Taste Me Read online

  “You. Always, you.”

  His finger designed a path from circling her breast to caressing her slightly rounded stomach. She shivered in anticipation. Oh, he remembered this well. She appreciated all he had to offer and made him feel important in his exalted position as her lover. He slipped two fingers into her moist place, and she clasped his arms to hold him there. Almost like she was in pain, but he knew better. She enjoyed his touch.

  “Tell me, talk to me. What is it you crave?”

  She laughed low and sexy as hell. “I want you to fuck me, over and over until I’m breathless. Oh, one more thing…at least three orgasms. Please.”

  God, he loved this woman and her openness with sex. She knew exactly what she wanted, and it just so happened it was what he wanted too. “Anything for you, Aurora.”

  When he found her G-spot, she had an orgasm within seconds. He licked her lips and kissed her. She was sweet and inviting his attention. He moved his fingers slowly in and out. He loved the way her rosy lips parted when she sighed in contentment and the way her other lips parted too, allowing him to enter her and feel her tighten around him. He slipped his fingers deep inside and touched her nub with his thumb, rubbing it gently back and forth before bending to kiss her there. Swirling his tongue in circles, he proceeded to dip it in and out. Tasting her and reveling in her sweetness. She bucked beneath his hand, and he held her down with the other, forcing her to take more teasing until she couldn’t last a minute longer.

  She opened her mouth with little whimpers, and he covered it in a deep, tongue-plunging kiss, so she wouldn’t cry out in ecstasy. But before he allowed her to calm down, he removed his fingers, slipped his cock inside her warmth, and held it there. She groaned and gripped his back, digging her fingers into his flesh. He pulled out and dipped back in, teasing and tempting and making her growl with need.

  One deep plunge and he pulled out, just to the tip and plunged again. Over and over like she requested. She squirmed beneath him. Her eyes revealed her sensual pleasure. The tension built within him. She held his buttocks and forced him to stay still. Wrapping her legs around him, she spread herself wide for his access and he moved deeper. Waves of intense shocks washed over him. He could wait no longer. He pumped in rhythm to his heartbeat, in and out, faster and faster—then he exploded. His release rocked him so hard his arms shook as he held himself over her. The beautiful woman beneath him drained his strength.

  His breathing slowed, but she held him there. She shivered and shook with the intensity of her orgasm. He waited for her to finish and open her eyes. She’d bitten his shoulder, but it didn’t hurt. He loved it when he made her feel such passion. She opened her eyes and smiled. He moved beside her and cuddled her. He wanted to keep her there always. There was no way he could let his brother marry her. He loved her. But there was the baby. Brent’s baby.

  In all fairness, he had to let her go.

  Dear God, what have I done to deserve this punishment?

  ****

  Aurora snuggled in Bryce’s arms. Tears rolled down her face. The love she felt for him was as intense as their lovemaking, all-consuming and one hundred percent real. Their bodies joined in passion tied them together in a way no vow ever could. If only he could accept their baby. If only he didn’t suffer from dual personality disorder. This was the Bryce she loved. She didn’t know who the other Bryce was—her best friend maybe?

  “What are you thinking, mia bella?”

  She shifted beside him to study his face. “I think I’m in love with you, but you’re crazy. I can’t be in love with you, yet it’s what I feel. I want you to love me too. I want us to be together. I want to make love with you, even when we’re old and gray and too stiff to have sex any longer.”

  “Stiff?”

  She giggled. All she’d said, and he only caught stiff? She loved where his thoughts were. At least he was honest. “Aren’t you going to say something important?”

  He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I love you too, Aurora. I think we should get married.”

  She rose on her elbow in pure surprise. “Do you mean that?”

  “Yes. It’s time we make you an honest woman.”

  Her heart soared to the sky and beyond. This was a dream. This was too wonderful to be true. She pinched herself. Nope, she was awake. It must be true. “When?”

  “How about Friday?”

  Two days away?

