Alessio is leaned against the headboard, shirtless, looking at his phone and taking up a surprising amount of space for such a large bed. I pause, not sure what to do or say.
“If you think I’m going to sleep on the floor of my own bedroom, you can think again,” he says without looking up.
I nod and walk around to the far side he’s left me. Furthest from the door, it’s the side I would’ve chosen, but I suppose that doesn’t matter to him. My jack knife sits on my nightstand, the pearl on the handle glimmering in the lamplight. He obviously picked it up and put it there.
“I approve of the inscription - blood for blood.” I shiver and he smirks. “Tuck it under your pillow if you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” I whisper.
“You don’t have to walk around on eggshells, and I don’t expect you to like everything about me, but I won’t tolerate lies from you, Caterina.” His voice is deadly as he levels me with a glare. I nod, unable to speak.
Moving toward the bed, I try to soothe my rattled nerves. How can he speak as though I’m supposed to be relaxed around him? He’s shown himself to be scary and unpredictable. He would’ve shot Nico in cold blood today if I hadn’t stopped him. On the other hand, I cling to the hope he doesn’t really want to harm me. Even if he dislikes me, he saved my life earlier.
I pull back the covers to climb in and freeze. Mr. Whiskers, my stuffed kitty I’ve had since I was three, stares up at me with his black button eyes. I’d packed him last week, not wanting him left on some forgotten shelf in an empty bedroom, but hadn’t thought much about him since then. I’d planned to put him in a drawer full of clothes meant for Chicago winters where Alessio would never see him.
“Found that in one of your suitcases while you were in the shower.”
“You went through my things?”
“Had to check for more concealed weapons. Between that and the book of fairytales I found, I should send you down to sleep in the fucking nursery.”
I should dare him to do it. But I can’t bring myself to fight or provoke him further when all I can think about is how this is my second night in Las Vegas, I’m far from the only home I ever knew and married to a man who wants my brother dead at the very least, and a ragged stuffed animal is the only piece of home I have to comfort me.
Curling up on the very edge of the bed, I hold Mr. Whiskers to my chest, struggling to hold in the sobs that want to come. It’s a losing battle.
“Are you going to cry for long?”
The first of several great, gasping sobs escapes with his question. My head and stomach hurt from trying to control them. I wish I could disappear. Alessio presses his palm against my back, and I flinch so violently I tumble off the bed.
“Fuck,” he grumbles, leaning over the edge and heaving me back up as though I weigh nothing at all. Once I’m back in bed, he climbs over me. Panic kicks in. Every reflex is primed, ready to fight and ready for pain… until he plops Mr. Whiskers down on my chest and rolls back to his side. “Calm down. I’m not forcing you to do anything. Dry your eyes and, for fuck’s sake, let me sleep.”
He extinguishes the lights and, while his tone was harsh, his actions cause that little spark of hope I shouldn’t wish for to rekindle. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I stroke the fuzzy head of my old stuffed kitty, soothing myself until sleep claims me.
***
When I wake, dawn is peeking through the curtains. I’m warm and comfortable though my eyes are matted from dried tears and my abdomen twinges with a familiar ache. Mr. Whiskers is still nestled against my chest while I’m pressed against a solid mountain range… of man.Oh.He’s not facing me, but I evidently rolled in my sleep and my arm is slung over his hip.Oh shit.
Gingerly, I move my arm back and try rolling the other direction. “Awake at last?” His voice is gravelly. Enticingly so.
“Yes, I…” I clear my throat. “How did you sleep?”
“Like shit,” he huffs, rolling to his back. “Not used to sharing a bed.” My face grows hot and not just because he basically admitted he didn’t enjoy sleeping next to me but also becauseof the way the sheets are tented over his hips. “What are you looking at, kitten?” he asks. He caught me staring.
“Um… you.” My cheeks blaze with fresh heat when that same dangerously sexy smirk from last night in the bathroom appears. It leaves me flustered. “You might not be used to sleeping beside someone, but you were my first kiss yesterday. I’ve never been around a man like this. I’ve never seen one naked except for you.” Something darkly pleased appears in his eyes. “I’ve never even touched a man, notintimately.”
“Well, as a married woman, why don’t you rectify that?” He throws back the covers. The blast of cooler air makes me shiver. Or maybe it’s the sight of his raging erection pressed against his boxer shorts. “Grab your knife. It might bite you,” he taunts.
Bolder in the morning light, I’m in no mood for his taunting.I am a Morelli, and I am stronger than either of us knows.I sit up, laying Mr. Whiskers aside and pushing my hair back. Then, I bring my hand to hover over the waistband of his boxers. Our eyes lock, and I see the challenge in his. He doesn’t think I’ll do it.
“My brothers always called me Curious Cat. I’ll admit I’m curious about some of yourparts,”I tell him as I peel back his boxers. He grins over me using that term again as he lifts his hips to aid my progress. Free of restraint, it bounces up, the head thick and engorged with blood. The silver ring through the end is the first thing I feel compelled to touch.
“If you yank on that…” he growls in warning.
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Despite being married to a De Luca, I’m not feeling particularly suicidal this morning.”
Dark humor lights up his eyes and, carefully, I trace the curve of the ring downward. But, when I reach his heated flesh, I feel compelled to look away. God, he’s like a bonfire. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’mwillinglydoing this.
“Look at me when you’re touching me.” The murmured words send a flutter down into my chest and a fissure of arousal racing through me, cracking apart my fear. That ache between my legs from earlier grows more intense and my stomach cramps up.
