“You’re lucky.” Somehow their entwined hands had worked their way against her stomach. He moved his fingers ever so slightly, shifting her shirt out of the way and brushing a soft caress over her bare hip.
“Why am I lucky?” he whispered, looking into her eyes. His breath smelled sweet with traces of rum.
“Because not all families are as close as yours.”
“Your family’s not tight?”
She shook her head. “My mom left when I was little. She never calls or sends a Christmas card. I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”
“Damn. That’s rough.”
She wasn’t telling him for sympathy. She honestly didn’t know why she told him. She never spoke of her mother to anyone, not even Harrison.
“But your dad’s nice.”
Her heart stilled. The air in her lungs hardened into something heavy, like cement.
Everyone in Jasper Falls thought Ward Montgomery was such a standup guy. Why wouldn’t they? He had shovels and salt when they needed it. He fixed the tears in their screens and knew how to keep the houseflies away. He was everyone’s hero in a pinch, everyone except for his kids.
“Tell me another joke.”
“Why did the Italian cross the road?” He looked into her eyes expectantly, his breath teasing the wisps of hair surrounding her face.
“Why?”
“To kiss the pretty girl.” He closed the distance and she stiffened. But when his hand slipped around her back, pulling her into him, she softened.
His lips were warm and gentle. He kissed her tenderly at first, teasing and coaxing, nuzzling her cheek with his nose as he found the right angle and traced his tongue across her mouth.
Her nipples pebbled tight under the cotton shirt and her toes curled. He pulled her closer, the scent of his skin all she could smell. Their legs entwined and his chest pressed into hers.
“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered, dragging those full lips over her thrumming pulse and nibbling the lobe of her ear. The trace of his warm breath sent chills down her spine.
They should stop, but everything he was doing to her felt too good. She reached for him, closing her hand around the thick muscle of his upper arm. For now, she wouldn’t stop him, but she was too scared to give him an actual green light.
“Kiss me back, Erin” His mouth found hers again, and this time he was more aggressive, opening his lips and showing her what he wanted.
Her tongue shyly teased his and he groaned, rolling her to her back and trailing his touch down her front. With no panties protecting her, his fingers easily found the warmth between her thighs.
She should stop him. This wasn’t right. They didn’t even like each other. But she liked the way he teased and stroked her softly. It was different from the way most guys touched her, and it had been a long time since anyone had been so… gentle with her.
He teased her folds, stroking softly and sliding his fingers over her flesh with a feather’s touch. Her body responded. The trace of his skin over hers was so soft, she wanted to feel everything he was doing. She parted her legs and he studied her as if checking that he was reading her signals correctly.
She closed her eyes, too afraid to confirm that she liked his hands on her, and too afraid to speak and possibly ruin the moment. He pressed a finger into her, and she sucked in a breath.
Burying his face in her shoulder, he whispered, “Jesus, Erin.” The corner of his mouth quirked against her throat as he slowly teased her, grinding the heel of his palm over her clit in a way that heightened her pleasure.
He scooted down her body, pressing kisses into her ribs and on the underside of her breasts. “Take this off.” He nudged the T-shirt up, but she didn’t move.
The moment she actively participated, she would be consenting. She couldn’t own that right now. She couldn’t deal with the fact that Giovanni was touching her and she liked it. Plus, she didn’t want the chemistry to shift. He was doing fine on his own.
He drew a hard nipple between his lips and teased the tip with his tongue. Her spine arched, pressing into him, and he sucked harder.
His mouth moved to her other breast and then lower, kissing a trail down to her navel and across the bridge of her hips until his lips kissed the sensitive spot between her legs.
Her back arched as her lips parted, a breathy sigh escaping as he drove his tongue into her. He licked her like he’d been starved for a woman’s flavor, as if she possessed the elixir of life and he wanted to drown in every drop.
“Jesus, you taste incredible…”
His words only confused her more. Giovanni never said nice things to her. He didn’t deserve to see her this way. Or maybe this was exactly what he deserved. Let him pleasure her. She had no intention of giving him anything in return.