  If she said no, it’s far too soon, he might not want to get married at all.

  Silly. He wouldn’t have asked, if he didn’t want to marry her. “Friday is fine.”

  “Perfect for me too.”

  She laid her head on his chest. “How long can we stay in here before your uncle kicks us out and makes us get a hotel room?”

  “Maybe an hour or more.”

  “Then we have time…because as far as I can feel…” She slid her hand down along his thick cock and gave it a squeeze. “You’re ready to go again, and I’m so horny. I need you. Please?”

  “Ah, you drive me crazy with sex. But I love it, and I love you.”

  That’s all she wanted to hear. Over and over again—for the rest of her life.

  ****

  All the way home, Bryce pondered the past two hours in his mind. Was he crazy like Aurora said? What right did he have to deceive her? If she ever found out his scheme, he would never find the words to make it right. Because it wasn’t right. Aurora should know there were two brothers. She had to make a choice, even if she didn’t choose him. What if he wasn’t the father? He didn’t care. He wanted to marry her, to bury himself inside her and love her for years to come, and he wanted to have lots of babies with her.

  When he arrived at the farmhouse, he fell onto his bed and closed his eyes. How should he handle this situation? She would end up hating him no matter what he did now. If she ever found out. He had to come up with a game plan to lure Brent into his position. Brent needed to suffer a little for all his deceit. After Brent and Aurora tied the knot, Brent would win the bet. But knowing Brent, he would want his freedom back. They could switch places. Or he could make Brent the bad guy, who would tell her the whole truth. It would serve Brent right, especially since he was the idiot who’d screwed up the challenge in the first place. But would that make her come to him or run the other way? What if Brent decided he liked being married to Aurora? Or she the same?

  The thought of Brent pounding his short cock into Aurora’s sweetness made him mad. His slick, money-hungry hands running all over her smooth white skin. Pleasuring her, making her moan and scream, and orgasm—damn!

  He jumped up from the bed and tugged on his clothes, boots and jacket. All these crazy ideas weren’t right. The truth needed to come out, and it had to be done, right now. No way was he going to let his brother marry Aurora, sleep with her, and have sex with her ’til death do they part. No damn way!

  ****

  Antonio stood at Aurora’s side, showing her by example how to make a pastry shell to perfection. His fatherly figure, demanding yet kind, made her wish for a family again. It had been so long since she’d had anyone who cared about her. Being an only child and with both parents gone, she’d had no one. Now, she would be part of a big Italian family. She should feel great. But something worried her, almost like she was missing a piece of a complicated puzzle.

  “Are you in a dream, Aurora?”

  She smiled at Antonio. “No, just thinking. Sorry. Did I do something wrong?”

  “No. I think you are in love with my nephew. That is all. He is a very lucky man.”

  “I think I’m the lucky one.”

  She watched Antonio work his magic with a small ball of dough, punching and rolling it in his big hands. He grabbed the pastry roller, going back and forth over the dough on the floured cutting board. The dough was so thin she didn’t think it could be handled.

  “Okay, now you cut the ovals, and we will put them on the rollers.”

  “I’ve done this part before, b
ut I cheated and bought pre-made pastry shells.”

  “In my restaurant, we do it the right way. No cheating here.” He chuckled, and she smiled at his jovial attitude. “Even in the heart, mia cara.”

  Her smile faded. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

  “I know you love my nephew. My question is…which one do you love?”

  “Which one?” She cut and he rolled, and they made the cannoli shells faster than she could think. But her mind was clicking away with possibilities of what he’d said.

  “Okay, we’re done for now.” He took the tray of cannoli over to a sous chef and walked back, dusting flour from his big hands. “Thomas will bake the cannoli. Tomorrow, you will learn how to fill the shells.”

  “I’m not sure what you meant about your nephew, Antonio.”

  “Let me explain. First, I learn it is Brent you are engaged to at Dani’s party, and now it is Bryce you plan to marry. So I ask again…which one is it you truly love?”

