A whisper soft brush against my nape roused me from sleep. Drawing in a deep breath, I snuggled into my pillow, then smiled when that brush moved to the side of my neck and I felt Luc’s tempting lips press a kiss right below my ear.

“Wake up, sleepy,” he whispered. “You can’t spend all day here in bed.”

I reached for his hand at my hip and pulled it against my chest, tugging him tighter to my back. “You wore me out last night. I need my beauty sleep.”

He chuckled in my ear, and unable to resist, I rolled the other direction and curled up against his chest, then pressed my face to his neck and inhaled his spicy masculine scent. “Mm.” I licked a spot on his throat, then bit down gently. “You taste good.”

A low growl rumbled in his chest as his hand slid to my lower spine, and he pulled me close. “Keep that up and I might get back in this bed with you.”

I eased away and looked at him, realizing he wasn’t naked the way he’d been when we’d finally made it to the bed and fallen asleep wrapped around each other. His hair was damp at the edges, telling me he’d showered, and he was wearing a dark blue button down rolled up to his forearms and open at his chest. I looked down to discover he wasn’t even under the covers with me. The blanket was separating our legs, and his were most definitely covered by a pair of taupe slacks.

Alarm immediately registered because he hadn’t said anything about having to go back to his family today. I’d hoped maybe we could have one day alone together before the craziness of his world consumed us again.

Pushing against him, I sat up and dragged the sheet to my chest with one hand while I brushed back my unruly curls with the other. “Are you leaving already? What’s going on?”

He sat up next to me and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Only for an hour. I have to go pick up the priest.”

“What priest?”

Grinning, he brushed the hair over my shoulder and kissed me, right behind my ear, right where he knew it drove me absolutely wild. “The one who’s going to marry us.”

“We’re doing that today?”

His smile widened. “You bet your ass we’re doing it today. I’m not giving you any reason to change your mind.”

He swung his legs over the side of the mattress, grabbed something from the foot of the bed, then came around to my side. “It’s already after ten, sleepy, so come on. I’ve got things to do and you do as well.” He held up my robe so I could slip my arms through the sleeves. “Bianca’s in the other room waiting for you.”

I tugged the light blue silk robe around me and swung my legs off the side of the bed. “Bianca who?”

Luc moved to the dresser. “Bianca Ciccone.”

My eyes widened as I stood and tied the sash at my waist. “From the Bandini fashion house?” Luc had introduced me to Bianca in Rome over a month ago when we’d been meeting with designers for Covet. “What is she doing here?”

“I called her. Told her we were getting married. She was more than thrilled to help out.”

I must have looked as stupefied as I felt, because Luc smiled, crossed back to me, and said, “Trust me. She picked some really great gowns for you.”

I didn’t doubt that. The dress Bianca had picked for me to wear to the Cipriani party in Rome had knocked Luc’s socks off. The night I’d worn it had been the first night we’d spent together but... “I don’t need a wedding gown. I don’t need anything fancy. When I asked you to marry me, I just meant—”

“I know exactly what you meant, angioletto. But I want to do this the right way. It’s important to me. To us. Let me handle the details. All I want you to do is relax, pick your gown, and let Bianca’s crew pamper you.”

Still in complete shock, I looked up at him in the sunlight shining through the windows of our bedroom, all handsome and perfect and mine. “But your family—”

“The family that matters to me will be here today. Don’t worry.” He pressed his lips against mine, soft and swift and gone way too fast. Then he grinned, and his smile was so sweet, so happy, so full of excitement, it erased all the stress and worry I’d seen on his face the last few weeks and made him ten thousand times more handsome than I ever remembered.

“Here.” He slid a small rectangular box into my hands.

Still dazed by all the wedding news, I looked down at the purple box with its pretty white bow and said, “What’s this?”

“Early wedding present. Or late, depending how you look at it. Open it.”

I tugged the top off and stared dumbfounded at the cell phone inside. My cell phone.

Confused, I pulled it out and hit the power button. The screen flashed and booted up. “You’ve had this the whole time?”

