“When a man loves a woman—”
“Too generic.”
“Never,” he said. “Classic. But never generic.”
“You have me, Brando.” I stared at my finger over his heart. The diamonds that created the ballerina ring glinted against the darkness, along with the paleness of my skin. “Why now?”
Shock really hadn’t had a place, not during his proposal, or after. Now, in the cover of darkness, cloaked in silence? It seemed to make itself right at home between us. The peace we had found rippled.
“I am who I am,” he said, one hand lifting before it found my skin again. “I separated from my true nature to do the right thing. By nature, it’s not in me to be selfless when it comes to you. It’s not in me to be patient when it pertains to mine. You are mine. It’ll be official. My wife.”
I didn’t miss the emphasis he put onmy wife. It was almost proprietary.
“Did you always know that you’d marry me?”
He grinned, real wolfish. “Yeah. You were the only girl in town who could pronounce my last name. So I told myself, unless you want to be calledFawsti by your own wife, you better marry this one. She saysFowstithe way it’s supposed to be pronounced. And she can roll those rrrrrs with the best of them.”
“What!”
He shook with laughter. “Then I told myself, Fausti, not only is she smart enough to pronounce your last name, she’s as flexible as sweet taffy. Damn.” He whistled. “That thing you do with your leg, baby—”
I went to slap him, but he dodged, and we rolled around on the bed, lightning and thunder, him laughing and me still attempting to get a good lick in. He was strong and fast, but he was right, I was flexible to an insane degree and was a brilliant squirm-er. He pinned me more than once, and whether or not he did it to let me win, he let me go, and we would do it again.
The thrill of the hunt turned him on.
Once on top, I went to speak, but he flipped me over, silencing me. I scooted up the bed, eyes firm on his, but he pulled me back down by the ankles. The look in his eyes was all the evidence needed of his intentions, but a man could never tell a lie, especially this one.
Without direction, I glanced down, following my train of thought.My, my, my, how beautiful he is. All ofhim.When I looked up, he grinned at me again. Itwaslike a weapon.
Still sore from the fresh assault, I was overly sensitive and quivering, and my thighs clenched in remembrance. I’d be bruised tomorrow. He’d have scabs from the claw marks and redness around the bite wounds.
He straddled me, his erection gliding along my skin, this time heat against flush. He had thoroughly warmed me. He looked down and I looked up. “Too far from me, Ballerina Girl.”
Lowering, the wild strands of his hair tickling my face, he kissed me deep and languorous, and all strength left me. After he had thoroughly stolen my breath, his lips moved to my ear, his breath light.
“Tell me what the wordconatmeans.”
“Connaître,” I let out a soft sigh. “To know sexually. Intimately. Almost religiously.”
His lips made tender noises as he worked his way down.
“Merde. Tell me.”
I laughed breathlessly, taking his hair in my hands as he went lower and lower. If my eyes were not firmly installed in their sockets, they would’ve rolled to heaven.
“I’m going to buy you a French translation book.Ah!” The noise came in pleasure. A hiss connected to a sigh. Still…I wriggled.
He looked up at me, black lashes fanning his dark intense eyes. All squirming ceased.
“I can’t—” Our eyes connected and an easy moan left my mouth. My lips couldn’t even form the wordno.
“I won’t be rough. I’ll take my time. Earlier, I meant to make you remember who you belong to, Scarlett.” He whispered the words against me, his breath soft and warm. “When we are at war, our bodies are the weapons, and I’ll fuck you like it’s a battle. And I’ll conquer. When we make love, you have my surrender. But always, I’ll love you more than the air that I breathe.La mia vita.”
A soft breath trembled out without consent. A whimper.
His strong hands met mine, rough and calloused from hard work, and my soft ones closed around his, holding on, never wanting to let go.
The world ceased to exist outside of closed doors for a long time after that.
