Seductive One

14

Nic left his office a little after ten. The building was silent and dark, except for the hallway lights the cleaning staff had left on for him. He went out the side door, locking it behind him.

The night was cool, clear, and quiet. Beyond the main building Wild Sea Vineyards stretched out to the horizon. An owl took flight with a silent flutter of massive wings. Leaves rustled. No light shone a welcome from the house. Nic felt like the last man standing.

Alone but not lonely. He’d always believed in that. Circumstances, or maybe his own nature, had dictated that he stand on his own. He’d been content to walk life’s path by himself. Friendship was important but not defining, while love…

Love was a crock of shit.

He turned from the view and started for the house. As he walked, he caught sight of a familiar vehicle parked by the trees. Brenna’s car.

It was late, he was tired, and he had a seven A.M. meeting with his managers. While he hadn’t seen Brenna in several days, he told himself he wasn’t interested in talking to her now. Even so, he found himself walking toward the building and entering through the open double doors.

He found Brenna crouched by a fermenting vat. She checked the temperature, then stood and walked around the large container. Fierce concentration pulled at her features. She inhaled deeply, as if determining how well the process was going by smell alone.

He remembered the first time he’d found her snooping around the winery. She’d been tasting samples from the reserve barrels. Instead of being afraid or even embarrassed at being caught, she’d had the balls to tell him everything he and his grandfather were doing was wrong. The hell of it was, she’d been right.

He remembered listening to her talk about wine. All these years later he could still recall the way the sunlight had slipped through the open windows to highlight the hint of red in her brown hair. She’d been pretty, mouthy, and arrogant, and he’d wanted her as he never wanted another woman before or since.

Nic leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. She moved to the next vat and made several notations on a clipboard. She was so focused on her work, she hadn’t spotted him.

Back then she’d been just as driven, but for different reasons. She’d argued passionately, mocked him, challenged him, and delighted him. For weeks he’d told himself that she was only seventeen to his twenty. Whatever he was thinking about her was not only inappropriate, it was illegal. But he’d been unable to resist. The first time he’d kissed her had been magic.

It had been in this room with the scent of the wine all around them, on a night not unlike this one. She’d worn shorts and a T-shirt, and her long hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. She’d been talking about grapes or wine because that’s what she always talked about, and he’d cupped her face and kissed her. He could still hear the catch in her breath as his mouth had claimed hers.

“The process works even if you don’t check on it every fifteen minutes,” he said quietly.

Brenna dropped her clipboard and jumped. As she turned to face him, she pressed a hand against her chest.

“Stop creeping up on me,” she said. “I’m getting old. I could have a heart attack or something.”

He pushed off the wall and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I think that’s a few years off, yet.”

“Maybe.” She picked up her clipboard. “Where’s Max?”

“He flaked out a couple of hours ago.”

She glanced at her watch. “It can’t be this late. I got here at seven and was only going to stay a couple of hours.”

“You know how you get when you’re making wine.”

She nodded. “How are things?”

“Good. What about you? Lorenzo still making you crazy?”

“Sure. He’s really good at it. His stubborn streak only makes things worse.”

Nic took a step toward her. “Why don’t you quit?”

“No. I already did that once. This time I’m in it until the bitter end.”

“That’s new.”

He hadn’t meant to say that. The words had come out before he could stop them, and now they hung in the air like a flashing neon sign. Would Brenna ignore them or take the bait?

“Funny you should say that,” she told him, speaking softly. “I’ve been thinking about us a lot lately.” She gave a slight smile. “The old us, not the new us.”

Was there a “new” us? he wondered. “Forget about it,” he told her as he realized he didn’t want to talk about them or the past. “It was a long time ago.”

“Not acknowledging what happened won’t make it go away.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

She stared at him. “It matters to me. A lot. I’m going to talk about it. If you leave, I guess I’ll just be talking to myself.”

He thought about heading out. He could walk away, and they would never have this conversation. But he didn’t. There were probably a thousand reasons why, but right then he couldn’t think of one.

“So talk,” he said.

She walked to the chairs set up by the small table. He considered staying where he was, in the shadow of the vats, in darkness. He didn’t want to have this conversation; he didn’t want to feel anything. Not again. Time was supposed to heal all wounds. Had it healed this one?

Silence filled the big room. Finally he gave in to the inevitable and walked over to where she was seated. He pulled out the other chair and settled across from her. She looked at him, then at the floor.

