I smiled, remembering. “I wasn’t.”
“Not at all.”
“Do you want to know why?”
“You trusted me,” he said.
“I knew you’d never hurt me, Brando. You were so gentle with me. Thefirsttime.” Even though he was, he still ravaged me.
“You had no mercy for me.” He kissed me once more.
We both laughed, silent breaths in a quiet house. The only loud sounds were coming from the storm outside and the hissing of the fire when a renegade piece of wood would catch and not want to burn.
“Too wild for you, Mr. Fausti?”
He sighed, running a hand through his feral hair, only making it worse. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You did, but not on purpose.” I ran a hand down his cheek. “Do you remember what you told me on the ride home, after a certain night on Maggie Beautiful’s couch?” I lifted a brow at him.
“I warned you—a man like me wasn’t the type to start with, or something to that effect. You took it as a challenge.”
“Of course.” I laughed as he bit along my neck, the sensation tickling instead of causing me to suck in breath. He was good with his mouth; he knew what the hell he was doing, and whatever he did, he did on purpose. “You also said that no other man would touch me. Ever. So even with the warning…” I let that thought linger.
He growled against the pulse in my neck. “Your name should’ve been a warning. Scarlett.”
“That’s what you said then!” I growled back at him. He stopped, grinning at me. “Your reputation should’ve served as a warning to me. We both took chances, Fausti.”
“And look what we have.” He smiled, sincere in the firelight.
“Our beautiful years.” I sighed. “I wonder what’ll come next? What picture we’ll love enough to frame? What song we’ll love enough to dance to? What’ll make us cry? Be happy about? Give thanks for? What new trick will we try in bed?”
“Still so curious,” he murmured. “Some answers will come sooner than others.” A wicked smile spread from his mouth to his dark eyes.
I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes. “I take it you have something in mind for one of those questions?” It was no great feat to guess which one. But since surprises were fine with me, I didn’t need specifics, only a yes or no.
He got to his knees, his erection highlighted by the raging firelight. He was a solid manifestation of the heat emanating around the room.
“It’s safer that we’re all alone,” he said, giving me his hand. As soon as I lifted, he flipped me on my knees, his front to my back, hands gliding over my stomach and hipbones. “I’d be one ragingbestiaif another man heard you screaming out things meant only for me to hear,ah? Like my name.”
* * *
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, still half asleep. Perhaps I was still asleep, all of this a dream.
“Bed, baby.” Brando’s soft voice came out of the night. “Sleep now.” I felt his lips touch my forehead.
“Oh,” I whispered. “You’re my keeper.”
“I’m your husband.”
“Same thing,” I slurred out.
“No, but if calling me your keeper makes you feel safe, I’m whatever you need me to be.”
“Are you keeping me safe? Right now?”
“Yeah, I’m putting you to bed.”
“You’re coming with me?”
