Dark Redemption (10 page)

Dominic
turned to Kate. “Dance with me,
cara
?”

“Always,”
Kate agreed, following him out onto the empty floor. Dominic gathered Kate into
his arms and she laid her head on his chest as they swayed in time with the
music. The others watched in silence as the two of them danced in the middle of
the floor.

         
“I love you,” Dominic whispered against her hair.

         
“I love you more,” Kate countered, smiling into his white dress shirt.

         
“Agree to disagree?”

         
“Sure.”

         
As the music transitioned into ‘I Do It
For
You,’ the
others rejoined them on the dance floor. Dominic held Kate in his arms as
though he’d never let her go. They slow danced to yet another one of Lindsey’s
infamous 90’s playlists.

‘I
Will Always Love You,’ ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply,’ ‘When You Say Nothing At All,’
‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,’ ‘I Swear,’ ‘Have I Told You Lately,’ ‘You’re
Still the One,’ ‘Kiss From a Rose,’ ‘All My Life,’ ‘I Can Love You Like That’…

Kate
swore they’d danced to every love song ever written in Lindsey’s favorite
decade, with no end in sight.

         
But when the final bars of ‘I’ll Make Love
To
You’
played out, the music finally stopped. Lindsey headed in the direction of the
sound system to start up another playlist, but Giovanni caught her arm.

“I
think we’ve tortured them enough,” Giovanni chuckled, before Lindsey could
break free of his grasp and make them dance some more. “Let’s hear it for the
newlyweds. They’ve been such good sports.”

The
small party clapped, cheered, and whistled. Giovanni produced an ornate brass
key from his jacket pocket. He held it out to Dominic with a wicked grin.

“As
for my last gift, I offer my brother the key to paradise. Enjoy,” Giovanni
announced with a laugh.

“Up
the stairs and to the right there’s a bank of elevators. Take the elevator to
the top floor. The honeymoon suite will be the last set of double doors on the
left,” he added aside to Dominic quietly.

Kate
grinned at Dominic. “Should we make a run for it before they change their
minds?”

“
Cara
,
you read my mind,” Dominic whispered.

Hand-in-hand,
they dashed for the stairs, their abrupt departure accompanied by laughter and
more cheers.

Chapter
9

“Shall
we, Mrs. Ridolfi?” Dominic asked, flashing Kate his signature sexy smile, the
one that tied her insides in knots and made her heart do funny things.

         
Breathless with anticipation, Kate nodded. Dominic scooped her up in his arms,
cradling her against his chest, the length of her train cascading down his arm
in a waterfall of white lace. Kate loved how small and feminine she felt in his
arms,
loved how safe she felt in the shelter of his
embrace. She couldn’t help but remember the first time he’d held her like this,
cradling her battered and broken body against his strong, protective one like
the most precious of treasures. 

She
may have been a little bit in love with him, even then. That was before she
knew the beautiful soul behind the gorgeous façade. Now, she was so hopelessly
in love with everything that was Dominic. She couldn’t imagine living without
him.

         
Dominic unlocked the door and shouldered it open, carrying Kate effortlessly
over the threshold. Giovanni had pulled out all the stops when decorating the
honeymoon suite. The walls of the cozy suite arched to form a rounded ceiling
of blonde and gold stones, staggered in a stunning mosaic.  Double doors
opened to a balcony overlooking the sea, offering a breathtaking view of the
starlit sky over the endless dark waters. Kate could hear the surf crash
against the rocks below.

A
crackling fire burned in the hearth, its light flickering and dancing across
the walls. Sheer white fabric draped the canopy of the massive king-sized bed,
billowing from the peaked center to gather at the four corners. Red rose petals
topped the fluffy white duvet, their sweet scent perfuming the air. A bottle of
champagne chilled in a bucket of ice, two elegant glasses ready at hand.

         
Setting Kate gently on the edge of the bed, Dominic knelt at her feet.  He
wordlessly untied the delicate ribbons at her ankles, his fingers lingering, lovingly
caressing the skin of her calves as he worked the ties free.

         
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, his dark chocolate eyes smoldering with
love and desire. The shoe fell to the floor with a soft
thud.

         
Kate chuckled. “I was about to say the same thing about you.”

         
Dominic grinned, nipping at her ankle. “What can I say? Great minds think
alike.” He kissed the spot he’d teased with his teeth,
then
slipped the other shoe from her foot, letting it fall to the floor with the other.

         
“Dance with me, Dominic?”

         
Dominic tipped his head up to meet her gaze. A soft smile teased his lips as he
rose to his feet. “But there’s no music,
cara
.”

