Devoted to Him

Book 2: Davison & Allegra

by Sofia Tate

Genres: Coming of Age; Women's Fiction; Billionaires Romance; Contemporary Romance; New Adult Romance; Romantic Suspense

Synopsis

For fans of Samantha Young, Sylvia Day, and E. L. James comes the sinfully sexy sequel to Breathless for Him. This emotional, erotic romance continues the story of Davison, a tempting billionaire who'd do anything to protect the woman he's devoted to, Allegra, even if it means losing her . . . Two months ago, Allegra Orsini nearly lost the man of her dreams. Thankfully Davison Cabot Berkeley, a powerful billionaire who always gets what he wants, had refused to allow anything-or anyone-to come between them. Now back in the arms of the man she loves, Allegra receives an incredible proposal. Allegra is invited to study under the opera world's most legendary diva. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity . . . but it means moving to Italy for a month. Thirty days without Davison's touch. Allegra isn't sure she can survive it-especially when Davison begins pulling away for reasons she can't figure out. Is the man who has given her more passion and pleasure than she has ever known about to break her heart? Soon Allegra starts to realize that Davison could be guarding a secret even more devastating . . .

Release date: December 2, 2014

Publisher: Forever Yours

Print pages: 260

Sample

Chapter One

Allegra Orsini is the most stubborn, aggravating, maddening, hotheaded, smart-mouthed, opinionated woman on the planet.


And I can’t imagine my life without her.

Which is why I’m waiting for her patiently on her father’s sofa, my knees bouncing up and down in anticipation. She’s in her bedroom getting ready for her private graduation recital—the redo, the one she missed when she was kidnapped.

That bastard Carlo Morandi died a lucky man, because if the NYPD hadn’t shot him, I would’ve paid someone off to leave me alone in a room with him so I could kill him myself. I would’ve made sure it was slow and painful, not quick like that cop’s bullet. It would’ve been a pleasure to torture him the way he made my beautiful Allegra—my baby, my Venus—suffer, and her mother before that, stalking her, then murdering her in cold blood right in front of Allegra when she was five. If my damn money could be useful for anything, it would’ve been for that.

Over two months have passed since Allegra was almost taken from me. I took her to Italy to get away from the media frenzy that was ravenous for any news of her, her recovery, and me. Most of all, I needed time to just be with her. We had a huge fight before we left, letting out all our anger and frustration, with me destroying a crystal vase in the midst of it when I threw it against the wall. I never want to feel that helpless again.


That fight actually brought us some peace. It was incredibly cathartic, and from that point on, we were determined to fight for our future together. She’s already seeing her former therapist, and I’m going to start having joint sessions with her and Dr. Turner as well to continue our healing.

Our trip to Italy was amazing, especially seeing the country through Allegra’s eyes. Her fluency in Italian of course helped us when our rental broke down on the autostrada and we had to call for roadside assistance. Even more than that, I loved being able to give her the trip she deserved. I pampered her, giving her whatever she wanted so she could relax and enjoy herself. Anything for her. For my Allegra.


And relax she did. I can still hear her moaning, screaming in ecstasy when I fucked her in the bathtub in Venice. How she rode me up and down, arching her back, on the verge of her body exploding, my cock sheathed in her tight cunt, milking it again and again as she shuddered…

Fuck!


I look down at my crotch. I’m hard as a rock.

I jump to my feet to bring down my hard-on. Thank God her father is still downstairs in his butcher shop. I start pacing the floor, thinking of less arousing topics like the pile of work that’s waiting for me on the desk in my office or my old professor’s monotone timbre discussing supply and demand in my undergrad macroeconomics class at Harvard.

“Hi.”

At the sound of her soft voice, I turn away from the window.

Allegra stands before me in a simple black dress that hugs all of her spectacular curves, with a thin belt that cinches her waist. With her hair pulled back in her familiar style at the nape of her neck, her legs encased in black stockings and those black stilettos that I love, she is a vision.

But my favorite parts of her ensemble are the jewels that adorn her luscious body. I gave her the ruby ring on her right hand in Venice when our gondola floated under the Bridge of Sighs, which, according to legend, was supposed to seal our love for eternity. She couldn’t stop crying when I showed it to her and put it on her finger. It was a symbol of my love for her, the promise of a future together. My eyes welled up as well, seeing how happy she was.

Around her neck is the hummingbird pendant on the chain that I bought for her as a Christmas present because that’s what she was doing the first time I met her at Le Bistro—humming like a songbird. Sometimes I think that’s what attracted me to her even before I saw her warm brown eyes look at me, sending my heart leaping into my damn throat.

Her bejeweled state reaffirms one thing for me and sends out a warning to the men who would dare approach her:

She is mine.


