Silence met her words. It lasted so long that she was afraid that Caterina had hung up. “Good girl. Since you’ve actually done something useful, I will let your disobedience slide this one time. Now listen to me carefully. You won’t meet with Wendy this coming Friday, but the third Friday from that to give your report.”
Confusion filled Maria at that. Why was Caterina putting off her meeting with Wendy? Before she could ask, Caterina started to speak again. “Do you understand me, Maria?”
“Yes.”
“You had better because if you miss that appointment, there will not be another one. And Maria, there had better be more progress to report,” Caterina said, ending the call.
Slowly lowering the phone, Maria fought the guilt that began to swamp her. Betrayal was something that she knew well. Something that she had felt again and again. Something that broke you in a way that no pain from a beating could. She had betrayed Nico whether she had intended to or not. She had betrayed him by forgetting if only for a moment that his life was in her hands.
***
Sitting behind his desk, Nero stared unseeing at the computer screen. It had been like that all day. Last night had been a mistake. His head told him that again and again, but his body told him something else. His head told him that nothing good could come of him and Maria being together while his body demanded that he seek her out. Nero was no stranger to sex. He used it as a tool to relieve his frustrations and his anger. He used it for information, or he just used it—period. What he didn’t do was connect with it. He didn’t allow what had happened last night. Fuck, he wasn’t even sure what had happened last night.
When Maria had touched him, looked at him, it wasn’t his money or power that she saw. He could have dealt with that. No, she saw the man. She touched the man inside that he thought was long gone from this world, and it scared the fuck out of him. He wiped his hands across his face as last night played through his head like a movie. Every touch, every kiss reheated his blood. When she had collapsed on top of him, he had welcomed her weight and held her there, gently petting her. Not since Jenny had he allowed a woman that close to him after sex. Normally, he would leave or send the woman off. They had stayed like that for maybe an hour before she shivered and he carried her up to her room.
Setting her on the bed, he stripped her and got a warm washcloth from the bathroom to clean her. Lifting her leg, he brought it back and over his hip so that she was spread wide while he wiped his seed from her. At first, his strokes were feather soft, but they became firmer when her hips started to move.
When she began to whimper, he put the cloth down and cupped her face forcing her eyes open. Fear filled them until she recognized him. Once she whispered his name, he brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss until a sigh parted her lips. His voice was hoarse with desire when he told her to keep her eyes open. Propping her up with a pillow behind her, he held her eyes as he made his way back down her body to her core. He ignored the part of his brain that was screaming at him to walk away and gave himself up to the part of himself that demanded that he have what was his. Climax after climax, he forced her to hold his eyes, giving her a hard nip if she dared to close them. He needed her to see him. To know it was him. When he finally made his way back up her body, she welcomed him with open arms, taking what he gave her. When he finally spent himself in her, he rolled them over so that she was on top of him and held her there as he softened within her. He stayed with her for hours, waking her when she began to whimper or struggle, forcing her to open her eyes and see him. To say his name. To know it was him that held her. The sun was high when he finally left the bed. His mind chaotic with what he had done.
She had been drunk and he had taken advantage of her, a part of him said in disgust while the other part said that she was his wife. The warring thoughts in his head were driving him crazy. Pushing himself away from the desk, he left the office and went upstairs. He was tired of waiting for her to come down. For hours, his eyes had been jumping to the door at every sound, waiting for her, wondering. No more. He wasn’t a coward, so why the fuck was he acting like it? He didn’t know what the fuck last night meant, but he needed to know.
Not stopping when he reached her door, Nero walked in and closed it behind him. He found her sitting on the bed looking lost, and his stomach fell. She regretted what had happened. Steeling himself for her anger, he stepped forward. It took her a few moments to look up at him. The tears in her eyes made him feel like shit. Opening his mouth to apologize, he stopped when she stood up and came to him. Like a child, she pressed her face into his chest, seeking comfort. Unsure what to do but hating that he caused this, he raised his arms and put them around her, holding her to him. The move caused her to cry harder. Not knowing what else to do, Nero leaned down and gathered her into his arms and brought them to a chair. Holding her tight, he sat down and gently rocked her, whispering how sorry he was.