“I was so in love with you,” she began.

Her first blow hit below the belt. He stiffened. “You could have fooled me.”

She nodded. “I didn’t expect you to believe me.” She sighed. “Actually, I did think you would. Or maybe I just hoped. But whatever you want to believe, I loved you more than I had thought possible. You were my world.”

Something cold circled inside his belly. “I was third on a short list of two. First was your family, second was the wine. You weren’t willing to give up either, but you walked away from me fast enough.”

She raised her head. “That’s not fair.”

“That’s what I was thinking at the time.”

“You mattered so much, but my family was…they complicated things. I didn’t want to disappoint them, and I was terrified of defying them. My grandfather saw the world in such black-and-white terms.”

What she meant was she hadn’t been willing to pay the price. “You think my grandfather was any different?”

“No.” The word was a whisper. “I know he was angry.”

Angry? Did that begin to describe what had happened when Nic had finally confessed his feelings about Brenna to Emilio? Anger meant yelling and throwing things. Emilio had turned his back on Nic, exiling him from the only home he’d ever known.

Brenna shivered. “I was young, I was scared, and in the end, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t turn my back on my family. I couldn’t walk away.”

He’d been doing his best to avoid the past. Simply talking about it in vague terms allowed him to stay emotionally distant. Nic grabbed hold of his self-control with both hands and vowed to keep the barriers intact. But the first crack had already formed. It grew, ripping through years of trying to forget and pretending it didn’t matter.

“You were seeing him,” Nic growled. “The entire time we were planning to go away together, you were making it with that asshole you married. Did you fuck us both on the same day or did you need a little space to clear your head?”

Brenna sprang to her feet. Her face paled. “You know it wasn’t like that. You know I didn’t care about him the way I cared about you. I never slept with him.”

“Not even after the wedding?”

She turned away. “Talking about this was a mistake.”

“And it’s all yours.”

He waited to see if she would walk away-if she had the guts to finish what she’d started. As Brenna had never been one to enjoy confrontation about anything but making wine, he would bet on a quick escape.

She surprised him by returning to the chair and sitting down. “I met Jeff one weekend when I was down in Los Angeles with Francesca. She and Todd were engaged. There was a big party at someone’s house. Jeff was the younger brother of one of Todd’s friends. I didn’t care about him, I didn’t even think about him again. All I wanted was to get home to you.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. The act was meant to look casual, but it was also instinctive protection. All these years later and he still didn’t want to know what had happened.

“My parents didn’t know that you and I were seeing each other, so as far as they were concerned I didn’t have a boyfriend and I showed no interest in dating. They were worried and pressuring me. Francesca mentioned Jeff, which made them happy. They got off me, which meant I was more free to come see you. So when Jeff called to ask me out, I said yes because it made things easier.”

Her mouth twisted. “I know what you’re thinking. That if I’d told them the truth, Jeff wouldn’t have been a part of my life. I know that now. At the time I just wanted to avoid the fight.”

That wasn’t what he’d been thinking. Parts of the story were new, parts he’d figured out. Back then, he’d been aware she had a “cover” boyfriend. He’d pretended he didn’t care, even though he had. He’d pretended not to be hurt by her betrayal, even when it had cut him down to his soul.

What the hell was wrong with him? Why did this old news claw at his gut? He told himself to get up and leave, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to hear, and he couldn’t stop listening.

“I went out with him a few times.” She twisted her fingers together. “I just wanted to be with you. When Jeff went off to Europe with his family for some vacation they’d been planning for years, I was grateful to have him gone. I needed time to figure out what to do. I knew I was making a mess of things, but I still thought I could fix it all. Then you asked me to run away with you.”

He smiled without humor. “I asked you to marry me. There’s a difference.”

She looked scared and miserable. Funny how he would have thought he would find pleasure in her obvious discomfort, but he didn’t.

“I wanted to say yes,” she told him. “Deep in my heart, I wanted it so much. I still remember your exact words. You said we’d be like Romeo and Juliet, but with a happy ending.”

The last of the barrier crumbled to rubble as the past rushed in to surround him. He, too, recalled his exact words. He’d bought a ring, taken her to the beach, and at sunset had asked her to marry him. He’d been idealistic and in love. Whatever challenges the world wanted to offer, they would take on. If their families rejected them, they would start over. Together. Back then his future had been filled with the promise of loving Brenna.

“You managed to resist the calling of your heart,” he said bitterly. “Smart girl. I made the mistake of following mine.”

