The Sparkling One (Marcelli #1)

His fingers grazed the undersides of her breasts. Any master plan she’d had was lost, and she could do nothing but surrender to the sensation of his confident caress.

He cupped her curves, then brushed his thumbs against her already tight nipples. Even through the layers of clothing, she was exquisitely sensitive. Her breath caught and her pelvic muscles clenched.

As he gently squeezed her breasts, he drew back from her mouth. Before she could complain, he pressed his lips against her jaw, then moved lower to her neck. Soft, wet kisses made her arch her head back. He moved to the sensitive skin below her ears and gently sucked. She wanted him to keep going lower and lower, but her turtleneck was in the way.

She braced herself for the sensible fairy to burst into her brain and make her stop. She waited for Zach to come to his senses and stop making her whimper with the erotic pattern he traced over her breasts. Instead he dropped his hands to her waistband and started tugging on her shirt.

The first whisper of cool air should have made her reconsider. Under other circumstances—although she couldn’t say what—it would have. Really. Instead she found herself helping him drag up her turtleneck. She slipped out of the arms, then tugged the tight neck over her head.

Even as she tossed it aside, his mouth reclaimed hers. She parted as he plunged inside her. Tongues circled, stroked, danced. He moved closer still so that their bodies pressed together, her bare midsection rubbing against the softness of his shirt. His hands brushed her bare back, then moved up to expertly unfasten her bra.

She felt the slack in the band, then the straps fell off her shoulders. He eased away just enough to slip one hand between them. That large, warm hand moved under her bra cup and engulfed her aching left breast.

Need flooded her. Need and wanting and passion that made her wet and ready in a heartbeat. Every part of her throbbed, but most especially the swelling dampness between her legs.

She quickly pulled off her bra and dropped it to the floor. Her hands moved restlessly, first to his shoulders, then to his back where powerful muscles bunched and released. When he bent down and drew her nipple into his mouth, she groaned. When his tongue flicked against the tight tip, she shook.

Her fingers went to work on his shirt, but his arms got in the way. She managed to pull a couple of buttons free, but that was all. He licked and sucked on her breasts until a steady pulsing beat began between her legs, and she knew that she was already heading for the edge of surrender.

He abandoned her long enough to pull off his shirt and step out of his shoes. She kicked off hers as well, but that was as far as she got before he reclaimed her with a deep, wet kiss that left her shaken down to her melting bones.

“I want you,” he murmured against her mouth. “Katie, I want you. Now.”

Simple words, but powerful. He drew her close and her breasts flattened against his bare chest. The hair there tickled erotically. He cupped her rear and squeezed. She tilted forward until her belly came in contact with his erection. They both groaned.

“We need to move this upstairs,” he said even as he turned and took her hand in his.

He led the way, pausing halfway up the stairs to kiss her neck, her shoulders, then her breasts. Even as his tongue circled her nipple, his fingers slipped between her legs and rubbed against her swollen flesh. She was so wet, so hungry, she surged against him. One or two more strokes would be enough, she thought, fighting desperate need.

“This way,” he said hoarsely and continued to the second floor.

She had a brief impression of high ceilings, skylights, and a king-size bed. The only light came from the hallway, but it was enough. She saw Zach reach for the button on the front of her slacks. When that was free, he tugged down the zipper.

Below she wore bikini briefs which he quickly stripped off, leaving her naked.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, even as he gently pushed her into a sitting position.

Before she’d quite settled on the bed, he’d dropped to his knees and pressed his mouth to the soft skin on the inside of her legs.

Everything was moving so fast, she thought hazily. She barely knew Zach. He was her client. This was all—

Heaven, she told herself as his wet kisses moved higher. Stupid, maybe, but heaven. Need pulsed in time with her rapid heartbeat. She ached down to the very fiber of her being.

She lay back on the bed and rested her heels on the edge of the mattress. The position left her exposed and vulnerable, and him in no doubt of what she wanted.

She didn’t have to wait long for him to agree to her suggestion. Warm fingers gently slid into slick folds of hungry flesh. He brushed perilously close to that one magical spot, without touching it directly. She shuddered. A whisper of breath was her only warning, then his mouth claimed her in a deep kiss that made every cell in her body scream.

He brushed his tongue against her tight center, stroking it rhythmically. Over and around, he teased, he promised, he made her gasp, then not breathe at all. She gave in to the journey because she had no choice. When he slipped a single finger inside her to stroke her from that side as well, she gasped his name. When he moved his tongue faster, she fought for control. When he inserted a second finger, she lost it.

Her orgasm crashed over her with an unexpected intensity. Pleasure filled her to the top and spilled over the sides. Every inch of her body participated, bathing in heat and release. She lost track of time, she lost control, she lost everything except the ongoing pleasure that transported her, shattered her, then returned her safe and sound to the universe of her origin.

Zach slowly lowered her feet to the floor, then kissed the top of her thigh. She risked opening her eyes. He was smiling, the pleased smile of a lover who has pleasured his partner.

Coming first made her feel vulnerable. Coming second hadn’t been an option.

“That was really good for me,” he said.

His words eased some of her nervousness. She smiled back. “Imagine how it was for me.”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Amazing.”

