“I know.”
Of course, he does. I’m sure my movements are reported regularly while I rarely hear what he’s up to. “You missed dinner,” I comment, noting his dark hair is slightly mussed. Something poisonous slithers into my belly as I wonder again where he’s been all these hours.
He finishes off the wine before responding. “I wish that hadn’t been the case. This morning aside, it was a fucked-up day.”
“So, you’ve not been busy seeing other women after you had another taste of your wife this morning?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.
He has the audacity to chuckle over my pitiful moment of jealousy. “I spent my day with Luca and our men after a meeting with my father. We had to pay a call in Little Odessa. The Bratva had a warehouse there.”
Had.A clear distinction. I have a feeling the smoky smell is linked to that. “Was there danger for you and Luca?” I ask, worry furrowing my brow.
“Not anymore.”
Carlo has always seemed different than my cousin Alessio, dangerous but far more polished and controlled. But tonight, there’s a strong similarity I can’t ignore. Studying him closer in the candlelight, I notice a few dark, rust-colored spots on his white shirt.Dried blood.No sooner than the realization arrives, I catch a slight coppery smellmixing with the lavender and herb fragrances and the hint of smoke. “What happened to the Russians at the warehouse?”
“They answered a few questions.”
“Willingly?”
“Oh, they sang like little birds for me but not as beautifully as my siren.”
When our eyes meet again, there’s something very wrong lurking in those brown eyes, a darkness that should scare me. It would certainly scare a good woman, a normal woman. So why does that ache between my legs grow stronger?
“I like coming home to find you like this,mia moglie.”He rakes me from head to toe again, the unbridled lust kindling in his eyes making my belly clench in the most delightful way. Still, I liked that he was sharing things with me. I don’t want that to end yet.
“Do you want to talk about your day some more?”
He shakes his head, dragging a hand through the warm water and gently tracing the outside of my knee. Tingles race from the spot to my core. “Not right now,” he says, gruffly, still staring at me with raw hunger.
He’s shielding me from ugly truths. Or maybe he doesn’t trust me with them. Either way, I don’t want to fight about it. “Would you like to join me in my bath?”
His dark eyes snap back to mine, trying to read me, but he can’t disguise the fact he wants to. “I’m not quite myself at the moment, Francesca. You’re probably sore, too.”
I am, but I don’t want to let it hold me back. “I’m fine,” I tell him.
He shakes his head again. “I think it would be best if…”
I sit up a little higher and his words trail off. My nipples pebble the instant they’re hit with the cool air. “I’mfine,”I say, more firmly. I spread my legs wider, allowing him a better glimpse of what’s between them. “I had a busy day, too, and you drank up the wine meant to relax me. You could relax me… or will that be up to me?” I give him a coquettish smile before letting my hand sink down and maintaining eye contact as I lightly caress my pussy lips.
“Fuck,”he rasps, lunging forward to capture my mouth for a harsh kiss. I savor it kiss, running my wet hands over his shirt, earning a growl when I tear it from his shoulders. He stands and my pulse pounds between my thighs as he tears off his pants and underwear next. Flushed and excited, I greedily stare at his gorgeous body and watch his cock grow harder as it rapidly fills with blood.
He steps into the tub between my legs and then pulls me to my feet. The water slides down my body, and I shiver from the chill, but he rests his big strong hands on my ass and murmurs against my ear, “I need you, but I want to take care of you, too.”
I cup his face, peering up at him. “Take care of me by taking what you need from me tonight, Carlo.”
He dips his head down for another searing kiss, then, turning us, he takes my place, sinking against the back of the tub. “Sit on my thighs and face me. Spread your legs and let me see that pretty pussy,” he commands.
Doing as he says, my body erupts with goosebumps from the heat of his gaze. His hands rub up and down my arms and along my back before tangling in my hair. He pulls the band out I’d used to keep it out of the water and my curls brush my shoulders and the top of my breasts.“Bellissima sirena,”he rumbles. I rock forward, bracingmyself against his chest and trying to figure out how cowgirl-style works in a bathtub. “No, let’s get you truly wet first, Francesca.”
“We’re in the water.”
“Water doesn’t lubricate the way your arousal does. There’s more to learn than simply fucking, and I’m going to relish every little thing I get to teach you. Now, touch yourself while sitting on top of me. I’m going to touch you, too.”
I self-consciously brush my fingers over my center again. “Like this?” I whisper.
“Yes, but I want you to feel good,not perform for me. Have you ever fingered yourself?” he asks, roughly.
I quickly shake my head, drawing my hand back. If the water hadn’t already pinkened my skin, my cheeks would be doing so now. He chuckles, resting one hand on my hip as his other kisses the inside of one of my wrists. “We’ll go slow with our exploring, but there’s no need for you to be embarrassed or intimidated.”
