Chapter 32 Cole
Cole
Dull buzzing woke me. I answered my phone quickly before Charlotte stirred.
“Rumor is Gabe’s going to be there sometime in the next few days. He’s organized some away time for his team,” Theo growled.
I blundered through the dark suite into the early morning sun on the balcony. What fucking time was it? It had been years since I’d slept in. “You’re sure?”
“He hasn’t accepted Philip’s offer. Apparently, he wants assurances there won’t be staff changes. He doesn’t want people to lose their jobs. It seems Mr. Rivers is a rare beast in this world. A rich man with empathy.”
Theo’s unspoken words rang loud. Unlike you.
I took a moment to process. This gave me a good chance in negotiation. I couldn’t give a fuck who worked here, as long as Philip didn’t get what he wanted.
“Also, I know why he’s selling. The hotel is hemorrhaging money.
Those ancient tunnels cost a fortune to preserve.
A lot of the art is on loan. Hotels were his father’s passion.
Gabe’s selling everything up and plowing the money back into his football team.
He likes this hotel the most. It’s one of the last to go. ”
“Good to know. Thank you.”
Theo grunted. “Don’t ask me to do anything like this again.”
The line went dead. I could still taste Charlotte Ackroyd on my tongue. Pigeons cooed and church bells rang somewhere. The sun was rising over Rome, bathing its ancient domes and charming terracotta rooftops in soft light. The view out here had never looked more stunning.
I leaned on the balcony, drinking it in.
I’d worked for hours out here, but never really looked across to the ruins of the Roman Forum.
Now I allowed my eyes to feast on the panorama.
A city over two thousand years old. An empire risen and fallen.
It was phenomenal. My heart, which was usually racing, thinking about some work bullshit, beat a steady drum.
It was like waking up to a new city. Waking up a new man.
Charlotte Ackroyd. I’d imagined making love to her so many times, but I’d never imagined it would feel so right.
Sinking into her had been like heaven. My beautiful, funny, kind Charlotte.
I hadn’t spent all that time with Roy because I’d cared about history.
I’d learned a dead language just so I could sneak a glance at her.
She felt so good and sweet, like toasted marshmallows and rolling green fields.
Like riding my bike through the woods and meadows full of wildflowers.
A different life entirely. One not shackled by pain and regret.
“Work already? You really don’t stop, do you?”
Charlotte appeared in the doorway. She had on my shirt and nothing else. I couldn’t stop my gaze from trailing up her irresistible bare legs.
“That shirt looks a lot better on you than it does on me.” I pulled her to me by the lapels. “But it’s going to look even better on the floor.”
My mouth covered hers, and I kissed her, drinking in her goodness.
Confusion flickered across her face as she pulled back an inch, her hands still resting on my shoulders. “Last night was fun, but I thought it was a one-night thing.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
She raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but her tone was indulgent. “We’ve been through this. Orgasms are not in the contract.”
“But they could be. We’re two consenting adults having fun.”
“I have plans this morning. I’m not traveling all the way to Rome and spending my time in the hotel room. Renata’s taking me to the Trevi Fountain.”
Slowly, I unbuttoned the shirt she wore, kissed a line down her body, and dropped to my knees. “Cancel your tour. Let me propose a new itinerary. It involves me licking you until your legs give way.”
Amusement danced in her eyes as she peered down at me. “That’s not what we agreed.”
“No, but are you open to negotiation?”
Cupping her ass, I peppered kisses over her inner thighs. She wasn’t wearing underwear, and it took everything I had not to zero in on her pussy. A little tease never went amiss.
She smoothed a hand through my hair. “But this is my chance to see Rome.”
I pushed her back gently against the glass doors that divided the suite from the balcony and nuzzled between her thighs, inhaling her.
