The Santinis: Vicente, Book 4 by Melissa Schroeder Page B

her shirt and made a sound when he realized she hadn’t worn a bra.
    He said nothing as he tried to undo the snap on her jeans.
    “ Damn,” he said, embarrassment coloring his voice.
    “ What?”
    “ My hands are shaking so bad, I can’t do it.”
    She laughed and he looked up at. “Oh, you make me happy, Vince. I never thought I would inspire such lust in a man.”
    He smiled and she undid her jeans. Together they worked them down her legs. He didn’t even do that much. He undid his pants then lifted her off the floor and thrust into her in one motion.
    She gasped at the intrusion.
    “ Sorry, baby,” he said, pressing his mouth against her throat.
    Jules wrapped her legs around his waist. “Don’t be.”
    He chuckled. “I should say I really am, but I’m not.”
    He started to move. Again and again, he thrust into her as he continued to kiss her throat. Power and need entwined within her, sent her body into overdrive. Every thought dissolved. It didn’t take her long to reach orgasm. Vince thrust into her once more then groaned as he came.
    Moments later, he said, “I’m sorry.”
    She cupped his face and looked at him. “Don’t ever be sorry for doing that.”
    “ I should have more control.”
    She shook her head. “I like it. No one has ever done things like that for me. It makes me feel wonderful.”
    Then, slowly, his lips curved. “Yeah?”
    She nodded and kissed him. Then, he carried her into his bedroom, barely making it to the bed. He shucked off his jeans and crawled into bed beside her.
    “ I think I’m getting a handle on this gardening,” he said yawning.
    She chuckled.
    “ I’d say you were an expert.”
    She cuddled closer, happy to have a man she reduced to such animal instincts. It was definitely a banner day for her.
    * * * *
    Vince walked out of the bedroom the next morning, a stunned look on his face. “Jules, we didn’t use a condom yesterday.”
    “ Oh.” It was all she could think of. “There’s no worry. I’m on the pill.”
    “ Ah.” He kept staring at her. He was dressed for work, but he was going to be late if he kept standing there.
    “ You need to get going, yeah?”
    He nodded. “Just so you know, if something happened, I’d insist on marriage.”
    Her heart almost stopped beating right then and there. Something close to fear gripped her. How did that happen so fast?
    “ Why would you do that?”
    He blinked. “If you were pregnant, I would insist on it.”
    “ I understood the statement. Why do we have to screw this up with marriage?”
    “ Where did you think this was going?” he asked.
    “ Not to marriage. I will not marry again.” Now panic has set in. She had to fight to breathe evenly.
    “ Jules, I would never cheat on you like Mike. You know that. I love you.”
    Oh, damn, just hearing those words were the sweetest joy. It was also the worst temptation. She wanted to say yes. What woman wouldn’t want to marry a god like Vince who said sweet things to her? She’d never known someone who could engage her on so many levels.
    She just couldn’t. Not again. “I do. I trust you Vince or I never would have gone to bed with you. You’re the most trustworthy man I know. I just can’t get married again.”
    Just saying the words had her head pounding. Married . Getting married just screwed everything up.
    He frowned. “What are you not telling me?”
    She looked at him then, and realized if she loved him like she said she did, she had to tell him the truth. She didn’t want to tell the story. Her parents knew. Jesse knew…and her therapist. Otherwise, she hadn’t told anyone else. But this man who had made her feel so loved and wanted deserved the truth.
    “ Cheating wasn’t the only thing Mike was good at.” She sighed. “The first time he hit me was after he came home pretty drunk.”
    “ He hit you?” he asked.
    She nodded. “I let it go that first time. He’d never been violent with me.”
    “ Never? He just hit you out of the