I tense.

Steps. Slow and determined, coming closer. Warmth at my back as Rafael halts just behind me. Fabric rustling, and then he puts his suit jacket over my shoulders.

“Did you put something on that sunburn?”

“Yes,” I whisper, staring at the grounds below. “Where did you go on your boat earlier?”

“I thought I spotted trespassers. But it was just dumb tourists.” His hands come to rest on the balcony railing, one on either side of me. “After, I had to drop by Messina to resolve a fuckup with a local drug gang.”

“I didn’t know you dealt in drugs.”

“I don’t. That’s what Cosa Nostra does within their part of Sicily. Here, on the east coast, there are a few small groups that deal drugs, and as long as they follow my rules, I let them be.”

“And if they don’t?”

He lets go of the railing, and his hands encircle my waist. I hold my breath, entirely tuned in to his touch as his palm glides lower, under the edge of the towel and between my legs.

“If they don’t, I personally execute the whole gang. Just like I had to do tonight.”

And there it is—one of the main reasons why I am so madly pulled toward him. No sugarcoating. No pretense. Even while keeping me here against my will, he’s treating me as an equal. I’m well aware of how the metaphorical scales stand between us—he is stronger, meaner, and holds the lives of my loved ones in his scarred hand. And yet, I’ve never felt domineered by him. He’s never made me feel inferior in any way.

“We need to talk,” I choke out while he slides his finger between my folds.

“About?” his rough voice taunts next to my ear. Then, he pushes his finger inside me.

“About today.” I grab the railing for support and widen my legs. “About this.”

A kiss lands on the side of my neck. “I’m all ears.”

He pulls his finger out only to push it back inside, deeper. His other hand slips to the inside of my thigh and drifts higher. Tremors shoot down my spine, all the way to my core, the moment his thumb finds my clit. My breathing picks up. Panting, I clutch the towel to my breasts and lean against his chest.

“What did you want to discuss, vespetta?” he prompts, upping his pace.

Yeah, what did I want to discuss? That what happened today on the yacht can never happen again, while I moan in pleasure with his finger buried inside me?

“Nothing,” I choke out as my wetness soaks his hand. “I don’t want to talk about this. Or earlier today. I just want . . .” A small whimper escapes me. What in the hell do I want?

He curls his finger and presses against a spot that makes me see stars. “You just want me to fuck you?”

A supernova goes off in my body, obliterating every cloud in the sky.

“Yes.”

I slide my hand from Vasilisa’s trembling pussy and bring it to my mouth.

“Alright,” I say, licking her sweet juice from my finger. Then, I scoop her into my arms and carry her to the bed. The wall-mounted reading lamp over the headboard is lit, its glow bathes Vasilisa’s milky skin. “You can turn off the light if you want.” Grabbing the sides of my dress shirt, I tug them apart, sending a multitude of buttons clattering to the floor.

Vasilisa just gapes at me, her eyes glued to my fingers as I slowly unzip my pants. My cock is so fucking hard that even walking was difficult. No woman has ever had me so worked up that I actually had to control myself and fight not to explode before I was even in her. She wants me to fuck her without discussing the subject? Fine. We can start with that.

The moment my clothes are off, I climb on the bed and cover her body with mine. She is so fucking small. I brace my weight on my forearms, fearing I’ll squash her beneath me. Her snarky personality is so overwhelming that I often forget how tiny she really is. And with so much pent-up aggression inside me at the moment, I don’t think I can hold back and go slow like I did earlier today.

I capture her lips with mine in an angry kiss, then shift to the small dip between her collarbones. My palms glide down her ribs as I kiss her breasts. Her stomach. The spot just below her navel. The towel comes loose and tangles under her, giving me unrestricted access to her body, which quivers under my touch as I move lower, to her pussy. It’s still wet. She opens her legs wider, and I bury my face in her delicious center.

