would have done the same.”
I smirk. “No, they wouldn’t have. A lot of girls would’ve turned tail and fled.” I glance out over the deck, to the gorgeous blue-green water. “It actually has me thinking that I should make sure to find someone that can handle my parents, when the time comes for me to settle down.”
She frowns, considering my words. “Is that what you’re looking for in a woman?”
I pause. Something tells me I should watch myself here.
“Well… yeah. In the broadest sense.” I cross my arms. “It’s a little like this. Three years ago, my friends and I went crazy and bought the building that would become the bar. So I try to bear that in mind when I’m meeting potential partners. I’m a successful bar owner. I’m rich. I’m handsome. I’m fit. I want someone who is all of that, but more.”
Her eyes narrow. “Oh, is that all?”
I shrug. “When it comes to marriage? Yes. I need someone who challenges me to do more… but at the same time, they have their own things going on. I don’t want somebody that is always waiting around to see what I’m up to. I don’t want to be tied to someone that stagnates.”
“I see.” Her mouth flattens. “What else do you see for your future?”
I furrow my brow. “That’s more uncertain. I know that I would like to own a few more bars. I want to travel a lot, preferably with my wife. I haven’t ever visited Asia or Australia, so they’re on my bucket list.” I pause, thinking. “And if I have children of my own, I’ll treat them a thousand times better than my parents ever treated me.”
Cate nods. “Those are respectable goals.”
I spread my hands wide. “What about you?”
She glances at me. Then her lips quirk. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
I lean against a ballast. “Sure. Shoot.”
She blushes but doesn’t look away. “Will you kiss me again? I just want to test something—”
That quick, I shush her. “Ssh. Come up here.”
She clambers up from where she’s sitting. Cate loses her balance for a second. I step forward and slide one hand around her waist.
“Don’t worry,” I murmur, looking down into her eyes. “I’ve got you.” She stares up at me, her cheeks flushed, her mouth parted.
In her eyes, desire is written as plain as day. She pushes up onto her tiptoes as I growl and press my lips to hers.
She tastes as incredible as I remembered, like mint and honey and a savage sort of lust.
Cate moans into my mouth and I flick my tongue against hers, my whole body tightening.
I need this, I realize. I need her, at this very moment in time.
Breaking off the kiss, I peer down at her, brushing a wisp of her dark hair back from her face. “Does that answer a question for you?”
She doesn’t answer. She just reaches for me again, her lips seeking mine, her curves feeling just right under my hands.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she whispers.
I pause, then lift her into my arms.
“Your wish is my command, princess.”
Moving toward the stairs, I kiss her again, stroking her tongue with mine.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cate
Luca moves back to look at me, and I see the fire raging in his eyes. A fire that I feel too, a fire that could consume us both for all I care. His gaze drops to my lips, and I lean forward, lips parting. He moves to kiss me, his lips firm and demanding.
This is no peck on the lips. His tongue invades my mouth, sweeping and exploring. My tongue dances with his as I sigh and sink into it.
Curling my hand around the back of his neck, I reach out boldly with my free hand and grasp his hip. He allows it for a second, then breaks off the kiss and pushes me back onto the bed.
“Stay there,” he orders me.
He begins to undress, taking off his shoes, pulling his tee shirt off over his head. His torso ripples as he does, and I admire his light dusting of dark chest hair. He’s also got a trail of hair that leads down from his belly button and disappears into his waistband. His arms flex as he unzips his jeans, but he stops there.
I get a tantalizing peek into his unbuttoned pants as he comes closer, just for a second.
He moves onto the bed, kneeling at the end. He considers me for a moment, like he’s trying to decide what to do with