Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
She moved. Her eyelashes fluttered. Lifted. Her legs shifted restlessly. “Geno.” There was an ache in the way she whispered his name.
“Lie still for me, la mia danzatrice ombra.” His voice was unexpectedly gruff.
Her lashes drifted down when he brushed the bare skin of her back with his lips. Featherlight. He barely touched her, already shaking with need. Her body reacted with a shudder of pleasure.
He swore electricity sizzled through him—hot and bright, snapping and crackling, buzzing loud in his ears. The pulse of his heart thundered through his cock like a jackhammer, so his heavy erection jolted against his abdomen and leaked pearly drops. Flames licked along his veins, settling in as if they’d found a home.
He’d known rough his entire life. He’d grown up a dangerous, edgy, brutal man, but with Amaranthe, there was an unexpected side to him. An unexplored river of tenderness that flowed out of him when he was close to her. He felt gentle when he was with her. Protective. He had a need to slow down and savor every moment with her, to feel every merciless aching desire in his body.
With Amaranthe he was free to allow himself to be in a world of pure feeling, of emotion wrapped in desire and love. He let himself drift there with her, a part of the night and those clouds floating around that sliver of the moon, part of that slow, steady burn. He’d never known anything like it. Anything as good.
Geno followed the trail of her spine with his lips, sipping at her soft skin. Lapping with his tongue to get a little more of her taste. Nipping with his teeth, causing a sting and then removing that sting with a swirl of his tongue, intrigued by his body’s reaction. The blood in his veins heated so the flames thickened to molten lava, a bright hot red mass spreading outward. Burning through him.
He’d never cared for another woman. He’d never spent time on a woman or wanted to take time with one. He used them the same way they used him. Amaranthe was different. Being with her was all about caring. He was feeling his way. Learning what she liked. What brought her body pleasure. The subtle signs, quick inhales, goose bumps, little shudders, restless shifting of her hips, soft moans escaping. Those signals fed his rising desire.
He turned on his side to better study the symmetry of Amaranthe’s facial structure. A faint smile curved her lips.
“You’re staring at me.”
“Looking,” he corrected. He slid the pad of his thumb over the soft curve of her bottom lip. “Maybe staring. It’s hard not to. You’re so beautiful.”
“The things you said to Francesca were beautiful, Geno. She needed to hear them. I was astonished that she doesn’t have confidence in herself.”
Her long lashes lay like two thick crescents against her skin, the tips curving upward just slightly, intriguing him. But then everything about her intrigued him. He could watch her for hours and never get bored.
“Amara, you often will suddenly lose confidence in yourself for no apparent reason. I’m always astonished when that happens. If there’s one woman on this earth who should have absolute confidence in herself, it’s you.”
Her lashes lifted, and he was suddenly staring down into her dark eyes. His heart instantly accelerated at what he saw there, and little flames began licking like hot tongues down his cock. He’d never thought to see love in a woman’s eyes. He was certain it was there when Amaranthe looked up at him.
“Don’t ever say you don’t know how to talk to women, Geno,” she murmured. “You do just fine.”
“Do I?” he murmured, looking down at his own personal miracle. “I think you might be just a little sleepy and don’t know what you’re saying.”
Geno caught her hip, flexed his fingers and then tugged, urging her to turn onto her back. He needed to kiss her. It wasn’t a want anymore. It was an overwhelming need. He kept his gaze locked with hers. Let himself drown in the dark brown of her eyes and what he read there.
Amaranthe put a deterring hand on his chest. So small. There was just the beginning of trepidation. Of alarm. “Geno. Wait.”
He slid the pad of his thumb over the curve of her bottom lip. “I need to kiss you, baby. Right now. If I don’t, I might die. It could happen.”
He was rewarded with that little flare of amusement he knew she’d give him, washing out the apprehension for that one moment. He didn’t wait for a protest. She wanted him. That wasn’t the problem. Desire was there in her eyes.
His head descended toward hers. Slowly. Very slowly. He kept his eyes open, watching her expression as he moved toward her. Her eyes were so large, lashes long and thick, tipped up at the ends. He’d noticed how long and feminine her lashes were right away and how they drew attention to the dark color of her eyes. She had large eyes, very expressive. Almost haunting. Up close he felt as if he could drown in the deep wells.