Slowly, I open my eyes as I get used to the stretch and the feeling of his balls resting against my butt cheeks. He cradles my head, holding my eyes with a concerned gaze. My heart does a silly little flip when I answer, “No, not too much.” He continues thrusting but ata steady, careful pace. “I’m okay, Carlo. Go ahead. I want you to come.”
“You will, too, this time.” I narrow my eyes at his commanding tone, but he lowers his mouth to my ear as his hands caress every inch of my body. “I love the taste of you,mia moglie.I loved the way you rode my face. I love your beautiful body, your smile and your kisses.” He moves a little faster and that pleasing knot coils up again, readying for release with every wickedly sweet word that drops from his tongue. “I could eat you all day. I love the way you grip my cock. I love that you’re all mine.”
Astonished and delighted as my body’s lingering defenses give way, I surrender, because of that possessive growl but also because of his tenderness. I didn’t expect it. When he starts thrusting faster and a bit harder, pressing down on my clit and rumbling the words,“Come for me,”I shatter and cry out in ecstasy.
28
Carlo
Her walls squeeze me like a vise when she comes, an irresistible mix of pleasure and pain, and my thrusts turn uncoordinated as I spill. With a final groan, I pull out of her slowly, noting a light pink sheen on the condom. Fuck, it was only her second time, but I hadn’t meant to make her bleed again.
Even so, she’s smiling up at me, her fingernails idly scraping my shoulders. I catch a flash of the diamond and rubies on her hand. My cold, black heart does a strange thud-thud in my chest. Her talk of freedom stung more than I like admitting. How could I ever let her go?
Not wanting to crush her, I roll over so she’s on top of me. She smells sweet and musky, that lavender fragrance lingers on her skin combined with the headier scent of sex and me, marking her as mine. Fucking mine.
She dips down to kiss me. I can’t say why a kiss initiated by Frankie feels like a precious gift. I simply know it is. I brush back her messy red curls, and she’s still smiling when she tucks her head into the crook of my neck. “Thank you,” she murmurs.
That thudding sensation quickens. I’m not entirely sure I like it, but I suspect that won’t make it stop. I raise my head, trying to see her face. “Why are you thanking me?”
“For last night and this morning,” she replies as if that’s a clear answer. “You’ve shown me consideration every time we’ve been intimate.”
I nod, wondering at that, too. She need never fear me. I’ll go slow for her, but I can’t deny her talk of corrupting her calls to my true nature, my darkness. Yet, there’s satisfaction knowing she feels safe in my arms. I like that she sought my closeness after her nightmare.
Patience, when it comes to females other than my blood, isn’t something I’ve practiced often. My first few times were with women who worked for us. My father took me to one of our establishments right after my initiation and said,“Choose one you like.”Not wanting to be looked at as a boy any longer - even if I still was one by normal people’s standards - I chose two. After a while, I preferred seeking beautiful, willing women that weren’t paid to be with me. Always outsiders, women I could show off when it suited me, girls to have fun with and then drop once they became a hassle.
But with Francesca, I’m discovering it’s very different and patience is indeed a virtue. It had been hard not to indulge in what she offered me the other night. I kept wondering why I’d refused her and myself, but I want sex to be a positive thing for us both in this marriage, not a bargaining chip or power play. So, I struggled to be patient, hoping she might come to me instead of me pushing her. And last night, I was rewarded for that patience, more than I deserve.
At first, I wasn’t sure if it wasn’t another attempt on her part to control things or if she had some motive for snooping in my office. If I ever caught her lying to me, manipulating or attempting to betray me… I have to take a calming breath at the mere thought. It won’t come to that. It can’t.
“Who did you message earlier?” she asks, sounding drowsy where she still lies on top of me.
I stroke her soft skin along her side to the swell of her breasts pressed against my chest, wishing there was nothing more urgent to do today than lie in bed with her. “Faro. I told him I didn’t need him until later today. We’ll be driving over to Juilliard this morning to get your schedule sorted.”
Her head pops up, and her eyes widen to nearly cartoonish proportions. “Really?!” She squeals when I nod and jumps out of bed.
“Where are you going?” I huff.
“To shower! And brush my teeth! And to pee!”
Chuckling, I follow her into the bathroom, hoping she might want to share that shower with me.
***
“You’ll be okay here without me?” I ask her once we’re finished in the admission’s office. “It turns out Renato will be guarding you today.”
“Guarding me? He’s sixteen,” she says, rolling her eyes in that manner that's too damn adorable to annoy me.
“I trust him.” Sixteen, he may be, but my youngest brother is certainly capable, and that I would trust him with her life for even a few hours says volumes about my faith in him, something she likely doesn’t realize.
Frankie nods distractedly at my words, staring down a hallway where someone can be heard singing. Her program advisor joins us again and offers to give her a tour and introduce her to a couple of professors before she starts next week. My wife quickly looks my way, her eyes wide and pleading.
“Go on then,” I tell her, brusquely.
She starts to follow her advisor but surprises me when she spins back around. “This is the most amazing day already.” Rising to her tiptoes, she seals her words with a swift kiss.
“I hope part of the amazing included this morning’s activities,” I murmur in her ear, enjoying her blush in response as much as her nod of agreement.
I watch her hurry down the hall after the woman, wondering again at my urge to spend the entire day with her. Business won’t wait indefinitely. Father called a meeting but didn’t give me details. It’s one of the very few drawbacks of not living under his roof anymore. There’s only so much we can safely share over the phone.
