Finally, the drive became a lot more interesting. She ignored him completely, fascinated by the life unraveling in front of her. The car wound through busy streets, where people walked their dogs and locals drank at the cafés lining the streets. When the scenery became posher, with a handful of luxury storefronts from designer brands she’d only heard about, the car slowed down.
“Are we close to your place?” she asked, imagining his place would be a lot more sophisticated than a simple walk-up apartment. Most likely he owned a swanky loft or luxurious penthouse.
“We’re going to a jewelry store,” he said.
Oh, yeah. The engagement ring. She assumed he’d borrow one, like those celebrities at high-profile red-carpet events, though a man of his means probably didn’t rent anything. Maybe he’d exchange it afterward.
“Do they open this early?”
“I called the manager and asked them to open for me. I thought it’d be more practical to get it out of the way. Besides, there are no paparazzi this early. I’d hate for the news to reach my grandmother before I tell her myself.”
“Sure.”
The driver stopped in front of the store, and as usual, Marco slid out first and helped her out, stretching his hand for her. She could get used to the touch of his manly, strong, tanned fingers on hers. But she shouldn’t—they’d only be together two more weeks, and then they’d go their separate ways.
He touched the small of her back, guiding her through the jewelry store.
A tall brunette with gorgeous cobalt eyes greeted them. She looked like she could rock a catwalk, making Lily feel ridiculously out of place. “Mr. Giordano, what a pleasure. We’ve put aside some engagement rings for you two to look at,” she said in accented English, then nodded at Lily. “I’m Stefania.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Con piacere. Please, have a seat.”
For the next few minutes, she measured her annular finger, and another terrifyingly good-looking woman who could be on the cover of Shape magazine brought a velvet case. When she opened it, Lily’s jaw dropped.
Several rings greeted her—most of them with huge diamond rocks. One of them seemed to be ruby, and a stone whose name she didn’t even know. Marco murmured a couple of words of encouragement for her to try them on, but she felt a thread of panic float up her throat.
When she’d said yes to this whole farce, she hadn’t envisioned the amount of times she’d be lying—to his family and friends, to salespeople and whoever crossed their path. Would she lie to herself, too? Had she?
She glanced down at the exquisite ring that Marco slid on her finger. It weighed heavy on her, and it meant nothing.
“What about this one?” he asked her, nudging her elbow.
She removed the ring from her finger as if it burned her, and put it on the glass table. “I…need some air. I’m sorry,” she said, and surged to her feet. Without looking back, she left the store.
…
Fucking great. “I’ll be right back,” Marco said to the saleswoman, and stood.
Why did Lily run away? Buying jewelry shouldn’t have this effect on her, especially when he’d told her what they were about to do. In fact, she signed a piece of paper, a contract, agreeing to be his temporary fiancée. What had changed?
His heart squeezed, like a grand piano had fallen on him. Like those silly cartoons he and his brother watched when they were kids—their nannies always indulged them with excessive TV time. With a dry throat, he followed her steps, knowing it took him half as many to catch up to Lily outside the shop.
It was too damn late for her to change her mind. Unless she had looked at the ring and gotten some ideas. “You can’t raise the price of our bargain, if that’s what you’re thinking about,” he said, pretty sure she could hear him.
She turned around, the early morning wind playing with the tips of her hair. Her eyes seemed glossy, but she didn’t let a tear roll down her cheek. “It’s all about money for you.”
“This has been about a lot more than money. It has been about making an old lady happy, and you keeping your salon. Is there money involved so those two things can happen? You bet. But they’re happening for other reasons.”
She tilted her head as if pondering on his words. “Then why did you just treat me like a cheap hooker, assuming I’d demand more money for my services?”
He ran his fingers down his face. Because I’m an asshole. “I’m sorry, Lily. I’ve visited a jewelry store once before with the intention of buying a ring for someone,” he said, remembering that day several years ago, when he’d taken Angelica to a store as luxurious as the one they’d just walked from.
“Oh. I didn’t know you were engaged before.”
“It never happened. She called it off before we broke the news,” he said, proud that he’d kept the bitterness out of his voice. “We weren’t a match.”
“And she couldn’t have told you that when she said yes?”
“It’s in the past. It would have been a stupid mistake.” He’d shared things with Angelica he had always feared people would learn about his past. He’d trusted her, and her gentle and sweet way, but after knowing more about the man she’d agreed to marry, she decided to call it off.
Frustration formed a lump in his throat. He’d been fool enough to think he could be with someone like Angelica…uncomplicated and genuine. Or maybe he could have, if only he had kept the most private parts of his past, of his childhood, to himself. No one needed a traumatized child with abandonment issues. Not even him. He’d said goodbye to that part of him a long time ago. He’d never be the kind of husband she needed or deserved.
“Why did you run out?” he asked, to deflect her attention from him. He sucked in his breath, hoping to God she wouldn’t change his mind so late in the game.
“I… I felt strange. I’m sorry if I triggered any bad memories for you.”
