by Raven, Sandy
“If I allow you to tend that part of me, you’re likely to end up in here with me. And, as you said earlier, this tub is not made for the two of us.”
She handed Ren the soap. As she did, she could have sworn he was smiling. The cur found her embarrassment amusing. “I was merely focused on the task. The intent wasn’t to arouse you.”
“Why don’t you pour us some wine. I’ll be out shortly.”
Lia quickly disappeared into the bedroom. She walked to the round table where the decanter of wine sat with their dinner tray. Pouring two glasses, she immediately took several gulps from hers for reinforcement. She needed to maintain a calm demeanor. She didn’t want to do or say anything that would jeopardize his promise of help. As she refilled her glass, Ren entered wearing his robe.
“You did a very good job, Lia. An excellent job. I forgot that despite all your instruction, you are still a novice. You’re bound to get nervous at tending a man in his bath.” He reached for the glass of wine on the table and sat in the wing chair next to it. “Once we become more familiar with each other, it will get easier.”
She wanted to tell him that nerves were the least of the emotions she felt while tending him. Removing the cover from the dinner tray, she sat in the opposite chair and waited for him to begin eating.
He pulled the bowl closer to him and scooted the chair back, away from the table. “Come, Lia, I would have you sit on my lap.”
Her gaze flew to his, but she read nothing in his deep silver eyes. On trembling legs she stopped just beyond his reach. His stubbly cheeks crinkled into a dimpled smile which made her heart race. She swallowed the rising nervousness as she came closer. He took her hand and gently tugged her onto his lap. Lia held herself erect, so as not to interfere with his hands while he moved dishes on the table. He pulled the flat round bread apart, took a piece and dunked it in the bowl of meaty lamb stew. Lia watched as his sensuous mouth parted and he bit from it, then offered the rest to her. Peering deeply into his eyes, she parted her lips and took a small bite. She gave him a little grin when she was done.
Ren did the same with the lamb. He took a piece from the bowl with his fingers, and fed her the other half of it. Aroused by the air of erotic sensations surrounding them and the sharing of one meal, she took two of his fingers into her mouth and licked the sauce from them, her tongue reaching between the two and lapping it clean. Emboldened by the mood, she took a small chunk of vegetable from the bowl and placed it to his lips. When he took it between his teeth, he did the same to her, capturing her hand in his and sucking her two fingers into his mouth. Not only did he lick the sauce from her fingers, his tongue began to flick over the hypersensitive skin at the juncture.
It was her undoing. Reluctant to give up this sensation, she removed her fingers and leaned over and kissed him, asking without words for him to give her more. His firm lips moved expertly over hers as his hands roamed over her back. Lia opened for him. Their tongues dueled for long minutes, leaving her breathless when he broke away.
He took another sip of his wine and held his glass out for her to drink. Mesmerized by his penetrating silver gaze, she placed her mouth on the glass and drank. He set the goblet down and she kissed him again. Intoxicated with desire, she wanted to taste more. She moved from his lips to the stubbly skin of his cheek, then back to the satiny-soft skin of his earlobe. Though she had been trained to please him, she was the one being pleasured. He made her feel desired.
Lower she went, to his neck where she inhaled the spicy orange scent of the soap she’d just used on him. Intent only on his satisfaction, she made a bold move, not knowing how he would react, and parted the robe he wore. He growled into her hair as her hands roamed lower, to his chest, where she felt the hardened peaks of his nipples under the sensitive skin of her fingers. His shaft was hard now too, and it pressed into the back of her thighs.
Thinking he might be uncomfortable with her weight on him, Lia shifted off of his lap and knelt on the floor between his knees. She wanted to do for him what he’d done for her the night before and unbelted his robe. She ran her fingers across his downy-haired chest, letting the tips tease his nipples more. Leaning into him she inhaled his scent, the spicy soap and sunshine smell of him aroused her.
Then she felt his hands at her elbows, lifting her. “Remove your clothing Lia,” he said.
