Without another word, he bent and ran his tongue along the upper edge of the bra, wetting her skin, but still not giving her sensitive peaks the relief they so desperately needed.
Then his tongue ran just under the lace, coming so near her peak that she cried out when he retreated. She wondered if a body could actually shut down from frustration. When the tables were turned, it would be her delight to repay him in kind, even if she also caused herself pleasurable pain in the process.
After what felt like an eternity, he released her wrists, and her fingers tingled slightly as blood flowed through her hand again. He reached down, unclasped her bra, and gazed at her br**sts.
“So unbelievably beautiful,” he sighed before filling his hands with them, and running his thumbs across the peaked tips.
“Not half as stunning as you,” Ari said as she moved her arms, threading her hands into his hair and tugging him down, demanding his lips on her ni**les.
His mouth engulfed one hardened peak and sucked it into the heat of his mouth, making her cry out as she arched into him. She was desperate to lie with him without clothes, without barriers.
“I could play with your body day and night, Ari. You turn me on even more now than the first day I met you, and I didn’t think that was possible. Every time I touch you, it feels like the first time. Every chance I get to sink inside you, it feels like coming home. I always want you, and discovering new ways to make you quiver in need is my new mission,” Rafe said before sitting up and removing the rest of her clothes.
He shed his own clothing, standing at the side of the bed in all his magnificence, his erection standing proudly, making her mouth water with the desire to taste him.
“Wait,” he said as he suddenly turned, making her moan in frustration.
“I’m done with games,” she warned him. “Get back here and fill me!”
Rafe turned with a shocked smile on his face. “I love this new, demanding woman,” he said before turning back and walking to the closet. Ari groaned as she threw herself back against the bed, thinking she might just have to take care of her ache herself if he didn’t hurry.
What a sadly unappealing thought. No one, including herself, could give her body the relief that Rafe could. His touch was better than magic.
He came back, holding something in his hand, and sporting an almost shy smile on his face. It was enough to tamp down her sexual frustration.
“This was supposed to be a wedding gift, and I should wait, but I want to see you wear it,” Rafe said, sitting next to her on the bed as he reached out a hand and helped her sit up.
Ari was a little self-conscious sitting there in the buff with him now that they weren’t touching, but when she tried to grab the blanket, he stopped her.
“No. Don’t cover yourself. Perfection like yours needs to be on display,” he said, leaning over and kissing her again, reigniting the fires in a single heartbeat.
“Then, cover me with you,” Ari said, forgetting all about the box he was holding.
“In one minute,” he promised as he opened the box. Ari’s eye filled with tears as she looked at the stunning necklace placed on midnight-blue velvet.
“I found this in a shop in Italy when we were apart. I walked past the window and there it sat, and several minutes later, I was still rooted to the spot. I had a vision of you wearing this necklace and nothing else, with your beautiful hair spilling across my pillow while the gems gleamed on your porcelain skin,” he said as he took the sapphire-and-diamond necklace from the box.
“I…it’s…oh, Rafe, so beautiful,” she gasped, barely able to speak.
“When I heard the story behind the necklace, I knew I had to get it,” he said as he drew her against him so he could see behind her neck. Ari lifted her hair as he clasped the necklace and then ran his hands down her shoulders.
“Tell me,” she requested as she leaned back against the pillow, no longer self-conscious as his gaze traced every inch of her.
“It was a necklace passed down in a royal family of Italy, dating back to the early fifteenth century. A prince passed the necklace down to his son to give to his bride on their wedding night, as had been done for generation upon generation. Most of the royal weddings were arranged marriages between royal families, marriages of advantage, not of love. This one was no different, except the prince knew his bride. A few years before they were to be wed, he’d been out riding and his horse was spooked by a snake, throwing him down a ravine. The princess was out walking and saw it happen. She rushed quickly to the mountain to see if she could help, though she feared it was hopeless. This same cliff had taken many lives.”
“She saw him below, and heard the cry for help, but she could also hear that his voice was weak. So, risking her own life, she scaled down the cliff, and reached him, tearing pieces of material from her dress to stop the blood from escaping his wounded and broken leg. There was no way for her to carry him from the spot, and she feared attempting to climb back up the cliff, as her journey down had been dangerous enough. She knew her maid would search for her, though, so she held his head in her lap, calling out every hour or so, hoping someone would come to their rescue.”
“Is this true?” Ari gasped as she hung on his words.
“Yes; now listen,” he said before kissing her nose. “The prince was in horrific pain, but the sound of her voice gave him something else to focus on. They spoke the entire night, and he fell deeply in love with her without knowing his father had plans already in place for their union. When the morning light came, search parties found both of them, safely pulling them from the ravine. They were only fourteen at the time, but that was nearly marrying age back then.”
“That’s horrible,” Ari said, shocked at even thinking of a fourteen-year-old marrying.
“It was the way things were back then. It was a different time. They weren’t scheduled to wed for three years, though. Over the next three years, they spent much time together, falling even more deeply in love. The day of their wedding, the prince held the necklace in his hand, anticipating placing it on her neck and finally making love to his bride. It wasn’t often that royalty married for love, and he felt truly blessed that he would get to have it all.”
“Oh, this is special,” Ari sighed, running her fingers along the necklace.
“So they wed, and he was even more in love than ever.”
“Is there more?” Ari asked, almost afraid to know. She didn’t want her necklace marred.