “Stunning, Sabrina. Every inch of you.”

  His words did little to hide my embarrassment. I slid my hands over the marks.

  “Hey.” He waited for my eyes to come back to his.

  “I hate them.”

  “You should be proud of them. Plus, I find them sexy. It shows what a strong woman you are.”

  God, this man.

  His expression softened when he saw the tears shimmering in my eyes. No more words were spoken. Luca spent what felt like an eternity worshipping the marks on my body with his lips and his touch.

  Luca

  Perfection.

  How could she doubt she was anything but perfection?

  The way her warm, firm skin felt beneath my hands, my lips, spurred a deep-rooted desire to boil within me. It wasn’t lust that I’d felt many times in my life. It was something else. A hunger would be the closest way I could describe it.

  I wanted to devour her.

  Repositioning myself as I was before she turned over, I straddled her hips and bent to kiss her mouth. I started slow, enjoying the contours of her lips, the smooth silk of her tongue. I kissed her like I needed to draw breath from her body into mine. She responded, arching her back and digging her fingers into my hair.

  Fuck, I was hard as stone from just kissing her and feared I’d never recover if I didn’t get relief soon. But this wasn’t about me, it was about Sabrina.

  She mewled in disappointment when I broke the kiss. The distress turned into a moan when my lips continued sucking, licking, nipping her smooth skin from her neck to her breast. Her nipple begged to be touched. I ran a fingertip over the hardened nub a few times before latching on and drawing it into my mouth.

  “Luca,” she said on a breathy sigh.

  “Do you want me to stop?” I asked in between open-mouthed kisses over her breasts.

  “No.”

  Those two letters provided the green light I needed. When I moved to her other breast, my fingers found the button of her slacks and then the zipper. I slid my hands between the fabric and her skin, pushing them down and away without breaking the connection I had on her breasts.

  Once they were around her knees, I straightened and stood to remove them. She lay on the couch, naked except for her black thong.

  “Don’t move.”

  A nervous giggle erupted before she shook her head. “I won’t.”

  I leaned over and plucked an ice cube from the glass before settling between her legs.

  “What’s that for?” she asked, her eyes wide and curious. “Although, I could use some ice. I feel like I’m on fire. But then again, you know that. I’m sure my skin feels clammy and sweaty. Oh God. Am I clammy and sweaty?” She skimmed her hands over her stomach and cringed. “Luca, I’m nervous. I’m…”

  “Stop talking, Sabrina.”

  The moment I put the ice on her, she jumped. Once I began using it to paint her belly button, her stretch marks, and the edge of her thong, she moaned with pleasure. Her panting and my breathing were the only sounds in the room.

  I left the cube on her as I removed her thong, revealing the smooth skin of her pussy. I took the Lord’s name in Italian right before swearing.

  “I don’t know what you said, but I loved how it sounded.”

  “I said, Jesus Christ, you’re fucking stunning.” She trembled when I used the back of my hand to skim over her. “So beautiful,” I added, my voice filled with reverence and awe.

  I could see her chest rising and falling with every breath she took while I stared at her body. By the time I repositioned between her legs, the ice left a tiny puddle in her navel.

  Ready with a fresh piece of ice, I popped it into my mouth, rolled it around my tongue, and then latched onto her clit. She bucked at the assault, forcing me to hold her hips while I licked and sucked her until the cube melted in my mouth. I stopped long enough to repeat the process, three times. By then, she gripped my head in a silent command to continue until she came.

  Once she calmed and relaxed, I lifted my head to meet her gaze. “Luca, let me…”

  “No,” I cut her off. “Not tonight.” Desire blazed in her eyes, her taut legs were now languid at my sides. Exhausted, sated, and satisfied… for the moment. I wasn’t done with her yet. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be done.

  Chapter 10

  Luca

  Sometime between the time I went down on Sabrina and the end of the movie we started watching, she fell asleep. Except for a throw I draped over her, she stretched naked beside me. The only thing I had removed were my shoes. Having her bare while I wasn’t worsened the predicament between my legs. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I was this aroused.

