The Moretti Arrangement by Katherine Garbera Page B

realized part of why he needed to make love to her now was the fact that she had placed herself in danger. The men who were after her brother wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.
    “Come to me,” he said.
    She moved slowly toward him with sensual grace, the ruffled hem of her dress bouncing lightly around her thighs. He stood and crossed the small space between them in two long strides. Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to his desk.
    Her mouth opened under his and he told himself to take it slow. That if he was going to retain any objectivity where she was concerned, he really needed to keep his cool, but that simply wasn’t possible. She was pure feminine temptation. He slid his hands down her back, down to the end of her dress, and slipped his hand underneath. He felt the silk of her hose and then just bare skin.
    He set her on her feet next to the wide mahogany desk. He wanted, needed, to keep things light between them. To make the sex between them something of a game so that he didn’t forget to keep his objectivity and so that she didn’t forget that this was temporary. That they were lovers only until the six months was up.
    “Do you like it when I tell you what to do?” he asked, coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her back against his body.
    She turned her head to the side, resting it on his shoulder, and he felt a curious emotion inside him. An emotion that had nothing to do with lust. For a moment he tightened his arms around her, wanting to bury his face in her thick hair.
    He wanted to pretend that her betrayal didn’t matter. That it didn’t matter that she’d spent time with his bitter rival Barty Eastburn. That it didn’t matter if he fell for her because he was no longer a man cursed by past generations.
    But all of that did matter. “Angelina?”
    “ Sì, Dominic?”
    “Do you like it when I tell you what to do?” he asked again.
    She glanced up at him, a slight blush coloring her face. “I do. There is a certain freedom and being able to act without…”
    She trailed off and he realized what she was going to say. “Without taking responsibility?”
    “Yes. I’m sorry, that’s not fair to you.”
    “In this case it’s perfectly fair. You have agreed to give your body to me whenever I ask. And I have agreed to give you pleasure until you forget your name.”
    “Wow, that’s what you agreed to?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice.
    “Sì.”
    She smiled at him, making him very aware that she hadn’t smiled at all in the meeting with Ian. In fact, this was the first time today he’d seen genuine happiness on her face. And he was the one who caused it. He’d made her happy.
    It shouldn’t matter to him; she was only his mistress. But it did matter. He stopped thinking and started to feel.
    “Bend forward, place your hands on the desk,” he said.
    She did as he said, bracing her hands awkwardly on the smooth surface. “Like this?”
    “Just like that. Wait, are you wearing panties?”
    She flushed. “Yes! Or course.”
    He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. “Take them off.”
    She straightened and turned to face him. She lifted her skirt to her waist revealing thigh-high sheer hose and a tiny pair of race-car-red panties. Slowly she took the sides of her panties and drew them down her legs.
    When she reached her knees she pushed them to the floor and delicately stepped out of the undergarment. She started to lower her skirt, but he stopped her.
    “Leave your skirt up and turn back around.”
    She hesitated and he saw the vulnerability in her eyes. He kissed her. He didn’t draw her into his arms but took her mouth with his and reassured her the only way he could. If she didn’t like this, he would stop and just make love to her on the leather guest chair.
    She grasped his shoulders and pulled herself closer to him. Her head tilted to give them both deeper access to each other’s mouths. And once again he was struck