“You left it in Tuscany. I didn’t want my family to find it. I planned to give it back to you sooner than this, but, well...” He scratched the back of his head. “Things were complicated.”

Meaning, he’d been afraid I’d try to call for help. Which, considering how angry and irrational I’d been, I probably would have done. And that would have put dozens of other people in danger.

“And before you go thinking I invaded your privacy,” he said quickly, “I didn’t. When I plugged it in when we were on the island, it downloaded dozens of texts, the last of which was from your mother. I didn’t look at anything else.”

Understanding dawned. That was why he’d made me leave that message for my mom. Not to scare or intimidate me as I’d foolishly assumed, but because he’d known she was worried.

“I know it’s too short notice for her to get here today,” he said softly, “but I thought you might want to call her.”

Tears filled my eyes. Absurd, senseless tears all because of a stupid phone. Pushing to my toes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close. “Thank you. It’s the best wedding present ever.”

He huffed and slid his arms around my waist. “Your own phone? We both know that’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Because it’s not about the phone. It’s about what it represents.”

He drew back and looked down at me, his eyes serious and filled with a truth that cemented me in this time and place. In him. “I love you, angioletto. I was wrong to try to make you stay with me. If you ever want to leave—”

“Never. I will never want to leave you.”

“But if you do,” he insisted, “I won’t stop you. I won’t keep you trapped. You’re not my property. You’re not a kitten. We’re equals, Natalie. Always.”

Love swelled inside me. I rose up on my toes again and kissed him. And when he pulled me close and opened, taking charge of the kiss, I let him. I let him have everything and lost myself in the beauty and perfection of us.

When I was breathless, when I was ready to pull him toward the bed and show him just how serious I was about never leaving him, he eased back and quirked his lips in an adorable and mischievous way.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re a siren. And we don’t have time for what you’re thinking.”

I shivered and bit my lip, loving that he knew exactly what I wanted. “Are you sure? I can be quick.”

Laughing, he slid his fingers down my arms, then gripped my hand and pulled me after him. “I’m sure, vita mia. They’re waiting for us.”

He tugged my bedroom door open before I could stop him, and when I stepped into the living room, I faltered.

Over a dozen wedding gowns hung from racks that had been rolled in. And a handful of women—not just Bianca and the crew she’d brought with her, but Felicity and Luc’s sister as well—filled the room.

My eyes grew misty, and still clutching the phone in one hand, I leaned into Luc and swallowed hard, completely awed by what he’d done.

“Oh, I think that means she’s surprised,” Bianca said across the room with laugh.

Luc grinned and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Hopefully happy.”

I nodded emphatically against him, unable to find my voice just yet.

Thankfully, Felicity rushed to my side and rescued me. Taking the phone from my hand, she tugged me away from Luc. “Okay, go. Your part here is done. Get out of this cottage so we can get busy.”

Luc looked down at me. “Will you be okay?”

I blinked back a wave of happy tears and nodded.

“Six o’clock at the chapel. Fee will show you where it is. I’ll be the one in front with a goofy smile.”

I couldn’t help myself. I laughed and kissed him again, belatedly realizing I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet. But he didn’t seem to care. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “I’ll be the one in—” I dropped to my heels and quickly looked toward Bianca. “Oh, wait. What color am I wearing?”

Bianca’s stylish blonde bob swayed as she laughed. “Cara, every bride I dress has to wear white. It’s a rule.”

I looked back at Luc, unable to believe this was actually happening. I was getting married. Today. To the man I was never walking away from again. “Okay, I guess I’ll be the one in white.”

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me once more, but his sister Ariana wiggled her way between us and pushed both hands against his chest, forcing him back and away from me. “Uh-uh. Get out of here already. We’ve got work to do, mister, and so do you. Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s bad luck to see the bride on her wedding day?”

Luc flashed me a conspiratorial look, and I grinned, knowing exactly what he was thinking. After everything we’d already been through, we could handle any bad luck fate tried to hurl our way.