Before I met Allegra, I was never such a sap, not even with Ashton. Thank God I finally saw Ashton for what she really was—cold, unfeeling, materialistic, none of which could ever be used to describe Allegra. Meeting Allegra has opened me up in so many ways. I laugh more. She makes me want to be a better person. But most of all, I can be myself with her.

“Baby…” I murmur. I drink in her beauty, roaming my eyes over her luscious body wrapped in shimmering black fabric. I slowly make my way over to her, our eyes locked on each other. When I reach her, I cup her face with my hands. “You take my breath away.”

“Davison,” she whispers.

My name crossing her lips in a sexy tone sends my heart soaring and my cock hardening once more. I’m in awe of her. “You look beautiful.”

“So do you,” she says, fingering my red tie, then running her hands over the lapels of my charcoal-gray suit. “This is one of my favorites.”

I lean in and start nibbling on her warm earlobe, tasting her sweet flesh on my tongue. “Why do you think I wore it?”

“Don’t start, Harvard. We’ll never get out of here if you keep that up.”

She wriggles out of my grip, stepping into the hallway, returning with her coat. “Now be a gentleman and help me with this. My father’s waiting downstairs.”

If anything is going to crush my libido, it’s the mention of her father.

“At your service, Venus.”

I assist Allegra with her coat, wrapping her cream silk scarf around her neck. I look down into her soft brown eyes, seeing her love reflecting back at me. Even though I’ve only known her for a few months, I can tell what she’s thinking and feeling just from the expression in them.

“Baby, you have nothing to be nervous about,” I reassure her. “You’ve been rehearsing almost every day. I should know. I’ve been missing you like crazy.”

She laughs slightly at my attempt at levity, a smile appearing on her lush lips.

“You’ve got this. You’re going to be amazing.”

She nods. “Thank you. I needed that. Now let’s go before I lose my nerve.”

She turns around, and with my hand on the small of her back, I steer my love out the door.

*  *  *

Front row center.


He’s always there, no matter what.

I smile back in silent reply to the one spread across Davison’s face. He gives me a quick wink of encouragement from his seat as I clear my throat. I signal to Derek, my accompanist, who begins playing the opening notes on the piano in my favorite rehearsal room at my grad school, the Gotham Conservatory. I open my mouth and enter my comfort zone. I forget the eyes staring at me and the ears listening for everything from pitch to pronunciation.

I finish the final note and shut my eyes, trying not to let the tears that are forming fall down my cheeks. I open them again to see the entire audience on their feet, applauding with Davison and my father shouting, “Brava!”


I bow in gratitude for the applause. Davison is the first to embrace me, of course.

“You were amazing, baby,” he whispers in my ear.

My father steps up to me with tears in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you, cara.”


“Grazie, Papa,” I tell him. “I just wish Mamma could’ve seen me.”


“She did see you. I know she did,” he assures me.

I nod as he holds me once more. A loud voice announces, “Okay, Mr. Orsini, my turn.”

My best friend, Luciana Gibbons, is standing behind my father. Next to her is her boyfriend, Tomas Novotny.

“That was incredible, Alli!” she says. “Thanks to you, I’m a total mess!” I laugh as she wipes her eyes. I watch as Tomas places a hand on her shoulder. It makes me smile in wonder how Lucy was resistant to dating Tomas, but now she swoons over him like a schoolgirl.

“You were vonderful,” Tomas says to me in his thick Czech accent.


“Thank you, Tomas.”

The rest of the audience, mostly the faculty, comes over to congratulate me. When Signora Pavoni, my mentor, approaches me, she isn’t alone.

“Brava, Allegra! I would like to introduce you to one of my dearest friends, Ginevra Ventura.”


My mouth drops. I can’t believe my eyes. Ginevra Ventura is one of the last true divas of the opera world. She’s known for her passionate temperament and her famous string of lovers that ranges from film stars to royal princes. Her nickname is appropriate—“La Diva.”

She is everything I imagine her to be from her CD covers. Her gray eyes contrast against the jet-black of her hair with a widow’s peak in the front, wearing a black pantsuit and a matching cashmere shawl covering her shoulders. A clearly expensive red handbag is hanging from her elbow.

She takes both of my hands in hers before she speaks to me. “Signorina Orsini, thank you for your performance. I was very impressed by your voice. You are very talented. We will speak on Monday morning. Lunedi, sì?” she asks, looking back at Signora Pavoni.


My professor nods. “You made me very proud today, Allegra. Would you stop by my office then, perhaps around eleven?”

“Of course. I’ll be there. Grazie mille,” I reply, my curiosity piqued, wondering what my professor and La Diva are planning to tell me.


I keep staring at the two women as they walk away, not even noticing Davison returning to claim me.

He wraps his arms around me from the back, placing his head on my shoulder. “What was that about?”

“Do you know who that was?” I ask incredulously.

“Of course. La Diva.”

I watch Papa from afar, talking to her and holding his hand over his heart, probably telling her how much he and Mamma loved listening to her albums.