“Amazing works.”

He rose and pulled off his socks, then quickly unfastened his belt, then his trousers. Seconds later he was naked. Katie shifted back on the bed, all the while watching him. She liked his body, the swirls of dark hair on his chest and the narrow pattern that seemed to lead the eye directly to his groin.

He was hard, ready, and big enough to please. Despite her ten-point-three on the orgasm scale, just looking at his arousal made her insides clench in anticipation.

He opened the nightstand drawer and drew out a condom.

After he slipped it on, he moved onto the bed. She opened her arms, then drew him close. His erection brushed against her leg as her thigh slipped between his. He shifted so she was draped over him.

One of his hands traced patterns across her back while the other cupped her breast. The second his thumb brushed against her nipple, she felt an answer quiver between her legs. She rocked her wetness against his leg.

“Ready again?” he asked. “I can wait if you need me to.”

“Manful, but unnecessary.”

She expected him to move into place, but instead he put his hands on her hips and urged her to straddle him. Katie didn’t hesitate. She moved over him, then reached between them to guide him inside.

His thickness stretched her deliciously. As she came down so he filled her fully, he reached for both breasts and began to gently squeeze her nipples. The combination, her sliding up and down and his attention to her breasts, was too much. She felt the first rippling clench deep inside.

Zach caught his breath. Having Katie’s slick heat surround him was one thing, but feeling her climax was another. The thick contractions gripped him tightly from base to tip and about squeezed the control right out of him.

“I can’t stop,” she gasped as another contraction shuddered through her. “Oh, Zach!”

She rode him, moving faster and faster. Every third or fourth stroke brought another release. The increased pace shattered his control. The swaying of her breasts, the pleasure on her face, the scent of her body all conspired to make him want more.

He dropped his hands to her hips and dug in his fingers. Plunging faster and deeper, he claimed her and his orgasm, burying himself in her and exploding into pleasure.

Katie awoke sometime after midnight. There was no second of confusion, no wondering where she was. She knew the exact location and even why she was currently naked. In this case, clarity was not a blessing.

She’d had sex with Zach Stryker. Zach—the man who had promised to do anything he could to get her to change her mind about Mia’s engagement. Zach, who was her newest client for the biggest contract she’d ever had, her sister’s divorce lawyer, and a potential in-law. The man who was determined to break her sister’s heart.

She supposed that in the scheme of things, this was probably not the smartest thing she’d ever done. Nope, it probably wasn’t even going to make the top ten.

She turned her head and saw Zach sleeping next to her. He’d been a great lover, and a stellar host. He’d offered her one of his T-shirts to sleep in, plus a brand-new toothbrush, and had taken her order for breakfast. A girl could get used to this sort of treatment.

Make that…“A woman.” A mature woman who handled sexual relationships with the ease of handling a tricky scheduling conflict. A sophisticated woman who understood the rules of the game and occasionally bent them for her own benefit. Someone savvy. Someone together.

Someone not Katie.

Feeling anything but sophisticated and mature, Katie did the only thing that made sense under the circumstances.

She ran.

12

A light rain fell as Brenna walked through the north vineyard where the Cab grapes were grown. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with a little Cab Franc for blending. Now, in early April, there were only small signs of life. She spotted a few tiny buds that would soon bring forth green leaves and heavy grapes.

She drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of damp earth. Come late summer the fragrance of the grapes would be nearly as intoxicating as the wine itself. Today there was only the gray of the sky and the brown of the earth, but in time the landscape would be an artist’s palette of colors. Blue and green and gold and purple. She closed her eyes, imagining what it would be, then opened them again. To her, even the barren plainness was beautiful.

For the first time in several weeks, she felt as if she could breathe. As if she, like the vines, was coming back to life.

Carefully, so as not to accidentally kick a plant, she bent down and examined the fastenings that held the vine in place. She touched the small tubing that provided life-giving water. Her fingers curled into her palms as she ached for all she’d missed these years. All she’d lost. All Jeff had taken away.

She knew that in time she would accept his leaving, her stupidity, and the other woman. But she would never, ever forgive him for wanting to lay claim to the land, the vines and the dream she’d given up for him. Rage didn’t describe what she felt, nor did fury. She didn’t just want Jeff to back off, she wanted him destroyed. Any thoughts she’d had about being reasonable had ended the second he’d threatened Marcelli Wines.

She straightened and raised her face to the rain. Cool drops trickled down her face like tears. Yet this moisture healed. It brought life—to the vines and to her.

She’d given herself heart, body, and soul to her husband and in the end he’d had no use for the gifts. Obviously her body was hers once again, and while she had no need for her heart—love was not going to be in her future, ever—she desperately had to find her soul if she was ever to reclaim the person she used to be.

“You’re a Marcelli to your bones. You always come back to the vines.”

She turned toward the familiar voice and saw Grandpa Lorenzo walking toward her. He wore a heavy jacket and a cap on his white hair. Sometime while she hadn’t been paying attention, he’d become an old man. Time had bent his back and gnarled his hands. Still, when he stood close to her, she felt safe, just as she had when she’d been a little girl.