to have a cheeky mouth, I could give you something to fill it with.”
“No more food!” I shake my head in refusal. “I couldn’t eat another bite if you forced me.”
“Mmm,” he says, a growly noise vibrating from his chest. “I’ll have to think of something else to fill your mouth with.” He laughs at his own joke and the smile on my face feels genuine again. We’re good. Santino and I are in love. This is real.
A bit later, Santino parks near an old stone wall on the side of the road and grabs the basket and blanket. He takes my hand in his and walks us through a large field of poppies that are well past their bloom. The sun casts a lovely golden glow on everything as he points towards a wooden fence off in the distance. “Over there is a great view of Sherborne Park and a seventeenth-century estate that was restored when I was younger. We can sit there and watch the sunset if you like. The leaves are all changing now, so it should be nice.”
“That sounds lovely,” I reply as we make our way to a secluded space just beneath a large weeping willow.
Santino spreads the grey blanket out in the shade and sits with his back propped against the tree. When he opens his arms, I lower myself between his legs, my back laying against his front, his arms tight around me as his chin rests on my shoulder. The view of the old estate and the small lake nearby is gorgeous. We’re content as we listen to the sound of farm animals in the distance and wind blowing through the willow branches.
Santino kisses my neck, his whiskers tickling my sensitive flesh as he pulls my flannel shirt off one shoulder. “You always smell so good,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to my collarbone and biting at me like I’m a treat. “I want to just bottle you up and take you with me wherever I go.”
I shift between his legs, my body reacting instantly to his touch. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He pulls down the thin strap of my dress, causing goosebumps to ripple down my arm. “What do you think?”
“You want to do this here? Outside?” My body clenches at the thrill of that thought.
“I want to do it always.” He drags his tongue up to the shell of my ear and whispers, “I want to taste every part of you right bloody now.”
My body heaves at those naughty words, but I turn to look into his eyes before I give in to my urges. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk instead?” I reach up and caress the back of his head, my fingers scraping gently along his scalp as I gaze into his eyes.
“I’m quite sure, yes.” He stares hungrily at my mouth, his eyes pools of liquid heat before he gently cups my neck and fuses our lips together. He steals my breath as he plunges his tongue into my mouth in a deep, drugging kiss.
I get swept away for a moment as my body arches into his touch, aching for more. I always want more with this man. Never less. Finally, I break our kiss to say, “I’m still cross at you for not telling me it was your birthday. I would have got you a present.”
“You’re the only present I want, Trouble.” His eyes are hooded and full of desire. “Let me make love to you.”
It’s a real, honest request, and at that moment, I feel like whatever doubt his mother may have had couldn’t possibly be factual. This man is mine…body and soul. I know we haven’t been together that terribly long, but our hearts have been connected for much, much longer.
This is real.
I nod, and in one quick move, he turns me around to straddle his lap. My arms wrap around his neck as our mouths connect again, tongues wet and wild against each other. His hands skate up under my long skirt, and his fingers wrap around my arse and tease the satin of my thong, sliding all the way down until he reaches my damp centre. I’m pretty much wet around him all the time, so it’s no big surprise. He massages my clit over the thin fabric gently before moving to my backside again and applying expert pressure.
The act feels naughty and thrilling, not just because we’re outside but because he’s touching me in places he’s never touched