  He could have tossed ice water in her face for the drama that hit her heart. “Let me understand what you’re saying, Antonio. There are two brothers who look a lot alike?”

  “More than alike. They are identical.”

  Oh. My. God. Identical as in— “Twins?” Her voiced croaked so loud she covered her mouth and couldn’t breathe. Her chest tightened, and she clasped her hands over her belly.

  Antonio’s face saddened, and he shook his head. “They never told you?”

  “No. No, they never told me.” She sucked in air and felt nauseous. “I can’t believe I’ve been fooled all this time.”

  “Do you need to sit down? You are very pale.”

  “No. Yes. Maybe.”

  “Here, sit.” He yanked a stool over and patted the leather seat.

  It all made perfect sense now. Everything was as clear as cappuccino. No wonder she thought Bryce had a split personality. His duo sides were really two separate beings. One a classier, wolf-on-the-prowl type, who kissed her like a brother. And the other a hotter-than-hot sex machine, who drove her over the edge in sensual bliss. They’d both called themselves Bryce. How in the world would she know which one was which?

  “They’ve played these games in the past. I am sorry they tricked you, Aurora.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. She swiped them away defiantly. “I’m sorry too. Can I come back another day, Antonio? I’m not feeling well.”

  He took his chef’s jacket off, hung it on the nearby hook, and gave her a big bear hug. “Oh, mia bella. I will wring both their necks for hurting you.”

  She sniffled and hugged him in return. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the job myself.”

  “I like your spunk. Maybe you can forgive just one of them? I would love to welcome you into our family. Go now and drive safely. Don’t let your anger distract you.”

  Anger? Ha! He didn’t know the meaning of the word.

  She was so fueled up she might explode all over the twin devils. “Thank you for your understanding, Antonio. I’ll be in touch.”

  And she meant it. Their uncle had nothing to do with their trickery, except he was confused seeing her with each nephew and wondering which one would get the girl.

  Holy crap!

  Maybe they’d both had the girl. And if that was true, who was she marrying on Friday? And which twin was the father of her baby?

  She decided to swing by the farmers’ market, in case she might get lucky. Her temper had cooled some, but the pain of being deceived made her seek answers. Or at the least a little revenge. She pulled her car into the nearly empty parking lot and spotted the red sports car parked near the side entrance. No white truck. It was still worth a peek inside. She couldn’t wait to see the expression on their faces—if only she could catch them together.

  ****

  “Next time I leave you in charge don’t fill any orders if you don’t know what you’re doing.” Bryce paced the floor back and forth. He paused at the desk, put his fists down, and leaned forward to look Brent straight in the eye. “And don’t go around Uncle Antonio’s for a while. He’s pissed, and it isn’t at me.”

  That ought to keep him away from Aurora too. He had to devise a plan to get them together without his uncle’s interference. Antonio couldn’t always tell them apart, but they had a few slight personal preferences. Like his love of veal parmigiana which Brent hated, preferring baked ziti instead.

  “I tell you, it was only the lettuce order I screwed up. It all looks alike.”

  “Well, it certainly doesn’t to Antonio. Stay away for a week or so and let him cool off.” Bryce chuckled. Damn, but he loved to get even. “He’ll forgive you…eventually.”

  Brent gathered up his paperwork, tided his desk, and stood to stretch. His strong muscles were from workout machines, not hard physical labor. If there was an easier way to do something and gain the same results as working on the farm or lifting heavy crates, Brent would do it. Bryce never understood that. He wasn’t afraid to jump in and get his hands dirty. It irritated him his younger sibling got the same results the easy way.

  Brent yawned. “I need to hit the gym. I feel lazy today and need exercise to energize.”

  “That’s because you are lazy. Don’t go exercising too many blonde bunnies. Keep your damn tool to yourself. You’ve already screwed yourself into a corner.”

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean? You told me to find a woman to marry. How can I do that if I can’t sample the product first?”

