Chapter Twelve
“Look at you. You could pass for a pro,” Arietta said, behind her.
Lily took a deep breath. She had watched a few YouTube tutorials to refresh her rusty memory, and doubted she’d have pulled it off if her audience had been more discerning. The little kids, though, enjoyed her visit, and her idea of observing and encouraging them instead of putting on a demonstration had paid off.
“They’re children,” she said. “It’s more liberating to let them work freely than restricting them to one way of doing things.”
“True,” Arietta said. “Feel free to give them tips, though, to make their sculpting process more efficient. Even though you aren’t getting paid yet in the United States, you must have some time-saving tips.”
Lily squared her shoulders. No way would she pretend more than she knew and fall into Arietta’s trap. “Art is art anywhere in the world, and it can’t be rushed. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Lily said, walking past the woman to check the stations. Phew.
For some reason, Marco’s cousin wanted her to fail. She wanted her to admit she didn’t know much and certainly couldn’t add any to what these kids already knew. A few times she had to pull answers out of her ass, but she hoped plastering a smile on her face while she did it helped her convince them.
She didn’t want to screw things up for Marco.
Instinctively, she turned her head in his direction. For the past half an hour, he had been assisting an adorable young boy, maybe six or seven. Her heart filled with bursting bubbles of joy. She hadn’t seen him with kids yet, and had expected him to be the kind of guy who treated little ones as adults and miss out on the quirks of childhood.
She’d been wrong.
He hadn’t found an excuse to get rid of the boy, or asked for someone else to facilitate. They’d been working hard together, and she wished she could speak Italian to understand what stories he told to make the boy laugh with gusto.
“How are we doing?” she asked, inching closer to them.
Giuseppe—that’s what his name tag said—looked up at her. He spoke quickly, gesturing with his hands in a frantic attempt to tell her something.
“What is he saying?” she asked Marco while touching the boy’s hair to acknowledge him.
Marco sighed. “He feels bad we’ve been trying to do a perfect vase for his mom, but the edges still came out rough,” he said, pointing at their imperfect piece. Giuseppe spoke again, and Marco translated. “He wants her to be proud of him.”
She kneeled down and lifted Giuseppe’s chin up. “Can you please tell him I’m proud of him?” She looked into the boy’s eyes but spoke to Marco.
Maybe Giuseppe sensed her approval, for a shy smile formed on his lips.
“Tell him sometimes when we start our process, we have an image in our minds of what the final piece will look like. We work toward that goal, then things change. They don’t go as planned, and that’s absolutely fine.”
Marco translated her words in his dreamy voice.
“Tell him this bowl is unique because he made it and his mother will love him for it. If she doesn’t, she can talk to me. I’ll set her straight.”
Giuseppe giggled, and even before Marco told him what she’d said, she knew he had understood her intent.
When she peered at Marco again, she noticed a strong emotion flashing in his cocoa eyes. Flecks of gold sparkled in his irises, like shooting stars in a dark sky. Her heart stopped in her chest, and she watched him, hypnotized, unable to speak and ignoring everyone around them.
The need to hug him, to kiss him, to claim him, ignited at her core and spread madly throughout her body. Her own words played in her mind like an old broken record. We work toward that goal, then things change.
Shit. The situation hadn’t changed—they were still in Italy pretending to be committed to each other when the only thing drawing them together, besides scorching sexual chemistry, remained a calculated contract. No, the situation hadn’t changed, but she had.
Oh, crap. I’ve fallen in love with Marco.
…
“You were great with the children. Arietta didn’t suspect a thing,” he said, as they entered their suite.
The day had been long, with him showing her the sights then the stop at the art studio. All she wanted was to throw herself in his arms, but they had one last activity—a mandatory one. His aunt had planned for everyone to go on a boat trip along Lake Como, with drinks and more fancy appetizers, she imagined.
“Thanks. What should I wear tonight? I’m assuming it’s not a jeans-and-sneakers type of event, right?”
He shook his head then opened the armoire where he’d placed some personal items. Even though they had a walk-in closet with enough space, Marco had preferred to keep some of his things locked. She doubted he suspected the housemaid would rob his stuff. Did he think she would?
She switched her weight from one foot to the other. God, I hope not. She loved him, which was completely outrageous, inconvenient, and unexpected, yet none of these arguments made it less true. What if he felt something for her, too? Maybe he didn’t completely love her yet, but she’d seen the look in his eyes at the studio when she told him that sometimes plans changed and new goals came into view. Damn it, could she be so wrong?