“You’re fine. Listen, I understand this is all probably overwhelming to you. What we tell my family about the nature of our relationship is a lie, but I enjoy being with you. That’s real. That’s all I can give you, but it’s still real,” he said. Fuck, he didn’t want her to think he’d do this with anyone else. If he had hired an actress, he certainly wouldn’t screw her.
“Why did your former fiancée break up with you? Did you cheat on her?”
“No cheating.”
She frowned. “What did she find out, then? It’s a big change of heart.”
“She found out I’m not the type who hosts a family Sunday lunch. That I’m one of the reasons my father drinks like there’s no tomorrow. That I’m not husband material if you want the fairy-tale kind of marriage.”
She drew back, her face creasing, probably because she tried to digest all the words he vomited at her.
“What do you mean your father drinks because of you? No one does that.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. She didn’t quit, did she? The last thing he needed was for her to pity him, or to start some psycho-babble about his feelings. She was the woman he was supposed to screw, enjoy, and laugh with. If he turned what they had between them into more than that, he’d regret his decision. “I’m done talking about this subject. Are we doing this or not?” He tilted his head in the direction of the shop’s front door.
Chapter Seven
“Need help?” Marco asked, nibbling her neck.
Lily struggled to speak—didn’t really want to. Tingles spread the second he lowered her fluffy white robe. After they’d selected an engagement ring, they had spent the day sightseeing, eaten at a famous restaurant in the evening, and she had taken a hot shower in his luxurious bathroom.
God, how she wanted him. They hadn’t screwed since their arrival in Rome earlier that day. She’d appreciated that he made it a priority to show her the sights on the only day they had before proceeding to the town by Lake Como where his grandmother lived.
He cupped her breasts. She let her head fall back and enjoyed how he dipped his head, h
is breath fanning her, his lips brushing her flesh. She moaned.
“Seems you need some help, too,” she said, feeling his hard-on press against her.
He kissed the top of her head. “Always, where you’re concerned.”
She turned to him and removed her robe slowly, the soft fabric sliding down her skin. Until Marco, she’d never felt comfortable being naked for the hell of it. Her parents, her father particularly, always preached modesty, and then growing up with big boobs had made her even more self-conscious. She loved her body but didn’t find it necessary to parade her assets.
He gave her a look of sheer fascination, igniting a deep-seated desire in her for more. With Marco, nudity was natural. He took a couple of steps back as if to really admire her, and she found herself smiling.
“You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
Blood pounded in her veins, and a flush heated her face. She didn’t believe it, what with the number of amazing models he must have dated. “You make me feel like that,” she said honestly. If she gained nothing else from their time together—other than the deal they’d drawn—she would learn how good it felt to be cherished. Even if only sexually.
“I have something we’ll try tonight,” he said, then moved to his closet.
She touched the chair in front of a large rectangular, wood-framed mirror. His bedroom was so undeniable masculine. When he returned, he had removed his shirt and pants already, walking to her wearing just a pair of black boxer briefs that didn’t conceal his erection.
He carried a bottle of lube in one hand, and in the other… She studied the short black device on his palm. “Touch it,” he said, giving it to her.
She ran her finger along the ribbed texture, starting at the tip through the flanged angle. “What is this?”
And what would they do with it? She’d seen vibrators at bachelorette parties but never bought one herself.
“It’s a butt plug.”
She cleared her throat. Sweat broke on her forehead, and she clenched her thighs. So far he’d shown her a colorful world of pleasure and unknown sensations. A side of her wanted more, but what if—
“I can almost hear you thinking,” he said, yanking her from her worries.
“Sorry. I… I’ve never done this before.” She clutched the silicone device, warming it.
“Do you trust me to pop your ass cherry?” He lifted her chin until his gaze locked on hers. “This will only work if you do.”
She nodded. “What’s the plan?” She gave him the plug, and he put it aside, ushering her to the bed. He eased her down on the mattress, as if she were precious cargo. She propped herself on her elbows, unable to stay still.
He joined her in bed, still in his underwear, then covered her with his body and captured her lips with his in a languid, slow kiss. By the time their mouths disengaged, she struggled to breath, her heartbeat drumming in her ears.
“I’m not screwing your ass today. I’m just going to play with your hole, stretch it so when I fuck it… I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”
“If you say so. I trust you.” Despite her insecurities, her clit throbbed in anticipation of all the sinful pleasures coming ahead.
He sucked her lower lip then released it with a pop. “Don’t overthink it. If at any moment you want me to stop, just say so.”
“Do we need a safe word?” She recalled a scene in a sexy movie where the male lead told his partner to use a word to halt things completely if needed.
He flashed her a boyish grin, so uncharacteristic of him. “I’m simple. If you say no, or stop, I’ll stop.”
She relaxed her shoulders and dropped to the mattress. “That’s easy.”
He lowered himself onto her, kissing her breasts, his tongue lazily lapping one of the tips. She arched toward him, wanting to feel him on her even more. Whenever he kissed her, she always anticipated the next caress, the next touch, the next orgasm. She wrapped her legs around his ass in a silent plea.