***
She was a horrible person. As she fought to stop her tears, she raised her head and pressed it into Nero’s shoulder, taking in his scent. Letting it envelope her, she breathed in and out, fighting for calm. Every time he said that he was sorry, she had to block the words or she would cry again. Unable to take his words anymore, she reached up and covered his mouth with her fingertips. His body stiffened at her touch. She could feel him about to move to set her down. Pushing down her guilt, she raised her head and replaced her fingers with her lips. He froze at the touch of her lips before gently pulling away.
“Maria,” he said softy, causing fresh tears to drop from her closed eyes. Knowing that she had to, Maria opened her eyes to look into his confused ones. Blinking away the tears, she raised her hand and cupped his scarred cheek. Needing his touch, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead into his, silently asking for comfort to which she had no right. When he softly said her name again, she forced herself to pull back.
“Maria, I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t say that,” she said brokenly.
“I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you,” he went on as if he hadn’t heard her. “You were drunk, and I shouldn’t have touched you. It won’t happen again.”
“Why?”
“I know that you’re upset, and you have…” He stopped. “What did you say?” he asked slowly as her words registered.
Seeing the surprise and slight hope on his face, Maria forced aside her guilt and asked, “Why won’t it happen again?”
“Maria…”
“Was it not OK?”
“It was more than OK,” he said, a slight smile forming on his lips.
“Then why won’t it happen again?”
Raising his hand, Nero gently pushed back the hair from Maria’s face and asked, “Why were you crying?” instead of answering her.
Looking him in the eyes, she told him the only true thing she could. “Because I didn’t think I could enjoy what we did.”
A hundred questions were visible on his face at her words, but he didn’t ask any of them. Instead, he pulled her back into his arms and tucked her head under his chin and asked if she wanted to go out to dinner with him tonight. With her face hidden from sight, he didn’t see the guilt that ravaged it when she said yes.
Chapter 13
In the last week, Nero hadn’t done more than give her a chaste kiss. She was so confused, she didn’t know what to do. The hard, unyielding man that she had known through the years seemed to melt away into someone she had never seen before. Oh, he was still the same when dealing with his people, but with her, he was a stranger. A stranger that laughed and joked. That catered to her every whim. He took her dancing and fed her bites from his plate while his eyes steamed with lust at her every blush. He would stop working during the day to take her for a walk outside or come to her room late at night to hold her after a nightmare. She had never felt as safe as she did in his arms. Each day made what she had to do more agonizing. The more time she spent with Nero and got to know the man, the more she realized that w
hat she was doing was wrong.
Maria would give up her life for Nico in an instant, but could she really sacrifice Tori and Nero? Especially to Caterina? Maria knew in her soul that Caterina was not going to let her and Nico go. It didn’t matter if she delivered Nero and Tori to her or not. The truth was that Caterina wanted the Salvatici family just as much as her own. Maria knew that she had been fooling herself into thinking otherwise. The only chance she had to save Nico was to tell Nero the truth and pray that his anger at her didn’t stop him from helping Nico. The only other option she had was to contact her family. They would come in an instant, but she was hesitant to do it because she was afraid that Caterina would find out. Caterina said that she had people inside of Nero’s family; maybe she had people inside of hers, too. It had happened before, so it was possible. Her only other option was to call Angie, and that frightened her more than anything. Not because she believed that Nero and Angie had a conspiracy going on. She knew now that it was only her anger that made her believe that in the first place. No, it was because to talk to Angie, she had to go through Lucca. The couple of times that Maria had spoken to Joan, she had let it slip that she hadn’t seen Angie, even though they lived in the same house. So if she called, there was a good chance that Lucca would listen in on their call, or Angie would come and she would be responsible for destroying their marriage. If Nero wouldn’t help, she would have to do it, but she prayed she wouldn’t have to.
