“Let me show you,” he murmured, his thumb tracing the curve of my jaw. “Let me show you how much you mean to me.”
My breath hitched with relief as he leaned in. His lips brushed against mine, soft and tentative, a question more than a demand. It was slow, deliberate, a gentle exploration that had heat pooling low in my belly.
His hands slid to my back, pulling me closer, and I melted against him, my arms wrapping around his neck. The kiss grew hungrier, more insistent, but never rushed. His lips moved over mine with a tenderness that left me trembling, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that made my knees weak.
He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine. “Vivian,” he murmured, my name a prayer on his lips. “Tell me again that you want this.”
“I do. I want this. I want you. Please.”
The words hung between us, heavy and unspoken for too long. His gaze darkened, his fingers tightening on my waist as he guided me back to the couch. I sank onto the cushions, and he followed, pressing me down, surrounding me, until there was nothing but him.
He traced the lines of my body as if he were memorizing every curve. He pulled the sweatshirt over my head, leaving me bare before him. His fingers brushed against the skin of my thighs. The sensation sent a shiver through me, my breaths coming faster as his lips followed the path of his hands, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
“Raffaele.” I gasped and threaded my fingers through his hair as he kissed the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “Please.”
He looked up at me, his expression both tender and possessive. “I’ll take care of you. Let me.”
I nodded, unable to speak, and he lowered himself between my thighs, spreading me open with a care that left me breathless. The first brush of his tongue against me sent a jolt of pleasure through my body, and I moaned, my head falling back against the couch. His tongue traced lazy circles around my clit that built the pressure inside me with agonizing precision.
He worked me like he had all the time in the world, alternating between soft, teasing flicks and firm, deliberate strokes that left me trembling. His hands gripped my hips, holding me in place as he drove me higher, his mouth never letting up.
“Raffaele,” I gasped, my fingers tightening in his hair as the tension coiled tighter and tighter inside me. “I… I can’t?—”
“Yes, you can,” he murmured against me, his voice dark and commanding. “Let go, Vivian. I’ve got you.”
The words sent me over the edge. I cried out, my hips bucking against him as he held me steady, his tongue coaxing every last drop out of me until I was a trembling, panting mess.
He didn’t give me time to recover. He moved back up my body, his lips capturing mine in a hot, hungry kiss that tasted of me and him and everything we couldn’t say. I tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine, and he pulled it over his head, his body pressing against mine as he settled between my legs.
“I need you,” I whispered, my hands roaming over his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my palms. “Now.”
He groaned and shoved down his pants, his forehead dropping to mine as he positioned himself at my entrance. “Tell me if it’s too much,” he said, his voice strained. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” I said, wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him closer. “Please, Raffaele.”
He slid inside me slowly. It was almost too much, too overwhelming, but the fullness was perfect. We stayed like that for a moment, our breaths mingling, before he began to move, his thrusts slow and deliberate.
The way he touched me, the way he moved inside me… it was like he was worshipping me. Every brush of his hand, every kiss, every thrust spoke of reverence, of a need that went far beyond the physical. I clung to him, my body meeting his with equal fervor as the tension began to build again.
“Vivian,” he groaned, his pace quickening as his control slipped. “Fuck, you feel so good.”
I couldn’t respond, my mind lost in the whirlwind of sensation as he drove me closer and closer to the edge. Our emotions fed into each other until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.
When I came again, it was with a force that left me shaking. I sank my teeth into his shoulder, and he let out a guttural groan as he buried himself deep inside me.
We collapsed onto the floor together, tangled and breathless. For a while, neither of us spoke as we tried to catch our breath.
“As soon as you’re safe,” he said, “I’ll find a way to remove the marriage bonds and send you back home.”
I froze. “What?”
He shifted, propping himself up on one elbow so he could look at me. His expression was full of regret, his eyes dark and heavy. “I’m so fucking sorry, darling. For everything. For taking you, for trapping you here. I’ve never… I’ve never been drawn to anyone before. I’ve never wanted anyone. But from the moment I met you, I was enthralled. It’s no excuse. I was weak. I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”
“Raffaele…” I didn’t know what to say.
“I take responsibility for all of it,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Everything bad that’s happened to you is because of me, and I hate myself for it.”
I didn’t know what to do with that. Part of me was relieved because freedom was in sight. But another part of me, the part that ached for him, for this, was devastated. The thought of leaving him, of walking away from what we’d shared, was unbearable.