He sucked her other breast, nibbling the tender area. She moaned and thrust her hips forward, experiencing a familiar buildup firing in her belly.
“You’re ready for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
He planted pecks on her stomach. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“If you keep at it, I’ll come even without waiting.”
When he nudged her thighs apart and lowered his head in between them, she let out a whimpery sound she almost didn’t recognize. He licked her, his tongue stroking her most intimate flesh, causing another coat of her own female lubrication. She loved how he ate her, with passion and reckless abandon.
She linked her legs around his shoulders, excited at the prospect of him diving into her wetness, losing himself inside her pussy. What she didn’t count on was…he kept exploring her, his tongue tracing south of where he usually pleasured her. She gasped. Was he—
“Relax,” he said. “I want to taste all of you Lily.”
All? She relaxed her limbs, trusting he knew what he was doing. He licked the area near her hole, the tip of his tongue trailing a sinful path. Her instinct drove her to clench her thighs, but he patiently opened them and continued at it, upping the game by inserting two fingers into her pussy.
She moved her hips. He was kissing her asshole, licking her thigh, thrusting his fingers into her in a forward and reverse fashion. A tingle spread from her core to all areas of her body, turning into an extreme shiver. When he flicked her clit in addition to all the magic he worked on her, she called his name, her body shaking from top to bottom, sweat glistening her arms and chest.
A cold draft tickled her when he slowly rose from between her legs. That’s the effect he had on her—he brought so much heat, but he also took it away. “I love to watch you come,” he said.
She fanned over her flushed cheeks. “You kind of make it impossible for me not to.”
“Good, but the fun is not over. Get on your hands and knees.”
She gathered whatever strength she had and followed his command, turning onto her belly then lifting her ass in the air. She splayed her hands on the mattress like she was about to do push-ups, because she probably needed that kind of endurance. Gosh. She should work out more.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, and for a while he left the bed. She imagined he grabbed the lube and the butt plug.
“I was thinking I need to work out more often.”
“You’re gorgeous.”
“So are you, but I bet that eight pack of yours doesn’t happen overnight.”
He chuckled. “Nothing in life happens overnight, my dear Lily… Actually, I’m wrong. You happened to me overnight, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get over you.”
His words cut a knife through her soul. She dared to glance at him over her shoulder, desperate to know if his voice had turned serious at the end or if she’d imagined things. When her gaze collided with his, moisture evaporated from her throat. Flecks of silver gleamed in his dark irises, giving him a mix of intensity and excitement. He watched her in silence, without wavering, as if he’d meant what he’d said. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over you. What did his confession mean to him—to them?
Afraid she’d let him see right through her, she jerked her head back in place, away from him, but not from the madness flooding her.
Without saying anything, he propped her legs apart and touched her intimately. She didn’t need this to confirm she was already soaking wet for him. Ready. Willing. She rocked her hips into his hands, hoping he’d get the hint and screw her until her world made sense again. Until his words had less meaning to her. Until she no longer entertained thoughts of admitting that she, too, would never get over him.
“Lily.” He called her like a curse.
He drove his fingers into her hair, tugging it toward him. Her scalp sizzled, sending little charges through her. At the same time, he thrust his cock into her pussy, her walls stretching to accommodate him. He pulled her hair a little more, sendi
ng fiery sensations down her spine. Her skin goose bumped. She’d never been so primitively claimed in her life.
He released her hair and moved his cock out, then slowly in, making her squirm for more. Then she heard him picking up the lube. She heard him pop open the tube, then the sound of Marco rubbing it on his palm. As he thrust deep inside her pussy, she felt his finger, coated, slide between her ass cheeks. At first, her involuntary reaction was to expel him from there. She stiffened her back, unsure about what to do.
“It’s new for you. If you trust me, we can have a lot of fun,” he said from behind. “If not, it’s okay.”
His compromise rang in her ears. The fact he would be totally fine with her not trying anal sex, not seeing it through, caused her to let out a long exhale and say, “Keep going.”
Why not judge for herself if she liked it or not? After all, her clit was throbbing, anticipating him touching her there, making her hotter than she’d ever been before. And she raised her ass, felt his finger push inside her, felt it close to the thin membrane separating his cock as he drove it inside her.
Her clit wanted to explode, the sensations firing through her, bringing her close, oh so fucking close to her orgasm. He withdrew his dick, then thrust into her again, deeper, harder. She threw her head back, reveling in how amazingly good it was to have him fully inside her, and not knowing where she ended and he began. While deep inside her, his balls at the base of her sex, he withdrew his finger from her butt, and she was about to ask why, when an instant later, she felt something bigger, longer, poke at her entrance. The plug.
No doubt to distract her, he drilled her pussy hard, delivering each thrust hotter than the last. She whimpered, pleasure coiling in the pit of her stomach. He inserted the plug all the way inside her and moved it in and out of her, mimicking the actions he did to her snatch, but with far less intensity. With his free hand, he made round circles on her ass, kneading her fleshy butt, palming her skin until it warmed under his sensual touch.
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