“She’s right,” Fee said at my side. “Marco’s outside waiting for you. Try to keep my man in line, would you? He’s going to go apeshit over all this wedding stuff.”

Luc smirked, then winked at me. “Okay, okay, I’m going.” Looking more relaxed than I’d seen him since Venice, he crossed to the front door, reached for his sunglasses from the table near in the entryway, then stopped.

“I almost forgot.” He tugged his ring from his finger, then turned and pitched it to me from across the room. “Hold this for me, angioletto.”

I caught his ring with both hands, and looked down at the black band edged in platinum, still warm from his finger.

With a wink, he said, “I’ll get it back from you in a few hours.” To his sister, he said, “Get hers for me at some point, okay?”

Ariana ushered him out the door. “Go already. Sheesh.”

When he was finally gone, she turned back to me, her dark hair with that one white lock near the front swaying behind her. A wide smile spread across her face. “Okay, let’s try on some gowns.”

I’d never been the kind of girl to go giddy over a dress, but I had to admit, this lit me up.

“Champagne first,” Felicity called from the kitchen, returning with glasses and an already open bottle of bubbly. “Then mani-pedis, makeup, and hair. We’ve got a full day, ladies.” She filled a glass and handed the first to me with a grin. “Bet you had no idea this was what you were coming back to today.”

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I sipped my drink. No, I’d had no idea. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

The day was a blur.

After being completely pampered by Bianca and the staff of five she’d brought with her—hair, nails, makeup, even a massage after my shower—I’d finally settled on a strapless silk gown with a taffeta underlayer that was fitted all the way to my feet, then flowed out behind me in a simple train. The style was elegant and clean and hugged every curve, which I knew Luc would like, but the best part was the pattern laser cut into the silk of the dress—circles and arcs and bends that resembled the pattern in a butterfly’s wings.

The moment I’d seen it, I’d known it was my dress. And from the smile on Bianca’s face when she held it up for me, I was sure she’d brought it because she’d anticipated I’d know exactly what it represented. Not the mind-controlled beta slaves House Salvatici wanted their women to be, but the epitome of a strong, independent, resilient woman who’d been through a massive transformation.

Me.

I was a butterfly in every sense of the word.

I don’t remember picking shoes or earrings or even the veil. I let Bianca and Felicity and Ariana do all that for me. I don’t even remember climbing in the golf cart and someone driving me across the property to the old stone chapel on the other side of the main house as the sun began to set. I do remember Bianca handing me a simple bouquet of white roses outside the chapel, its doors open, the interior illuminated by dozens of candles. And I remember her hugging me tight and telling me that Luc was a very lucky man because he’d found me. But she was wrong. I was the lucky one. Nothing in life was guaranteed, but I knew this love—our love—was built to last. It was the only thing I knew with absolute certainty.

He was waiting for me at the end of the short aisle, just as he’d said he would be, with the biggest grin I’d ever seen on his face. The chapel was tiny, only four or five rows of pews on each side and a small altar against the back wall, but it was decked out with dozens of flowers and candles, the flames flickering in his smiling eyes as I drew close. And when I reached him, he immediately pulled me close and pressed his lips against mine as if he hadn’t seen me in days.

The priest cleared his throat. Laughter echoed behind us. A sheepish look crossed Luc’s handsome face as he glanced at the priest, said something in Italian I didn’t understand, then drew back. But he didn’t stop smiling. And when I handed Ariana my flowers, and Luc took my hands in his, I didn’t need to listen to what the priest said to the room or look to see who was around us. All I focused on was Luc. Here in this place with me. Perfect. Mine. Forever and ever my one and only. Exactly the way it was supposed to be.

His thumb brushed over the backs of my fingers as the priest spoke, and he looked down at me with a wiggle of his brows. Thinking he was up to something, I narrowed my eyes, then glanced down at our fingers only to suck in a surprised breath.

