A Gift of Matrimony (Lover's Gift Book 2) Read online

  “You can do this, Dante. I love you, babe. You can do this,” I encouraged. He got on and strapped himself in, still nervous. To keep from looking weak, he faced away from me, toward the scenery. He didn’t want me to see the fear in his eyes. I didn’t mind, however. I knew what a strong man he was. We lifted off, and I could see the flushed expression all over his body. No matter how well he tried to hide it from me, it was there. I massaged his legs. He didn’t have to be afraid ever again.

  “Look at me, Dante. Look at me,” I said, clutching his face. “It’s all right, babe. You’re safe with me now.” I kissed his soft lips and held his hand tight. His uneasiness subsided when he looked into my eyes. He took a deep breath before closing his own. I could tell he just wanted it to be over quick.

  The trip to the airstrip at Miami International Airport was swift. His other pilot had already started the jet he’d called for. We disembarked the helicopter and headed straight toward the plane. Dante, however, stopped in the middle of the tarmac and put his hands on his knees. He was sweating and shaking.

  “Did I really just do that?” he asked. I thought he might be suffering from posttraumatic stress.

  “It’s okay. You did it. It’s over now. There’s nothing to fear. Come on, babe.” We crossed the tarmac, and I helped him onto the jet. Once inside, we were greeted by his flight staff along with fresh fruit, pillows, and a bed. Everything was white and silver, even the attendant’s attire. It was beautiful. I now understood why Dante insisted one of his jets take us back to California. Relieved, Dante took off his shoes and stretched his arms into the air before flopping into his seat.

  “Where’s the wine!” he shouted happily. The way he said it caused his staff and me to laugh. A female attendant handed him a glass of white wine and a blanket. I kicked off my shoes and sat on his lap.

  “Do you know what I’m thinking?” I asked.

  “I’m thinking you’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking,” he said, putting down his glass.

  “You like tongue twisters, I see.”

  “My tongue has been waiting for this for an eternity.” He brushed my hair back and breathed into my ear sensually. It gave me goose bumps. He then grabbed the back of my neck and pushed his lips against mine. He kissed me as if I were the only woman in the world. I could taste the wine on his lips and tongue. It was so sweet. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly.

  “I thought I would never feel this again,” he said.

  “Shhh . . .” I licked his lips and dragged my tongue down his cheek to his neck. He moved his hands down my body as we lifted off into the air. My ears popped, but that didn’t stop me from sucking his neck.

  “You know, Isabella, we’ve been on a tremendous journey together. We love each other very much, yet we have never once made love.”

  “Well, that’s something we will have to remedy then,” I whispered. The staff retreated to the rear of the jet. We were finally alone. I hadn’t made love in over a year, and I could only speculate on the level of animalistic lust lurking within him. He slid off my blouse and unhooked my bra. Using his teeth, he took off the rest. I could feel the drool dripping from his mouth. He’d wanted this for years, decades even. I ripped off his shirt and shoved my tongue into his mouth. He tasted me and couldn’t take it any longer. We navigated to the bed, where he ripped off my panties. He seemed like a beast in heat. In his eyes, I saw passion.

  “Isabella . . . I want you to look me in the eyes when I do this.”

  “Do what?” I shivered.

  He spread my thighs apart and slowly lowered his head between them.

  “Dante, what are you—what are you doing?” My voice cracked. He stared me in the eyes and ran his soft, warm tongue against my clit.

  “Oh, God,” I gasped. He rolled his tongue back and forth. His hands dug into my thighs. I was sure everyone on board could hear my moans through all the white noise. I wanted to climax right there. Closing my eyes, I arched my back and wrapped my legs around his head. He caressed his hands up my thighs until they met my ass.

  Cupping my cheeks tight, he shoved all of me into his mouth. I could feel the back of his tongue rubbing my clit. In and out, his tongue thrusted inside me. I fisted the sheets and licked my lips. My inner thighs were shaking and I was about to come all over him. I tried to push him away so he wouldn’t get the brunt of my juices, but his grip on me was firm.

