And I almost scream his name.
29
Massimo
Watching Sophia’s body in a desirous state is addictive, something I’ve never really felt as in tune to before.Making sure my partners were satisfied, yes, but this, the reverence watching Sophia’s pleasure rise under my fingers, the way her body unravels, and then climbs to the peak before falling over the edge in a free fall that fucking takes my breath away every single time.
But this time I stop short.I’m no longer interested in the short game with Sophia, I am definitely a man willing to roll the dice and invest the time in the long game.Because at the end of the day, she’s going to be mine.
Sophia is already mine, she just doesn’t really know it, or maybe she knows it and just can’t fully accept it yet with all the history between our ancestors.I will deal with every single one of those barriers, starting with my father, all while getting her to trust.When it comes right down to it, the barrier between the two of us is trust.The reason she won’t say my name.
And I am more than ready and willing to win that piece of her heart and the emotion that she keeps so tucked away in her soul.She will learn to trust me because I will show her how trustworthy that I can be.That is the way to Sophia’s heart.With this much baggage, that is the only way.
But holding her orgasm at bay brings her close to saying my name.I can tell, and I know she knows I can tell.That sweet little pout on her lips tells me more than my kitten will ever know.I should be careful before she turns into the little hellcat that I know she can be and scratches my eyes out for teasing her this way.
Sophia is a good sport though, an equal in this sinful game.“I can’t scream your name if you don’t allow me to come, Massimo Roselli.”
I grin.“There will be plenty of time for that later.Right now, you need to finish washing and get dressed before the good doctor arrives and sees you in this lewd and unladylike state of attire.
She smirks.“Lewd?Is that what you said?”
I stand to gather a long cashmere bath sheet from the warmer, not answering her sass.“How do your feet feel?”
Sophia looks up at me from her place in the tub, still covered with bubbles.“Better now that they soaked for a bit.I can walk to my room, no problem.”
“Except that I’ve moved you out of your room and into mine.You’ll find your clothes in the closet tomorrow.You can wear one of my shirts tonight, or at least until the good doctor has finished checking you over and leaves.”
I hold out a hand and use an arm to steady her weight as she stands and puts one foot over the ledge of the tub, and then the other.Sophia winces and I immediately go to scoop her up again, but she puts a hand to my bare chest.
“It’s okay.I need to see how bad they are, okay?”
It hurts me to see her in pain, even standing on them.I can tell they’re painful, but if it’s something she wants to do, if she’s not ready to lean on me fully, I am willing to wait.I am a very determined and patient man.Nothing in life comes easy—the most valuable prizes are always the hardest to obtain.
Instead of carrying her, I wrap her in the towel, folding it in between her breasts, before taking an elbow and guiding her to the bedroom.Each step is more painful than the last, and it takes effort to let her continue on her own.When she reaches the bed and turns around her face pales as she sees the blood stains that have seeped into the plush cream-colored carpet.Her eyes go wide.“I’m so sorry.I didn’t realize.”
I sweep her into my arms and place my kitten at the head of my bed, leaving her momentarily to grab another towel for her feet.“I should have just carried you.Is this how it will always be, you testing me and willfully disobeying me at every turn?”I chastise, settling her onto the bed and gently rewashing her feet.
She grins at me.“Maybe.If you plan to pamper me like this then no, definitely not, but if you plan to withhold sex, absolutely yes.You will see a side of me that you do not like at all.Those claws I haven’t turned on you yet, maybe they will be more than you bargain for, Massimo Roselli.”
A knock on the door pulls us from our banter.“Give us a second,” I call, going to the dresser to get a T-shirt for her to wear, and allowing her time to pull it over her head and cover herself with the blanket before letting the doctor in.“Thanks for coming so late, Ray.This is Sophia.She was accosted by someone earlier who hit her in the face.When she ran, her feet were torn up in the woods.I’ve cleaned them as best I could but I’d like you to take a good look.”
The silver-haired man walks in and his dark-framed glasses slide down on his nose as he looks at me.“Yes, let’s take a look here,” he says, noticing the blood on the carpet.Sophia maneuvers her feet out of the blankets while keeping herself covered.
“She soaked in the tub and they looked better but as you can see, they bled when she put weight on them.”The doctor nods, gently holding her ankle and moving it around this way and that as he assesses the damage that she’s done.I think you’ll find they’re mostly superficial, this one here though,” he says, running a finger in the air above my foot, “this is a little deeper than the rest.We’ll get those cleaned and dressed, give her a tetanus shot just in case, and she’ll be fine in no time.”
Sophia turns a hip to the good doctor, and my jaw tightens at man seeing even a sliver of her body.If I knew how to administer the damn shot without hurting or bruising her flesh, I would do it myself.He is quick and efficient though and she covers herself the minute he’s done.“What about her eye?”I ask.
He looks at me with a deepness that is concerning.How many of my men has he taken care of over the years, how many of the prisoners we’ve taken has he kept alive only for my family to hurt again, but yet, with Sophia a look of accusation flares behind those eyes.
“I didn’t hurt Sophia,” I tell him quietly, unnerved at the thought he would think that for a minute.No matter that it’s none of his fucking business what I do.
She looks from me to him and then back to me as though assessing if we’re about to come to blows or what.“What Massimo told you is true.One of his men caught me racing through the grounds and I got the end of his elbow.He was rewarded with the end of a bullet.”
The good doctor should be walking on eggshells for pissing me off, yet he laughs in the face of what he’s heard.He smiles at Sophia as he walks around the bed, but he shouldn’t be so smug because he hasn’t gotten back in my good graces yet.“So, you’re the one.You are a small little thing to be able to get his gun and shoot him with it.I’m afraid he won’t live that down for quite some time.”
Sophia beams.“My papa taught me well.”
Remorse for the little girl, the young woman who still believes her papa has her best interest at heart, fills me.Especially since learning things that lead me to question her father’s true intent.It may be too early to know for certain, but I’ll learn exactly what the bastard is up to eventually.You can’t hide the truth from the men I have roaming this city forever.
