"Of all the Gin Joints…" Rosa Melchionne mumbled to herself as she stepped off the elevator into the spacious, decadent foyer of her family's boutique hotel on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and spotted her brother Luca's friend and business partner, Marco Romano, standing at the front desk watching her with a smart-ass grin plastered on his way-too-handsome face.
Rosa hesitated to look him in the eye because the last time she did, at her brother's wedding on New Year’s Eve, she’d tumbled into his bed for the night. A night of sex she re-lived occasionally. Well, more than occasionally. Perhaps once or twice a week when she found herself alone in bed or in the spacious, luxurious bathtub in her penthouse apartment in the hotel with her water-proof, battery-operated companion. Thinking about that sizzling hot night now had her tingling all over.
Regardless of the way her body responded to him, the man was not her type. Self-assured, arrogant, and way-too-full of himself. She preferred…hell if she knew what type of man she preferred. She just didn't fancy him.
Several weeks before she’d met Marco, on Christmas Eve for the first time, she’d found herself in a very brief relationship with a famous race-car driver from Spain. He’d appeared to be her type until she met his madre, and being around her turned him into a little boy again. So the one thing she knew was she didn't like momma's boys. She wanted her man to love, respect, and honor his momma. Not fall back in time and revert to acting like a child.
Marco didn't look like he was a momma's boy. Oh, she had no doubt he loved his mother when she'd been alive, and would do anything for her, but did she turn him into a child? No. She couldn't possibly see that.
Without consciously doing so, she tumbled into his brown/nearly black eyes rimmed with silver. Even from the distance of twenty feet, electricity from those unusual eyes ricocheted through her body. She knew she shouldn't have looked. Next thing she knew she'd be falling into his bed…again.
The bastard quirked up one brow, gave her a white-toothed grinned, and walked toward her. No—not walked—strutted. Did men strut? Perhaps not normally, but this one did.
"Ciao, bella," he said as he kissed both her cheeks. Rosa refused to acknowledge how the deep timbre of his voice sent her woman parts burning, her heart jumping, and her mind craving. Marco, for her, was a dangerous man.
When her composure returned, she thrust her shoulders back, plastered a fake smile on her face and glared at him. "What brings you to my hotel?"
"Oh…this is your hotel now? I thought it belonged to your family?"
Now her blood boiled and not for the reasons her woman parts burned moments ago. Rosa was a tad famous within her family for her temper. And for some unforeseen reason, Marco brought it out of her. "You know what I mean. Did Luca send you here to check up on me?"
The man grinned and rocked back on his heels all the while never taking his dark eyes off hers. "Yes, and no. I was due for a holiday and hadn't been to the Amalfi Coast in ages. I was feeling restless, wanted to take in the sights and visit Pompeii." He winked at her, the damn bastard. "Also, it's my sister’s birthday in two weeks and she lost the cameo that's been in my family for generations. It needs replacing. He paused, his eyes still holding her hostage. “Although, Luca did ask me to check up on you since I was going to be in town.”
"I see." Like hell she did. For the past few months, her brother had been asking her to visit Tuscany and the vineyard he jointly owned with Marco and his sister, Angela. Rosa could hear the words her brother wanted to say. Words like Marco is a good man. Marco seems taken with you. Marco…Marco…Marco.
What about her? Did her brother care about Marco more than her? She'd made it quite clear how she felt about him. The insufferable, conceded…Oh yes, she knew how she felt about him. Wildly crazy and that scared her half to death. She hadn't set eyes on him in five months and yet, it was as though no time ticked by at all. Him haunting her dreams every night could be why.
He leaned his tall body down close to her five foot five frame and whispered in her ear, "Don't let me being here worry you for a minute. I'll stay way out of your way. In fact, I'm meeting friends tonight for dinner. Ciao, Rosa."
