“Are you ready for the grand opening tomorrow?” he asked.
She lowered her head and looked up at him through hooded eyes. “There’s another kind of grand opening I’d like to get to tonight.”
Anthony raised his eyebrows and swept her into his embrace. After a long, impassioned kiss, he was dying to take her into her bedroom.
Hell, why waste any more time?
He hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her there while she giggled. Fortunately, her door was open and most of her things had been put away, so he had a clear path to his destination. He dropped her onto her bed and she bounced, laughing.
Anthony dove over her, trapping her body beneath his.
She was beautiful. Not that she wasn’t always pretty, polished, and put together, but tonight she glowed. Her eyes were clear and searching, as if she were looking at him for the first time. Perhaps she was. She had described her newfound sobriety as a catalyst to the serenity she had always sought.
“You’re breathtaking, Claudia.”
She laughed. “You don’t need to butter me up, you know. At this point, I’m pretty much a sure thing.”
“I’m not buttering you up. I’m telling the truth.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her chin. Then he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her more reverently.
The words “I love you” flowed through his mind, but it wasn’t a good time to say them. Could she say them back? She had enough to deal with tonight. He was just happy she hadn’t let her sponsor talk her out of their budding relationship.
“You surprised me. I had hoped to have candles lit and a negligee on when we finally got to this point.”
“No need for atmosphere as far as I’m concerned. But if you need to feel romantic…”
“Oh, hell no.” She cupped the back of his head and dragged his lips to hers. He kissed her again thoroughly.
“I—uh…I wonder if you’d mind if I hung up my dress. I was just trying it on to be sure it fit, so I could wear it tomorrow.”
“Of course.” He backed off of her and helped her up.
She turned her back to him and said, “Would you mind unzipping me?
He smiled. Mind?
Anthony lowered the zipper slowly, revealing her skin a little at a time. When he came to the bottom and peeled back the shoulders so she could step out of the dress, he groaned. Her fair skin was shining. The curves of her lower back and bottom were as perfect as he’d imagined.
As if she’d known he was coming, she wore only a matching black bra and panties. No hose to contend with, thank goodness.
She hung her dress in her well-stocked closet and turned around.
His breath hitched.
She smiled shyly. She must have seen the lust in his eyes as he boldly admired her.
“Your turn,” she reminded him.
He whipped off his suit jacket, tie, shirt, pants, and underwear in record time. This time she was the one to stare, apparently fixated on the part of his anatomy that was more than ready to please her.
“Come here,” he commanded and was surprised to hear the hoarseness in his voice. She strolled to him, deliberately seductive, and let him envelop her in his arms. He caressed her back and kissed a trail down her neck, pausing over her pulsing jugular vein.
Someday, perhaps. He knew he could heighten the pleasure of sex for both of them with a loving suck there, but she wasn’t prepared. She would have to know what he was and trust him completely.
With the delightful fantasy in his head, he unhooked her bra and helped it slip off her shoulders. When she pulled back enough to remove it, she revealed the creamiest set of full breasts his hands could hold.
“God,” he whispered.
She smiled and shimmied out of her panties. With them standing as naked as Adam and Eve, he had to force himself not to tackle her to the floor and take her right there.
Damn it all. I’ve held back long enough.
He grasped her and while they kissed desperately, he lowered them both to their knees. They tumbled to the brand-new carpet and continued to kiss and grope. When she grabbed hold of his cock, pleasurable sensations shot through him and he groaned unconsciously.
He rolled her onto her back and bent over her breasts. Cupping one, he suckled as she arched and moaned. Then he switched to the other, and while he sucked, he rubbed her sweet spot until she writhed and begged him to fill her.
“Not yet,” he said. He leaned back enough to see her face as she came apart in his arms. Her cries of climax filled him with satisfaction. She went limp in his arms and whispered, “Oh, my God.”
As soon as she caught her breath, she asked, “Are you ready?”
He laughed. “Honey, I’ve been ready for five years.”
She grinned and parted her legs. He kneeled between them and held her gaze as he gently entered her. She bent her knees and raised her hips to meet him. When he was fully seated, she closed her eyes and cooed.
“Are you all right?”
She gazed at him with hooded eyes. “Never better.”
He feathered kisses down her neck and found his rhythm. She rocked with him, meeting every thrust. Her soft moans encouraged him. The indescribable sensations sparked a fire he had long forgotten. A white heat burned within. Eventually, he felt the inevitable tingle at the base of his spine.
He sped up and bore down on her pelvis, hoping to bring her over the edge with him. When she threw back her head and let out a strangled cry, he tumbled over the brink. The most incredible sensations shook him to his core. He rode her to the last aftershock and finally stilled when her cries faded. Her hands slipped off his back and flopped out to her sides. She grinned even as she was inhaling lungfuls of air.
He smoothed the hair off her dewy forehead and smiled back at her. “Was it all right?”
She giggled loudly. “If by ‘all right,’ you mean incredible.”
He buried his nose in her hair and kissed her temple, her cheek, her chin, and made his way to her lips where they shared a long, meaningful kiss. It was as if they were sealing their hope for a future together.
“God, I love this man.”
Was that telepathy? Anthony almost broke the kiss to ask her what she’d just been thinking. But how crazy would that sound? He didn’t want to scare her. Besides, she might not be ready to commit to those words out loud.
When the time was right, he’d explain that some immortals could establish telepathy with their soul mates. As pleased and hopeful as he was, there’d be plenty of time to explore the details later.
Claudia felt more relaxed than she would have expected to on the morning of their grand opening. She credited last night’s gymnastics with Anthony for that. Just thinking about him made her smile.
The cook had arrived early and was unwrapping the bakery items when Claudia poked her head into the kitchen. He was fresh out of culinary school and she hoped he’d be satisfied enough with the limited menu to stay.
“All ready for our first day, Chris?”
“Oui,” he said with a charming fake French accent. “C’est bon.” Then he smiled and winked.
Claudia surveyed the spotless kitchen and realized Chris had everything well in hand.
She lit the candles and inspected the tablecloths, making sure they were clean, and wished Anthony could be there when she welcomed the shop’s first customers. But, as usual, he’d said he’d arrive in the early evening.
Where the heck does he spend his days?
In the five years they’d known each other, she’d never asked. She could sense the information was of a personal nature. Maybe he visited a sick relative. Or perhaps he held another job—something volunteer but close to his heart.