The 45th Parallel, page 15
“I don’t care,” I replied, unable to focus in my current state of bliss.
Strong, muscular arms wrapped around me and lifted me to face him. He pulled me against his chest, my breasts flattening against his rigid torso.
“Oh God.” He sighed as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “I never want to let you go.”
“Never?” I teased, nibbling his ear. “I thought you said the heat wasn’t good for headaches. Maybe I should go.” I turned my head and tried to pull away.
“No,” he growled deep in his throat, and I gasped as he held me tighter, keeping me still. Usually, I was the one in control.
“Kiss me,” I demanded. He pulled back.
“No.”
My eyes popped with astonishment. “Fine. I’ll head back to the party. Where they have wine.” His arms held me in place as I dropped my legs, scrabbling to find the ground.
“I will pleasure you,” he grumbled in my ear, “but I say how, what, and how much. I promise you, Caitlin, I will never leave you wanting. But I am in charge.”
My stomach fluttered at his words. I had never had an alpha male before, and there was something primal about it. Impulsively, I wanted to throw myself at him and say, “Take me!” but instinct made me fight back.
“What if I want to determine what I want? What if I want to be in control?”
I felt his chest convulse slightly. Is he laughing at me? Anger rose, and I shoved him, hard. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“Esuberante,” he chuckled, making me angrier. “Una bella donna vivace.”
I didn’t know what this meant, but I didn’t like the sound of it. Turning, I took two steps toward the edge before he caught me, spinning me around and kissing me so hard I thought my knees would buckle. My brain fought, but my traitorous body yielded and molded to his larger one. My arms found their way around his back, and he lifted me back into position with my legs tightly locked around his waist. I didn’t care anymore. I wanted this man. His breathing was coming harder now, and his English seemed to have left him as he kissed my breasts and whispered in Italian to my naked body. I had no idea what he was saying but didn’t care. It was intoxicating. My eyes closed, and I melted, the steam rising to meet the volcanic heat between us.
“Niente. Niente bambini,” he moaned as I kissed his neck and ran my hands down his muscular back. Ahh, bambini. I knew that word.
“It’s okay,” I whispered between kisses, running my tongue down his neck, speaking slowly so I wouldn’t need to repeat myself. “I use contraception.” At our mothers’ request, our aunt Sorcha had inserted an IUD into Sera and me before we left for Newgrange. I didn’t know what the word for contraceptive was in Italian, but he seemed to understand.
Surging out of the water, he laid me gently on the towel he had spread over the sandy edge, kissing my toes and working his way slowly up my legs. This was exquisite torture. As soon as he came close to my torso, I pulled at his arms, trying to lift him onto me, but he deliberately moved away. I felt his hand running inside my thigh, and I raised my hips to meet him. Taking this as an invitation, I felt one finger, then two caressing me. A sigh escaped my lips as his fingers moved inside me. Never had I felt like this. The desire was building until I couldn’t stand it.
“Please,” I begged. “Please, Gio. I need you. Now.”
He ignored me and continued stroking me with one hand, his other invading my depths. I was so close, but it wasn’t enough.
“No!” I squirmed away from his hand.
“Mine,” he growled, using his thighs to push mine down.
“Now,” I demanded, and his eyes glinted.
He stopped, and his eyes glinted dangerously. “Do you always get what you want?”
“Always,” I breathed heavily, desperate for more.
“Maybe it is time you let someone else take charge.”
Not bloody likely, I thought, but again, my body didn’t get the message. Clearly, it considered itself the spoils of war, and he was the victor. My back arched, and I pushed at him urgently.
“I will always take care of you,” he whispered into my neck as he found my entrance. I moaned as he filled me and hung on as he discovered his rhythm. He slowed, making eye contact, and I exploited the pause to use my hip to lift one side and roll onto him. His eyes glinted with mischief as he let me take charge. Pushing his shoulders into the bank, I moved and writhed to please myself. Finally, I felt the familiar pulse, and the wave of pleasure overtook me, clenching and unclenching. His breathing quickened, and I felt him convulse and swear as he followed me over the edge. I flopped exhausted onto his chest and felt him stroking my hair.
“You are amazing,” he breathed into my ear.
“I know,” I replied.
He flipped me without warning, poised over me. “I have never known a woman like you. Demanding, intelligent, beautiful. I like it.”
Good. Because I will not change for any man.
“We need to go.” Gio was curled behind me and whispered softly in my ear. I pulled myself from my pleasant haze.
“Why?”
“Because we book these pools, and my time is nearly up.”
I propped myself up on one elbow as his words registered. “Do you mean you planned this?”
He laughed, a low rumbling sound, the noise echoing through the small cavern.
“When?”
“This morning. After I saw you in my kitchen wearing nothing but a t-shirt and those tiny black panties, I knew I couldn’t wait. I wanted to be a gentleman and do things right, like my mother taught me. But I couldn’t. I had planned to cook you dinner first.”
“When did you arrange this?” A sick feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach.
“When you were in the shower, I made the call. There was no way I was letting my brother get near you.”