Watching him step around her and enter the elevator without so much as another glance puzzled her. It also made her heart sink. For one second, when she first saw him, she’d hoped he was there for her. That he'd come to profess his love. Oh Rosa, what a silly romantic fool. That only happened in the movies. She could dream though, couldn't she? But now that he dismissed her so carelessly and with no regard to her feelings, perhaps he was here for what he said. Nothing more than a holiday and birthday gift buying for his sister.
With his hand over his exploding heart, Marco stared at the closed elevator doors and congratulated himself for playing it cool, like the American’s said, when he was anything but. Rosa did things to him. Things he'd never experienced before, except for the night they'd spent together. A night etched in permanent ink on his brain. When he lay in bed, some nights it played back inside his mind, not in living color, but in black and white as though it happened a lifetime ago. It made him wonder if they'd been soul mates in another time, another place. Although one would have to believe in such things—not him. When his parents died, he visited with many mediums hoping to contact them. Never happened.
It made him put spirits and reincarnation in the highly unlikely category. That was until he met Rosa and instantly felt like he knew her—really knew her. They connected. He felt her presence deep down inside the essence of his soul. Perhaps it was nothing more than a physical attraction so strong it made him see things that didn't exist. Although he didn't really believe that. Because ever since he met her and slept with her, she'd become part of him. She'd crawled inside his heart and taken up residence.
He’d pelted her brother, and his friend Luca, with too many questions to list, and his friend dared to snicker at him. Luca would say, "You've been shot through the heart with Cupid’s arrow my friend. Nothing you can do but pursue my sister. You will never find peace until you do. Come to think of it, you'll never have peace even when you do. But it'll be worth it. Trust me. I've never been happier since I married Mia."
Marry? Perhaps someday soon. After all, he wasn't getting any younger since turning thirty-six last week. Hence why he sought Rosa out. Thirty-six. Hell, where had the time gone? It was past time he settled down, and until he locked eyes with Rosa that day in Saint Mark's Square on Christmas Eve, and his heart did this huge flip inside his chest, he'd met no one he wanted to settle down with. Luca was right, Cupid hit him straight in the center of his heart with his magic arrow that night. He swore he felt the shaft still lodged there nice and snug.
The elevator pinged on the third floor. The top floor. Buildings didn't go up very high on the Amalfi Coast. In fact, they built this hotel into the side of a cliff, like most places around here. Luca had insisted on giving him the room for free, and when he walked inside the suite, he dropped his bag and was drawn to the wall of windows overlooking the Mediterranean with its blue/green beautiful waters beyond. Spectacular. There was no other word for the sight before him. He’d been here once before many years ago with his parents and his sister. He’d always wanted to return but had been busy with school then the vineyard. He leaned against the glass looking right, and his eyes were drawn to the plentiful lemon trees growing on the sides of hills, which were more like cliffs. He could see netting all up the sides of the cliffs keeping the trees safe. Flatland on the Amalfi Coast was non-existent. People had to make use of what they had.
He didn't think there could be a more beautiful, peaceful place on earth. Rosa must love living here. Would she give it up, could she give it up and move to Montepulciano in Southern Tuscany with him? Easy there Marco, getting a little ahead of yourself, no?
Besides having mind-blowing sex together and connecting on some elemental level, he didn't even know if she liked him. She may have haunted his every waking moment of every day the past months, but he didn't know if she’d even thought of him once.
Shit. He closed his eyes and breathed in his nose, out his mouth to slow the beat of his heart before he died on the spot from a heart attack and never found out how Rosa felt about him. In the lobby just now, she'd given him conflicting vibes. One moment she looked longing and almost glad to see him and next ice crystals surrounded her.
After about a minute, he stepped back and took in the rest of his surroundings. Quintessential old world Italy stood before him. The place was luxurious in a comfortable way. Travelers’ expected their hotel rooms to be a certain way when visiting Italy, and the Melchionnes’ designers aimed to please. Decadent, homey, and comfortable at the same time. A quick glance into the bathroom confirmed his suspicions. Old world grand meets modern.