         
Kate rose from the bed, the stone floor cool beneath the sheer fabric of her
stockings.  She stepped into him, inching closer and closer, until they
were no more than a breath apart. Just before their lips would’ve met, she
paused, basking in the thrill of his raw masculine presence.

         
“Yes, there is,” she whispered against his slightly parted lips. “Don’t you
hear it?”

         
“Oh, I hear it,” Dominic agreed in a low growl, seizing her mouth with his own.

         
Kate wound her arms around his neck, molding her pliant curves to the
unyielding hardness of his body. With his lips and tongue, Dominic pleasured
and teased, coaxed and claimed, neglecting to come up for air until Kate felt
dizzy with need. Both breathless, they at last broke apart, holding one another
and gasping for the oxygen their lungs craved.

Dominic
rested his forehead against Kate’s, as though savoring the feel of her, as
though breathing in her presence like a sweet perfume.  Feeling worshipped
and cherished, Kate drank in the intoxicating feel of his chiseled body against
hers.

Dominic’s
lips blazed a trail of kisses along her jaw to her ear. Delicious shivers raced
down her spine as his lips brushed the sensitive skin. Taking Kate’s right hand
in his left, he linked his fingers with hers. He rocked her slowly, back and
forth, singing softly in her ear. They swayed in time to the sweet melody he’d
sung to her on their first night together. Only now, Kate understood every word
as the lyrics rolled off his tongue in smooth Italian.

Kate
rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat as
his words embraced her soul. Though thirst burned at the edges of her
subconscious, Dominic’s love was enough to hold her inner demon at bay. Her
need for him far surpassed her need for blood. Inhaling deeply, Kate drank in
the fresh, invigorating scent of him.
Mint, eucalyptus, and
man.

“I
love you, Dominic,” Kate whispered against his chest.

“I
love you more, Kate,” Dominic breathed against her hair.

Kate
tipped her head back to look up at him. “Not possible.”

Cocking
one dark brow at her, he gave her a soft smile. “Agree to disagree?”

“Deal.”

Kate
leaned up to press her lips gently to his. Dominic returned her kiss, his full
lips caressing hers in slow, unhurried movements. Kate wound both of her arms
around his neck as he deepened the kiss. Wrapping herself up in the perfection
of his touch and taste, Kate surrendered to their rising passion.

Her
lips parted beneath his gentle onslaught, welcoming the invasion of his tongue.
Their tongues tasted and teased, mating in a dance of promised pleasures yet to
come. Dominic’s arms tightened around her waist, pulling her close as he ground
his hips against hers. Kate moaned in pleasure against his mouth.

Hands
trembling with desire, Kate tucked her fingers beneath the collar of his tuxedo
jacket and slowly slid the jacket down his shoulders. Peeling the impeccably
tailored black fabric from his body, Kate dragged the jacket sleeves down his
arms and tossed the jacket over her shoulder to the floor. The stark white of
his shirtsleeves contrasted with the dark fabric of his vest, emphasizing the
solid strength of his heavily muscled arms.

Kate
unbuttoned the vest, relishing the feel of his rock hard abs beneath the fabric
as her fingers skimmed across his belly.  The vest joined his jacket in
the growing pile of formal wear on the floor. Dominic reached up to unknot his
tie, but Kate pushed his hand away.

“No,”
she whispered. “Let me.”

The
sexy smile she received in response set her heart to dancing a rapid
cadence.  Her fingers worked at the knot at Dominic’s throat. At last
managing to unknot the sleek black fabric, Kate untied the tie and slid it from
around his neck.  Instead of tossing it to the floor with his jacket and
vest, she draped the length of fabric over her shoulders like a boa.

“I
think we’ll hold onto this. We might need it later.”

A grin
spread across Dominic’s face as he cocked a dark
brow
.
“Oh, really?
What for?

Kate
shrugged in sham regret. “I’m afraid that’s for me to know and for you to find
out,” she teased.

“I
can think of a few things,” Dominic rumbled, grabbing the ends of the tie to
pull her against him. 

He
kissed her slowly, taking his time, pleasuring her with the taste of his sweet
kisses.  Nothing tasted better than Dominic. Nothing felt better. And he
was hers forever.

***

A
low growl built in Dominic’s throat, as Kate’s body moved against his. Every
inch of him throbbed with desire, ached with the need to be inside her, to be a
part of her. She was killing him, every touch driving him closer to a slow,
deliciously torturous death. But at least he’d die a happy man.