“Call?”
“We have communications devices between pods and the central control room. I booked le therme. I wanted to bring you here.”
“You have an intercom?”
It was his turn to look confused.
“Intercommunication. Like a radio between spaces in the same house.” I had seen them on Clava, but rarely were they used.
“Exactly.”
“Does that mean you think I am easy?” I pulled away, drawing my knees up to my chest.
His confusion was apparent, not knowing the word in this context.
“Easy? You are not even close to easy. You are the most complicated woman I have ever met.”
“That isn’t what I meant!” I started grabbing at clothes, humiliated that he thought I would sleep with him on our third night and before we had even had a proper date. But I had. Proving his point.
Gio’s hand rested on my arm, and I shook it off angrily.
“Caitlin, I don’t understand. You like me too, no?”
“No… yes! I mean, yes!” My anger was making me flustered now. I needed to get out of here. The heat was overwhelming, and my head was pounding. I rubbed at my temples as the lights flashed behind my eyes.
“Caitlin.” His voice was louder, more demanding. I pulled my top over my head, not bothering with my bra. While temporarily blinded, I felt myself being pushed against the rocky wall, his weight crushing my breasts against his still naked chest.
“The first time I saw you, I wanted you. Then when you woke and asked me for wine, I knew. This one is different. Brave, strong, beautiful. But as we spent more time together, I learned how special you are.”
“Special?” I croaked. “You don’t bring all your girlfriends here?”
“One other,” he admitted. “A long time ago. It is difficult to be private here. Everyone knows everything, and I wanted something just for me. There has been no one for a very long time.”
“Really?” I looked at him skeptically. “Just for you?”
“Why? Did you want to date my brother?”
“No.” I ran my fingers along his defined jaw, the stubble prickling my fingers. “I wanted you but didn’t dare think you might like me. Besides, after tonight, I am fairly sure your brother is with my sister.”
Gio chuckled. “Good. I hoped that might happen. He needs a woman in his life.”
“And you?”
“I don’t think I have ever wanted anything more in my entire life. From the moment I saw you lying there, I have never wanted something as much as I longed for you.” He lifted me off the ground and held me there, so our faces were level, my feet hovering off the ground. “We are not children, Caitlin. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be with someone. We are adults and do not play games. I want you, and I could not wait. Do you understand?”
“You’ve got that backward.” I kissed him and pulled back. “It is I who wants you. Now, although I have always loved to have my dessert first, where is this dinner you promised me?”
We crept slowly back to the apartment, stopping every few meters to kiss, hiding and giggling when people came close.
“Shower.” He pushed me toward the bathroom. “But wait for me.”
Stripping off, I heard the clicking of the cooktop firing up. He could be a while then. As I checked my wound in the mirror and combed my hair, wincing as it pulled the hair near the injury, I pondered what had just happened. Was this a job interview? The shower was lukewarm, nothing like the hot pools. Stepping in, it took ages to get my thick, long hair wet enough to shampoo. I lathered up my hair and felt the draft as the door opened behind me. Strong fingers took over, massaging my scalp, avoiding the stitches.
“That feels so good,” I moaned, my eyes closed as he rinsed the suds, shielding my eyes. The sensation of someone washing my hair was blissful.
Strong hands lifted me and spun me around to face him. A gasp escaped my lungs as he speared me against the wall, water falling on us, making my breasts slide across his chest. I clung to him, panting, as he pounded me into the tiles, not caring that the water was blinding me. I bit his shoulder as my release came, and he growled, the deep primordial sound reverberating around the confined space.
As we ate, we gazed across the lake, glowing moonlight reflected on the shimmering surface. Gio poured me a single glass of wine, his eyes twinkling as he handed it to me.
“I thought you said I would be in trouble if I drank?” I teased.
“You are. I shall punish you later.”
Before I could ask precisely what this punishment entailed, the door burst open, and Sera and Matt staggered in, completely drunk and unable to keep their hands from each other. Sera could barely stand, and Matt took two attempts to close the door behind him.
“Sorry,” Matt mouthed as he half-led, half-carried Sera into his room and firmly closed the door. I could hear her giggling and the creak of springs as he threw her on the bed.
Gio took my empty plate and placed it on the bench beside his own.
“You cooked. Do you want me to…” My words were cut off by more laughing emanating from Matteo’s room.
“Dishes tomorrow,” Gio rumbled. “I can’t let my brother have all the fun.”
“You have already had fun. Twice, if I recall correctly,” I whispered as I pushed him back onto his chair and straddled him, listening to it creak ominously under our combined weight. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Of you? Never.”
“Then take me to bed,” I whispered in his ear. The words were barely out of my mouth when I felt weightless, thrown over his shoulder and carried to his room.
“Caveman,” I sighed in his ear. I think I could grow to like this, I thought as he tossed me on the bed.
Chapter 25
“What is this filth?” I exclaimed as Gio handed Sera and me a mug of steaming tea after dinner the following evening. As Sera and I couldn’t cook, we had negotiated that the guys took turns to prepare meals, and we washed dishes. We felt guilty that we weren’t contributing, but they were thrilled not to wash up, so it worked.
