He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, the desire he’d kept buried awakening with a powerful surge.

Anita wove her fingers into his hair, deepening the kiss as if refusing to relinquish control. He knew her well enough not to try to fight her for it-not that he could if he wanted to, he thought. Their first kiss ten years earlier had branded him, making him powerless against her. He wondered if she realized the hold she had on his heart.

With great reluctance he eased back. Though his heart pounded much too fast, he managed a crooked smile.

“I love it when you try to prove me wrong,” he said.

Anita pursed her lips into a shrewd smile. “But you haven’t proved me wrong. Have you, Antonio?” She slid her hand down into his shirt, pressing her palm against the hammering in his chest. The touch burned straight through his ribcage. “Should I call the paramedics? I think you’re about to have a heart attack,” she said smugly.

He slid his hand around the nape of her neck. “How about if you just give me mouth to mouth,” he said, drawing her into a kiss.

There was no fight for control this time. Anita opened up to him, her tongue swirling with his in a seductive dance and sending his desire spiraling to the surface. Her fingers raked over his chest, burning a trail along his flesh.

He broke the kiss to journey down her neck, working tongue and teeth to satisfy his hunger. The jump in her pulse fueled his desire. Everything in him ached to have her.

He pulled back with a steadying breath. Her eyes were glazed, her lips full and red. His muscles tensed.

“I’ll stop if you want me to,” he said, bracing for her rejection.

“No. I don’t want you to,” she said in a husky voice. “It’s been so long. I need this.” She gripped his shirt and pulled him closer, biting kisses into his neck. Buttons pinged off the tile floor, his shirt tossed aside before he realized she’d stripped it off.

Need raged inside him, blocking out the meaning of her words. With a sudden urgency he pulled her blouse from her waistband and thrust his hands underneath. Her skin burned against his palm, her muscles quivered. He reached for her breast, cupping the soft mound through the lace fabric of her bra. Anita arched in response, a low moan rolling from her throat.

Antonio pulled the clothing off of her in one swift move, seizing her breast with his mouth. Her heart hammered against his touch. Anita’s breath hitched, her fingers tightening on his shoulder as he feasted on her soft flesh. He flicked his tongue over the hardening tips, pulling them between his teeth to suckle. Her breath quickened, rousing his own desire.

“Tony,” she managed, her hands gripping his shoulders and gently pushing him back. “Wait.”

Antonio returned to her mouth, kissing her words away. He’d waited too long for her to come to him. He couldn’t let her change her mind.

Anita’s brain fogged as Tony began to kiss her again. It was as if he’d possessed her soul and all she could do was give into the demand.

Warmth shimmered over her as his hand skimmed down the sides of her body, stopping to rest between her thighs. She shifted on the counter, groaning when his hand grazed the patch of fabric and pressed against her. Electricity seemed to arc through her as her body more than reacted to his touch.

She became so lost in her response that she didn’t notice he’d slid her pants off until she felt the cold surface of the counter on her backside.

“Tony wait, not…” her words stopped on a groan when he slid his hand into her panties. His fingers found their way inside her, fueling an already burning passion. She closed her eyes, riding on the waves of ecstasy coursing through her.

Antonio brushed a kiss over her lips, his fingers still working their magic. “Something you wanted to say?”

“Kitchen,” she said with a shuddering breath. “We’re still in the kitchen.”

Antonio moved his hands to rest on her hips and eased her near the edge of the counter. “Yeah,” he said with a roguish grin. “It’s where I eat all my meals.”

Anita barely had time to catch her breath before Antonio freed her from her panties and closed his mouth over her.

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