Her
fingers grazed his throat as she worked the top button of his dress shirt
open.  Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she made steady progress
down the crisp white fabric. Slowly, tantalizingly, she unbuttoned his dress
shirt, her soft, dainty fingers grazing the heated flesh of his chest as she
worked. He felt her slightest touch to the depths of his soul.

She
was his mate, his lover, his wife. He would do anything to please her. And
please her he would.

Unbuttoning
the cuffs of his shirt sleeves, Dominic shrugged out of his shirt as Kate
stripped the material from his torso and down his arms. He kicked his dress
shoes off and dragged her against him, cradling her jaw as he slanted his mouth
over hers. The lace of her dress scratched at his bare chest, an irritating
reminder of her clothed state. 

Dominic
reached back to the nape of her neck, his fingers tracing and memorizing as he
searched for the clasp of her dress beneath the sable tresses gathered there.
The neck of her dress unhooked beneath his efforts and Dominic’s hands trailed
down the soft, smooth skin of her back.

The
expanse of bare flesh ended at her waist, giving way to the trail of
lace-covered buttons that hid the dress’s zipper as they lined the curve of her
sumptuous ass.  His hands ventured lower, cupping the full curve of cheeks
as he pulled her to him. He covered her mouth with his own, making love to her
with his kisses as he drank her in like a sweet wine.

Turning
her in his arms, he traced the graceful line of her neck with his lips. Her
skin was so soft and smooth beneath his mouth. Kate shivered beneath his touch.
Dominic loved how responsive she was to him. Every sigh, every whimper, and
every gasp, fueled the fire of
his own
desire.

He
worked the zipper at her waist, sliding it down with a soft
snick
.
Brushing kisses along the expanse of her back and shoulders, he slid his hands
beneath the satin lining of her gown and slowly peeled the gown from her body.
The dress fell to the floor in a
swis
h of white lace and satin. And his
wife stood disrobed before him in the lingerie he’d selected for this exact
moment. Fantasies of her in the sexy white lingerie had filled his every waking
thought since.

With
the exception of the waistband at the base of the satin bustier, Kate’s back
was entirely bare. The rounded cheeks of her bottom were also deliciously bare.
The fact made him smile inwardly. He’d made a bet with himself that Kate
wouldn’t wear the thong. Either way, he’d won, because the sight of her in it
made him insane with lust. His hand slid down to cup one of the smooth, round
cheeks, squeezing slightly as he relished the fullness of her curves.

Kate
whipped around to face him, her green eyes flashing. “Oh, that reminds me,” she
gasped. “I have a bone to pick with you.”

 “I
have one to pick with you too,
cara
,” he
grinned, indicating his arousal with a slight nod of his head. 

Righteous
indignation in a bustier and thong was a good look for her. He considered
telling her just that, but instead decided to kiss her gripes away.

“Oh,
you’re incorrigible,” she muttered as his lips captured hers, hindering further
complaint.

“Only
for you,
cara
,” he breathed against her lips.

“But a thong, Dom?
Really?”

         
“Baby, I’ve fantasized about that fine ass of yours in a thong since the first
time I saw you.”

With
her evergreen eyes narrow beneath scrunched brows, Kate looked at him as if
he’d lost his mind.
“Really?
Why?”

Dominic
licked his lips and grinned, “So I could do this.” Grasping the curved globes
of her bare cheeks, one in each hand, he lifted her by her bottom and drew her
to him. His mouth devoured hers as she wrapped her legs around his waist and
her arms around his neck. He pressed the hardness of his groin against the
softness of her core, finding heaven then and there.

He
edged backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed. His mouth still on
hers, their limbs and bodies intertwined, they sank into the soft,
rose-petal-covered surface. Yes, she was the only heaven he would ever need.
And he would show her heaven a thousand times over.

***

The
velvety rose petals crushed beneath her bare back as Dominic pressed her into
the softness of the mattress with the hardness of his body. Kate relished the
feel of his solid, male length against her. She needed to feel more of his skin
against hers. She needed to feel him inside of her.  More than she needed
air. More than she needed blood. She needed Dominic.

Nipping
at his full lower lip, she flipped him onto his back. Covering his body with
her own, she greedily tasted the sweetness of his bronze skin. With her mouth,
she traced the strong line of his shadowed jaw, down the column of his neck.

Her
lips closed around the skin over his carotid artery and she couldn’t contain
the low moan of longing that escaped her throat. Her tongue danced across the
tawny flesh, teasing and tasting as his pulse throbbed against her hungry
mouth. The darkness within begged for her to sink her fangs in and taste his
sweet essence, to drink in every last bit of Dominic she could.