Born in Blood Collection Volume 1 - Cora Reilly Page 0,207

room he’d shared with his first wife a long time ago. Considering that it was three doors down from our bedroom, I wouldn’t have to worry that Gaby might hear us. Dante’s eyes were practically transparent with lust, but he just stood in the doorway. His self-control was marvelous, and a bit frustrating.

“You look tired,” he said carefully. “Do you want to get some rest?” His body said something very different. The growing bulge in his pants was hard to miss.

I shook my head with a smile and straightened, letting water and bubbles trail down my naked body as I stood before Dante. His gaze left a scorching trail on my skin as it slid down to the apex between my thighs. My hand came up to cover the narrow but angry red C-section scar marring my lower belly. I’d always found a way to hide it from Dante’s view so far. The doctor had said it would fade to white in time, but it would never go away completely.

Dante stalked toward me and gently pulled my hand away, revealing my scar to him. “Don’t hide yourself from me.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d be turned off by the sight of my scar.”

Dante laughed, a rough sound deep in his throat. He gripped my waist, eyes hungry and possessive. “You look like a goddess, Val. Your scar doesn’t make you any less desirable for me. Or do you find my scars repulsive? I have plenty of them.”

“No, of course not. But you are a man. It’s different for women.”

Dante lightly stroked my scar. “This makes you even more beautiful to me because I know why you have it.”

I put my hands on his shoulders, soaking his shirt, but Dante didn’t seem to mind. His eyes kept roaming over my body. I leaned forward and kissed him. “I need you, Dante. I need you so much.”

Dante’s eyes flashed with desire. “Are you sure? Have you recovered enough? I don’t want to hurt you.” My heart pounded with love for him. It meant a lot that he asked me when I could tell how much he wanted to throw me on the bed and take me. One of his hands had already found its way to my butt, stroking the globes in a gentle but very distracting way.

“You won’t,” I said. “As long as we take it slow, we should be okay.” The last thing I wanted to do was take things slow. I wanted to rip off Dante’s clothes, lick every inch of his skin and have him slam into me over and over again.

Dante didn’t say anything, but he helped me out of the tub and wrapped me into a fluffy bathrobe. He massaged me through the thick fabric until my skin was dry and my breathing was coming in quick puffs. Dante lifted me into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom, where he lowered me on the bed. My toes curled in anticipation as he looked down at me. He slowly crawled on the bed and reached for the belt holding my bathrobe closed. With a tug it came apart, laying me bare to his eyes. “So beautiful,” he said roughly. “I missed your taste.”

His words alone made arousal pool between my legs, and I bucked my hips in silent invitation. A smirk curled his lips before he lowered his head and kissed my breasts, first the left, then the right before he kissed his way down to my stomach. I stiffened when his lips brushed my scar, not because it hurt, but Dante didn’t retreat. My flinching seemed to make him even more determined to pay special attention to this part of my body. His gaze flitted up to me as he pressed another kiss against the scar. His eyes were unrelenting until my muscles finally loosened under his lips.

After another quick kiss, he moved lower, pushed my legs farther apart and then dipped his tongue between my folds. I cried out, already so close to the edge that I could feel my leg muscles tense in anticipation. After a few more strokes and gentle nips, my release gripped me. “Dante!” I shoved my fingers into his hair, holding him against me as I succumbed to the pleasure he was giving me. Dante lifted his face and pressed a kiss against my inner thigh before sitting up. I did the same, my hands going for his vest, pushing it down his shoulders before moving on to unbuttoning