Chapter 37
If anyone noticed them slipping out of the garden, no one had mentioned it or tried to stop them.
Marcella had never brought a man back to her apartment with the intention of seducing him. Apart from a few tradesmen on a job, Cosimo was the only man she had let over the threshold at all.
"Are you sure your kids are going to be okay with me coming to stay at the house?" she asked, unlocking the door.
Cosimo laughed. "Yes. They all but insisted that I pressure you to come to Ireland. As I said, you can have a guest room, so you have your space to get away from us all if you need to. We just want you there so we can focus on finding your grimoires."
"It's sweet of them. I know I am a new woman in your life, and the family house is where their mother raised them," Marcella said, chewing on her bottom lip.
"And that is considerate of you, but they all like you, Marcella.
Not just me. You aren't some random hookup.
The whole house has changed since their mother was alive too.
My tower is different as well. It's not like you will be in a space where she was in that regard," Cosimo replied with an understanding smile.
"I just want to be sure. The last thing I wish to do is to upset them." Marcella grinned, trying to lighten the mood again. "They are all too good at magic for a start. I don't want Reeve turning me into a frog or Apollo poisoning my food."
Cosimo laughed softly and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me, tesoro, my children will blame me and not you if anything happens." His warm hands slid down her bare arms, the touch sending an ache through her. "Did you figure out everything you needed to today?"
"Yes," Marcella replied, her breath catching as she looked into his eyes.
A lock of his silver and black hair had fallen down over his forehead, and a dragon was staring out at her.
He wasn't as worked up as he had been in Forli after fighting with Carlo, but there was a feral wildness about him when he focused on her like that.
"Anything I should know about?" he asked, his fingers circling her wrists.
"I don't want to smother my magic, but I do really need something to help me control it.
I want to use it without worrying about what I might do.
What happened with Renata and Carlo... Using the dead that way.
.. It scared me afterward. The anger I felt wasn't all mine.
It was from all the dead of Forli, and it was too much to have it running through me," Marcella began and exhaled loudly.
"After we find the grimoires, I want Maria or Valentine to help me with that and my other magic.
It can't be you that teaches me, Cosimo. "
That made him raise one dark brow. "Can I ask why? I am capable."
"I know you are, but I'm not in love with Valentine and Maria," Marcella whispered, and his eyes widened. Please don't reject me. Please don't hurt me, she begged silently, her heart raw and ragged just uttering the words.
"You love me?" he asked.
Marcella's throat was dry, her tongue sticky. She needed to get the words out because if he rejected her here, then she wouldn't be stuck in Ireland with no way to get home.
"Yes. I still think it's far too quick, but I'm in love with you," she said, straightening her shoulders.
"I needed the day apart from you to work out if it's more than just lust or fascination, but it's not only those things.
If it were, I wouldn't feel like I'm missing a limb when you aren't around, and after a few hours of settling my magic and emotions yesterday, that's how I felt.
I've never been this way with anyone else and—"
Cosimo broke her rambling off with a kiss.
His hands cradled her face, his mouth warm and so welcoming, it was like coming home.
He tasted of sweet Chianti and something that was so innately Cosimo that she couldn't get enough of it.
She ached to feel his skin against hers, the weight of his body pressing down on her.
He kissed along her jaw to her ear and whispered, "I love you too."
Marcella's self-control snapped, pulling at his clothes.
Cosimo lifted her up in his arms and headed toward her bedroom.
They hadn't gotten as far as switching on the lights, but he didn't stumble against anything.
She smiled against his lips. It was good to know his dragon side could see in the dark.
Magic sparked in his aura, and the candles she had in the room lit up.
"Magicians," she said fondly against his lips. "Always showing off."
"You wait until I show you the really good tricks I have up my sleeves."
Marcella ran her tongue over his collarbone, making him swear.
He pressed her up against the wall, his hands under the skirts of her dress.
They moved against her soft thighs, his fingers sliding inside her satin panties.
She whimpered with the first brush against her clit, her hands tearing at his shirt to get it open.
"Gods, you're so hot and slick," Cosimo growled, pressing a finger into her. Marcella's teeth dug into his shoulder to smother her moan. "Fuck, it's not enough. I need you on my mouth."
Cosimo lowered her to her feet. He didn't waste time stripping off her dress. He went straight under her skirts. There was a ripping sound, and her leg was over his shoulder, his mouth on her pussy, making her cry out.
"Fuck, Cosimo," she gasped, her head banging back against the wall.
Every warm, wet flick of his tongue was timed with a thrust of his finger until she couldn't think, couldn't breathe, everything reduced to sensation.
She gripped her skirts, lifting them so she could tangle her fingers in his hair.
Her body started to shake, but just as her orgasm was about to crash over her, Cosimo stopped.
"What? Why... I was so close," she complained, almost crying. Her hand moved to finish the job, but he caught it and bit the pads of her fingers.