Tears pooled in her eyes, but she didn’t speak.

Now it was Nic’s turn to stand. Energy poured through him, and he had nowhere to put it. He paced to the vats and back, then braced his hands on the back of his chair.

“You should have told me you were just playing,” he said, his voice low and angry. “That none of it was ever real to you.”

“It was,” she insisted. Tears spilled onto her cheeks and she brushed them away. “I was afraid. Is that so wrong? I was eighteen years old, and I was scared of what my parents and grandparents would do.”

His gaze narrowed. “You mean they might make you choose?”

She flinched visibly.

Before she could say anything, he continued. “I told my grandfather. I told him I loved you and was going to marry you. He said he wouldn’t let that happen. That if I chose you, I would have to give up everything. My name, my connection with the family, the land, all of it. I chose you, Brenna. I packed my bags and I left. I was ready to go to the ends of the earth with you, and you turned me down. Just like that. I proposed and you dumped me.”

She nodded. More tears ran down her face. She wiped at them. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Sorry?” He shouted the word. “You’re sorry? My grandfather did as he promised. He disowned me. I walked away with nothing, and you married Jeff.”

Brenna wanted to run. The open doors beckoned her out into the night. If she could go far enough, fast enough, maybe she would forget. Maybe none of this would matter anymore. But she had to stay. She’d started this and it was her responsibility to see it through to the end. She owed Nic and maybe she owed herself as well.

“I was heartbroken when I heard,” she told him. “I never thought Emilio would really send you away. I wanted to come after you.”

He glared at her without speaking. She knew he was wondering why she hadn’t. Why she’d let him disappear from her life.

Sometimes she asked herself the same questions. Those days and weeks were a blur in her memory. Pain was the only constant.

Nic shook his head. “You weren’t willing to risk it. Not your family, not the winery. That’s why you didn’t come after me.”

He spoke as if all the anger had drained out of him, leaving behind an empty man who had no energy for anything but resignation. When he released the back of the chair and settled on the seat, he looked weary.

“So Jeff was there, waiting,” he said evenly.

“I guess.” She rested her elbows on her thighs and dropped her head to her hands. “It’s all jumbled together. He came back from his trip and spent a lot of time at the house. Later I figured out that he thought we were rich. He must have been really disappointed to find out that my grandfather owned everything and kept very tight purse strings.”

She rubbed her temples. Those days had been among the worst of her life. She’d missed Nic with every breath.

“We were friends, nothing more,” she said. “I was shocked when he proposed, and refused. Then my parents found out and they told the Grands. Suddenly everyone but me thought marrying a guy entering medical school was a wonderful idea. You were gone, I was alone.” She swallowed and forced herself to raise her head and look at him. “I took the easy way out. Jeff seemed like the safe choice…”

Nic’s contempt was as real as the structure of the building. It leaped across the space between them and chilled her bones until they were so brittle she thought they might crack. Words of protest rose to her lips. She wanted to remind him that she’d been barely eighteen, and not very experienced in the ways of the world. That until meeting him, she’d been a good daughter, always doing what was right, what was expected. She wanted to say a lot of things, but knew they wouldn’t matter. Not anymore.

Nic’s gaze slid away. He leaned back. “The hell of it is you weren’t willing to give up the winery for me, but you gave it up for him.”

“I didn’t give it up. I lost it. Somewhere between my two or three jobs at a time to support us and the distance, I realized I couldn’t do it all. I never wanted things to turn out the way they did.”

She squared her shoulders and glared at him. “You talk about all of this like you’re the only victim. The truth is we both lost something important. You paid by being exiled by your grandfather. I paid, too. I had a lousy marriage. Okay, I said yes and I walked down that aisle of my own free will. I took the easy way out and I lived to regret it. I lost ten years of living my dream. I didn’t have the children I always wanted. In the end, because I got married and went away, my grandfather no longer trusts me with the winery. You’re back and running Wild Sea. You have everything you’ve ever wanted. There must be some comfort knowing that in the end, you won.”

Nic shifted on his chair and looked away. An emotion she couldn’t identify moved across his face, then was gone.

“I spent eighteen months cut off from the only family I’d ever known,” he said. “When I came back, Emilio was a stranger to me. We never reconciled. I don’t consider that a victory.”

Brenna didn’t doubt he’d been scared and angry when his grandfather had sent him away. Nic had gone to France and found work at different wineries there. He’d honed his skills, and when his grandfather had come looking for him, he’d been in a strong position to negotiate.

