She sags against me with a little moan and I grin, sliding my tongue between her lips. Curving my hand around the back of her neck, I leisurely trace her lips and teeth before drawing her tongue into my mouth, sucking on it lightly. She tastes like the cherries and chocolate from the dessert table.
Groaning, I pull back, trying to find my willpower before I rip off that dress and fuck her right here on the terrace.
“Come here, I have something to show you,” I said, pulling off my tux jacket and putting it over her shoulders.
“When you mentioned you had something to show me, I kind of thought you’d be taking me back to your rooms and taking off-”
“Hush, woman! I’m trying to be romantic here,” I scold her, leading her through the center courtyard and to the side, to the first of the big greenhouses. Laughing, she follows me inside.
“Oh, this is so pretty,” she sighs, looking around us.
The college supplies a large amount of the food served in the dining hall from the greenhouses, but the most beautiful one holds all the flowers and the exotic botanicals the faculty uses for everything from poison to teaching first aid remedies in the field. I bribed the gardener to string Christmas lights in the greenhouse and then the same amount of money to give me the key and leave.
“C’mon, let me show you around,” I said, taking her hand. The air’s warm and moist, fogging the glass of the greenhouse and giving us some privacy. She delicately touches the petals of some white and purple orchids, leaning in to sniff some roses so dark that they seem to be black.
“How do you know your way around so well?” Tatiana asked, touching the silky leaves of a greyish-green plant.
“Maybe don’t stroke the leaves on that one,” I caution, “the tiny hairs that make the leaves so fuzzy on the Velvety Nightshade also contain the toxin that can kill you.” I kiss her as she yanks her hand away. “You’d need more exposure than that, though.” I help her step over a gravel-filled drain in the stone floor. “My first year here at the Academy, I was always getting disciplined.”
“For what?”
“Starting fights. Finishing them. I ended up here a lot with Professor Poison. Ah, sorry, Professor Palomé. Being in the Assassins major, there was so much to learn here, it’s fascinating,” I said, holding the huge leaves aside from an Elephant Ear plant to let her through.
“Why Signore Toscano, I’m seeing a whole new side of you,” she teases, rounding a table of brilliant red poppies. “Wh- what is this?”
I stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “It’s for you. Merry Christmas.”
“Bozhe moy, oh my god, Lucca!” Tatiana darts toward the bed. “How did you do this?”
There’s a huge bed, surrounded by pots of flowers and a decorative iron arch covered in wisteria. The bed is piled high with pillows and cashmere blankets.
“This is so soft,” she crooned, petting a blanket. “Is it made of puppies? Unicorn skins?”
Pulling the cork on a bottle of champagne on a tray next to the bed, I fill a flute and offer it to her.
“Can I make the toast?” she asks.
“Of course.”
Her eyes twinkle, “I would like to thank fate for the day I got the living hell kicked out of me.”
“What?” Damn, she always makes me laugh. “Why would you make a toast to the Jankowski Beatdown?”
“Because,” she insisted, “it was the best thing. Because of that very,verypainful afternoon, I met you. And being with you is the best of all things.”
Throat tight, I lightly tap my glass to hers. “Cheers, my sweet girl.”
Tatiana…
Lucca takes his time, slowly unzipping my dress, kissing each inch of skin revealed and he is right: when the zipper reaches the bottom of its track, the fabric drops off me gracefully. I couldn’t wear a bra with the low back of the gown, so I’m there standing a bit awkwardly in my undies and heels, and he is fully dressed, looking unreasonably handsome in his tux.
“Take off your panties,” he said, and I do, feeling his hand slide over my ass. “Mmmm.Bellissima.”
I always love watching Lucca take off his clothes, his long fingers elegant and agile, stripping away each item with grace and an economy of motion that I envy. But he’s not doing any of that right now, and my naked self feels even more… nude, I guess as he circles the bed, hands in his pockets, admiring me from all angles.
Hitching his dress pants, he kneels in front of me, kissing between my breasts and gently pushing me back against the soft sheets. Sliding his hands between my knees, he pulls them apart, making a pleased noise deep in his throat and the sound makes me melt like butter in the microwave.
“This was meant to be my big, romantic move,piccolo bacio.”He’s looking up at me from between my legs with such a wicked grin. “Looking at you, so pink and sweet… you’re already slick, did you know that?” I give a little yelp when he abruptly tugs on the trimmed curls between my legs. The sting is sharp and it sends needles of warmth through my center in a confusing way that shouldn’t feel good, but it does. “Part of me wants to worship and the other half wants to just… defile you. So, I’ll give you the choice. What do you want from me tonight?”
