Leo led me further up the alleyway and ducked under a heavy chain into a small parking lot. There were a few small cars, one 4WD and a motorbike. It was then I noticed the helmet he was holding in his other hand. I couldn’t hide the smile that involuntarily appeared plastered across my face.

“Is that yours?” I motioned towards the sexy black machine.

“Are you game?” He held up keys and raised his eyebrows.

“Are you kidding? Of course I am.” I looked down at my dress and heels, wishing I were dressed more appropriately for my first ever motorbike ride. Yet the idea of being dressed completely inappropriately filled me with glee. I walked over to the bike and ran my hand over the curly pipework and leather seat.

I felt Leo’s body behind me and his lips feather kisses across my neck while he held my hair back. I turned and kissed him hard, feeling the cold metal of the sexy bike on my backside. He lifted me and placed me on the leather seat, and my legs immediately wrapped around him. I could feel his desire pressing into me, and I knew for a fact I’d never experienced real lust until that moment. Every time I’d been in Leo’s presence, I was reminded of our mind-blowing connection, and I couldn’t seem to get enough. He was intoxicating and I wanted to drown in him.

When he pulled back, he stroked my face and pushed my hair behind my ears.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

“Very.” I stroked the leather seat. “What sort of bike is it?”

“She’s a Ducati Diavel. My baby might look like a cruiser, but the one hundred and sixty-two horse power Testastretta engine will give you the ride of your life.”

“That might be the sexiest sentence I’ve ever heard.” I tried to keep a straight face to mirror his serious expression but couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. Leo halted my chuckling by kissing me again, and I had no problem with that whatsoever.

“That’s one way to shut you up.” He grinned, and I was glad I was sitting down. The whole experience with him in the bar, and now being perched on his motorbike, was beyond anything I could’ve imagined. I didn’t want the night to end. “Bea told me you broke up with Dick. Is that true?” he asked when we came up for air.

My body shuddered as I remembered his second act of aggression towards me. “Long overdue.”

He helped me get down then reached into the side compartment and retrieved a second helmet. I held still while he pushed it carefully over my head and leaned in to do up the chin strap. He threw his leg over the bike and secured his own helmet in one fluid motion. Straddling the seat, he held his hand out for me to climb on behind him.

We hadn’t discussed where he’d be taking me. I knew I had to sort out my own mess of a life, but for one night I wanted to let go of everything, be irresponsible and take something for myself.

Before he turned the engine on, he turned in the seat. “Shall I take you home?”

I reached forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, whispering in his ear, “Come home with me.”

Without another word, the hundred and sixty-two horse power engine roared to life. We eased slowly down the alleyway and out onto Liverpool Street. The traffic was light, but Leo still had to manoeuvre between some cars and the occasional truck. I clung to him and rested my face on his leather-clad, muscular back, soaking up the raw power of his body and the bike between my legs. I felt the acceleration out of each set of lights. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made me giddy, and laughter escaped from me. I laughed so hard it made me squeal with unbridled joy. Leo’s body shook, and I could hear laughter coming from him too.

Leo found a place to park his bike easily outside my apartment building. We walked through the lobby and waited for the lift in silence. As soon as the lift doors closed on us, I found myself pinned up against the mirrored wall. Our tongues entwined in a lust-fuelled dance of intoxicating foreplay. When the doors opened on my floor, we were both breathless and needy. Fortunately, my key was easily located in my clutch and I let us in quickly. Leo was on me again as soon as the door closed.

“Tell me what you want.” Without waiting for my reply, he kissed his way along my collarbone.

My head hit the wall gently over and over as my body lit up from his touch.

“Tell me what you want, Juliette.” He repeated his question, but this time he looked me directly in the eyes.

I slowly undid my coat and let it fall to the floor. I then unzipped his leather jacket and pushed it off his shoulders, allowing it to fall to the ground. I grabbed his head and ran my hands through his hair, standing on my tiptoes to reduce the distance to his gorgeous face. Then I whispered in no uncertain terms, “I want you.”

His eyes flared with lust and a small groan escaped his lips as his hands moved to the back of my thighs and scooped me off the ground. His lips immediately found mine as my legs wrapped hungrily around him. We were on the move, but I was oblivious to my surroundings, lost in his kiss, his hands kneading my thighs. My apartment wasn’t big, so he had no trouble locating my bedroom. A door was kicked open, and I squealed as I became airborne, thrown backward onto my soft bed. I landed with a bounce, giggling before Leo’s muscular body crashed down on me again.

I unclasped my jewelled belt and flung it off the bed. Before it hit the floor, Leo grabbed the hem of my dress and roughly dragged it up and over my head. Desperate to feel him skin-to-skin, I did the same with his t-shirt then started work on his belt buckle. I was taking too much time, so he pushed my hands aside and ripped it off, flinging it to join mine on the floor. My hands greedily unzipped his trousers but were pinned to the bed above my head before I could make any further progress.

His mouth devoured mine. Our tongues intertwined in a frenzied collision of desire, and all I could think about was how much I wanted this man. I wanted him with every fibre of my being. One of his hands continued to hold both mine in place while the other grazed down my body, leaving a hot, fiery trail. By the time he reached my inner thighs, I was ready to combust. His mouth found its way to my chest. His free hand moved from my thigh to my strapless bra, pulling down the cups to expose my breasts to his strong, sensual tongue. My back arched in ecstasy, allowing his hand to move under me and unsnap the clasp. I quickly found myself naked from the waist up, writhing, willing him to resume his attention. I was rewarded when his mouth closed down over my left breast, sending me into a tailspin of pleasure. My right leg hooked over his backside, pushing his hardness into me, and our groans tried to outdo the other as the heat between us hit fever pitch.

When his mouth moved to my right breast, my eyes rolled back into my head. I had never experienced anything close to this pleasure and I was still wearing my underwear.

“Oh my God, Leo.” I panted the words as my desperation for him to take me increased.

“I want to savour you.” Both his hands roamed my body while his mouth came down over mine, and our kiss was tender, reinforcing his words.

With my hands now freed, I took matters into my own hands. I pulled at my g-string and wiggled it down my body before going to work on his trousers and boxers.

“Steady on, my little minx.”

I was way too turned on to be remotely embarrassed by my forwardness, and it would have been fleeting anyway as Leo grabbed a condom from his wallet in his discarded trousers.

As he ripped the packet, I glanced down and gasped.

Holy shit! I thought, gritting my teeth with a mixture of fear and excitement at my impending impalement.

“Still in a hurry?” Leo asked with a smug grin, positioning himself between my thighs. His lower arms rested on either side of my head and his thumbs caressed my cheekbones.