“I agreed to marry him because I heard you were married,” she finally said, honesty raking her heart. “I don’t know if I was angry or devastated. I heard you had gone to Africa and married a woman there, and you were expecting a child. I felt like my world had suddenly collapsed around me. That night Andre asked me again to marry him, and I said yes.”“You didn’t agree out of love?” “No.”“Will you regret the breakup?”“No.”The two were quiet for several minutes as Giovanni absorbed everything, she told him. He felt the weight of guilt weigh down upon his shoulders as he glanced up into the beautiful face, he spent endless nights dreaming about.“The last time I tried to contact you, you wouldn’t even take my call,” he began quietly. “I was angry and hurt, and I started drinking, heavily. I went on a week-long binge, traveling every backstreet pub and dive I could find. I finally sobered up to find a marriage license and a woman I barely knew living in my flat. I knew she married me
Sabrina followed methodically as he wrapped her hand inside his and walked beside her to his room. He slipped the keycard out of his pocket and opened the door, then turned and lifted her into his arms, carrying her across the threshold. He kicked the door shut, kissing her again as they approached the double bed. Gently he laid her down to the covered mattress, his mouth relentlessly holding hers captive.She moaned as he stretched out beside her, his long leg holding hers to the soft covers of the bed. His lips were warm and gentle, as his tongue explored the interior of her mouth with slow caresses. She could feel her pulse rising, her breath coming in short pants as his hand slid up the back of her shirt. Within seconds he found the closure of her bra and flipped it open, caressing each vertebrae of her spine with his large fingers. Shivers of anticipation raced along her nerve endings, centering their destination beneath his touch. She felt alive and on fire and for the first ti
“Don’t think you can satisfy me without them?” she teased as he climbed up on the foot of the bed and began caressing her inner thighs with his large hands.“I know I can, but you like to play, and I love to watch you squirm. Besides, it makes you really, really hot and I love playing with fire.” He leaned across her and planted kisses to her lower abdomen, his breath hot against the thin fabric of her knickers. Sabrina closed her eyes and fell into the heat of the moment, enjoying the sensations that spread across her. Giovanni knew she was eager but willed himself to go slow. As desperate as he was to be inside her, he knew she needed to experience the passion and heat of orgasm, and he was as eager to play as much as she was. He gathered the soft material of her panties in one large hand, gently tugging the front upwards as the fingers of his free hand opened her labia.Sabrina gasped, causing him to smile as he leaned in to kiss the lips that folded around the fabric he held tig
“That was a long time ago and you did very well as I recall,” Sandra said with a wide grin. “But there’s nothing to worry about. I forgot my iPod.”“Whoa, hold up,” Andrew added with a smile. “I want to hear all about this dance. Did you videotape it? Can I get a copy? Can we put it on YouTube?”“Shut up smart arse,” Creighton growled, tossing a pillow from the end of the sofa at his brother who caught it easily. “There will be no embarrassing videos, and no betting. And for the record, I got even with her.”“Yes, you did,” Sandra said standing up off her husband’s lap. “In many very perverse ways, if memory serves.”“This could be interesting,” Andrew said. “Care to make a private wager?” he asked turning to Cathy who smiled a wicked grin back at him.“My little sister is not the only card player in the family,” she assured him, walking to the table followed by Creighton, Derek and Irena. “One wager could prove quite dangerous for you.”“Bring it on, darling,” Andrew smiled as he sto
“You will explain to Kristin why I’m poor by the time I return to the room, right?” Derek asked, causing the group to laugh again.“No real money, remember?” Creighton asked, moving the cards toward his older brother. “Round two. Let’s see if you can do better.”Derek took the cards and began shuffling them, a confident smirk on his handsome face. Sandra leaned forward in her seat to hide the hand Creighton had moved to her inner thigh and tried not to giggle as he began caressing the inseam of her jeans.“Has anyone seen Sabrina?” Andrew asked, glancing around the table. All his siblings were present with the exception of the oldest girl.“She was with Giovanni the last we saw them,” Sandra answered as the hand made its way higher on her leg.“Where’s Andre?” Cathy asked as she began to sort her cards in her hand.“Apparently, he had too much work to do and can’t make it for another couple of days,” Creighton answered, much more pleased with the cards in his hand, though he would nev
“Where did you get that bruise?” he asked her with a set expression as he took her elbow gently in his hand. Sabrina grimaced and pulled her arm away, her hand covering it as if to make it disappear.“It’s nothing,” she told him.“It’s from Andre, isn’t it?” he demanded. “Has he ever done this before?”“No, and it’s nothing, really. He was upset when he saw the flowers and…”“He did this because of me?” Giovanni asked, watching as she struggled to a sitting position.“No, he did it because of me. We got into an argument, and he lost his temper. I don’t think he even realized he was hurting me.”“Sabrina, how many times has he left marks on you?”“None,” she said honestly. “This was the first time…”“And the last,” Giovanni snapped angrily as he started to stand off the bed. “I’ll make certain it doesn’t happen again.”“Giovanni, please, just let it be. He’s not a part of my life anymore, and I’d rather put it behind us.”Sabrina took him by the arm and pulled him back to the mattress
“Show him in here please,” Creighton insisted, then glanced around the table in a silent warning for everyone to keep their mouths quiet to the subject they were just discussing.The young man stepped out of the room and returned a moment later followed by Andre, who looked irritated that he was being distracted from his task of finding his fiancée. He smiled an arrogant grin at the group and adjusted the sleeve of his leisure jacket as he joined them at the table.“Hello, Andre,” Creighton said as he, Derek and Andrew stood up to greet the man. He shook hands with each of Sabrina’s brothers, amazed by the strength they held in their grip and nodded to the girls.“Have you seen Sabrina?” he asked with a tone that said he was growing impatient looking for her.“She’s in the park with some of the others,” Creighton lied, knowing full well she was probably in Giovanni’s arms. “We have a scheduled supper at seven. Why don’t you join us until she gets back?”“I wouldn’t want to interrupt,
Sandra raked in the pile again, fighting hard not to laugh at the haggard expression on Andre’s confused face. Seven hands and he had lost nearly everything. All the money Creighton started him with, along with the money he had on him.“So, Andre,” Creighton began smoothly. “How is everything with you and our sister?”“Fine,” he answered shortly, picking up the last card Cathy passed to him.“Really? Because from what we’ve learned, you’re not exactly in the position to speak for her, now are you?”“What’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped as he looked up at the confident gleam in Creighton’s dark blue eyes.“Tell us about your plans for the wedding? Will you have a bride by your side when you take your vows?”“Of course, I will. What are you getting at?”“I pulled a background check on you when you decided to marry my sister,” Creighton told him boldly, making Sandra turn her gaze to her husband. “It was very interesting reading.”“What…what did you learn?” he asked in a nervous, he