  Everything from the silkiness of her hair, to the floral scent that screamed Sabrina, was perfection. Watching her come was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Being with her brought out a different side of me. Of course, I had always made sure my lovers were completely satisfied, but this was the first time my satisfaction had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the woman I was with.

  It was late, and rather than wake her or move her to her bed, I clicked off the TV, kissed the top of her head, and closed my eyes. In a hushed breath, I whispered, “Good night, sweetheart.”

  I spent the night with her nestled in my arms, not sure of when I had fallen asleep. Unaware of what woke me, I blinked my eyes open and saw sunlight dance off the prettiest blonde hair. Sabrina. Her body shifted, and not wanting her to land on the floor in front of the sofa, I instinctively strengthened my hold on her.

  Her hands started moving up and down my forearms. If I didn’t get up soon, we were going to have a problem. “Sabrina?”

  She moaned. “Mmm…” I stifled a laugh. Finally realizing where she was, she sat up practically clocking me in the face. “Oh, my God. What time is it? What happened?”

  Her eyes widened as she realized her nakedness. In a swift move she snatched the blanket off the couch and draped it around her in a makeshift dress.

  “I need to go shower and get Mikey.” Her brows furrowed when she noticed I was still in last night’s clothes. “You slept in your clothes? That couldn’t have been comfortable.”

  I sat up rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands. “I’d never been more comfortable.” I checked the clock on the cable box. “It’s only nine a.m. What time do you need to pick him up?”

  “Ten. I’ve never been late to get him.” Panic laced her words and her eyes did little to hide her discomfort.

  I stood and pulled her into my arms. “Sweetheart, you won’t be late. You go take a shower and I’ll make coffee.” She nodded before I leaned down and brought my lips to hers. It wasn’t an open-mouthed kiss, after all, it was morning, but I needed her to know I wanted to be exactly where I was.

  She smiled, her breathing calmed, and she looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers. “Last night was incredible. I just feel badly that you didn’t get a good night’s rest. I’m sure your weekends are the only time you sleep in.”

  “To be honest, I’m usually done working out by now, so don’t worry about my beauty rest.”

  Sabrina shimmied out of the room never releasing the grip on the throw. When I heard the bathroom door click closed, I cursed myself for not using it first. Rather than make coffee, I grabbed her apartment keys from the table and hustled to the corner coffee shop.

  After using their facilities and getting us coffee, muffins, and the biggest sugar cookie with sprinkles for Mikey, I went back to her place. The sound of her hairdryer ceased, and she walked out just as pretty as the d
ay I first laid eyes on her.

  She noticed the cups of coffee and bag on the table. “You went out?”

  “Yes, you went into the bathroom before I had a chance to use it. Plus, I didn’t want to rummage through your kitchen for coffee.” I shrugged. “Nor, did we have time to make breakfast. You need to eat.”

  I pulled the muffins out of the bag and set them each on a napkin. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a variety and a cookie for Mikey. But, I’ll leave that in the bag until you say it’s okay for him to have it.

  “Thank you, he’ll be thrilled when he gets home. I’ll give it to him after lunch.” She sat at the table and checked the time. “I’m sorry, but I really need to head out. Please take a muffin for yourself.”

  “Would you and Mikey like to meet me for lunch?”

  She worried the corner of her bottom lip. “Sunday is movie day. It’s been a thing we’ve been doing since… well, since he’s been going to my parents every other weekend. It lessened the guilt having not been with him the entire day before. It’s sort of our time.”

  “Sounds like a great day.” She nodded and suddenly the air felt a bit thick. For the first time I wasn’t sure what I should do, and by the uncertainty on her face, neither did she. “Have fun today, I’ll get out of your hair so you can get going.” I walked up to her and circled her slim waist with my arms. “I had a wonderful time last night.”

