I put my hand on his wandering digits, stopping him. “You’ll make it up to me.”
“I’m sure,” he sighed, looking around the garden. “Tell me when the workers come back.”
Translated:I want them to know that I’m the man of this house.
“Tomorrow. They know who you are though. I’ve already told them you’d be along to look over the work.”
“I’m going to help.”
“Oh,” I said, closing my eyes, swaying from left to right. “It’s yours now? Even after pictures of our families and us were around every corner, even though…” The last word lingered. He had unfastened the tie of my robe. He opened it, inspecting the black lace lingerie underneath. “Though all the new clothes I bought for you were in the dresser—”
I couldn’t finish. His mouth closed over my nipple, and his tongue found the sensitive skin, sending a surge of heat and tingles over my desperate flesh. His hands worked higher up my legs, getting closer and closer to my thighs.
“Though Ihadwhiskey in the cabinet, suckers in the candy di—Ah!”
He bit down on the sensitive flesh and pulled, not hard, but hard enough. The pressure was enough to tauten the invisible line that stretched from my breast to my pleasure spot, causing the tingles to turn into pre-orgasmic tremors.
His head drifted to the other side. His tongue carved a slick trail from one breast to the other, up to my throat, over my chin, coming to lick around the shape of my lips, before the part of my mouth allowed him in. He tasted of dark secrets and shared red wine.
I glowed so brightly that if a neighboring farm happened to be gazing at the sky, they’d probably mistake me for Venus.
One perfectly defined arm wrapped around my waist after my back arched dangerously over the perch. He pulled his lips away, though, giving me one chaste kiss before he pointed up.
“That’s how I knew this place was ours.” He licked his lips. “Damn. Your mouth tastes good.”
“The…sky?” I sounded like a strung-out junkie, and I felt like one too.
“I know my wife.” He grinned at me.
“You do.” I grinned back. Then I really started to sway, closing my eyes, snapping my fingers to the spellbinding beat coming from below.
Romeo had started Rosaria’s Ferrari, and the lights illuminated him and Violet, dancing to the pulsating song.
“He’s sexy dancing.”
My eyes popped open. I found Brando gazing below, a perplexed look on his face. It was his “I’m trying to make sense of this extremely simple but somehow confounding situation” look.
“Sexy dancing, Brando?” I put the wine glass to my lips, taking a sip.
“Yeah.” He waved a hand, motioning to the action below. “Look how he’s moving. That’s just wrong. Maybe even illegal.”
The sip blew out in a messy spray, some of it coming out of my nose. Though the burn was strong, I couldn’t stop laughing.
“That was something out ofThe Exorcist.” He laughed, real low. “You are truly no ordinary ballerina.”
He helped me out of my robe, using the fabric to wipe my face and his. Then he released it with a surge of wind that swept up from the ground. The fabric fluttered away like a gigantic butterfly.
Settling down a bit, I relaxed next to him, his hold around my waist keeping me upright.
“I’m surprised that you’re allowing him to stay,” I remarked, going for casual.
“Romeo? Hell. The rest of us lucked out.” He grinned every time he said his youngest brother’s name. I could tell he was thankful that he ended up with a different one. But Romeo didn’t seem to mind, and helookedlike a Romeo. “You mean because ofViola Castellanos. I might not like what I’m seeing, but she’s a grown woman, and she’s our guest.”
“Do you think…do you think Violet and Mick will work it out?”
“He knows, about this.” Brando chucked his chin in their direction. “I told him.”
“You did?”
