by JC Harroway
“Luca,” I cry out, as he fills me the way no man ever has before.
I pinch my puckered nipples, but they are eager for his touch. My sex trembles around his cock. We move together, create a rhythm, and then taking me by surprise, he sits up, swats my hands away and takes one breast into his mouth, and the other into his palm. He licks and kneads, and sensations flood my system. My toes curl with pleasure, and I rake my nails over his back. I push down harder, wanting to feel every damn inch of him inside me, and he growls around my nipples. Pleasure vibrates through me, centers between my legs. He releases my breasts, grabs my hips and takes over, pounding into me wildly, until I’m so delirious, I can barely see straight.
With control now a thing of the past, I let him take charge, let him lift me up and pull me back down with a force that sends waves of pleasure surging through me. I gasp and break around him, my hot juices dripping down his fat cock and heavy balls. He growls and thickens even more as he fucks me with fierce, blunt strokes. His fingers bite into my skin, and he holds me still, his cock hidden in the depths of my body, as he spurts into the condom. I collapse on top of him and revel in his fast heartbeat against my cheek as I work to breathe. A long time later, I lift my head, meet his intense gaze and my pulse jumps into my throat.
He’s not nearly done with me.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Luca
I SIT ON the side of the bed and look at the beautiful woman sleeping silently beside me. It’s early—before dawn—and I hate to wake her, considering we were up having sex most of the night, but if we’re going to make it to the summit before sunrise, I have no choice.
“Hey,” I say quietly and brush her hair from her face.
Her eyes open one at a time, and a small smile that rocks my world forms on her face when she sees me.
“What time is it?” she asks, her voice hoarse.
“Early, before dawn. Here, I have your coffee ready.”
She sits up, and the blankets fall from her body, exposing her beautiful breasts. She doesn’t bother trying to cover up. Instead she reaches for the coffee and takes a sip. “Mmm, a girl could get used to this. Wait, why are you waking me up before dawn?”
“We’re going on an adventure.”
She groans. “Luca, I want to sleep.”
“Sleep is overrated. Come on.”
She takes another sip of coffee. “I hate morning people,” she says, and I laugh.
“I’ll let you sleep in tomorrow. We only have one week, and I want to make the most of it.”
“Are you going to make me spend every minute with you?”
“That’s kind of the plan. Like I said, I want you to see that you can spend more than one night with a guy. Prove it’s not so bad.” As I think about that, my stomach tightens. When it comes right down to it, I’m grooming her for another man. I might want her, but I can’t have her. Yet I want to see her find happiness in life. She groans and I run my finger over her pert nipple. “Has it been so bad, Brianna?”
“If you find a fork in your thigh by the end of the week, remember it’s no one’s fault but your own.” She grins at me and I laugh.
I pull the sheets off. “Come on, get dressed.” Although now that I’ve exposed her entire body, all I want to do is crawl back into that bed with her.
“Change of plans?” she asks and cocks her head, no doubt catching the lust in my eyes.
I adjust my thickening cock. “I think you’ll like what I have in mind.”
She taps the bed. “I usually do.”
I scrub my face and it takes every ounce of strength I have to turn from her. “Move it,” I say, and she grumbles as she climbs from the bed. “I boiled us some eggs, and I have protein bars for energy. We’ll have a real breakfast when we get there.”
“Get where, and why do we have to go so early?” she asks.
“Piz Nair sunrise. We’re going to bike up the mountain, watch the sunrise, then have breakfast.”
She gasps and I turn to face her. “Are you serious?” she asks.
“Yeah, I arranged it last night.”
“I haven’t done that since I was a kid.”
“Tate told me you loved it.”
Her eyes go wide. “You and Tate talked about me?”
Teasing her, I give a low whistle and shake my head. “The things I never knew about you.”
She grabs a pillow and throws it at me. “Liar. You don’t know anything about me.” She lifts her chin. “And I prefer to keep it that way.” With that she grabs her clothes, hurries to the bathroom and comes back after a few minutes, dressed and ready.
Thirty minutes later we’re at the meeting point and have been given our bikes and helmets. She tugs hers on and I help her clasp it.
“Maybe we should have taken the cable car. This is going to kill me,” she groans.
“Yeah. Me too.”
She gives me a look that suggests I’m dense. “Yeah, right, you’re in good shape.”
I put one hand on her hip. “And I love your shape.” She looks down, fast. “What?” I ask.
“Nothing. We’d better get going if we want to see the sunrise.” She starts up the hill and I follow behind her. Up ahead there is another group on the go, and more bikers follow behind us. The air is cool this morning but soon enough we’re hot as we exert ourselves.
I breathe in the fresh mountain air, and it makes me think of home. Deep down I miss Italy, my family. I talked to Uncle Gio a couple of weeks ago, and he sounded tired. Running the family business is taking its toll on him, but he’s terrified of his son being at the helm one day. It might not be my thirtieth birthday yet, but I can’t stay away much longer. The last letter he sent me—he’s old-school like that—reminded me of the will and explained Marco’s latest antics. I’m needed back home. I told Gio about Tate’s wedding, and that I’d be making plans to return afterward—once I talk to Tate and clear my things from the office. Fuck, how is Tate going to take the news of my leaving his firm? I’d agreed to the job because I wanted to help him launch his practice, thinking there’d be time later to tell him it wasn’t permanent. My uncle urging me home early was unexpected, though.
