VITTORIO'S LOVER (Vittorio Series) by Kimberley Reeves

arms were crossed over her chest, each elegant hand covering the rosy tips from his view. But her expressive eyes exposed Jenesa far more than the removal of her clothes had done; there was fire and hunger and need, all of which Raffaele intended to relieve in the very immediate future.
    Jenesa watched him rise from the bed and begin to undress, a vivid scarlet slash staining her cheeks. Acutely aware that she was following every movement as he kicked off his shoes and removed his socks, Raffaele took pride in the fact she openly admired his body. He heard the sharp intake of breath when he unhitched his belt and reached for the zipper, saw her tongue dart out to moisten her lips as he lowered it. Hitching his thumbs beneath the waist band of his pants and boxers, Raffaele pushed them both over his hips in one economical movement and let them drop to the floor.
    Never before had Raffaele allowed his libido to override logical thinking, but maintaining a straight thought at the moment was like trying to rope the wind. His sexual appetite was ravenous, and right now Jenesa Harding looked as ripe and succulent as a Georgia peach. He could feel the heat radiating off her body as he stretched out beside her and gently pried her hands away, unveiling the pure perfection of her breasts. Two pink tipped buds jutted up invitingly, eager to be drawn into his mouth once more. Raffaele was extremely accommodating.
    While his mouth was occupied with the delectable task of feasting on her breasts, his hand wandered over the soft flesh of Jenesa’s abdomen to stroke her thigh. Her muscles quivered beneath his touch, her breath little more than ragged gasps as his fingertips slipped between her legs. Desire like nothing he had ever known speared through Raffaele to find her so hot and moist, and yet she didn’t open to him as he expected her to do.
    Lifting his head, Raffaele was mesmerized by the look of sheer rapture on her face.   Clearly, she liked what he was doing to her. Why, then, were her knees still pressed firmly together? Was it possible he’d misjudged her, that Jenesa wasn’t nearly as experienced as he believed? And why did that please him when it shouldn’t have mattered whether she had been with one man or twenty?
    “Look at me, carissima ,” he said gruffly.
    Jenesa’s eyelids fluttered open. She stared up at him, dazed by the pleasure he’d given her and no doubt confused as to why he had stopped. Raffaele didn’t care for the idea that she’d slept with his brother, but he would deal with it. What he couldn’t handle was the shards of jealousy that sliced through him at the thought of Jenesa sharing her body with numerous other men. Not that he condemned her for it; after all, love was certainly not the only reason two people entered into a physical relationship. It was just… just what? Just that you want her to say this is different? That there was something unique about the chemistry they shared?
    It was ridiculous to believe he had feelings for her, even more insane to be jealous of previous lovers when he barely knew the woman. Raffaele invested time and money in his liaisons, not emotion. So why was he hesitating to have sex with Jenesa when she lying naked in his bed, so warm and willing and more tempting with that aura of innocence than any experienced seductress he’d ever known?
    Tentatively, she reached up and touched his cheek, her voice a mere whisper. “What is i t?”
    “The truth ,” he said gruffly. “I want the truth no matter how embarrassing or ugly you may find it. Promise you will answer honestly.”
    “ I don’t understand…”
    “Promise,” he repeated with a fierceness in his tone that made her flinch.
    Her eyes searched his for a moment before she nodded.
    He wasn’t her first, Raffaele knew that, but it was entirely possible that Luca had taken her virginity. And since Jenesa thought he was Luca, it was imperative that he pose the question carefully. Except…how could he