He wasn’t wearing his ring. He’d given it to me this morning. But he’d swept out of the house so quickly, I hadn’t noticed his ring finger. Tattooed with the word “Slave” in black ink, exactly like mine. Faded, just enough to tell me it wasn’t fresh, but had been done at the same time as mine. And when I pushed his fingers apart, I saw the letters “NJ’s.”

My heart swelled, and warm tears flooded my eyes—happy tears. Smiling, he lifted his tattooed hand and brushed a tear from the corner of my eye before it slid down my cheek, and all I could do was tip my face into his hand and savor him there, touching me like that, so gently and endearing, that one act making me fall even deeper in love with this amazing, incredible man.

The rest of the ceremony rushed by—the vows, which I fumbled through in Italian with laughter and help from Luc, the exchanging of the rings, the lighting of the candles—but the kiss... That was the best part.

Luc lifted both hands to my face, stepped close, and looked down at me in the candlelight. And when he whispered, “I love you,” I knew I was home. I was exactly where I was always meant to be.

“I love you too,” I whispered back. “Sempre e per sempre.”

His eyes shone with all the love I felt in my heart when he lowered his lips to mine. And as our mouths fused, I was confident we could weather any storm his House sent our way.

This was real.

This was meant to be.

This was everything.

And nothing could break us.

When Felicity had told me earlier in the day that Marco and Luc were planning the wedding meal, I’d expected a barbecue on their patio with some music and wine. What awaited me was a feast spread out on the edge of the vineyard, under a thousand twinkle lights hanging from the trees, tables set with elaborate flowers and china and crystal, and a three-piece orchestra on the edge of a wooden dance floor.

It was my dream wedding—everything I’d envisioned as a child. And even though there were only a handful of guests—Marco and Felicity, Bianca and her husband Nino, Ariana and the Salvatici family cook, Rosabel, whom I remembered meeting at Luc’s parents’ house and whom Luc greeted with more affection than his mother, along with several of Marco and Felicity’s staff—it was perfect. I couldn’t have planned anything better if I’d had a year to try.

I stood under the twinkling lights on the edge of the dance floor hours later, laughing at Ariana trying to teach one of Marco’s drivers how to do the latest club dance move. Luc moved up behind me and slipped his thick arms around my waist, pulling me back into the hard, warm plane of his chest, instantly making me sigh and lean into him. Against my ear, he whispered, “What did I miss?”

“Nothing but Dario falling on his butt. Poor guy is so embarrassed. I think he’s afraid of your sister.”

Luc nipped at my ear, sending a shiver down my neck. “He should be. She’s a bossy little thing.”

“I know. That’s why I like her.”

We watched Ariana and Dario like that for several moments, then Luc pressed his face into my hair and whispered, “I’m sorry your mom couldn’t be here.”

“It’s okay.”

“I know but—”

I turned my head and kissed the tip of his nose. “When things are settled, I’ll take you to Montana to meet her. Knowing my mother, she’ll want to throw us another reception.”

His arms tightened around me. “It’s a deal.”

He held me close as we watched Ariana and Dario laughing under the lights. Dario wasn’t much older than Dante, and I knew from Luc’s silence at my back that he was thinking of his brother, just as I was.

I squeezed his hand at my waist. “I wish Dante could’ve been here.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The worry I heard in his voice made me turn. “If you need to go check on him—”

“I don’t.”

“Are you sure? Because you stepped away to look at your phone, and I assumed it was about Dante. If he needs yo—”

“It wasn’t about Dante. But I did check on him again. And he’s fine.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “I stepped away to text my father.”

I definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “Is everything all right?”

“He wanted to meet. I told him I was busy and that we could do it tomorrow.”

“If you have to go now—”

“I’m not leaving you on our wedding night.”

“Luc, we’ve been married for weeks. I can handle—”

He cupped my jaw and tipped my mouth up to his, cutting off my words with a swift press of his lips. “Maybe you can handle being away from me tonight, but I can’t handle being away from you. My father and his stupid summons can wait. Tonight is all about you and me, angioletto. I’m not going to let him tarnish this in any way.”