A light knock on the door had him moving toward it and his heart spiking again thinking it might be Rosa. His smile faltered when he opened the door and found an employee of the hotel wheeling in a cart covered with a bottle of Prosecco on ice, one flute, and a small plate of lemon pastries and assorted grapes. Marco’s shoulders sagged with disappointment.
"Compliments of hotel management," the young gentleman said as he parked the glass and brass cart next to the fully stocked bar in the room's corner.
"Grazie," Marco said as he swiped a bunch of grapes and frowned at the single, lonely crystal flute taunting him. You are one person. Alone. Not a couple. Alone. And lonely. Christ, he'd never felt so pathetic in his entire life. He'd come here to feel good, not spiral into utter despair. He was saved from his sudden pitying thoughts, once again, by a knock on his door.
With a sudden hitch in his step, he flew open the door expecting another hotel employee. Wrong. He was so wrong. Rosa stood there looking shy. Rosa…shy? He'd never once gotten the impression she was anything but straightforward and confident. And low and behold her elegant hand held an empty flute. "May I come in?"
He stepped aside. "Per favore. I was just thinking how pathetic I am for drinking Prosecco alone with such a spectacular view and no one to share it with."
"Well, you're not alone now. There's plenty of time later for feeling sorry for yourself and being pitiable." Rosa smiled as she sashayed to the cart, picked up the attractive bottle, popped the top with a loud bang and half-filled both flutes. Her long, delicate fingers with perfectly manicured French tip nails held up both glasses. Thanks to his sister he recognized French tip nails.
"Gracie." He plucked one flute out of her hand, trying not to make contact with her skin because if he did his libido would kick into high gear—or higher than it already was. Without looking he knew his cock hardened thinking it would get to come out and play. The poor sucker didn't know how slim that chance was. He sipped the drink, which was superb. Did he expect anything less from a Melchionne? No. The entire family had style and class in abundance. And money, of which he had very little. Hence why Luca invested in his vineyards his family had owned for nearly two centuries. Damn the wild hogs that had decimated his vines last year to the point he and his sister nearly lost everything. He’d turned to the only person he could rely on and trust. Luca. Although it hurt his pride to do so. No one wanted to admit failure. If it wasn't for his sister, Angela, he would've sold off the land, packed his belongings and begged Luca for a job at one of his family's resorts. It didn't matter to him what he did as long as he had a purpose in life. But Angela? She deserved her birthright. Their business was rebounding, giving him another purpose in life. Rosa.
"So tell me how my brother and Mia are? Since they married, I've missed my best friend." Rosa paused and rolled her eyes. "She just had to marry my brother."
Marco knew Rosa didn't mean it the way it came across. Every member of their family was thrilled with the union. Especially Rosa, since she and Mia were best friends. But he understood her frustrations at not being able to see her friend or brother whenever she wanted.
"From what I gather, during our phone conversations, they are great and busy in California. Luca told me you were visiting them next month." He studied her over the rim of his glass. Although he'd only known her for a short time, he knew her soul and she was lonely. So am I sweetheart, so am I. Hence why I'm here. Only you can fill the deep chasm.
His eyes followed the sway of her hips in her curve-hugging skirt as she walked toward the bank of windows and stared into the deep blue sea beyond. "Si."
"Is that all you have to say? Si?"
She spun around, nostrils flaring, eyes stabbing him. "What do you expect me to say? You asked if I was going to California and I replied, Si. Simple, easy question. Don't go making it more than it is."
"I didn't, you did when you entered my room."
She stalked, circling him several times before he’d had enough. Snaking a hand out, he grabbed her by the elbow—her flute shattered against the floor, his joined it. Before he even knew what he planned on doing, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He dropped her none-too-gently onto the bed with his body following. One glance into her creamy brown eyes and he was lost. He dipped his head and placed his lips on hers. She sighed from deep within her chest, curled her arms around his neck, and kissed him back with abandon fueling his lust and need.