“What about when he begged you to return?” she asked. “He was forced to admit he was wrong and he needed you. My grandfather would never have done that. He would have let me go without a second thought.”

Nic’s mouth twisted. “Bullshit. Your grandmothers would have ganged up on him so fast, he would have been begging for mercy inside of a day. No Marcelli would ever let one of their own walk away. Family is everything to you people.”

Brenna straightened. Something in Nic’s voice, something in the tone and the way he spoke the words, sparked memories. All those years ago he’d always wanted to talk about her family. He’d enjoyed hearing about celebrations and arguments and their loud, loving Sunday dinners together. She remembered thinking he’d looked almost hungry to hear the stories.

Had he been living vicariously through her experiences? Had the Marcellis been the family he’d always wanted? Was his request to go to the engagement party a chance to thumb his nose at them, or had he wanted to see the one thing he’d never had?

“I can’t decide if you love my family or hate them,” she said.

Nic surprised her by saying, “Both.”

“You’re serious?”

He shrugged. “Hate is too strong a word. I resented their hold over you. I didn’t want you to choose them, but I always knew you would. Now it doesn’t matter.”

Didn’t it? She couldn’t believe he’d let the past go. Neither of them had. There was too much energy, too much anger and hurt still alive.

“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for being immature, for letting you put yourself on the line and then turning my back on you. I’m sorry I chose Jeff and that I let what was really important get lost in my fear. I’m sorry you got sent away.”

She could do her “sorry” list for fifteen minutes, but it would get boring, so she stopped.

“Nic, I don’t know what to say.”

“Me, either.”

Maybe there wasn’t anything left to be spoken. Maybe there wasn’t anything left at all.

“No,” she whispered involuntarily. “This can’t be all there is. There has to be more.”

His eyes darkened. “You know what else there is.”

She blinked, not sure what he meant, then she got it. Sex. The attraction that was always there, drawing them together, making them want and ache and…

He stood and moved toward her. She rose as well, but only to back away. “No,” she whispered. “Not now. Not like this.”

He shrugged. “So walk away.”

He moved like a predator. Like a man willing to take what he wanted. She wasn’t afraid, not exactly. And damn it all to hell, she didn’t want to walk away.

Awareness rippled along her spine. Her skin prickled. Logic dictated that this was a mistake. Making love right now, like this, would be really dumb. She would leave. Right this second.

She drew in a deep breath to calm herself, but that turned out to be a mistake. The heady smells of fermentation reminded her of all the other times she and Nic had made love in this room. Ghosts of their passionate selves surrounded them. She felt more than heard their sighs of surrender.

One of them moved closer. She wanted to say it was him, but it could have been her. His gaze settled on her mouth.

“This is just a reaction to the emotionally intense conversation we just had,” she said desperately

He nodded. “Or chemistry. We’ve always had chemistry.”

“Uh-huh.”

This time she was sure he was the one who moved, because she was too stunned to get her leg muscles to react. Without thinking, she licked her lower lip. His gaze sharpened, then narrowed.

Her fingers itched to reach for the hem of her T-shirt and pull it off over her head. She wanted to be naked right this second. She wanted his hands everywhere on her body, his tongue in her mouth, and then she wanted him to take her hard and fast, right up against the wall.

What she should do was back away. Or tell him no. Saying no would be really, really smart.

She cleared her throat. “Do you think-”

“No,” he said, cutting her off.

“So shouldn’t we-”

“Absolutely.”

She had the feeling they were talking about different things.

He touched her face with his fingers and she was lost.

Maybe if he’d grabbed her, pulling her close and demanding, she might have been able to resist. Right now strong passion, strong anything, would be a little unsettling. But he didn’t demand or take or use. Instead he stroked her cheek with a light, gentle touch. His dark eyes smoldered with restrained passion, yet he moved as if he had all the time in the world. As if this moment was special and to be savored.

Her eyes fluttered closed. In the darkness of not seeing, she depended on her other senses to tell her what was happening.

She heard the low sound of his breathing, the brush of his shoes against the concrete floor as he stepped closer. She inhaled the scent of his body as it mingled and blended with the yeasty smell of the wine. She felt warm fingertips drifting down her cheek to her jaw and the sweep of his thumb across her throat.