I’ll show him. She didn’t have time on her side when it came to making him fall for her. She’d have to use her body to show him, without the words that would probably freak him out if she revealed just how much she cared for him. Perhaps the intensity of that emotion would be enough to convince him to give her a chance and forget about contracts.
He produced a black plastic bag and removed a box from it. “I want you to wear a dress, and underneath, this.”
She tilted her head to the side, trying to register the shiny box with a red G-string inside. A couple of small devices were packed next to it: a black ring, and a—
“Is that a dildo?” she asked, grabbing the box from him.
Why, yes, it was. A small, round vibrator.
“This is a vibrating panty. You insert the vibrator in the slot,” he said, pointing at the small opening on the interior lining of the underwear, exactly where it would cover her pussy.
Heat coiled low as she stared at the contents, fascinated, curious, and aroused. “This looks kinky.”
He gave her a devastatingly sexy smile that weakened her knees and sent her pulse on a wild race. “Wear it tonight. This dildo has different settings, and I’ll command it with my ring,” he said, taking the ring from the box and sliding it on his finger.
“Are you serious?” The ring didn’t give away its purpose, but simply had a couple of buttons on the side that she assumed he’d push to adjust the vibration settings.
Her clit throbbed, the idea sinfully wrong. “Why don’t I wear the ring?”
“Because you won’t make yourself come in public.”
“You got that right,” she said, feeling her cheeks burn. She wouldn’t mind screwing him in public, as long as no one saw them. She didn’t have the salaciousness to sweat in front of his family if she didn’t have to. “I was going to take a shower. Wanna join me?” she asked.
“As much as I’d love to, no. I have some business emails I can’t avoid. Take your shower, then put this on,” he said, pointing at the box, “and get dressed.”
“How long will I wear the panties?”
“Until tonight. I want you begging me to make you come by the time I take them off.”
“Well, I have a request of my own, then. Tonight, I want us to go all the way,” she said, as heat spread across her chest. She’d entertained the idea, and now, she was ready to try it with him. “I want you to take my ass.”
Other than the butt plug they’d used, she’d never had anal sex before. Not full on, cock-in-her-ass sex. Hell, none of her boyfriends had even suggested it. They were too congenial, too sweet, too vanilla to entertain playing with her ass.
His gaze raked over her, pausing at her nipples then dipping lower still. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers, their chocolate depths smoldered with scorching promises. “It’ll be my pleasure.” He angled closer, erasing the inches between them.
“I want you to have me any way you can. I hope I won’t let you down,” she said. She’d hate to kill the mood by changing her mind at the last minute. A part of her, though, sizzled in anticipation to be claimed by him in the most primitive way a male could take a female. She’d fallen for him and yearned to give him every part of her.
“That would be impossible.” He kissed her cheek, and the light brush of his lips on her skin nearly melted her bones.
…
I want you to have me any way you can.
Two hours later, Lily’s words still haunted him. Marco drummed his fingers on the boat’s railing, peering at all the villas and the mountains in the background but not really paying attention to any of it. If he closed his eyes, her image came to mind, and her startled gaze when he’d told her his plan.
Did she really want him, or was she fulfilling the contract? He looked down at the amber contents of his tumbler. He didn’t have any doubt he excited her sexually—her body told him better than any heartfelt confession. But she also treated him with kindness, the way she’d been with those children earlier. Lily Jenkins was all future mother material.
Bringing their relationship to the basics, to the raw pull, was what he needed. That’s why her suggestion to finally have anal sex came in handy. He’d have done it any other day, but tonight he needed it to show himself that the only thing holding them together was sex—raw, hot, temporary sex. He had to show her he’d never be a permanent fixture in her life. But was he doing it to protect himself, or her?
“Marco,” Nico called him.
“Yeah?” He turned around, taking a drink of his scotch.
“Are you hiding?” Nico asked.
“That’s not my style,” Marco said. His grandmother had been talking to Lily for at least twenty minutes on the other side of the boat, and he’d decided to take a breather from the whole thing. His nonna apparently loved Lily, which had squeezed his heart. “What’s up?”
“Look, man, I don’t like to interfere, but you need to open your eyes. I don’t think your so-called fiancée is who she says she is.”
“Why not?”
“I never heard of a Patricia Doors before. I Googled her and couldn’t find anything. Arietta told me earlier that she gave her some lousy excuse when she gave her a different name. Daisy or something. The name of a flower I think. Anyway, I’m worried you’re so into this woman that you can’t discern the truth.”
“What’s the truth, according to you?”
