Carla swallowed. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”
He grimaced. “Carla— Oomph,” his words came to an abrupt halt the moment she pressed the softness of her lips against his. Lips that tasted of champagne and a nectar all Carla’s own.
Carla had known that if anything was going to happen between her and Leon, then it had to be tonight. Grace had told her that her uncle and his full entourage were flying back to New York on his private jet some time tomorrow.
Consequently, she had from now until tomorrow morning to find out just how powerful Leon truly was.
Chapter Three
She was totally aware of Leon’s leashed physical power as he took charge of the kiss, their bodies melding perfectly together as his lips devoured and claimed hers.
Time and time again, until Carla had no breath left and her mind went blank. All she was able to feel was the devastation of those lips and the smooth movement of the muscles in his back and shoulders as she clung to him to stop herself from collapsing at his feet.
Boss of all bosses, in or out of bed, Leon Brunelli was undeniably physically overwhelming.
He continued that sensual onslaught of her mouth as his hands roamed restlessly along the length of her spine before settling on and possessively squeezing the twin curves of her bottom.
Carla had been totally aware of Leon’s arousal as they danced together earlier, but the throb of his lengthy cock pressed against her now seemed even hotter and more urgent.
Her throat arched as he broke the kiss so his lips could once again explore the length of her throat, allowing Carla to draw in a much-needed breath.
She’d never been kissed by a man with a beard before. It was surprisingly soft, even erotic against the silky flesh of her throat, as a contrast to the firm questing of his lips.
Leon grasped her hands in his to lift them high above her head and press the backs of them against the cold glass behind her. “You didn’t sound too sure earlier, so if you want to leave, now is the time. It’s a one-time offer,” he added with husky emphasis.
It was hard for Carla to think with the heat of his breath a caress against her sensitized skin.
She might not have a lot of experience other than Benny, the man she had thought she was going to marry, but neither was she a quivering virgin. Nor, despite Leon’s warning of this being a one-time opportunity to end this, did she believe he would force her into something she didn’t want if she changed her mind further into their lovemaking.
Yes, he was known for being the ruthless head of the New York Mafia, but he was also a father and an uncle, and Carla had seen his indulgence with both Natalia and Grace.
Perhaps she was being delusional, but she wanted to believe that indulgence extended to her.
Besides, she wanted Leon to make love to her. To make love with her.
She wanted it so badly, she felt lightheaded from the intensity of her heightened emotions.
All of it due to Leon.
Because Carla hadn’t so much as looked at another man with desire since Benny let her down so spectacularly.
Why did thoughts of him have to keep intruding?
Okay, she admitted she had looked at a few other men, because it was impossible not to appreciate how fine Matteo Zalotti was, along with all the Steele brothers.
But she had never lusted after any of them the way she did Leon.
From the moment she’d first set eyes on him, if she was being honest with herself.
Maybe her taste in men had become a little warped in the past year? All she knew was, seeing Leon that day in the warehouse the previous month, witnessing the ease with which he totally ignored the gun being pointed at him, had been indescribably hot!
He now lifted his head to look at her from between narrowed lids. “You’re taking a long time to decide whether to go or stay.” His voice betrayed no emotion either way.
“I’m staying,” she answered without hesitation. “You—”
“Oh for God’s sake, Papa, couldn’t you have taken this to the privacy of your own suite?”
Carla gave a self-conscious squeak at the interruption, while Leon released her hands to turn and stand protectively in front of her.
She quickly smoothed down her dress and hair before leaning slightly to the side to look around Leon.
Natalia Brunelli strode confidently into the room, the six-inch heels on her sandals adding to her height of a little over five feet. Her long dark hair was loose down her back, black kohl and long lashes surrounding eyes as gray as her father’s. Her lips were painted a bright red to match her gown.
She was wearing the same design of bridesmaid dress as Carla, but Carla was pretty sure the silky material didn’t hug her own curves quite as revealingly as they did Natalia’s more voluptuous figure.
Natalia’s bodyguard, the stony-faced Killian Price, had followed her into the sitting room and now positioned himself beside the doorway.
“Oh goody, more champagne!” Natalia threw her clutch bag down into one of the armchairs before pouring some of the open bottle of bubbly wine into another fluted glass. “Grace and Matteo have left on their honeymoon, so everyone is starting to drift away now.” She glanced at Carla. “She’s probably a little young for you, Papa, but don’t mind me,” she dismissed with a “carry on” wave of her hand. She dropped into one of the armchairs as indication she had no intention of going anywhere.
Leon had never raised a hand to his only child in all her twenty years, and he had no intention of doing so now. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know Natalia was totally spoiled and deserved to have her ass spanked right now, and hard. From the look of impatience briefly revealed on Killian’s face, the other man agreed with him.
Leon had never quite worked