"Mine," he growled in warning. His eyes shone with pure possession. "Strip. Now."
Marcella fumbled for the side zip of her dress, reckless need making her hands shake. Cosimo didn't look away from her as he shed his own clothes. He was hard, and Marcella wanted to drop to her knees and suck his perfect dick into her mouth.
She was about to when he caught her by the shoulders and lifted her up against the wall again.
"Later. Need to be in you too badly," Cosimo said, grinding his dick against her wet pussy, the pressure against her clit nearly sending her over the edge.
"Please, Cosimo..." she begged. Only he could make her feel so unhinged, so lost for words that she couldn't form proper sentences. He kissed her, the gentleness from before gone as his tongue slid into her mouth, his lips hard and demanding.
"I love you," he said between kisses and guided himself inside of her.
"Love..." she managed to breathe out before words turned into moans. Marcella's legs tightened around him, hands gripping his chest, bright nails looking like blood in the soft light.
Cosimo grabbed her wrists with one large hand, pinning them above her head, his other hand gripping her ass tight as he thrust deep into her. "Fuck, I've been thinking about being inside of you all day. You're so tight, so fucking perfect."
Marcella leaned forward to kiss his chest, her tongue licking over the soft hair, teeth scraping over one nipple. "Make me come, amore mio. I'm so close, I just need..." She tried to drag him closer to her, wanting the sweet grind of him against her clit.
Cosimo laughed softly and pulled free of her. Marcella snarled and bit him hard. "You bastard."
"That's it, mark me up, little strega. I want everyone to know that I belong to you," he said, ignoring her swearing and carrying her over to the bed.
He lowered her onto it, her ass on the edge, and slammed back into her, driving the air from her lungs. Marcella grabbed her breasts to keep them from bouncing with each snap of his hips.
"Play with those pretty breasts for me, Marcella," Cosimo commanded, his eyes never leaving her. Marcella did, squeezing them hard the way she liked and turning her dark brown nipples red.
Sweat was making Cosimo's skin shine, his sculpted chest and stomach flexing in a way that made her want to lick and scratch him all over. She couldn't believe this gorgeous man loved her. She was losing herself in the glorious rhythm of him when he pulled out of her again, flipped her over.
"If you don't stop torturing me like this, I will..." she warned.
Cosimo's arm went around her waist, dragging her up so she was sitting on his knees, pinning her back to his chest and slamming his dick back into her. His other hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing slightly. He licked the sweat off her cheek.
"You'll what, witch?" he snarled softly. Marcella sobbed out another wordless sound as he pounded into her. "That's what I thought. You're going to let me do what I like to you because you know I'm going to make you feel so fucking good."
"Cosimo, please." She didn't think she could take much more. She put her hands up around his neck, needing something to hang onto as he made her whole body jerk with each deep stab of his cock.
"Gods, I love it when you beg for me." Cosimo buried his face in her neck, teeth scratching lightly on her shoulder.
"I want you so much that it's never going to be enough.
Everything about you is too damn perfect.
" The hand on her waist dropped to where they were joined.
Cosimo slicked up his fingers over them.
"You going to come with me? Grip me tight as I fill you up? "
"Y-Yes. Ruin me, Cosimo," Marcella stammered, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.
Cosimo's palm went over her mound, the heat pressing down as he smeared wetness over her hot, oversensitive clit.
She screamed, a wailing plea as she fell apart around him.
Her magic thrummed and shivered, her insides melted, and her brain stopped.
"That's my girl," Cosimo snarled against her shoulder before he gripped her tight to him and shook as he came, gasping her name. Wetness dripped down her thighs, her breath coming in hard pants.
Cosimo slipped free of her, and she collapsed boneless onto her bed. She was a sweaty mess, the ceiling spinning softly as she tried to gather herself back into her body.
Cosimo's soft growl had her gaze dragging to where he was standing again. His eyes were glowing brightly and were fixed on where his come was leaking out of her. The possession on his face was so stark and primal, she shivered.
"I'm never going to tire of that sight," he said, not looking away. He pressed his come back inside before getting on his knees to lick her clean.
Marcella's hands gripped his hair, nearly coming out of her skin as his tongue gently soothed her swollen flesh.
"Oh, fuck, too much," she whimpered, and he moved from her pussy to lick the insides of her thighs.
Cosimo kissed her knee, the ticklish spot making her squirm. "I wasn't too rough, was I?"
"No, I just... I'm not sure if I'm still alive right now," Marcella admitted with a breathless laugh. "So much for packing."
"It can wait until tomorrow. For now, I'm going to take you to the shower," Cosimo said, nuzzling the soft skin of her tummy.
"You are going to have to carry me because I think you fucked away my ability to walk," she replied.
With a wild grin, Cosimo happily obliged her.