"You have?"
"It's blurry."
I laugh again. "He smiled?"
"Barely." She nudges my shoulder. "I'll get one of you both eventually."
Heat creeps into my cheeks. "I don't think Lorenzo would agree to that."
Erin smiles. "He won't have a choice."
I laugh, shaking my head. "You and Valentina are terrifying."
"Damn right we are." She hooks her arm through mine as we continue walking. "Come on. I want to show you the greenhouse. The light in there this time of day is gorgeous."
For the first time since becoming a Mariano, I let someone lead me somewhere without wondering what I'd done wrong. Maybe that's what friendship feels like.
I’m in the shower when I feel warm hands slide around my waist.
"Hi," I say, leaning back against him.
"Hi," he replies, pressing his lips against my jaw.
His palms glide up my ribs, cupping my breasts as his thumbs rub my nipples into tight peaks. Water streams down our bodies while his cock swells hard against my lower back. He spins me to face him, my back against the tiled wall, one hand gripping my hip as two fingers thrust straight into my pussy. They curl deep, stroking that spot inside with steady pumps that make wet sounds echo under the spray.
I moan and spread my legs wider. He adds a third finger, stretching me as his thumb circles my clit. My hand reaches back to stroke his thick cock, thumb sliding over the slick head. Pleasure builds fast. The first orgasm hits hard, my walls clenching around his fingers while I whimper into the kiss.
He drops to his knees, lifts one leg over his shoulder, and sucks my clit into his mouth. His tongue laps hungrily while his fingers keep working inside me. I grab his hair and grind down, coming again with a sharp cry as my thighs shake. He doesn’t stop, licking through it until a third orgasm rolls over me, leaving me trembling.
Lorenzo stands, his cock pushes into my pussy in one deep thrust, filling me. He fucks me hard, hips snapping as water cascades over us. One hand reaches down between us to rub my clit while the other holds my waist. I push back to take every inch, moaning as he pounds deeper.
He pulls out, turns me to face him, and lifts me up. My legs wrap around his waist as he slams back inside. My back hits the wall with each thrust. He sucks a nipple into his mouth, biting lightly while his cock drags against my inner walls. The fourth orgasm crashes through me, my pussy pulsing around him.
He keeps thrusting, his pace relentless, until a fifth hits and I cry out his name. His cock swells and he comes with a groan, pulsing hot and thick inside me. We stay locked together under the water, breathing hard as his hands roam my skin.
Lorenzo eases out of me, and he reaches for the soap without a word. His hands move over my shoulders first, smoothing away the last of the tension in them. The warm water streams over us both as he washes me, taking his time with it.
I close my eyes and lean back against him. There's something unexpectedly intimate about this. The way his hands linger at my waist when he turns me, and the way he presses a kiss to my temple as though he can't quite help himself. For a man who spends most of his life controlling everything around him, these moments always surprise me.
When he's finished, he pulls me back against his chest and rests his chin on top of my head.
Neither of us rushes to get out. For a few minutes, we simply stand there together beneath the hot water.
Eventually, the water starts to cool. "We should get out," Lorenzo says, pressing a kiss to my head.
I groan and he laughs softly as he switches off the shower.
A few minutes later, we're back in our room. I sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed, wearing one of Lorenzo's t-shirts while he gets dressed for the rest of the day.
I watch him button his shirt and try very hard not to think about the fact that I love him. Unfortunately, thinking about not thinking about it turns out to be exactly the same thing.
Lorenzo glances up. "What?"
I hadn't realized I was staring. "Nothing."
His eyes narrow, and I immediately know he doesn't believe me, not even a little. He finishes fastening his cuff and walks over to the bed, and plants both of his fists either side of my body as his face gets close. "Quinn." The warning in his voice makes me smile, and suddenly, despite everything that's happened over the last few weeks, life feels remarkably normal.
I lean forward and press a quick kiss to his lips. “Tell me what happened at the meeting.”