Her heartbeat sped up. Blood raced through her body. Heat bubbled. Electric anticipation grounded her in place as she waited for the inevitable. The first kiss. The beginning of their-

His mouth pressed against hers. The warm, tender contact caught her unaware. She jumped slightly, even as her arms rose and closed around him. They pressed together, hard to soft-she wiggled her hips and shifted closer-very hard to soft. He settled his hands on her waist and his lips more firmly on hers. She tilted her head in a movement as familiar as breathing.

A few minutes ago she’d wanted sex-fast and hot and out of control. But now that he was touching her, she didn’t want that anymore. She wanted to make love with Nic. Maybe it was all the emotions they’d dredged up with their conversation. Maybe it was days and weeks of spending time together. Maybe, given their past, it was simply inevitable.

She surrendered herself to the moment and the man. When his tongue touched her bottom lip, she parted for him. Last time they’d plunged together, taking, wanting, needing. While the fire still burned within her, making her breasts ache and her thighs tremble, she wanted a slow seduction, not an explosion of uncontrollable need. Either Nic felt the same or he could read her mind.

Instead of sweeping inside her mouth to claim her, he slipped in with a gentle caress. They kissed leisurely, deeply, rediscovering favorite movements and old resurrected passions. She buried her fingers into the cool, silky strands of his thick hair. His hands moved from her waist to her hips, then slid together and drifted up her back. He circled his palms so he both soothed and excited. When he reached her shoulders, he stopped, then retreated to the middle of her back. Her body clenched in anticipation.

So much the same…so much different, she thought hazily as Nic broke the kiss. Even before he pressed his mouth to her throat, she’d dropped her head back, exposing herself to him. As his hands came around to her breasts, she grabbed his upper arms. When his fingers grazed her hard nipples, she was already holding on so that when her knees gave out, she wouldn’t fall.

Even so, the jolt of pleasure left her breathless. She ached there and between her legs. Heat spiraled through her belly, radiating in all directions. She felt her insides melting, as her most sensitive places became swollen and ready.

“Look at me,” he said.

Brenna opened her eyes, then blinked as if coming awake from a dream. Nic’s face was tight with need. As they stared at each other, a muscle twitched by his jaw. He looked exactly the same as he had ten minutes ago, save for the light of desire in his eyes. But as she watched, she would have sworn that parts of the younger man he’d been all those years ago were still visible.

At some point she’d dropped her arms to her sides. Now he picked up one hand and brought it to his mouth. Still looking at her, he licked the center of her palm, then bit gently on the fleshy pad by her thumb.

Goose bumps broke out all over. She shivered in both delight and anticipation. It was a game she knew well.

When he dropped her hand, she reached for his. But instead of bringing it to her mouth, she turned it palm up. He wore a T-shirt. Starting just below the hem of his sleeve, she ran her nails down the length of his arm. She moved slowly, scratching with the lightest touch she could manage. When she reached his hand, she circled the palm.

He managed to maintain complete control until she raised his hand and took his index finger in her mouth. As she closed her lips around the base and sucked, he flinched. When she circled his finger with her tongue, he groaned.

His turn was next. Brenna tried to brace herself for whatever he had in mind, but when he reached for the hem of her shirt, she knew she was going to be in trouble. He pulled the garment up and over her head in one smooth movement. Her bra quickly followed.

The night air was cool against her heated breasts, but she barely noticed. Not with Nic’s smoldering gaze settling on her. As much as she wanted to close her eyes, she knew she had to watch. That was part of the game.

Using the finger she’d recently had in her mouth, he brushed the very tip of her right nipple. She gasped as pleasure shot through her. He licked his left index finger and touched it to her left breast.

It was too good, she thought as her legs began to tremble. It was too much and yet not enough. Without thinking, she cupped his hands in hers and pushed so that he held the fullness of her curves. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

This time they joined in a frenzy of need and wanting. As he plunged into her mouth, she fumbled with the hem of his T-shirt. She thrust her hands up under the fabric so she could rub against his hard chest.

He took a step back, drawing her with him.

She explored the width of his back and the broadness of his shoulders. With each step, they moved farther into the shadows. She had a sense of their destination, and with that realization came impatience. She reached for the button at the waistband of his jeans.

The fabric was soft from dozens of washings. The button yielded easily enough, but the zipper was another matter. He was so hard, he pushed against the metal teeth and made it difficult for her to draw down the tab. Nor did he seem inclined to help her.