  “I’m gonna come, Dante. I’m—I’m gonna come!” I shouted. Still, he wouldn’t stop. Not until I, or should I say he, was finished. There was no use in stopping him. He would feel my climax all over his tongue and lips. I fisted his hair and buried his whole head between my legs. That made him squeeze my ass even harder. My entire body shook as I climaxed—squirting. It was the first time I had ever released so much of my juices. I never knew I could do that. Dante held his mouth open while I came. He wanted to taste every drop of me. Lying there, I shivered in ecstasy.

  He removed the rest of his clothes and climbed on top of me. My inner thighs were shaking furiously.

  “I love you,” he whispered before pushing his cock inside of me. Soft and slow. It was nothing like I had ever felt. I scratched his back, screaming in lust. I wasn’t ready for his cock after the immense climax I had just experienced. Dante, however, gave it to me anyway.

  “Look at me, Dante. Please look at me,” I shouted. Gentle and soft were his long strokes. His cock was huge and it stretched me into eternal bliss. We didn’t take our eyes off each other. He gazed into my soul. I wanted all of him. This wasn’t how I’d pictured our first time having each other, yet it seemed so magical. We passed the clouds with the sun shining in on us from the horizon. I was in heaven. We were in heaven.

  This felt so amazing—so right. He sucked on my neck and enhanced his strokes, deeper and faster, pressing his body firmly against mine. I never wanted this moment to end. I brought his head back up to face me and kissed him endlessly. I wrapped my arms and legs around his hard, muscular body as he drove deeper inside of me.

  I’d wanted him for so long. In my dreams, I thought of nothing else. He kept going on and on and on, never stopping. And I didn’t want him to stop. I’d never experienced this level of pleasure in my entire life.

  He stared into my eyes and I grabbed his face.

  “Dante, where have you been all of life? Please tell me!”

  “Waiting . . . for you.” He pounded his cock into me faster and faster.

  “Oh my God, Dante. I’m gonna come again!” I squeezed him tighter between my legs.

  “We’ll come together,” he moaned. Both our bodies shaking, we released a deafening scream. I grabbed his ass and held him inside me while he came. I wanted to feel every drop of his seed release in me. He didn’t fight me. He let it happen. I could feel his cock pulsate as my walls swallowed every inch of him. We rolled off the bed onto the floor, gasping for air. Sweat soaked us. I had never experienced a climax like that before. I felt it throughout my entire being. What had we been waiting for? I could have had this in South Korea or even in the hotel when he came to see me. I was never letting this man go, ever.

  Chapter 13

  Isabella

  The ride home from the airport was much like the flight from Florida—we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We made love five times on that flight. The passion between us didn’t seem as if it could be sated. We kissed and caressed each other the whole way to my house. Stopping was impossible. The feeling of him inside me was addicting. Our love had grown the moment we made love.

  I pulled back for a moment. “Dante . . . Dante . . . Please, stop for a second . . . Dante . . .” My request went unanswered. “Dante—” I said again.

  “Yes, Isabella . . . Yes . . . What is it?” he asked, lips pressed to my neck.

  “I have to ask you something.”

  “Sure, ask away.” He stopped kissing and looked at me.

  “The house I bought . . . well . . .” I paused.


  “Go on.” He rubbed my hands.

  “I bought it for us. I think we should move in together.” We stared at each other for a brief second. I wasn’t sure how he was going to react.

  “You want to live with me?” he said.

  “If that’s all right with you.”

  He nudged my shoulder. “What took you so long to ask me?”

  I sighed in relief. Joy filled my heart. He started to kiss me again, but I pulled away. “Is there something else?” he asked. I didn’t want to interrupt this joyous moment, but I had to ask him. This seemed like a good time to get it off my chest. I had to know one thing, this one little secret he had kept from me this whole time.

  “Dante. W-why didn’t you tell me we’ve known each other since we were children? Why didn’t you tell me that you asked my parents if you could take me to the junior high prom?”

