31. Chapter 31

31

S oren kept his gaze on Ilaria, his chest feeling constricted.

Ilaria blinked. "What do you mean by that?" she said in a low voice. "Then what were you afraid of?"

"I was afraid that any feelings I had for you would make me give up all the plans I had." He felt defeated and vulnerable.

Her eyes went wide. "Did you have feelings for me then?" she asked. "Do you still?" Her voice had risen a pitch.

Soren surged up from the sofa. "Dammit, yes," he growled. "I can't stay away from you." He paced in front of the fireplace. "But our circumstances haven't changed, obviously. I still need to go back to Scotland, and your life is here."

Ilaria nodded slowly. "So nothing can happen long term," she concluded.

"So just tell me you have no feelings for me, and I'll keep my hands off you," he said, almost wishing she would agree.

She rose. Her eyes were like dark pools, holding his gaze. "But then I would be lying."

Soren froze, not quite believing what he was hearing. He fisted his hands to keep from reaching out to her. "Are you sure?" he rasped.

"Yes," Ilaria whispered.

He took two long strides to reach her. Then he lifted her up, spreading her legs around him, and backed her into a wall, pinning her with his hips. He cupped his hand around the back of her neck to pull her mouth down to his. Demanding. Possessing. He intended to claim her tonight, and for however long they had, she was his.

His hands went under her T-shirt, wanting it off her but he couldn't let go of her long enough to pull it off. He finally released her lips, yanked off the shirt over her head, and covered her lips again with his. He couldn't bear to not touch her for even a second.

Soren finally registered that Ilaria's hands were trying to pull off his shirt. He pulled back quickly, growling with impatience, and tugged his shirt over his head.

Ilaria grabbed the sides of his face to pull his mouth back to hers. Her pants and moans stirred his blood and sent all the blood down to his cock.

His hands roamed, reveling in her soft skin. There were still too many clothes on her, getting in the way. He reached behind her to unclip her bra and then stopped. A bed. She deserved a bed.

Soren pulled her away from the wall, her legs still wrapped around his waist, tongue still dancing with hers, and stumbled to her bedroom. They fell onto the bed, her bed covers cushioning them.

He stood up, staring at Ilaria in wonder and awe as she laid amidst the pillows. She looked up at him, eyes soft and glazed with desire. For so long, he had been hoping for this moment. Hoping but denying himself, resigned that he may never get it. He wanted to take his time, yet he couldn't stop the urge to claim her quickly.

Clothes. Ilaria still had too many clothes on. He needed to see all of her. He reached for the button of her jeans.

"Soren." She was pulling on the back of his neck, trying to pull him back down on top of her again to kiss him.

He went back in for a long kiss. "I need your clothes off, love."

Ilaria unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, then yanked them off. She then reached for the button on his jeans but got distracted as she ran her hands over his abs. Soren helped her by wrenching off his jeans and tossing them to the floor.

Her eyes widened when she saw the tent in his boxer shorts. With an eager look on her face, she pulled at the waistband.

Soren stopped her fingers. "Wait, love. My turn first." His eyes feasted her on her body, hands following his eyes. He went to unclip her bra and let out a low groan. Her breasts were perfect: full, perky, and nipples peaked and ready. She was perfect.

His hands were dying to grab handfuls, but he forced himself to slow down. He ran a shaking hand over her skin, smoothing the outside curves and working his way to the sensitive peak.

"Soren, faster." Ilaria arched her back and moved his hand to cover one breast. It was a perfect fit for his hand. He massaged and kneaded, running his thumb lightly over the tip. Her sharp intake of breath told him he had the right spot. Giving in to the urge, he took one of the sensitive tips into his mouth. Ilaria's moan went straight to his groin. If he didn't hurry, he would climax before he even took off her panties. And he needed to come inside her.

Soren ran kisses down her smooth stomach and tore off her panties in one motion. He could see she was already slick, ready for him. He lifted his head to glance at her face. She was watching him, eyes smoky and lips swollen. "I need you in me right now," she demanded.

He chuckled. "Soon, love. Just let me taste you." He knelt between her legs and bent them at the knee. Then he ran his tongue up the center of her, tasting honey and strawberries.

Ilaria writhed under him. "Don't…make me come yet," she panted. "Only when you're inside me."

He growled and moved back up to her lips to ravage them again. Her fingers drifted to the waistband of his boxer shorts again, and this time he let her pull them down. She broke off their kiss to look down at his rock hard erection. Her eyes became saucers.

"I'll go slow, baby, okay?" He reached for a condom and quickly rolled it on. Then he positioned himself above her, between her legs, and looked down at her. "I need you to tell me yes, that you want to keep going." The pressure in his cock was almost unbearable, but he would stop if she didn't say yes.

Ilaria looked at him, incredulous, and took both sides of his face. "Yes! Now will you hurry up?" She reached down between them and fisted his cock, making him jerk. She positioned the broad tip at her entrance and lifted her hips. "Please," she breathed, looking up at him with utter surrender.

Soren made no move to enter her any further. Instead, he leaned down for another long, slow kiss. He had dreamed of this for so long that rushing it seemed like a shame. Of course, his dream wasn't even close to the real thing, and he didn't anticipate that he might blow his lid with a single stroke.

He also didn't anticipate how desperate he was to be inside her. Slowly, slowly, he slid inside. "Yes, yes," Ilaria moaned. She pulled hard at his hips but he held back, gritting his teeth. She was so tight he could barely see, barely breathe.

When he felt her tense, he stopped, not fully in. "Ilaria, I need you to relax," he rasped, his jaw clenched. He fought the crest that was threatening to rise.

"I'm so close, Soren," Ilaria panted.

He leaned down to run a series of kisses down her neck and ended with her nipple. When he felt her relax, he slid the rest of the way home.

Ilaria gasped, her muscles tightening around his cock, her nails digging into his skin, the waves of her climax milking him, and he nearly went over then.

When she opened her eyes, looking sated, Soren said, "Hope you're ready for the next one." He covered her mouth with his again, tongues playing, as he moved slowly in and out. The tight squeeze she had on him felt exquisite, and he wished he could prolong the feeling indefinitely. But he knew he didn't have much longer. He just wanted to hold out until Ilaria came again.

She panted again, running her hands down his arms, chest, and abs.

He went upright, hooking her feet over each of his shoulders. He pumped faster. "Come again for me, love." When her moans got louder, he reached between them and stroked the tiny bundle of nerves at the apex between her legs, and she cried out his name, going over the edge again, muscles clamping down.

He felt the climax wave rise like a rocket and crash over the edge, and he released a loud groan, seeing stars. He couldn't remember ever climaxing so hard.

When Soren's vision cleared, he looked down to see Ilaria grinning at him and was struck speechless by how beautiful she was. He gave her a soft kiss, rolled them over onto their sides, tucked her in tightly against him, pulled the blanket over them, and promptly fell asleep.