I shook her awake and her panicked eyes blinked up at me.

“Caro, are you okay?”

She didn’t reply immediately, rubbing her hands over her face as awareness leaked back into her eyes.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?” her voice trembled. “I was dreaming.”

“It sounded more like a nightmare.”

“Sorry. Yes, I’m okay.”

It hurt that she wouldn’t tell me what had upset her. It made me realize there was a lot we didn’t know about each other. And a hell of a lot I had to hide.

She shivered and sat up, the duvet slipping down to her waist. I lost my train of thought as I stared hungrily at her breasts.

“Your eyes are going to fall out, Hunter,” she muttered.

“Just looking, boss,” I grinned.

She stood up, stretching stiffly, then picked up her bathrobe and shuffled into the bathroom.

I lay back on the pillows with my hands behind my head, planning out the route and how long it would take to get to Genoa. I’d planned on driving further than that, but Caro had made it clear that riding pillion wasn’t her most favorite thing.

But when she reappeared from bathroom, her whole face was lit with a sexy smile. Damn, that was a turn on.

“Hi,” I said, wondering what she was thinking.

“Hi yourself.”

“You seem better.”

“Why, Warrant Officer Hunter,” she smirked at me, “what masterful skills of observation you have.”

“Yeah, much better.”

“Well, now that you mention it, I am in a much better mood, although I’m rather hungry.”

“Do you want to go down for breakfast or should I call room service?”

“Let me think about that for a minute.”

I was already reaching for the phone when she untied her robe and pulled the belt out of the loops, winding it through her fingers. I froze, watching the robe slide to the floor, leaving a very naked Caro standing there. Fuck. Me.

“I was thinking about eating you,” she purred, “but as you’re such a stubborn, annoying man, who makes me pissed with every other sentence he utters from between his beautiful, badly-behaved lips, I thought I’d better tie you up first. What do you say?”

My mouth dropped open.

“I’d say, where is Carolina Venzi and what have you done with her?” I managed to croak out.

Her grin grew wider. “I’m just taking your advice, Hunter.”

I shook my head, confused, but liking where this conversation was going.

“I don’t know what advice I gave you, but it must have been damn good.”

“Let’s find out, should we? Put your hands on the headboard.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I wrapped my hands through the metal framework as Caro crawled up the bed, her thighs straddling my body. Then she threaded the belt through the headboard and tied both wrists tightly.

“Have you done this before?” I breathed out.

“Only in my dreams, Hunter. Now, be quiet, or I might have to gag you, too.”

My mouth went dry. “Fuck!”

“Maybe later,” she replied, her voice low and teasing.

Then she whipped the duvet off the bed and stared down at my erection.

“Now that’s a sight for sore eyes, Sebastian. Maybe I should just leave you here: the hotel maids might appreciate that. Or, better still, maybe I’ll take a photograph of you on my phone. Don’t worry, I won’t post it on the internet, it’ll just be my screensaver.”

What the fuck? Was she serious? Was this some sort of payback? The look in her eye was making me nervous.

“Caro!” I said, a serious warning in my voice.

“Spoilsport,” she said, pretending to pout at me. “No sense of adventure.”

I was relieved this was part of the game, but I felt vulnerable, too. I’d never let a woman tie me up before. I mean yeah, I was all for bedroom games, but I preferred to be the one in control. Everything was different with Caro.

I tested the strength of her knots—they were pretty tight. I could probably get out of them, but only by destroying the headboard. That was plan B—I hoped plan A involved more sex and less damage to property.

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on each of my biceps before sliding back down my body.

I licked my lips as she knelt across my shins and then ran her tongue from my balls to my tip. Holy fuck! That was…

But then she climbed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Where are you going?”

“Back in a minute,” she called.

Shit. What was she doing? I rattled the headboard and yelled out.

“Caro! What the fuck?”

“Are you getting impatient, Sebastian?” she called back.

“Fuck, Caro!”

But then she strolled back into the bedroom, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “Couldn’t see what I was doing,” she explained, her impassive face hiding a grin.

“There’s going to be payback for this, Venzi,” I warned her.

“Bring it on, Marine.”

She knelt back on the bed and ran her hands over my chest and stomach, then took my dog tags in her mouth and sucked hard.

Damn, she looked sexy doing that. I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply.

My whole body was on fire as she kissed, nipped, bit, licked and sucked her way downwards. When she found a sensitive spot, I couldn’t help bucking my hips, cursing wildly, losing my final shred of control.

“Sebastian, your language!” she teased.

When she ran her tongue down my dick and held my precious man-jewels in her teeth, I stopped breathing altogether. If she didn’t stop soon, this was going to get very ugly.

I may have sent up a prayer of thanks when she released me without injury or maiming, but I wouldn’t say I relaxed because she kissed the tip of my dick and then took the whole all of me in her mouth. It was the mother, father and holy spirit of all blow jobs, and I think she took me from heaven to hell and back again.

She started increasing the speed at the same time she increased the pressure, and I knew I was close. I tried to warn her, but it was too late. I thought I was going to pass out as I shot my wad into her mouth and she swallowed around me. I saw stars, galaxies, whole fucking universes as my heart pounded hard enough to break through my chest.

When I felt strong enough to push against the ton weights that were resting on my eyelids, she was snuggled up on the bed next to me. I swallowed several times before I could speak.

“Jeez, Caro! That was … that was … wow!” I tried to pull her into my arms but realized I was still tied to the headboard. “Are you going to untie me now?”

She shook her head sleepily. “Don’t think so. I like having you as my beck-and-call boy.”

I laughed quietly, then rattled the headboard again. “Seriously, I want to hold you.”

Grumbling to herself, she untied my wrists. I flexed my hands as the blood began to flow again, a tingling sensation shooting up each arm.

“Where did you teach yourself to do that?” I asked teasingly, as she settled back onto my chest.

“Night school,” she said with a yawn.

I laughed and kissed her shoulder. “Is it my turn now?”

“I thought you wanted to take me on a road trip,” she said sleepily

“Yeah, but I could be quick…”

She was definitely considering it and my dick twitched back into life. Bastard never knew when he was beaten.

“I’ll take a rain check,” she said at last.

Wrong answer.

“Okay. In that case, I guess we should get going.”

I started stroking her ass with one hand, and teasing her nipple with the other.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes still closed.

“Nothing,” I whispered, as my hands drifted down and I slipped a finger inside her.

She gasped and her eyes flew open.

“Sebastian!”

My name came out in a long moan.

“Shh, baby,” I said, reaching for another condom.

She wouldn’t let me shower with her afterward, on the grounds that we wanted to leave the hotel before nightfall. She was packing up her suitcase when I finished my shower, although that didn’t stop her checking me out, and yeah, I may have posed for her, enjoying the feel of her eyes on my body again after all these years.