My heart warmed. I absolutely didn’t want him to leave now or ever, but I was working on being the supportive wife he needed, not the combative one I’d been for too long.

Wrapping my arms around his waist between his shirt and his jacket, I stepped into him until we were pressed together knee to chest and his heat and spicy scent cocooned me like a blanket. “Speaking of waiting...” I nipped at the hint of stubble on his jaw, then gently kissed him in the same spot. “I love this reception and all that, but...how much longer do I have to wait until I can have you all to myself?”

A low growl echoed in his throat just before he lowered his lips to mine and kissed me hard. My skin tingled at his possessive show of affection, and between my legs, I grew hot and wet and achy all for him.

“I’ve been itching all night for you to give me a sign you were ready to go,” he mumbled against my lips.

I shifted my hips against his ever so slightly, shivering when I felt the line of his arousal thicken beneath his expensive slacks. “Baby, I’ve been ready for hours.”

His growl deepened, and he kissed me again before quickly releasing me. Grasping me by the hand, he pulled me behind him, and one by one, we said goodbye and thank you to our guests. Minutes later, we were in the golf cart, the train of my dress wrapped around me like tissue paper, while Luc hit the gas and we cut across the lawn away from the lights and music near the main house.

I laughed when we hit a bump that jostled us both on the bench seat, and reached up to steady myself with one hand on the roof of the cart. “Anxious, I see.”

He turned the cart to the left, weaving around a cluster of oak trees. “You have no idea how much restraint I’ve exercised these last few weeks.”

“Oh really?” I wrapped my arm around his and clung to him as the cart bounced over the uneven ground. “Tell me.”

“Every time you walked into a room, it was all I could do not to grab you and fuck you blind.”

“Mm.” I leaned into him and slipped one hand beneath his open jacket, then trailed my fingers down the hard plane of his chest, over the belt at his waistband, and skimmed his semihard erection between his legs. “It’s been a while since you fucked me blind. I like the sound of that.”

“Cazzo.” He pushed harder on the gas to make the cart move faster and dropped one hand to my knee, tracing his fingers along the butterfly pattern on the inside of my thigh. “Keep talking like that and we won’t make it to the honeymoon suite.”

I laughed as the headlights of the cart bounced over the dirt path, belatedly realizing it was taking us a lot longer than it should to get back to the cottage. “What honeymoon suite?”

“This honeymoon suite.” He pulled off the path and slowed the cart as we moved under an archway made out of vines, then drove between two tall trees. Ahead, I spotted a glow through the forest, growing brighter.

He stopped the cart near what looked like some kind of white tent, illuminated by lights from the other side of the walls, turned off the ignition, and climbed out. Coming around to my side, he took my hand and helped me down, then kissed me quickly, and stepped back, pulling me toward him with that mischievous smile I’d grown to love. “I have one more surprise for you, Mrs. Salvatici.”

It was the first time he’d called me that since I’d awoken on his island. Then, it had ignited a firestorm of anger inside me. Now, it melted me like candle wax and made me ache to feel him everywhere. “What kind of surprise?”

“The good kind. Come on.”

He led me around the side of the tent, and when we rounded the corner and I spotted what he’d done, my mouth dropped open in absolute shock.

“Like it?” he asked next to me.

I lifted my hand to my mouth, completely awed. It was indeed a tent, but a huge tent, decked out with a wood floor, a king-sized bed and tufted red headboard, and mounds of pillows. Candles were lit everywhere—on tables on both sides of the bed, in clusters around the edge of the tent, down the steps leading to the small pathway—casting a warm, romantic glow over the entire space, and bouquets of fresh flowers filled the air with scents of lavender and citrus and roses. There was even a chandelier hanging from the peak of the tent’s ceiling above the bed, sending cascading twinkle light all over the white comforter and linens.

“When did you do this?” I asked. “How did you have time?”

“Marco and his staff helped me. I wanted to give you something special for our first night. Not the same place where we’ve argued and fought the last few days, and where I was sure you hated me.”