  Sample the product?

  Is that what Brent thought about women? Products to be tasted, played with, fucked, then rejected—used and broken-hearted? He steeled his heart against wondering what had really happened between Aurora and Brent, but he couldn’t block his busy mind. The more he thought about it, the more he considered changing his game plan. Getting Brent to marry Aurora might be a mistake in more ways than one. Brent wasn’t good enough.

  Hell, nobody was good enough for her, including himself.

  “Go on, get out of here.” Bryce struggled to keep his temper under control. It had been more difficult since he discovered Brent’s deceit using his name with his woman. “Remember, you only have two months to find someone. Look a little deeper than sex, okay?”

  Brent glared at his brother. “Like you did with—”

  Three knocks at the office door alerted them to a visitor.

  The solid door swung open and banged against the interior wall.

  Aurora—wild, long blonde hair swirling around her body—stepped into the room with her hands on her hips and her eyes shooting daggers. “Together at last, are we?”

  Chapter Seven

  Speechless was an understatement. Lately, these two men had managed to take her breath away. Sometimes leaving her dumbstruck, without a word to say, like she was now. They were totally identical, right down to their clothing. Both wore baby blue dress shirts and gray slacks. Only one twin had his shirt unbuttoned halfway, exposing his white T-shirt and giving him a unique relaxed appearance. He also wore a pair of boots that could use a shine. As if to say, ready or not, here I come.

  Well, ready or not, here she was.

  “Aurora?” The booted one spoke first. Interesting.

  “That’s my name. But I feel like we haven’t been properly introduced.” She closed the door behind her, leaning on it for support. On second thought, she turned the lock so they couldn’t be disturbed. She had a lot on her mind and a lot to say to these two busy devils.

  Boots stepped forward. “Aurora, I’m Bryce Lovella. I did introduce myself to you. Remember?”

  “Not the first time. You told me your name was Bryce Love.”

  “That would be me.” The other one stepped up beside his mirror image and looked her right in the eye. “We met here the first time.”

  “So did we.” Boots glared at his brother.

  “So you two not only look alike, you share the same name?” She laughed, but it wasn’t funny. Their humor was rude and childlike. Antonio told h
er they had played this game before. And darn, if they weren’t good at it. They stood silent in front of her, those devastating grins on their handsome faces, neither one attempting to touch her or show they had any emotions at all. “Your uncle told me about the games you two play with women’s hearts.”

  “He’s Brent.” Bryce pointed like a naughty toddler.

  “She asked how we introduced ourselves the first time we met.” Brent crossed his arms and stepped forward. “I was telling the truth. I introduced myself as Bryce Love.”

  She countered with a step toward him. “And why would you do that? Are you Bryce?”

  “No.” He sucked in a deep breath and released it. “We had a challenge going between us. I was trying to win. That’s all.”

  “Oh, God! Shut up, Brent. You’re only making it worse.” Bryce’s face flushed red. He rubbed his chin and avoided eye contact.

  “What kind of challenge?” She was ready to hear why they would use such trickery and think it was funny at their adult age.

  Brent rubbed his brow. “Okay, I’ll say it. I challenged Bryce to find the perfect woman and get her to say I love you, within two weeks’ time.”

  Aurora gasped. She had told one of them she loved him, or maybe she’d said it to both men. But what was the real motivation to this challenge? What would they be willing to win or lose? “And? Did you win?”

  He shook his head and shrugged. “The two weeks are long gone. We both lost.”

  Boots cleared his throat. She would give him the benefit of the doubt and call him Bryce. He glanced over at his twin, then looked at her. “Because he cheated.”

  Brent held up a fist and shook it in his brother’s face. “I’ve told you a dozen times, I didn’t know she was the one you wanted to win.”

  Did she hear him correctly? This whole conversation was a bit surreal, almost like a daydream, but the consequences were real. Her heart was on the line. She had to find the underlying cause of their deception. “What exactly was the prize?”