Scene set-up
Luca and Allegra have worked together for a year and the attraction between them has finally come to a head. They're alone together in the empty hotel they have come to inspect. But neither is thinking about that. Luca is desperate to kiss her, but having learned how she'd been sexually harassed in a previous job, is determined to proceed slowly and let her make the first move,
Smooch -
He was dying, slowly dying of torture.
His whole body was in lockdown. He didn’t dare move
so much as a finger while Allegra sat next to him, her slim hand on his, her
lovely eyes bright with enquiry and uncertainty.
The women he dated were usually confident, supremely
self-assured and not at all hesitant about inviting a man into their bed.
Allegra was different in so many ways, even though
he’d always thought of her as confident in her professional role.
It wasn’t just looks or attitude, though they played
their part. This was Allegra, the
woman he’d appreciated and liked, but hadn’t known at all. The woman who’d
tormented his fantasies though he’d tried to deny it.
With her beautiful blue-grey eyes and lush mouth,
she was more potently desirable than any fantasy. He smelled her: vanilla, warm
female flesh and the slightest hint of musk, and his heart kicked hard into a
primitive, urgent tattoo. A needy tattoo.
He wanted Allegra as he couldn’t remember wanting
anyone. Sitting still, not claiming her, giving her the chance to decide, was
the hardest thing he could remember doing.
Then her hand was on his face, her breath warm on
him. Her fingers channelled through his hair and that touch seemed as intimate
as any erotic caress. Every nerve ending danced into urgent wakefulness.
He was an inch from pulling her to him, and ending
this torment, when she closed her eyes and touched her mouth to his.
The effect was electrifying, even though her kiss
was gentle, almost innocent, with her lips still closed. It was enough to sever
Luca’s control as his blood surged south and every neuron flashed, his brain
demanding more and still more.
Luca hauled her closer, pulling her over the arm of
the chair and onto his lap, lashing her tight within his embrace. She was soft
and curved, deliciously feminine against his granite hardness, and close wasn’t
enough.
Not when he anchored his hand in her fine hair,
angling her head for better access. Not when she responded to the slick of his
tongue along her mouth by opening her lips and letting him plunge deep.
She tasted of wine and something sweet and
unfamiliar. Something that he guessed was simply Allegra. Dimly Luca registered
it was a taste he’d happily grow addicted to.
Her hands wrapped over his shoulders and he dragged
his palm up, over her ribcage to the swell of her breast.
She stiffened and for an instant he thought he’d
scared her, but instead she arched against him, thrusting her softness into his
palm. He stroked his thumb over her nipple and she moaned in the back of her
throat.
He wanted to make her moan again. To scream his name
in ecstasy. He wanted everything with her.
Luca deepened his kiss, mimicking the way he’d like
to possess her body. And the sweetness of her response, the way she melted
against him, sucking his tongue against hers, sparked wildfire in his veins.
‘I want you,’ he breathed, the sound lost against
her mouth. But she heard. He felt the quiver right through her slender body.
She pressed closer, every part of her pure
invitation. ‘Then take me.’
It was as if she’d lit dynamite somewhere in his
brain. He felt the silent, juddering waves of reaction roll through him, felt
his hands tighten possessively on her delectable body. And he realised with
shock that he was close to coming just at the sound of her words and the feel
of her rounded hip against his erection.
Part of him wanted to strip her naked right here.
Another part was all for simply tearing her trousers open and driving into her
without niceties like undressing.
But Luca had more control than that.
Barely.
In a surge of movement he rose to his feet, cradling
Allegra close in his arms, every muscle and sinew taut with aroused
possessiveness.
Instantly her grip tightened, as if afraid he might
drop her. Or as if she too, craved contact.
He liked that. He liked her holding onto him as if
she’d never let go. And when she pulled her head back to gasp in air he liked
the dazed look in her silvery eyes. It was like looking into moonlight, except
there was nothing cool about Allegra’s eyes. They burned with a hunger that
matched his.
Swiftly, driven by the need to stamp his mark, Luca
hitched her higher and bent his head, taking her mouth in a hard, proprietorial
kiss. He needed to taste her again, feel that huge, trembling weight of
anticipation rising up through her body to meet his.
This time when he lifted his head, she looked
thoroughly kissed. Her hair was around her shoulders in glorious waves and her
lips were swollen. Her eyes were diamond-bright.
For a moment they just looked at each other, both
panting, trying to drag in more air. Then Allegra smiled, slowly, sending his
heart spinning out of control and spurring him into action.
BOUND TO THE ITALIAN BOSS is only my second office romance and in both stories a lot of the action takes place outside the office! I love reading office romances but seem to have trouble keeping my characters to their desks. Are you a fan of office romances? What is your favourite romance trope? Marriage of convenience, twin swap, boy next door, secret baby...?
I'll give away an e-copy of BOUND TO THE ITALIAN BOSS via Amazon to two people who comment here (no geographical restriction).
