“Yes.” I manage to push out the lie, staring out the windshield as Alessio turns the car down an unrecognizable road. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere we can be alone.”
This somewhere happens to be another thirty-minute drive, until a body of water comes into view. He turns, taking a skinnier and rockier road to the top of a hill overlooking a small town. While this seems like a romantic date, my spine prickles being so far away from Rome, campus, and Lev. A nagging picks at my brain, wanting to urge him to turn around and take me back. I’m not entirely sure I would have agreed to the drive if aware we were going this far.
He's your boyfriend. Stop being dramatic,I chide myself, ignoring my tenseness as Alessio parks the car by the hill’s edge.
“Lake Albano,” Alessio comments as he pushes open his door. “I love it here. Especially on nights like this.” He helps me from my side, his arm tight around my hip as he leads me tothe edge of the cliff, overlooking the town and the lake glistening with the growing nighttime. “Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Bellissima.”
He tucks me into his side, dropping his head into the curve of my neck, where he presses soft kisses. His palm shifts from my hip to my ass, heading to the edge of my dress. “I never told you how amazing you look.”
“You didn’t.” It comes out a bit breathy. I twist into him, enjoying when his other arm bands around my waist. By the time he reaches the corner of my mouth, his hand dips below my dress, petting my thighs.
This feels good, so why can’t I let this go further?Maybe it’s me and not him.
His lips brush against mine, once, twice, teasing before I push mine harder against his. It’s the permission he was seeking, and he grips my hair, tipping my head back. He walks into me, until eventually, I’m up against a tree.
His hand skirts up my dress to the edge of my panties. He dips beneath the material, rubbing his finger along my slit. I’m not very wet, but the more he touches, the more my mind lets go and gets there. Not enough, but a start—enough to make him groan.
“God, you’re so fuckin’ hot, Serafina.”
His finger dips inside me. It burns, and my muscles lock. I’m not wet enough for this. Mentally, I instruct my body to relax before he gets angry.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
He pushes in deeper, making me whimper—not in pleasure. My hands come up to his shoulders to push him away, because this isn’t enjoyable, but he takes my noise as encouragement.
“You’re wet.”
This isn’t wet. This is discomfort.
I shove his shoulders, trying to angle my hips away. The tree digs into me, but it gets me away from him, so it’s worth the discomfort. “N-no, Alessio. Stop. Please. This hurts.”
When I assume—hope—my choice will be respected, he rips away from me with a curse. “Goddammit, Serafina! Why the fuck are you being like this? You’re a tease!”
Shame burns my face, and I wrap my arms tight around myself as I sidestep him, needing space. Whenever denying him in the past, he used to act fine, accepting of my need for more time. The past few instances, he’s masked his tolerance less and less but still hasn’t gone past mild irritation.
Nothing like this.
More than a million red flags lift. Hell, a few signals, high-rises, and basically anything tall go up in their place.
“I-I’m just not ready.”
He curses again and reaches for me, but I duck out of the way. Whether or not it’s my body or mind’s fault for not easing up, his reactionishis fault—so fuck him for making me feel guilty, like something’s wrong with me.
“You’re never fuckin’ ready. Sera, my balls are so damn blue. You’re making an embarrassment out of me. After all these months, my girlfriendstillwon’t fuck me. If not you, it’ll be another woman soon. Someone who isn’t scared to grow the fuck up.”
It’s like he slapped me. His threat is as painful as his finger was. I’ve madesomany acceptances for him, so many excuses that this is simply how he is, but my patience wears thinner and thinner every time. Now, I question why I never had enough self-respect to say what I’m about to.
“We’re done.”
I spin on my heel and stalk away, wondering how the hell I’ll be getting home. Alessio’s car isn’t an option I’m comfortable with, and the walk back to Rome will take hours.
Lev? He doesn’t have a vehicle, and finding one probably won’t be an easy undertaking. He’ll be running around figuring it out when I should have stayed home. Hunting me way out here isn’t fair. More so, him making the trip becauseIwas a fool blinded by a pretty face is a selfish thing to ask of him.
“Where the hell are you going?” Alessio calls when I bypass his car.