Brianna stops up ahead and I slow my bike. She’s winded but she has a huge smile on her face. She moves to the side as a few bikers greet us and go past.
“I need to catch my breath,” she says. The enthusiasm on her face is adorable and I lean in and press my lips to hers. I give her a quick kiss and when I inch back, she quirks a brow. “What was that for?”
“For agreeing to go on this ride with me.”
She glances around and I follow her gaze. “I miss this place. I used to come here with Tate and Granddad all the time.”
“Was it just the three of you? You don’t have any other cousins? Tate only ever talked about you. He was anxious for us to meet, I think.”
She nods at that. “No, we have other cousins. Some of them are coming in later this week for the wedding. Most got tied down with work. It’s a wonder I made it so early. But Tate is the oldest, so he was closest to Granddad, and they both sort of took me under their wing. Of all the cousins, Tate and I are the closest. He’s like my brother.” She exhales a sigh. “I owe those two so much. I guess that’s why I jumped at the chance to make Granddad happy—as stupid as that was.” She glances around like she’s looking for a change of subject. “I’d forgotten how much I love it here.”
“Not quite the same as New York, is it?”
She laughs. “Not quite the same at all.” Contentment comes over her. “I wish I could live here. Or at least live closer.”
I take in the pink on her cheeks, the way her shoulders have relaxed slightly. “This place is good for you.”
“Why do you say that?”
I touch her shoulders. “Because these...” I begin, as my hands go to her ears. “
Were here when you arrived.”
She nods. “You’re not wrong.” She sits back on her seat. “Come on, I’ll race you to the top,” she says and takes off fast.
I go after her. “What does the winner get?” I ask.
“Does there always have to be something in it for you?” she asks breathlessly as she stands up on her pedals.
“Always,” I say.
“What more could you want, Luca?” she asks, her breathing coming faster. “Since I arrived, you seem to be getting your way with everything.”
Gesù, there are so many things I want with her, things I can’t ever have.
“What do you want, Brianna?”
“I want to move out of your chalet and back into my hotel suite,” she says, but I’m not so sure I believe her.
“It’s on, and after I win I’ll tell you what I want,” I say and then pass her. She whacks me as I go, trying to push me off the bike, and I laugh when she scoffs at me. I glance at her over my shoulder. “Doing okay back there?”
“Oh, you’re so going to get it!” she yells.
“I’ll be sure there are no forks at our breakfast table,” I say and put a great deal of space between us. Although I do keep checking over my shoulder in case she needs me. She finally catches up with me, and she opens her mouth, likely to shout a few profanities, when I touch her shoulder and turn her. Her eyes go wide as night surrenders to morning and the first rays of sunlight creep over the mountaintops. It’s a spectacular view, enjoyed by many every summer here in St. Moritz, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off Brianna and the childlike enthusiasm on her face.
I tug her to me, and her hand goes to my stomach. Dozens of people are gasping around us, all enjoying the same view, but it feels very much like it’s just her and me right now, the two of us all alone at the top of the mountain, experiencing something unique together. She leans her head against me, and a gust of wind blows her hair. It tickles my face. I dip my head, kiss the top of hers and just hold her to me, wanting nothing more than to enjoy this week with her.
“Thank you,” she says quietly as the long rays touch the snowcapped peaks and dance on the evergreen trees. “I needed this.” I hug her tighter and we remain like that until daylight is fully upon us. She lifts her face to mine and smiles. “But please tell me I can sleep the afternoon away.”
I laugh. “You can go to bed, sure. But I can’t guarantee that you’re going to get any sleep.” Someone beside me chuckles, and Brianna’s eyes go wide. I glance at the guy and grin. “Recently engaged,” I say. “She’s so beautiful, I can’t keep my hands off her.” I turn back to Brianna, take in the almost confused look on her face. “No one can blame me for that, I’m sure.” I drop a soft kiss onto her mouth. “Come on, let’s go get breakfast. I’m starving.”
“Me too.”
We set our bikes in the rack with the others and make our way into the restaurant. We’re seated by the window, where we can see out into the mountains, and the hostess hands us our menus.
“How was the sunrise?” she asks and then narrows her eyes. “Wait, Luca, I didn’t realize that was you. What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Jess. How are you? We’re here for Tate’s wedding. This is his cousin, Brianna.”
Jess flicks a glance at Brianna, barely acknowledging her. “How long are you here?” she puts the end of her pen in her mouth and grins. “We should get together for a drink.”
“Pretty busy week,” I say.
“Here.” She scribbles her number on a pad of paper and hands it to me. “I’m still in staff-housing, building number four, in case you forgot.”
“Okay,” I say and put the number in my pocket.
“See you soon. I hope,” she says when our server comes to the table to get our drink orders.
“Coffee?” I ask Brianna, who is staring at me. She nods and I order two. When the server leaves, I turn back to Brianna. “What?”