His mouth devoured hers, leaving nothing unexplored. He could spend days, months, years kissing her. Her taste tantalized him. The mewing sounds escaping her throat drove him beyond crazy. And crazy he was, but he didn't care. Only the here and now mattered. Only Rosa mattered. The hell with the rest of the world.
"Are you still with me?" whispered Rosa.
"Scusa." Not only had his mind wandered but his lips also. Not anymore. Marco kissed her, holding nothing back. Pure, raw, wet kisses making her moan. One hand skimmed up the inside of her leg, loving the feel of bare skin, but he wanted more. He rolled them so they faced one another as he quickly snagged her shirt up and over her head. She removed her bra while he worked her skirt zipper. His hands tugged it off along with her panties, leaving her naked to his eyes, mouth, hands, whatever he used on her delectable body.
He sat up and relieved himself of his shirt and adjusted Rosa beneath him so she lay right where he craved her most. Little whimpers escaped her lips as he kissed his way down her neck, to her collarbone and then her breasts with the peach nipples begging for his pleasure.
And that was what he did. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, swirled his tongue around and around, then bit down ever-so-lightly. Rosa gasped and arched her back, so he did it again, then went to her other breast and repeated his actions in perfect order. This time she grabbed his hair to hold him against her and ground her hips on his throbbing cock still encased in his jeans. He may have only spent one night with Rosa, but he knew she was on the verge of release.
He kept up the torture on her breasts as one hand slid between her and him and using his fingers found her clitoris swollen and beyond sensitive. Rosa moaned and ground against his hand. He twirled his fingers around and around her center, and then he did what he did to her nipples, he pinched her and she screamed.
Taste, his brain screamed out. He needed to taste her. He shoved her legs wide, slid down the bed and licked her core while his hands sought her opening. Inserting one, then another finger had her screaming once more. His other hand kneaded her buttocks. Her hips rose and fell as she fucked his mouth, then her hips stayed up as her body trembled, her legs shook, and her inner muscles clamped down on his fingers. His tongue licked up her juices until she pushed his head away and curled on her side breathing heavily.
Worry crashed into him. "Did I hurt you?"
Soft laughter ensued. "Not at all."
His hands made quick work of pushing his jeans and boxer briefs down around his hips, springing his erection. He nuzzled the back of her neck as he eased her onto her back. "Then you have no objections." He gripped her hips and entered her. His strong arms supported his weight as he froze, overwhelmed with emotions pummeling him from all directions.
He needed a moment to focus. When he'd buried himself deep inside her womanhood, the room and all its contents, except for Rosa, had vanished, leaving nothing but a darkness that startled Marco. Until he realized it was a sign. A good sign that he was where he belonged and slowly the room came back into focus and he was able to make love to her properly.
One hand moved between their bodies circling her nub, his head buried against her neck. Time suspended as her heavy breathing tickled his ears, their body sweat cooled him, and his orgasm, once just on the cusp, crashed forward as Rosa's insides clamped down on him and they both exploded with release.
The first words he heard when his ears stopped ringing was Rosa saying in an angry voice, "You didn't use a condom." She pushed him off her, sat up, and glared at him.
"Gesu. Please tell me you're on birth control." For one second panic set in and then vanished. The thought of having a baby with Rosa warmed his heart.
"It's your lucky day because I am. It's also your lucky day because I'm clean and you better say those words back to me or my brothers will kill you. They'll make it slow and tortuous like ancient times. Disembowelment or perhaps put you on the rack, then drag you through the streets attached to the ass-end of a horse."
He pulled her back down onto the bed and covered her body with his and kissed the words from her mouth. "Tsk. Tsk. Such violent, scary talk after we just had mind-numbing sex. And you know I'm clean. I told you the last time we were together. And there's been no one since."