Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Lalani woke up a short time later a bit disoriented. Her blinds still showed a bit of the setting sun and she was in bed. She looked down and found Anthony’s arm draped over her. Her lips curved as satisfaction moved through her. She looked up at him, his eyes were closed, but she could tell he wasn’t sleeping—just drifting like she had been.

“Not bad, Santini.”

He opened one eye. “Not bad? I think I heard you call my name at least twice.”

She chuckled. “Well, there was that. But, considering your age, and the fact that you aren’t a dancer…”

Before she could blink, he was above her looking down at her with a frown. “My age?”

She laughed. “Okay, you were amazing.”

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, then settled down beside her again. “Are you telling me you’ve never slept with anyone but dancers?”

She shrugged. “Or former dancers. There was one regular guy, but it’s hard to meet people out of the business. It is a very insulated world.”

“How?”

“It’s hard to describe, but I don’t think it is much different than the military.”

He snorted. “I beg to differ.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t mind it. So many people thought the life of a dancer was easy. But it wasn’t, and it took most of her life up for several years while she lived in New York.

“When I was a dancer, I was up at four in the morning, every morning. I had practice much of the day. Performances at night. My days were usually about sixteen hours of training, exercising, and performing.”

“Okay, but can you kill someone with just your hands?”

“Nope. Don’t wanna, but I am sure I can unman someone who doesn’t take me seriously.”

He chuckled and kissed her shoulder, sighing contentedly. The sound of it shifted through her. It was as if the one act of making love made her in tune with him. It was troubling on one level, but on another level, she just didn’t care. Her body was still humming, and it was hard to panic when that was going on.

“I didn’t really expect to take you to bed tonight.”

“Yeah? I think someone said something about me being beneath you when you came into my apartment.”

He kissed her shoulder again. “Okay, there is that, but I had wanted to take it slow.”

“What for?”

“Important things should be.”

“Oh, good Lord, you sound like an instruction manual.”

“I wanted you to know that I didn’t just come here and take you without thinking it through. It is important for you to know that you’re important.”

She studied him for a long moment and, for some reason, almost felt like crying. Why? Was it because it was the sweetest thing a man had said to her? Or was it because she knew at this moment, it wasn’t a line and he really meant it? Probably a little of both.

“Okay.”

The serious moment over, his lips curved. “Now, back to this only dating dancers.”

“Oh, I thought you might have forgotten about it.”

“I just asked you about it.”

“Well, considering your age.”

He goosed her and she squealed. “Now, tell me.”

“Okay, what do you want to know?”

“Your dating practices.”

She pulled herself up and rested on her elbow. She brushed some of his hair back from his forehead. “As I said, all those work hours, it is really hard to keep a social life. What little of one I did have was with other dancers. When I was younger, all I cared about was dance. And, being a Marine brat didn’t help.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, indignation filling his voice.

“Well, I was a little bit of a rebel.”

“Hard to believe.”

“You know what it’s like living on base. A lot of the guys I went to school with and lived by were bucking to be Marines. That was something I wanted to avoid. I love my father, but I have never been someone who had daddy issues.”

He toyed with the ends of her hair, wrapping a strand of it around his finger, then letting it loose to watch it unravel.

“And so, I didn’t date a lot before I went to New York.”

“Except for dancers.”

She nodded. “We need to eat.”

Her stomach growled proving her point.

He chuckled. “Yeah. I’m hungry too.”

She gave him a kiss, then slipped from bed. “Did you want to order in?”

“Nothing to eat here?”

She shook her head as she grabbed her red silk robe. “I’ve been too busy all week getting ready for the recital.”

“Recital?” he asked as he stood and grabbed his knit boxers.

She watched as that magnificent Santini ass disappeared. She was starting to truly understand Alana’s preoccupation with Marco now. Every one of the Santinis she had met were wonderful examples of male beauty. Although, now that she thought about it, she preferred Anthony’s long lean muscles.

He turned before she could avert her eyes. By the time her gaze met his, she wanted to smack the knowing smile off his face.

“So, what can we order in?” he asked.

“I guess we could go out.”

He shook his head as he walked toward her.

“Why not?”

“Going out gets in the way.”

“Of what?”

“Getting you back beneath me.”

She went easily into his arms, heat already flaring low in her belly as arousal warmed her blood.

“I bet you would have just as much fun beneath me.” His erection pressed against her stomach.

His lips twitched as he leaned down. “I think I can agree to that.

Then, he walked them back to the bed. He fell on it, pulling her with him.

“Why don’t you prove it to me?”

She laughed and straddled him. She was already wet, growing damper by the second.

“Wait,” he said. He pointed at his wallet. Lalani leaned over to pull out some more condoms, dropping the extras on the table next to her bed, then setting one on the bed.

“So, about having as much fun…”

She smiled as she leaned down and kissed him. Slowly, she made her way down his body just as he had with her. Kissing and nipping his flesh as she went. She pulled off his boxers, and grabbed hold of his cock. She stroked him, enjoying the way his eyes closed and the moan that slipped from his lips. She had never been shy about sex, but there was a different feeling with Anthony. He didn’t just make her feel good. He made her feel powerful.

She leaned down and laid the flat of her tongue against the tip, before taking him fully into her mouth. Keeping her hand at the base, she moved up and down, grazing her teeth against the crown of his penis every now and then.

He threaded his fingers through her hair as he molded his hands to the back of her head. Soon, though, it was apparently too much. He pulled her up and over him, then cussed.

She laughed as she grabbed the condom before he could. She took it between her teeth, and ripped it open. Anthony tried to grab it, but she swatted his hands away.

“Hey,” he said, laughing.

“I said, I was on top and that means in everything .”

She thought he might get irritated, but he didn’t. Instead, his eyes darkened, and his mouth curved up.

“I’m at your mercy.”

With very slow movements, and much teasing on her part, she rolled the condom on, rising up so she could slide down onto his erection. She started to move, up and down, allowing them both time to enjoy the feeling.

She was still a little sensitive from their first time together, but she didn’t care. Pleasure rippled through her as Anthony placed his hands on her hips. He wasn’t trying to control her, but gave her support. Heat traveled up her spine as she felt her orgasm approaching, but it stayed just out of reach.

Frustrated, she growled. Anthony chuckled. She opened her eyes and frowned down at him as she stopped moving.

“Just move, baby. I’ll help you.”

She did as he suggested. He slipped his hand between them, teasing the little bundle of nerves at her apex. In the next instant, her orgasm rushed over her.

“Oh, yeah, that’s it, Lalani.”

He started thrusting up with her, his hands taking her hips under his control. She barely noticed as he shouted her name again, as he drove up inside of her and gave himself over to his own orgasm. Moments later, she collapsed on top of him.

His heart was hammering against her ear and she smiled. With considerable effort, she rose up and looked at him.

“See, I told you.”

He chuckled as he skimmed his fingers over her rear end.

“And I am a man who knows when to admit when a woman is right. Especially when it ends so spectacularly.”

She smiled and rested her head on his chest again. It was definitely the perfect way to end her week.