"I'm not sure being forced to marry you means I'm brave enough to stand at your side." She said flatly.
"Emilia," I growl in her ear. "Take off your clothes. I want to see you in nothing but your, what did you call it? Collar." A chuckle escaped from deep within me, and I watched her change from uncomfortable to afraid in the blink of an eye. She didn't move, just looked away from me. "Now."
Flipping back the blankets violently, she climbed out of bed. Bending, Emilia bunched the delicate lace in her hands and pulled it up her body, exposing her toned thighs, bare pussy, soft stomach, beautiful breasts and then all I saw was black.
Pulling the lace garment off my head, I did my best to hide the amusement I felt stirring in me. She was feisty, I'd give herthat. It was probably how she'd managed to run the Carminatti family for two years without being caught. "Wife, that will be the only time you get away with this behaviour. Now get into this bed."
"But I'm still bleeding, the staff will know." She bit the corner of her mouth and looked from me down to the floor. It was something she did often.
"Oh, sweet Emilia, I pay my staff very well not to ask questions about what happens in my home. They won't ever speak of it." Climbing out of bed, I walked around to where she stood. Gently, I grabbed her chin and made her look at me. "From now on, when you have a concern, you look at me when you tell me. This isn't your father's home, and you are the lady of this house. You're the wife of Niccolò Venosa, a title you will hold with honour and pride. Never look down for anyone."
Emilia nodded, took the pendant in her hand, and looked down. She traced the design of the rose and pressed it to her chest. "Now let's get to bed." Letting my hand drag down her side, I brushed my fingers over her hip before I moved away from her. Laying back onto the pillow, I watched my new bride. She was shy, which I knew from the days we'd spent with one another. When Trixie and Letty were around, she was much freer and more open, but it was like she was shut down around me.
"Straddle me," I said gruffly. Just like I figured, she looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Put your leg over me and sit on me, Emilia." Reaching out, I ran my hand up her leg. She let the pendant fall on her chest, and she followed my instructions. She moved over my thighs and hovered.
"Higher."
"Nico, I don't know…," her voice trailed off, and I put my hands behind my head.
"Higher, amore." Slowly, she moved up my thighs until she was straddling my hips. "Lower yourself." Her expression never changed, but I could almost hear her brain explode. The artery on the side of her neck pounded quickly, and I could feel her shaking. Emilia lowered her hips and settled onto my lap.
"You can breathe, you know," I whispered as I rested my hands on her legs.
"I think it's physiologically impossible for my brain to think about breathing when I'm sitting on your…" Running her tongue over her lips, she closed her eyes and slightly shifted on me. "Cock." Red crept over her cheeks, and my heart exploded.
"Emilia, what were you told about sex?" Her eyes flew open, and I waited for her answer.
"Let's just say I was told more about killing my enemies than this." She said, pointing from me to her. "I know you're thinking I have to be an idiot for being this nervous. And you'd be right, but taking over the family was easier than… this."
"Sex."
"Yes."
"No, I want you to say it. Sex." She clenched her jaw, and I lifted my hips and pressed against her. "Say it."
"Sex." The word came out of her mouth, a decibel above a whisper, and if she could have said it any faster, she would have.
"Do you know what your limits are?" I didn't need to guess her answer; I wasn't sure she'd even know what I meant.
"Like, will I let you tie me up and whip me? Not a chance in fucking hell. Could you spank me? Sure, but check in after. Anything else will have to be a wait-and-see."
"How?"
"I read." She snapped.
"Why isn't bondage allowed?"
"My brother used to tie me to chairs, so I'm sorry if it doesn't give me the same thrill." An anger crept over her face, and I was sure she'd move off me, but she didn't.
There was an added vulnerability for my new wife sitting in the dim light of the room, both of us naked, and her telling me about her life. She could have clammed up, but she didn't. She spoke her truth, and I wondered if it was the first time she'd been able to.
"What did he do to you when he tied you to chairs?" I gripped her thighs tighter, and she looked down at my hands before looking back at me. The kid was lucky he was dead because I would have gotten out of this bed and hunted him down.
"He was two years younger than me, but was so much bigger, he'd tie me up and leave me there all day if my parents were out. If they were home, he'd leave me until someone realized they hadn't seen me for a while." Anger turned to sadness, and she stared at the tattoos on my chest.
"What was the longest he left you there?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"Twenty-eight hours."