When they came to a stop by the stairs in the corner, he dropped his hand and took her left nipple in his mouth. The combination of lips and tongue, wet heat and unquenchable desire, made her cry out. She gave up on the zipper and clutched his head to hold him in place. She wanted his mouth there for hours, if not days.

When he shifted to her other breast, then sensations grew even more intense. As he sucked, need spiraled directly from there to the dampness between her legs. Then she felt his hands on her jeans. Unlike him, she was happy to help. She pushed him away and quickly popped open the button, then jerked down the zipper. After kicking off her sandals, she pushed down both jeans and panties, leaving herself completely exposed.

But she wasn’t in this alone. While she’d removed her clothing, Nic had pulled off his T-shirt, stepped out of his shoes, and was in the process of removing his jeans and briefs.

When they were both naked, they stopped. It was unplanned and completely spontaneous, yet as in sync as if it had been choreographed a dozen times. As it had been, she remembered. They’d both loved to look at each other’s bodies. She’d explored the powerful length of his legs, his narrow hips and waist, the muscles across his shoulders. He’d followed every dip and curve until he’d known her body as well as his own.

Now she started at his feet and worked her way up, looking for the changes in him she hadn’t had time to notice the last time they’d made love. He seemed more muscled, a little more filled out. When her gaze met his, he raised an eyebrow as if asking her opinion.

By way of an answer, she reached between them and grasped his penis. With a practiced move designed to humble him, she wrapped her fingers tightly around him and stroked from base to head. As she reached the top, she brushed her thumb against the opening, along the seam, then circled around.

His breath caught, then came out in a slow hiss. She started a second stroke. He responded by reaching between her legs. One finger moved deeply within her, searching through the swollen dampness until settling on that one engorged place of pleasure. They moved together. She moved up and down while he circled her. In a matter of minutes they were both breathing hard.

When Nic pulled away, she did the same. Arousal pulsed within her. His eyes were dilated and she didn’t doubt hers were the same. A flush spread across her chest. She felt the heat, along with the growing need for release.

“Over here,” he said, drawing her to the stairs leading to the loft.

He bent down and picked up his shirt, then set it on the fourth stair. She sat down and spread her legs.

He moved between them, but not to enter her. Not yet. Instead he knelt on the first stair and pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee. Tension coiled within her. He kissed his way up her thigh. As he got closer, she reached down and parted herself for him.

She knew exactly how it was going to feel. She knew that the first touch of his mouth would send her spiraling into another time dimension and that she would quickly lose control. She knew once they started, her orgasms would take on a life of their own with Nic as their master, making them return again and again as he bid them. She braced herself both physically and emotionally.

Even so, she was unprepared for the impact of his soft, wet, openmouthed kiss.

The feel of tongue and lips swirling together against her most sensitive, intimate place made her toes curl. She pulled her legs back even more. Her entire body arched into his caress. He licked all of her, then sucked on her swollen center, all the while flicking the very tip with his tongue. At the same time he slid two fingers into her and slipped them back out. On the second thrust, she came.

Her orgasm rocked her very being. Shudders originated from between her legs, flowing outward until every muscle had clenched and released dozens of times. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but feel the pleasure sweeping through her.

And Nic…he didn’t stop. Just when she’d slowed and started to relax, he plunged into her again. At the same time, he used his mouth to push her back to the place of unbearable tension. He knew exactly how hard, how fast, how everything.

She came over and over until she could only gasp for breath and whisper his name.

Finally he raised his head. She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her. She tried to relax, but it was too late. She was within his sexual power, and please God, may it never stop.

He continued to move his fingers inside of her. She told herself it wasn’t enough, but of course it was. Tension seized her again and she found herself convulsing around him. She felt the spasm of her release, and from his expression of satisfaction, knew he did, too.

He watched her climax at least half a dozen more times, then he moved up a step or two so that when he pulled out his fingers, he pushed in his erection.

She screamed with her release. The sound of her pleasure filled the old building. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She went willingly. Despite the tremors rippling through her body, she managed to draw her legs around his hips.

They clung to each other as they made love there on the stairs, surrounded by fermenting wine and echoes of the young couple who had matched their every move so many years before. Brenna found herself watching Nic as he watched her. She climaxed with nearly every thrust. They were naked and joined in the most intimate way possible. She should have felt embarrassed or awkward, but everything about this felt exactly right.

Suddenly he stiffened. He pulled her closer still, then shuddered. She felt the convulsion of his muscles as his body surged through its climax, and then they were still.