  He stopped and looked at me, surprised. “How did you find out that was me?”

  “My mother told me when I was staying with her. I probably should have asked you this when you came down to visit me. I had no idea you were sending me letters that whole time. I had no idea it was you. My dad kept them from me and forgot about them after I left for college. I found all your letters while I was there.”

  He stared at me as if he had fallen in love all over again, more passionately than before.

  “So, you finally discovered the truth. I wanted to tell you, Isabella, I really did, but I just couldn’t. I was planning to tell you when you got back from Florida, but then . . . the accident happened. Maybe you would think I was a stalker if I told you.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought you were a stalker. I just want to know why you didn’t come to me when I was in college or something.”

  “We lost contact. I was already at the business school in Oxford, and you were still in high school. After I graduated, I joined Goldman Sachs and worked in one of their field offices in Madrid to be closer to my father before he died. A few years later, when I completed my MBA , I figured I should get on with my life. That’s when I started what was then Cayman Roth Company. Only when I saw you speaking at the Youths Convention a few years ago in downtown LA did I find you again. I couldn’t believe it was you. I vowed to court you. But, after some research, I found out you’d married Nathan Williams. How could you have married Nathan? Of all people, why Nathan?”

  I hung my head. “He played me. He told me everything I wanted to hear. I was a fool for ever getting involved with him. I should have listened to my mom.”

  He kissed my forehead. “Well, I guess what’s done is done. That’s all in the past. And speaking of the past, now that you know ours, I feel comfortable in telling you the truth.”

  He embraced me.

  “I have loved you since we were children. I wrote you those letters in the hopes that someday you would reciprocate. But after over forty letters and no response, I figured you just didn’t like me. Had I known you never received any of my letters, I would have gone back down to Florida to talk to you in person before leaving for England. Your parents were so strict that I’m surprised Nathan managed to win you over.”

  “Please, stop saying his name. I don’t want to be reminded.”

  He smiled. “What I want to know is how you couldn’t recognize me. To tell you the truth, I was a little shocked when I met you again and you never once asked about my past. You didn’t even think I looked familiar. There was no reason to bring it up since you didn’t recognize me. How didn’t you know who I was?”

  I sighed. I’d already gone through this with my mother, and I’d felt ashamed when she’d asked me. I guessed I just wasn’t good with faces.

  “When my mom told me who you were, it all came back to me. My dad kept your letters in a small box in our basement. I was able to retrieve them after my mother finally confessed everything. Moths had eaten most of them, but I do still have them. They’re in my house on the table. I’d like to go through them with you when we get there, if that’s okay.”

  “Yes, of course, Isabella. We can go through them whenever you like. You are indeed the love of my life. I’ll never keep secrets from you again. I will never lie to you, never hurt you, never make you feel like you are less than perfect, never make you cry, and if you do cry, they will be tears of joy. I make this promise to you. I’ll be yours and only yours forever—I swear it.”

  I kissed him between the eyes.

  “I can see those tears of joy forming already,” he said.

  “Shut up and kiss me.” I held him tight and rubbed my tongue on his bottom lip.

  We pulled up to the house. It was located in Pelican Crest with the Newport Coast area. Fountains streamed as stunningly visual décor in the front yard. The exclusivity of the community made it that much more perfect. It had double wrought-iron entry doors leading to the grand foyer, as well as vaulted cathedral ceilings. With six en-suite bedrooms, a great room, a loft, a billiards room, a movie theater, and the bathhouse I had built, I didn’t think we’d ever have a reason to leave. I could see Dante and me sitting outside, taking in the views of the Newport Coast skyline, the mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.

  The driver dropped us off at the front door. Dante swept me off my feet and carried me in his arms. I held on to his neck and waist as he opened the door. Just about everything was encased in marble décor. It was like a fantasy.

  “Surprise, my love,” he said. I was in shock. The entire living room was filled with jasmine flowers and a banner.

