Remembering my promise, I ripped away from her and staggered a few steps back. I wouldn’t force her. “This wasn’t meant to happen.”

Giulia’s face was flushed. “Why not?”

Her question threw me off. “I told you I won’t sleep with you until you want me to.”

Giulia swallowed then smiled bashfully. And I knew what she’d say from the look of desire in her eyes before she uttered the words. “What if I want you to?” Her voice was low and hesitant.

My pulse throbbed in my temple from our altercation. It had excited me more than a little, but her words blasted the last shreds of my composure.

Despite the truth in her words, I couldn’t believe them. My muscles tensed. When I’d exited the bathroom, I felt exhausted wariness. Now, any tiredness was replaced by eagerness, but my suspicion remained. “You want me to?”

My voice was low, drenched with desire and warning. I took a step closer. Giulia shivered and her nipples puckered. Was she aroused or scared? Probably both.

She nodded. “I want you to.”

Another step closer. Blood pooled in my cock at her words. Still, my doubt remained. “Why? Last time was painful for you.”

“Not everything,” she admitted, blushing. “Not your mouth.”

My eyes darted to the apex of her thighs, hidden by her nightgown, remembering her taste, her scent. “Fuck.”

“Fuck.” He looked as if he’d lost a battle with himself.

He prowled toward me, cupped the back of my head, and backed me into the window. “You want my mouth?”

The desire in his eyes, in his voice, scorched me with its intensity.

My mouth became dry. “Yes.”

He bent down and kissed me. His mouth, his tongue, they demanded my surrender like the rest of him. He wanted control and I gave in, let the kiss consume me until he dragged his mouth away, panting. “Like this?”

I was dazed and couldn’t follow his words. His mouth pulled into a dominant smile. “Do you want my mouth like this? Or somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else,” I got out, even if the words were hardly more than an exhale.

“On your pussy?” he rasped before he prevented me from replying by kissing me again. Maybe the fight had lowered his protective walls—I didn’t care because Cassio saying that word was incredibly sexy. He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the bed, where he laid me down carefully then followed suit, his strong body pressing me into the mattress.

He kept kissing me with silent urgency as his hands shoved down my panties. My nightgown was next. He stopped the kiss to drag the garment over my head. I lay back, allowing him to admire me, and he did. His hungry gaze slid over my body. He was already hard in his pajama bottoms, and his muscled stomach heaved with every breath. I felt the unreasonable urge to follow the trail of hair disappearing in his waistband with my tongue. I’d admired attractive boys from afar and appreciated them in an abstract, curious way. None of them had left enough of an impact to feature in my fantasies when I touched myself. My body’s reaction to Cassio was on another level. Despite his age, or maybe because of it, the sight of his strong all-man body sent thrills of desire through my body even before he touched me.

“You’re so fucking lovely,” he groaned before he hovered over me, engulfing me with his manly scent. The warm, comforting aroma was like a drug to my system. His lips found mine for a possessive kiss before he moved lower. I watched as his mouth closed around my nipple, and at the first tug, I gasped, my hand flying up to clutch at his head.

“Yes!” The word slipped out without intention.

He looked up, holding my gaze as he sucked. His mouth was hot around my sensitive skin. I felt the shockwave between my legs and clenched.

“I should have done this last night.”

God, he should have. This felt amazing. He lowered himself between my legs, and I opened them for his strong body without hesitation, loving the feel of his powerful, warm body on top of me. He cupped both of my breasts with his big hands, squeezed lightly, never taking his eyes off me—nor did I take mine off him. The sight of this man touching me turned me on.

Kneading my breasts gently, he lavished my nipples with attention, kisses, licks, and sucks until I was panting. Without thinking, I wrapped my legs around him and pushed my center against his stomach, needing friction. My wetness coated the firm muscles and caused Cassio to groan low in his throat. His eyes flashed with triumph and hunger. His mouth worked my breasts with even more fervor until I was close to losing my mind with need for release. I kept rubbing myself against Cassio’s abs almost desperately, but it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough. I needed more, but wasn’t sure how to say it.

I made a small impatient sound in the back of my throat, my fingers clawing at Cassio’s shoulder, trying to tell him without words.

His eyes seemed to darken with realization. “Now I crave something sweet.”

I frowned until I realized what he meant, and then I could have wept from relief. He pushed up on his palms, and I lowered my legs from his back. Looking down his body, he brushed his fingers over his lower abs glistening with my lust for him. Then he brought them to his lips. “As sweet as I remember. Perfect.”

I could only agree. But I meant the sight of him, of this strong muscled man peering down at my body as if it was a revelation.

He moved down until his face hovered right over my pussy. Last time, it had made me feel insecure because I hadn’t known what to expect. Now it made me feel nervous for another reason. “What if I don’t… come again?” The last two words were whispered. Cassio had spent fifteen minutes between my legs on our wedding night, and while it had been pleasurable, I hadn’t been close to orgasm.

He lowered himself to his elbows then slid his palms under my thighs. He cupped my ass cheeks, startling me. Tearing his eyes away from my center, he looked at me, and the hunger on his face alone almost made me come. “Don’t think about it. Just relax and let me get you there. Don’t rush it. Just let it happen.” Then he jerked me toward his waiting mouth and… holy hell, pretty much French kissed my pussy. I arched up, and let out an embarrassingly loud moan. I snapped my mouth shut, remembering the kids.

“Sorry.”

“The walls are thick and our room is at the other end of the corridor. Don’t worry,” he rasped as he rubbed his stubble over the soft skin of my inner thigh. His lips and chin were shiny. I could not stop looking. Shouldn’t I have closed my eyes or stared at the ceiling? Wasn’t that what women were supposed to do?

Cassio dragged his tongue along my slit, holding my gaze, and I felt that too. I clutched his hair, holding him in place even if he didn’t look like he had any intention of going anywhere. He ate me like I was his last meal.

“Do you enjoy it?” he rasped in between swipes of his tongue.

“Yes,” I whispered. This was already so much better than last time. Maybe because the pressure had lifted off my shoulders—I didn’t care. “And you?” Gasp. “Do you enjoy it?” Where had this daring, sexual creature hidden all my life?

Cassio smiled darkly, not appearing as if he minded. He squeezed my ass hard and lifted me higher as he wedged his shoulders against my thighs so my pussy was practically smothering him. My useless legs rested on his back. “I enjoy it very much. Your taste.” He dipped his tongue into me, and I moaned. “Your moans.” He raised his head. “The sight of your pretty pussy. So fucking pretty.”