Through You (The Hidalgo Brothers Book 2)

CLAUDIA

This is a whole new level of sexual tension.

The car ride home is quiet, and the magnetism between us is palpable. In all honesty, I’ve always prided myself on being able to rein in my impulses. But this is different; I’ve never wanted someone as much as Artemis. Maybe it’s built up over so many years, and the fact that there’s nothing standing in our way anymore makes it hard to resist the urge to rip his clothes off and . . .

I need to keep my imagination under control.

Artemis puts his hand on my bare thigh, and I jump when his warm palm makes contact with my skin. I watch him, but he keeps driving like nothing is happening. I can feel my heart hammering with every heavy breath I take. It’s as if all my senses are on high alert.

“How come you’re so quiet?” His voice sounds deeper in the car’s interior.

“Just thinking about how much you’ve grown.”

“And you haven’t seen it all.”

“Artemis!”

He laughs a little, giving him the appearance of a charming and naughty boy with a soft, scruffy beard that makes him look even sexier. The selfish person in me is glad he never shows this smile to the rest of the world. Artemis parks the car and we walk to the front door.

When we step into the house, we share an uncomfortable moment. There’s no awkwardness between us; it’s just that since we live in the same place, we don’t know what to do at this point.

How do we end the date and say good night? Or do we even have to? We come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.

“I really had a great time with you tonight,” he says, making me smile.

“I had an okay time.” He raises an eyebrow. “I’m kidding. It was an amazing date, thank you.”

A heavy silence lingers and we look into each other’s eyes. I lick my lips and he looks away.

“Good night,” I finally blurt.

“Good night.”

I turn and start to walk away. I grimace, frustrated now that I’m out of his sight. Suddenly, I feel his hand on mine, turning me and pulling me toward him. Before I can blink, he lifts me up in his arms and walks us to the stairs. My heart is in my mouth, and I look at him. His neck is tense, his veins are popping out, and his breathing is a disaster.

“You want this as much as I do, don’t you?” His voice is thick with desire. He carries me up the stairs. I find it sexy, the way he holds me with ease. The answer to his question is my silence as I nod. When we reach his bedroom, he closes the door and puts me down. My feet have barely touched the floor when he pushes me against the door and kisses me with urgency. I don’t hesitate and return his kisses with the same urgent need, because . . . my god! I want him as much, perhaps even more. Our mouths move in sync, wetting our lips. I hold on to his tie and tilt my head slightly to the side to deepen the kiss. Artemis has his hands on either side of my face, holding me firm against the door, visibly trying to keep himself under control.

To hell with self-control.

His kiss intensifies and becomes more passionate, more demanding and intent on driving me wild. Our breathing and the sound of our kisses echo throughout the room. My body burns from his touch. When I feel him press his fists against the door, I lightly push myself away from him.

“Stop holding back,” I whisper, nibbling on his lips.

His voice is husky and sensual. “I’m trying to be gentle.”

“Fuck gentleness.” I suck on his lips harder. “Lose control and screw me like you’ve always wanted to screw me.”

And I watch as his restrain crumbles. His hands find my breasts and squeeze them gently, provoking a soft moan from my lips.

“I’ll screw you the way I want,” he growls against my mouth.

He crushes my lips beneath his and deftly massages my breasts before reaching for the straps of my dress. He pulls them off my shoulders and jerks the top of my dress down, exposing my bra.

My skin is burning hot, dying for his touch. He leaves my lips and kisses my neck while his hands unhook the clasp of my bra, freeing my breasts.

A moan escapes my lips when I feel his mouth on the skin of my naked breasts, sucking on them. I throw my head back, enjoying the sensation. He deftly sucks and licks, switching from hard to soft. The perfect combination, making my legs go weak.

Good god, I might have an orgasm just from this alone.

Impatiently, I grab his face and make him look at me so that I can kiss him. I remove his tie and throw it to the side. Without breaking the kiss, I unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders while simultaneously removing his jacket. I run my hands over his chest, feeling every contour and ripple of his muscles.

I trail down until I reach his toned abdomen. He momentarily breaks the kiss to watch me, and takes a hold of my wandering hand, guiding it a few inches lower.

“Touch it.”

I obey, and cup him through the fabric of his pants.

“I want you to feel how hard you make me.”

And he’s really hard. I massage him through his pants as he slips a hand up my dress and rids me of my panties in one swift yank.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I gasp.

“The way I want,” he reminds me, as his fingers find their way to my most intimate place, making me forget about my torn underwear. I’m so wet, making his fingers slide, which seems to excite him even more. His breathing becomes more erratic, and his shoulders rise and fall. I can’t wait any longer.

I unbutton his pants and take them off along with his boxers.

My mouth waters when I see the man standing before me. He’s so fucking gorgeous. Every line on the muscles of his arms, chest, and abs is well defined.

My dress falls to my feet and I am completely naked. I pull him closer, pressing my body against his. I groan when I feel the skin-to-skin contact between his aroused member and my sensitive core. I can’t wait anymore. I turn around in his arms, giving my back to him. I rest my palms on the door and expose myself to him.

But Artemis has other plans and grabs my arm, flipping me around and throwing me on the bed. I land on my back then push myself up to rest on my elbows so I can watch him. He pulls me by my ankles, dragging me closer to the edge of the bed.

“I want you to look me in the eyes while I fuck you.”

“Fine. I’ll let you be in control. But just this once, iceberg.”

