Chapter Fifteen
“What?” she asked, crossing her arms like a chilly wind had slapped her in the face. Might as well have. She shook her head, registering what she’d heard. “How did it happen?”
“My birth triggered her disease. My father always resented me for it, and you know some of the story. Before her death, she was having a hard time again. She’d been between medicines. Some of them made her very groggy. She slept a lot during the day and stayed up at night. Sometimes, Nico and I didn’t see her for days.”
He massaged his temples quickly, like he wanted to will away a migraine. “I blamed her. I couldn’t connect with her, even though I wanted to, so much. Whenever I wished I had a normal mother, I felt guilty for even thinking that way.”
She stretched out her hand to touch his, but he moved a couple of feet away from her. Sadness at what he’d experienced blended with a building frustration. How come his father had encouraged that crazy train of thought, possibly even instilled it in him? “You were just a kid.”
“When she found the gun from my father’s collection, I saw her walking around with it. I called her, and she came into my room.”
The look he gave her was pure torture. Her spine stiffened, and her breath caught in her dry throat. “What did you do?”
His hands curled into fists. She didn’t try to hold him, just listened, motionless. “Nothing. I could have run and told someone. I could have screamed. I could even have convinced her not to pull that trigger. But I watched her, without saying a word. She stared at me quietly, the haunted look in her eyes so raw. Maybe she found it easier to do it there, right in front of me. She killed herself, and I was her accomplice.”
“Did you freeze?” she managed to ask in a steady voice. The heartbreak behind his words made complete sense. Her chest clutched, and she had to smooth her hands on her dress to keep from reaching out to him again. Damn it.
“Yes. In a way, that part of me is still frozen. It’s better this way. When I tried to unfreeze it once, didn’t work out too well.”
“Is that why your fiancée ended the engagement?”
“I told her what happened, and she couldn’t handle it. I understand. It’s not as if, were we to have kids, we would have a warm grandfather on my side.”
She shook her head, wishing, for the first time in her life, to bitch-slap someone. “She was a superficial idiot.”
“She wasn’t ready to handle a guy like me. She was nice. And sweet…much like you.”
Anger welled up inside. Anger at his father, at his past circumstances…and anger at the woman who didn’t see through him. “Don’t you dare compare me to someone who runs when the going gets tough,” she said, enunciated each word carefully to make sure he heard them.
He inched closer. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said gently.
She lifted her chin, adamant on not backing down. “I’m not hurt. Just setting things straight.”
A sweet smile formed on his lips. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s your life, but if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at your father for not being there for you when you needed him. For blaming you because of his own poor parenting skills.”
“Trust me, I am.” The vein in his neck pulsed. His eyes darkened with resentment. “Why do you think we don’t have a relationship?”
“Then why can’t you move past your mother’s suicide?” she asked, then realized she’d almost shouted her question. She took a long, sharp intake of breath. “I mean…er… I’m asking as a friend. I know our situation is temporary, but you’re a tremendous guy with a lot to give. Do you want to have arrangements like ours for the rest of your life?”
“What is marriage but an arrangement?”
“You’re wrong. Marriage is so much more than that. It’s two souls, two real people choosing to be together through thick and thin. People who pick each other because of both their qualities and flaws,” she said with every ounce of pride she could afford. Her parents’ marriage taught her not to settle for less than what they’d shared.
Marco stared at her in silence, with hooded eyes, and she’d give anything to know what went on in his mind. He probably thought she was a naive, idealistic girl who knew nothing about the world. She snorted, knowing she needed to cool down before continuing the argument. Maybe he isn’t ready to hear it all. Maybe he’ll be able to experience that kind of love, to witness it one day if he’s lucky.
“Listen, I’m going upstairs for a little bit. I need to call my mom. I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days, and she’ll worry if I disappear. Excuse me.”
…
“How are you enjoying your vacation, dear?” her mother asked. She’d fed her some bullshit about winning a ticket in a contest to attend a European tradeshow.
“It’s great,” she said, injecting enthusiasm into her voice and hoping she pulled it off. There wouldn’t be enough time in a confessional chair for all the lies she’d been telling. She should text, but after the discussion with Marco, she needed to talk to someone, even if the subject didn’t involve him or his disturbing father. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, honey, but it’s only a week, right? You’ll be home soon. I can’t wait to hear all your news. Are you making a lot of friends?”
Her lips broke into a smile. “Mom, this isn’t summer camp.”
“I know, but who said work can’t be fun, too? I’ve always wanted to visit Italy. I heard Italian men are good-looking hunks. Have you met any of those?”
“Oh, trust me, I have. He’s hunky, all right.” She snickered, knowing full well her mother and her friends would drop their jaws if they ever saw Marco.
“Then good for you. Enjoy, sweetie. Life’s not just work and no play.”
She talked to her mother for a few more minutes, and the apprehension that had built in her chest eased. Her mother’s voice always had the power to soothe her, even if she knew damn well it’d only be temporary.
After she hung up the phone, she lay on the bed, looking at the textured ceiling. She heard the door open but refused to look at Marco. She could feel his presence, the way he strode intently into the room. Maybe he didn’t want to chat with her, either. She was supposed to be a modern-day concubine, and she’d pushed him to discuss a subject he clearly hated.