Tears filled my eyes. Tears I couldn’t hold back. I turned to him, pressed my face against his chest, and drew in the familiar, calming scent of him that I could never get enough of. “I would have been perfectly happy in the place where we’ve argued and fought the last few days because it was where I realized you were still mine. I love that cottage. But I love this more,” I whispered, clutching him tightly. “And I love you most of all. So much more than I ever thought I could.”

He framed my face and pressed his lips to mine. “Not nearly as much as I love you, angioletto. Not even close.”

He lifted me into his arms, and as he kissed me and carried me into the tent, stopping only to loosen the ties so the door flaps fell closed behind us, I felt as if I were floating.

“Promise me you’ll remember how much I love you, vita mia,” he whispered as he lowered me to the bed.

When I nodded and reached for him, pushing the jacket to slide down his shoulders, a fervor of heat and need filled his eyes. “Good. Because I’m so hot for you right now, I’m about to fuck you like I don’t.”

I shivered and reached for him, desperate for that and so much more. “Yes,” I whispered, brushing my lips against his. “Yes, yes, oh absolutely yes.”

His tongue swept into my mouth. He wasn’t gentle. He kissed me like a man starved, taking control of the kiss and every bit of my passion. And I let him have it. I let him have everything because this was the Luc I had been craving. The one who could set my body aflame with one heated look and drive me straight to the edge of an orgasm with one rough, whispered command.

He drew back from my mouth, pushed up so he was standing next to the bed, and reached for the buckle of his belt, all the while watching me with those smoldering eyes. “Come here, angioletto. To the edge of the bed. I need to feel that sinful tongue on me.”

My mouth watered. Pushing up to sitting, I scooted forward and licked my lips, anxious to taste him and please him and give him whatever he wanted. His belt slipped free, and my heart raced as he popped the button at his waistband and slid the zipper down. Anticipation curled hot and needy inside me as he reached into his pants and finally drew out his magnificent cock, already hard and thick and begging for me.

He slid a hand into my hair, drawing me toward him. “Succhiami.”

His heat swirled around me, sending a rush of need through my entire body. I extended my tongue and ran the tip under the flared head, shivering at the way he groaned in response, then did it again. He answered by angling his hips forward, searching for more, digging his fingertips into the back of my head to draw me closer. And, unable to resist, I opened my mouth and wrapped my lips around his pulsing shaft, sucking him deep until he hit the back of my throat.

He groaned in pure ecstasy, pulled back so I could breathe, then drove in deep again, breaching my throat. I braced my hands on his hips for stability, relaxed my gag reflex, and looked up at him, holding his smoldering gaze each time he thrust hard, using me for his pleasure. His eyes were locked on mine, his gaze riveted on what I was doing, and the flush to his cheeks, the way a vein pulsed in his throat, the gentleness with which he held my head in his big hand made me feel powerful, wanted, always and forever his.

“Cazzo,” he muttered, “you drive me wild when you look at me like that.”

He thrust deep, making my eyes water. I swallowed around his length and felt him grow even harder against my tongue.

“I want to come in your mouth,” he groaned. “But I want to feel you come around me more.”

He pulled free of my lips, gripped me at my upper arms, and pulled me to my feet. His mouth closed over mine in a hot, possessive kiss, then he released me and turned me to face the bed.

“I need you naked.” His fingers made quick work of my zipper, sliding it straight down my spine. Stepping into me, he pressed the hard length of his erection against my ass and gently bit down on the curve of my neck. “I’m going to taste you everywhere.”

I shivered and helped push the dress down my body so it pooled at my feet. He groaned when he saw I was already naked beneath, and nudged me forward. “Kneel on the bed, angioletto, and spread your legs. Every inch of this body is mine tonight.”

I scrambled onto the mattress and did exactly as he said. Fabric rasped at my back, fanning the flames into a firestorm inside me. The bed dipped, and he drew in close, the warm brush of his naked thighs against mine sending a tremble of need all through my body.

