Page 85 of Till Death Do Us Part

He wrapped his arm around my waist. “Look at me, fulfilling wishes I didn’t even know you had.”

Later that night as I readied for bed, I marveled at the change a week could make. Between lunch and dinner, I used my new phone to call my mother and Giorgia. They were both happy to hear from me. I told them about spending a week on Bella. I didn’t mention the break-in. Instead, I made it sound like we’d escaped real life for a honeymoon at sea. Of course, Mom knew about the break-in at the Ruiz home. She mentioned that Catalina’s mother and sister were in Kansas City and even sounded a little jealous, which didn’t surprise me.

I shared more personal information with Giorgia.

She screamed when I told her. And even from thousands of miles away, my cheeks filled with warmth as I admitted that maybe sex wasn’t as horrid as I’d previously thought.

Wearing a short nightgown, with my face washed, teeth brushed, and hair combed, I walked into the bedroom suite and spotted Aléjandro out on the balcony with a tumbler of tequila in his hand. The whoosh of waves came from the shore. I stood in the open doorway, leaned against the jamb, and bit my lip, appreciating the specimen that was my husband. He was leaning forward on the railing, looking out toward the dark ocean, and unaware that I was dissecting him inch by inch.

His shirt from earlier was gone, giving me an unobstructed view of his shoulders, the concavity of his spine, and the sexy dimples near its base. My insides turned to liquid as I scanned his bronze skin. His torso slimmed to a V, and his pajama pants rode low on his hips, giving me a hint of his tight, muscular ass.

How hadn’t I seen how sexy he was the first time I saw him?

Maybe I did.

I did.

I refused to admit it.

Aléjandro turned, resting his ass on the railing and crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes appeared black, as if the pupils had taken over the brown, melting it away. His lips curled above his chiseled jawline, and his dark hair was smoothed back in waves, the lights from below reflecting in its raven black shine.

“You’re overdressed,señora.” There was a rasp in his voice that set my blood racing.

“I’m dressed for sleep.”

Aléjandro drained the last of the tequila and set the tumbler on the tile floor, all while his stare didn’t leave mine. It was as if he didn’t even blink. The black holes of his orbs were magnets, beckoning me toward him.

“I was just thinking,” he said, coming closer and lifting his arm to the doorjamb above the top of my head, “about the first time I saw this house.”

I lifted my chin to see him better, the sharp cut of his jaw and the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. “I love it. You said you wanted me to like it. I do.”

A gasp escaped my throat as he seized my wrists, lifted them over my head, pinning me in place. “This suite.” He tilted his chin to the bedroom. “I imagined you here.” He tugged my wrists higher, making me push up onto my tiptoes. “I envisioned the things I could do to you here.”

Beneath the fabric of my nightgown, my nipples hardened.

Aléjandro leaned forward and nipped my neck, sending shockwaves throughout my nervous system. “Would you like to hear all the things I thought of?”

“No.” I shook my head, my toes stressed, wrists aching, and imagination in overdrive. “Show me.”

His lips crashed down on mine, taking my breath as his tongue plunged within. I wiggled and fought against his hold of my wrists to no avail as his kiss devoured my need for freedom. With the hardness of his chest pressed against me, I sensed his kisses everywhere. Fire raged through my circulation, leaving smoldering ruins in its wake. By the time he released me, my muscles had softened, and I staggered to remain standing.

Aléjandro stepped inside the bedroom, offering me his hand. Once we were both within the room, he closed the glass doors and blinds. As he turned, his voice deepened, and his accent thickened. “Suck me, Mia. Like you did in the shower.”

The shower.

My first revision of my declaration.

My modification.

My decision.

Without hesitation, I fell to my knees, willing to let Aléjandro take command of our evening, giving him the control while knowing that I had the option to tell him no. As his erection grew beneath his pants, my mouth watered, and the word ‘no’ was suddenly absent from my vocabulary.

Looking up through veiled lashes, I straightened my neck, sitting back on my heels. Wanton need stirred within me as he lowered the waistband of his pajama pants. Oh God Almighty, he was commando. No wonder his pants hadn’t hidden his erection.

I fidgeted, needing to feel friction between my legs, but my efforts were in vain. My hunger grew as he reached for my chin with one hand while grasping his length with his other.

“In the shower,” he said, “I was at a disadvantage.”