  Her eyes sparkled recalling our evening. “I had the best time I’ve had in a long time.” She lifted up on the balls of her feet, wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. My hands splayed across her back as I pulled her into me. “Thank you, Luca.”

  When I released my hold, I looked down at her. “I’ll call you later.” I kissed the top of her head and picked up my cup of coffee.

  She nodded and walked me toward the door. “I’m sorry about today.”

  “No worries. Tell Mikey I’ll see him next Saturday.”

  “I will.” She pulled the door open. “Thanks for breakfast.” I planted another swift kiss to her lips and left.

  When I got home, I brushed my teeth, changed into my gym clothes, and headed to a place where I could clear my head. Everything with Sabrina was going at Mach 1 speed, and I needed to decide how to play things with her.

  The sound of weights clanging, heavy feet hitting the treadmill, music, and grunts from people exerting themselves welcomed me as I walked into the gym. After I put my things in my locker, I grabbed my gloves, and went to start my workout routine.

  To my surprise, Kyle was still there. “Hey, Benedetto. I didn’t think you were going to make it.” Sweat dripped off of him as he continued to row on the machine.

  “Just running late this morning is all. Where’s Soren?”

  Kyle released the pulley, grabbed a small white towel, and dried his neck and face. “He took off about thirty minutes ago. He was calm until he saw the stock ticker scrolling across the bottom of the TV.” He tilted his head to the one television that had CNBC on. “I swear, he’s the only one in here that actually pays attention to what they’re watching and not just use it as a distraction. Anyway, the last thing he said was, ‘They’re vulnerable.’ He smiled and told me he’d catch me later.”

  I knew Jude wanted to start acquiring businesses. He must have found one that was ripe for the picking. “I’ll check in with him later and find out the scoop.”

  Rather than head to the free weights, I headed to the kickboxing area. Kyle followed behind me. “Care to tell me why you’re boxing this morning? It’s usually when you’re sexually frustrated.” I ignored him and fastened my gloves, tightening the second Velcro strap with my teeth. Kyle slid on a pair of punching mitts and stood across from me.

  “I’m not frustrated.” Right jab. “We had a great time last night.” Left jab. “She’s not like any other woman I’ve ever met.” Left uppercut. The sound of my glove smacking Kyle’s mitt spurred me on. “Her kid is great.” Right hook. “I feel like I’ve known her for months rather than days.” Left hook. “She’s smart and beautiful.” Right uppercut. “I slept with her in my arms last night, and we never even had sex. I think I’m falling for this woman.” Left uppercut.

  I hadn’t noticed Kyle had lowered his hands until my gloved fist landed on his jaw and he landed on the ground. “Holy shit! Are you okay? Why did you lower your hands?” I yanked off my gloves and knelt next to him. A few other gym goers stood along the side of the mat waiting for movement.

  Kyle slowly rolled to his back. “Seriously, what the fuck, Benedetto?”

  I could feel my eyes widen. “Me? You lowered your hands, you idiot.”

  Once everyone saw that Kyle was fine, they went back to what they were doing. I pulled him up noticed a bruise started to form on his face. “You say something like that and not expect me to react?”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “You said that already.” He rubbed his jaw with his hand and winced. “Vanessa’s going to kill you for hurting me.”

  I let out a chuckle. “Really, that’s what you’re going with? I’m sure she’s wanted to punch you herself a time or two. But seriously, I didn’t mean to hit you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll buy you breakfast. At least that’s soft food.” I started laughing.

  “You’re a dick.”

  “Yeah, a dick who knocked you on your ass.”

  Our usual waitress showed sympathy for Kyle before bringing us our meals and him an ice pack. “There you go, sweetie. Put that on your jaw and it won’t swell.”

  Kyle smiled, well, it was more of a grimace. “Thank you.” The older woman glared at me before walking away. “See, you even got on her bad side.”

  I shook my head. “Whatever.”