In fourteen days, she was supposed to meet Wendy, so she needed to tell Nero tonight. They needed Wendy if they were going to have any chance of getting Nico back alive.
Looking into the mirror, Maria smoothed down her hair. Nero had told her that he had a special dinner planned for her tonight, and she was to be ready at 8:00 p.m. The knock at her door had her eyes shooting to the clock. Going to the door, she opened it to find Nero standing there, holding out his hand to her. Reaching out slowly, she took it and followed him not downstairs but toward where she knew his rooms were. Opening the door, he stood back for her to go first.
Her breath caught as she entered. Candles blazed to life on every surface. Rose pedals lined the floor, leading to a table set up by the double doors that were opened wide, leading to the balcony. Chinese lanterns floated outside illuminating the garden below. In a daze, she let him lead her to the table and seat her. There were no plates or silverware, just a single platter. With their fingers, they fed each other, sucking and nibbling with each touch.
When he told her to stand, she did it without hesitation. When he told her to turn, she trembled in need. When his hands touched her back as he lowered the zipper of her dress, she thought she would burst. When she stood naked before him, the cool breeze that touched her skin did nothing to bank the burning need coursing through her. When he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, she lay there unmoving as he looked down upon her. What she saw in his eyes had her gasping for breath. He hadn’t touched her other than in the most impersonal of ways, and she was ready to explode. Her need for his touch had her pressing her legs closed. Hard hands gripped her knees, pulling her legs open wide. Harder eyes caught hers telling her no without words. Liquid gushed free from her body, scenting the air with her need.
With visible effort, he released her legs and began to undress. Slowly, he removed his clothing piece by piece. Each patch of skin he revealed held her gaze. When the last piece was removed and he stood beside the bed completely naked, her eyes raked his body. Every move that he made fascinated her. When he just stood there, she forced her eyes to his. He had been waiting for that.
Reaching out, he took a candle from beside the bed and walked around to the end of the bed. Setting it down on a small table, he reached out and grabbed her ankles, pulling her to the edge of the bed. In a hard voice, he told her to place her hands on her knees and hold her legs open wide. Slowly, Maria did what he said, too turned on to be embarrassed by the way he hungrily stared at her. Taking one of his fingers, he started at the top of her slit and pressed down hard, working his way down to her center before pushing his finger in deep. Liquid gushed from her body at the entrance and made her shake. Curling his finger, he pressed it hard into a little bundle of nerves. Sweat broke out on her brow, and her eyes squeezed shut; her back arched as she tried to get him to press harder. About to beg, she stopped when something hot fell upon her clit. Throwing her eyes open, she watched as he poured candle wax on her, but before she could say a word, his finger buried inside of her pressed down hard and had her body exploding. Her screams filled the air as her clit was assaulted from inside and out. Wildly, she bucked as one hand pressed into her stomach to hold her still while the other worked a second finger into her. In and out his fingers plunged, prolonging her orgasm. It was too much. Clawing at the hand holding her stomach, she tried to escape, but it wouldn’t let her. Desperate, she threw her body over, dislodging his grip. Pushing herself to all fours, she tried to catch her breath but found it forced from her body when he mounted her from behind. In one long, hard stoke he pushed in. Hard hands gripped her hips as he pounded mercilessly into her. There was no give. When he finally released deep within her, she didn’t even have the air left to moan in relief. She just fell to the bed, her body still shuddering its release.
Chapter 14
Lying in the bed, she could feel his hand gliding over her body. Keeping her eyes closed, she let herself pretend. Let herself pretend that what she was going to have to do wasn’t real. That she wasn’t going to have to give up what she had found. She had to tell him. Had to tell him and pray that he could fix what she had done. She had to pray that he could forgive her for what she had been about to do. Today she’d tell him. Rolling over into his arms, she met his eyes. She could see the emotion turning in there, and it caused her breath to catch in her throat. There was a vulnerability in those churning depths that he couldn’t hide. Reaching out, she cupped his scarred cheek and caressed it. Letting him know without words that it mattered not to her. The marks that their bodies bore were testament to their strengths.