“What did they say to you?”

“Not much. They want me to meet them in Signora Pavoni’s office on Monday.”

“So basically, you won’t be able to focus on anything until then,” he whispers into my ear, instantly arousing me.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be completely useless,” I joke.

“Hmm. We’ll see about that, baby. You ready to head to Le Bistro for dinner? The sooner we get there, the sooner we finish.”

I turn around in his arms, giving him a quick kiss. “I love how you think, Berkeley.”

Chapter Two

Allegra’s head is nestled on my shoulder as Charles drives us home from dinner at Le Bistro. We’re slightly buzzed from the champagne that the owner and my godfather, Elias Crawford, sent over to our table to congratulate his talented employee on her successful graduation.


I watch as Charles pulls in front of my building. I look down at Allegra’s peaceful expression.

“You awake, baby?” I whisper.

“Mmm-hmm,” she murmurs. “Just resting my eyes. Are we home?”

“Yes.”

Home. I love the sound of that word coming from her mouth. Hopefully, it won’t be long until it actually becomes a reality—sharing the same home with her. I have plans.


She waits for me to open the car door for her, something that’s become part of our routine. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and don’t let go until we’re inside my apartment.

I take off her coat, putting it away with mine in the hall closet. When I turn back around, she grabs my tie and pulls me to her, her lips slamming over my mouth. I suck on her tongue, feeding on its sweetness. Her hands run through my hair, bringing me in tighter.

When she pulls away, I groan with need.

“Fuck me, Davison,” she commands.

That’s all I need to hear. I sweep her up into my arms, carrying her to my bedroom. She doesn’t say a word, and neither do I. We both want the same thing—me inside her.

Once there, we work on each other’s clothes, quickly taking turns as she undoes my tie and my shirt buttons, and I unzip her dress and pull the bobby pins out of her hair, letting the silky strands fall around her face. Both of us are now fully naked.

I roam my eyes over her luscious body.

Fuck. She is the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen. And she is mine. All mine.


I pick her up and walk with her body wrapped around me to the bed, where I lay her down and fall on top of her.

She quickly wraps her legs around my waist, her hands squeezing my ass.

“Hard, baby,” she orders me in a husky voice. “Fuck me hard. I want you now.”

I grunt in agreement because I’m too damn overcome with emotion. I’m dying to taste her pussy and suck on her luscious tits, but right now, more than anything, I need that connection with her, to feel my cock sheathed inside her like a vise.

I slide my dick into her pussy, which is completely soaked.

“Oh God, baby, you’re always ready for me, aren’t you?” I moan. “You feel so good. So fucking wet.”

I start thrusting inside her, and she quickly picks up my rhythm. She then links my hands with hers, holding them above her head. We are amazing together, always in sync with each other. And when we come together, it’s fucking priceless.

Allegra’s body is a work of art. So soft, with her sumptuous curves. I love watching her when I thrust my cock inside her, the way her eyes shut tightly, her lush mouth forming Os with each drive, that angelic voice of hers that turns raw and primal when she yells my name right before coming.

She’s getting closer as her muscles tighten, going rigid, grinding the heels of her feet into my lower back. I do this to her.


“That’s it, my love. You’re so fucking beautiful. Come for me,” I pant.

Her entire body shudders as her orgasm sweeps over her, yelling my name. I can feel her milking my cock harder and harder until I explode inside her, my entire body shaking from the release.

I collapse next to her, immediately reaching for her and wrapping myself around her, our bodies both slick with sweat.

Her brown eyes open, searing into mine. I love looking into them after I make her come, completely softened. Her full lips are swollen from kissing me.

“Mmmm. Thank you, Harvard,” she murmurs, her head resting on my chest. “I know you probably wanted to do other stuff first.”

My baby never ceases to amaze me. She knows me so damn well.

“Hey, I was just following orders. But don’t worry. It was good for me too,” I reply.

“Was it? I couldn’t tell.” She smirks.

I grin back at her, but then I become concerned when she turns her head away for a moment, slowly shifting back to me after a pause so she can look at me in the eyes.

“Davison, tonight…” she starts.

“Yeah?”

“It meant so much to me that you were there.”

“Where else would I have been?” I tell her, astonished that she’d even think I wouldn’t have been there for her.

She roams her right hand over my chest. “It’s just…tonight was so important, and seeing you there in the front row—”

“Center.”

“Yes, center,” she says with a lift in her voice, “you are everything to me, and I can’t imagine not—”

“Stop, Allegra. Don’t even think anything like that.”

I hate it when her mind goes to that dark place. But after everything she’s been through, I’m not surprised she’s still afraid that something could happen to us.

“But you didn’t even know what I was going to say,” she counters.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m here with you, in my bed, in my home, and that’s all that matters. Oh, except for one thing.”

“What?” she asks nervously.

“I love you.”

She lifts up her gorgeous face to l. . .