“I understand. But I have a desperate need to eat your pussy this morning, so I’m going to do that, and then I’m going to spend the day making you come in every position imaginable. ”
She moaned and dug her fingers into my hair. “Renata is expecting me. We’re going early to beat the crowds. I’m not missing out on a day in Rome just because the patron saint of rhinos has the horn. I might not get this chance again. You can’t just change the rules of the game when it suits you.”
“Sweetheart, no, you’ve got it all wrong. I made the game, so I control the rules.” I pulled away, and she gave a growl of frustration.
“I thought you wanted me to stop?” I brushed her thigh with my thumb and a tremble ran through her.
“Let’s at least go inside. This is indecent on the balcony,” she muttered.
The sun beat down hot on the back of my neck, but fuck it. There was no way I’d stop when I had her like this. “It’s fine. The Italians love to eat alfresco. When in Rome . . .”
I focused on her clit, probing and sucking. The smell and taste of her made my cock ache with the need to be inside of her.
She groaned and writhed against my face. “I don’t want to miss my tour. You’re going to make me late.”
I pulled away a fraction, but kept my gaze on her glistening pussy. “I need to feel you come on my tongue, and I’ll take you on a tour afterward.”
“You’ll take me on a tour?”
It wasn’t my original plan, but I’d tour the moon if it meant she kept her legs open for me. “Yes.”
“I thought you had work?”
Nope. Gabe Rivers wasn’t here yet. I grabbed her thigh and hooked it over my shoulder, opening her wider. “I can take a break.”
Her tormented moans filled my ears as I drove my tongue in and out of her. She arched her spine and spoke between breaths.
“A break? Are you physically capable of that?”
I dragged my fingers through the slick heat between her thighs and circled her clit.
Her knees trembled. “This isn’t a fair negotiation while you’re doing this to me.”
“Life is unfair.”
“This is arsehole-ish behavior. You know I’m going to agree to anything.”
That’s the idea. I stood and kissed her, delving my tongue into her mouth, exploring.
My fingers still worked steady circles on her clit.
She was close. I knew because, last night, I’d tuned into her responses.
Her breathing got fast when she was about to climax.
She seemed to appreciate it rough and dirty, which was fine with me, because I was going to spend this week ruining her for any other man.
I plunged a finger inside her. So tight and wet. All mine. My Charlotte.
“Why don’t you be a good boy for once in your life and get back on your knees?” She gave me an unimpressed look and pushed my shoulders down. “As I recall, you vowed to make me come on your tongue, not your fingers. Although, honestly, I prefer both at the same time.”
Gladly. I sank to my knees and stared at her above me. The Roman sun painted her chestnut hair in gold, and of all the magnificence in this city, she was the most divine. I lapped and sucked her clit until her legs quaked and I had to grip her ass to hold her upright.
The moment I thrust my fingers into her, her thighs clamped and she gasped. She came loudly, pulling my hair and clenching around my tongue. I worked her through every quiver and moan until she sagged against the balcony door.
She let out a soft sigh and peered down at me. “What are you doing to me?”
A trace of sadness invaded her voice. I felt it too. Among the thrill and the heat was a sense of remorse. In a different life, we should have been like this since forever. With a different start, maybe we could have spent the past decade like this. Nothing had ever felt more right.
I scooped her into my arms and carried her into the bedroom. “I could ask you the same question.”
My cock was so hard it was uncomfortable to walk.
I would have preferred to bend her over the balcony and feel her pulsing and twitching after her orgasm, but not without a condom.
I’d never fucked anyone without protection, and although this woman made me lose my mind, I wasn’t that reckless.
I laid her down gently. “We need a condom.”
“We don’t.” She sprang up and headed to the bathroom.
“Where are you going?”
She didn’t turn around. “I need to shower and get ready for my tour.”
“Get back in this bed.”
She paused at the bathroom door. “Tour first. If you do a good job as my guide, you might get a reward later.” She gave me a shrug and a sardonic smile. “Then again, you might not. Let’s hope you’ve brushed up on your Roman history.”