Page 38 of The Proposal

“I like you more than I did when I married you. Does that count?”

He gives me a boyish grin that hits me right in the chest. “I can work with that. At least you no longer seem repulsed by my touch.”

I let out a little squeak when he effortlessly flips us over. I’m now flat on my back, and he’s nestled between my spread legs.

He buries his face in the crook of my neck, placing a searing kiss against my skin. There’s something comforting about his weight pinning me to the mattress.

“I get the honour of giving you your first orgasm,” he states, rolling his hips forward and hitting me right in the sweet spot. “And asmywife, I also own your future ones.”

I love the way he claims me with that possessive ‘my’. My father always made me feel like I was something to be owned, which I hated, but I’m not entirely opposed to belonging to this man.

My hands slide under his shirt until my fingers splay out against his lower back. I’m mindful not to touch his scars. I don’t want to do anything that will ruin this moment for either of us.

His lips move back to my mouth as he continues to rock against me. I feel my body climbing with every stroke. To where? I have no idea, but it feels so good, I spread my legs wider and arch my back off the mattress as my hips gravitate towards him. I’m chasing this feeling, unsure if I’ve reached my peak or if there’s more to come.

Dante draws out of the kiss and places his flattened palmson the mattress, pushing himself up until his body is looming over mine.

Our eyes lock as he stares down at me with a quiet intensity. His gaze is unwavering and filled with an unspoken command.

His chiselled jaw, rich chocolate-coloured eyes, and confident curve of his lips make him seem almost sculpted. He’s reminiscent of someone who walked straight off a magazine cover, not out of an initiation ceremony of the Cosa Nostra.

I reach up and skim the chunk of dark hair falling across his forehead, out of the way. I’m captivated by this man, but this attraction runs far deeper than his outer beauty. It’s the way he cares for me. He makes me feel cherished …seen.

“Come for me,Bellezza.”

My cheeks heat slightly. I’m not embarrassed by what he asked; I’m just unsure if I’ll know if and when that happens.

“How will I know?”

The corners of his mouth lift slightly, but not in a mocking way. “You’ll know, Arabella.”

He changes the position of his hips and begins to move faster, and it doesn’t take long for the inevitable to happen.

“Dante,” I cry out as the most intense pleasure I’ve ever experienced rockets through me. I push my head further back into the pillow as my lips part, and my fingernails dig into the skin on his lower back. The noises coming out of me are unrecognisable.

White light permeates behind my eyes as wave after wave hits me like a freight train. I can feel my muscles contracting below as I plummet into a blissful, breathless void where everything else fades away. It’s so overwhelming, so powerful, I’m a little scared that I might even pass out.

“Fuck, Arabella,” Dante groans. “And here I thought you couldn’t look more beautiful.”

This man.

He pushes himself up onto his knees and glances between my spread legs. Although I’m still wearing my underwear, I can feel that I’m a wet, sticky mess down there, but the heat behind his gaze halts the insecurities that usually cloud my mind.

He tilts his head back and growls as he palms his hardened dick through his tenting trousers. Seeing him touch himself in that way is off-the-charts hot.

I point to his crotch area. “Can I take care of that for you?”

I’m not usually so brazen, especially in an area where I have no expertise. But I’m currently lying on his bed in my underwear with spread legs after being brought to orgasm with friction alone, so the least I can do is return the favour.

He arches a brow as his gaze briefly flickers down to my mouth. “You want to take care of me?”

My eyes narrow because I know exactly where his mind just went. “Not with my mouth.”

He chuckles as he places his palms on either side of me and leans down for a kiss. “Baby steps,Bellezza. We’ll save your mouth for next time.”

“Next time?” I shriek. “What happened to baby steps?”

He laughs again as he straightens, his easy smile lingering as his hand moves casually to his belt buckle. His shift in demeanour is so effortless and confident that it makes everything around him seem almost secondary.

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