“Mm.” His big hands ran down my spine and gripped me at the hips, drawing me back so I felt the blunt head of his cock slide through my wetness. “You’re so beautiful, Natalie. Beautiful, and all mine.” His lips trailed a line of fire across my lower spine. “Drop to your elbows and rest your cheek against the comforter, angioletto. It’s my turn to drive you wild.”

I couldn’t stop the moan that slipped from my lips. His words fueled my desire and made me ache for any and everything he could give me. The mattress shifted, then he pushed my legs wider, and his hot breath fanned my weeping sex, taunting and teasing me, making me ache for his wicked tongue.

He flicked that tongue against my clit, and I groaned, rocking back into him, searching for more. His fingertips dug into my thighs, and against my sex, he growled, “Hold still. I say when you can move.”

I shuddered, growing hotter by the second, and fought the urge to ride his mouth. He did it again, and electricity spiraled through my lower body, making me shake. He lapped at my clit, drew his tongue up to circle my opening, then pressed inside. Gasping, I fisted the comforter and groaned long and deep.

“That’s it.” His hot breath washed all across my sex, and he moved lower once more, teasing my clit again and again, taking the swollen nub between his lips and suckling until I saw stars. His hands palmed my ass on both sides, then one thick finger slid through my wetness and slipped inside me.

I groaned and rocked back into his hand, unable to stop myself. Still tormenting me with his tongue, with his lips, he drew his thick finger out, then pressed back in with two, stretching me slowly, fucking me deeply, hitting my G-spot again and again with tormenting expertise.

“Ah God, Luc...yes...”

“You like that?”

I pressed my forehead against the comforter and gripped the white cotton tightly in my fist. “Oh yes.”

“I know you do.” He drew my clit back into his mouth and suckled. Releasing me, he said, “I know you like it when I touch you right here.” His fingers curled inside me, and he stroked my G-spot until every muscle in my body contracted.

“Oh...fuck….”

“Almost.”

He shifted behind me, and I felt the hair on his legs brush the backs of my thighs. My stomach caved in, and my heart raced in anticipation of that first thrust. But his fingers didn’t slip free of my pussy. He continued to rub my G-spot deep inside with short, flicking movements. Then something cold and wet dripped between my cheeks, making me jump.

“Relax, angioletto.” Luc’s tempting lips pressed against my lower spine. “You’re going to like this. Trust me.”

I did trust him. But I wasn’t sure what he had planned. And then I felt his thumb brush the sensitive nerve endings between my cheeks, and I froze.

“Mm.” He pressed his thumb against my ass, slowly rotating the pad in the slick fluid. “I forgot how tight you are here. Relax and let me in. I promise it’s going to feel amazing when you do.”

My heart pounded hard in my chest, but the insistent stroke of his fingers made me weak. And the way he was circling that tight bundle of nerves was erotic and dirty and better than I remembered.

Slowly, I relaxed against him, and as he continued to fuck me with his fingers, he slowly pressed his thumb into my ass, breaching the tight ring until I groaned.

“Mm, yes. Just like that,” he said. “Dio, you’re so fucking sexy when you let down your guard with me.”

My cheeks heated. I couldn’t imagine what he was seeing. I didn’t care. Pressing my forehead harder against the comforter, I rocked back into his hands, loving the double sensation, wanting only more. I groaned, arching against him.

“This ass is mine, angioletto.” He leaned over my back and wrapped his hand under my chin, drawing my head up and back so he could breathe hot against my ear. He pumped both his fingers and thumb inside me, making me grunt and groan and push back into him. “One day soon I’m going to sink my cock deep into this ass and feel you come all around me. You know that, don’t you? I’m going to fuck your ass, and you’re going to love every single second of it.”

His dirty words, the way he was touching me—everywhere—it was too much. My orgasm slammed into me, convulsing my body, consuming every cell in a vortex of heat and light I wasn’t prepared for.

Breathing hard, I blinked only to realize my forehead was once again pressed into the sheets. I shifted my sweaty hand against the mattress near my face and felt Luc move in close at my back. His fingers slipped free of my body. Then something cold and wet and solid pressed against my ass where his thumb had just been.