Standing, and with shaky hands, she untied the drawstring of her pantalettes and let them slip soundlessly to the floor. She turned her back to him and did the same with the ties on her kaftan, and it slid down her back to pool at her feet. Moving her hair over one shoulder, she turned to face him.
His eyes burned her with his gaze as she returned to the space between his spread legs. She reached forward, touched his bare chest and let her fingers rove lower, parting his robe completely. His magnificent shaft stood up before her and begged for her touch. She knelt before him and lightly touched his tip with a finger. Lia looked into Ren’s eyes as she placed that finger to her lips and licked the drop from it.
The smooth, silky texture of his skin was warm, and he had a flavor, unlike the marble dildo, a salty-sweet combination that wasn’t unpleasant at all. One of the women in the compound frightened her with her tales of learning fellatio on her lover. She had described a horrible explosion of fluid into her mouth that caused her to retch. This, what she was experiencing with Ren, was nothing to be frightened of, she decided, as she put her lips around the head and began to lave him with her tongue. The power she felt, knowing she could arouse him in this fashion was intoxicating. Focusing on the pleasure points as she was instructed, Lia caressed him just under the head, using her hand and mouth simultaneously. She firmly, yet gently, stroked the ridge on the underside of his shaft, then lowered her head onto him fully taking him all the way into her mouth. Over and over she did this, until he made a growling noise and she raised herself.
“Did I hurt you?” He appeared to struggle to control his breathing. “Are you well?” When he nodded, she relaxed and sipped from her wine goblet, and asked, “Shall I continue?”
He nodded again. Lia took her glass of wine, and trickled a few drops onto him, then lightly licked it all away. His low growl told her how much he enjoyed it. She moved up and down his shaft, lubricating him with her tongue as she did so. His slick, smooth skin moved easily between her lips. He groaned as she drew him deeply into her mouth, only to bring him out and do the same again.
She watched his face as she licked over the salty-sweet drops that came to his tip. His eyes fluttered open and met hers, only to clench tightly shut when she took him into her mouth again. When she swirled her tongue around his tip, his mouth dropped open and he growled like an animal. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her head firmly in place as he began to move with her.
Suddenly he pulled her head away. “I need to be inside you.” His gravelly voice spoke of his urgency. Ren hurriedly guided her down onto the floor, and knelt between her legs. Holding her bent knees in the crook of his arms, he lifted her and thrust into her with a force so different from the tenderness shown her last night. Lia cried out at his deep entry, but needing him with an equal intensity she raised her hands to his head and brought his lips to hers and kissed him. He thrust into her repeatedly, her urgency built and her inner muscles began to clench. Tighter and tighter until they reached a climax moments apart.
To avoid collapsing on her, he rolled them over on the rug and held her on top, stroking her back tenderly. Tears of completion and exhaustion welled up in her eyes and trickled into her hair. As she raised herself from him, he noticed. “I’m sorry, Lia. I shouldn’t have treated you so roughly, but I...”
Her entire body felt like a lump of dough. She had no energy to move so she remained listless on the carpeted floor. She turned her head, and gave her lover a satisfied smile, wanting to assure him that he’d not hurt her. Yawning, she said, “Non scusarti per sentirsi passione.”
It was the motto she lived by, and she wanted him to
know it before she fell asleep. Never apologize for feeling passion.
When she woke minutes later, it was to find her lover standing over her in the dim room lit only by a candle. He stared down at her as she sat up, stretching the aching muscles of her back. Bending low, he lifted her naked body and placed her in the center of the bed, then climbed in next to her. It didn’t take her long to fall back asleep, especially with Ren next to her, protecting her.
Hours later, he nuzzled her neck and whispered, “I need you again.” He wanted her with an intensity that hurt. His cock throbbed almost as painfully as it did the night before.
He moved between her legs, and watched a sleepy smile cross her face. God she was beautiful, and his need for her didn’t scare her. He pushed aside the hair from her face and began to kiss her. Starting with her lips—the same lips that drove him wild just hours earlier. She tasted of sleep and sweet wine, and he lingered on them for long, slow minutes before moving down the curve of her jaw to her satiny-smooth neck.
