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, his 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, sending 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.
All of it was too much for her to keep track. She felt lightheaded, as the sensation of him ramming her both holes drove her insane…and she loved it. Every time he removed and thrust the plug from her ass, her nerve endings sizzled, that friction sending thrills down her spine. Damn, he’d been right.
“Marco,” she called, knowing full well she was on the edge of climaxing.
He didn’t relent, increasing the intensity of his cock fucking her while he plunged the plug into her faster, deeper, harder. She grasped the sheet, her fingers biting into the fabric as she balled her fists. So. Close.
He thrust into her pussy, her walls clinging to him, her inner muscles clenching around his hot rod. “Come for me, Lily. Show me how much you like being fucked in both holes by me. By only me,” he said, then quickened the screwing of her ass, too, without mercy.
“Yes. Only you,” she gasped, loving the sound of him slapping his body against her skin over and over again. Her clit pulsated, the achingly exquisite sensations increasing in intensity, sending an incredible surge of pleasure throughout her body until everything shattered, dizzying her, blinding her until she collapsed onto the bed barely able to breathe.
She felt him withdraw the plug, emptying her as he plunged into her pussy, stroking deep, fast, hard until he cried her name, jettisoning his release into her. Though about to pass out from the sheer magnitude of the aftershocks of her orgasm, she couldn’t stop wanting to hold on to the moment, because having his cock buried deep inside her was amazing.
…
Marco steered his Ferrari through the wrought iron gates and into his grandmother’s beautifully landscaped grounds. During the drive to Bellagio, one of the towns bordering Lake Como, memories from the previous night flashed in his mind. He kept his eye on the road and used small talking to dispel from his own senseless craving. Lily had been so hot for him, so willing.
“This is where your grandma lives?” Lily asked, looking everywhere, unable to hide the wonder in her voice. “It’s beautiful.”
The waterfront villa nestled in the mountains was breathtaking. “Yes,” he said, contemplating the neoclassic mansion once he parked in front of it. That place had a historic value and been in his family for generations. It certainly would never be the same after Nonna passed.
A band squeezed around his chest for a while. A valet attendant walked up and kindly offered to park the car. The valet opened the door for Lily, and soon they both slid out and stepped toward the opulent entrance.
“I haven’t been back in six years,” he said, because he didn’t want her to think he vacationed here often. What if she mistakenly lied about always wanting to accompany him in a trip, but couldn’t because of her schedule? Everyone would know something was off.
“Why not? It’s not like you have to save money for a trip. And you have an apartment in Rome.”
“I come to Italy often. I’ve seen my grandmother a couple of times in Rome. I haven’t been to the villa in six years, though.”
“Why not?”
Because the older his grandmother got, the more endearingly overbearing she became. She often asked him a lot of questions about his dating life, his broken engagement, and once had brought the granddaughter of a friend to meet him, which embarrassed him. He could find his own woman—when he was ready to play that settle-down card. Nonna meant well, but it also meant every time he saw her he had to tread carefully around subjects he’d rather forget. “My grandmother is a lovely lady. She’s one of the best parts of my childhood.”
“Nice sentiment, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
He stroked her cheek. “Not everything is simple, Lily.”
“It can be.”
He curled his lips, entertaining a quick comeback, then settled for a smirk. Lily was uncomplicated and positive, untainted and hopeful. Were they really so different? He liked to think he was positive, in a pragmatic way. A realist. And every time he’d been naively hopeful, life had shown him what a fool he’d been. Yes, they were different. He clung to his contracts and structure as much as she clung to her dreams and faith.
“Whoa,” she said, yanking him from his musing. “Unless people sacrifice virgins inside, or the mansion is haunted, I can’t fathom anyone choosing not to visit this place.”
He looked at the imposing entrance. Purple saffron flowers outlined the stone path to the door. Before he knocked, his grandmother’s longtime concierge, Marie, opened the door.
“Well, look at who the cat dragged in,” she said, with her thick French accent. More than an employee, she had become his nonna’s right hand and an honorary family member. The middle-aged brunette gave him a hug then patted his back. “Let me look at you, Marco Giordano. Every time I see you, I wish I were ten years younger.”
“Why mess with Mother Nature’s great work?” he asked. “This is my fiancée, Patricia.”
“Fiancée!” Her hand flew to her chest. “Seriously? How nice. Debora will be overjoyed when she finds out.”
“Hi,” Lily said. “Nice to meet you.”
Marie glanced at the hand Lily offered, but enveloped her in a hug. “Great to meet you.”
Lily blushed, maybe overwhelmed with Marie’s friendliness, but nevertheless she smiled. “Thanks,” she said, regarding the two staircases on either side of the grand lobby. “This place is amazing.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet. Marco, when you said you were bringing company, I picked one of the rooms on the east side for you. Now I see she’s family, I say we move you to your old room. Maybe your fiancée will appreciate your former stomping ground.”
Irritation skated up his spine. “No,” he said quickly. “I want one of the suites in the east wing.” He had specifically requested one of them in his email. As far as he was concerned, they could burn his childhood room. He didn’t want to set foot inside it, let alone share it with Lily.
Beside him, Lily stiffened, then flashed Marie a small smile. “I’m sure any one of them will be perfect for us.”
Maybe this had been a bad idea. While Marie talked Lily’s ear off as they climbed up the curvy flight of stairs, he pretended to listen, but his mind raced. The idea of pretending to be happy, with his emotional life figured out, had seemed easy and simple. But now, with Lily here, he questioned his decision. This brought her too close to everything he wanted to forget, to erase permanently. Still, he wanted to give his grandmother a poignant, immaterial parting gift by faking his happiness.
He might have avoided seeing her, but they still called and talked regularly, because he meant what he said to Lily—his grandmother was one of the best parts of his childhood.
Now, however, every time they spoke, the silence after she asked him how he was had grown longer, and her sigh deeper. He’d wondered if Nonna knew what happened that night.
The night his mother died.