The Arrangement .(23)

“This is where you belong.” His right knee nudged her legs apart, and his hips moved with a possessive thrust to join them together.

Alexa lifted her body up to meet his, locking her arms around his neck.

He shoved his fingers into her hair, grabbing a fistful of the sleek dark strands to yank her head back and so he could scrape his teeth along her arched throat.

She loved it, the way he took control of her, the way he took control of everything. Her body strained to get even closer to him. She trembled in his arms and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, lifting her heels higher along his back so she could take him deeper.

In their feverish craze, they hadn’t even bothered to remove their clothes. Her elegant green gown was crumpled around her waist, while his boxers and tuxedo pants were pushed just low enough to allow him the ease with which to penetrate her. It was uncivilized, primal.

His heavy grunts intermingled with her tortured moans while they moved together as one. Nothing else mattered at the moment—not the misunderstandings, not the pain of the past, only the synchronized rhythm of each advance and retreat of his hard flesh into the moist heat of her body in the race toward fulfillment.

Before long, the pending tension built up inside Alexa, her breath coming in short spurts. He knew her too well. He knew just the right spot, and he hit it over and over with swift but controlled drives until she cried out her release.

She felt weightless, as if she were floating above herself, her untethered body spasming as the world tilted dangerously off-kilter. Leonardo could no longer contain himself once she contracted around him. He was no longer in control as he pumped faster into her. Finally, he loudly grunted his own release, his warm breath whispering across her collarbone as he emptied himself inside her.

Moments later, Alexa lay in a daze, shaken by the power of her climax.

She was half on top of Leonardo, his right hand placed loosely around her waist while his left dragged against the floor. Her dress had been pulled down to modestly cover her exposed bottom, but he’d refused to allow her to pull up the bodice of the dress to cover her breasts. His pants were pulled up, though not closed.

Alexa shut her eyes, her languid body relaxed and contented.





Chapter Seven


Once in their bedroom, they removed all their clothing and made love again in a slower, exploratory fashion. Alexa was now cradled in Leonardo’s arms under the cream-colored sheets, her back flush against his hair-roughened chest. The curtains were drawn open so they could look out at the full moon and the inky black of the star-splattered sky. Their tawny limbs were intertwined, and his hand stroked in a soothing motion from her knee to her hip.

Alexa hesitated to broach the topic she had shelved away in preference to enjoying the pleasure of being made love to by Leonardo. Nevertheless, she wanted to press him for answers about the growth into the Latin American markets.

She stilled the movement of his hand by covering it with her own. “Joan mentioned something tonight I want to ask you about. What she said took me by surprise, and I want to know if it’s true.”

“What is it?”

“She said you’ll be moving to Brazil for three years. Is that true?”

When there was no answer, Alexa twisted around in his arms. Their faces almost touched they were so close, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His eyes were shuttered, effectively hiding his innermost thoughts.

“I’ve thought about it.”

The brief answer was unexpected. After the intimacies they just shared, she had hoped he would be more forthcoming and provide details about his plans. Deep down, she’d harbored the secret hope he was about to make changes that would affect their future—creating an opportunity for them to have a better relationship.

“And if you leave, you’ll leave in two months?”

A speculative look came over Leonardo’s face. He eased his arm from beneath Alexa and propped his head in his palm so he could look down at her as she lay nestled against the fluffy pillows. “Why are you suddenly so interested in my business affairs? As I recall, there was never any interest before.”

“I’m just curious. It came as a surprise to me that you planned to move to Brazil for such a long time. I know how important the company is to you, and I was surprised that you planned to leave the U.S. headquarters to spend so much time in Brazil.” Important was an understatement. Radiant Communications was his oxygen. Sixteen-hour work days had made that clear enough.

“The company is important to me.” He paused before continuing. “My father inherited Radiant Communications when he was a young man.

Through my contributions, the firm has grown in size and revenue, and I’m proud of everything I and my team have accomplished. I decided to take the lead in Brazil because I understand the culture and feel comfortable leaving the company in the hands of some of the executives and a few family members. I’ll also enjoy the slower pace in Brazil.”