Mewling little moans leave Vasilisa’s lips as I lick her pretty pink slit, keeping my movements slow at first, then gradually upping the rhythm, focused on every sound she makes. I’m going to learn every single secret of her body. Explore every inch of her skin. Every sensual spot. I’m going to learn to play her like the most delicate instrument, make her crave my touch and no one else’s. As I slide my tongue inside her, she arches her back so hard that, for a moment, I fear she’ll hurt herself.

“Easy.” I move my palm along her spine, feeling her body vibrate like a violin string in my hand. “Just a little bit more.”

Two more licks, ever so languid this time, before I close my lips around her clit and suck it into my mouth.

Vasilisa’s low, delirious sounds fill the room, transforming into reverent screams when I take a nip of her sweet bud. Her fingers squeeze my hair as her body begins to shake uncontrollably. She’s ready. With one last lick of her soaked pussy, I move up her body, trailing kisses along her soft skin. Marking every inch of it as mine.

I wasn’t her first, and she might not yet realize this, but I will be her last. The alternative is not an option.

“Have you ever had a man worship you, Vasilisa?” I bend my head until our foreheads touch and slide the tip of my cock between her folds. “Not just your beautiful face and your gorgeous body, but every single thing that makes you—you?”

Her pretty eyes widen. Her lips part, but no words come out.

“Do you know how much it turns me on, to watch you bite that damn pencil every night while you fix the mess inside my company’s systems? Seeing how your genius mind works is a damn aphrodisiac, vespetta. Every time after we finished a ‘work session,’ I had to rush to the bathroom to jerk off, all to prevent my dick from exploding.”

The air leaves her lips in quick, sharp puffs. I slam my mouth to hers, mixing our breaths together, and push with my hips just enough to get my cock halfway inside. She pulls my hair and opens herself for me even more. My restraint is hanging on by the tiniest thread, so when she tilts her pelvis up in invitation, it snaps completely. I thrust into her, burying myself in her silky warmth.

“Your pussy was made for me.” Nibbling her glistening skin, I move my lips along her jawline. “Do you like how my cock fills you to the brim?”

“Yes.” A throaty moan next to my ear.

“Good. Because it’s the only cock you’ll ever have inside you from this point on.” I retreat, then slide into her again. “You’re staying in Sicily, Vasilisa. Forever.”

“No, I’m not.”

I seize her chin with my fingers and pin her with my stare. Her face is flushed and her lips quiver, but the look in her eyes is fierce and determined.

“You gave me your word,” she continues. “When I’m done fixing your systems, I’m free to go.”

I lose my ever-loving shit.

Grabbing the back of her neck, I plunge into her. My sanity is gone. My sense of reality—nonexistent. I ravage her kiss-swollen lips as I pound into her like a madman. The only things I can fathom are Vasilisa’s panting, the feeling of her legs clutching my waist, and the smell of her shampoo. My shampoo. I’m never letting her use any other. She is mine.

My eyes are glued to her face, absorbing every single detail about her. The way her lips part when she draws in a breath each time I thrust inside her. The strands of her hair, plastered to her flushed face. The fluttering of her long black lashes as she rides the pleasure I give her. There isn’t a more beautiful sight on this earth.

The bed creaks and protests under our weight. Vasilisa’s ragged breaths turn into ardent cries as she nears the edge. I can feel her walls clenching around me, but I force myself to hold back. It’s the most magnificent torture. As her climax approaches, I change my pace and continue to move inside her with deliberate slowness, prolonging the delicious tension between us. Finally, her body starts to shake again, and a loud scream escapes her lips as she reaches the peak of ecstasy. I let her enjoy that bliss for just a moment, then thrust hard, balls-deep into her tight little cunt, triggering yet another orgasm before she eases off her last.

A burst of white fills my vision, and I’m overcome with spasms as my cum paints Vasilisa’s insides. My lungs are struggling to draw in enough oxygen, and heat settles in my chest. I’ve never felt this way. Did too much of my blood get redirected to my cock?

Or maybe, that’s how it feels to make love to someone you’re in love with.

Chapter 14