Ren fondled her breasts, lightly squeezing each nipple. The dusky tips stiffened in response, and he took one into his mouth and began to suckle her. His tongue played over the one tip while his thumb and forefinger gently prepared the other. He moved over her to suckle that hardened peak, allowing his hands to rove lower, over her flat abdomen and into the smooth lips covering her center. He probed, hunting for and finding her core. Her moans spurred him on, and his body wanted hers more than he’d ever wanted a woman before, in ways he never wanted a woman before. It felt almost combustible this connection he had with her.
His mouth broke free from her breast and as one hand continued fondling her wetness, he reached for the glass of wine he’d left on the bedside table. He took a sip, then poured a few drops between her breasts and watched them roll down to her belly where he licked them off. “You taste good.” He met her gaze and sat back on his heels, contemplating which part he wanted to taste next. His gaze slid down to her smooth mound, and back to her smoky emerald eyes. Seeing no resistance, he smiled before trailing a finger down from her navel, where it slid between her moist lips. She was wet and ready for him again, and the knowledge made him bolder. Ren tilted the glass, pouring a tiny bit more over her swollen core, and licked her until all traces were gone. Her moans and whispered encouragements told him she enjoyed his efforts. When he’d run out of wine, he set the goblet on the floor, and came back to her to continue loving her with his tongue.
Ren placed a finger, then two inside her slick passage, and felt her tightness pull them in. He moved his fingers in her while his tongue worked on her core. Before long she writhed beneath him, begging him to fill her. He lay on the bed next to her and pulled her over onto him. She spread herself for his entry. Then she slowly lowered her body onto him.
“You’re so sweet, my Lia.”
Once she was completely impaled, he began to move, rocking her with his rhythm. His fingers continued to stroke her nub as he loved her slowly.
In a matter of minutes she picked up the pace, eager for release. He urged her down and rolled her over. Moving slowly, in and out, he brought them both to the edge of ecstasy. Her sheath rhythmically clenched tight around him, pulling him in deeper, and he gave her what she wanted. Fulfillment.
She cried out his name and Ren climaxed again with Lia still trembling in his arms. After he recovered his senses, he rolled off her, drawing her close. This time he cuddled her in the crook of his arm as they both fell asleep.
The last thought he had before he slept again was where, and how quickly, they could marry.
Five days later, right at sunrise, Lia wrapped Ren’s coat tighter about her and stepped up to the wheel deck to meet him. He’d left the room just minutes before she climbed out the of the bed, unable to sleep. She dressed, put his coat on, and went above, after stopping in the galley to get two mugs of the horrible brew his cook called coffee.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she offered, her mood growing more tense the closer they got to Genoa.
He nodded, “Good morning to you, too.”
Lia handed Ren a mug and stood next to him as he maneuvered his lead ship, Warlock near a land mass, with Sorceress and Sea Witch close behind. The faint winds were growing colder the closer to Italy they got. Looking up, she saw the sails luffing as they struggled to catch the breeze.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“We have been running parallel to Sardinia all night.” He pointed ahead and to the east. “We’re almost to Corsica.”
The sun hung low in the east over the island, and stray wisps escaped the braid and blew about her face as she squinted toward their destination.
“How soon will we be in Genoa?”
“If the wind doesn’t pick up, two more days. A day and a half if we get lucky.”
Lia turned her face heavenward, closed her eyes. She said a prayer for good weather, more wind, and that they were not too late. She exhaled, relaxing somewhat, and turned back to Ren. “We must come up with a plan to take them from my aunt’s home.”
Their gazes met, his dark, silver eyes warming her inside. “We can do that when we get to Genoa and I send men out to do some reconnaissance. But before I do that, I’ll need some information.”
“Such as?”
“I need to know where I am going and who is likely to be there.” Ren nodded at the bearded man standing nearby, and handed the wheel to him. He led Lia down to the bow railing. “What reception will I receive were I to simply knock on the door and demand their release?”