Well, whatever. Despite her contractual obligations, there was only so much pretending she could handle. She kept gazing upward, her intertwined hands on her stomach.
She heard him opening the armoire, and a few seconds later, felt the weight of his body on the mattress. Did he expect her to have sex with him now, when she was confused, overwhelmed, and possibly upset?
“It’s not who am I underneath, but what I do that defines me.” Was he quoting a Batman movie?
She gave in and glanced to her right, finding Marco wearing a black mask of Batman. She’d seen it once, briefly, when she’d looked into the bag the previous day. Before their anal extravaganza.
She sat on the bed. “Batman?” she asked, studying how the mask conveniently left his mouth and cheeks free.
“I Googled the quote. Thought you’d like it.”
A silly bubble of happiness burst inside her. “Nice try. Is that all you have to say?”
“I know you meant well, Lily. It may seem I’m not as open to you as you’d like, but I’m more open with you than I am with anyone else. I appreciate you not running away…at least, not any farther than our bedroom.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I needed a breather.”
“I know. I was teasing you.”
She outlined his lips with her finger, and a thrill of excitement shot up her arm. “Why aren’t you used to people sticking up for you? Your brother seems invested. So does your grandma.”
“Nowadays, everyone wants something. It’s easier when you know their goal than when you have to entertain ideas about what they want.”
“Spoken like a true cynic.”
He nibbled her finger. “A cynic who wants to show you how grateful he is for all the sticking up you’ve been doing.”
“I wonder how he’d do such thing.”
He splayed his strong hand on her stomach, thrusting her down on the bed. Then he covered her body with his. “I’ve heard you’re hiding a special kind of weapon, in liquid form, that can kill the entire world’s population. It’s my duty, as protector of Gotham, to search for it by all means necessary.”
“I’ll never tell,” she said, joining in the role-playing game. “I’ve worked too hard to be where I am today. You should know something about hardship,” she said, sliding her hand down until she caressed his cock through his pants. “You have a weapon of your own.”
“Yeah, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
GOOD. She bit her lips to keep from shouting.
He grabbed her wrist and jerked it away from him, making it clear he was in control. Damn it, if pleasure was her outcome, he could take charge any day. Besides, how else would they save humanity?
Marco opened the buttons of her dress and fumbled with her bra until her nipples popped out. He dipped his head and licked one taut bud, sending a trail of tingles through her all the way to her pussy. Her folds slicked and swelled, the idea of him being inside again tempting.
She bucked into him, already wanting to offer herself. He gave a hearty chuckle against her skin, no doubt reading her mind. He sucked on the other breast until she moaned, then headed south for more exploration.
He slid his fingers into her underwear. “I found the weapon. Now I must drain it, to make sure you won’t use it against anyone.”
“What if I use it against you?”
He put his fingers at each side of her underwear, then ripped it apart. “Oh, I can take it.”
…
Marco tossed her panties aside. The unique aroma of her delicious pussy swirled into his nostrils, and he inhaled it with gusto. He parted her wet folds, her sex so ready for him, her walls swollen, her clit nicely engorged. He stared at it for a moment, fascinated. “Looking at you makes me thirsty,” he said gruffly.
“Then drink up, Batman. Gotham can’t wait forever.”
“Neither can I.”
He lowered his head, positioning himself in between her thighs so he could lick her all he wanted, but keeping his eyes on hers. He wanted to see all of her reactions, to record that memory in his mind. Forever.
He thrust two fingers inside her, and her inner walls clung to him, squeezing him. She watched him, and for a moment that stretched beyond belief, their gazes held. His cock grew so hard, and pre-cum rose at the tip. How gorgeous was she? Lily. His Lily.
“Yes, oh yes. Touch me. I like when you touch me.”
He teased her with his tongue, lapping at her clit until she squirmed into his mouth and at last broke their stare. He added another finger to this relentless quest, quickening his rhythm in her flesh.
For the next few minutes, he provoked her, sucking her clit, licking her walls, finger fucking her soaked pussy. Each time he licked her, his heart thrummed louder than before, his own body sending him warning signals. She shook, the spasms claiming her. He kept a close watch on her, enjoying the lovely view of his woman coming undone.
“God.”
He disengaged from between her legs, and he was about to surge to his feet, when she asked, “Where are you going?”
He hadn’t meant to make this about him. Sure, she probably saw his hard-on protesting the confines of his pants. But he had wanted to make her climax because that was the only thing he could give her. She hadn’t run like Angelica—even though a tiny voice reminded him she’d been paid to be loyal, to be in his bed. He preferred to believe Lily rose above all that. She was different.
“I don’t want you to think you need to do anything. This was about you.”
“Great, so it can still be about me if you fuck me silly in this bed. Unless, of course, you’re not interested,” she said sweetly.
Not interested? He’d be a dead man before he was not interested.
He took off his shirt, pulled down his shorts and boxers. She sat on the bed, her breasts spilling from her bra but not completely free; her hair messy, her face flushed. He almost wished he could freeze that moment forever.
For the second time today, that word haunted him—forever wasn’t part of the plan. Despite her politically correct spiel about accepting him the way he was, with the family he had, he knew, in the long-haul, things would change.
Until they did…he’d take her for as long as he could.