Be With Me, page 19
part #1 of House of Ferraro Series
I slid under the duvet. My heart raced inside my chest, and my body buzzed.
I was satisfied. Yet not.
I was enjoying this so much that I wasn’t sure how I’d feel tomorrow morning when Romolo left and everything went back to normal.
Me, living my life, doing everything I could for the campaign.
Him, living his life, doing…whatever it was that he did with his days.
What did he do with his days?
He came back in with two glasses of water and handed one to me.
“What kind of work do you actually do for your family?” I asked, my gaze sliding down his chest and settling on his abs. He worked hard on that body.
“Why?” he asked with an arched brow.
My eyes moved back to his face. “Just curious.”
“I run a nightclub,” he said. “But I work on some other things too.”
“What kind of things?”
“All kinds.”
“All kinds” sounded ominous. A part of me was curious, but another part much preferred not to find out. If I thought too hard about what I was doing and who I was doing it with…
I gulped down my water. It was just one night. I wasn’t risking the campaign. No one knew he was here, and no one would find out. I’d even keep it a secret from friends, because honestly, I didn’t know how I’d explain it to them.
But I didn’t have to think about all that right now.
“It’s called Black Silk,” he said, placing his empty glass on the nightstand. “I’d invite you to visit, but it’s probably not a good idea for you to be seen there.” Some darkness slipped into his expression, and he looked away.
What was on his mind? I wondered if he felt conflicted about being here, about giving in to this attraction. After all, I was still the enemy. Even if I didn’t really think of him as one.
His family is the reason your uncle is dead, a voice in my head reminded me.
An uncle I never knew. An uncle I never loved. But I loved my dad, and even if the fight he was fighting wasn’t my own, I was still loyal to him.
It's just one night.
“That’s okay. I’m not much of a nightlife person anyway,” I said softly.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. The air in the room felt charged with something that neither of us dared to address.
My attraction to him burned like a flame in the pit of my belly, but that wasn’t the only reason I hadn’t been able to forget about him all these weeks.
For me, it was deeper than that.
I had no clue what it was like for him.
“So is it working?” I asked, putting my glass beside his. “Are we getting each other out of our systems?”
He dragged his palm over his jaw and looked at me thoughtfully. “Not sure yet.” His voice was gruff.
I bit my lip. “Better get back to it then. The night won’t last forever.”
His nostrils flared, and something about the way his shoulders dropped a little made my chest clench. But before I could make sense of his body language, he sank onto the bed.
A frisson zinged up my spine as he peeled the duvet off me, revealing me inch by inch. The caress of his gaze sent heat spreading through my core. He looked at my body with such fascination—now and earlier—and I wished I was brave enough to ask why. I wasn’t the first woman he’d slept with—far from it.
I remembered Harper. That selfie of him and another girl on his phone.
Those memories made me want to sink my nails into him like they were claws and demand to know what he was thinking. I gave my head a shake as if to dispel the ridiculous urge.
I had no right to feel possessiveness. Jealousy. He wasn’t mine. All we had was this one night.
He brushed his lips over my nipple. “Fuck. Left the condoms in the car. I’ll go grab them.”
“I have some,” I said cheerfully to mask the tightness in my throat.
“Do you?” He lifted his narrowed gaze to my face, and I could tell this news pissed him off.
He didn’t like being reminded I’d been with other people? Well, he could join the damn club. At least he’d never had to listen to a man proclaim his love to me.
“Yeah, I do.” I slid out from under him. “One second.”
I crossed the room toward the en suite bathroom and opened the cabinet behind the mirror.
There was a box. Closed.
Should I open it to make it seem like some had been used? No, that was too petty.
When I returned, he was sitting against the headboard, waiting. I tossed the box at him. He caught it with distaste and turned it over to read the back.
“Wow.” I propped my shoulder against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “Never thought you’d need to read the instructions.”
He shot me a glare. “I’m checking to make sure they’re not expired.”
“They’re not that old,” I said, keeping my voice casual.
His jaw ticked.
“Get over here.” The words came out rough.
The moment I reached the bed, he yanked me onto his lap.
I yelped. “Rom!”
His lips brushed mine, teasing before he bit down just hard enough to sting. When he pulled back, his brows were still furrowed in displeasure. “Who bought these?”
“Me.” My palms flattened against his chest, and I could feel his steady heartbeat.
“Can’t imagine you walking into a convenience store and asking for ribbed for her pleasure—"
“The Internet is this magical place where you can buy just about anything and get it delivered to your door. You should give it a try sometime.”
“Ha. Ha. Good one,” he said in a deadpan.
My fingertips trailed over the hard angle of his jaw. “Anything else you want to ask me?”
His palms flexed on my waist. “When was the last time you fucked someone, Mia?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. Damn it. He’d called my bluff. I knew I didn’t owe him an answer, but I gave it anyway, “Two years ago.”