“We will not be welcome.” Lia pushed the hair from her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. “I fear she may try to keep Luchino from me.”
“Why? Why would the woman wish to have two more mouths to feed? If money is so tight that she robs you of your inheritance, she should be relieved to have them gone.”
Lia stared at Ren, and knew now was the time to tell him the rest of the story. “She did not get the inheritance for that sits in a trust. My brother and I each receive our portion at the age of twenty-one. Until then we receive a monthly allowance. The guardian of the trust is a man hired by my grandfather before his death, and my uncle was unable to remove him from the trust after he moved us to his home.”
He appeared confused, as his silver eyes bore into hers. “Have I done, or said something upsetting, Your Grace?”
“Who was your uncle?” His voice was tense as he clipped the words.
“My father’s brother was the Conte di Loretto. The man was a poor gambler who lost his half of the family fortune. His wife and children lived beyond their means for many years. Upon my uncle’s death, my cousin Ugo, who is as mean as his mother, inherited the title. And right now that makes my brother, Luchino, the heir to that fortune-less title. Except Luchino and I have a generous inheritance waiting for us.” Lia felt a fearful tremor rise within her. “With my brother and I out of the way, my Zia inherits it all.”
Lia had a difficult time trying to read his expression. He seemed pensive, yet his tightly-drawn lips indicated a measure of anger, and she couldn’t understand why. She held onto the rail as a wave rocked the ship. Turning to stare into the horizon, she continued. “My father was a second son who rejected his family as they rejected him when he married my mother. Some time after their marriage, my grandfather tried to make amends to my father, perhaps after realizing what a sad, drunken gambler my uncle was. He left my father an inheritance which Papa wanted no part of, so it sat in a bank in Genoa for many years. Maura said she was certain mama never knew of it.”
Lia sighed, wishing she could relive those events again and struggle harder against leaving Naples. “After my parents died, we suddenly had these relatives we didn’t know forcing us to leave our comfortable home and simple life, to move in with them. My mind still reels at the thought of how quickly they found us.
“My aunt wants the money, I know this. She would inherit it if we were gone. She arranged to have me killed, and it is only by the grace of God t
hat I am here. I fear she will do the same to Luchino and Maura.”
Lia looked up at Ren. His lips were drawn tight, and his eyes darkened to near black as he stared down at her.
“I will need the name of the guardian and the bank when we get to Genoa.”
Lia nodded. She thought back to the day her aunt walked into their modest cottage, with her silk kerchief covering her nose and mouth, as though their home reeked. Lia had hated her from the moment their eyes met. “Please, I beg of you, be careful. She is a deceitful, uncaring and cruel woman. Someone with no regard for human life, not even her own blood relations.” In truth, the mere thought of the woman repulsed her. She wished she’d never set eyes on her all those months ago. How different her life would have been.
Lia chattered on nervously. “My father never used his familial ties to his advantage. He rejected the inheritance and his family. I never knew it existed. My parents were simple people. Academics. Scholars. From them, I learned to love books. Father taught me maths, science and politics. Father said I have the gift of an ear for languages, and I speak and read six fluently. I inherited my mother’s love of literature and poetry.”
She wondered if she should reveal her weaknesses to him, and decided it could hurt nothing, as he already seemed upset by her situation. “And yet, I am an embarrassment to my culture. I cannot draw or paint. I sing horribly, and play not one musical instrument.”
Lia turned to look into Ren’s eyes. His expression softened some, but only slightly. She rambled on nervously. “You will like my brother. He is intelligent and polite. I will keep him in line, and he will never be a bother. I promise.”
Ren led her by the elbow down to his cabin. “We will have your brother in a few days.” He sounded exasperated as he lifted a rolled chart from a container next to the bookcase. “Now, I have work to do, and arrangements to make once we reach Genoa if we are to pull this off.” He unrolled a chart on the table and placed a book on each corner, and began to work in silence.