This was about protecting what lingered on the surface.
“Hold on to me,” he ordered.
My hands had a mind of their own, going straight to his ass. My mouth seemed to be ruled by my heart, as I said, “Ti amo,” over and over, until the words became a blur, a secret language between the two of us.
His tongue licked my lips to taste the words, to savor them, and then his tongue touched mine again until it became a soul-stealing kiss.
“I understand your secret language because it’s mine too,”he seemed to answer without words in the same language.
He said my name, a command to keep us together, and we held on tighter, falling from space, crashing back into the atmosphere.
His head rested against mine. Our breaths mingled together.
We were both soaked, sweat and droplets of steam streaming down our naked bodies. Our hair stuck to each other in a medley of auburn and raven black strands, our skin light to dark.
“La falena incontra la fiamma,”he whispered, resting his lips against mine.
The moth meets the flame.
“Yes,” I barely got out. “That too.”
* * *
“I think I’ll have that bath now,” I whispered however long later. I couldn’t even find the energy to open my mouth wider to talk louder. “No shower. I can’t stand.”
He kissed my nose, called me a jellyfish, and then left me on the counter to run the bath water. He emptied rose-scented salt into the tub, the aroma scenting the air in fragrant explosions. I swayed in time to exhaustion and the drunken shadows dancing across the tiles.
The bathroom had a large window with privacy glass. It was fogged, panes dripping with droplets of water. I stared at it for a moment, wondering if it was just my imagination that it seemed to have a more solid shadow than the rest of the room. But men guarded this property nonstop. They were around the villa as certain as minutes ticked.
Ruby’s ear perked, but she didn’t bark. She knew she wouldn’t get the jump if she did, so she’d charge without announcing the battle cry. Since she was staying put, not even sniffing around, I chalked it up to either the men or my imagination.
Brando lifted me up, carrying me in his arms. Before he set me in the tub, he used his fingertip to trace a pattern across my chest, around my breasts. I shivered, leaning in closer to him. It made my lower stomach tense, ready for him all over again, but this time I was even more sensitive.
He didn’t comment on the strong reaction I had to his touch. Instead, he kissed my forehead. “You’ve reached your limit.”
My agreement came when the bottom half of my body became submerged in the water and I hissed out a breath, clasping the sides of the tub to keep steady, all three of my wedding rings making sharptinks!against the porcelain.
Brando left me alone to check on Mia and to grab us some clean clothes.
My eyes closed after watching him walk out—the view from the back was as gorgeous as from the front—humming softly to myself, knowing he was going to join me when he came back in.
It was more enjoyable when he did. He massaged my feet.
The first time it happened, I assumed the wind had kicked up and a tree outside of the window had rubbed against the glass, making an eerie screeching noise. Like dry fingers against wet panes. When Ruby’s ear perked and she flew from her spot, hackles raised, I opened my eyes and sat up taller, bubbles sloshing around the rim of the tub.
There was no tree outside of the window.
Ruby moved so soundlessly that not even her nails tapped on the floor. Her muzzle was up, teeth bared, canines glowing white against the darkness of her coat, though she didn’t growl. As deadly as any predator, she moved in a silent embrace, ready for the last kiss.
The screeching happened again.
This time I knew it wasn’t the wind. I watched as a shadow of a hand created a rose pattern in the mist on the pane. Underneath, whoever it was, wrote my name.
I had seconds to decide what to do.
Make a run for it or drown myself in the tub until Brando came back?
I couldn’t scream for two reasons.
