Slowly, he left the warm, wet heaven of her body, immediately feeling the loss, but with the knowledge that he’d be there so often she’d never want another man. Not even some rich basketball team owner’s son. Especially not some rich basketball team owner’s son, he amended. With one last peck, he jackknifed off the bed and held his hand out to her. So trustingly, she placed her hand in his. He’d do all in his power to protect what was his, he silently vowed.
The blush that stole up her beautiful, tanned skin almost had him throwing her back on the bed, but the sight of her slight wince made him remember she’d been a virgin until last night. That last thought kicked the corners of his mouth up into what others called an arrogant grin.
“Go take a shower while I check on your clothes.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek.
“If you’re sure, otherwise I can just—”
He placed his lips over hers, hoping to silence any doubts she had. It wasn’t a claiming, like his other kisses. No, this kiss was a sweet, gentle caress that he hoped conveyed how much he cared for her. When their lips parted, Lorenzo was happy to see the slightly slumberous look on her face. With her hand still in his, he led her into the bathroom, adjusted the temperature of the shower, and, with a final peck on her mouth, sauntered out.
After a quick wash in his guest suite, he slipped on a pair of board shorts and padded barefoot into his kitchen. A note left by his housekeeper, along with a small bag of clothes for Angel, sat on the granite counter.
The fragrant smell of onions and herbs filled the air as he whipped up two veggie omelets. For the first time in his thirty years, he was actually making breakfast for a woman, and not just any woman, either, but Angelina Rugiero.
“Wow.” Angel sniffed. “That smells awesome. Can I help you with anything?”
He saw a fresh faced Angelina walk into the room. “Nope, just park your fine ass on a stool.”
“A man who cooks and serves breakfast?” She batted her lashes.
“If that impresses you, I have a lot more attributes,” he joked, waggling his eyebrows.
Angelina forked the last morsel of egg into her mouth. Seeing her even, white teeth scrape across the tines almost made him forget what he needed to ask her.
“Angel, I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest with me.”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Okay! Go ahead, shoot.”
“Why do you think you’ve had sex before last night?”
The silence that greeted his question sounded deafening in the quiet of the room.
Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. “Listen, Lorenzo, I know we made…I mean we had sex, but that doesn’t give you the right to question my sex life.”
“Ah hell, honey, don’t get mad.” He grabbed her as she jumped off the barstool, stopping her retreat. “I don’t know what made you think you had sex five years ago, but I can assure you that, until last night, you were a virgin.”
“What? That’s not possible. The night of my eighteenth…” She slapped her hand over her mouth.
“Oh, no you don’t. The night of your birthday party, who took advantage of you?” he growled.
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. Nobody took advantage of me. It was me.”
Lorenzo finally understood the saying seeing red. “Okay, why don’t you explain and start from the beginning.”
Jerking out of his hold, she tried to put distance between them, her face drained of color. “Do you really want me to start from the beginning, including how I saw you in the bathroom with that whore Candis?”
He closed his eyes. No, he didn’t want to rehash that, but, if it got her talking, then Lorenzo would do it.
“Listen, Angel, I’m sorrier than you can imagine about you seeing that. The absolute last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. It’s just…” He ran his hand through his hair. “At the time, you were only eighteen to my twenty-five. Christ, just the sight of you walking down the staircase gave me a hard-on that could’ve drilled nails. I’d had way too much to drink, which isn’t an excuse,” he assured her. “Long story short, I’ve had more than my fair share of sleepless nights since you turned sixteen. I felt like a fucking pervert for wanting a child, but want you I did. That night, you literally took my breath away, and all I could think about was lifting that extremely short skirt and fucking you silly. Candis caught me at a weak moment, and I let her. I’m not blaming her. I’m a man, and I could have said no, but all I wanted was a little Cuban firecracker.”
“You wanted me then?” Her eyes were staring at him with incredulity.
“God yes, baby.” His words came out in a gush of pent up air.
“Then why?” Tears shimmered in her eyes.
“Shit! How would it have looked if I’d have grabbed you like this, and kissed you like this?” Putting action to words, he lifted Angel, and sat her on the counter. The moan she made was the sexiest sound he’d ever heard in his kitchen before, or anywhere for that matter. He lifted his head, loving how the position put her at eye level with him, and she met him hungry stare for hungry stare.
“So, I’ve answered your question, now you answer mine.” He licked a path along her neck.