Artemis maneuvers himself between my legs, and swoops down for a kiss. The friction created by our naked bodies grinding against each other makes me moan with anticipation. He halts the kiss briefly to look deep into my eyes. His hard member brushes against my center. I’m about to beg him to take me, when in a one fluid movement he thrusts inside hard, making me arch my back.

We both groan at the sensation, but he doesn’t give me time to recuperate and begins to hammer into me with growing urgency, burying himself deep over and over again. His eyes are fixed on mine, and there’s a look of intense passion on his face. His grunts and moans amplify the intensity of the moment. I wrap my legs around his sides in an attempt to feel his thrusts deeper.

“Aah, yes,” I moan, wrapping my arms around his back.

He is fucking me hard, like a wild beast, exactly how I wanted him to take me. The sound of our bodies slapping hard against each other blends with our moans of pleasure. I never thought I would feel this good. It’s not the first time I’ve had sex without a condom, but the sensation of my heated skin pressed against his is too much to bear.

I get lost in Artemis’s brown eyes, feeling him so deep inside me. Each thrust brings me close to orgasm. He knows exactly what to do, and his mouth breaks from mine to whisper in my ear.

“You’re so hot and wet inside.” The sound of his moans intensifies my arousal. “You’re driving me crazy.”

He leans back and carefully lifts me up, bringing our hips to the same level and deepening his thrusts. My breasts tremble with each thrust. I bite my lower lip, struck by how sexy he looks when the muscles in his abdomen and arms contract with each movement he makes.

“Artemis!” I groan on the verge of orgasm.

“Yes. That’s right. Moan my name.” His whispers are laced with pure desire. He rubs my most sensitive spot with his thumb while he keeps thrusting inside me. My eyes roll and I’m overcome with the urge to explode. “Like that, sexy. Moan your pleasure, let go while I’m inside you.”

“Ah, god.”

I grip the sheets at my sides. My orgasm sends shocks all over my body, rushing through my nerves and overpowering my limbs. I moan loudly. His name and a host of profanities escape my lips. Artemis doesn’t stop; instead, he accelerates his movements, making my legs tremble while he speaks between grunts.

“Can I come inside you?”

The thought of letting him finish his release inside me sounds sexy as hell, and I’m on the pill so I nod my response.

His punishing pace picks up speed. His eyes never leave mine. Arousal makes his face contort as he comes to his release.

I can feel him inside me, still hard and throbbing. He falls on top of me, his heart thumping madly against mine. Our breathing is in shambles, and I’m unable to stop the silly postorgasmic grin plastered on my face.

Artemis rolls over, and lies on his back next to me.

“Wow,” he exclaims, turning his face toward me.

“Not bad, iceberg.”

He gives me a roguish smile.

“Likewise, fire.”

“Fire?”

He reaches out to me with his hand. His finger caresses my neck, then moves down to my cleavage.

“You once told me you were like fire, and I now have confirmation.” He pauses. “Getting burned by you is totally worth it.”

His feathered touch trails down to my tummy, and I hold my breath, enjoying the contact. He lets his fingers skim along my sides, drawing small lines on my skin that point to the places it has stretched whenever I’ve gained and lost weight. He does it with such tenderness and adoration, making me smile. I’ve never felt ashamed of my body. And why should I? All these marks are part of my history and what I’ve been through. I’m a healthy person and that’s what matters. Everything else is trivial. His hand moves lower until it reaches the outer part of my thigh. He brushes against the old scar there, and whispers.

“Fourth grade, you fell from a bicycle. God, there was a lot of blood and you didn’t even cry.”

I laugh at the accuracy of his recollection. “You were pale. I honestly thought you were going to faint.”

“I almost did. But if you ever tell on me, I’ll deny it.”

He sits and puts his finger over another scar on my knee.

“First year of high school while roller-skating. I told you not to go down that street because it was so steep.”

“As if I ever do anything you tell me to do.”

He lies back on his side and cradles his head with one hand so he can stare at me. His hand travels to my waist, where there’s a nearly unnoticeable scar.

“Appendicitis,” he continues. “It was the first time I saw you cry, and it broke me.”

I reach out to cup his face, and feel his light scruff against my palm.

“You are a very sweet man, Artemis. You have always been.”

“Sweet?” He arches an eyebrow. “No. How about sexy?

Devilishly handsome?”

“Yes. Physically speaking, you are very attractive. But that’s not what made me” —fall in love with you. He waits for me to finish my sentence, so I do—“notice you.”

“So you’re telling me that it was my sweet disposition?”

“Yes.”

“You are aware that everyone else in the world says I’m a bastard, that I’m detached, that my aura is icy and cold.”

“I am not everyone else in the world.”

He uses the palm of my hand to lightly rub his face. “Would you like to be a part of my world?”

“I think you’re still high on postorgasmic endorphins.”

He rolls and lies on his back, gesturing for me to lie on his chest. And I do, hugging him and placing my arm on his abdomen.

He drops a kiss on my forehead. “What are the chances that . . . ?”

“We are not going to do that again.”

“It can’t hurt to try.”

After we spend a moment in silence, I get up and climb on top of him. I kiss him passionately, and when I pull away I notice he’s watching me with an amused look on his face.

“I thought you said we weren’t—”

“I lied.”

And I kiss him again, letting all the emotions stirred up by our first encounter flow freely. I’m terrified by everything I’m feeling. Sex has never meant that much to me, and now I know why. In spite of the fact that so much time has passed, I have confirmation that subconsciously I’ve been saving my heart for him and only him. Sex didn’t mean much to me until it happened with him. Artemis Hidalgo, my beloved iceberg.