Page 207 of Modern Romance June 2025 5-8

She smiled and her tawny brown eyes shone. ‘I like the way you kiss me.’

Vic smiled and leaned down to press another kiss to her lips. ‘I enjoy kissing you.’

A little too much…a tiny voice said inside his head.

If he was having trouble resisting kissing her, what was it going to be like making love to her? It was a risk he was prepared to take. It was a little frightening how much he wanted her. He hadn’t expected the chemistry between them to erupt as it had. It had flared like a match to tinder, sending flames of need through his body at their first kiss.

He lifted his mouth off hers, positioning himself close to the place he most wanted to be. His body burned with need, tight and hot with it and yet he was prepared to stop if she wasn’t ready or changed her mind. ‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked.

Addie took his face in her hands and eyeballed him. ‘I want you.’

‘I want you too. So much.’ Had he wanted anyone this much? Not in a long time.

She moved against him, instinctively offering herself to him. He slipped a hand down to the heart of her feminine form, sliding a gentle finger inside, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. ‘Mmm…’ She murmured in pleasure, her mouth falling open on a soft gasp. ‘That feels so good…’

Vic positioned himself at her entrance, balancing his weight on his forearms, taking his time to move inside her, inch by inch, gauging her response every step of the way. Her body gripped him tightly and he shuddered with pleasure, desperate to glide faster but sensing she would need to get used to the heft of him inside her. He could be patient—sure he could. But, hot damn, how wonderful did it feel to be so welcomed.

‘How are you doing?’ he asked, his voice coming out hoarse from trying to maintain control.

‘I’m doing fine,’ she said, looking up at him as if in wonder, her eyes shining. ‘It doesn’t hurt at all.’

‘I’ll go slowly so you get used to me.’ He did as he promised, slow shallow thrusts, gradually going deeper, faster, enjoying the tight grip of her body and the sounds of pleasure she was giving. She moved with him, catching his rhythm, her breathing as breathless as his as the tempo of lust climbed. He moved his fingers against the tender flesh of her womanhood, watching her come apart under his touch, feeling her contract and pulse around him. Her cries were wild and unrestrained, earthy, and raw and it sent shivers down his spine to see her so undone. He waited until she was through the other side of her orgasm before he let himself go. He surged forward with a low, deep growl of primal ecstasy, his skin tingling all over, his thoughts lost in the maelstrom, the expulsion of his essence sending him somewhere he had never been before.

Vic was unable to move for some moments, the aftershocks of his orgasm still rolling through him in blissful waves. He was aware of her arms around him, her legs still entwined with his, their bodies as closely connected as two people could be. He listened to her breathing slowly come back to normal, his own taking a little longer. His head was near her neck, and he turned to press a soft kiss to the scented skin below her ear.

‘Am I too heavy for you?’

Her hands began to stroke his back and shoulders and he shivered in delight. ‘No, not at all.’ There was a tiny pause and she added, ‘Was it…good for you?’

Vic raised himself up so he could see her face. He brushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face and smiled down at her. ‘You blew me away.’

Surprise and relief and delight lit her gaze. ‘I did?’

‘You did.’ He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, lifting off to gaze down at her again. ‘How was it for you?’

A soft blush crept into her cheeks. ‘I didn’t realise it could be that wonderful, so enthralling that I’d completely forget everything but what was happening in my body.’

Vic was used to sex; he would even say he had lately become a little jaded about his numerous casual encounters, but nothing about what had just occurred between Addie and him had been mundane. It had been magnificent, magical, mind-blowing. And that was a huge concern to him. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling anything but physical release. That was the deal. No emotions, just plain old sex. But how could he have fooled himself that having sex with Addie would be plain old sex? Was it because it had been her first time? That he was so conscious of her every response, her every breath and movement that it had somehow elevated the experience to something unique? Who was he kidding? Of course it had been unique. She had given him permission to be her first lover. He wasn’t the sort of man to see a woman’s virginity as some sort of prize or trophy to claim. It had certainly never been on his wish list of things to do. And yet, now that he’d made love with Addie, it felt like something different had occurred, something that had never happened to him before. Something shifted inside him, something that had been frozen, locked away, deadened. It had flickered, then taken a shallow breath, moved, stretched like something waking from a long hibernation. It was still quietly residing inside him, not asleep but not fully awake either. Somehow, he had to shut it back down, get it back into sleep mode because there was no way he was allowing it to come to life.

Addie was still stunned by the explosion that occurred in her body. She was lying beside him, one of his arms loosely around her shoulders, their legs touching. Vic had removed the condom and disposed of it moments earlier, then come back to her to lie down beside her. Was sex always that good? That amazing? Or had it been because Vic had taken his time with her, been so gentle and considerate, putting her needs ahead of his?

She wassograteful he was her first lover. So pleased he had agreed to making love with her so she could replace those embarrassing memories from when she was a teenager. Vic had made her feel wanted, desired and he had made her feel beautiful. She hadn’t felt the need to cover herself, to hide her body from him; instead she had been open and uninhibited, his kisses and caresses freeing her from her prison of shame.

Addie turned her head to look at him. ‘Vic?’

‘Mmm.’ He had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply and evenly, as if he had relaxed so much, he couldn’t move a muscle.

‘What was your first time like?’

Vic turned his head to lock gazes with her, his expression rueful. ‘Rushed, embarrassing, awkward.’ He ran a fingertip down the length of her sternum, his touch light but electrifying. ‘I was seventeen and the girl who was nineteen was way more experienced. I made sure I worked on my technique after that.’

‘It’s certainly paid off.’ Addie waited a beat before adding, ‘No doubt there are a lot of very grateful women out there.’ And now she was one of them. One woman in a long line of women. And she wouldn’t be the last. Many would come after her, no pun intended. What right did she have to think his time with her would make him change his casual dating ways? Sure, it had been special for her, how could it not be? But to Vic Jacobetti it was probably just sex. But it wasn’t just sex for her. Making love with him had shown her the depth of her feelings for him, the way they had grown from a crush to genuine love. She admired him, trusted him, wanted to be with him longer than this short time in Lake Como but how could she ask him to extend their time together? He had laid down the conditions and she had accepted them.

A frown formed on his forehead and his expression became serious. ‘I know what you read about me in the press is entertaining and salacious at times, but a lot of it isn’t true.’

Addie raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you saying you’re not a profligate playboy?’

Vic’s mouth twisted in a rueful manner. ‘I’m too busy running my hotel empire to have as many lovers as the press make out. I only have to be seen in the company of someone for the press to jump to conclusions.’

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