His palm slid up my stomach, carving a path between my breasts before wrapping gently around my neck. He exerted just enough pressure to send a jolt of electricity through me. “Who.”
“I’m not telling you.” I had a feeling they might end up in Vermont if I did. “When was the last time you slept with someone?”
His thumb traced slow strokes against the side of my throat. “Two months.”
Jealousy wriggled into knots inside my stomach. I shouldn’t have asked.
But then, I did the math. “So…around the time of the engagement party?”
“The week before.” Darkness and something else danced at the edges of his stare.
“And no one since?”
He didn’t answer. He just let go of my throat, cracked open the box of condoms, and fished one out.
“Hmm.” A slow smile tugged on my lips. “Wonder why.”
He rolled it on. “Beats me.”
I laughed, and happiness fizzed like champagne inside my chest.
“Something funny?” A warning seeped through his voice.
“Yea—ah!”
His palm landed against my ass in a sharp, stinging smack that sent heat rushing through me.
“That’s for all that fucking sass.” His grip tightened on my hips. “Now, get on your hands and knees, Berry. I’m tired of not being inside you.”
What did it say about me that I scrambled to obey?
The sting from his slap faded beneath the soothing warmth of his palm as he rubbed over the spot. Then he hauled me closer, positioning me just where he wanted. The head of his cock pressed against my entrance.
My core clenched, as if inviting him in.
His fingers wound into my hair, coiling it tightly around his fist, and he pulled until my back arched.
Then, in one slow, controlled motion, he pushed inside me.
I moaned. It was a tight fit.
“This still funny?” he taunted as he pulled out before thrusting back in.
“A bit.”
He tugged me harder against him and picked up speed. His hips smacked into mine, his balls slapping against my clit while the diamonds still around my neck bounced with every thrust.
“How about now?”
“Romolo,” I moaned, sweat slicking my back.
“You said everything we’ve fantasized about, right? I wonder how funny you’ll find it when I’m deep inside of here.”
I barely had time to register before his thumb pressed against the other hole.
I whimpered against the shallow intrusion. “Who says I’ll let you?”
“Did you let him?” he growled, his pace turning rougher, harder. “The one you went Internet shopping for?”
Oh, he was really jealous.
A breathless laugh lodged in my throat, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep it at bay.
“No.” I panted as he fucked me like he wanted to punish me, like he wanted to erase my memories of anyone who’d come before him. “Never.”
His cock thickened inside me. “Atta girl.” He reached around me, his fingers finding my clit. He slid them over it in tight, merciless circles, like that was my reward.
It was so good that I sobbed into the duvet. Somehow, he knew how to work my body better than I did, which was why I opened my mouth and said, “I’d let you.”
“Ah fuck.” Whatever restraint he still had snapped. He went at me like a wild animal. I clutched at the sheets, whimpering as he got me closer and closer to the edge. My pussy spasmed around him, willing him to go harder, deeper.
I pushed myself upright until my back met his chest, and wrapped my fingers around the headboard. His palm slid around my throat again, applying the perfect amount of pressure as he drove into me from behind.
I turned my head, and his mouth crashed down on mine in a searing, hungry kiss. The combination of his tongue tangling with mine and his fingers moving in tighter and tighter circles finally threw me over the edge.
My body clenched around him, pleasure exploding in waves, and his rhythm turned frantic, his fingers digging into my hip. One more stroke, and he groaned with his own release, his body curving over mine. “Fuuuck. You were made for me, Berry.”
Butterflies exploded inside my belly. I was spent. Breathless. Dazed.
Even if this night was a reckless mistake, it was the best damn mistake I’d ever made.
CHAPTER 31
MIA
When I cracked open my eyelids, the first thing that greeted me was smooth, tattooed skin. My cheek was pressed against Romolo’s chest, rising and falling in sync with his slow, steady breaths.
I blinked against the sunlight flooding the bedroom.
It was morning.
Crap.
It was morning. We were only supposed to take a nap.
It was over. Our one night was up. And what had it gotten us?
A pit yawned open in my stomach as I sat up and looked down at Romolo’s sleeping form. The hard edges of his face had softened, the usual tension smoothed out. His dark lashes fanned across his cheeks, and his brows were unknit for once. He looked younger. Softer. Almost…gentle.
The diamond necklace he’d given me rested on the bedside table. I slid my fingertips over the stones and exhaled.
There was no future here. None. The fact that I had to keep reminding myself of that was ridiculous. But my skin itched with the need to keep him for just a little longer.
I lay back down, tucking my body against his warmth, pressing my lips to the side of his throat, and pretended to sleep.
A few seconds ticked by. Then, he stirred. Yawned. Brushed his lips over my temple in a touch so tender it cracked something inside me.
Romolo was a contradiction—rough and ruthless one second, tender the next. And that mix? It threatened to undo me.
“Good morning.” His voice was thick with sleep, and the greeting was followed by his palm lazily cupping my ass.
“Shh.” I burrowed closer against him, inhaling his scent, fighting against the tightness inside my throat.