“What has you looking so sad?” Nero asked softly, pulling her body into his.
“I don’t want to leave this bed. I don’t want to leave this moment. I want to stay here and hold the world at bay. I want to stay in this moment forever,” she whispered, meaning it with every fiber in her soul.
“Well, I don’t think that we can stay here forever. Eventually, we’ll have to eat, but I do think we can stay for a bit longer,” he said before taking her lips in a drugging kiss.
Desperation filled her at that kiss, making her bold. With strong fingers, she sunk them deep into his hair, gripping hard, holding him to her. Forcefully, she pushed up, needing to feel his strength surround her. As if her boldness released that part of him that he caged, he ripped his mouth from her and looked down in dark hunger. Strong hands pulled her hands away and forced them up high above her head to be held prisoner by a single of his. Her body began to twist at the show of strength in his grip and the dominance that flowed into his hard features. His free hand stole down to her hip and latched on, trying to halt her movements while his head dipped to latch on to her breast. Looking down, her eyes held his, and a wildness filled her at each suckle of his mouth. Moaning in need, she tried to buck his hand free, needing to touch him. Wickedness filled his eyes as he released her breast so that only his lips surrounded her nipple.
“Bastard,” she moaned at the move, causing him to make a tsk sound in his throat and pull back even more so that only his breath touched the sensitive tip. Unable to take the sensual torture, she forced her body still and closed her eyes. It seemed like ages before he realized that she wasn’t trying to move any longer. When he softened his grip to check what was wrong, she made her move. With force, she ripped her hands free, placing them onto his shoulders, and pushed, forcing him over until she looked down at him.
Satisfaction filled her at the surprise in his eyes, but it was short-lived when he gripped her hips, forcing her do
wn while he ground up. In that moment, the only thing she could do was feel. Feel the length of him rub against her, making her slick as he rubbed back and forth. Running her hands over his chest, her fingers touched each scar, needing him to know that they didn’t take away her desire for him. Her eyes fell shut, and she leaned back, bracing her hand on his thighs, letting him push her body higher and higher. As if sensing that she was close, he forced her down, and his speed increased. Stars exploded behind her lids as her body tensed and her breath stopped. Weakly, she fell forward onto his chest, the force of what he unleashed stealing all of her strength.
She was a rag doll that he moved and positioned, growling hoarsely as he forced her to her hands and knees, shoving pillows under her to help hold her up. His fingers were bruising when they gripped her hips, but she welcomed it. Their strength made her feel safe and wanted. Her body was so slick that his cock slid easily into her, not stopping until he was planted in so deep that it was a painful pleasure. One hand left her hip, sliding around until he found her clit. With hard, firm plucks, he played with her while his other hand slid back, his thumb pushing until it gained entrance into that puckered hole. Like an instrument, he played her body, pushing and pulling until she was bucking, trying to force him to end the sweet torture. On and on it went with her held in a heightened limbo of pleasure. In desperation, she begged, pleaded, and cursed until she thought that she would go mad.
When he finally moved and gripped her hips again, she would have cried had he not robbed the breath from her. Pulling out to the tip, he slammed in hard, hissing out his pleasure. Again and again, he filled her. Each strike of his cock became harder and deeper than the last. When he finally came, it was like nothing she had experienced before. The world burned around her, in her, through her, their bodies creating an inferno to rival the sun. When he finally spent himself deep within her, he came down hard upon her, pushing her deep into the mattress. She welcomed his weight. Welcomed the heat that he brought to surround her. She welcomed the heat that fought the ice-filled dread that was even now trying to find its way back into her.
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