  “Okay, so tell me about your date last night other than the fact you didn’t get any action.”

  There was no way I was going to divulge that just because I didn’t get any action, as he so eloquently phrased it, didn’t mean I wasn’t satisfied. The look she had on her face when she came would be ingrained in my head until the next time I saw it.

  “We went to dinner, talked, and went back to her place. Her son, Mikey, was at her parents’ house. She’s special. And her little boy, he’s a cool little dude. Do you know he never had pepperoni on pizza until we went to lunch last week?” I cut a triangle shaped bite of my pancakes and put it in my mouth. “Or sausage, and I found out he has Italian blood in him. That’s like sacrilegious. To be honest, I was a little bummed he wasn’t home.”

  I took a sip of my orange juice and noticed Kyle had an eyebrow cocked. “Do you hear yourself?”

  “What? He’s a great kid. I’m actually teaching him how to play soccer since his coaches aren’t worth the ball they play with.”

  “You mean the ball that hit you in the head when you weren’t paying attention?” He let out a chuckle and winced.

  I waved the syrup-covered fork at him using it to point at his chin. “That’s karma right there, buddy. Keep laughing and you’ll make it worse for yourself.” He grimaced and gingerly chewed his French toast. “But really, wait until you meet Mikey; you’ll see for yourself. Even Cassie has a soft spot for him.”

  “Sucks he doesn’t have a father.”

  The thought of that asshole cheating on Sabrina made my blood boil. “Yes, it’s a shame. A little boy needs a male figure in his life.”

  “I’m going to ask you again, do you hear yourself? You’ve told me more about Mikey than you have Sabrina.”

  “You’ve met Sabrina. All I’m saying is the kid is great, and she’s a great mother. I don’t know Kyle, it feels fast, but I really have feelings for her. She’s kind, strong, level-headed… and for someone who’s been through what she has, she has every right to be mad at the world, but she’s not.”

  “Don’t forget beautiful.”

  Hearing Kyle call her that annoyed me, but it wasn’t a lie. “Yes,
she’s stunning, but that has nothing to do with it. I’ve been with enough beautiful women to know that’s just the surface. With her it’s more.”

  He nodded. I knew he understood because Vanessa was absolutely gorgeous, yet it was her personality and attitude he was drawn to. Appearances became secondary when the person you wanted to be with was prettier on the inside.

  “When are you going to see her again?”

  “Next weekend. Mikey has a soccer game in the afternoon, but I’m coaching him in the morning. Someone needs to show the kid how the game is played.”

  “Wow, you sound like a dad.”

  A dad? “No, I’m just a friend who’s helping a little boy learn the best sport on the planet.”

  “I thought you were teaching him soccer, not hockey.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Just be careful. Don’t get in too deep. A mother’s bond with her kid—especially a single mom’s, is tight.”

  All I could do was nod in acknowledgment. Yes, he was right. Their bond was undeniable, as was their love. “I’m not planning to interfere in their lives.”

  I just want to be included in it.

  Chapter 11

  Sabrina

  The dimness in my room meant it was either super early, or it was cloudy out. I checked my phone and was happy to see it was barely six a.m., which afforded me at least an hour or so more of sleep that I desperately needed.

  It’d been a busy week with Spring Break coming. The salon was jammed with New Yorkers wanting their hair cut, colored, and styled for the trips they were about to embark on. By Wednesday, I craved the weekend for several reasons.

  Today, my schedule was free of clients. We had Mikey’s game and were supposed to be spending the day with Luca. My thoughts drifted to the man who seemed to be on my mind more and more with each day that passed.

  But due to the weather, I wasn’t sure if we’d see him as we hoped. Luca’s plan to help Mikey practice before his game hung in the balance. Rain in the forecast meant it could be canceled. I was thankful I hadn’t mentioned Luca to my son. There were two things you never did with a five-year-old. First, you never promised anything, and second, you never revealed plans until the day of.