The Italian's Final Redemption - Jackie Ashenden Page 0,36

didn’t think she’d been worth saving. But now here was Vincenzo, telling her that he wanted to savour her, making her feel almost as if she had been worth it after all...

Inexplicable tears collected behind her lids, but she blinked them back fiercely. She wasn’t going to cry, not while he was doing this to her. And she wasn’t going to protest, either. Not while he was making her feel so good. She didn’t want to be sad with him, she only wanted this feeling, this pleasure to never end. Because she’d never had it before. There were so many things she’d never had before and all because of him.

He kissed down her stomach, his hands stroking, making the sweet ache between her thighs become more acute, more demanding, sending delicious chills everywhere. Then he was pushing her thighs wider, his mouth moving lower, and she found herself arching back, ready for anything he might give her. It would only be good, surely.

His fingers stroked her inner thighs, his mouth finding the hot, wet centre of her. Exploring gently, tasting lightly, and she was shaking so hard she thought she might come apart, her breathing loud, her heartbeat louder.

An ocean of pleasure rose up around her, hot and liquid like honey, drowning her, but she didn’t care. She wanted to drown. She never wanted to come up for air again.

His hands slid beneath her thighs, drawing her close to the edge of the sofa, and she leaned back, gasping as he lifted her leg and draped it over one powerful shoulder, allowing him greater access, and then his mouth was back on her, tasting her deep inside as his hands caressed her.

There were lights behind her eyes, falling stars and supernovas, galaxies glittering, the end of the world approaching. And she had a front-row seat.

Until even that was lost as the pleasure took everything from her, leaving her with nothing, not even her name. But it wasn’t frightening. She threw herself into it, happy to leave it all behind, the only anchor point Vincenzo’s hands on her, holding her still, and his tongue working his magic.

And when the end of the world finally came she called his name as the galaxies exploded and she was exploding too, a star blazing in the night, her soul flaming before dissolving into bliss.

Her hands were on him, stroking his shoulders absently as she lay back on the sofa, her face flushed, her mouth curving in a smile as old as time—that of a woman well satisfied.

He couldn’t look away from her. He had her flavour in his mouth, a salty sweetness that had to be the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted, and he was desperate for more. Strange, when he’d never been desperate for a woman before. Needing sex, yes, but not a particular woman. Not like this.

Everything in him was urging him to pick her up and take her upstairs to his bed, because he had protection up there and he wanted to be inside her more than he wanted his next breath. Yet he didn’t move, because he hadn’t seen her smile, hadn’t seen her face when she wasn’t scared, and the sight of that smile made his chest get even tighter than it already was.

He’d done that to her. He’d been the one to give her that smile. And he couldn’t remember the last time he’d made anyone feel good, made anyone feel happy. All he ever did was cause pain.

They deserve it though.

Yes, there was no question that they did. But...looking at Lucy’s smile, he found he liked that he’d been the one to give her that. And he liked that he’d given her pleasure, made her call his name. Wiped the fear from her lovely hazel eyes...

This is not what you should be doing.

No, but he was going to do it anyway. He’d crossed the line of his own control, and anyway, to leave her now would be cruel and he couldn’t do it. This would all be so new to her and he wanted to show her what more there was, what more that lovely body of hers was capable of.

Don’t pretend you’re not selfish. You want her for yourself too.

Oh, he wasn’t pretending. He did want her for himself. And even though allowing himself to want a woman like her, a criminal, went against his own moral code, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He’d denied himself many things in pursuit of the