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She looked up just then, spotting him in the entryway.Her lips curved into a smile, and the tension in his shoulders melted away like ice under the sun.
Stepping into the room, he sat beside her on the couch, close enough that his thigh brushed hers.“What are you drawing?”he asked, voice low.
Chapter 22
Catarinawantedtoappearcool and confident.Sophisticated.A “woman of the world.”But the truth was humiliating: whenever Salvatore came close, she was reduced to a blubbering fool.One brush of his hand, one glance from those dark eyes, and all she could think about were the things she’d read in books—the kisses, the touches, the passion she’d only imagined.
So when he sat down beside her, the outer edge of his hard, muscular thigh pressing against hers, her composure shattered.Her heart raced, her blood pressure spiked, and every steamy scene she’d ever devoured in a romance novel came rushing back with a vengeance.
“Drawing?”she repeated dumbly, then cringed at the raised eyebrow he shot her.
Heat flooded her face.She looked down at the sketchpad in her lap.“Oh!Right.”Her cheeks turned a mortifying shade of pink, and she silently cursed herself for acting like a schoolgirl with a crush.
She lifted the pad and tilted it toward him.“I remembered where I’d seen the woman who was supposed to infiltrate your organization.It was at a strip club.”
His eyes hardened, his voice dropping with horror.“Your father took you to a club?”
She shrugged, the gesture tight, resigned.“I was his tool.I was meant to accompany him and soften the edges of his brutality.I was supposed to be the pristine, innocent daughter that balanced his reputation.”She sighed, lowering the pad.“He’d dress me up and dragged me to dinner parties, demanded that I smile and curtsy and act like a perfect lady.That’s why he sent me to finishing school instead of letting me go to college.”Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile.“I was his proof.Evidence that he wasn’t as vile as everyone knew he was.”
“And you hated it,” Sal said, reading the fury simmering in her eyes.
“I don’t want to be pristine, Sal,” she whispered fiercely.She set the sketchpad on the table and turned toward him, her body taut with defiance.“Is that what I am to you?Some spotless little doll?”
His eyes narrowed.“What do you mean?”
“Are you keeping me pure and innocent?Is that why you won’t touch me?”Her voice sharpened.“Do you need me to be the image people associate with you instead of—whatever you do behind the scenes?”
“Hell no,” he growled.
Before she could react, his hands were on her, lifting her effortlessly onto his lap.One large palm slid under her dress, and Catarina gasped at the boldness of it—and how much she loved it.Her fingers clutched at his shoulders as he tipped her slightly backward, keeping her off balance, forcing her to cling to him.
“If you think for one damn second that I don’t want to make love to you—over and over again—you’re out of your mind,” he rasped, his breath hot against her cheek.
Her body trembled at his words, tingling with anticipation.“Then why was our first, real kiss only this morning?”she demanded, though her voice came out softer, huskier than she intended.
“Because you weren’t ready,” he said, his gaze dropping to her lips.His hand slid higher along her bare thigh, pausing deliberately, making her squirm.“Are you telling me you’re ready now?”
Catarina swallowed hard, her pulse roaring in her ears.She wiggled nervously against him, every nerve in her body waiting for him to move his hand higher.When he didn’t, when he only stared at her with that raw hunger, she nodded.“Yes,” she whispered.“I’m ready.”
“Hold on,” was all the warning he gave.
The next moment, she was in his arms, swept up as though she weighed nothing.His long strides carried them through the house, up the stairs, and into the primary suite.He kicked the door shut behind them without breaking stride, then carried her straight to the bed.
“You’re not even out of breath,” she whispered in awe, reluctantly loosening her arms from his neck.
“Not yet,” he said darkly, pulling her closer until she felt the undeniable evidence of his arousal.
Her eyes widened, impressed and startled all at once.“Sal,” she breathed, half a laugh escaping her.“You’re definitely more well-endowed than Matteo.”
That was the last coherent thing she managed to say before his mouth covered hers.
The kiss stole the air from her lungs.It wasn’t gentle, wasn’t tentative—it was raw heat and command.She melted into it, into him, whimpering when his tongue tangled with hers.Her hands found his chest, tracing the solid muscle beneath his shirt, then slid higher until her fingers buried themselves in his thick, surprisingly soft hair.
And still, it wasn’t enough.She wanted more—more of his mouth, more of his touch, more of everything Salvatore Romano had been holding back.
“Would you take off your shirt?”she whispered.
A moment later, there was a ripping sound, then his hands took her wrists, placing her palms on the hot skin of his chest.“Wow!”she whispered, watching her fingers slide over hard muscle and a light dusting of dark hair.He was impressively sculpted and she wanted to memorize every ridge and chiseled angle.But then his lips and tongue teased her neck, then her ear lobe.Catarina gasped, shocked and wanting more.
