salt of the sea on his skin. Exhilarated by his groan and the stiff jerks of his abs against her belly, she lavished his other nipple with bold caresses.
“Temptress,” Stefano muttered. “Enough.” He pulled her head away from him and crushed her mouth with a blazing kiss.
A ball of fire erupted in her belly. The flames slithered between her legs and her moans mingled with his. She pulled back to catch her breath.
“I’m still too hot.” He tilted his head toward his waist.
“Ah, your shorts.”
“Yes, they have to go. Quickly.”
“You bet.” With a crisp movement, she grabbed the elastic waist and pulled down his shorts. They dropped to his ankles and he stepped aside. His cock sprang free, gloriously naked.
She stared at her Greek god, Apollo in rippling muscles. And swallowed hard. “Oh dear, you don’t wear—” The air whooshed out of her lungs in a gasp.
“Do I pass inspection?” His devilish grin brought her back to earth.
Unable to utter a single word, she nodded several times, hoping he wouldn’t hear her heart thump against her ribs.
“That’s exactly how you affect me.” He extended a hand. “Come to me, Cardia mou , my little heart. Let me love you.”
Without hesitation, she put her hand in his and he pulled her to the bed.
CHAPTER FOUR
Propped on his elbow, Stefano contemplated the exquisite face he had just lavished with kisses and caresses. The delicate fragrance of her perfume lingered. Her coppery golden mane spread on his satin pillow provided the perfect frame for her loveliness. Long eyelashes arched over high cheekbones. Was she dozing? The slender legs he’d covered with his thigh squirmed, stroking his muscles in a deliciously enticing way.
“Stefano,” she murmured, answering his silence question.
“Yes, Aghapie mou .”
Her eyes popped opened. “You called me your love?”
“Haven’t I proven to you how dear you are to me?”
A pink hue brightened her face. “That you did. Oh, Stefano, it was wonderful. I can swear I saw fireworks.”
He couldn’t stifle the smugness in his smile and he leaned to brush her lips with his. Instantly hard again, he slid an avid finger down her throat to her breast and tickled her nipple. “We were too enthusiastic, too quick. How about a slow-motion repeat performance?”
Her gasp chimed against his ear. “If you want.”
“With you, I’ll always want. But what about you?” His fingers played with her nipple and gently rubbed it.
The side of her mouth curved in a sheepish smile. “I’m afraid I’ll always want, too.”
He burst out laughing. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard today. The night is young and we should enjoy it. Tomorrow—”
A frown started on her forehead. “Please, no depressing thoughts.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Tomorrow meant arguments in court and maybe a disappointment about her grandfather’s house. His gut tightened in an unpleasant spasm and he sobered.
Tomorrow, he might break her heart. He would break her heart for sure.
Tomorrow, she would lose her illusions about Greek men. She would hate him, curse him, and wish she’d never set eyes on such vermin.
His gut tightened in an unpleasant spasm and he sobered. How could she have become so dear to him in just a few hours? How had she changed from the granddaughter of an execrable enemy to the woman of his dreams, his most precious treasure?
For weeks before meeting her, he’d rehearsed the arguments he’d present to the American attorney—a middle aged, experienced and successful, cold and calculating lawyer. Never in his wildest imagination had he envisioned he’d have to deal with the passionate young woman who rested, all naked in his arms, after a thorough lovemaking.
He hugged her fiercely, suddenly afraid of losing her forever, before he even got the chance to show her how much she meant to him. “These few hours are ours. And you are mine, tonight,” he whispered in her hair,
Thomas F. Monteleone, David Bischoff
Jerry Pournelle, Christopher Nuttall, Rolf Nelson, Chris Kennedy, Brad Torgersen, Thomas Mays, James F. Dunnigan, William S. Lind