As if reading her mind he asked, ‘Will you tell me what happened to you?’
Lili’s insides constricted. He might not think her all that brave if he heard her story and deemed it to be not worthy of thoseissues.She thought of spilling out the terror of those few days and how she’d really believed she might be raped, or die, and of her family’s indifference. She couldn’t bear the thought of Cassian’s reaction, whatever that might be. The best would be pity and the worst would be him looking at her as if to say,was that all?
She shook her head. ‘Not…now. Maybe someday.’
‘Okay.’
His easy acceptance, and his not pressing her, soothed her a little.
Then he said a little ruefully, ‘I won’t lie, it probably won’t hurt my reputation to be seen in public as a more settled man.’
Lili forced a smile even though she was inevitably thinking about the day when he would take another lover after he was done with her and if and when she got pregnant. She recalled holding that small child on her lap and forced herself to remember that that was what this was all about. Creating a family. And a chance for love. Except, it wouldn’t be a family, would it? Because Cassian had made it explicitly clear that he didn’t want to be a part of the kind of tableau they’d witnessed this evening with Dante and Alicia.
And, she had to remind herself, she’d never imagined that either.Until now.Her mind was getting scrambled. She forced her mind back to the moment and said, ‘Well then, I’ll do my best not to let you down.’
Cassian got out of the car and came around to open her door. They walked to the front of the villa and he lifted his hand, silently asking for hers. She put her hand into his and let him lead her inside and up the stairs.
Lili shivered with anticipation. When they got to his room she said, ‘I’d like you to undress me.’
He stood in front of her, eyes glittering. Then he smiled, unbearably sexy. ‘I thought you’d never ask. I’ve been fantasising about taking these clothes off all evening.’
‘I don’t think I’ll wear them again. I was embarrassed to be wearing them in public.’
He looked serious. ‘You could wear a sack and look good in it, Lili. You have nothing to feel embarrassed about.’
Something very fragile and light filled Lili as he very gently started to push open the long cardigan and pushed it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor. Then his fingers were on the buttons on the front of the dress, his knuckles grazed the bare skin of her breasts and she shivered. He stopped. ‘Okay?’
She nodded and just managed to stop herself from saying,can you hurry up please.He kept going and pulled the dress open and pushed it off her shoulders. She stepped out of the flat sandals she’d been wearing.
Now she was just in her underwear. The new underwear. Satin and lace. Cassian stood back and looked at her. Devouring her.
‘Cass, please.’
He looked at her. ‘Say that again.’
She frowned. ‘Please?’
He shook his head and stepped close to her, tugging her bra straps down, baring her breasts. He cupped them and rubbed his thumbs across her tingling nipples, making her legs weak.
‘Say my name.’
She breathed it out. ‘Cass…’
‘Like that.’
Then he lowered his head and covered her nipple with his mouth, drawing the stiff peak into a vortex of damp heat. Her legs gave way but he caught her, effortlessly, lifting her against his chest. Very dimly, Lili was aware that she was moving in leaps and bounds beyond a place where she’d never even imagined before, but she couldn’t think of that now.
Cassian laid her on the bed and stripped efficiently. He was hard. Ready. He reached for her underwear and pulled them down. He left her bra framing her breasts.
‘Widen your legs.’
She did. And he stroked himself for a second before coming down and hooking her legs over his shoulders. He pressed kisses up along her inner thighs and then he put his mouth on her and Lili no longer cared about anything but this exquisite place only he could bring her to, where time and matter ceased to exist, replaced purely by pleasure and the pursuit of it.
Milan
They had arrived to Cassian’s Milanese palazzo in the afternoon. The busy city felt a little jarring to Lili after the relative peace and quiet of Lake Como but she was doing her best not to feel intimidated by it.
The palazzo was down a leafy side street off one of Milan’s main thoroughfares. It was modest from the street but behind the door lay an open cobblestoned courtyard and massive ancient door, flanked by statues and trailing vines.