“Old girlfriend?”
“Old friend.”
“She was rather friendly.”
I set my menu down and lean toward her. “Jealous, Brianna?”
She huffs. “No, of course not. You can date whoever you want.”
“Why would I want anyone else in my bed when I only want to fuck you?”
Pink crawls up her neck. “You took her number.”
“I didn’t want to be rude. When I get back to the chalet, I’ll toss it. I didn’t want to do it in front of her. I’m not a stronzo.”
“Stronzo?”
“Asshole.”
She makes a strange sound and turns her attention to her menu. As she studies it, I think about calling her out, asking her why she’s pretending not to know me. The words sit on my tongue, but I bite them back. I’ll eventually get to the bottom of things, but right now I don’t want to wreck what started as the perfect day by pissing her off and ruining my chance of getting to the bottom of other things later on.
The server comes back with our coffee, and I drink mine black as Brianna pours a dab of milk into hers. She takes a big sip and leans back to look out over the mountains.
“I haven’t been up here since I was a teen.”
“Did you bike it?”
She nods and lifts her cup. “Yeah. I was a bit on the plump side, needed the exercise.” She stares at me over the rim of her cup, like she’s waiting for me to comment on that. I’m not sure what she considers plump, but in college she had curves that drove me insane.
“Tate said you guys all spent a lot of time here when you were young.”
“We did.” She gives me a wobbly smile. “Granddad was very good to us.”
I take a sip of coffee and set it on the saucer. “I’m glad to hear that. Every girl needs a male influence in her life.”
She looks out the window, her gaze misty. She’s obviously worried about her grandfather’s health. “After Dad left us for a much younger woman, Granddad really stepped up, for all his grandchildren.” She puts on a smile but there is pain behind it.
“A much younger woman?”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Early twenties. Like I said, the guys in our family do that. Which is why Tate thought Granddad had fallen for Summer.”
What Granddad was doing was matchmaking, and while I’d like to tell her that I don’t think he’s as frail as he lets on, I keep my mouth shut. She adores the man and I don’t want to say anything that might upset her, or lead her to believe her granddad is messing with her in any way. He simply wants to see her settled down and happy. I can’t blame him for that.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“Where exactly are you from?” she asks me, redirecting the conversation.
“Italy,” I say.
“Obviously.” She rolls her eyes at me. “Where in Italy?”
“Massara, small town. You probably never heard of it.”
She crinkles her nose and looks out into the distance again. “Actually I have.”
I swallow. “Yeah.”
“There was some guy—I think he was an aristocrat or something—in the news when I was at Oxford. Everyone was talking about it. He crashed a billion-dollar boat or something like that, and he was connected to some sex cub. I think he was married, too.”
“Still is,” I say without thinking.
“You know of him?” She shakes her head. “The guy sounds crazy.”
“Yeah, crazy.” Crazy that my father would want his conglomerates to go to him. He was my father’s attorney for years, so I know he trusted Marco, but I need to save Dad’s legacy from him. That means marrying Valentina—another mystery I can’t understand. Dad was a generous man—was this his way of taking care of his friend’s family, even in death? I can’t shirk my responsibility, and I don’t want to. I want Dad and Matteo to be proud of me. But I wish I could run my life and the busine
ss on my terms.
“We don’t hear much about him back in the States. Is he still making the papers here?”
“All the time,” I say and exhale a heavy sigh. “Why Oxford?” I redirect. “Were you hoping to find yourself a British Prince Charming?”
“Very funny.”
“Seriously, why so far from home?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted a change of scenery. Experience something different.” She laughs. “God, I was so innocent and naïve back then.”
“How so?”
“I went into law school thinking I was going to change the world.”
I nod. “We all did.” When I go back to Italy, I plan to take my place and do good things for my community. Bisnonno built a hospital many years ago, and I want to bring in top-notch specialists, as well as increase tourism in the area, which will benefit all. I just don’t want to do it with an arranged wife.
“Yet all I do is battle with couples who hate each other. How is that changing the world?”
“I understand exactly what you’re saying. There is a lot I want to do to help others and leave this a better world for my kids.”
She quirks a brow. “Really?”
“That surprises you?” I ask.
“I guess. Maybe. I don’t know.” A beat and then, “You want kids?”
“Yeah, if it was with the right woman.” She frowns and opens her mouth like she wants to ask something but then closes it again. I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. “It’s not too late to make a change.”
“You think?”
“You’re in your twenties, Brianna. You can still do whatever you want.”
She looks at my hand holding hers. “I guess.”
“What is it you want?” I ask.
“I’d like to be doing things for the people. Maybe use my legal skills to help needy organizations, or to build schools in third-world countries. Or maybe champion causes like Artscape, where they transformed streetcars into homes and businesses for artists.” Her eyes light up as she talks, and this...this is the kind of legal work she should be doing. “But I chose family law, thinking it’d be a stable career, and I fell into a firm that specializes in divorce law, where I work sixteen-hour days and have little time for anything else,” she says and glances out the window. There’s silence between us for a moment, and her voice is low when she says, “Hey, you won the race up the hill.”