Emotion burned in her chest and up behind her eyes. It flared like embarrassment at first, then quickly melted into a form of relief. She thought her choice would be easy to remember, easy to think of in times of uncertainty or panic—but that wasn’t what he was really telling her to decide on. It wasn’t a ‘panic button’ word.
He’d called it a safety net.
Her vision blurred for a moment before she managed to blink back the tears, but she never looked away from him. She never looked away from his intense, strikingly handsome face. If she was choosing from something that gave her strength and security, then … she had another idea. And it was staring right back at her. “Sapphire,” she finally said.
Santino arched a brow, his expression softening. “Sapphire? Is that a hint?”
Amusement bubbled up with the near-choking emotion and she smiled. She moved one hand, slipping it between them to reach up and trace her fingers along the side of his face. Whenher fingertips were up next to his eyes, she calmly repeated, “Sapphire.”
He smiled. “That I can get on board with.” He heaved a breath. “Fuck. That’s hot as hell.” Then he surged up, crashing his lips to hers once more, his momentum tackling her to the bed. The movement brought his pelvis almost directly over hers and he rolled his hips as her fingers threaded through his hair. There were layers still separating them, and her concentration was poor, but there was no denying the rigid erection that was pressed between them. Least of all when he ground it into her and sucked her tongue into his mouth.
Then he retreated, leaving her gasping for breath and her entire body flushed and aching. His hands landed on her knees and he pushed them wider as he lowered back to his own. “You were so damn strong today, baby,” he said, his voice rough with desire. He swept his hands beneath the hem of her dress skirt, pushing it up her thighs. “Lie back and let me reward you. Let me make youfeelhow fucking proud of you I am.”
Something in her core clenched at his words, at the tone in his voice, and Reiko could only comply. She dropped her body back to the bed, instinctively widening her legs more to fit the broad shoulders between her thighs.
Santino ducked beneath her skirt and breathed out a quiet curse. His hands brushed over the hem of her panties, his touch light to start. Then he gripped one edge, pulling the material taut, and in a moment her panties gave way. In another moment, she felt him pull them away from her altogether.
Her eyes widened. Surely that was not what it felt like to have underwear ripped off.
The curiosity vanished, chased from her mind a heartbeat later by the sound a deep male groan and the feeling of a thumb rubbing along the edge of her labia. Then his thumb moved away and his tongue was there. His tongue was everywhere.
Reiko gasped sharply as bright, pleasurable jolts of sensation fired through her. Her hands grasped at the comforter.
Santino was grunting and groaning and making wet, sloppy sounds as he devoured her neglected pussy like a madman. His hands swept up and down her thighs, squeezing hard before moving to a new spot, as if he were branding every piece of her he could touch. He teased her clit, bringing her close to the edge with expert swirls of his tongue, then switched back to long, exploratory strokes that left her panting with need.
Eventually, he dipped his tongue into her opening. He teased her there, as if listening to the way the pitch of her moan changed, then sank his tongue inside. His hands curved around her hips and took hold of her bare ass, gripping tight and holding her steady as he began tongue-fucking her in earnest. His tongue made contact with something inside that had her back bending sharply off the bed and she felt the vibration of his growled approval in response. He did it again, and again, with alternating pressure, then swiftly licked up to her clit and adjusted to push two long fingers deep inside.
Reiko cried out as the orgasm burst from her like a dam. Her body shook, her hips undulating of their own accord against the face still lost beneath her skirt, her vision blurry. She could scarcely breathe.
Santino eased back, appearing in her line of sight as it cleared. A shameless grin split his glistening face and he held up his hand, angled so the sunlight that streamed in through the windows reflected off the sheen ofherthat clung to his skin. “You taste fucking divine, baby.” He licked his lips, leaned forward, and trailed his fingers over her bottom lip. “Be a good girl for me and lick me clean.”
Her mouth opened before he even finished the request and a fresh pulse rolled through her at his words. She closed her lips around his fingers and met his heated stare as she slid hertongue over them, taking her time. She didn’t much care for the taste, but the action? The moment? That moment was hot enough to have her body forgetting she’d already orgasmed.
Santino withdrew his fingers with a grunt. “I need to ruin this dress that you wore for him before I can get you naked. And Ineedyou naked.” He ran a finger around the collar. “Are you able to loosen it, enough to get your tits out?”
Reiko blinked, too worked up to fully process his words. “I think so.” She reached again for the knot at her hip, and this time he didn’t stop her. The fabric quickly loosened, but as she moved to push her arms from the sleeves, she confessed, “I do actually like this dress.”
He smiled as he popped his belt open. “It’s a pretty dress. It still has to go.” He reached out, took the loosened top hem in both hands, and ripped it downward. The motion was more jarring than whatever he’d done with her panties, but it also succeeded in fully exposing her bra.
She’d chosen a matching set that day, in remembrance of the humiliation she’d felt when Santino had seen her plain-Jane bra previously.
Santino groaned at the sight before meeting her gaze again. “I’ll buy you two new ones to make up for it. This one hits the burn pile tonight.” Before she could question any portion of his reasoning, he tucked a hand behind her neck and drew her in for a deep kiss. She tasted more of herself on him, but it was the sense of his urgency—his need for her—that chased away her fleetingly distracted thoughts. When he broke the kiss, he mumbled, “The bra is sexy. I assume you wore that for me?”
She flushed stupidly and nodded.
He grinned, reached behind her, and swiftly unhooked it. “Then we’ll keep it. If you want.” He kissed her cheek. “Now do me a favor, baby, and take out my cock.”
Chapter fourteen
Serious Like
Reiko took a deepbreath, a fresh wave of anticipatory and faintly confused nerves rushing through her as she reached for the button of Santino’s pants. Her bra had hit the floor, exposing her breasts, and in a funny way they were both toplessbut bottom-covered at the moment—again. Despite the lingering tingle between her legs.
But she could hardly think about the parallel, because she didn’t fully understand what Santino wanted to do to “ruin” her dress that required her boobs to be showing. He could see for himself now that she wasn’t the most well-endowed female. Her breasts were perfectly respectable for a woman of her size. Which was to say, she had about a healthy handful. Not really enough if he was thinking of running his dick between them.
She pulled her lip between her teeth as she tugged the zipper down. Everything with Santino was so different from anything she’d known in her past. It was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking.
The cadence of Santino’s breathing changed as she dipped her hands beneath his waistline to push the pants, as well as whatever he wore beneath, out of the way. He’d said to take him out. He hadn’t said the method.