A little of the pleasure faded, and I tensed because as much as I knew I would give him anything he asked for, I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. At least not yet.

“Easy,” he said in a low voice. “It’s not my cock. You’re not ready for that yet. It’s just a plug. Relax and take it in.” He pressed the tip against the crinkled nerves, and I realized he was right. It was cold and pointed, and not nearly as big as him—thank goodness.

He pushed, and I breathed deeply, trying to relax as he’d said. The tight ring stretched. I gasped and tensed. His fingers teased my clit, stroking my wetness until I relaxed once more. He pushed again, and said, “That’s it. Dio, that’s hot. I can’t wait until it’s me. Deep breath now, baby, and take the rest.”

He pressed harder, and the tight ring of muscle gave, sucking the toy all the way in. I groaned, feeling completely dirty and loving the odd sensation of being filled that way. And then Luc groaned, and his cock slipped through my wetness. “Cazzo, I can’t wait any longer. I have to fuck you hard, angioletto.”

The thick, blunt head of his erection pierced my opening, and without preamble, he slammed deep in one thrust.

We both groaned. My nerve endings went haywire. It was like nothing I’d ever felt. The double sensation pummeled my G-spot in a way that sparked fire straight into my blood.

“Oh God, oh fuck yes, yes, don’t stop.” Words tumbled from my lips as I gripped the comforter tight in my fists and met every one of his thrusts, harder and faster than the last. A frenzy built inside me, a fervor I couldn’t contain. Luc plunged deep again and again, his fingertips digging into my hips with every thrust, leaving bruises, I was sure, but I didn’t care. All I could focus on was more. All I could feel was a swelling, roaring, screaming orgasm rushing toward me. One I knew would obliterate any orgasm I’d ever had before.

“Luc...” I cried out as the pleasure slammed into me, tore through my body, and devoured me in an inferno of all-consuming light and flames. “Oh, yeeeeeees...”

Vaguely, as if from a great distance, I heard Luc call my name as he erupted deep inside me, filling me with his hot, thick, pleasure.

Feeling as if I were floating, I sighed and shifted so my cheek pressed against the comforter beneath me. At my back, Luc groaned, thrust his pulsating cock slowly inside me one last time, then collapsed against my back.

“Dio.” His hot breath fanned my ear and cheek, and he nuzzled my neck, making me shiver beneath him. “I’m addicted to you like a drug, angioletto. It’s as if you walked out of my dreams and straight into my life. I can’t get enough of you. I’ll never get enough of you.”

I reached for his hand, braced on the mattress at my side, and pulled it close to my chest, loving the feel of him pressing against me, covering every inch of my skin, breathing hot over my neck, filling me—still—so far inside. “I can’t get enough of you either. God, that was good. I missed that.” I pulled his fingers toward my lips and kissed the backs of his knuckles. “I’ve missed this.”

He chuckled against my back. “Dirty sex?”

“No. Yes,” I corrected, smiling. “I meant all of it. The different ways you make me feel. I love it all. And I’ve missed it.” I squeezed his fingers. “I’ve missed us.”

He shifted at my back, slipping free of my body, but I didn’t care, because he wrapped me in his arms as he rolled, turning me to face him, and gathered me close to his chest, holding me so tight I knew I was safe and protected and cherished. “I’ve missed us too.” He lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “And I’m never letting you go ever again, Natalie James Salvatici. You’re mine, and I’m yours, and together we are unbreakable. You know that, don’t you?”

Tears filled my eyes as I lifted my mouth to his, loving him more with every passing second. He kissed me slowly, thoroughly, with every bit of passion I knew was in him, and as he claimed my mouth, he also filled my soul with strength, with purpose, with the unwavering belief that what he said was true.

This, us...we...were the only two people in the world who mattered. Everyone else—in his House, in his family, in the whole damn Entente—they meant nothing.

We could survive anything so long as we held on to each other.