~ Sweet Temptation ~

by

Rosina LaFata

Dominic placed his mug on the table and sat down again. He reached for Alissa’s hand. He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t pull away from him. His arms were stretched across the table and he looked at their hands joined together. Her fingers gripped his and his thumb was drawing little circles on the back of her hand. Sparks of pleasure ignited his body. He was amazed. Just touching this woman excited him. He’d never felt this fire with Carmella. Dominic forced his mind back on business.

"I’m sorry this happened to you, Alissa. And I’m just as sorry it happened to all the others. Naldo & Sons didn’t stay in business for three generations by cheating its customers. I hate that this has caused you so much stress."

"Well, getting the balance of my order yesterday relieved a lot of that stress," she laughed.

"Yes, but you shouldn’t have had any. No matter what you think, we are not trying to run you out of business. When we decided to open a supply house here in St. Louis, we didn’t think our new location would affect any of our customers. In fact we thought it would cut costs and be more convenient. Supplies would reach you quicker and be less expensive to ship."

"But with you across the street, people won’t buy from me when they can get the same thing from you at a better price."

"We didn’t know your bakery was across the street from our new location. At least, I didn’t."

"Why should they continue to buy from me? They can cut out the middle man and get everything from you." Alissa sounded defeated. He hated to be the cause of her unhappiness. "I’ve worked so hard to build up a business. ALISSA'S SWEET TEMPTATIONS is my livelihood. How can you destroy that?" Suddenly, as if realizing he still held her hands, she jerked away. Her chair clattered on the floor as she pushed away from the table. She paced the length of the room so quickly, her robe flared out away from her shapely legs teasing him with a glimpse of smooth pink skin. He could see her anxiety pulsing through her body. She wrung her hands and bit her lower lip. He wanted to caress her bruised lip with a kiss and erase the tension from her body.

Dominic was almost afraid to go to her. He didn’t know how she would respond. He had to do something to help her. He couldn’t sit there and watch her torture herself any longer.

"Alissa, don’t." He rose from his seat and stopped her with a hand on each shoulder. Her momentum carried her right up against his chest, intimate contact he hadn’t planned on. His body burned from his chest to his hips, the satin robe not much of a barrier between them. Her hands were pressed against his chest, and he could feel her fingers curve into fists. Her eyes were filled to the brim, and tears threatened to spill out any second. Dominic felt his whole body melt. He brought his hands up to cup her face and lowered his mouth to capture her lips. His tongue massaged her lower lip where he’d seen her teeth gnawing the tender flesh. Lost in the wonder of the moment, he deepened the kiss. His tongue probed for entry and she opened her mouth to him.

Dominic felt her surrender. Awed by her trust, his chest expanded. Her body melted into his and he let his hand drift from her face to her neck. The wrap-around robe was no barrier. Her shoulder peeked from one side, and his hand followed the opening down to caress her breast. She was so sweet. Her skin felt softer than the satin of her robe. He didn’t know how that was possible, but the contact sent shivers through his body. Reacting immediately, he pressed his swollen manhood against her soft tummy.

He was cursing his restrictive clothes, trying to shrug out of his jacket without releasing her, when Cassidy’s front paws landed on his back. As soon as the dog had their attention, he started barking and swinging his knotted old sock in invitation to play tug.

Alissa gasped for breath. Thank God, Cassidy stopped them! She wasn’t sure if she’d have had the sense to keep Dominic from going any farther. The man was too dangerous to be around. He did things to her she’d never experienced before