Never being one to be ignored as if I’m not even there, I slap a cheerful smile on, not letting his unwelcoming gaze deter me, and get up from Massimo’s lap. “Angelo. So good to see you.Come sta?” I reach up, and he actually leans down for me to place a kiss on each cheek, and he might as well be on his knees for me right now. He reeks of cigar smoke and cologne—nothing like his son's familiar scent.
“Bene,” he grumbles and looks past me to his son as if seeking assistance.
“Well, I was just leaving anyway.” I keep my voice pleasant. “I’ll leave you boys to it.” I smile over at Massimo, and he flatly stares back. Obviously unhappy that I used this as an excuse to slip away. “I’ll see you later, Massimo.”
“Ciao, bella.”
Turning my back to them, I remain poised as I make my exit. When I close the door behind me, I hear, “She’s certainly made herself comfortable,” in Italian from Angelo, and I decide to stick around for a moment.
“She’s my fiancée. She should be comfortable.”
“So, she already has you under her spell. She’s nothing but a malediction where nothing good will come from it. Her and the rest of the Bonetti’s.”
I stand there unmoving, waiting to hear what kind of response my fiancé will have. And it better be good or I’ll go back in there to tell them both to fuck themselves. Disrespecting me is one thing, but disrespecting my family name is a death sentence.
“She’s harmless and will soon be my wife.”Harmless?!“Now, what did you need to speak to me about?”
I command my feet to move before I really do lose my temper and charge back in there.Harmless?Is he for real? I’m sure it was just an attempt to sway the conversation away from me and to placate his father, butharmless? I guess I could be presumed harmless when those who don’t know me see me, but anyone who does knowanythingabout me, harmless is not the word that comes to mind. Bold, audacious, psychotic, crazy…
How is the audacity of his father’s slander taking a backseat for the stupid jealousy to seep back in? I’ve always been possessive but never jealous. It’s making me feel petty, and I hate it. I know he has a lot of years on me, so of course, many women came before, but I loathe the thought of being anything like them.
Okay, notlikethem, but I guess our relationship being anything like he’s had before. More specifically, our sex. I don’t want cuffs he’s used on someone else, or sex toys, or even the same damn bed.
His father accused me of having Massimo under some spell, but it’s me who’s struggling with the rooted hold he has on me.
The smell of rich coffee fills the kitchen as it brews from the fancy machine. The maids now know not to insist on doing every little thing for me. I am not at all helpless and enjoy doing things like making myself some coffee.
We grew up with maids and staff who did most things for us, but if I were thirsty, I’d go to the kitchen and get myself something to drink. Here? You’re expected to pick up a phoneand tell someone to deliver it. It feels like you’re staying at some resort, as if this place doesn’t already lack life.
It only took Massimo about ten minutes to seek me out. Knowing he isn’t the type to let anything go, I had a feeling he would. The question is, did I want him to?
The firmness of his body presses up against the back of mine, pinning me to the counter. The nearness of him gets my heart rate going, and my body tingles all over. His fingers toy with my hair before moving it away from my neck, and he replaces his mouth there. “You should know,cara, any woman before you might as well have never existed.”
I swallow hard. How does he always know exactly what is happening inside my head? It’s invasive, and I’m not even sure what’s going on up there half the time.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say quietly, heart pounding.
“Do what? Tell you how I feel? I know I don’t need to.” He kisses my neck, and my eyes flutter shut. “Feel free to let me know what’s inside this beautiful head of yours at any time.” I swallow hard again. Afraid to move or speak. Unsure of what will come out of my mouth if I do. I’m not ready to make myself so exposed to him, especially since I am still trying to process it. “Stop running from me when I do tell you what’s on my mind,gattina. I’m not going to stop, so you better get used to it.”
“I don’t mean to hold the past against you,” I whisper.
“If it makes you feel any better, I want to murder any man who has ever touched you. If I come across any of them, I might.”
I grin. “Does that mean I can kill anyone who has touched you?”
“If it’ll make you feel better.”
“Even Arianna?”
He chuckles and spins me around. “Not that I would care.” He tucks some of my hair behind my ear. “But you know that would mean war.”
I pout. “Fine. But if she ever touches you again, I will have to pop her.”
He snorts and props me up onto the counter by my waist. “I’ll even hand you my gun.”
“You know I carry my own.” I wrap my arms and legs around him. “All this talk about whacking ex-lovers turns me on.” I kiss him on the lips.
His lips respond immediately, kissing me harder and hiking up my dress around my waist. He said he doesn’t ever not want me, and I can say for sure that I feel the same. Even when I’m sore as hell and exhausted, I want him inside of me, pounding me into the mattress. Or behind me, pounding into me so hard his balls slap my pussy. And when he leaves marks on my body, I want to look at them and admire them for hours. Little reminders of what it feels like to be seized by Massimo.