The thought of him getting dressed and walking out the door cleaved me in half. My emotions bubbled just below the surface, threatening to pour out.
It’s just sex. You’ve had casual sex before.
Yeah. Right.
The only problem was that nothing about this actually felt casual. Not when he said things like I was made for him.
I sat up, overwhelmed by the mess inside my head, and stared out the window.
His palm pressed against my bare back. “Mia—“
Click.
My spine straightened. That… That sounded like a door unlocking.
A sharp, cold pulse went through me.
I shot out of bed, snatched my robe from the chair, and yanked it on.
“Stay here,” I whispered.
Romolo swung his legs off the bed, already reaching for his boxer briefs. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to check.”
His frown deepened as he pulled them on. “I’ll go.”
“No.” I grabbed his wrist and squeezed. “Are you crazy? No one can see you.”
“If it’s an intruder—”
“I’ll scream, and you can come running, okay?”
His jaw tightened. He didn’t like it, but I pressed my index finger to my lips and slid out the door.
Jenny.
She stood by the kitchen island, a stack of folders in one hand, typing something on her phone with the other.
Shoot. I'd given her a key to my place for emergencies, but she’d never used it before. “Jenny? Can I help you?”
She jerked, seeming surprised to see me. “You’re awake.”
“What are you doing here?”
She gave me a strange look. “Dropping off the letters you need to sign for the animal rescue charity. You said you’d be sleeping in late after your party, and that I could just come right in. Is everything okay?”
God, she was right. The memories hit me all at once. How had I managed to forget she was supposed to stop by this morning? “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “It was a late night.”
Jenny cocked her hip and leaned against the counter, sliding her phone back inside her purse. “Have fun?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it was…” I scrambled for words. “Beautiful event. Everyone’s gowns were stunning. And the art… The art was amazing. Rembrandt, I think.”
Jenny smirked. “You look exhausted. Had a few drinks? Nothing I should know about, I hope?”
“No, no. Nothing at all.”
Her gaze swept over me, searching for clues of misbehavior. I kept my face neutral, refusing to give anything away, but a prickle of annoyance appeared in the back of my mind.
Jenny often treated me like I was a misbehaving teenager, even though nothing was further from the truth.
Until last night.
A beat passed before she seemed satisfied. She turned toward the door. “Great. I should get ba—” Her body froze mid-step.
I followed her gaze, and my stomach dropped.
Hanging on one of the hallway hooks was Romolo’s coat, just where I put it when we stumbled in yesterday.
Jenny glanced over her shoulder, one brow raised. “Is someone else here?”
Panic wrapped around my lungs and squeezed.
Stay cool.
A slew of excuses threatened to spill past my tongue, but I managed to keep my mouth shut long enough to decide I didn’t owe Jenny an explanation. “Don’t worry about it.”
A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips. “What’s his name?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m allowed to have a private life, aren’t I?”
She narrowed her eyes at my attempt at setting a boundary, like I was the one out of line. “Could’ve texted me, you know. I would’ve left the letters with the doorman.”
Thank God Romolo had worn his mask last night. Even if she asked the doorman about my guest, he wouldn’t be able to tell her anything identifying.
“I honestly forgot you were coming by, but thanks for dropping everything off. I’ll make sure to get it done today.”
Jenny’s eyes flicked to my neck.
Shit.
“Maybe cover up that hickey for the event tonight,” she added, a cool note slipping into her tone.
My hand flew to my throat, and heat rushed up my face. “I will.”
Jenny smirked. “I’ll let you get back to it then.” A wink. “Have fun.”
I forced a shaky smile. “Bye.”
The moment she left, I locked the deadbolt and slid the chain across. Why hadn’t I done that last night? My back connected with the door, and my heart pounded against my ribcage. That was way too close.
Romolo appeared on the threshold of my bedroom. He was mostly dressed, his long fingers working a cufflink through a buttonhole. “One of your father’s assistants?”
“Yeah. I completely forgot she was stopping by.” It was easy to forget all kinds of things when I was all wrapped up in him.
Like the fact that actions had consequences.
Unease clogged my lungs and bled into the air with my next exhale. I wanted to crack a window open, but more than that, I wanted to kiss him one more time.
I couldn’t.
One cufflink done, he moved on to the next. His gaze skimmed over me but didn’t linger, like there was nothing left for him to see.
Swallowing past the ball in my throat, I brushed my palm over the kitchen island. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”
He tugged on his sleeve, his movements as slow and deliberate as the next words that came out of his mouth.
“I’m not done with you yet, Berry.”
CHAPTER 32
ROM
My plans never seemed to work quite right when it came to Mia.
The morning after was supposed to be the grand finale. I’d fuck her slow, drag it out until she was writhing, bring her right to the edge, and then refuse to let her come until she agreed to see me again.
It was crude, but I was ninety-nine percent sure it would have worked, because there was no denying how her body responded to me.