“Chamomile tea. Have you never had it before?”
“No. It tastes like weeds and is dirt-infused. Why would you drink this?”
“It is calming,” he explained. “Drink it. It will help you sleep.”
“And you think I need calming?”
“It is part of our mindfulness practice,” Matt interjected. “Yoga, daily meditation, chamomile tea, and a gratitude journal help us combat the darkness.”
“Gratitude journal?” Sera asked, raising an eyebrow. Only I caught the hint of sarcasm.
“We all have a journal, an electronic one. It is a secret, just for us. Each day we note three positive things that happened that day, things we are grateful for. Maybe someone complimented us, or a work project went well. Small things, things we are thankful for. Then, when we feel the darkness descending, we review the journal and see all the things we are thankful for. The positive in our everyday lives.”
“What a lovely idea,” I exclaimed. “I really like that. The tea, not so much.”
“We would have struggled on Yellowstone,” Sera pointed out.
“That is the thing. It doesn’t matter how tiny, but it is important to find the positive in every day. The lightness in the dark. No matter how bad things feel, we must strive to find the good. It is there. Some days you just have to look harder.”
“So the days we were fed,” I pointed out. “Or when we got some sleep.”
“True.”
“Do you share what you are thankful for?” Sera asked.
“Not usually. It is a private journal. But sometimes, Gio and I discuss it. If you see a counselor, they might ask what you recorded. But only if you are willing to share.”
Sera and I smiled, the same thought popping into both our minds.
“Drink it, and let’s go to bed. I’m tired,” Gio announced, draining his cup. I drank the feral potion as quickly as I could, washing it down with a cool glass of water.
“I don’t think I will get used to that anytime soon,” I advised.
Gio switched off the lights and pushed me into his room. We had given up on his and hers. After the night at the hot springs, Sera had moved into Matt’s room and Gio back into his own.
“I thought you wanted me to sleep,” I whispered as I undressed slowly, seeing him watch me in the moonlight.
“No, I want Matt to maintain his mindfulness. He seems well now, but it was only a few days ago that he was floundering.”
I stopped undressing, aghast that I had forgotten.
“What is it?”
“I’m such a terrible friend. I completely forgot what you said that day about Matt and wanting to take the ultimate step. How could I!”
“Likely because you had a skull fracture, concussion, and had just been spun through a portal at high speed?”
“Perhaps. But I still feel bad. I shouldn’t have said that about the tea. I am sorry. I have always run my mouth off before engaging my brain.”
“Because your brain is busy doing other things?”
“Often,” I admitted. “I used to keep a notepad next to the bed so I could jot down all the ideas swirling around so I could sleep.”
“I’ve never been with a genius before.”
I exhaled forcefully, not acknowledging his words, before climbing into bed.
“No, this will not do.”
“What?”
“You, wearing clothes. There will be no clothing between us.”
“You know I don’t respond well to orders,” I sighed, stretching my arms above the pillow and resting on the bedhead.
Gio watched as he stripped off his jeans. “What about a request?”
“I like negotiations better.”
Gio slid in beside me. “What is negotiation?”
“When we both get something we want. Mum used to describe the ideal negotiation as win/win.”
“Ah, negoziazione. Is it not always win/win?”
“Of course not. There are four options when negotiating. Win/win, when both parties are happy, win/lose or lose/win when one person gets what they want, but the other person doesn’t, or lose/lose where both people feel like they didn’t get what they want. You should always strive for a win/win outcome, so both people get what they want, and are happy with the outcome.”
“And what is it you want?”
“You,” I said simply.
Gio grinned in the moonlight, the blue light tinting his dark hair a pale silver. “So then, I get you, naked, in my bed every night, and you get me whenever you want me? Is that a win/win?”
“That sounds like a fair deal.” I reached my arms around his curved, tight ass cheeks and pulled him toward me.
“I enjoy negotiating,” he whispered in my ear.
Chapter 26
Matteo, Sera, and I went to work together, building new sensors for the oxygen saturation levels in the pods and improving the ventilation systems. Sera’s skills had been instantly identified, and she had been embraced as part of the team. The mix of skills she had gained at Clava and Newgrange, combined with the technology of Piedmont, and she was in a permanent state of bliss.
“You should see her,” Matteo boasted to Gio on our sixth morning when Sera had been called out to troubleshoot a problem. “The team listens and actually does what she suggests. No one listens to me like that. We have never worked so well. Everyone is engaged and desperate to be involved. She understands all elements of the project and ensures that everyone sees their contribution to the end product. Everyone wants to please her, so they all work longer hours than needed. It is phenomenal. The project is nearly finished, and we only started on it a few months ago.”
“You should meet her mum,” I added between sips of coffee. “Illyria is the Chief of all the Collective Communities, all the above-ground ones, I mean. She can make anyone do anything, and then make them think it is their idea. She has a way of getting people to see her perspective and doesn’t relent until they do.”
