Chapter 17
CASSANDRA
Cassandra, full from a delicious dinner, heads to a guest room. She and Emilio won’t be sharing a room until after they’re married. As she lets down her hair and steps onto the balcony through the French doors, her mind is a whirlwind of thoughts about the day. A gentle breeze plays with her hair.
She can’t help but think about Emilio. He’d left after dinner without a word, and while part of her wondered where he’d gone, she didn’t feel it was her place to ask.
After a few more minutes of stargazing, Cassandra heads back inside, kicking off her heels and heading for the shower. As she’s tying her bathrobe after her shower, she lets out a small yelp.
Emilio is lounging on the bed, half-dressed.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“Waiting for you.”
“You should go back to your room.”
“Don’t you want to come closer?”
Cassandra shrugs. She knows that if she gets too close, she’ll lose all sense of reason.
“Why did you tell your mom we were in a relationship fifteen months ago when all we had was a one-night stand? If the condom hadn’t broken, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“There’s a reason it broke. We have unfinished business from that night. Until we satisfy our bodies, neither of us will find peace.”
“Not everything is about sex, Emilio. Your mom is right—we need love in our lives. We don’t love each other. How could you lie and say we do? We barely know each other.”
Emilio stands and approaches her. Cassandra backs up until she’s against the wall.
“Love is lust, and we have that. We might not love each other, but the desire and chemistry between us is strong. When we’re together, it’s explosive. Isn’t that enough to make this marriage work? We’re going into this with our eyes wide open…no expectations.”
“Lust fades. What happens when you get tired of me? Will you divorce me, or find a mistress?”
“I don’t believe in divorce—that’s why I never wanted to marry. Women these days only love men for their money and status. Once you have that, they’ll marry you without a second thought.”
Emilio traces a finger down her chest, and Cassandra shivers. “But you’re different. I haven’t figured you out yet, but I don’t think I’ll get tired of you anytime soon… There’s something about you that keeps me interested.”
Emilio’s hand moves to the front of Cassandra’s robe and rests on the knot. Her heart races, and her breathing is uneven. He needs to back off—he’s too close.
Cassandra closes her eyes to block him out, but his cologne messes with her senses. Move! a small voice in her head says. If only her feet would listen.
Cassandra feels her robe fall open, and her eyes fly open. Emilio has untied the knot, and oh god, she’s naked. She was going to change after her shower, but he was on the bed.
Feeling Emilio’s gaze and the heat from his body, Cassandra shivers. Barefoot, she’s barely five feet tall, and Emilio towers over her. He’s the epitome of an alpha male.
Emilio leans down and whispers in her ear. “I want you.” His low, husky voice sends a wave of heat through her body.
“Me?” she squeaks, closing her eyes again. His mouth trails hot, hungry kisses down her neck, making her body clench with need, making her wet.
“Yes, you.” His hand moves to her waist and strokes her through the silk of her robe. Cassandra tilts her head to the side, giving Emilio better access to her neck.
OMG! He smells so good, feels so good.
When Emilio’s mouth meets hers, all thoughts vanish. It’s just them: a man and a woman who desire each other.
EMILIANO
Emilio doesn’t ask. He takes. He demands.
His tongue pushes against Cassie’s lips, and she opens for him. He explores her mouth gently, and she moans, tasting him too.
Without breaking their passionate kiss, Emiliano opens Cassie’s robe further. His fingers run over her skin, feeling her hard nipples.
Emilio teases, strokes, and pinches, and when he thrusts between her legs, Cassie grinds against him, needing the friction. Her hands tangle in his hair, gripping as pleasure surges through her body.
“God, Cassie, you’re so hot for me. So ready that you’re driving me crazy. I want to feel you. I want to be deep inside you.”
“Please…,” Cassie whimpers.
“So sweet…so innocent…,” Emiliano murmurs before his tongue trails over her neck, setting a rhythm he wants to replicate elsewhere.
CASSANDRA
Cassandra moves her hips, craving more contact, needing Emilio inside her.
He touches her sensitive spot and slips two fingers into her wetness, hitting just the right spot. She moans as he quickens the pace, the friction, and she’s consumed by primal need. A soft gasp escapes her lips as he continues to tease her nipple with one hand and torment her swollen clit with the other.
“Yes…” Cassandra barely recognizes her own voice, thick with desire. She’s a different person when she’s with him.
Minutes later, her high-pitched cry fills the room as she climaxes, her body trembling with release. She’s still catching her breath when her fiancé, Emilio, scoops her up and lays her on the bed.
He sheds his clothes and her robe, and Cassandra drinks in the sight of his naked body. Then, he leans in.
Emilio takes one hard nipple into his mouth, his tongue teasing, teeth grazing. Cassandra’s hips jerk upward. She can feel her muscles tightening, pressure building. Oh god, she’s going to lose control again.
Her fingers curl into a fist in Emilio’s hair. She lifts her hips, trying to grind against him, to feel his hard length. “I need…I need—”
“I know what you need, sweetheart,” he rasps.
Emilio steadies her hips, and then he’s inside her—hard, strong, and so deep she bites her lip to keep from screaming. Her inner muscles clench around him, adjusting to his size. He pulls back, then thrusts forward again, setting a rhythm she matches.
Cassandra loves the feel of his hard body against hers. Her core tightens, and she surrenders to the waves of pleasure coursing through her.
Minutes later, Emilio’s body stiffens as he climaxes. They’re both sweaty and hot. He brushes her hair from her face and leans in to kiss her, his teeth nipping at her lip.
“I thought I made it clear that only I get to bite that lip.”
“And why is that?” she teases, flexing her hips and feeling his erection. Clearly, she’s not the only one who wants more.
Feeling bold, Cassandra rolls over him and straddles Emilio. In this position, with her soft thighs against his hard ones, he’s deep inside her. She can feel every inch of him.
She spreads her hands on Emilio’s chest, then bends to kiss it. He shivers under her touch. She’s not the only one who can make their partner tremble with need.
As she trails kisses across his chest, Emilio strokes her hips. When she lifts her head, their eyes lock. She moves her hips, grinding against him without breaking eye contact. His gaze is intoxicating.
Emilio’s hands move to her breasts, his fingers teasing so gently that the sensation sends a jolt of desire straight to her core. Her head falls back. His fingers are replaced by his mouth, and a whimper escapes her lips.
Cassandra’s fingers curl in Emilio’s hair, and her body claims every inch of him. When she can’t hold back any longer, she cries out his name. Seconds later, she hears Emilio’s groan as he presses her down onto his throbbing length.
Panting, gasping for air, Cassandra feels something shift deep within her. A connection, a bond between her and Emilio. A force that ties them together.
“God, that was amazing,” Emilio says. “Incredible. I’ve never felt anything like that with anyone else.”
Neither have I, she thinks.
“But you’re not like most women, Cassie. You’re different, and I like that about you.”
Later, they share a bath, and Emilio returns to his room, leaving Cassandra alone with her thoughts. Their lovemaking was mind-blowing. She doesn’t know what it was, but she’s scared to find out.
She has a feeling she might be the only one who gets hurt.