“She’s a gold digger.”
Marco threw his head back and laughed. He’d met his share of money-hungry women in his life, but Lily didn’t fit the mold. Sure, she had agreed to his evil plan to bed her in exchange for what she wanted, but she wouldn’t agree to marry someone unless she loved him. Unless it was a real marriage. That much he’d figured out. Which was why commitment between them would never work.
Nico frowned and glanced around as if to make sure no one heard him. “It’s not funny. Are you serious about marrying her? You better consider a hell of a prenup to protect your assets. I bet this woman has been lying to you from the start.”
“She got nervous. Everyone seems to be so interested in getting to know her, and Patricia never had this kind of attention before. It’s intimidating.”
“How long have you known her? This is so unlike you…to act so impulsively.”
“Trust me,” he said, squeezing his brother’s shoulder.
Nico patted Marco’s back. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask,” he said, then waved at Nico. “Now, time to find her and make sure she hasn’t changed her mind.” With those words, he searched for Lily on the main deck, where his family members drank wine and told old stories. His father hadn’t come to this activity, which was okay with him. The less he saw of him, the better.
He found his grandma moving to a song, smiling, her hands swaying from side to side as she kept up with the lyrics. Joy flooded his chest. He’d made the right decision in coming to the celebrations with Lily, his fake fiancée. Her presence distracted him from the lurking pain of how much he’d miss Nonna after she passed away. How much he already had missed her.
He scanned the area; no sign of Lily. Placing his tumbler on a console table, he kept walking until he spotted her on the other side of the deck, standing against the railing, looking at the lake. He rolled the side of the ring he was wearing, knowing it’d cause the dildo inside her pussy to vibrate.
He watched her, stalking closer, and gradually upped the intensity. She palmed the railing, her legs switching from side to side as if she fidgeted. His cock swelled upon that sight, his hands itching to touch her. He craved her in such a powerful way that he couldn’t even articulate the words.
“Hi,” he said softly, sandwiching her between the railing and himself.
She turned her head halfway. The nightly breeze ruffled the waves of her hair, and she tucked some of the loose strands behind her ear. “Hey.”
“How are you doing, Lily?” He dipped his head to whisper her name in her ear.
“I…” She breathed. “I don’t know how much longer I can take it. It’s been inside me for too long, and recently it’s started to vibrate.”
He kissed her neck and outlined the side of her body with his hand. Everything about her was warm, soft, sexy. He rested his hand at her waist, his hand clenching on her, his fingers pressing into her skin. She moaned and planted both palms on the railing as if she needed the support.
His cock grew painfully hard. A rush of blood raced south in his body. He could take her to the bathroom and fuck her quickly, to give them both the release they’d been yearning.
“You’re doing great,” he said.
She clenched her thighs together, and he pressed his own between hers. “I’m so aroused I’m light-headed. I don’t think I can carry a conversation or walk straight anymore.”
Damn it. He didn’t want her passing out on him. His blood pounded in his temples. He pulled her against him, his cock pressing against her. Because of his large frame, from afar, people wouldn’t know what they were up to. He couldn’t release himself, not yet, but if he wanted her to last tonight, he needed to help her now.
“Don’t move,” he said, and slid his finger on his ring, upping the vibration. Until then, he’d left it at the same rhythm, his idea to get her to simmer in a slow torture of libido.
“God,” she hissed out. He looked down at her hands clasping the railing, her knuckles whitening.
“Come for me, baby. You need this now to prepare for what’s happening later.”
She rocked her hips against him, choking a gasp from him. “I don’t want to wait.”
“You will.” He snaked his hand to her breast and cupped it through the fabric of the forest-green dress. She leaned against him, molding so perfectly, he was the one getting dizzy with desire. “You’ll do as I say. Tonight, I’ll make you come like never before. I’ll make sure you’re desperate for my cock when I slam into your ass.”
He felt the trembles washing over her body, his words alone provoking her. Then, he upped the level of his ring one more time. “Yes, tesoro, feel it.” He slid his hand into her dress, and soon his finger teased her engorged nipple. She arched her back into him. “Give yourself to me, Lily. I want to take all of you later.”
“Yes. Yes.”
He pressed his ring to the maximum level and enjoyed seeing her jerk forward and backward, her breath growing heavier. She didn’t say anything else, nor did she need to. He watched her, holding her, until she stopped quivering and turned to face him. Her face glowed, her eyes darkening. A shade of pink stained her cheeks. He turned off his vibrating ring, adamant on giving her some time to recover—after all, it’d be a long night.