  Dante & Isabella Forever

  Thank You For Finding Me

  For Saving My Life

  Chocolates, strawberries, fruit, my favorite wine on ice, and a Golden Retriever puppy greeted us as we moved farther into the room.

  “But how did you . . .” I began.

  “It was difficult to plan this without you knowing. I had to wait until you left my room in the hospital to call Maya. She helped set all this up. This is my gift to you for saving my life as well as stealing my heart.” He set me down on the couch and took off his jacket. The puppy ran to my feet and barked. I picked him up and held him in my arms.

  “His name is Adam. Gaspard saved him from an animal shelter. I hope you like him.”

  Words couldn’t describe what I felt. I was still stunned by the initial shock of it all. This man was full of surprises. They seemed to be never-ending. He dipped a strawberry into a cup of chocolate near the end table and put it in my mouth. The taste was sensuous, just like his kisses.

  I didn’t want to be full on sweets alone. I’d planned a dinner for us later that night. It was going to be a surprise, but if I didn’t tell him about it now, we’d both fill up on wine and strawberries. He kissed me and licked away the remnants of chocolate that had attached itself to my lips. His kisses and touches excited me. They lured me into wanting him more.

  “Let’s go for a shower.” He took off everything but his boxers. I shivered with excitement as I watched him undress. He approached me and slowly removed each layer of my clothes. I tried to keep my composure, but it was no use. I dropped to my knees and slid off his boxers. The scent of him threw me into a lustful trance. He bent over to pick up my blouse and blindfolded himself with it.

  “Guide me,” he whispered.

  “Guide you?” I raised my brows.

  “Yes, Isabella. Let your love guide me to places we both have longed for.”

  I took his hand and led him to our private bathhouse. The insatiable hunger I had for his flesh made me moist. My hand in his, I took him to the waterfalls bath I had constructed. He could hear the ripples and splashes all around us.

  “Sounds nice,” he said. I removed my blouse from his head.

  “What do you think?” I gazed at his torso and noticed his cock growing. I wanted to feel it throbbing in my mouth.

  “It’s like a fantasy, a dream I have dreamt all my life,” he said. I released his hand and knelt to fill my palms with water. Coming up swiftly, I splashed him in the face several times before
running off, laughing.

  He wiped his face. “You’re mine,” he growled, giving chase. Before I could make my escape into the sauna, he caught me. We both fell, splashing into the bath. He lifted me up above his head and twirled me around like a trophy.

  Our lips and tongues locked in an endless clasp, and his hands squeezed my backside as I wrapped my legs around him.

  Steam filled the room, causing us to sweat with an appetite for each other that only lust could sate. Was this how real love felt? Was it to allow someone to take complete control of you, both mentally and physically? To give up everything you were for this one person and to be unequivocally vulnerable to their every whim? I never thought I would feel this way again. I never thought I would be able to open myself up to another man for fear of being hurt.

  . . . true strength comes when you’re able to do it all over again until you find that one man willing to love you with the same amount of passion that you love him . . .

  My mother was right. I could hear her words in the back of my mind. I trusted Dante with everything that I was. He loved me. That much was evident.

  “I never want this moment to end. I’m never letting you go away from me,” he said. I dipped my head under the water and came back up, wiping my eyes. Yes, he was still standing there. I wasn’t dreaming. This was real. He carried me into the sauna and closed the door. We sat on the wooden bench designed just for us.

  “Relax, my love.” He began to rub his hands on my back, legs, and backside. It felt so good. His hands were blessed. I was in heaven.

  He spent twenty minutes buttering me up with his carnal touches before lying on top of me and kissing the back of my neck. I arched my backside into his waistline, and he entered me with ease, slowly.

  “Ahh . . .” I whispered. From now on, I vowed to have him every day if I could. He reached over and placed his middle and index fingers on my clit, enticing me with his fingers back and forth while pushing himself deeper inside of me. I climaxed within seconds. My body was already shaking. I had never made love like this before. The steam from the sauna made us sweat harder. We were soaking wet as the sheer lust of it drove me crazy.